The Bead Spot

Armed with the light/magnifier my husband recently bought for me, I am back at trying to take photos of beadwork . I spent most of Monday night putting the light and the camera at different angles, and I think I finally see some improvement, though I have a ways to go. Here is a side-by-side comparison. On the left is a photo I took last fall. I took it outside in natural light, but the shadows are way too deep. The photo on the right is the one I took using the light my husband gave me. I think the image could be sharper, but it's more true to the colors of the pumpkin earrings I made. I'm working on it; I'm determined to get the hang of this. Etsy shop additions I've added a couple of new items to my Etsy shop, both made by my older sister. She's been doing beadwork longer than I have, and I think she's got a great eye for design. Here are photos of her creations. If you're interested, please pop over to my Etsy shop, Beadwork and Woodwinds ,...

It's tough when trends change before you're ready. The problem has affected both my mom and me. First, the local stores stopped carrying the starburst beads Mom likes, and now she cannot find the  spaghetti and rondelles she uses to make headdresses. In the case of the starbursts, she wound up substituting a different bead. For the spaghetti and rondelles, I'm still hoping to find them somewhere online. For me, the issue is mostly about convenience. Not too long ago, I could find Delicas at local retailers. Not anymore. Now if I need a specific color, I have to order it online and wait for it to show up. By then, I may or may not remember the project I had in mind.  I've also had trouble finding items I want, like trays that make toting beadwork easy, and a particular type of big-eye needle. I've found other (though inferior, in my opinion) needles, but no substitute -- good or bad -- for the trays. Should I ever find any of the supplies on M...

A previous order from Fusion Beads Where I live, bead shops are few and far between, so most of the time when I buy beads, I'm buying them from a website. We do have some major crafts retailers — Hobby Lobby and Michaels — which don't carry the types of beads I'm looking for, as well as a few individual bead sellers, but the closest is an hour away, which means going there takes planning and taking a day off my day job. Therefore, most of my stash comes from websites. My top 3 go-to places: Fire Mountain Gems , Shipwreck Beads and Fusion Beads , but I'm always on the lookout for a new place. Here are the three sites I'd like to try: Harlequin Beads This site caught my eye mainly because it has Czech Charlotte beads, which I've used in projects such as the round earrings my grandmother was seeking . I love how Charlottes shimmer, and I can't find them just anywhere. It's been long enough since I've bought Charlottes that I don't know...

Happy New Year's Eve! It's been years since I've made resolutions, because without fail, I will break at least one of them before the first day is up. But I've decided to make one this year: To learn to sew. There are lots of things I'd like to be able to make: clothes for my daughter, dolls, quilts. But I have yet to even fire up the sewing machine my mom gave me back in July. So I'm making a resolution this year to relearn how to sew and read patterns. My first project will be a bag my sister-in-law* gave me for my birthday. She also recommended Tilly and the Buttons as a great resource for learning. What craft-related resolutions do you have for this year? *My sister-in-law sews and knits everything from quilts to toys. Her website is Knottygnome.com .

Magnifying Glass and Twin Two-Hole Beads I've been away from blogging for a few weeks while I work on a freelance project, but now, finally, I have the bulk of the work behind me. On Monday, feeling ready to shift my focus back to crafts, my mom and I stopped in at a bead shop we had never visited before. It's  Whimsy House of Beads  in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, and we just happened to see the sign for it as we were driving past. To add to our happy coincidence, the shop is normally closed Mondays, but the owner decided to open her doors as she waited for UPS to make a delivery. The store isn't huge, but it's full of beads and beading supplies without being cluttered. The photo above shows a couple of my purchases -- a magnifier-chain holder and twin two-hole beads -- that have long been on my wish list. I also found a lot more products I didn't even know existed, such as boards for creating beaded macrame bracelets. I just bought beads, the magnifier and some spac...

I intended to make today's post about another bead store I had visited while on vacation a few years ago. I thought the selection was good and the woman running the cash register (I assumed she was the owner) was very friendly, chatty and helpful as I browsed for beads I hadn't seen at home to add to my stash. The store was called Bead Haven  and it was located in the New Town section of Williamsburg, Va. However, in my search to find a link to it, I see the store has been closed after nine years of business. I don't know that we'll ever vacation out that way again, but it was nice knowing there was a good store to stop in if we ever did. Bead Haven, I only visited you once, but I still miss you.

In April, my husband and I will visit his family in Bettendorf, Iowa. As I often do when I travel, I’d like to stop in at a local bead shop. I’ll do some online looking to see if there are any in the area once the trip gets a little closer, but I’m all for taking suggestions if any readers are from the area or have traveled through and know a good place for a bead girl to shop.

On the same trip my husband and I took to Rochester, N.Y., in the fall of 2008, we also visited Studio 34 Creative Arts Learning Center . The shop is not very big, well-stocked, decorated with projects and populated with some very friendly beaders who welcomed me to bring in something I'm working on the next time I'm out that way.  I recommend, however, that anyone unfamiliar with area who wants to visit the store get directions for its website. It's located in a small section of an old, large building. Had my sister-in-law not been leading the way, I don't think I could've found it just by knowing the address.