Beadaholicicity

If you ever ask, I will usually tell you that I really have no vices to speak of. Well, that's probably not entirely accurate...and I may have to rewrite that statement! No, I don't drink (a lot)  or smoke, the usual vices that are referred to, but - oh baby, get me near a bead store, and all my control is gone!

...So the spousal unit had to work this past weekend, and that was my chance to go shoppin'! He did accompany me to a bead store in Ann Arbor a few years ago, and ever since that day, I haven't been able to drag him to another (LOL!). No matter - this is a trip best accomplished alone!

 Yes, I still have thousands of beads, and no, I don't create much in the way of beadwork anymore - but since the Faerie Doors have been doing pretty well, I'm running low on the "Faerie" related components (stars, moons, butterflies, etc.). Thus, I persuaded myself that I just HAD to run over there for "a few" of those.

My very favorite bead place in town is "Meant To Bead" - they've been around for years now, and I think they "get" us bead freaks, that is, they have just about anything a beader could want or need! Findings, pearls, Swarovski crystals, wire, tools, thread, - and BEADS! Glass, vintage, pewter, sterling, ceramic, stone, shell, etc., etc. - BAZILLIONS of 'em! In all fairness, I can find less expensive components at my favorite catalog/online store (Fire Mountain) - but if I want unusual beads ASAP, this is the place to go in Toledo (www.meant2bead.com). I rarely don't find what I need there!

These (below) were awesome! Any kind of glassworking, especially lampworked beads, is the same as magic in my eyes...someday, maybe...but for now, I just admire and appreciate the stuff. I almost purchased the top center piece, but since I generally wear my own jewelry (to advertise), I talked myself out of it......for now. ;-)

Back To Beadin'

As I was beading the other day (yes, I still work on jewelry - I love doing it, and I have oh, probably tens of thousands of beads [millions, if you'd count each SEED bead!] all over in my house - gotta do SOMETHING with 'em! ), I realized I really wanted to incorporate the jewelry aspect of my art with the garden side of it.

(NOTE: Don't mention to my husband what a great love I have for beading - he has another side to it! Basically, he just says quietly," I can hear you cussing over there - must be beading again, huh? " I have no idea what he's talkin' about...)


I still do have the cast leaf pendants, but I also have a LOT of what I would call "natural" or "organic" beads - coral, bone, semi precious (garnet, turquoise, pearls), Job's Tears (which I grow myself) - even manmade materials, but still closer to what occurs in Nature - copper, silver, terra cotta, etc. I guess I could even slide by with glass, since it does occur naturally sometimes (near volcanoes!) I have already opened an Etsy shop, but decided to open up a separate store, just for this jewelry, so I now have "Nanci's Organic Jewelry Creations"! I will post the link soon, but since I only have 3 items in there at the moment, it's not too exciting right now!

..Just a fraction of all the beads I really have!

 I'm also making some "Pseudo Pandora" bracelets, just because they're so popular (AND so expensive!). It IS a nice idea, a high quality fashion accessory in which you can add different components or beads to follow seasons, or holidays, or just how you feel that day- and they ARE pretty! But $35 -$45 dollar per BEAD? Seriously? There are websites where you can build yourself a virtual Pandora bracelet online, I tried it out and none of my bracelets came in under $1000.00! So much for that.

..So I decided to make my own, using the many beads I have collected thru years of shopping in bead catalogs, bead stores, craft shops, thrift stores, parents' and grandparents' jewelry boxes - noo, they're not interchangeable like the Pandoras, but I

figure I can make oh, maybe 40 of these for what one of THOSE would cost me! A bead for different holidays? How about a whole bracelet for each holiday!