My own personal Bead Hop

Bracelet found at one of the vintage shops on 4th St.

Spent a few days at the beach last week and was able to visit not one, not two, but three bead shops. The first, Beadology is a long time favorite in Huntington Beach. My husband then found two online in Long Beach. He drove (of course, I get to bead while travelling) Our first stop at Ruby Tuesday found that they did not open until 11, so onto Pudgy's, whoops, they sleep late too. What to do? Oh well, we were forced to go and eat pie at Polly's. Just down the street from Pudgys, so if you go, you must stop! Back to Pudgys where I met the owners and found that they stock a very large selection of Vintage beads. A bit over an hour later we were on the road back to Ruby Tuesdays, with a side trip to a block long area of vintage shops, where we found a great vintage starfish bracelet. Starfish were the theme of the day as I was looking for items to incorporate into designs for my daughter, Dawn Marie, who designs reversible swimsuits under the label "Deuce Swimwear."

It turned out the shops, all on 4th St. Long Beach were just half a block from the house John had lived in from about age 4 to 10 years old. We found the house and got some photos, tempted to ring the bell to ask for a look around but passed. Back to Ruby Tuesday which is a newer shop with a very enthusiastic owner and a very nice selection to choose from. She spent a lot of time with me helping to choose and showing me examples of her work.