Bead storage – for some reason, it really has captured our collective imagination this month, and I love that it has! Why is it, I wonder, that we can talk and think about organising our beloved beads almost as much as we can about the beads themselves? I can’t quite put my finger on it. Maybe it’s because they are so precious; because we hoard them in such an abundance and like to be able to see them even as we store and care for them. Whatever the reason, it seems to be a communal passion and it’s been great to explore it here. So much so, that I’m going to start off each month here on Amuse the Muse with a Bead Storage special – sneak peeks inside artists’ studios looking specifically at how they store their beads and supplies, tips and tricks, nifty space saving solutions etc. Please do keep the comments coming below if you would like to be featured!
This week, Sharyl shared a very cool blog hop she hosted recently – a ‘Clean Up/Fix Up your Workspace‘ blog hop and challenge! Here are some before and after shots from her own side of it:
Do hop over to Sharyl’s blog to read all about how she tackled each individual area of her workshop.
Sarajo shared what has to be one of my very favourite bead storage solutions. On a trip to Minnesota, Sarajo stumbled across this:
…a counter display for embroidery floss. She took it home, cleaned it up and turned it into…..
Hop over to Sarajo’s blog to read all about it. Don’t you just love how it has turned out? I am seriously in love with this!
Last but not least, Helen Bowen, editor of UK publication Beads and Beyond commented that she ‘love[s] pretty but prefer[s] practical!’ There’s a lot of sense there, and in that sentence is probably the very reason why I will never be a magazine editor – I get waylaid by pretty every time! Look at Helen’s solution to storing her lampwork beads in a visible manner. It may be practical – but it is certainly extremely pretty too:
Sort of like an all-year-round, inspiration holiday tree! You can read more about Helen’s tree of beads here on Facebook, or check out the Beads and Beyond blog.
Thanks so much for all your insightful comments and inspirational links this month. I have loved peeking into your studios! Please keep the comments coming below for next month’s Storage Secrets post, if you would like to be featured. I will tell you that some of the ABS editors have some tips to sure for you too…..
And now over to the BeadBlogger Links:
Carmi’s Art/Life World
I have given up trying to bead in a traditional manner – hence the crazy cuff.
I have given up trying to bead in a traditional manner – hence the crazy cuff.
Rebecca is a Scottish jewellery designer, currently living in Belfast, Northern Ireland. You can read more about her and her work at her blog, songbeads.blogspot.com and see more of her jewellery at songbead.etsy.com. She also has a supplies shop at thecuriousbeadshop.etsy.com.
Ann Schroeder
June 24, 2014 at 12:53 amI love the idea of starting each month with bead storage ideas and peeks inside studios. You are right. I love that aspect of beads almost as much as the beads themselves.
Lyn Foley
June 24, 2014 at 12:46 pmI agree. I love storage, and designed my studio around it. I would like to be featured. Here is a Sneak Peek link from my site's slide show about making glass beads.
http://www.lynfoley.com/What_is_Lampworking_s/1852.htm
Heather Powers
July 4, 2014 at 1:58 pmI need to organize my beads. They are out of control stuffed in bins and trays after working on projects. I have a cool printers tray and other decorative storage accessories that are empty at the moment. The real problem is I need twice as many tables and square footage in my studio so I could have a dedicated space for jewelry making. The beadmaking takes over everything! I will be watching your posts for inspiration!