The Bead Cruise was such an amazing trip. The weather was absolutely perfect, the vistas were absolutely breathtaking and the beading was absolutely fun! There were a few mishaps, delays and reroutings on the way home, and then I got stuck in Milwaukee overnight because the weather where I live included at least 24" of snow that fell (is it really April?! It looks more like January out there!), and now that I am back I have been hit with a bad head cold. But that doesn't diminish the great memories that I made.
We saw several ports of call, including Labadee, Haiti (above)....
...an exotic flower and wildlife preserve....
...and sunsets at sea.
When we were on the ship out at sea was the time that we took classes. One of my half day classes was with Heather Powers in a polymer clay caned bead making class called Tropical Leaves. Here are the four beads that I made (which is saying something for me, since those who know will find it interesting that I would follow directions!).
So since I haven't felt well, I haven't had time to do much. But I did manage to make one pair of earrings. I was inspired by the petals of the tropical hibiscus flower and the large variety and shapes of the actual tropical leaves that were everywhere.
Are you intrigued by how I made these polymer clay leaf canes? You are in luck! This cane-making tutorial is something that anyone can do, and Miss Heather has conveniently put all the details into an online course that you can sign up for here. I would highly recommend this class.
These will be a great remembrance for me of a wonderful once-in-a-lifetime vacation. Now I will kick back with a margarita and enjoy the tropical earrings that you made.
Time to show off your tropical earrings! Let's see what you made!
