About Beadventures
Beadventures started in 1994 with weekend beading retreats in Arizona. The company now offers international travel to over 14 countries with many talented teachers and experts in the field of beadwork, beadmaking, fiber arts, and more. Creativity, sparked by culture and nurtured by talented teachers is what Beadventures is all about.
In January 2009 Cheryl Frasca of Anchorage, Alaska took over the reigns of Beadventure from Cheryl Cobern-Browne who now spends more time at the wonderful retreat center (Essence of Mulranny) she has built in Ireland.
Cheryl F. has been on several Beadventures--including Ireland and Italy pictured here--and serves as tour leader for Beadventures to her home state of Alaska. The fun of these experiences--and the great friends she has made--is what convinced Cheryl F. to take on ownership of Beadventures.
Cheryl has been beading for over ten years. While she will occasionally dabble in fiber and other mediums, seed beads are her favorite--especially free form bead embroidery. She thought she had retired from a "real job" in 2007 after working 30+ years for elected officials, the most recent as the Governor's director for Alaska's Office of Management and Budget. But on July 1, 2009 she returned to public service as OMB director for Anchorage's new mayor--but Beadventures continues to be her passion!
Meet Our Tour Leaders
If you've been on a Beadventure you know that an integral part is the tour leader (aka "Mother Hen"). Beadventures has a great team that works hard at making each trip a success. Our tour leaders include:
Cheryl Cobern-Browne
Cheryl founded Beadventures in 1994 with weekend bead retreats in the Arizona mountains. As evidenced by current travel offerrings, Cheryl grew Beadventures to include a number of other forms of art and destinations around the world. Cheryl will continue to be involved in Beadventures by hosting artists and travelers at the retreat center she has built up in County Mayo in west Ireland. It is a glorious setting that can only further inspire your creativity! Check out the new web site for her Essence of Mulranny!
Doris Coghill
Doris leads our trips to the Czech Republic and to the warehouses of vintage crystals and beads in Providence, Rhode Island. Doris went on the very first Beadventure and was immediately hooked! Doris owns Dee's Place and teaches classes around the country.
Jean Donaldson
Jean’s passion for beads is almost as strong as her passion for travel. Over the last 15 years she has dabbled with seed beads, lampworking (still a passion), and jewelry design. She just started with fiber arts – felting in particular – and combining beads and fiber. A former social worker and management consultant, Jean also served in elected office and on a variety of non-profit boards. She was fortunate to serve as president of the Board of Directors of The Bead Museum when the Museum moved from Prescott, AZ to Glendale, AZ. She has traveled and worked with Beadventures for the past 8 years as a tour leader (aka "mother hen") to the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, South Africa, and India and as a participant to South Africa, China, Ireland, and Italy.
Cheron Gelber
Cheron leads our Beadventures to Thailand. After a fun and rewarding "left-brained" career in high tech, Cheron (pronounced like Sharon), turned to the"right" side of the brain and fell in love with beads. She has been teaching beadwork classes at Fusion Beads in Seattle for a number of years. But she was not content to teach when she could travel, so she began with Paris and the Czech Republic and a vintage bead business was born. Next was Thailand, a country and a people that captured her heart. She created Somerset Silver to import the beautiful silver beads handmade by the Hilltribes in Thailand.
Maggie Meister
Maggie leads all our trips to Italy--as well as other destinations as requested! She began beading after “coveting” a pair of earrings worn by her son’s teacher. Maggie signed up for a bead class and has never looked back!
A move to Naples, Italy in 1998 changed her life forever. The rich, lively culture of the Neapolitan people and the ancient mosaics, frescoes, and jewelry designs are a major source of inspiration for her designs. She has studied at the Mosaic Art School in Ravenna, Italy and learned the ancient traditional methods of creating mosaics. This has added to Maggie's unique ability to create beadwork translated from the designs of frescoes and mosaics seen on the floors and walls of abbeys, monasteries and ruins.
Maggie teaches workshops nationally and internationally in Turkey, Germany, and Italy. Her work has been shown in Milan and Naples and has been featured in BEADWORK Magazine, BEAD & BUTTON Magazine along with others. To learn more about Maggie, visit her website at Amphora Designs.
What Others Say About Their Beadventure . . .
Of course, travel to an exotic location can be exciting any time, but why not get even more out of your next trip by joining us on a Beadventure. Let us be your guide as your creativity is inspired and you experience the culture and history of places you have always wanted to visit.
Here's what some of our Beadventurers have said about their time with us . . .
"Your knitting in Ireland 2009 workshop was superb!!! Di Gilpin is a fabulous teacher--not only because she knows her stuff, but because she inspires and nurtures creativity in all of us. Learning how to create our own designs and patterns and knit "outside the box" was incredibly freeing! Suzie Sullivan's demonstration of fiber art was equally stunning. Your home/our residence is one of the most beautiful homes I've ever been in and I cherish memories of it."
Fran Mues | New Hampshire
“I just wanted you to know how happy I was with the 2006 knitting trip to Ireland. I really enjoyed the combination of learning, relaxing and exploring a new area. The trip was well planned and executed, but I think your gift for hospitality and warmth made it particularly special.”
Linda Becketti | Seattle, WA
“On Beadventure Cornwall, I have to say it was a wonderful experience. Good company, good beading, good sightseeing, shopping and eating. That pretty much sums it up for me. In my book you can't get much better than that. I really want to do this again in a year or two when I have saved up a bit. Quality instructors, small groups, and interesting places—well you will probably have to beat us away with a stick! I had such a good time I feel I ought to leave you deposits on future trips just on general principals!”
Maggie McDonald | San Diego, California
“These Beadventures present such a wonderful opportunity to see different places, meet the people who live there, eat delicious local food and learn new beading techniques all in the company of terrific folks who share a similar interest in beading. Plus, it's a very safe and comfortable way to travel, especially for women. Do I sound enthusiastic, or what?”
Lydia Kalyna | New Jersey
“Traveling companions can make or break one's enjoyment of an organized tour. Having experienced quite a range of this fellowship spectrum, I could not help but marvel at the spirit of the 2001 Irish Beadventure. There we were, a disparate group of women of different ages from varying backgrounds and yet from day one there was that instant magical synthesis caused not simply by a common interest in beading but by the fact that everyone was a creative individual and creativity generates a very special ethos. In this case it resulted in an atmosphere in which friendship and laughter flourished. That laughter became the 'theme music' for the venture. I have only to think of it and it conjures up happy memories. What a tour! What a tonic! Thank you, Cheryl!”
Hazel Tops | George, South Africa
“Thanks to Cheryl and Maggie for such a wonderful trip!! I really appreciate all the time and hard work that goes into planning something like this and Maggie's knowledge of the area - knowing Aldo, made it so special. (Italy - Naples/Venice 2003)”
Patty Savinski | San Diego, California
“I really learned a lot about the Tucson fare. Excellent trip—good organization and really good to have someone like Jamey with us. I learnt a lot about beads. It was an inspiring and stimulating experience". (Tucson Gem & Mineral Beadventure February 2005)
Lady Susan Farrell | Cambrige, England
“Our 2004 trip to India was for me exhilarating to the senses, gave me a whole new appreciation for the skills that the people have and it helped me to appreciate my own life. Cheryl and Torben very well organized the India trip. Torben was an excellent guide with a fountain of knowledge. It was a wonderful way of experiencing India and seeing the way people work and live. Just when one would think it couldn’t get more exciting, India would give us a new surprise". (India 2005)
Lea Swantz | Lahti, Finland
“Thank you so much for my two weeks in Arizona. The road trip was amazing, especially the unexpected opportunity to watch the Hopi Indian Buffalo Dance. The Tucson bead shows were made much more enjoyable through the help and guidance of you and your staff. Bassem Elias and Jamie Allen talks were fascinating and revealed just what a huge subject the world of beads is. Most of all thanks for the good company and laughter, which made my first visit to America such fun and so memorable."
Jo McIntosch | St Ives, UK
“My sister and I didn’t know what to expect when we came to Beadventure in Ireland for the 2006 Borosilicate glass beadmaking course. It turned out to be a great experience! Although challenging, we had fun making our own beads; met some very nice people from various parts of the world and the hospitality was unbelievable! Thanks Cheryl, we will be back!”
Nadine James | London, UK
“Although we have long wanted to go to Africa, Burt had a bit of hesitation in doing it with a bunch of beaders. But from the very first day we both enjoyed ourselves totally. The beads and beadwork provide a window into the history of both ceremony and everyday life. Through Cheryl's contacts, we were welcomed into people’s homes and lives, and there is no better way to experience a country and it's culture than that. The days were filled with one fascinating adventure after the next, yet the pace was comfortable with time to relax in between. We are looking forward to our next Beadventure to China!”
Burt & Arlene Watson | San Diego, CA
“Without a doubt, the (2007)Thailand Beadventure was the best trip of my life. We did lots of sightseeing and bought tons of Thai silver beads, which I continue to run my fingers through in glee. (I feel like King Midas!) And Chiang Mai is a shopper's paradise—the silk scarves, clothes, purses, silver, gems, and jewelry were plentiful, inexpensive, and frankly, irresistible. And I felt like I was in a National Geographic movie. ”
Debbie Annan | Redmond, WA
