Beading Frenzy

On Tuesday, we went to the library and checked out three books about beading, including Simply Beautiful Beading by Heidi Boyd. On Wednesday, we went to the Bead Studio and bought supplies to make the bee bracelet.  Iris made this (with a little help) and will gift it to one of her playmates.

I caught the beading bug and restrung two broken necklaces that I loved enough to save the pieces.

The badge holder necklace was made by a friend at work (who has, sadly, moved away). I caught it on my desk drawer and pieces flew everywhere. I was able to salvage some of the beads. She knew my taste so well, I even already had matching beads at home.

I bought the faux pearls at a white elephant sale fundraiser at my high school in 1982. It became my signature necklace until I broke it sometime in the late 1990s. Now that I finally learned bead stringing basics, I fixed it.

Bead Studio is a 3 minute walk from my house. For Iris' birthday party, we took 9 kids there for a basic bead stringing class. People who have taken their classes can drop by the store and use the store tools at the back work bench any time they are open. One boy who attended the party has been at the store every day this past week, getting supplies to make presents for his entire extended family.

There were so many cute projects in the book. There are so many cute beads at the store. This can become a dangerous new hobby. At least we will be supporting a good merchant. Randy, the owner, is a sweetheart.  The staff loves beads and kids.  It's a great place to have in our neighborhood.