Spring Cleaning

It's time to clear my bead table once again.  I have all my beads stored in plastic four drawer units, but they can get really messy if I don't keep on top of the organization.  That would be a chore for me even without the "help" of my grand daughter.  She does so love Nana's beads.  I have several different sizes in one drawer because I don't have very many of each size.  She likes to take them out and "sort" them according to color. Not a bad idea but each size is in a different size tube, so they don't exactly fit in the drawer when she's through.  LOL.  Grand children are our crowning glory in our old age, but they can be trying at times.




 I've been looking for storage that takes up less table top room and found this Deluxe Spinning Beaders Carousel by New Phase Inc.  But it only has 60 containers.  It takes up 10" of table top space.





Then I found this 144 Piece Glass  Top Aluminum and Wood Unit by Hawk that only takes up 1 1/2 inch of table top space. Price sounds a little prohibitive, so it may be something I want to look into later, but I really like the size and shape of it.  It would be ideal for delicas or other small beads.




I guess I'd better get back to the bead mat.  I've nearly got the Swirling Eddy earrings finished.  Then it's just a matter of tweaking the pattern a little before publishing.

Deluxe Jewelry Pliers Revue

When I first started beading, I wanted to do the beautiful wire wrapping I'd seen on several sites, so I bought some inexpensive wire and some inexpensive little pliers that I'd found for .99 at Harbor Freight.  I was so discouraged by the hand fatigue and the inability to make the wire do what I wanted it to that I gave up on any type of beadwork or jewelry making that didn't involve needle and thread.

Recently I've decided to try some of the newer ergonomic pliers and beadworking tools.  I've found that it's not just that I'm a natural born klutz.  Tools do make a big difference in the results of your work.

Beadsmith makes a deluxe set of ergonomic tools for jewelry making. The set includes 9 pieces:

1 Pair of Chain Nose Pliers

1 Pair of Round Nose Pliers

1 Pair of Side Cutters

1 Nylon Jaw Flat Nose Plier (these are great.  They leave no marks on your wire.)

1 Crimping Plier
1 Fine Point Knot Cutter for silk and other fabric.
1 Pair of Knotting Tweezers
1 Split Ring Tweezer
1 ScoopEEZ handy scoop for scooping up beads and pouring them into a container

All these goodies come in a black faux leather zipper case so you can keep them all organized and at your fingertips.

The handles on the pliers are smaller and more ergonomically shaped than ordinary pliers, and they are all padded making them much more comfortable to use for long periods of time.

I'm really impressed with the funcionality and comfort of these tools.  Try them.  I'll bet you'll like them too.

Art Beads Discount

Hey all you beaders, Artbeads.com is giving a 10% discount with this exclusive discount code. Discount is good until the end of the year. Just place this code in the appropriate space in your order form to get your discount.

Artbead's friends discount code
SCF10P-ARTBEADS-O424

Go take a look at all the goodies they have to offer and get a discount on your holiday beading supplies now!

Happy Beading