Happy Labor Day – Beading Ideas!!

While Labor Day is meant to celebrate all the hard working men and women in the US, make sure you take some time to relax and bead! Here’s some ideas for you:

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  Unorganized Bead Mat Mess

  Tackle a UFO (unfinished object) or leaf through your beading books and magazine to find projects you liked, but didn’t find the time to do. I do this quite often. I usually find several projects that either frustrated me or I marked in a magazine but I just wasn’t ready for. Now, I am and it seems much easier.
• Try something new – Learn a stitch you’ve been meaning to try or start a project that looks a bit harder that you usually do. The more stitches you learn and projects you try, the faster you will get better.
• Organize your beads – For a while at least, your beading area will be clean, you’ll be able to find stuff you want/need, and maybe you’ll find the things you’ve been looking for. I always find things I have lost. Right now, I can’t find all the jump rings (open/closed and gold/silver) and all the earring wires (gold/silver) that I bought at the Bead and Button show. They are in there somewhere – I just know it!!
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  Organized Seed Bead Mat

  Take stock – Look through your basic supplies that you use a lot. What findings are running getting low (earring wires, clasps, jump rings)? What basic colors of seed beads (in the sizes you use the most are you lacking (gold/silver/gray/white/black).  Having these basics on hand helps immensely if you try a project at home – you at least have something you can use that is easy to match to your color scheme. Make  a list of what you need and put it in your purse, so next time you are at a bead store, you know what you need. Or, put the list on your phone…
• Be social with your beading – Ask your local bead store if you can have a bead “social” in their classroom once a month. Many stores have these scheduled already – like an old fashioned quilting bee. If that’s not possible, contact other beaders and set up a night once a month to get together, taking turns being the host. Just order pizza and have everyone bring a snack or appetizer – make it easy. You can find a free project you all can work on together, or just work on whatever you want.

Hope you try some of these suggestions and have fun with them!!

Related articles

• A New Angle on Right-Angle Weave (beadingdaily.com)
• Seed Beads 201 (artbeads.com)
• Three Great Beading Tools for Learning How to Bead (beadingdaily.com)
• Knitted Stretch Bracelet Idea by Kristen Fagan (softflexgirl.blogspot.com)
• Where Will Kumihmo Take You? Everywhere! (beadingdaily.com)

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