The Bead Spot

A few weeks ago, I went to a Joann Fabric and Craft store for the first time in years, and I found these two items: On the left are some connectors for making eyeglass lanyards, which have recently made my to-do list. One of my aunts used to make them, and back then, I used to think, "I just don't see why anyone would want that." However, now that I need reading glasses myself and realize how often a person has to put them on and take them off, I can see just how practical eyeglass lanyards can be. On the right are some clasps I found on clearance. I'm not sure how they work, or even if they work, since I haven't opened the package yet, but hey, they were on sale. On my to-try list is this item I found while flipping through a Fire Mountain Gems catalog that came in the mail, Tuesday: I am intrigued by this. I can't wear earrings for more than a day because they always irritate my ear lobes. But if this works as promised, I could wear my own e...

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...

I've had the worst luck keeping this bead box organized. I mentioned in an earlier post that my daughter had knocked the box off of the kitchen table when she first learned to walk. Thankfully, the lid was closed, but it still mixed up the beads quite a bit. So, I emptied the box and started sorting through the beads, adding them back to their respective sections. Several months ago, my daughter picked up the box and shook it, kind of like a rattle, because it made an interesting noise. I was a little too slow to realize what that noise was, so she got them mixed up pretty good, and once again, I had quite a mess in the box. While in the process of sorting it yet again, I left the box open on my desk and knocked it over as I was reaching for something else. Beads went everywhere into my living room carpet, so yet again, I started sorting them. I still had quite a ways to go when I knocked the box yet again, this time, it flipped just once and thankfully, the lid was on, but...

As I tried to figure out how to make feather earrings a few weeks ago, I finally had the chance to do some in-depth work with Beader's Canvas  software. The Pluses Size Adjustments : One of the biggest challenges in plotting out a pattern by hand on graph paper is that all beads are not made the same, but all squares on graph paper are. Some beads are perfectly round, some are wider than they are long, and some are longer than they are wide. That means that a pattern will vary according to the type and size of bead used. Beader's Canvas allows for that, with the dimensions for Miyuki beads, including Delicas, and Toho beads already programmed in. Users can simply select the type (I used Delicas) and the size of the on-screen graph automatically adjusts. If you aren't using Miyukis or Tohos, you can manually enter the dimensions needed. Stitch Switch : I first started the feather project in square stitch, but unhappy with how all attempts were turning out, I sw...

My wonderful husband, who reads my blog to give me feedback, surprised me with Bead Canvas , one of the few bead design software programs I mentioned in a September post . Here's a screenshot: Bead Canvas screenshot I haven't had much chance to work with it yet, with the holidays, snowstorms, freezing temps and nephews' basketball games all affecting my schedule, but so far, I'm very pleased with it! Setting the size of a project is as easy as setting up a table — set the rows and the columns — and assigning colors is as simple as dragging the tool across the cells you want. Users can change the format between brick, peyote, herringbone, loom, square and 3-drop gourd. I haven't made any patterns I intend to make yet; I've just been tinkering, trying to see how versatile it is. Once I have more experience with it, I'll do a follow-up review.

I have an idea for a Halloween-themed bead project, but in order to get it to look right, I'll have to map it out on paper and create a pattern. That means a lot of time with colored pencils and graph paper, coloring, erasing and redrawing until I get it just right. It occurred to me, though, that perhaps there is software that could automate part of the process. So I did a Google search, and it turns out, there is. I have no idea why I never thought to look for this sort of software before. I like to hear from other beaders who use software to create patterns. What do you think of Easy Bead Patterns ,  Bead Tool , Bead Creator , Bead Canvas or Bead Wizard ? I'm mostly interested in Easy Bead Pattern, Bead Tool, Bead Canvas and Bead Wizard because of cost (Easy Bead Patterns is free; Bead Tool costs $45; Bead Wizard is $50; Bead Canvas costs $40; and Bead Creator ranges from $150-$250), but I'd like to hear opinions on any program. Is it useful? Is it worth the cost? ...

When I don't shop in stores for beads, I order online, which might make looking forward to getting catalogs seem a little pointless. But I look forward to each and every one. There is something to be said about the print format. One of my favorite catalogs is the  Fire Mountain Gems  big book. Like other catalogs, it has page after page of beads, string, wire, tools and other materials, but also, sprinkled all throughout are photos of completed jewelry. Instructions might not be available for all projects shown, but even without the step-by-step, beaders can draw inspiration from what they see. The big book also often contains the color forecast guide shown here, which has a perforated edge so that crafters can tear it out and take it with them wherever they bead. The chart shows predicted fall/winter and spring/summer color trends through summer 2014. I have yet to put much effort in selling my work, but when I'm ready to give it a shot, having a guide for color trends will...

Usually made of metal, lobster clasps have a long body and a half-circle hook, a segment of which can move to open and close the hook. That segment is operated by a spring-powered lever located on the outside of the hook. Users push the lever up or down to open the clasp, then let go, which causes the moveable segment of the hook to snap shut, much like a lobster snaps its pinchers.

Back in March, I wrote about the best freebie a beading retailer had sent to me as a thank you for my order. It was a little scoop that came from Fire Mountain Gems . I had lost mine a few years ago, looked for a replacement but couldn't find one. Eventually, I did find mine again, thankfully, but just in case I ever lost it again, I wanted to buy a backup or two. Well, in exploring on the Shipwreck Beads website, I found some. After that, I decided to check Fire Mountain again, and it has some, too. (Maybe I misspelled the word "scoop" when I looked on the Fire Mountain website all those years ago, because surely, if it was giving them out as freebies, it must've had them in stock to sell, too.) Anyway, this is now at the top of my list of things to buy when I do my next bead order.

I was making the rounds on the websites of bead retailers yesterday and found something rather interesting at Shipwreck Beads: Czech twin seed beads. They're oval, and rather than having just one hole, they have two. I can think of a few designs for them; I love to see what more seasoned beaders could do with them. Shipwreck says they have a limited quantity, and darn it, if that doesn't make me want to buy, buy, buy. But I don't have the extra dough right now. Hopefully, they'll have some in stock once I do.

Yay! I received my order from Fusion Beads in the mail yesterday. I now have plenty of size D thread, some beads in pink hues for my children's bracelets, some blue beads and some size 15 black beads (far right) for a fringe on a bracelet I have in mind. I also got a notice that the Fusion Beads website (should debut tomorrow) was being revamped and a coupon code for 10 percent off my next order from the new site. I'm curious to see what changes will be made. I haven't had much time for beading over the past couple of days, but I should be able to make some headway on the herringbone bracelet during my lunch break at work today.

I saw an ad for a site called Tophatter while I was online yesterday. It caught my attention because it mentioned auctions for craft supplies. So I followed the link and registered to see what it's about. I expected something similar to eBay, but it isn't because the auctions are live. It has more than just supplies, too. It has some finished work, such as knitted headbands, bracelets, earrings, handbags, rings, etc. I'm not sure everything on the site is handmade, like on Etsy , but I do think it's kind of interesting. It might be a better place for winnowing down some of my bead stash.

When I first started beading, I used wider needles than I do now. Quite often, the string I had would work just fine until I had to pass the string through a bead a second time or third time. The thick string I had in combination with the thickness of the needle would just kind of get the bead stuck right at the eye. Since then, I've become a big fan of wide-eye needles (example here ) and have amassed quite a pile of thin string in sizes 00, 0 and B. Well, since the time I bought all of that string, I've found that yes, it passes through the thinnest of barrels quite nicely, but it isn't very strong. I started to notice that most seed-bead projects in Bead & Button and other magazines I've purchased recommend D-size thread. I have a few spools of that, but the 00, 0 and B sizes far outnumber the D. Just last night, I got a little tired of making several extra passes through a bead with the thin threads to make up for their lack of strength and I put in an ord...

Not too long ago, I posted about Beadroom , a new place I found to buy beads. The verdict: I would definitely buy from Beadroom again. I didn't buy a lot, just the three tubes of beads shown in the photo. However, Beadroom was VERY quick to ship. I had my order within days. It doesn't have near the variety of places like Fire Mountain Gems or Fusion Beads, two of my other favorite places to shop, but Beadroom's prices were reasonable -- even for shipping --- it has a quick response time, and the site will allow me to pay via PayPal.

(I published the following post a few weeks ago, then my husband pointed out that I forgot to include the photo of my looms. So here is this post again, with the missing photo.) I wish there was a place where I could try out the loom on this link . For years, I’ve looked at it at Fire Mountain Gems and have wondered about it. These are the looms I own: I wonder how the Mirrix loom differs. Is it easier to use? Harder? Can you make things with it that you can’t with the looms I have?

I stumbled across an online bead retailer yesterday that I had not used before -- The Bead Room. It doesn’t seem to have a whole lot as far as stringing materials and findings, but it does seem to have quite a few seed beads. I’ve placed an order through the site, and I’ll post an update on what I think of the site when I get my order.

I bought these size 11 seed beads at Fusion Beads a few years ago. They were cheaper than the Delicas I get from Fire Mountain Gems , and mostly for that reason, I thought I'd keep a small stock of them for when I help my nephews with projects. Once I got them, though, I realized these are pretty good beads, too. I was expecting hodgepodge of beads that have no consistent hole sizes and would need to be sorted through. What I found instead, though, was that, while they're not as uniform as Delicas, the degree of variation is not only acceptable, it's just enough to add a little character to your projects. Needless to say, my nephews haven't used them much.

I have several different trays to use when beading, but these: are by far my favorite because I use seed bead most of the time. Occasionally, some beads might get knocked from one section to another, but overall, they are very handy. You can use them to dole out just enough beads for the project you're working on, and you can just cover the sections up if you need to take break to make dinner before you've finished working on a project. Then, you just go back and pop the lid back off. Also, see their spouts? Those are very nice for putting the beads back in their larger containers when the project's done. I can just seal off all the other colors and pour out the ones I don't need. I've had these for years, so I no longer remember where I bought them. Maybe Walmart. Maybe Hobby Lobby. In either case, I'm going to buy myself another, because right now, I have three projects going at once, and the 12 spots I have for different colors now isn...

I like freebies anyway, but this one is by far my favorite. I got it from Fire Mountain Gems years ago as a thank-you for my order. At the time, I was still a beading newbie and had no idea how handy this little thing would be. It is perfect for digging seed beads out of their containers. I misplaced it a couple of years ago, so I went to the Fire Mountain website to buy another. Darn the bad luck, I couldn't find one. I wound up going to a craft shop and buying a similar tool that's about the length of a spoon. It has a scoop on one end and a set of tweezers on the other. I thought I would get a lot of use out of it, especially the tweezers end for getting a good grasp on tiny beads. However, the scoop was a lot more flat and wide, making it easier to spill beads out of the sides of the containers. And the tweezers weren't as handy as I thought. It turns out, it's a lot easier and faster to just push your finger against spilled beads, making them kind of "stick...

My mom has been wanting to add to my order the next time I order from Fire Mountain Gems . So, one day last week, we went online to see if FMG has what she needs. It doesn't, but thankfully, we were able to get what she needs through eBay . In the past, I've found other supplies there, such as Charlotte beads.