Bead Play

Been devoting some time to organizing my beads today and it's not as easy as it looks. For one thing I think I spent more time looking at them than doing any actual organizing. I soon realized there are a number of things one should know in advance of hauling out one's bead stash. Such as don't underestimate the number of display containers needed to accommodate the different beads. And never forget to work on a level surface (not an overstuffed ottoman-trust me) preferably one with sides-like on a tray. It's also imperative that when transferring beads from a plastic bag or box into your brandy-spankin' new bead "receptacles" you do so with a miniature scoop or something flexible that allows for the necessary maneuvering to hit the container and not scatter all over. Not using the appropriate tool for this procedure has resulted in creating a large bead soup mix. Previously I mentioned ordering from Fire Mountain Gems and Beads. I must say that the company is admirable; carrying a vast selection of beads and "whatnots" for creating bobbles. I know I've said this before, but until I really get familiar with most, if not all, aspects of bead buying it would be wise to do it in person. As an inexperienced beader my online purchases were made by color and shape, not understanding size is also a major consideration. That's not exactly true, of course I knew size mattered, I just didn't know the difference between size 6 and size 15. Many of the beads I ordered I had to return; thankfully FMG has a very liberal return policy. My selections were primarily too large for embellishing my needlework. Others were so small they could only be felt, not seen. Well barely! So now I will go out tomorrow and find more containers. I like the size of these and though I don't have anything labeled, I have all the excess safely tucked away with their identifying tags. Obviously I intend to keep them organized by color. That just works for me and it's wonderful to look at. Thanks for indulging me today while I slacked off from stitching to play a with my stash.