Dream Vacation

Last month, we asked:

"So - if you could go anywhere or do any bead or jewelry-related thing in the

world -  What would it be? A trip to Tucson to buy stone beads? 

Or a trip to Murano to take a class with a master lampworker? 

Or maybe the Tower of London to see the Crown Jewels of England? 

A week-long bead retreat class? What is your bead-fantasy?"

Here is what some of you had to say!

"A week long bead retreat class, of course!!!"

"Ahhh to find my happy place ... 

A week-long bead retreat class involving wire work and metal smithing for beginners. "

"Trip to Tucson - I've heard the variety is amazing and great 
opportunity to stock up on both basic and one-of-a-kind items.  Would 
love to give that a whirl! "

"To travel to Africa and purchase ethnic fair trade beads 

from the communities that make them."

"Tough Question, i think i would like to see the crown jewels of England,
 or the jewellry collection at the British museum.  Combine my two 
favourite things, Jewellry and History! "

"How about "Around the world in 80 bead stores"?  I have travelled a 
tiny bit, and I have a few places I would go back to for the bead store I
 visited.  I could hit them all again, and find a few more.  Short of 
that, I would love to get to a big bead show, just about anywhere: 
Tucson, Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, but I suspect that my husband would
 feel like he was enabling my addiction, if not outright contributing to
 it.  There won't be any family vacations planned around a weekend show
 any time soon.  As for escaping by myself or with a bead pal, that is 
truly a fantasy.  3 small children stand between me and the door.  I 
shall content myself by shopping online, where the world is my oyster. 
 Any pearls present? "

"An exclusive, high end spa/health retreat for a week with afternoons 

reserved for beading with my daughter. "

"  I like vintage beads and I'm an inveterate bargain hunter, so I'd 
like a trip to Rhode Island to dig through the old bead warehouses. 
Then, to make it even more fun, take a New England coastline cruise with
 classes on board ship. A week of this would be wonderful!! "

"India....to shop in the local markets for beads"

" Hmmmm ... I think a combo of the Tuscon trip - of course, I'd need a 
LARGE expense account - and then following that, a week-long retreat 
featuring classes, to try all the techniques I'm intrigued by: 
lampworking, PMC silver, silver fusing, metal-smithing, chain maile, 
etc., etc., ETC. Maybe a week isn't long enough? Then of course I'd 
love a real studio at home, with a proper jeweler's bench, and all the 
trimmings. And the luxury of time to work! Not greedy, am I?  .... I 
think I\'ll run out to buy a lottery ticket!"

" I would love to work with other Native American people in a program to 
preserve tribal beadwork designs, as well as educate about their 
meanings."

"Just recently, I was asked the very same question, and I had realized 
that I has forgotten how to dream, because life can be unfair to a lot 
of us. But my boyfriend and I had talked about our combination dream, 
where we travel all over the country in an RV- full of beads. My 
work-shop on wheels, selling my jewellry at any fair that would have us 
and he would plot the courses so that we could see every province and 
state our hearts desire. So I would just live out my days making 
jewellry and learning everything there is to know, and he gets to visit 
everyplace he's ever dreamed of and plot the courses to those 
places.(He loves maps!!)"

"Anytime I travel, I try to find a bead store to visit.  The 
possibilities within our own province are fabulous!  I hope to stop in 
and see your store this summer as travel will take me through Toronto to
 Eastern Ontario.  Just today a possible trip to Paris with a friend was
 mentioned and I came home and looked up bead stores in Paris!!  It 
really is an addiction and seeking and searching out new beads and
baubles is a real treat, no matter what the destination."

" I would go to Italy, and visit the glass factories in Murano, 

take some glass courses and take a ride on a boat in Venice."


 " I love the Italian seed beads but they are hard to find.  I think I 
would like a trip to Milan to purchase a ton of these beads."

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Of course, there were a ton more comments, and I wish I could include 

them all for you. 

Where will you go on your dream vacation?