I have a growing collection of beads - all shapes and sizes - but I'm not into beading! I really wouldn't have a clue about crimps and findings and grommets and jump rings. I buy other people's necklaces and bracelets and wear the lovely items my grandchildren make me, but I've never made one for myself - and really don't have any intention of learning how!
But I LIKE beads and I enjoy using them in my designs. They are great for the centre of flowers:
or for highlighting spider web roses:
Beads are perfect to portray the tips of the umbrella arms:
and as decorations on pretty parasols:
Beads are a great replacement for French Knots in all sorts of places such as on sweet butterflies:
They make lovely holly berries:
and Christmas tree baubles:
and decorate Christmas bells:
and they look pretty in the centre of sequins:
Recently, I needed to purchase some more pretty beads as I didn't have anything suitable to make this bead dangle for my latest project:
After I had chosen what I needed, all the new packets of beads were thrown into my bead storage system - an ice cream container and a box and tin or two - a complete mess of packets, plastic, film containers and tablet bottles with beads flying everywhere!
I am a neat and tidy person - can't stand living in a mess - but I have been regularly hiding that mess of beads by shutting the lids and putting them out of sight. With the new influx of beads, I decided it really was time I did something about it!
... a search on the internet and some of my smaller beads are now looking fabulous in these little containers:
What I like about them, is that each individual section has its own lid, unlike some of my containers where there is one lid for six sections with beads jumping around into places they're not meant to be and getting totally out of order!
Now I'm ready to tackle my large beads so I'm on the search for something similar with a much larger capacity. If you have any ideas, let me know as I am open to recommendations.
Meanwhile I am completing a set of placemats with applique and stitching. There's not a bead in sight on these - can't have a dinner plate rolling around on the top of beads!
Have a great stitching week.
Val