Learn To Bead

QUESTION:
At what point did you realize you were addicted to beads?

People are always saying how addicting beads are. They express surprise that the pull of beads is so strong. They can’t stop buying and accumulating beads. They can’t go anywhere without stopping at the local bead store for a bead fix. They find themselves intentionally fooling or deceiving themselves about how many beads they actually have, or how much money they have spent on them.

Yes, beads are very addicting. Even though your drawers are full, you never have enough.

We asked our students, customers and colleagues to complete this sentence:

I never knew how addicting this was until….

…My car automatically turned into the parking lot in front of the bead store.

…I was laying in bed looking at my ceiling tiles and realized they were done in a “Peyote” stitch pattern!

…I made my beaded fish in progress into a screen-saver. It is all about the process, when will I finish? who cares… I have this beautiful thing to handle and see as I work. Such a pleasure!

… I began hiding a stash of money to buy beads: “It’s not like I’m sleeping around….I’m just buying beads.”

… I went shopping for clothes, but came back with only one bag — a bag of mixed beads.

…. I used 3 checks to pay for my order — one from a joint account with my husband, a second from an account in my name only, and a 3rd from my son’s account — luckily I had his checkbook in my purse. So now, my husband will think that I’m only spending a little bit, I can fool myself, and my son doesn’t care one way or the other.

… I converted my dining room to a bead room, and made my family eat in the den on TV trays.

… I found that despite my long and mostly constant love of fabric — I am after all a lifetime seamstress, having been comforted by the smell and color of fabric stores and the chush, chush, chushing of my mom’s Kenmore machine since first memories — could not resist the magnetic pull into the unknown. There, standing at the front door of my local craft store with nothing on my mind or agenda but 2 yards of multi-colored backing fabric for a client’s project, I saw the front of my wobbly plastic basket steering to the Northwest (Fabric is definitely to the Southwest) with such abandon that the lovely glass shelves in the center front of the store were in danger!

…I turned to beads for solace and a quiet focus. I have been going through a very hard time trying to keep a very ailing relationship together and when I could have been stressed out and worrying, I spent the time quietly beading. When I just wanted to go to bed and stay there for days, I was able to sit in my living room with my son and do bead work. To him, I was being with him and calm; to me, I was hiding in my beadwork and being near him. Beads have been my refuge. I have even read where hand needle work is a stress reliever, I am a living testament to that!

…I saw seed beads in what I scooped out of my cat box! I took my bead work and worked in the car on vacation. Every time I vacuum the sound of beads is heard. It seems every purse I clean out has some beads in it. I find beads on the back porch, when I sweep. It is a really tough decision, when I come to the off ramp which leads to the bead store and I really need to get home! I have more beads than projects for them!

…I gave up a Shoe Addiction for this…it better be worth it!

Other Articles of Interest by Warren Feld:

Best Way To Thread Your Needle

Bead Stringing With Needle and Thread

Beading Threads vs. Bead Cord

Turning Silver and Copper Metals Black: Some Oxidizing Techniques

Color Blending; A Management Approach

Cleaning Sterling Silver Jewelry: What Works!

What Glue Should I Use When Making Jewelry?

When Choosing Colors Has You Down, Check Out The Magic Of Simultaneity Effects

The Color Effects of Threads

Wax, Wax, Wax

When You Attend A Bead Show…

When Your Cord Doesn’t Come With A Needle…What You Can Do

Duct Tape Your Pliers

What To Know About Gluing Rhinestones

Know Your Anatomy Of A Necklace

How Does The Jewelry Designer Make Asymmetry Work?

How To Design An Ugly Necklace: The Ultimate Designer Challenge

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Also, check out my website (www.warrenfeldjewelry.com).

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