The Bead Spot

Some of my beadwork is seen through the magnifier on a new floor lamp my husband bought for me. My husband surprised me with a combination light/magnifier that I can use while working on my crafts! How sweet is he? It has a flexible arm that can be positioned however I need it to be. It also stands firmly on the floor, which I love, because every time I've had a light on my table, I've knocked it over or have accidentally knocked it into my beads, which is never a fun cleanup. One section has a stronger magnification than the rest of the glass, which I assume I'll be using a lot as I work with my seed beads. I also love how big the magnification glass is. When I've beaded before, using my reading glasses to see my beads or doing (more often) without glasses altogether, I could only see a small section in detail at once. But this magnifier is big enough to show a large area, making it easier to see how all the pieces fit together. I'm so excited! We...

I got a pleasant surprise while I was looking for books to inspire me recently on Amazon. I found a free e-book that contains 11 patterns. I immediately downloaded it to my Kindle Fire. It's called "Making Beaded Jewelry: 11 Free Seed Bead Patterns and Projects." I haven't had a chance to try to make any of them yet, but in scrolling through it, I can say with certainty that I'll give each a try. As a bonus, at the front page of the e-book are links to free downloads to other craft e-books, including ones with patterns for jewelry making, crocheting, knitting, quilt making and children's crafts, just to name a few. I had no idea there were totally free craft e-books. This little find has made my week. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Over the past few weeks, when I've been away from this blog, I've been struggling to get decent photos of my beadwork for my Etsy shop . I haven't had much luck. I tried the tips for setting up an indoor home studio that I mentioned back in October last week and the week before. I searched for a full-spectrum light bulb. I bought poster board to reflect light back. I tried different ways to diffuse the light. All of that experimenting, and this was the best I could do: I debated whether I should post those on Etsy, and I decided to give it a try. However, the colors are wrong and the earrings are out of focus. They look better in the photos I took before and featured in my October post. Is it the black background? Do I need a different item to diffuse the light? Sooner or later, I hope, I'll get the hang of this. Until then, I have a lot of work to do. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising pro...