Now that the Bead&Button Show is over for 2009, it’s time for me to spread out the goodies that I purchased. This year, I found myself holding back on purchases and tried to buy items only on my shopping list. When a strand of faceted rhyolite drops caught my eye, I reminded myself that I have a strand that closely resembles it at home.

I walked away from some purchases but did make progress ticking off items on the aforementioned list. Now that I’m at home, looking over strands of beads, art glass and other baubles, I wonder why I chose to buy some things and not others?

Do you ever look over your bead stash, pick up certain tubes of seed beads or perhaps a large crystal and say to yourself, "why did I buy this?"

This conversation can turn negative quicker than you can lose a bead needle in shag carpeting. Next thing that happens is a trip down the shame spiral, with all of the creativity in the room getting sucked into it. Don’t let this happen to you!

Let’s turn the beading boat around and head for happy shores. Here are some tips for getting out the beads that you had shoved to the back of your bead stash and putting them around your neck.

Okay, this will require some dedication and maybe a day or two of your time. Consider it an investment that will yield treasures.

• Spread out the beads that you own. Yes, even the weird ones that you’ve squirreled away under all the good stuff. Daunting, I know. Tell yourself that taking an inventory of what’s in those drawers will be so rewarding. If that doesn’t help, bribe yourself with a bag of fresh chocolate chips. Whatever it takes!


• Now get up and leave the room. This is no time to start with the negative feelings and shame over having three tubes of the same color seed beads. Take a break and clear your mind.
• Break’s over! Go back to your mini kingdom of beads with fresh eyes. Pretend that your accumulation of beads is in a bead shop. Give your shop a name, Maggie’s Lil’ Bead Store would be fab. Then go shopping in YOUR store.
• Search Bead&Button’s projects at BeadAndButton.com/projects, or page through one of your copies of the magazine until a project jumps out at you. Then shop in your bead stash for the items you’ll need. While shopping, be sure to lavish praise on the totally chic shop owner (honey, that’s you!).
• You’re gonna be on a roll once you start this. Keep some large sandwich bags handy. Place the magazine and beads for the project inside. You can even jot down notes to reference later. Keep going and don’t discriminate against the weird beads that you had previously rejected. Many a romance blooms at 20-year high school reunions!

I hear this all the time: "I love these beads but don’t know what to do with them." Last year, I went through a big bead-buying phase. By big, I don’t mean quantity, I mean size. I couldn’t resist buying large stone beads, gnormous-sized round beads. After a family intervention (I’m kidding!) it became clear that I was going to need to make something with the big beads. Here’s how I took my big beads out of the stash and put them around my neck.

• Problem: Strands of semi-precious stone beads temporarily strung on fishing line, usually 16 to 18 inches long. You once loved the color, the shape, or were suffering from extreme bead lust. They’re languishing in your bead stash because you don’t know what to make with them.
• Solution: Rekindle your love by stringing up those big beauties in a simple necklace. Use a heavier Soft Flex beading wire, along with a decent clasp. If your strand isn’t long enough for a necklace, add neutral spacer beads or make a simple bracelet.

Bring your beads into play by wearing them and you’ll become inspired to use them in different ways. You could wear a simple bracelet around for a few days and then try pairing it up with other beads to see how they look. The aha moment will arrive and you’ll be clearing the furniture for a happy dance.

What’s in the picture?

I just finished writing an article for Bead&Button about designing jewelry that fits the wearer. I needed photos of examples of various industry lengths for necklaces, so I strung simple necklaces that range from 14 inches to more than 40 inches long. The necklaces didn’t need any fancy briollettes or intricate beading, just simple beads to show different lengths. I used some of my big stone beads, since there was an abundance of them in my bead stash, and intended on taking these long lengths apart when the photo shoot was finished. Funny thing is, I actually like these new simple strands! They look smashing when paired with shorter, more finely detailed necklaces.

I hope these tips will help you take your sparkly treasures out of the trash stash. Create something now and start enjoying your beads!