The Bead Spot

I don't have a whole lot to write about this week. I'm still just making some peyote stitch bracelets in a diamond-back pattern, though I realized too late that the last two I made were too big for most women's wrist. This morning while I was in the shower, I had an idea for a way I could salvage one of the bracelets by adding places for it to "clasp," which would essentially make it adjustable. I was so proud of myself ... and then I thought about how that would when it was done. The unused clasps would be smooshed underneath the band. That would look just awful. So I started making another bracelet, and this time, I'm going to stop stitching at 6.5 inches. Perhaps some large-wristed woman will take an interest in the one I completed. Or maybe a small-wristed man will take an interest in it. Or maybe I'll just take it apart and start again.

I've had a productive past couple of days. I finished a bracelet that I've had "in progress" since about May, and I created a lanyard for my reading glasses. I also started a second bracelet. The lanyard is just for me. I've been wanting one for a while now to make accessing my reading glasses easier. But the black and blue bracelet ... well, I can't decide if I want to list it at my Etsy store . See that small bend in it? That won't be noticeable to someone wearing it, but if a buyer doesn't notice it from any photos I put on Etsy and bought it, would she feel cheated when it arrives in the mail? I don't think it would bother me, but I don't know how someone else might feel. Anyone want to share their thoughts? Reworking this bead blog In the coming weeks, I plan to revamp this blog some so that it's a little more navigable. I also had some thoughts on beading videos I can do. Please feel free as I tweak the site to let me know ...

(Pumpkin earrings for sale at my Etsy shop ) What little time I’ve had for beading over the past couple of months I’ve spent doing other things, like going to the gym and reading the latest Stephen King novel, “The Outsider.” Thankfully, I now have a temporary reprieve, and I plan to spend it doing some of the beading-related tasks that I’ve had on the back burner — like making a lanyard for my reading glasses and doing a little research to see if I want to move my Etsy store to another platform after its recent fee hikes . But in the meantime, I’m sticking with Etsy. The best thing it has going for it is that it’s well established, but I’m still not happy with the decision to start taking a percentage of shipping charges. Ultimately, I may decide not to switch platforms at all, depending on what I find out there. (Pumpkin earrings for sale at my Etsy store ) For now, I'll just roll with it. I've even expanded what I have for sale there by two, because I’ve l...

( Jack Moreh / FreeRangeStock.com ) I have sold only one item on Etsy, but the upcoming fee increase still frustrates me. According to the notice Etsy sent me, as of July 16, transaction fees will jump from 1.5 percent and will be imposed on shipping costs. The shipping cost thing bothers me the mos t. I'm struggling to build up my listings, hoping what I do have listed might sell in the meantime, so I want to cut people a break on the cost of shipping. I do charge, but only the estimated postage amount. If Etsy were to take 5 percent of that, I'd be losing money on shipping. My options would be to raise my asking price or take the hit. A friend who makes and sells makeup bags told me that someone she knows had told her about another platform that charges a flat $10 a month, charges no listing fees and takes nothing from what users sell. That sounds a lot more about my speed as I'm trying to get my "craft store" up and running. I could spend $10 a mont...

© Kadrof |  Dreamstime Stock Photos  &  Stock Free Images After seeing a Facebook video last week on bar shampoo, I've been thinking about learning to make soap. The video argues that bar shampoo is better for the planet than traditional shampoo because users don't have a bottle to throw away. At first, I thought about buying bar shampoo; organic versions are easy to find on Etsy. But then I thought I could probably save money if I learn to make both bar shampoo and bar soap myself. It won't be as pretty or as creative as the Etsy offerings, but it would be cheaper and I wouldn't have to worry about paying shipping fees. So, when I have time, I've been looking at YouTube videos that show how to make and/or offer recipes for bar soap and shampoo. A few have made me a little afraid to use lye, describing it as caustic and recommending gloves and goggles, but I'm determined not to let that scare me off. Once I get the first batch made and cured, I...

For months now, I've been looking at some pretty awesome work members have been posting in a Facebook group I belong to called "I LOVE Peyote Stitch Beading." I haven't done a project in peyote stitch for a couple of years, but looking at all of that great beadwork made me want to do a project. I was in the mood for something simple, though, so I settled on a diamond-patterned bracelet. Everything went fine until my thread broke. For some reason, adding in the new string created a "bump" in the bracelet. Just look at this: See the crookedness? I've tried pulling and shifting the beads to see if I can work it out, but nothing I've tried so far works. I can't decide if I want to finish it. Part of me wants to keep going to see whether it's noticeable when I wear it. The type-A person who occasionally pops up into my psyche, though, wants to rip it apart and start over. What do you think? 

I love my mom’s beadwork. She has never said whether she ever beaded when she was a child, and oddly enough, it never occurred to me to ask until right now as I’m writing this. All I know for certain is that she began beading in earnest about 20 years ago. Back then, three of my four siblings and I had left home, and the youngest, my baby sister, was in high school. Suddenly, Mom had time for pursuing crafty hobbies. She began the way many people do, working from patterns in books she bought at Hobby Lobby and other craft shops. She started with earrings, the dangling kind that you often see in Native American patterns, and gradually branched out into making barrettes, dream catchers and headdresses. And at some point, she began creating her own patterns, and that’s when she really began to wow me. Everything she makes is in the Native American style (we’re Cherokee, my mom is full and I am half) even if she doesn’t use the traditional colors. Recently as I was looking at som...