Hello e-Readers!
Spring is in the air. At my house the lilacs have gone mad and the camellias are drenched with blossoms. In the spirit of spring-cleaning, this issue features the first of a multi-part series on organizing beads and creating a space where you can actually get some work done.

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Bead On!

Organization 101
In the past five years, my collection of beads has become an inventory. I keep track of it for tax purposes and keep a running inventory of any supplies purchased to make kits for classes. Beyond receipts and inventory, keeping track of beads requires organization: this is where it becomes personally challenging. Since I know that I'm not alone out there (in my messy studio), I asked several Simply Beads' designers to share their recommendations about getting organized.

Jewelry designer Margot Potter's advice seems tailor-made for me: "Don't let it get so bad it becomes the impossible dream to get organized. It's worth spending some money on organizational tools because it saves you time. There's nothing worse than wasting an hour looking for a bead or a finding that's hidden in boxes of stuff."

The first step is admitting that disorganization steals time away from the fun of creating. All beaders struggle to keep organized and to figure out a system that works with their personal style for buying and storing beads, findings and supplies.

Laura Stafford, a regular contributor to Simply Beads, offers some wise input about this very point, "I do have a storage system -- now. If I could give anyone new to beading a suggestion, it would be to have a storage system right from the very first purchase. Beads have a way of multiplying very quickly."

Storage boxes, drawer systems, shelving, and rolling carts are a few of the million options, so where do you start?

First, think about where you work. Do you work near your storage area or in the living room at the other end of the house? Do you have to put everything away when you're done to protect it from small fingers, curious paws or an enthusiastic wagging tail? Do you have a table dedicated to bead working or are you borrowing space from other tasks (or household members)?

Collectors Cabinets works with beaders to help them get the right storage system to suit their needs. Their systems are built to grow with your bead collection, a realistic approach to the acquisitive nature of beaders! Another revolutionary feature is a pullout desk. You can leave an unfinished project on the bead board, push in the desk, close the doors and finish later without anything being disturbed.

Next, think about your materials. Are you a mixer? Margot Potter incorporates many materials into her jewelry. "My wire and other beading/mixed media crafting items are arranged in a two-part wardrobe from IKEA with nifty little compartmentalized drawers for wire, metal mail organizers on the top shelf for ephemera and deep drawers that hold glue, poly clay, inks, rubber stamps and embossing powders. I keep the mixed-media things very well organized since they've become such a big part of my work."

You might not need something as large as a wardrobe, or you might not have much space for storing things. Keep in mind the variety of materials you utilize. These are important considerations as you begin to think about the best ways to get your creative space in order, so it works for you.

Next time, I'll talk more about the nuts and bolts of developing an organizational system. I'll show you some products designed for storing beads and go over some creative alternatives available from home and hardware stores. In the meantime, feel free to use the Feedback form at the bottom to share your tips.

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Reader Tip
Always on the lookout for storage solutions, I spotted the ice cube trays in my freezer! They are opaque plastic, and have 14 compartments, as compared to 12 in the egg cartons that many people use. They take up the same amount of space as the egg cartons and don't wear out. They also stack nicely.

Happy beading!
Mary Lou Thornton
Morton, Wash.

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Beading Green
Now that recycling has become part of our social consciousness, even beading is "going green." Beads can be reused, recycled and made into new jewelry. What about the carbon footprint made by bead storage and transport? Most beads come packaged in plastic bags. Oh, those little plastic bags!

The bags commonly used by beaders and retailers are #4 LDPE (low density polyethylene), and very few community recycling programs will accept them. Foremost Focal Beads has begun a Beaders Go Green campaign that includes a list of great suggestions to keep bags out of the landfill. Anyone with green tips to share with them should e-mail: info@foremostfocal.com.

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Sinuous Silver Design by Molly Schaller Wrap your wrist in waves of silver and the gems of the sea when you wear this easy but sophisticated two-strand bracelet. Materials 11 (8mm) burgundy swirl pearls 2 liquid silver tubes 22 (3mm) silver daisy spacers 11 approximately 3/4-inch-long silver spiral tubes 4 (0.8mm) silver crimp tubes 4 silver wire guardians Silver spiral toggle clasp 2 (10-inch) lengths .010-inch-diameter nylon-coated flexible beading wire Micro crimp pliers Wire nippers Finished Size 8 inches (including clasp) Instructions 1 String a crimp tube 1 inch from one end of a 10-inch wire; insert wire end through a wire guardian and through bottom inside loop on one half of clasp. Thread wire end back through wire guardian and crimp tube. Use crimp pliers to flatten and fold the crimp tube. 2 String a liquid silver tube, daisy spacer, pearl and a daisy spacer. 3 String a spiral tube, daisy spacer, pearl and a daisy spacer; repeat four additional times. String a liquid silver tube. 4 String a crimp tube and a wire guardian; insert wire end through loop on remaining half of clasp and back through wire guardian, crimp tube and liquid silver tube, gently pulling wire taut. Flatten and fold the crimp tube. Trim excess wire. 5 Repeat step 1 to attach a second 10-inch wire to second loop on clasp. 6 String a spiral tube, daisy spacer, pearl and daisy spacer; repeat four additional times. String a spiral tube. 7 Repeat step 4 to secure wire to loop on remaining half of clasp. Source: Pearls from Taj Co.; spiral tubes from Art & Soul Beads; liquid silver tubes from Fire Mountain Gems and Beads; spiral clasp from HandFast; Wire Guardians, crimp tubes, Micro Crimping tool and beading wire from Beadalon. Copyright © Oct. 2007. Simply Beads magazine. All rights reserved. Back to top. Click here for printer friendly page.

Create Your Style in 2008
The founder of the crystal company Swarovski, Daniel Swarovski I, honored nature as the ultimate creator of all things beautiful. To acknowledge Daniel's ideal and the importance of environmental sustainability, the theme for Swarovski's 2008 Create Your Style contest is "be naturally inspired." This year's winners are invited to New York City on October 15 for the ceremony and party.

The contest features 3 entry categories: student, amateur and professional. First place winners in the amateur and professional categories win a trip to Austria to tour Crystal World (a 3-dimensional museum combining crystals with light and sound) and visit Innsbruck. Other winners are awarded large gift certificates that can be used for Crystallized™ Swarovski Elements. See their Web site for details: Create-Your-Style.com.

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