I am lucky to have a job that allows me to learn something new about beading every day. If you spend any time at BeadAndButton.com, you’ll quickly find yourself in good company with my coworkers, our sister magazines BeadStyle and Art Jewelry, and the forum. Dig a little deeper, and learning opportunities are endless with:
• the Button Corner
• Ask Anna
• Maggie’s Musings
• hundreds of projects and patterns
• tips
• videos
• spotlight designs
• beader’s glossary
• subscriber gallery
• Bead Dreams gallery
When we started to create the Button Corner, I was delighted to learn about the National Button Society. The members provide us with fascinating histories about buttons and button collecting.
I was equally cheered to learn about the North American Sea Glass Association. Recently, the topic of sea glass has arisen on the forum, which I check regularly for inspiration and to find out what our readers are interested in. We have David Horste, who posts as DVHdesigns, to thank for bringing this to our attention. Seaglassassociation.org is packed with information about sea glass, and it’s a great place to start if you’re interested in incorporating sea glass into your jewelry.
Our contributors are another great resource for learning about what’s going on in the world of beading. I’m always amazed at the new designs they submit. They also keep us posted on their other projects from time to time. Recently, Kerrie Slade (Hibiscus twist, Dragon alert) wrote to tell me she is involved with the Etsy BeadWeavers team. Members make beaded squares that they donate to Jeanette Shanigan’s beaded quilt project. Every year, the quilts are auctioned at the Bead&Button Show in Milwaukee, and proceeds go to breast cancer research. You can read more about the project here and see individual quilt squares here.
With the Bead&Button Show coming up May 31 – June 7, there are plenty of opportunities to take classes, meet other beaders, bid on a bead quilt, and learn more about beading.
I can’t wait to see you there!
The images are from the subscriber gallery. From top to bottom: "Cleopatra's tears" posted by Rockabilly Jewels, "Sand n sea boro lentil" posted by sandreeee, and "Geared tropical fish brooch" posted by AgathaMalina.