Furry companion close by.
Thread that doesn’t tangle – no tail. Tie a tiny knot in the end of your thread. Bring the needle down to it and bead. You will pull more but you will tangle less. Most of the time when you do get a knot, it’s a slip knot loop that just pulls out. I think it’s a good trade off.
Improved design on toggle clasps now, so they lay properly. Stem of at least 1 seed bead to act as a swivel.
Triangle Trays and Funnels – keep my beads separate and get them back into the container efficiently.
Post it – super sticky notes – Keep my place on the beading graph and last longer than regular Post it notes.
Round plate with leather on it. I have a nice thrift store find that is a wooden plate – pretty heavy so the thread doesn’t flip it when it catches it occasionally. I keep looking for other similar plates and have had no luck.
All my pliers and cutters in their cool purple case. I have a very special collection of tools. Three of them are connected to a good friend – Jen Armour – she gave me the first two. When I started to bead, she was a big part of how I started. She wanted this pair of parrot earrings. So one day we are playing on her Mac computer (she was the first friend I knew who had a computer at home) and I mentioned I needed round nosed pliers. She walked into her kitchen to the catch all drawer and handed me my most cherished tools – a tiny pair of round nosed pliers and a tiny pair of needle nose pliers. I have them in said purple tool case that I bought at another special person in my bead journey. I also have a pair of bent nose needle nosed pliers I bought with Jen at Fedco. Though they have serrated jaws they have been my favorite tool to put ear wires on with. I’ve even had to re-align the tips a few times. I have another pair of smooth tipped – purple handled – bent nosed pliers. A few other tools in the kit but those are the ones that matter.
Having my beading area cleaned up once a week. The go backs have to GO BACK and the area has to be dusted. Then I can begin to create again.
RULER TAPE! on front edge of desk. It's a cheap kit desk and I also drap ruler marks on it with permanent marker.
Velux pads under my wooden plate – give it a nice secure plant on the desk.
My beading corner – a table with this laptop on it and a desk making an L with the table which I have 2 beading lights on – right and left of where I bead. I also take there. Beading area and computer – I often work from the computer and now that I have this thing set up right, I need to start chatting again. Under the tables and desk are plastic drawer towers with other things I need close by.
I have all my size 15’s on the wall in their cases. The charlottes are in their trays and close by.
My old Mac laptop with Beadscape is very close and handy for when I need a file or need to create.
My Delica needles - sabres really - they are very firm and last longer than the bendy ones.
CLEAR NAIL POLISH! - with no Formaldehyde - it yellows in time.
All my beads put in their plastic boxes with labels on both ends. They are sorted first by shapes, things like: leaves, flowers, stars, butterflies, light faceted, dark faceted, 4mm fire polish, small daggers, large daggers, 3mm fire polish and 4x7 drops (dutch spiral beads), pearls, chips, natural. Then sorted by color with purple in the lead with these divisions: purple faceted, purple iris, light purple, dark purple, gold luster. It’s a huge job and the room is about 50% done – a little at a time as the back allows. The 11’s are sorted by color. Then there are 8’s and 6’s and squares and triangles and 10 hex twists and peanuts and 8 charlottes… None enough to sort by color though 8’s might be getting close. I use the boxes that have the divisions in the short width and not small squares.
The Delicas are all in their cases. Another very special friend Carla Szczuka sent me hers and I have added quite a few…. I am learning to love them.
The special friendship and guidance from Charlene Zweerink. She taught me, among other things, the peyote triangle which I have exploded with and has helped me love thos crazy Delicas! I also got the purple tool case in her shop on one of my 4 trips to play at a bead show and teach in Nebraska. I also got to go to HOBBY LOBBY! (SOB!) As we have no HL here.... had a student tell me about getting to one in Tennessee... I groaned properly and remembered my many trips there. Redding needs to start a letter writing campaign to get an HL here....
Designing new things to teach others and share my love of this crazy addiction.
Something to drink – usually Pepsi.
Something on the TV that I can listen/watch or music.
What makes your Beading Happy?
No comments:
Post a Comment