Fiber Finds! from Lil Fish Studios

I have enjoyed becoming part of the blogging community, it reaffirms that the world if full of kind, creative, caring souls. One of the blogs I have had fun following is Lil Fish Studios and her recent Sunday shopping trip showcases a wonderful variety of inspiring felted art. Thank you so much Lil Fish for including me, I feel awfully humbled to be included with such wonderful felters!

10 Days of Sunshine

I just recently returned from a 10 day trip to Phoenix Az. to visit my friend Jennifer and attend the Tucson Gem and Bead Show. Many, many thanks to Jen for putting me up AND putting up with me!  I appreciate it :)

The first couple of days were strictly homework and relaxing while Jen was working. On Sunday we drove down to Quartzsite to do a little “rock shopping”. Quartzsite is RV heaven during the winter months. RV’s are parked anywhere and everywhere. We browsed many tents containing all sorts of rocks, minerals, and other items. It was a great day of bargain hunting and bartering with local rock hounds. I purchased some petrified wood pieces that I intend to turn into unique buttons for my felted creations, some beautiful blue jasper from “the ancient one”, and some smaller pieces of Jasper.

Just look at the “modern” scale used by one of the vendors! Everything weighed two pounds, too funny.              Jen and Casey on the hunt!

On Monday we packed up the truck and drove west to Saddle Mtn where we spent the day hiking and climbing the scree looking for Fire Agates. It was a hard climb for me, being ancient and arthritic, but I took my time, stopped for photos and did rather well. We climbed across the slopes of the mountain all day and was rewarded by many nice finds. I think we carried out about forty pounds of rock, mostly white and red agate with a little fire thrown in. We had a late lunch back at the truck before heading back to Phoenix.

Saddle Mountain (arrow points to destination)

Climbing this! looking for agates!

Late, Late lunch!

The rest of my trip was spent in Cave Creek, browsing(researching) local yarn shops, and meeting friends (from out of town also in Phoenix!) and on to Tucson.

My husband kindly put us up at the Embassy Suites in Tucson (LOVE those frequent stay/ free hotel rooms). If you have never been down to the show in Tucson you are really missing something! Almost every hotel is booked with vendors/rock hounds with treasures to tempt! The show runs for two weeks and if you were to spend every day there you would still not be able to take it all in. Miles and miles of beads, gems, jewelry, findings, and everything else imaginable. You have to really know what you need, what you are shopping for or else you will be bring home a suitcase full, heck you might even leave your clothes behind.

When I was at the airport going through security I just knew I was going to be pulled aside…sure enough, my suitcase goes through xray and the security person stops the conveyor, calls over to another security person with the most puzzled look on her face. They approach and ask if it is my suitcase and that they will need to inspect it. She goes to lift the suitcase off of the conveyor and says “What have you got in here? Rocks?”  Ha ha ha, little does she know!