Scenario one:

You need to find the perfect gift for one of your dearest friends. And, you’re looking for an accessory that will take a dress you bought last year and turn it into something fabulous to wear next week. So you plod through the mall looking at everything, but leave empty-handed.

Scenario two:

You and your best friend arrive at a fine handicrafts art show. You walk up to each artist’s booth and find several exclusive, one-of-a-kind gifts and accessories — real handmade items sure to please any discerning taste. Your best friend shops like crazy and finishes her Christmas shopping.

One of the most exciting new trends today is the popularity of quality, handmade crafts. Finally! Now, I know you’re reading this blog on the Bead&Button Web site, so you’re probably very interested in handicrafts already. But I gotta tell ya, this whole taking the pledge to make it handmade has really taken off. Analysts that track trends (do they actually make a living doing this?) have been chattering about handicrafts for a while and they’ve become a boom.

DIY is very popular for more reasons than just the uncertain economy. Celebrities have even taken up crafting; can you imagine George Clooney knitting? I wonder if Madonna does any scrapbooking? Anyway, it’s all about expressing one’s individuality and personal style. In fact, trend analyst Faith Popcorn calls this trend "egonomics" and says, "I know I’m a number, I don’t want to be just a number. I want stuff that’s customized just for me." Wow, I should have the printed on a tee shirt.

Let’s get past the analysts tracking trends and the visual of George Clooney knitting.

Are we really onto something when we design, create, and wear our beaded jewelry?

Buying or creating handicrafts is truly an experience. Wearing an art-glass bead enables one to carry a token of an artist’s vision. Stitching together hundreds of sparkling beads into a beautiful bracelet is a labor of love. When we make the choice to either create or buy handmade artistic craftwork instead of mass-produced stuff, we’re slowing down, investing the currency of time, much like our great grandparent did.

Handmade doesn’t necessarily mean crocheted tissue paper covers or junky looking wooden cut outs. Handmade now means luxurious, unique, limited edition.

Let’s narrow this topic to beautiful beadwork. Creating jewelry enables you to customize and design specific pieces, selecting colors and lengths that will suit a sister-in-law who loves cobalt blue. Your wardrobe can look totally new with the addition of new necklaces, brooches, earrings, and bracelets. And you have the satisfaction of knowing that you’re expressing your own style and personality.

It’s trying to be spring here in Wisconsin and I’m trying to do spring-cleaning. Most of my effort has been focused on my studio, which needs an over haul. My studio is a bedroom that I’ve converted to a bead room. In the spirit of re-use, reduce, and recycle, I went shopping in my basement instead of a furniture store. I found an old coffee table that is perfect for spreading out beading projects. I’ve hidden the scratches on the coffee table with a long piece of Asian brocade I found in a tote bin.

Amid the mayhem of the basement, my daughter and I also unearthed a small shelf unit. It’s perfect for displaying some of my favorite hanks of Czech beads. And a few more mismatched lamps have a new lease on life … can’t have too much light in a bead room!

Looking around my new bead room studio, I feel satisfied because I repurposed things that I already owned instead of going out and buying new stuff. Cleaning out the clutter and dust, hanging new pictures, and moving things around makes my studio feel so much better.

I better get back to beading!