When I tell people I just started working at Bead&Button, their eyes usually light up. They say, “Do you get to play with beads all day?” Well, yes and no. There are other things involved, too. But yes, I get to play with beads. Even on the first day.

On my first day I arrived at work bright and early, ready to start a crash course of training and filling out paperwork. Instead what happened was I got to meet with most of the other editors one-on-one, which was a great introduction. Ann Dee gave me an overview of the magazine, how the editors work together, and my responsibilities. Then she handed me off to Julia, with whom I’ve previously had the pleasure of working in the Kalmbach books department. She walked me through some procedures for assignments, scheduling, and deadlines. A little later I got to hang out with Anna, who told me about the creative process involved with the stories. I was handed my first assignments, and then we went shopping!

Shopping? Why, yes. Of course. I needed beads in order to recreate and test the projects, didn’t I? I tell you what: When we say that Bead&Button tests every project, we mean it. We really do test every project. And boy am I having fun.