I'm the first to admit that when it comes to my beading
projects, I suffer from a severe case of B.A.D.D. (Beader's Attention Deficit Disorder). I start a new project and then something
pretty catches my eye - a little pack of Czech fire-polished beads that I left
out after finishing a previous project or maybe an interesting color
combination of seed beads and glass drop beads that accidentally got thrown
together.
Another problem I have is that
I actually dream about beads (who doesn't, right?). Then when I wake up in the morning, I can
barely keep it together long enough to get breakfast and get my son off to
daycare before I want to sit down and start working on the project I saw in my
dreams the night before. And while I can
definitely focus on what's in front of me when I'm working on a beading
project, I have discovered that I'm the type of person who works best when they
have three or four different beading projects in progress at the same time.
Because I don't have a huge area for beading, it's important
for me to keep things organized. One way
that I do this is by keeping my large-scale beading projects in a tray with a
velvet jewelry pad for a work surface.
This way, I can stack up a few projects and save some space. For smaller beading and seed bead projects, I
usually use a Velux mat that I can roll up and stash in a drawer to save space,
even though it requires me to pack up and put away all my beads and materials
at the end of each work session.
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Another way that I manage multiple beading projects at once
is to do each stage as a separate project.
If I'm working on a large-scale or intricate cabochon necklace, I'll
only take out the beads I need to do each step.
For instance, if I'm working on the peyote-stitch bezel, I'll keep only my cylinder beads and size 15o
seed beads in front of me. Once the
bezel is done, I'll take out the beads I want to use for the embroidery or
embellishment around it. This way, it
makes it easy for me to pack it up at the end of each beading session, and it
keeps my work space (relatively) organized.
(Yes, that's really what my beading table looks like on a regular basis.)
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So, in case you're one of those people that need lots of
projects going on in order to be happy, you're in luck: there's a sale going on
right now in the Beading Daily Shop,
and all those great beading projects are on sale! Why not stock up with a few new projects and
give yourself some more beading to do?
Here are a few of my new favorite beading projects:
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If you want to give your sculptural peyote stitch skills a little workout, try these sweet little Miniature Flower Baskets by Jeri Herrera. They would look wonderful in a child's dollhouse or even made into a tiny pendant for someone special. |
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Dustin Wedekind's Nice Rock! square-stitched ring is the perfect way to show off a stunning Herkimer diamond or other special gemstone from your bead stash. |
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Mary Tafoya's Hamsa Earrings are beautiful symbols of peace and protection against the evil eye. |
Take advantage of this limited-time sale to stock up on
beading projects from the Beading Daily Shop and make sure that you never, ever have an empty beading tray!
Do you have a favorite way to stay organized when you have
multiple beading projects going at once?
Share with us here on the blog or on our Facebook page!
Bead Happy,
Jennifer