belated bella episode one: shopping

Like many of the lucky ladies attending Silver Bella in Omaha, I arrived a day early. The Hilton Omaha Hotel and the Qwest Center across the street (its sign and my room were out-the-window buddies :>) are newly built in Omaha, and the facilities and the river walk were delightful. But the main attraction for us before the event itself was Omaha's Old Market District, now a local boutique and dining mecca.

Heading off first to the much-ballyhooed Second Chance antique store, Debby Schuh, her friend Elaine Prosser, our newly-met Omaha blogging buddy Maggie Summers, and I formed our own posse to round up vintage goodies for the classes to come. Two floors crammed full of furniture, vintage display cases, drawers piled on drawers, boxes and mannequins made for a full-scale treasure hunt. The owner stands in the center of the photo above, surveying the start of the onslaught.




Like Elaine with her camera, we were all busily photographing, sorting, choosing, piling stuff in our baskets until we heard the credit cards whistling Dixie in warning.





Heading out the door (though many of us would return several times), Debby smiles in anticipation of the fun ahead.









Perhaps these chairs weren't put there just for us, but we (me, Elaine, Debby and Maggie temporarily behind the camera) needed the momentary rest.









Here's a quick glimpse of some of my glittery and softened-by-time purchases.








This collection of celluloid pieces, billed as French Ivory, is a favorite find for my desk space. Tracey Niehues immediately understood why I consider these small sculpting tools perfect for sanding and artfully distressing paper, especially since she's now also obsessed with art journals.


Another place to visit in the Old Market District is Gallery Walk, where small galleries, restaurants, and artsy boutiques line the brick walkway, and where this scrumptious-to-the touch handmade raspberry scarf from Paper Dolls wrapped itself in my

arms, although I certainly didn't need it for the mild weather in Omaha. Not to worry. Just the color happily warms up Miss Maude and me in my studio.

Until the Thursday evening wine-and-cheese back at Second Chance, we ambled through other antique shops, gift shops, and restaurants, including Upstream, where the very kind waitress insisted we have Omaha steaks for our late lunch, although if it had been colder, we might have just sidled up to the bar to sample their famous Blackstone stout.



Next Bella episode: classes in session