This might end up being 5 segments. I'm scheduling these posts today (Sun.) and I'm hoping my Miyuki and Delica beads will arrive tomorrow, so I can include them. I want to get some of those previosuly mentioned projects going and get them in my studio. I will just write another post with those if they don't arrive tomorrow.

On today's tour, first we have bugle beads. I have quite the selection of bugles. I have some that are incredibly long-sent to me by a friend who thought she wanted to weave beads, but found out she like silversmithing much better. She sent me some of her stash, including those incredibly long ones. Besides those, I have your basic twisted bugles, and the straight ones, both in a wild assortment of colors.


The next stop is the DynaMite drawer. They come in these nifty little containers, (you might have noticed some reused one in other pics)that stack nicely in these deep drawers. I know-I said I didn't like bead containers stacked on each other, but in this case, the drawer is deep enough and I have enough DynaMites to be able to stack like colors and finishes with like. For example, the transparent cobalt can stack on top of each other.


The last stop on the tour today is what I consider to be my "misc." drawer. It has all the beads that don't fit in any other category. It has the acrylic accent beads I use on my ornament drapes. I prefer acrylic drops rather than glass on some cases because of the weight factor-glass weighing more than acrylic. It also has my box of business cards, my earrings cards and a small stuffed penguin I picked up someplace for some reason. Not sure he shows in the picture.

My creating and storing with seed beads-pt.3

The tour today will start with the second storage cart. I'm not sure what those things are "officially" called-rolling carts with drawers, I guess. It didn't take me long to find out that those carts don't roll too well when the drawers have pounds of beads in them. LOL!

This is a picture of Matsuno seed beads. Matsuno is the 3rd largest of the Japanese bead manufacturers, with Miyuki and TOHO in front of them. I like them because they are quality beads, come in an incredible range of colors and finishes and are reasonably priced. FireMountainGems sells them under the name DynaMite.

The open spaces are for beads that are going to be used in a couple of projects this week. One of the things my muse did while "we" were organizing is come up with things to create. Since I knew it would be a few days before I got to working on those projects, I set the beads-and everything else-for those 3 projects aside. Yep, 3 projects-sometimes I think my muse thinks I can bead at the speed of light. Notice the first drawer.I don't like beads stacked up like that because it makes it hard for me to open the drawers and "cruise for color" when I want to do something. See, I told you it will soon be time for another cart.

The last drawer today has crystals and bi-cones-all pretty and sparkly. I love the facets on these and how they reflect the light. I always try to catch that when I am photographing a finished piece, but it isn't easy.

Thanks for hanging in there with me and a HUGE thanks to the AFlessthan(10) guild.