The Bead Spot

Getting bead supplies organized I cannot tell you how many times lately that I've set aside, say, an hour to work on a project and then wound up spending the first 30 minutes or so trying to track down a tool, a particular bead or stringing material that I've misplaced. More often than not, I've given up and just made do without. I still don't know, for instance, where my best pair of flush cutters is. I've organized my entire stash of beading supplies before, but that was a long, long time ago, like before my 5-year-old daughter was born by a year or so. It's definitely time to go through it all again and separate the Delica beads from the Czechs, the big-eyed needles from the leather craft ones, separate all clasps from jump rings, gather all my books into a single location, and so on. I haven't been bead supply shopping in the last several years anywhere near as much as did a few years ago, and I've made several projects since my last order...

Halloween is my favorite holiday. I love the colors of pumpkins, watching semi-scary movies, the coolness of autumn in Oklahoma, and just seeing what every trick-or-treater I know wears for the big night. Every year, I plan to get extra crafty for Halloween, telling myself I'm going to make a big pile of Halloween stuff for kids, then list it all on Etsy. Every year, I also get very surprised by how quickly my window to get anything done closes. This year, for instance, I managed to get one thing done. Just one: a glow-in-the-dark beaded pumpkin necklace I told my daughter she could have. I planned to also make a ghost and a witch, and I felt like I had plenty of time. But here we are just 19 days from Halloween, and I'm wondering whether it's worth the hassle to try to get anything done. I plan to try; maybe if I have three to five items ready to go this weekend, I'll go ahead and list them on Etsy this year. If not, at least I'll have a jump-start on Ha...

Daisy chain bracelets in fall oranges and browns. (And a blue bracelet I made in 2015) Ah, fall. I love the colors, especially when you can look across several mountains and see varying shades of reds and oranges. That's the view I get when I drive to my parents' home or when my husband, daughter, and I go visit his family. In my own backyard, fall colors never last long. One day the leaves are gorgeous, the next they're the same color as the inside of cereal box. Looking for a simple project to do last week, I had my mind on this season and pumpkins. (Yes, I am a pumpkin spice fan.) I chose Czech seed beads in two shades of orange, chocolate brown, and off-white pearl, and then I cranked out a few daisy chain bracelets while I listened to the "Undisclosed " podcast. I might not get much fall color in my backyard, but at least I'll have it in my craft box. What seasons do you most like to create crafts for? Let me know in the comments section bel...