beads but no findings, findings but no beads.

There are some things that seems to help me with this.

A big thing is to keep buying the colors I like best in lots of variations, and not get too tempted to get other colors for other preferences. I also am more likely to leave less preferred colors languishing for years.

I also have shapes I much prefer. I work best with roundish beads, and beads of certain sizes. As I'm doing some stringing, I'm finding I need more beads in the 6 to 8 mm size.

As I'm beginning to use silver and Bali, I'm noticing that bead caps are often hard for me to use, especially with lampwork. They often have flat sides, so I need to use a flat disk somewhere between 7 and 10 mm. I hadn't expected that.

I prefer using only the clasps that are easy for me to use. And the very simplest toggles look very nice and clean.

I'm using up old coated wire (tiger tail) by using it for preliminary stringing. I can leave it strung like that until I get a finding etc, if I need to. Or leave it for a few days (or more) and come back to it, if it just feels incomplete. At times when I feel indecisive, I can still work, that way.

Tina

Yeah, I have this problem, too. I'm finding that the caps don't really work very well the way I envisioned using them. I'm getting a bit creative, though... and that has its up side--maybe :)

Thanks for these tips (even the ones I snipped). It's helpful to know that all of this is sort of normal :)

Laura

I read somewhere that you should let friends and children play with your beads to come up with new combinations. I have twin two year old neighbors. When they come over they love to play with the beads and I give them each a beadboard. Sometimes their combinations don't work, but they always come up with something I would never think of. Their mom is great and helps me too, when she has time.

I do have a beading board, but I don't use it much. It's become another holding area for beads that are ripening.

Right now most of my beads are in boxes stacked on top of each other, and it's getting harder and harder to move the boxes around to get to different ones. I think after we move I will try to set things up to make it more convenient. I imagine that knowing my work area is about to be deconstructed isn't helping my motivation right now.

Laura

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from snipped-for-privacy@aol.compuppies (Dr. Sooz) :

]>I read somewhere that you should let friends and children play with your ]>beads to come up with new combinations. ] ]~~freaking no way!

ROTFLOL!

it does work with my two, tho!

----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)

's not what you take, when you leave this world behind you;it's what you leave behind you when you go. -- Randy Travis

This happens to me too. I have to make a conscious decision to keep it cleared off. Maybe I should just buy a new one every time I fill one p. }:^> For assembly, I like working on my desk, with a piece of black felt spread out to catch things that fall. But the bead board is indispensable for seeing how beads will look together sitting sideways.

Maybe you've got something there. You may have even forgotten exactly how some of those stacked-up components look, exactly. After your move will be a great time to set things up differently. Then pulling things down and experimenting will be more like playing - as long as you can hire an assistant to come in when you're done and put them all away. :^)

One woman I worked for would just sweep everything into a big box to clear her work area. If I needed one more bead of a certain type, I could sometimes find it by digging through the box. I wasted a lot of time there too, that box was mesmerizing. That's when I fell in love with beads.

• TL *

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from snipped-for-privacy@aol.compuppies (Dr. Sooz) :

]Oh, Laura! I had that problem -- I solved it by buying plastic cheapie 9" x ]12" horizontal paper racks to slide the boxes into.

i use things like this:

except i got them from Costco and they only cost about $30, if that. worth every penny!

----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)

's not what you take, when you leave this world behind you;it's what you leave behind you when you go. -- Randy Travis

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from "Tante Lina" :

]Maybe you've got something there. You may have even forgotten exactly how ]some of those stacked-up components look, exactly.

Nicole hangs hers on pegboards on the wall. i've wished i had room to do that ever since i saw it!

i've got drawers marked "green", "blue", "red/pink/lavender", "metallics", "neutral", and "critters".

----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)

's not what you take, when you leave this world behind you;it's what you leave behind you when you go. -- Randy Travis

LOL - "critters" - love it!

• TL *

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from "Tante Lina" :

]LOL - "critters" - love it!

but . . . but . . . that's what they are! not enough of one kind for a whole drawer, but . . .

monkeys, fish, cats, butterflies, ladybugs . . . you know - critters!

----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)

's not what you take, when you leave this world behind you;it's what you leave behind you when you go. -- Randy Travis

While I was living in Texas - well, when you have a drawer named critters there, you never know WHAT you're going to find in it...

• TL *

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from "Tante Lina" :

]While I was living in Texas - well, when you have a drawer named ]critters there, you never know WHAT you're going to find in it...

**snort** good point!

----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)

's not what you take, when you leave this world behind you;it's what you leave behind you when you go. -- Randy Travis

What, you mean I'm supposed to *finish* these projects?

Laura (who has several half-finished necklaces lying about since going on the earring kick)

Yes I'm always amazed that it seems I need more beads for matching purposes. Or like you said- findings.

Good luck on the house hunt.