Folks, bear with me! Our Tucson Gem Show story is all written up, but I wanted to slip in this story on Dry Gulch before it was too late to let you know about their upcoming show. Next week, the Tucson story, and I promise it will be worth the wait.

But now, on to sing the praises of Dry Gulch Beads & Jewelry, a family-owned business with three generations of women designing, creating, and collaborating together on the creation and sale of beads, findings and handcrafted jewelry. They are Deborah (Grandma), Jennifer (Mama), Catherine and Gianna (Cat and Bean - Granddaughters). Each one of them has their own personal, creative workspace, ranging from highly organized (Jennifer and Bean) to scattered and just a little bit cluttered (Deborah and Cat)!!

The team travels throughout the Midwest doing bead shows, vintage shows, and teaching classes to new and experienced beaders things they have learned throughout the years (and are continuing to learn). They also sell their finished jewelry at shows, on-line, and in several boutiques. They create torch-fired lampwork beads, hand-cut stamped metal, painted and enameled components, Often, folks go to visit them at bead shows, carrying in their current projects where they can be inspired by the "beady" surroundings and to get one-on-one personal assistance.

Now, to a little sampling of their beautiful work!

Here's a sweet little piece they call the Raspberry Sewing Charm Necklace, made by Jennifer of the Dry Gulch Gals. It's a delightful sewing-themed necklace with a bobbin and sewing charms -- one in their series of other sewing necklaces. It also features their own lampwork, a fabric-wrapped spool, and fiber -- finished with an antique brass chain and lobster clasp. For others who love vintage and mixed media, this is so inspiring!

Next up, a creation that makes me feel like I'm about to slip into an Alice-in-Wonderland-World. It's a Dragonfly Clock Necklace made by Cat of the Dry Gulch gals. This piece evokes a sense of whimsy. It features a dragonfly clock pendant with a hand-stamped message that says "Once Upon a Time". The necklace portion is also antique brass chain with a lobster clasp.

Check out their Shows/Events page, and don't miss the fact that they have a big event come up on Feb. 26, 27 & 28 in Dallas -- including (very affordable) classes in Patina Collage Pendants.

To contact them (or check out their other beautiful artisan jewelry pieces and components) you can go to their web site, which also has links to their other Dry Gulch venues (including Facebook, Etsy & Pinterest -- some of our favorites!) And my two cents is, you should drop by those sites and like & follow them -- they're amazing.

If you enjoyed this post, you might also enjoy Some Musings on Buying Handmade.

Until Next Time,

Sheila