Bead Chat

Re: A great (and cheap) bead tray idea

Billy Z — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 19:24:03 GMT

I use a painting palette when I am doing bead embroidery and using multiple colors. The one that I use has 10 small divets and a big on in the middle. It works out really well until your sleeve catches on it and you send it flying across the room. Unless I am the only one that does that. *laughz* I wear this very old, very ugly dark blue bathrobe that is full of holes and a couple of burns, but it is the most comfortable thing in the world. Unfortunately, it has floopy sleeves that seem to catch on whatever I am working with/on. I cuss, then pick up the mess I made and start over. *laughz* I don't own any beading mats or anything like that, just one cheapo beadboard that I got from Wal Mart and the palette that I have had for years. It works so i never bothered trying anything different.

Billy ;o)

Re: A great (and cheap) bead tray idea

ChristineT — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 17:20:44 GMT

I have a few of those little round trays for painting...has all the little shallow dips in it...that works well...and then I have one of larger paint palletes with all the round dips or holes for paint...and the larger section up top.

I like the hoop and cloth idea...thinking that little sticky mat you can buy at Michaels would be a great addition to that as well.

Christine

http://BeadedIndulgences.etsy.com

Re: A great (and cheap) bead tray idea

Delica — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 20:31:57 GMT

About a year ago I bought an oval shaped tuppertray on the cheap - it actually is two trays which either stack or could be used as bottom and lid, depending on what you want to do. I stuck some self-adhesive felt on the inside of both trays and now have two wonderful cheap, cheerful and light beading trays (one of which my 7yr old daughter has swiped for her beading stuff...)

Re: A great (and cheap) bead tray idea

Sunshine Dancer — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 23:20:28 GMT

Wow what genius ideas! Thanks!

Rose

Re: A great (and cheap) bead tray idea

Pam — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 11:49:41 GMT

I like the idea of using the plastic lids as bead trays and that's a very cool idea to cut the soft plastic lids and use them as bead scoops! Wow what a collective brain we have.

Pam

Re: A great (and cheap) bead tray idea

MelindaB — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:27:31 GMT

Hi Deb ~

I guess I didn't think about needles sticking because at my house we string beads needle-free

You are definitely right about the UltraSuede and Vellux if you do use needle... maybe someday we will progress to that point

Re: A great (and cheap) bead tray idea

CrystalCubeBead. — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 15:53:34 GMT

BeadBarn:
For my bead trays I use the little soft platic lids that come off the top of yogurt pots and for larger ones I use the lids off oatmeal tubs.

An American Indian lady gave me a plastic lid which she had modified by removing part of the rim, making it even easier to bend and use to pour the beads into the tube. If you were to also cut straight across from one side of the cut off rim to the other, you would have a handy "bead dustpan" for sweeping beads off your mat, to pour into the tubes. [or off the table, or off the floor]

Re: A great (and cheap) bead tray idea

DorothyH — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 12:20:38 GMT

Thanks for sharing - I have several frames just sitting in my "projects to do" baskets.

Re: A great (and cheap) bead tray idea

Pam — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:38:59 GMT

Jsmaz:
I like the idea of the home made lap desk, and using multiple-pic frames for sorting. You could even get a piece of mat/poster/cardboard and cut out some holes for an extra layer so you'd have mini-areas to put different sized beads in without them mixing together. You'd just sandwich the fabric layer between the 2 pieces of cardboard.

Wow Jeni I like that idea a lot, I'm going to have to try it....Thanks! Everybody's ideas here are so good, we ought to all have the world's best beading trays from this!..

Pam

Re: A great (and cheap) bead tray idea

Kokopelli Design — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 08:04:43 GMT

Jeni, thanks for sharing! And for reminding me of a great idea. I saw it somewhere and read about it thinking it is a great idea. And then.......FORGOT about it!

Re: A great (and cheap) bead tray idea

BeadBarn — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 06:44:05 GMT

WOW..what a lot of good ideas...you are all sooooo inspirational....

For my bead trays I use the little soft platic lids that come off the top of yogurt pots and for larger ones I use the lids off oatmeal tubs. They are great because they bend in half for you to pour beads back in the tubes and go right back to their original shape.

My beading mat is the liner you use for drawers and shelves...(don't know what it's name is) but it comes on a roll and is about 18" wide and beads don't roll away on it and you can hand rinse it. Plenty on a roll to last for years to come.

As for my needle holder, is is a couple of corks from wine bottles I got at my son's wedding and I glued a couple of sheet magnets to the underside edge of my bead shelf to hold large head pins and bead stoppers. (The magnets are the 'free' ones that people use to advertise themselves and they are about the size of a credit card).

Finally, I shop my dollar stores for bead storage tubs as they sell the multi stacking tubs that have nails,screw etc. in them and are in clear plastic. (Usually 3 large round tubs or 4 smaller round tubes for $1).

Re: A great (and cheap) bead tray idea

Anonymous — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 06:35:49 GMT

I like the idea of the home made lap desk, and using multiple-pic frames for sorting. You could even get a piece of mat/poster/cardboard and cut out some holes for an extra layer so you'd have mini-areas to put different sized beads in without them mixing together. You'd just sandwich the fabric layer between the 2 pieces of cardboard.

Re: A great (and cheap) bead tray idea

Inca — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 05:28:00 GMT

Deb :

Inca,

Vellux is the brand/trade name, like "teflon" or "Xerox". If you have a fabric or quilting store near you, they might have it. Here in the US, motels often use vellux blankets. It's not like velvet, per se, because it is woven and it has a nap on both sides. As Kristin says, it is somewhat stiff, but I've found it gets softer after being washed a couple of times. Unless it's stained with coffee or something, it cleans up nicely when it gets grubby.

Hope this helps explain Vellux to you!

Deb - AZ Bead Depot

the fabric store in town is a bunch of ladies in their 60's (no offece to any of you guys) and they are kinda set in their way. And I dont thing they have taken in something new in ages ...
My town is a bit "It wasnt like that before" - so basically no one wants to change anything.

Re: A great (and cheap) bead tray idea

Deb — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:00:09 GMT

Melinda,

I discovered that felt isn't a good idea the hard way. I got nice oblong tin of chocolates at Christmas and thought it would be a neat little beading kit (fits nicely in a purse for travel) and I thought lining it with felt would work. Tried it out at one of hubby's Dr. appointments. I was NOT happy when the needle caught in the felt and sent beads flying at the person sitting next to me! (Neither was she! LOL)

I think Ultrasuede and Vellux are probably the best choices.

Deb - AZ Bead Depot

Re: A great (and cheap) bead tray idea

Deb — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:54:35 GMT

Inca,

Vellux is the brand/trade name, like "teflon" or "Xerox". If you have a fabric or quilting store near you, they might have it. Here in the US, motels often use vellux blankets. It's not like velvet, per se, because it is woven and it has a nap on both sides. As Kristin says, it is somewhat stiff, but I've found it gets softer after being washed a couple of times. Unless it's stained with coffee or something, it cleans up nicely when it gets grubby.

Hope this helps explain Vellux to you!

Deb - AZ Bead Depot