Detroit Airport and a Viking necklace

I know, I know, those two things don't really go together. I'm sitting in the Detroit airport on my way to Dallas and from there to Santa Fe, where I will be showing my beads at the Interweave Bead Fest. This should be fun. My suitcase is full of table display with a few clothes filling in the corners, and my carry-on is full of beads. My suitcase was 3 pounds over the weight limit, so I took out my lights and my receipt books, and put them in my purse, hey, it saved me $50!! That's $50 I can spend on beads! Or Jack Daniels! This is going to be a very interesting experience and it will be so great to see my friends!
This necklace is inspired by Viking pieces. The beads are all copies of 8-10th Century beads. To get that crusty ancient look they were rolled in baking soda as I made them, which creates wonderful pits and texture and crackling. After they're annealed they are soaked in vinegar until they no longer taste salty(srsly!) washed, etched and then tumbled for a few hours with steel shot to make sure they are strong enough to be used. They were fun to make and I will surely be making more of the checkerboard murrine. The round beads riveted to the silver discs are meant to mimic amber. It was fun to make.
I'm off to grab a slice of pizza so goodbye for now, I'll update with booth pics as soon as I can!!