The Best Little Bead Box

Courage Tiger Has a New Home!

2011-06-15T17:36:00.000-04:00

by Jen VanBenschoten

Well, all of the Best Little Bead Box(es) have made their way to upstate New York! We apologize for the delay in getting the eBay auctions together, but we had a slight change of plans. The boxes all arrived safely today, and with them, Courage Tiger!

Carol Dean and I were wondering where Courage Tiger should go next, and it suddenly became apparent where his new home should be. A friend of my sister has a 10-year-old son who will turn 11 in August. He and his family live on the Gulf Coast of Texas, and last summer right around his birthday, he was diagnosed with leukemia. Right after he was diagnosed, he began chemotherapy treatments. Today he is finishing up a required hospital-stay round of chemotherapy (three days of intense IV treatment that leaves him feeling extremely sick) and then he has more chemo treatments that will keep him out of school until October. He's missed most of 5th grade, but will be able to enter 6th grade in the fall thanks to a teacher that comes to his house and helps him keep up with his school work.

We thought that Courage Tiger would have a wonderful new home with him as he gets through each treatment for leukemia. His prognosis is still good, mainly because of the type of leukemia he has, but it still requires a lot of intense treatments that would be difficult for anyone to endure.

So once I get Courage Tiger sent off to his new home, I will be sorting through all the amazing, generous contributions from our amazing, talented beaders in this second round of The Best Little Bead Box! Let me tell you, these are going to be some killer auctions this time around - there are seed beads, cabochons, handmade polymer clay, findings of all kinds, beading kits, gemstones - even a great little book on bead stringing techniques and leather scraps! (And I may throw in one more goody before the auctions get started, since I just discovered a fabulous new bead embroidery backing!)

Stay tuned for the eBay auctions, and thank you again to all of you incredible, generous ladies!

The Best Little Bead Box Visits Pennsburg Pa!

2011-04-28T08:00:00.000-04:00

Well, I came home from shopping with the kids the other day, and this is what greeted me on my porch! The Best Little Bead box is now 5 large bead boxes! I cannot even tell you how awesome this is! They were almost as tall as my littlest guy!

So, being the last person was really wonderful, and really awful at the same time. I feel like I took soooo much, because there was sooo much wonderfulness, although, honestly, it doesn't look like I put a dent in it. There were so many awesome beads, by wonderfully talented people, and gemstones and crystals, oh my! So without further ado, heres what I picked..........(don't judge me, I love beads;)

Here is everything together, but I will break it down.

I picked some cool wood and nut beads.

I got me some glass and crystal, since I don't have a lot in that department.

I took these wonderful lampworked beads, because I thought they'd be great in some bracelets.

This one tormented me. It is gigantic, and wonderful, and it was in and out of the box many times. I just love the asian feel of it, and so, I kept it. It will be the most lovely chunky bracelet ever.

Then my weakness, gemstones........

Some little metal odds and ends....

some pearls and cloisone...

leather scraps and a hole puncher (I really needed one!)

and last but not least..........some ceramic and raku! Love the stars and the skull.

There are still sooooo many wonderful things in there. Carol will have her work cut out for her, and I had to keep resisting the temtation to start organizing it by bead type, ect......These auction will be GREAT!

Ok- here is what I put in...........

Here is the whole heap of it.

A brand spakin new copy (with dvd) of Wire Style 2, with some aluminum wire.

Some very nice beading cord in green and brown, a small wire jig that was opened but never used, some copper for stamping or etching, tape measure, bottle caps made for resin, gold plated chain, some duponi silk scaps, pewter pendant, rings for keychains and a bead scoop.

some bronze, brass and silver plated charms, focals, and three feet of a great brass chain that I love!

GEMSTONES!!!!! Amazonite mix, black agate tear drops, turquoise mix, green crackle agate, shells, moukite, flourite, and three strands of focal beads, since they are my absolute favorite to work with.

Some odds and ends, large lucite beads, mother of pearl buckle, shell charms, mother of pearl composite donut focal...

MORE GEMSTONES........ prehnite strand of focals, picasso jasper pendants, blue crackle agate, brown gemstone and pearl mix, red jad, red jasper mix, labradorite focals, crazy horse stone focal, green jasper focal, MOP Butterfly focal, green jade beads, red agate pendant, hawk eye jasper (sooo pretty)....

Some sea shell cabs, genuine sea glass to use in bead embroidery, and a wonderful sparkly drusy cab!

Wood beads in black, a strand of purple crystal, a swarovski pendant......

Two strands of pearls, fancy jasper, large gemstone pendant, mix of gemstone pendants, mix of gemstone charms, mix of stick and coin pearls..........

Sterling silver pendants and large swirl focal by me........

I didn't have much to give in the way of glass, but here a some, a wonderful black and white heart by Jane Perala, some boro disc beads by Two Sisters, and a couple of purplish lampwork discs.

Then I dug into my ceramic collection.....there are some Artisan Clay pendants, some Lisa Peters Art Focals, and one Maku bead.

These are some of my focals from the Artisan Accents Shop. A bronze coin focal, bronze wings with a patina, and a large copper tear stained heart focal.

I also added these two blue lichen charms from my collection, a blue colored bronze donut and a fine silver abstract pendant..........

Then I threw in a bunch of my polymer hearts...........

and some of my misc. polymer clay beads..............

And thats it. Whew! What a swap.

I feel so blessed to be a part of this. I cannot wait to see how much this raises for Beads of Courage!

The Courage Tiger's Stay in Eastern PA

2011-04-27T21:21:00.008-04:00

The Courage Tiger was really happy to get out of that box! And he only traveled from Western Pa! I think he is going to be really happy when he is finally home.

He had a relaxing stay here. With three little kids, life is never dull, but we don't go fancy places or anything. So he pretty much just hung around with my family.

He arrived in time for Earth Day and helped to plant this little tree.

He was also here for Easter. I think he loved his basket!!!

He had lots of fun playing out back with the kids one last time before being stuff back into that box!!!

The kids will miss him, but they are sending lots of love to the kids who will get to love him next!!!!

Week Twelve: Staci Smith

2011-04-25T13:51:00.000-04:00

For its final stop before returning to New Mexico The Best Little Bead Box (in its current five incarnations!) is staying in Pennsylvania, more specifically at the home of Staci Smith in Pennsburg.

photo courtesy of Tammy Snyder

Occupation (either bead-related or non-bead related): stay at home mom- jewelry designer
Website: www.stacilouiseoriginals.com
Blog: www.stacilouise.blogspot.com
Facebook Fan Page: staci louise originals

How long have you been a beader/jewelry maker?
since I was about 12....when I used to make earrings with beads and head pins.

Why do you want to participate in the Best Little Bead Box project?
Heaven knows I have beads to share, and if my bead addiction can help others, then that would be great!!!

Have beads changed your life? How?
Yes. I have always been an artist. When I began to have kids, and stay home, I needed something I could do- to feel creative, something for just me. So I began to make jewelry- since it has always been a love of mine. Making jewelry has allowed me to help earn some money for my family, as well as be able to bless others with jewelry fundraisers, and gifts. I love to be able to give someone a handmade gift they can wear for years and years, made just for them. It makes me feel like there is a little piece of me out in the world.

Do you consider yourself a beginner, intermediate or advanced beader/jewelry maker?
Intermediate / advanced

How did you get started working with beads?
Sprung from a love of gemstones, beads were just another way to collect gemstones and wear them....then pearls, then art beads- so I just started buying them and teaching myself all the different ways they can be used with books and learning from friends, ect...

If you were a bead, what kind would you be? Why?
a handmade bead of some sort- ceramic, pmc, ect........because someone put their heart into them, and their style, and I would be a little piece of artist.

If you were stranded on a desert island and could have only one kind of bead with you, what would it be and why?
ceramic raku focals.....I love the shimmers and crackles and they would look great in the sun on a desert island :)

What is the best advice you've ever received from a bead artist, teacher or beading friend?
be yourself, find your style, don't design to please anyone else

What was the best beady gift that you have ever received? What was the best beady gift that you ever gave to someone else?
Received: an Artisan Clay necklace from my friend Kristie Roeder. It has little greenish blue ceramic squares, and picture jasper with wire links. It goes with almost anything and is sooo super comfortable to wear.

Gave: I made a PMC necklace (pmc focal) with heart and wings for a friend that just lost a child, in the back I stamped his name and inserted his birthstone. It was just something I felt compelled to do, in hopes that it would bless them in some small way.

Aside from beading, do you do any other crafts? What are they?
painting

What three words would best describe your current bead stash?
pearls, artisan beads, gemstones

Please include a photograph of your very best piece of beadwork, if you have one available.

How Three Boxes Become Five

2011-04-22T22:48:00.001-04:00

Written by Rosita. Posted by Carol Dean

When I received the 3 big boxes, Bernie and me were working hard on our annual tax returns, so I decided to postpone opening the boxes until after all this was finished. It was hard, but had to be done!

Once the taxes done, it was time to open and have fun.

The items to pick from were wonderful thanks to everyone else’s generosity.

So here is what I picked: First I chose the book by Jeanette Cook (you can never have too many books on beading techniques!) and a pattern/kit by Nikia Angel.

Then my greedy hands went to the black Parawire and I picked 5 spools, these will come handy as I am increasing the amount of wire work I am including in my beading. Then I chose a short strand of peacock rondelles, a baggie of fat silver toned beads and 5 baggies of small rice shape silver toned beads, a baggie of tiny peacock bicones (Swarovski?), a baggie of funny fan shaped polka dotted beads that looked neat and 4 little glass beads that looked like mini tortoiseshell. And two tubes of #8 beads in chocolate brown and olive.

I could not resist picking 6 fancy Czech glass buttons as Buttons are often prominent in my beadwoven cuffs.

Now for focal beads and pendants: A long mottled brown and ivory lampwork bead, a large lovely ocean blue/green long bead, a large clay bead with a dreamy face and sparkles, another clay face cab with a bit of a snotty expression I found appealing! I will have to figure out how to use this one!

There were many interesting pendants and I chose a dark blue ceramic one, a green and blue pillow porcelain by Marsha Neal, a rectangular porcelain piece and a fantastic triangular slide pendant in soft beige tones( I will probably make something for myself with this one!).

Then I chose the tongs with scoop end, a Tierracast toggle clasp and the sweetest little pink parrot dangles.

Now for what I added to the treasure chest.

When adding to the chest, my thoughts went to adding as much value as possible so that when auctioning for the fundraiser, there would be items attractive for a wide range of beaders and jewelry makers, so I did add some items in large quantities of multiple bundles and strands. These can all be taken apart to create smaller bundles.

As pictures are better than a thousand words. Here they are. My husband Bernie donated all the stones and cabs from his Lodin's Gems and Minerals sock.

Fire Polished glass beads.

Czech round beads.

More Czech beads.

Betel nut beads from the Philippines.

Burnt wood beads from the Philippines.

Freshwater pearls.

Cloisonne/enamel focals and beads.

Agates, Sardonyx and various porcelains.

Various stone cabs and beads.

More stone cabs and beads.

Gold plated findings and Fiber optic beads

Painted wood beads.

Various stone beads.

Seed bead tubes.

More seed beads and cubes.

Hand-made lampwork, clay and other beads.

A bunch of Swarovskis.

A crimp plier, trays and a metal hole puncher.

More glass beads.

A glue gun and glue. Colored wires.

Leather scraps.

I had to add another large flat rate Priority box to pack all the goodies, but this was not enough so I added a medium flat rate priority box to carry everything.

So Beads of Courage 2011 are now to 5 boxes!

Courage Tiger supervised me during the entire process and helped me pick out the donations, he was the one to have the last say and was the ultimate decision maker. His favorite item was the heavy metal hole puncher as he sees himself as a ‘tool man’ since his visit here!

Courage Tiger at his Western Pennsylvania Stop

2011-04-22T16:16:00.000-04:00

Photographed and written by Rosita. Posted by Carol Dean.

Courage Tiger helping to un-pack the incoming boxes.

Checking out our collection of mineral specimens and geodes and feeling quite at home with the giant Amethyst.

Checking out the carved wood bear on our front porch. Don’t they both look at little stunned !

Hiding in the daffodils.

Courage Tiger sharing my first drive in my brand new car.
Courage Tiger loves Lime Green!

Off we go to the Post Office to ship today’s sales and packages.

My two bins containing the out-going selections. Courage Tiger helped select them all.

Bye-bye Courage Tiger, go out to the world and safe travels!

Week Eleven: Rosita Pisarchick

2011-04-17T16:10:00.001-04:00

The THREE boxes for Round Two of The Best Little Bead Box are now at the Pennsylvania home of Rosita Pisarchick.

Occupation (either bead-related or non-bead related): Business owner

Website: http://www.crownrosegems.com and http://www.continentalstitcherytrims.com

Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/crownrosegems

How long have you been a beader/jewelry maker?
About 8 years

Why do you want to participate in the Best Little Bead Box project?
A fun project ! And i have many beads and stone cabochons to contribute.

Have beads changed your life? How?
Not really changed it but have added another dimension to my creativity.

Do you consider yourself a beginner, intermediate or advanced beader/jewelry maker?
Intermediate

How did you get started working with beads?
When my husband and i opened a rock , mineral and cabs shop, I started working with the materials on hand to show customers what could be done with them, and became addicted myself!

If you were a bead, what kind would you be? Why?
A perfect round South Sea golden pearl.

If you were stranded on a desert island and could have only one kind of bead with you, what would it be and why?
It would be a #8 seed bead as it would be large enough to be useful when making a fishing net, and small enough to make a fishing lure. Survival would be the name of the game!

What is the best advice you've ever received from a bead artist, teacher or beading friend?
Wash your hands often while beading.

Do you have a particular quote that you think reflects your personal philosophies? If yes, please share it.
"Life is not about finding yourself, life is about creating yourself" George B. Shaw

What was the best beady gift that you have ever received? What was the best beady gift that you ever gave to someone else?
I don't think I have ever received a beady gift. I gave a gothic all black, grey and bronze bead-woven necklace to one of my cousins

Aside from beading, do you do any other crafts? What are they?
I sew.

What three words would best describe your current bead stash?
Too much!

Please include a photograph of your very best piece of beadwork, if you have one available.
My favorite large beaded Seraphinite.

The Best Little Bead Boxes Shipped Yesterday

2011-04-13T10:41:00.001-04:00

Uh Oh!!! Hey, wait a minute, there's Tiger sitting behind my purse! He didn't get into the box! I guess he will have to fly out today and meet up with the boxes. The little stowaway really hid, I think, so he could have one more shot at seeing a real live tiger at the Zoo this morning!

Here are the fabulous goodies I chose from the Best Little Bead Box. Grace Danel's fabulous faces are irresistible. The vintage sequins, rosemontes and beads are wonderful. But the little vintage sew on crowns were what made me say out loud, "mine"! Thanks Grace.

Here are my contributions. Some beautiful Czech beads, Vintage® dragonflys, Swarovski® crystals and tubes of seed beads. Along with some semi precious stone beads and modern sequins. Plus two Beady Eyed Women's® Guides, Sculptural Peyote Primers one Tide Pool Sculptural Cuff Kit and one Baroque Pearl Necklace Kit.

It has been a great honor to participate in The Best Little Bead Box! Thanks Carol Dean.

Courage Tiger goes to The San Diego Zoo

2011-04-12T20:29:00.002-04:00

Tiger of Courage really wanted to see his cousins, the tigers at the Tiger River enclosure at the Zoo today. Alas, when we got to Tiger River, all the tigers were inside but one. He was way up at the top and we could barely see him. Maybe tomorrow...

Meanwhile, he had fun visiting other animals at the Zoo and even found more of his own kind...Other stuffed animals. Of course he posed with them too!

Here's Tiger at the entrance to the World Famous San Diego Zoo

Posing with a bust of Ngagi the silver back gorilla

While posing in front of the flamingos, the peacock tried to upstage Tiger!

This baby giraffe is only two weeks old. It's a girl.

I took Tiger to visit my friend, Ava the bonobo. she loves to mash herself against the glass. Then you match her hands with hers and she will kiss the glass. We see her almost every day on our walk at the zoo.

Tiger and the Meercats.

This mountain lion is a close relative of Tiger.

Leaving the Zoo, Tiger spotted his kin! Other stuffed animals.

Of course he wanted to get a picture with them...

The Best Little Bead Box (Boxes) are Here

2011-04-12T11:11:00.000-04:00

Tiger of Courage and his Best Little Bead Boxes have arrived at Jeannette Cook's Studio, Beady Eyed Women® in Lemon Grove, CA.

I was packing up my booth for The Rocky Mountain Bead Society Bead Bazaar when the boxes arrived! How exciting. My friend Nancy Rose and I brought the three boxes into the house and opened them up. Wooo Hooo! How fun. The first thing I did was take Tiger on a tour of the Studio and house and introduce him to some new friends.

Jasmine and Tiger Take a work break.

Tiger discovers a little jungle hide out! Peek a Boo, Tiger.

More to come...

Week Ten: Jeannette Cook

2011-04-10T19:13:00.001-04:00

The Best Little Bead Box(es) are headed out west again, this time to the California home of Jeannette Cook.

Occupation (either bead-related or non-bead related): Bead Artist/Instructor/Author
Website: www.BeadyEyedWomen.com
Blog: www.BeadyEyedWomen.blogspot.com
Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/beadyeyedwomen

How long have you been a beader/jewelry maker?
42 years

Why do you want to participate in the Best Little Bead Box project?
I think Beads of Courage is a wonderful project. I met a man while getting new tires. His little girl had cancer and was totally into beads thanks to Beads of Courage. She makes jewelry to sell to benefit other kids with cancer. I told him I would participate. This is a great way to fulfill that promise.

Have beads changed your life? How?
Yes! Beads are the thread that run through all my changes from the time I was 14! I have met amazing friends, gotten to travel all over the U.S. and Abroad teaching. Seen so many states and met wonderful people all through beads. Economically, it has made me independent and self-supporting. I started out a single mother beading at night after work. Ended up quitting my full time corporate job 19 years ago. Never went back!

Do you consider yourself a beginner, intermediate or advanced beader/jewelry maker?
Advanced

How did you get started working with beads?
It was 1968 and us little hippie girls needed Love Beads!

If you were a bead, what kind would you be? Why?
Seed beads. I have so many parts pulled together into one solid, but flexible being.

If you were stranded on a desert island and could have only one kind of bead with you, what would it be and why?
Seed beads. So I could bead while I waited for my ship to come.

What is the best advice you've ever received from a bead artist, teacher or beading friend?
When I quit the corporate job, I was so afraid I wouldn’t make it. I told one of my coworkers that I could always come back to work at a corporate job. He said never even entertain the thought of failure!

Do you have a particular quote that you think reflects your personal philosophies? If yes, please share it.
This quote was made by an African Grey Parrott- “It’s OK, it’s alright!”

What was the best beady gift that you have ever received? What was the best beady gift that you ever gave to someone else?
My friend Layne Shilling willed her large collection of lamp work beads to me. I was to split it between 4 of us friends. We sat in a circle and each chose one in a round of turns. Years after she died, I passed along many of them to Beading for a Cure. The auction to benefit Cancer in Layne’s name. I think she and I doubled her gift that way.

Aside from beading, do you do any other crafts? What are they?

I am trying my hand at Felting and Nuno Felting. I have sewn clothing, book/paper arts a small amount. In the old days, I did macramé, embroidery, ceramics and a tiny bit of wire work.

What three words would best describe your current bead stash?
Enormous, versatile, fabulous!

Please include a photograph of your very best piece of beadwork, if you have one available.

Here's a photo of May's Garden Necklace, one of my all time favorites.

Fort Wayne, Indiana receives a visit from the boxes...

2011-04-08T22:53:00.012-04:00

*all photos are clickable for a larger view*

The boxes arrived right on time on Monday, bursting at the seams - no really - BURSTING. Those suckers were packed tightly! Here are the two boxes just opened to let the Courage Tiger get some air. You might as well grab something to drink and settle in - this post will be loaded with photos.

I only took enough time to open the boxes when they arrived - as much as I wanted to tear into the many packages within - I had to get back to work.

I have several cats at home - all rescues and all very much loved. However I know they cannot resist the sound of paper and/or plastic - so in order to deter them from getting into the boxes, I covered them (the boxes not the cats!) with a sheet to keep all contents safe. At one point there was a line to check out the contents

Here is what I found in the morning... Chief making himself a bed on top of the boxes, in this shot he was doing his best imitation of a ferocious feline, or maybe I woke him from a nap.

Once I was able to sit and go through the contents of the boxes, I did it slowly. As other before me, I carefully unwrapped each bag and bags within that if needed to look at each piece. It took a couple of hours and I thoroughly savored and enjoyed each minute. Here is what I took from the box - a selection of cabs, glass, clay, vintage - all awesome!

Next - an assortment of things - a needle box that I can bead around, a little glass vessel, a metal cross and beads of various materials.

Look at these yummy selections

I'm a big sucker for hearts!

It was impossible to resist the little chunk of turquoise and the peridot chips

I HAD to have that strand of dice, I took 3 strands of the red fire polished beads, a strand of really cool flowers, a pretty strand of light blue leaves and a beautiful strand of rondelles with a rainbow finish.

I have had Dustin's book on my wish list for some time, so I took it!

Then I took two rolls of parawire and this adorable little purse that will be used in an art doll round robin in which I am currently participating - isn't it adorable???

Oh and I know it's hard to believe, but I'm not done...
Next I took some beads, big beads, small beads, flower beads, fresh water pearls in (my favorite color) green

Lastly (no really I'm done taking now), these awesome glass chili beads, some silver beads, glass heart beads, a tube of hex beads, some neat peanut beads - first time seeing these and a selection of small beads by Golem I believe.

Now you might be thinking (like I was), okay you hog... what did you put back?
I started with some vintage selections - purple Japanese beads, very delicate. Blue 2 holed beads, German cabs - very thin glass with a white backing that comes off fairly easily if you like them that way. Next are 2 holed flat glass sew ons in yellow with one in blue. Little glass gems in dark and light pink with gold on the backside. Green iris nail heads and yellow gold nail heads.

Seed beads - various colors and finishes

More vintage - glass 2 holed crown shaped sew ons, strand of green trade beads, long strand of black heart sequins, 2 strands of dark pink/light red sequins, 2 holed shell shaped sequins, light blue rose montees, hank of dark blue iris bugles.

Some close ups

Sew on filigree with Swarovski crystals

A strand of glass hearts, a vintage glass gem, 2 carved bone buttons, a mother of pearl pendant with a dragon, a clay fish by a local artist.

Four raku star beads by Star Spirit Studio

A beautiful (front and back) cab with a fairy face on it - wish I could remember the name of the artist that made it.

A hand sculpted face by Dottie Hoeschen of Stonebrash Creative

Various clay items by Duane Collins of Elements Pottery

A selection of Czech glass buttons

More clay items, this time from Pottery 123 Findings

More vintage glass, Czech, German, Japanese

And the final addition is a collection of faces by Jen Martin of Graphix Outpost and one face from Star Spirit Studio - the last face, bottom right.

I did not get out much with the tiger for various reasons, but we did make it to the local park. He did seem to enjoy himself even though it was a tad chilly for us humans

He was also much loved here. This is my granddaughter showing the tiger a little love

We all very much enjoyed our visit with the tiger

And I am thrilled to be included,
Grace Danel
Fort Wayne, IN

Week Nine: Grace Danel

2011-04-03T13:41:00.000-04:00

Our boxes are heading from warm (almost hot) New Mexico to the home of Grace Danel in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Occupation (either bead-related or non-bead related): Business Systems Analyst
Website: http://gracebeading.com (directs to my blog)
Blog: http://gracebeading.blogspot.com/
Facebook Fan Page: GraceBeading (not yet active)

How long have you been a beader/jewelry maker?
Just about 6 years. I bead for fun and the pleasure it brings me. I do not teach classes and I have never sold my work for profit – I give most of it away to friends or to charitable fundraisers. At this point in my life – it is what works best for me since there is no stress attached to it. It is PURE joy!

Why do you want to participate in the Best Little Bead Box project?
It sounds funs, involves great beaders and it keeps me connected to the bead world in a special way, not to mention beady surprises in the mail are the best!

Have beads changed your life? How?
Yes they have, they provide an escape from the grind and stress of everyday life and my job. It is my own private sanctuary!

Do you consider yourself a beginner, intermediate or advanced beader/jewelry maker?
Intermediate.

How did you get started working with beads?
It was a natural progression from cross stitch – which I did for years.

If you were a bead, what kind would you be? Why?
A green charlotte/true cut – because of its subtle sparkle. You may see the sparkle, you may not – depending on the angle and which side of the bead is visible at the time.

If you were stranded on a desert island and could have only one kind of bead with you, what would it be and why?
Charlottes/true cuts – see above (#6), that says it all for me!

What is the best advice you've ever received from a bead artist, teacher or beading friend?
I have received a lot of good advice over the years; I am, for the most part, a bead embroiderer. The best advice has come from Robin Atkins by way of her books and through working on the Bead Journal Projects with her. I don’t recall her exact words, but it has to do with dealing with/silencing the inner critic. When I get to a spot where I don’t necessarily like my beading (it happens with most pieces), I don’t rip it out, I ignore the inner critic and keep beading. I rarely have a plan or pattern when I bead, I choose a focal piece, bead colors I like which compliment the focal(s) and go… and I have always been pleased with the results. Often the beading will take twists and turns I did not anticipate, but that just adds to the fun!

Do you have a particular quote that you think reflects your personal philosophies? If yes, please share it.
Yes, it’s a long one by Walt Whitman as follows:

This is what you shall do: Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to everyone that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families, read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life, re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul, and your very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency not only in its words but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your body

What was the best beady gift that you have ever received? What was the best beady gift that you ever gave to someone else?
The best, most thoughtful beady gift(s) ever received can be found on my blog here: http://gracebeading.blogspot.com/2010/10/friends-do-nicest-things.html You must see the photos, as words do not adequately describe these gifts.
The best beady gift given – I think all the beady items I donate for charitable auctions are great, but the ones I would describe as the best are any that have raised money to save lives, such as the items donated recently to raise money for animal shelters/animal rescue groups.

Aside from beading, do you do any other crafts? What are they?
I enjoy photography and want to try working more with felting

What three words would best describe your current bead stash?
Needs MORE storage!!!

Please include a photograph of your very best piece of beadwork, if you have one available.
Tough one! I’m including 2. One – my granddaughters hand won my only award to date, Margie Deeb’s 2007 Color Challenge winner.

Second one, a bag, was created for “Beading For A Cure” for 2010. Photos can be found in this blog post.

The Boxes' Albuquerque Visit

2011-04-03T00:06:00.001-04:00

(Written by Nikia. Posted by Carol Dean.)

The Best Little Bead Box is here. I just finished the minimum amount of work I HAD to do before I would allow myself the luxury of opening the box and rolling in the contents…no, really I’m gonna!

Because I’m going to be taking pictures along the way a quick tidy up of the bead table was in order….done. Now to open the box! I’m so excited! The box arrived at the perfect time at the end of a stressful week. This is my reward!

At this time I didn’t even know that this was just the FIRST box! LOL! There was another one on the way!

I restrained myself and started opening the bags one at a time. There were really great things in here!

I worked my way slowly through the box, looking at everything. Then I went back through to gather.

Soon after that I emailed Carole to tell her the box had arrived and that’s when I learned there was another box coming! O.M.G.!

The next morning the second box was dropped off. I followed the same procedure. Pulled everything out a bag at a time and looked at everything. Then I went back to gather.

Here are the fruits of my labors. There were some great tubes of delicas, a wood needle case (that I’ll bead over of course). Then I found some really nice focal pieces, a fimo cabochon, a couple of dichroic fused glass cabs and a trefoil focal. There was a couple of really cute Golem Studio clay pieces with coordinating beads, a nice tube of long magatamas…what else…I found some nice gold pearls I had an idea for along with an aluminum bracelet cuffs. I’ve been wanting to try a aluminum one. I got some cute Czech glass hearts and other shapes and a great bag of acrylic flowers in black and silver. I have an idea for those! There were some really nice chunky pieces of what I believe is chryscola that will make a great bracelet with some beaded beads in between...a pietersite cab that will look great with some other pieces that I have. Oh! And I got some parawire in silver and black to play with too. I found some paua shell pieces and an ammonite that will look great on a bead embroidery piece I’ve been thinking about. There was a nice bundle of silk cords that caught my eye too. Last but not least I found a lovely selection of clay pieces that I’m looking forward to making some sweet pendants with. What fun!

I also had the pleasure of meeting the Beads of Courage Tiger. We called him Boc…like Bach! LOL!... he was squinched up from being crammed in the box with all the treasures so we decided to go outside to get some fresh air in the garden and plant some peas! We even found him a pair of sunglasses to protect his eyes from the bright New Mexico sun.

Boc took a little rest after that and lounged around on the straw bale while I raked and moved dirt around. He went and checked out the dandelions and then played in the bamboo “jungle”. Tiger’s native habitat includes bamboo jungles I believe. He was very at home!

Later that afternoon we took a quick trip to Santa Fe to the kitchen gadget store and lunch. Boc played tourist. He climbed a tree and I took a picture of him with the Sangre de Cristo mountains in the background. It was a pretty day! I tried to get a picture of Boc with my own tiger cat “Spartacus” but he was feeling a tad shy that day. We ended the day with a great lunch at the Blue Corn Brewery.

I had begun collecting things to put into the box for some days before it’s arrival. After perusing the Best Bead Boxes some more to make sure there wasn’t anything I couldn’t live without, I packed them back up into the two large priority boxes. I wasn’t sure everything would fit but it did. Here’s what I added:

I started with some kits I just happened to have laying around. I collected several bags of lampwork beads and cabochons and then I got into the vintage glass! I put together a nice selection of vintage Czech and West German glass cabs to play with along with a bag of glass globs.

I have a nice selection of metallized plastic beads and pewter so threw some bags of those in. I included a few bags of “Czech mix” and some of my beadiots wanted to come along so there are a group of them in there. There are some old rosettes, some turquoise pearls, a nice mix of seed beads and a couple of cool tools. I’m sure there’s a few things I forgot but that’s the gist of it.

I’m so happy to have been a part of this. It was great fun and looks like there’ll be a lot of cool stuff to auction off at the end! Thanks!

Week Eight: Nikia Angel

2011-03-26T19:28:00.000-04:00

Our two, at this point very heavy, boxes have found their way back into New Mexico, to the home of Nikia Angel in Albuquerque. It will be fun to see what Nikia takes and gives over the next week.

Occupation (either bead-related or non-bead related): Bead Artisan/designer
Website: www.buythekit.com
Blog: n/a
Facebook Fan Page: Buy the Kit

How long have you been a beader/jewelry maker?

I have been beading since I was 7, obsessively for the last 22 years.

Why do you want to participate in the Best Little Bead Box project?
Sounds like a fun way to connect to fellow beaders and I have some cool stuff to pass along! And, it is for an excellent cause.

Have beads changed your life? How?
Beads are my life. Beads have given me the wherewithall to build the life I lead and love.

Do you consider yourself a beginner, intermediate or advanced beader/jewelry maker?
I consider myself advanced in some aspects and intermediate in others, but rank beginner with RAW and bead crochet!

How did you get started working with beads?
My nanny (maternal gmother) taught me to do loomwork when I was spending the summer with her in 1960.

If you were a bead, what kind would you be? Why?
I am a bead...a human bead. We all are. Stand straight, look at the sky and open your mouth...you are a bead. But otherwise I'd be a vintage swarovski crystal.

If you were stranded on a desert island and could have only one kind of bead with you, what would it be and why?
seed beads...11s would be best. Because with them you can make pretty much whatever you want.

What is the best advice you've ever received from a bead artist, teacher or beading friend?
Spread the joy. Try to teach as many people as you can to move our artform forward. If we don't teach and inspire the next generation of beaders, it could die.

Do you have a particular quote that you think reflects your personal philosophies? If yes, please share it.
Leave the world a better place. Play nice.

What was the best beady gift that you have ever received? What was the best beady gift that you ever
gave to someone else?
The time and freedom to follow my bliss (continually given to me by my husband) and my husband's unwavering support of my efforts. Best gift I've given would be teaching my daughters to bead and letting them rummage in my bead room for supplies.

Aside from beading, do you do any other crafts? What are they?
Not really...beads are pretty much it.

What three words would best describe your current bead stash?
Unique, very large, sparkly

Please include a photograph of your very best piece of beadwork, if you have one available.
Dunno if it's my very best, but it is my current very favorite!

The BLBB spends the first day of Spring in NC!

2011-03-23T15:56:00.001-04:00

It was a gorgeous spring Saturday in central North Carolina. My best friend Linda and I were headed 90 miles East to Raleigh for the Bead Mercantile Show. We were looking forward to the drive since the recent warm weather had urged the trees into bloom about a week early. All along I-40 I felt like I was looking into an impressionist watercolor of fluffy white Bradford Pears, frilly palest pink Cherry blossoms, hot pink/purple Redbuds, the first green tinged blooms of dogwoods, the deep red of the maples and the soft greens of the newest leaves. And at the end of all this vernal glory…BEAD SHOW!! It doesn’t get much better than that.

Returning home again to Greensboro by mid-afternoon, I was blissed out with beads and blooms and was considering taking a nap, when what to my wondering eyes did appear but two boxes of beads and my husband’s wry sneer. “Now whadja buy?” was the greeting. I didn’t expect the Best Little Bead Box(es) for another couple days, so I didn’t prepare him, and he and our postal carrier shared some amusement at what could possibly be in those crazy heavy boxes.

My nap forgotten, my husband and two cats (Harry & Amelie) all gathered around the boxes and spilled the contents onto the kitchen table. Oh, yeah…I was experiencing bead nirvana now! Bead-topia, bead-tacular, bead-zinga, bead-gasm (can you say that on a blog? ;~). And there was my husband in the middle of the loot acting like a kid in a candy shop (a wrestler in a folding-chair factory maybe?). How awesome is it to have a husband (30 years!!) that is so genuinely happy for you and what you love?! So he helped me gently unpack and open up all the packages. Here Amelie meets Courage.

What I took...

Urged by the BLBB goddesses Carol Dean and Jennifer not to be shy about taking, I started my keep pile. Seed beads are my weakness so I made a beeline for those (several strands of size 8 mixes, a tube of pink 11s, a bag of transparent green that I had just about run out of, beautiful rainbow crystal cut charlottes and a tube of very cute pink peanut beads!). One can never have enough Czech glass anything, so I got some leaves, flowers, ladybugs, faces and crystals. I grabbed a couple cuff blanks, a knot of gorgeous pink/red silk strands, and that cool color wheel (THANKS Sharon!!), as well as lots of gemstone cabs, pendants, chips and rounds. I chose some really droolworthy lampwork glass, a vitrail rivoli, a gorgeous porcelain face, some charms, a sweet Czech button, some clay and glass pieces and two yummy pendants and beads by Golem.

What went in...

In anticipation of the BLBB, I began a “donate” box a couple weeks ago and started filling it with goodies from my stash and as instructed, I gave gooder than I got. I have to tell you that my face started to hurt from the giddy smile I got while bagging and tagging my contributions, I think that was my favorite part!! Again, I started with seed beads: 5 hanks of assorted 11/0 Czech seed beads, two hanks each of burgundy and dark navy Czech charlottes, a couple size 6 bead mixes, some big bags O’ beads in matte rainbow amber and purple, 9 tubes of assorted Delicas, some green rainbow triangle beads, and some assorted tubes of size 11 seed beads and one tube of fabulous size 15 Miyuki hex beads in antique bronze (oh the sparkle on those babies!).

In the odds and ends category, I included a bag of assorted shell coin beads, some nylon gift bags, earring cards, wooden balls (for beaded beads), assorted glass, goldstone, hematite and metal pendants, assorted findings and threads, a few pieces of vintage glass and acrylic cabochons, some gold charms and puffed hearts, and some kicky clay bananas, budgies and hibiscus flowers that came off some old necklaces. I’ve added an assortment of Czech glass leaves, hearts, flowers, crystals, pearls, fish, cubes and rounds and four lovely gold 14mm rivolis. Three beadweaving books are also included. Are we having fun yet?!!

In the naturals category, I’ve added lots of rocks: cabs, pendants, donuts and rounds in assorted agates and jaspers including some paua shells, picture jasper, and an amazing pietersite cab. Cat’s eye (optic) glass rounds in several colors, a bag of olive green fresh water pearls, amethyst chips and several strands of shell

The Grand Finale includes pieces from some of my favorite artists: two Golem Pendants, a bunch of lampwork glass beads from Gail Hanley, clay tiles from FiredandFused, several bits from Lisa Peters Art, two polymer clay pieces from TrinityDJ, a polymer clay sun/moon cab by CreationsbyAna, two Kenyan porcelain beads, a raku pendant from a local NC potter, a couple gorgeous dichroic glass pieces, and two fabulous porcelain slides by Marsha Hedrick.

Harry and Courage supervise loading the boxes
Before I packed up the boxes and tucked in the Tiger for the next destination, the Courage Tiger and I took a little stroll to celebrate the first day of Spring in North Carolina! He’s a frisky little guy and enjoyed frolicking through the flowers. I’d turn my back for just a second and he’d scramble up a tree! I think he was happy to be out in the fresh air after being cooped up on his long travels. He even hung out on my deck catching some rays!

In the Cherry Tree.

Catching rays on the deck!

Scampering up the Redbud tree!

The Best Little Bead Box is now officially two LARGE flat rate boxes weighing at least 25 lbs each. As I told Carol Dean, it should either be illegal or required to have this much fun! I’ve enjoyed the entire experience, not the least of which has been getting to share this great cause with so many friends!

Week Seven: Chris Maj

2011-03-20T13:55:00.000-04:00

Our two anything-but-little boxes arrive at the home of Chris Maj in North Carolina yesterday. Chris will have the next few days to choose what to keep and what to add to these boxes before she sends them on to the next beader.

Occupation (either bead-related or non-bead): Homemaker / Bead Artist

Website: http://www.etsy.com/shop/beadn4fun

Blog: http://chrismajbeadn4fun.blogspot.com/

Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/beadn4fun

How long have you been a beader/jewelry maker?

About 8 years

Why do you want to participate in the Best Little Bead Box project?

Beside the uncontrolled glee of opening a box of treasures and choosing a couple for myself, I would love being a part of the end goal of contributing to Beads of Courage.

Have beads changed your life? How?

Well, sure! I get to play with pretty, sparkly, shiny objects on a daily basis which makes me very happy. I spent 15 years as an administrative assistant during which I began to feel acutely the lack of creative/artistic outlet. Now I’m able to look at everything with the eye of an artist/beader for inspiration, and create ooak pieces that also make others happy.

Do you consider yourself a beginner, intermediate or advanced beader/jewelry maker?

I’ve acquired quite a few techniques, but still consider myself to be an intermediate plus.

How did you get started working with beads?

For Christmas 2003 I was making jar candles for everyone in my family and I wanted to decorate the jars with some pretty beaded ornamentation. At the time, beaded amulet bags seemed to be all the rage and I bought a book and began making them.

If you were a bead, what kind would you be? Why?
I would be a voluptuous lampworked goddess bead. A big, one of a kind, sorta odd bead that you would admire, but never be quite sure what to do with.

If you were stranded on a desert island and could have only one kind of bead with you, what would it be and why?

SEED BEADS!! There is no limit to what you can do with a mess of seed beads. You could make a fabulous hammock.

What is the best advice you've ever received from a bead artist, teacher or beading friend?

I can’t think of a single piece of advice, but in getting to know the community of beaders on facebook and ETSY, one of the things I’ve heard the most that has inspired me is “Try it”.

Do you have a particular quote that you think reflects your personal philosophies? If yes, please share it.
“Do what you Love”. I don’t know if it’s a direct quote from someone or just an often said ideal, but life is short, do what makes you happy and others will respond positively.

What was the best beady gift that you have ever received? What was the best beady gift that you ever gave to someone else?

A friend gave me this huge vintage bead from Africa and I had a blast playing detective to try and figure out what on earth it was. Still haven’t used it, but it’s fun to imagine. I’ve given my jewelry to many people because there is no greater gift than the happiness you feel as you present something special to someone. But one of my favorite giving experiences was in taking a beautiful agate that was very special to my friend’s mother, and creating a beadwoven necklace she’s able to wear anytime.

Aside from beading, do you do any other crafts? What are they?

Not currently. Back in the day I was a fabriholic and made quilts and renaissance costumes. And before that I crosstitched my way through the 80’s.

What three words would best describe your current bead stash?

Colorful, Organized, Incomplete.

Please include a photograph of your very best piece of beadwork, if you have one available.

I've attached a picture of "Mariposa" my entry to the Haute Couture Beading Contest that I created in September. My best bead embroidery piece. I've only been doing bead embroidery for less than a year.

I've also included one of my best beadwoven pieces, a cellini spiral.

The Beads of Courage Tiger travels Fort Worth, Texas - We're on vacation!

2011-03-15T10:46:00.010-04:00

Tiger shops for a cowboy hat
Tiger rides a bucking bronco
Tiger goes to the Fort Worth Stock Yards for the cattle round up, good food, and some antiques, too!
Hey, tiger, see that cowboy wrangle that steer!
Don't touch that cactus, Tiger!
Wow, a cross eyed moose, and antiques, too! Tiger had lots of fun here.
Tiger doesn't know what to think about the longhorn skull
Tiger gets all saddled up
Tiger rides a donkey
Tiger rides a road runner
Tiger shops for cowboy boots
Tiger?
Tiger gets arrested by sheriff armidillo, but of course he's innocent, so he was released.
Tiger isn't sure if this is an alligator or a crocodile, but he's friendly
Tiger at the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame
Tiger keeps looking the wrong way when that stagecoach goes by
Tiger likes all the 16 longhorns at the cattle roundup, especially this one with the curly horn
Tiger is thinking about going to flight school when he grows up
Yes, Tiger is at the Fort Worth fire station #25. Look close to find him.
Tiger spots a PT Cruiser 2004 Dream Edition, and begs for a ride
Tiger loves all the trains that run along Main Street

Tiger looks over this plane and dreams about flight school

Sharon Erwine - The beads I added to the boxes

2011-03-15T08:58:00.023-04:00

The whole donation above, detailed pictures below:

CLICK ON PICTURES TO ENLARGE!

Bead book, color wheel, new jade barrels, new jade bib
Hematite rounds, Australian jasper, picture jasper, rose quartz,

jasper rings, fancy jasper, artistic jasper

(some of the rose quartz is hand cracked nuggets)

Dalmatian jasper, black lava, red lava
Green (yellow) turquoise, rhodonite bib and rounds, unknown stone rounds
Black onyx, black and white banded agate, snowflake obsidian
Cubic zirconia topaz and amethyst earrings, light amethyst briolettes, wood boxes, navy fossil stone
Blue chalcedony, fancy jasper, red picture jasper
Artistic jasper, picture jasper, rose quartz
Dalmation jasper
Green (yellow) turquoise, slab turquoise
Unknown stone rounds
Black onyx, black and whit banded agate, snowflake obsidian
Dark amethyst briolettes, purple fossil stone, green fossil stone
Blue chalcedony, fluorite
Green (yellow turquoise), Peach Blossom jasper (didn't photo well, there are

beautiful peach and blue flecks), picture jasper, carnelian briolette, poppy jasper

Rose quartz, dalmation jasper

Dalmatian jasper, turquoise
Unknown stone rounds, turquoise slabs, black onyx, Black and white jasper
Black and white banded agate, natural agate rectangles, snowflake obsidian, mahogany obsidian
Dark amethyst briolettes, Chevron amethyst nuggets, plastic rosettes
Blue chalcedony, moonstone chips, peridot chips
Unknown stone tile beads, rose quartz
Rose quartz, Dalmatian jasper

Turquoise chips, unknown stone rounds
Turquoise slabs, black and white jasper (oops, I took the bottom left nuggets back when I realized they belong with one of my projects at home - sorry!)

Natural agate nuggets, mahogany obsidian

And that's all, folks!

Sharon Erwine - The beautiful things I selected from the boxes

2011-03-15T08:27:00.007-04:00

I "worked" all night making some selections. It got dark, but I kept looking. Who would stop until every bead was viewed? The next morning, I thought I should look again to be sure I'd seen everything in natural daylight. Since I live in Michigan, but am currently vacationing in Texas, I miss my stash. Therefore, I went back through the goodies a third time to find smaller beads that matched my focals.

There are hundreds more focals and thousands of smaller beads, seed beads, and findings STILL in the boxes! Since I already know that I'll have extras from the projects above, I plan on sending them back to Carol and Jennifer later for future rounds, along with more of my stash beads. Beads of Courage is such a worthwhile cause. See more at www.beadsofcourage.org.

Sharon Erwine - The goodies are here!

2011-03-15T08:14:00.005-04:00

Surprise! I received 2 heavy Best Little Bead Boxes on Friday, way ahead of schedule! First, I opened them up right on the porch to find the Beads of Courage Tiger.

Week Six: Sharon Erwine

2011-03-14T12:26:00.000-04:00

In the next day or so, Sharon Erwine, newly of Fort Worth, Texas, will be receiving our two The Best Little Bead Boxes.

Occupation: Bead designer (mostly flowers)
Website: www.sharonerwine.com
Blog: www.sharonerwine.blogspot.com
Facebook Fan Page: n/a

How long have you been a beader/jewelry maker? Since 1998, but seed bead weaver since 2006

Why do you want to participate in the Best Little Bead Box project?

Fun and friends, and pure love of beads.

Have beads changed your life? How?
Yes, it is my creative outlet, relaxation, delight. I love to share it with others who share my passion.

Do you consider yourself a beginner, intermediate or advanced beader/jewelry maker?
Intermediate to advanced, depending on technique. (Thank you teachers who come to my guild and all you
wonderful pattern writers!!!)

How did you get started working with beads?

Needed to fix a purchased necklace, saw the beads – that’s all it took – I was hooked.

If you were a bead, what kind would you be? Why?

A size 11 seed bead because I would be so versatile that I could make almost anything! And I would come in so many colors!!!!

If you were stranded on a desert island and could have only one kind of bead with you, what would it be and why?

A size 11 seed bead because I could use it to create endlessly, for years and years.

What is the best advice you've ever received from a bead artist, teacher or beading friend?

Oh, so many, many teachers and ideas to choose from, but I would have to say the best advice was to learn to control tension while beading, because it can make or break the success of a project.

Do you have a particular quote that you think reflects your personal philosophies? If yes, please share it.
“To love someone is to give them room to grow."

What was the best beady gift that you have ever received? What was the best beady gift that you ever gave to someone else?
The best gift I received was an artistically rendered necklace from my friend Sheryl, because it was completely unexpected, so thoughtfully done with me in mind, and was so representative of her own distinctive art.
The best gift I am giving is to my friend R.Dee, who found a beautiful birch knothole on Labor Day. She wanted it as a keepsake of our trip to Mackinaw Island, but when I commented that it would make a beautiful
piece of jewelry, she insisted on giving it to me! I had a wonderful time creating a bracelet from it, learning new techniques along the way, blogging about it, and secretly planning to give the completed bracelet to
R.Dee. She thought I would make something for myself. The bracelet is now complete and ready to go to R.Dee this week. I am so excited.

Aside from beading, do you do any other crafts? What are they?
I have enjoyed all forms of needlework all my life – well, at least from age 16. I am 65 now so that is a lot of years! It is wonderful how much you can use ideas from one needlecraft to work on something in a
different medium. And bead weaving is a needlecraft, though most people don’t think of it that way. And bead looms connect to weaving ….
We have such a rich needlework heritage to draw from.

What three words would best describe your current bead stash?
“Over-invested, but wonderful.” I can usually find plenty

Please include a photograph of your very best piece of beadwork, if you have one available.
Here it is: Stargazer Lily (pattern and kit available)

Hello from Chicago!

2011-03-09T20:02:00.008-05:00

The Best Little Bead Boxes arrived at my apartment on Monday afternoon. The larger of the two boxes as quite heavy so Jeremy helped me take them upstairs. I opened them and spent a few hours just looking through everything, and deciding what to add.

I didn't want to be greedy, so I tried to make sure I only took a few handmade pieces, so there was some for everyone. I took two gorgeous Marsha Neil pendants, and a bundle of hand-dyed cord which goes perfectly with Kristie's blue pendant and the sodalite tubes. I have also fallen in love with this pendant from Golum Studios, I love the summery colours it has. I think I may make it into a necklace for my Mum. I also couldn't resist the little Zuni bears.

In their place I put a group of findings and cords, there were a lot of seed beads in the boxes and not a lot of findings, so I added a bundle of ultrasuede pieces, a few aluminium cuff blanks, and a roll of KO beading thread. I also added some gorgeous pearls and a few rivolis.

The last photo is a picture of the Beads of Courage Tiger, enjoying a tuna sandwich with his new friends in Chicago, Merlin and Arwen, while I looked at the beads. He is now on his way to visit his new friend Sharon in Fort Worth for the next stage in his journey.

Week Five: Jan Atherton

2011-03-07T16:20:00.000-05:00

Jan Atherton, currently of Chicago, Illinoise, will be receiving the TWO Best Little Bead Boxes within the next day or two.

Occupation (either bead-related or non-bead related): Beadwork Tutor and Bead Shop Assistant.
Website: http://janatherton.com/janatherton/
Blog: http://janatherton.com/janatherton/?page_id=15
Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ten-Storey-Love-Song/186072182907?

How long have you been a beader/jewelry maker?
I started beading in October 2000, so just over 10 years ago.

Why do you want to participate in the Best Little Bead Box project?
I have enjoyed reading the posts from the first round. I think it would be an interesting challenge, and it would encourage me to try materials I haven't worked with before.

Have beads changed your life? How?
They have taken over my apartment! I started beading at at time of major upheaval in my life, my husband's job took us 3,000 miles from home, to Memphis tennessee, the later on to Chicago, and I didn't know many people at first. Beadwork forums, and friends from a local rubber stamping group in Memphis kept me sane.

Do you consider yourself a beginner, intermediate or advanced beader/jewelry maker?
I'm an advanced beader, but intermediate when working with metals. I learn new things with every project.

How did you get started working with beads?
I wanted to add a few beads to an embroidery project I was working on at the time. I took a trip into Edinburgh to Beadniks (not part of the chain of bead shops), which was in Raeburn Place at that time. I walked out with a bead loom, and a copy of Horace Goodhue's book Indian Beadweaving Patterns.

If you were a bead, what kind would you be? Why?
Probably something like a pebble or beach glass, shaped by time and experiences.

If you were stranded on a desert island and could have only one kind of bead with you, what would it be and why?
Probably Czech size 11/0, you can do a lot of different things with them.

What is the best advice you've ever received from a bead artist, teacher or beading friend?
Don't air file...

Do you have a particular quote that you think reflects your personal philosophies? If yes, please share it.
"I never could get the hang of Thursdays" written by Douglas Adams. I tend to be a bit of a daydreamer. I don't know how much it reflects my philosophies, but it does describe my state of mind most of the time.

What was the best beady gift that you have ever received? What was the best beady gift that you ever gave to someone else?
My husband Jeremy has bought me tools and beads 2, or 3 years running for birthdays and Christmas. He has always been very supportive of my creative streak. I have been lucky enough to make jewellery for the weddings of a couple of our friends, which I loved making.

Aside from beading, do you do any other crafts? What are they?
I knit - I have been teaching myself to knit lace recently, I also draw, take photographs, and I love fabric painting and embroidery.

What three words would best describe your current bead stash?
Eclectic, ever growing...

Susan's Time with the Box

2011-03-07T10:42:00.000-05:00

written by Susan, posted by Carol Dean

The 2 Best Little Bead Boxes were hand delivered by my postman last Monday, Feb. 28th. The large one was almost too heavy for me to carry but I managed with a smile. This was also my first day back to school since the late eighties so I didn't even have time to see inside each box until the wee hours of the morning.

I was so impressed with all of the wonderful items that were already there. It took me a few hours to decide what I would take from the boxes. I decided on some unique seed beads for my first "take" and then I found some other goodies I couldn't resist including a beautiful glass heart with dots of glass.

Then I went through my stash to add to the mix. I was going to add something to the stuffed tiger but ran out of time. I did drape some of the fire polish strands around his neck for a photo.

Over all this has been a nice experience and I'm happy to have been a part of this worth while project. Now the boxes are on their way to the next spot. Thanks for allowing me to be in this go around.

Week Four: Susan Feldkamp

2011-02-27T17:43:00.000-05:00

Susan Feldkamp of Mesa, Arizona, will be receiving The Best Little Bead Box in the next day or two.

Occupation (either bead-related or non-bead related) Unemployed but beading my heart out.

Website: None at this time

Blog: None at this time but will be making a new one soon

Facebook Fan Page: need to get one

How long have you been a beader/jewelry maker?
15+ years

Why do you want to participate in the Best Little Bead Box project?

I’ve heard of it before but never got the chance to sign up and enjoy reading about it.

Have beads changed your life? How?
Yes. They’ve taken me to many places and have given me the opportunity to make a large number of wonderful friends. Without my beadwork, I’d probably be in the crazy house by now.

Do you consider yourself a beginner, intermediate or advanced beader/jewelry maker?
Advanced

How did you get started working with beads?

In the early seventies, I started making Daisy Chain necklaces and it has been an obsession ever since.

If you were a bead, what kind would you be? Why?

I’d be a large flamework bead in purple with lots of cubic zurconia. Because I work best when put to the fire and have loved purple and sparklies most of my life.

If you were stranded on a desert island and could have only one kind of bead with you, what would it be and why?

Seed beads, because they are so versatile.

What is the best advice you've ever received from a bead artist, teacher or beading friend?
Keep doing what you love, you have a natural talent for bead work.

Do you have a particular quote that you think reflects your personal philosophies? If yes, please share it.
Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. ~ Pablo Picasso

What was the best beady gift that you have ever received?
A beaded Santa doll.

What was the best beady gift that you ever gave to someone else?
Each piece I’ve given away has been my best and I am happy people love what I do with BEADS.

Aside from beading, do you do any other crafts? What are they?
Yes. I love doing mixed media work, collages, knitting, crocheting, sewing, any type of art that uses my hands and creativity.

What three words would best describe your current bead stash?
Expanding, Shiny, Colorful.

Please include a photograph of your very best piece of beadwork, if you have one available.

Best Little Bead Box Visits New Jersey !!

2011-02-25T22:13:00.031-05:00

The Best Little Bead Box arrived on my doorstep while I was out, so I didn't get to attack the mail lady (lucky her!).
As soon as I got home & saw it on the counter, I decided to clear my nightly schedule and DIG IN !!

But first, pour a nice glass of wine.
And of course, enlist help of friend that helps me do EVERYTHING around the house.

Meet DaVinci - he's my furbaby, office buddy, and foot warmer at night. He follows us around the house like a dog, gets into things he shouldn't (more on that later), but loves us more than I've ever witnessed a cat want to be around a human.
He's an 11lb, almost 2 year old, Siberian breed. Otherwise known as, "creator of all fuzz fuzz floating around the house."
This picture was taken before his mishap....(more to come...)

The box was packed nicely with a treasure trove of goodies! Each little bubble or zippy bag full of beading fun.
As a bead shop owner, I certainly have had my hands into tons of beads over the years. Yet, there are a few things that I am always a sucker for..... handmade and gemstones !! I am drawn to the unique, one-of-a-kind, or out of the ordinary beads.
Recently, I've had some sort of love affair with porcelain & stoneware pieces. (Lisa Peters Art and Marsha Neal Studio can attest to this!) However, there is some artisan work that I have had yet to see in person. Well, Best Little Bead Box Round 2 cured me of that !!!

I have to admit, I dove into the porcelain/stoneware/raku pieces and pulled them all out into the "maybe" pile. It took all I could muster up to put some back ! ha haaa!! But alas, in the good faith of sharing, many were placed back in to be enjoyed. (it was SO hard to pick my favorites...they were ALL favorites)

Here are the pendants / focals that I've chosen from the stash:

The next few things that caught my eye are unique! I think Lori Anderson & I have similar taste!! I managed to choose several of the items that she'd included when the box visited her.
I've selected some hanks of czech seed beads, some gemstones, a strand of pearls, a couple of handmade lampwork leaf beads, a shell pendant, a silk bead by Kristal Wick, some crystal spacers, and some beads that appear to be some form of wood (square with green sides):

Last but not least, I kept digging and found even more cool stuff !! I really liked the lucite that Kelli Burns had donated, and while I felt bad taking the whole bag, Kelli had requested that these stay together - so together they stayed !! (and it makes sense - I imagine I'll end up using the beautiful assortment in one project! Great idea Kelli!!)
There was a nice hank of luster green leaves included, so I pulled a couple strands from that (perfect for fringe). There are a few gemstone focals I couldn't resist, a small assortment of champagne coated Swarovski crystals and a few random glass and gemstone beads:

Now - onto what was placed back into the box.
An assortment of fun seed beads was added, including Farfalle (or peanut shaped) beads & Miyuki's Long Magatamas:

A wide variety of czech glass & crafted lamp beads:

Charms by TierraCast

An assortment of craft wire from Parawire

A generous contribution from Marsha Neal Studio - when Marsha found out I was participating, she was all too happy to help!

Lots of fun gemstones, all kinds of shapes & colors !! A lil bag of pearls and some metal beads

And since I had sticky fingers with the artisan crafted porcelain / stoneware pieces, I can only hope that the next participants enjoy handcrafted as well.

This batch of handmade lampwork beads was made by a very good friend of mine, glass artist, Jennifer Pagliarini

This next batch of lampwork beads was made by me, Amy Blevins, of Bead & Glass Boutique
There are a bunch to choose from, so don't be shy. I just hope they are enjoyed as much as I enjoyed making them specially for this project !

Last but not least, some books published by Kalmbach

Now...I have to tell the short version of the week's happenings while the box was visiting. For those readers that are friends on Facebook, you already know the story of the Kitty that got into the Lilies in my Valentine's Day bouquet. Lilies are one of the most toxic plants that a cat can get into.
A complete accident (as the flowers had been sequestered from kitty), he managed to get his nose into them. We spent 3 very long days praying he would be OK. Numerous trips to and from the vet, transporting him to overnight emergency care, and back in the morning.
As a long hair kitty, the vet had to shave parts of his legs to keep the IV in, flushing his system.
The good news is DaVinci is now OK. But we were really scared for a good 4 days this week. As I said, he's my furry-child and I wouldn't know what to do without him.
Ironically, as the Best Little Bead Box arrived and the Courage Tiger was staying for a visit, DaVinci welcomed him upon being unloaded from the box. He brushed against him and stayed close while I sorted the box.
I couldn't think of a better little guy for the Courage Tiger to share a photo with. DaVinci's visiting buddy.....full of courage.
My little buddy was so exhausted the day he got to come home from the vet, he just crashed out under a blanket "tent" we made for him.

Here's DaVinci this morning, saying his goodbye to his new friend

And seeing the 21 pound package off to its next destination

I am crazy for a couple of things in life: my kitty baby, my fiancee, and beads.
Yes - I "heart" my little kitty guy like a child, and not shy about admitting it....
So during a week where life was turned a bit upside down by fur-baby's incident, there was the box...full of joy, happiness, and solace.
It brought a peaceful calm to the end of a stressful week.

I couldn't think of a better way to share with my new beading friends. Thanks so much for having me participate in this wonderful project!
Kudos to our coordinators, Carol Dean Sharpe and Jennifer VanBenschoten !!

.

Another box???

2011-02-25T16:08:00.000-05:00

The Best Little Bead Box is on its way from Amy's home in Maryland to our fourth beader (whose identity we will reveal this weekend). Joining it this afternoon, is a second, considerably smaller box from Carol Dean's home in New Mexico.

Back in December the talented and generous Vladislav Ivanov of Golem Design Studio in Bulgaria mailed off a package of his beads to Carol Dean, some of which were for a joint project of theirs but the rest were designated for The Best Little Bead Box. With severe weather in Europe at the time, we expected the usual 2-week trip to take up to 4 weeks. Never did we dream it would take more than two months for the package to reach its destination!

It arrived yesterday afternoon. Half of the treasure is being held back for Round Three. Because we had promised our Round Two beaders that they would not have to do without because of weather delays, this is what went out today:

All of our donors are amazing, and we are deeply grateful to them for their generosity. There is, however, something extra special about those "foreigners" (Vlad from Bulgaria, Triz from Israel, Marjorie from The Netherlands) who would donate to a project for United States beaders to benefit a United States cause. Thank you!!!

Week Three - Amy Blevins

2011-02-19T13:50:00.001-05:00

Amy Blevins of Pitman, New Jersey, will have The Best Little Bead Box to "play" with in the coming week.

Occupation:
Financial Advisor (yes, I still have a full-time career) AND Bead Shop owner

Website:
www.BeadAndGlass.com

Blog:
http://fastfuriousbeader.blogspot.com/

Facebook Fan Page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pitman-NJ/Bead-Glass-Boutique/61978214939

Facebook Personal Page:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1285971285

How long have you been a beader/jewelry maker?
7-8 years

Why do you want to participate in the Best Little Bead Box project?
This is a wonderful project, for an amazing cause. I’ve watched the first round with awe and excitement for each participant’s post.

Have beads changed your life? How?
Yes. Oh gosh…
Well, it all started with a beaded bookmark & a need for stress relief.
Migrating into massive amounts of stringing, crimping, and wire-wrapped loops.
Followed shortly thereafter by buying in bulk & selling online.
Dove into lampwork glass bead making.
Leading to today’s venture – a full blown brick and mortar retail bead store, allowing me to enhance others’ lives by teaching customers their own beading stress relief techniques.
So, all in all, I’d say “yes,” its kind of changed things a little bit.
Have loved every waking minute of it.

Do you consider yourself a beginner, intermediate or advanced beader/jewelry maker?
Advanced

How did you get started working with beads?
My full time career is in a high-stress executive position. I used to do a lot of fictional reading to take my mind off my rough days.
EBay provided not only a place to find used books but also unique bookmarks.
During one perusing adventure, I located a beaded bookmark (sometimes referred to a book thong). One trip to a local big-box craft store was all it took! Bead-love inception.

If you were a bead, what kind would you be? Why?
Lampwork Glass
Glass always has been and always will be, even though it can change its format.
My life is a constant evolution of change and ventures. Its just fitting.

If you were stranded on a desert island and could have only one kind of bead with you, what would it be and why? Seed beads - versatility

What is the best advice you've ever received from a bead artist, teacher or beading friend?
Take your time, it doesn’t need to be perfect and there’s no prize for first done.

Do you have a particular quote that you think reflects your personal philosophies? If yes, please share it.
“Should you find yourself in a chronically leaking boat, energy devoted to changing vessels is likely to be more productive than energy devoted to patching leaks”

What was the best beady gift that you have ever received? What was the best beady gift that you ever gave to someone else? The best beading gift I ever received was from a generous fellow eBay friend. She had been making lampwork beads on a hot head for quite some time. When she upgraded to a dual fuel torch, she so very kindly sent me her hot head and the attachments necessary to get me started.
I have since graduated into my own dual fuel torches, but will never forget the enthusiasm and good-hearted gesture she shared with me.

The best gift I’ve shared with someone… I’ve had a very great customer of mine stand in front of me in tears, thanking me for being ‘there.’ She was referring to opening the retail Boutique. Apparently when she found us, she had been struggling with something very important in her life. She admitted that we (the shop, the staff, and our friendship) was her saving grace. She spent a lot of time shopping, beading, and sharing ideas with all of us. Two and a half years later, she was pulling me aside, telling me how important we are in her life, thanking me for everyday we have had our doors open to give her a place to escape.
While this is a business for me, I’d be remiss if I didn’t recognize that beading isn’t just about profits, its about sharing.

Aside from beading, do you do any other crafts? What are they?
Not anymore…

What three words would best describe your current bead stash?
Diverse
Like old friends – always there when you need them (ok, that's more than three words...)
Out-of-control

The Bead Box is Set To Leave Maryland!

2011-02-15T18:02:00.000-05:00

The Beads of Courage Tiger came to visit the Eastern Shore of Maryland this week, and he got to hang out with my Valentine's Day present, a vintage pink typewriter. I heard him typing away on it late into the night (I wonder who he was writing letters to?).

The box was filled to bursting -- I mean, literally bursting. I don't know what the post office is doing these days with packages, but luckily, nothing was lost or broken (kudos to the ladies before me for their awesome bubble wrapping skills!). Here's what my excited eyes viewed upon first opening the Best Little Bead Box:

I wasn't kidding when I said it was full!

I spent an hour going through all the goodies. There was EVERYTHING in there, from seed beads to handmade lampwork to gemstones to handmade ceramic. A feast of beady goodness. I finally ended up choosing these:

There's a ceramic pendant, ceramic button, and ceramic earring pair, some jasper, some pewter, and a little bit of silver. The rest is Czech glass and lucite that I plan to use for kid's bracelets. All of those bright, cheerful beads came at JUST the right time, because I was tapped out of my "kid stash". Oh, and I nabbed a couple of packs of seed beads just because they were pretty.

Here's what I put back in:

Lots of glass (Czech and otherwise), TierraCast clasps and links, dyed chalcedony briolettes, Swarovski squaredelles in black and sapphire, three sets of vintage copper and enamel connectors, some vintage jewelry that can be taken apart for other projects, copper tape for soldering projects, and a mix of handmade artisan lampwork and ceramic....

Ceramic by Dot Winchell and Earthenwood Designs, a silk bead by Kristal Wick, and lampwork glass from Dawn White....

... and more handmade lampwork glass. The heart is by Red Hot Sal and the disks (embellished by me) were made by Jennifer Cook, but for the life of me I can't remember who made that boro twist. Eek.

The box will be on its way tomorrow, packed in a fresh new box, ready for more adventures. I can't wait to see what comes out and goes into it next!

Lori Anderson creates jewelry for her web site, Lori Anderson Designs, and wrote the blog An Artist's Year Off. She's also a contributor to Art Bead Scene.

Week Two - Lori Anderson

2011-02-06T17:01:00.000-05:00

Lori Anderson of Easton, Maryland, will be receiving The Best Little Bead Box early next week.

Occupation:
full-time jewelry designer

Website:
www.lorianderson.net

Blog:

www.PrettyThingsBlog.com

Facebook Fan Page:

www.facebook.com/limamike and http://www.facebook.com/#!/LoriAndersonDesigns

How long have you been a beader/jewelry maker?
About 6 years

Why do you want to participate in the Best Little Bead Box project?
I love anything that has to do with beads!

Have beads changed your life? How?
It’s helped me reach out to others (I run the Bead Soup Blog Party), it’s given me a way to give back to the community (I teach classes for free at schools, etc) and I can cheer myself up by looking at my stash!

Do you consider yourself a beginner, intermediate or advanced beader/jewelry maker?
advanced

How did you get started working with beads?
I was on bed rest while pregnant, and a friend brought me some beads to keep me company. The rest is history. I have a longer story about the journey here. http://www.lorianderson.net/about

If you were a bead, what kind would you be? Why?
A funky lampwork bead – because a roll the funky way.

If you were stranded on a desert island and could have only one kind of bead with you, what would it be and why?
Something smooth and large, that I could rub when I freaked out on a five-minute basis – I don’t do well alone with a Starbucks!

What is the best advice you've ever received from a bead artist, teacher or beading friend?
Don’t try to be anyone else.

Do you have a particular quote that you think reflects your personal philosophies? If yes, please share it.
"Do, or do not. There is no 'try'" -- Yoda

What was the best beady gift that you have ever received? What was the best beady gift that you ever gave to someone else? Best received?
A set of Corina happy beads from Corina herself right before I had major surgery. Best I gave? I like to sneakily give beads to people who admire things – unexpected prezzies in the mail box are fun!

Aside from beading, do you do any other crafts? What are they?
I knit, I decorate the house and for others, and I read, read, read (and review books).

What three words would best describe your current bead stash?
Overwhelming, Stygian, and needs-to-be-shared. (Does that last count as one word?)

Please include a photograph of your very best piece of beadwork, if you have one available.

Uh. I’m hard on myself, so can I share a few?

A Brief Stay in Santa Fe

2011-02-05T15:18:00.000-05:00

(Written by Suzanne Cooper, posted by Carol Dean)

The Courage Tiger wanted to stay in Santa Fe a little longer. I wanted the Best Little Bead Box to stay a long time!

There were so many beautiful beads I had a hard time choosing. I picked some Toyo square beads to use in fringe. I've been using Jasper cabs in bead embroidery lately and realized I didn't have many choices of browns or greens. I chose the bag of blister pearls and beads to go with them.

I noticed that there were almost no leaf beads in the box so I fixed that! I have no idea how many leaves I added but it's probably a cup overflowing. I added a box of tiny ladybugs and a whole flock of larger ladybugs. A herd of stone bear fetish beads jumped in the box. There is a tube of 8o Delicas in silver lined and matte black. I added several strands of glass and stone beads.

Week One: Suzanne Cooper

2011-01-29T11:58:00.001-05:00

With the snow storms on the East Coast, it is probably best that our box is on its way from Anthony in southern New Mexico to Santa Fe, only a few hours' drive north. Our first beader for Round Two is

Suzanne Cooper!

(Beginning with Round Two, we have decided to share each beader's application for

The Best Little Bead Box as her introduction to you.)

Occupation (either bead-related or non-bead related)

Bead books/e-books designer, publisher

Website:

http://www.suzannecooper.com

http://www.bead-patterns-24-7.com

Blog:

http://love-2-bead.blogspot.com/

Facebook Fan Page:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Santa-Fe-New-Mexico/Suzanne-Cooper-Bead-Patterns/121332342347

How long have you been a beader/jewelry maker?

30 years

Why do you want to participate in the Best Little Bead Box project?

It's nice to have beads chosen by other people. I often get in a rut buying the same colors etc.

Have beads changed your life? How?
I was a happy stained glass artist/designer/publisher until I met beads. I quit doing glass work, jewelry fabrication, painting and other types of art. I've met a whole world of new cyber friends some of whom have become best friends in the real world.

Do you consider yourself a beginner, intermediate or advanced beader/jewelry maker?
Advanced in some areas, intermediate in others and a total failure in bead crochet!

How did you get started working with beads?

I wanted to make an amulet purse using the cover of one of my stained glass books. I just wanted to make one.... just one.... I was hooked and the rest is history!

If you were a bead, what kind would you be? Why?

A Swarovski crystal bi-cone. I'm a glitter queen so this fits me.

If you were stranded on a desert island and could have only one kind of bead with you, what would it be and why?
Delicas. I can make jewelry with them as well as 3-D objects.

What is the best advice you've ever received from a bead artist, teacher or beading friend?

Sandi Graves introducted me to Silimide. I couldn't deal with the way Nymo stretches. That advice changed my beading life!

What was the best beady gift that you have ever received?

Years ago a beader sent me a pair of earrings made with tiny, tiny beads. The pattern was intriquite and the earrings are beautiful.

What was the best beady gift that you ever gave to someone else?

Another beader kept admiting a necklace I was wearing so I removed it and gave it to her. I made her cry. Is there any better thanks?

Aside from beading, do you do any other crafts? What are they?

None.

What three words would best describe your current bead stash?

Large and loved!

Please include a photograph of your very best piece of beadwork, if you have one available.

Jake the Snake is my very favorite for many reasons. Jake forced me to think outside the box. I never wear the necklace without people stopping me to admire it.

Round Two!!!

2011-01-28T18:42:00.001-05:00

It seems oddly appropriate (perhaps even fulfilling for Jennifer and me) that our box for Round Two of the project starts on its 3-month journey the same week the first two lots from Round One have gone up on eBay.

Box Two and its chaperon/mascot - Courage Tiger from Beads of Courage - took a trip to the United States Post Office in El Paso, Texas, this morning. We won't reveal their first destination until tomorrow, however.

Today is our chance to show you what treasures we were able to fill our box with, thanks to our wonderful donors. A picture says a thousand words, so rather than give you a long narrative, here we go:

Artisan Clay (Kristie Roeder)

Beads Forever (Linda Roberts)

BeadSmith/Helby Imports

Lana-Bead (Lana May)

M-ixes Jewelry (Marjorie Ixes)

Sand Fibers (Carol Dean Sharpe)

The Hole Bead Shoppe (Kelli Burns)

Tradewinds Studios (Sheila Hoag)

Van Beads (Jennifer Van Benschoten)

Fully packed, the large USPS Priority Mail box weighed in at 10.6 pounds. I wonder how much it will weigh when it returns to Anthony, New Mexico, in April....

I want to point out that we already have a good starting point for Round Three. Our wonderful donors sent more than we could possibly fit into one box, so we held some treasures back.

We Goofed.

2011-01-26T12:25:00.000-05:00

In response to the interest we've had from international bidders on the first two lots up for grabs in the eBay auctions, we contacted eBay customer service to find out if we could change these first two lots to allow international bidders and give costs for international shipping.

Unfortunately, because we already had bids on our auctions (and they have both met the reserve, which totally ROCKS!) we can't go back and change the listings to allow international bidders and show international shipping options. We were told that we could end the auctions early and start them over in order to allow international bids, but we didn't feel that this was fair to the folks who have already and so generously placed their bids.

To our overseas friends who wanted to bid on these two lots, we are so, so sorry for any confusion and frustration surrounding your attempts to bid. All we can say is that we are still learning as we go, and we apologize for any confusion or frustration. We will be allowing international bidding and shipping on the remaining 8 lots from this first round of The Best Little Bead Box.

The remaining 8 lots are just as packed with goodies and beady treasures as these first two, so we hope this doesn't discourage our overseas friends from bidding on them!

The next two lots will go live at 9 p.m. PST, 12:00 a.m. midnight EST, on Wednesday, February 2. We'll have some photos of those two lots in the coming week, as well.

Thank you so much to everyone who has shown an interest on bidding on these lots! We couldn't have done this without you!

Lot Two Photographs

2011-01-26T00:02:00.001-05:00

Here's a detailed look at all the wonderful beady goodness that constitutes the second lot to go up for auction. Enjoy! And BID!

Lot One Photographs

2011-01-26T00:01:00.001-05:00

Here's a detailed look at all the wonderful beady goodness that constitutes the first lot to go up for auction. Enjoy! And BID!

eBay Auctions!

2011-01-22T09:16:00.000-05:00

Well, Carol Dean is spending the weekend with the amazing contents of The Best Little Bead Box(es), dividing them into 10 lots, and photographing the contents of each lot so that we can get the eBay auctions up and running.

The first thing we should say is a huge THANK YOU to the incredibly generous and talented beaders who made this whole thing possible. We were absolutely stunned by the generosity that was shown during the 12 weeks of this project, and we are honored that everyone participated in our "little" fundraising effort for Beads of Courage.

That said, we now have a brand-new eBay identity set up. You can find us on eBay under the seller name, "TheBestLittleBeadBoxProject".

Each week, there will be 2 lots of beads up for auction on eBay. Auctions will begin on Wednesdays at 12:00 a.m (midnight) EST and will end at 12:00 a.m. (midnight) on Sunday. There will be a minimum opening bid of $50, and a reserve bid on each lot. If the reserve bid for a particular lot is not met, that auction will be re-listed the following week.

Also, please bear in mind that we may change how the auctions are set up, depending on the circumstances and feedback we get from buyers and bidders. We want to make sure that we run these auctions to the best of our abilities, and that might mean that we tweak things a bit as we go. Don't worry, though - all of the most up to date information about the auctions will be posted here on the blog!

So, keep an eye on the eBay account. Our first auction is set to begin this Wednesday, January 26th, at 12:00 a.m. (midnight) EST with two lots from The Best Little Bead Box(es).

And to our amazing 12 beaders from Round 1: thank you so, so much. We couldn't have done any of this without YOU!

A feast for the senses!

2010-12-27T21:33:00.000-05:00

It is such a wonderful honor to be involved with this project!
The boxes arrived with a call from my favorite postal worker, Cathy, on Christmas Eve. She is always looking out for me! She didn't want me to miss the BIG Heavy boxes arriving just before the holiday. I am so glad that she called. I was able to sit and drink in all the shapes and textures over a wonderful evening of wine and delicious food.

With so many well known and accomplished beaders in the group I feel like a real newbie.
It was wonderful to touch the wonderful handmade beads in this collection and also to examine so many different manufactured beads that I would not normally notice when making selections for myself online in shops or at shows. I was even impressed with everyone's promotional materials!

The pieces I chose to keep from the box were either Art Beads from artists whom I admire or manufactured beads with shapes I found inspiring.

I found everything that Shirley Cook added to the box to be just gorgeous! Her post cards are gorgeous too! I chose one of her leaf pendants as an inspiration for craftsmanship. --I find it natural and free flowing and it gives a feeling of effortlessness yet I am sure it took much practice to achieve these results. And I just loved these shell beads so much that I had to pull a few out for myself. (there are more still left in the box)

And um, YEAH.... Dee Wilder!!!! I am the biggest fan! I drool over my computer screen at Dee's work! I have never before seen any of her beads in person. This, I HAD TO HAVE! It was so hard to chose one. (There are many more in the box~~ LUCKY YOU!)

The beads here were donated by Jill Wiseman. I had never known that here were seed beads such as this. I will definitely be checking out TapestryBeads.com for more of these goodies. I felt bad taking the entire tube, but I didn't feel right splitting it up either. I am inspired by all you wonderful seed beaders in this group and I chose these to remember all the glamorous sparkly beads in your works. I stole one lonely clear "C" shaped bead off a strand to keep as a design idea, and the wonderful nut "ring" is the perfect visualization of an idea I have been mulling over to far too long. And lastly I could not get over the shape of the bottom strand of brownish white glass beads.

Jennifer Cameron is another bead Artist whom I admire greatly. I had to have one of her beautiful postcards. That metal piece is fab and the crimp tubes are needed.

Lastly I chose a wonderful glass bead that I will guess is from Linda Roberts (please correct me if I am wrong), and interestingly shaped connector/pendant/bead made of shell(many more in the box), and some head pins from theholebeadshop.com I really like the layering effect in this glass bead.

And so you may be thinking that I made out pretty well..... and perhaps wondering about my contributions...

Here they are.... all beads I made out of stoneware clay and in some, I added recycled glass.

Cabochons! and Donut :-)

So many of you are bead weavers that I had to be sure to include plenty of cabochons!

Pendants, Charms and Connectors...

Some funky porcelain disc beads that I am currently in love with making.....

An assortment of stoneware beads, links, pendants and buttons...

And lastly some smoke fired beads.

The boxes were getting a little bit soft from all the traveling and I had to find another flat rate box around the house to replace one. The second needed to head out with some internal reinforcements. The snow storm here in the northeast and the holiday didn't allow for me to go pick up new boxes. And off it all went this afternoon... headed to Carol Dean Sharpe so she can do her magic and divide it up for you! I wish I could bid on the contents! Perhaps next round!

Week Twelve: Kristie Roeder

2010-12-20T08:43:00.000-05:00

Our boxes - now heavier than many a small child! - are traveling back East this week, to Pennsylvania and the home and studio of Kristie Roeder. Kristie is better known as Artisan Clay to those of you who follow her blog and work.

Before we ever asked her to join The Best Little Bead Box project, Kristie had already been working on donations for Beads of Courage, so she was especially pleased to be one of our Round One beaders:

"I am very excited to be a part of this project. I can't wait to see the great things that everyone is going to contribute and to learn more about the artists involved. I have made some special clay beads inspired by the projects that Beads-of-Clay offers to children in Hospitals and I can't wait to share~~~~ "

Kristie is the last stop for our boxes before they return to their staring point in New Mexico. It will take us a few weeks to get all the wonderful treasures separated into batches, photographed, and listed for auction. We will, of course, keep you updated. In the meantime, look for Kristie's account of her time with the boxes later this week.

Oh me, oh my! (From Jill Wiseman)

2010-12-19T08:27:00.000-05:00

I really don't know how he did it, but my postman managed to get both GIGANTIC Best Little Bead Boxes stuffed into one of our community mailbox lockers. I practically needed a crow bar to get them out of there! And I also thanked my lucky stars that I live directly across the street - because when you're carrying over 60lbs of beads, you don't want far to travel. Yep. That's right. Over 60lbs!!!!

I had a special message from Jean on my boxes too.

Coincidentally, the boxes arrived a day after a special thing happened regarding Beads of Courage, the charity that will be receiving the proceeds from The Best Little Bead Box auctions. I was out of town for the day, but my mother was at home Sunday morning and said she turned the TV on, looked up, and there was Margaret Zinzer (lampworker extraordinaire, and avid Beads of Courage supporter) on the screen! Mom thought quickly and started taping...whatever it was. Turns out it was a news story on CBS This Sunday Morning about the Beads of Courage program. What serendipity! And y'all, I'm embarrassed to say this, but I had no idea. Seriously. I really didn't understand what the Beads of Courage program was all about other than "sick kids get beads." And I'm willing to bet that a lot of you are in that same position. So please pardon my ramble, but can I tell you just a little bit about this program?

Kids with serious illnesses go through so much, both emotionally and physically, and it's often hard for others to understand everything they're dealing with. When a child enters the Beads of Courage program, they are given a length of string with beads that spell out their name. After that, as they work through their treatments, colorful beads, each representing a different treatment milestone are given to the child. For instance, they get a yellow bead for an overnight hospital stay, a white one for chemotherapy, and a glow-in-the-dark bead for radiation treatment. It's not uncommon for children to amass 10, 20 -- even 35 -- feet of beads. It helps young patients track and celebrate their progress, but it also gives them a way to get through upcoming procedures as well as a way of sharing and telling their story to friends and family. It's a visual representation of their courage. The CBS story brought both my mother and I to tears (please click on the link and watch,) but also immediately made us ask, "What can we do to help?"

Which brings me back to the Best Little Bead Box(es). As I opened each treasure in the box, fondled the beads, lusted after them and set aside a pile to keep, I kept thinking about that question: What can I do to help?" And slowly I repacked all the beads but one strand of beautiful purple lucite flowers from The Hole Bead Shoppe. I intend to make into a special, commemorative necklace from it to remind me of how honored I am to be participating in this project. But everything else? I decided I couldn't accept any more. I have more beads than I can use in a lifetime, and I'm lucky enough to have my entire world surrounded with them. So the beads in the boxes? Well...they are for the auction, and ultimately for the kids.

The spirit of sharing and giving also made me dig deep into my own beady treasures to add to the stash. And dig I did! Everything from crystals to glass, seed beads to pearls, and gemstones to lampwork. I've got it all in here. So please forgive the sparse commentary....but enjoy the BEADS!

Pearls (there are a LOT more of the green ones!), a silver chain, Ruby Zoisite, and some glass strands.

Cool side/top drilled pearls, and some interesting finish glass beads

The pink stash includes some Rose Quartz, Button Pearls, and a bunch of glass beads

All glass beads, some vintage

More glass - how cute are those butterflies?

Furnace glass I picked out for a bracelet I never made.

David Christensen Furnace Glass

Um, can you tell I really like Furnace glass?

All semiprecious gemstones

I threw a bracelet I made in there! Why not?

Some of my all time favorite seed beads, including Size 8 3-cuts by Toho. Sparkly!

Some of my specially coated 2mm Swarovski crystals

Green Girls clasp

Sterling Silver clasps

Fun beads from Susan Nestor!

The pendant on the right is polymer clay

Pendants

Lilly Pilly, Dichro, and a stone pendant

Cabochon

Metallic lampwork beads by Donna Mehnert of Blackberry Beads

Porcelain

Lampwork

More lampwork

Adorable small set by Pam Way of Yellow Dog Beads

Another Pam Way set

Assortment of Tagua Nut pendants and beads

Round 2!

2010-12-15T02:00:00.016-05:00

Today, we're excited to announce the beaders for Round 2 of the Best Little Bead Box! Before we list the participants we chose from the applications, we should say that it was hard to choose just 12 people, and all the applicants did such a great job answering the questions.

So, without further ado, here are the next 12 beaders (in no particular order):

1. Jeannette Cook
2. Sharon K. Erwine
3. Nikia Angel
4. Susan Feldkamp
5. Suzanne Cooper
6. Amy Blevins
7. Jan Atherton
8. Christine Boyer Maj
9. Lori Anderson
10. Rosita Pisarchick
11. Staci L. Smith
12. Grace Danel

Congratulations! You will all be contacted within the next week or so with instructions and what we need from you so that we can prepare the second round of The Best Little Bead Box!

Here are some of the photographs that were included with the applications of the beaders we selected for Round 2:


Beadwork by Nikia Angel


Beadwork by Susan Feldkamp


Beadwork by Rosita Pisarchick

We'll get to know more about our twelve beaders during Round 2! Thanks again to everyone who applied!

Week Eleven: Jill Wiseman

2010-12-13T09:30:00.000-05:00

It's time to introduce our next beader in this round of the Best Little Bead Box(es) - Jill Wiseman!

Jill Wiseman lived a traditional 8-5 corporate existence until a chance encounter with beads in 2001 changed everything. Her black and white world suddenly became full of color and texture and sparkle and shine, and things would never be the same. Before long, Jill couldn’t contain her beady joy another moment, and had to share the world of beadweaving with others. She became a full-time beadweaving jewelry designer and teacher in 2004 and has had the pleasure of teaching at national bead shows like Bead & Button, and Bead Fest ever since, as well as traveling to bead stores and bead societies for classes full of laughter and bead learning. Jill makes her home in Austin, Texas, with her mother, as well as two dogs and two cats who only occasionally eat the beads.

Jill is also the newest educator at Beaducation, where she just finished filming her first online video classes. Her popular classes at the Bead & Button Show have been known to sell out in just a few hours, and she is in great demand as a teacher throughout the U.S.

Jill is thrilled to participate in the first Best Little Bead Box Project for so many reasons! First, because she loves supporting charities and doing small, random acts of kindness on a regular basis. It makes the world a better place and that's a really good thing. Secondly, because it's BEADS! Getting to use her beady calling in a charitable fashion is really just too, too cool. And lastly, because it's really an honor to participate. Even though it hurts a little as she starts picking out her contributions to the Box. Thank goodness they're going to good homes!

You can find out more about Jill's creations on her website, Tapestry Beads, and follow her adventures in beading on her blog - http://www.tapestrybeads.blogspot.com.

Stop at Jean Campbell's House

2010-12-12T10:22:00.000-05:00

(This post was written by Jean and posted by Carol Dean.)

What a wonderful opportunity to be involved in the Best Little Bead Box! “Best” it is…”Little”? Not so much. What came to my door last Monday actually included two boxes that each weighed about 30 lbs!

You can’t believe what was inside, either…I was thinking people would add lots of their cast-offs, but the items were just gorgeous! Stones…glass…Lucite…handmade beads…felt beads…. As you can imagine, it was like a bead store in a box. I was a bit hesitant to take anything out to keep for myself since my stash is out of control at the moment, but I just couldn’t resist. I found some great ribbon, Lucite, and a funky resin/wood cabochon from The Hole Bead Shop, a fossil cab from Slick Lizard Designs, and a beautiful ceramic button from Lisa Peters. What a score!

I added a bunch of stuff, too. Some wonderful bead mixes from Jesse James Beads:

Some vintage and other interesting bugle and seed beads and some resin from Natural Touch beads:

A selection of molded glass charms and beads, some lampworked beads from SoftFlex, a bead mix from The Bead Monkey, and a smattering of Swarovski crystal buttons, rivolis, and pendants:

I also added a bunch of freshwater pearl strands in various colors and shapes as well as a really nice strand of antique amber chips:

I hope the rest of my BLBB buddies have as much fun with the boxes as I did!

Thanks, Carol and Jennifer, for inviting me to this worthy and fun project.

Week Ten: Jean Campbell

2010-12-04T17:12:00.000-05:00

As The Best Little Bead Shop in a Box...um, I mean, The Best Little Bead Box(es) make their from relatively warm California to cold and snowy Minnesota, it is time for us to introduce the next beader in this round: jewelry designer and craft author Jean Campbell.

Jean is the founding editor (and currently the senior editor) of Beadwork magazine and the Wednesday blogger on Beading Daily. She's written and edited dozens of magazine articles and books on beading, most recently Steampunk Style Jewelry and Creating Glamorous Jewelry with Swarvoski Elements. Jean is a Create Your Style Crystallized Elements Ambassador for Swarovski and teaches off-loom beading and metal clay workshops throughout the United States. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota with her family and a whole lot of beads, which she is more than happy to share for this worthy cause.

You can find out more about Jean and her beading at these online spots:
http://www.jeancampbellink.com

http://www.beadingdaily.com
http://twitter.com/JeanCampbellInk
http://www.facebook.com/#!/jeancampbellink

Look for Jean's account of her time with our boxes next Friday!

Another California Adventure!

2010-12-03T11:06:00.000-05:00

This post was written by Leslie and posted by Carol Dean.

There were so many things to look at and think about in those two LARGE bead boxes! I tried not to be too greedy, only took two of Lisa's pretty cabs, some cool buttons and beads, some crystal sequins and maybe
got a little carried away on the brass stampings! Not to worry, there are still lots of them in the boxes.

Six strands, two sizes, very blingy iridescent crystal cubes!

A selection of pretty green beads in my favorite shades, some vintage, some new, some Swarovski 4mm emerald AB crystals, Swarovski 12mm Tahitian pearls, some blue crackle beads, matte blue 4mm cube beads, and a few lampworked beads.

Anyone who knows me, knows I love weaving pinch beads, so I've included a few strands of some of my favorite colors. Also a couple strands of one of my favorite semiprecious, tiger's eye beads.

Sunny yellow 4mm Swarovski bicone crystals, lava beads, a beautiful glass gunmetal pendant with a woman's profile, little vintage green cabochons, yellow jade(?) carved double dragon pendant, and the tool I cannot bead without--the blue handle bead awl! I use it to open knots (just pierce the knot and slide it open), break beads without damaging thread by pushing through the hole, and for unweaving stitches. It's really indispensable!

Some purple iris "power" hand beads, a purple glass heart, four pairs of Swarovski rivolis in a variety of shapes and sizes, 5 elongated metallic melon beads, some matte lavendar 4mm cubes, some pretty peach glass beads, and a bag of curved petal beads in a metallic eggplant color.

Four hanks of high-quality Czech 11/0 seed beads and one hank of beautiful bronzey Czech charlottes!

It really hurts to give these up, four strands of double-hole vintage marquis-shaped, faceted nailhead beads, three in gunmetal, one in white. The lighting gave the warm gold highlights to the gunmetal nailhead beads, it's not really there. Also, some lovely star-shaped sterling silver beadcaps and four vintage metal/rhinestone spacers. I know they're all going for a good cause, so it doesn't hurt that much.

Week Nine: Leslie Frazier

2010-11-26T19:01:00.000-05:00

Our boxes get to stay in California for another week, this time at the home of Leslie Frazier, our ninth beader. Leslie has developed some unique variations of off-loom bead-weaving techniques, including Twisted Ribbon Ndebele and 3-Dimensional Spiraling Ndebele, included in Carol Wilcox Wells’ book, The Art and Elegance of Beadweaving. She is also well known for her innovative designs using pinch beads, aka three-sided oval beads. Combining Ndebele stitch and peyote stitch led to the creation of several popular floral designs. Recently her work was included in the Lark book, Masters: Beadweaving. Her work can be seen on her website: www.lesliefrazier.com, and on Facebook: Leslie Frazier/Photos.

Here's what Leslie says about our project and her beading: Thank you, Carol Dean Sharpe and Jennifer Van Benschoten for organizing The Best Little Bead Box! I feel very lucky to have been chosen to take part, knowing it will result in a donation to such a worthy cause to help children, Beads of Courage. And of course, I’m very excited to see the contents!

I’ve been beading off and on since childhood. When I began learning beadweaving stitches in 1994, I found I couldn’t stop, and beading has continued to fascinate me like no other artistic endeavor. I was lucky to study with inspiring teachers, Carol Wilcox Wells, NanC Meinhardt, and Robin Atkins early on, learning much more than beading from them. Since 1996, I’ve had the great pleasure of teaching students throughout the United States, Japan and Canada.

I find beadwork extremely time-consuming, yet meditative and satisfying. It's hard to say which I enjoy more, playing with beads and surprising myself with something new and beautiful, or watching what happens when the students in my classes combine my design or technique with their own perspectives and color palettes to fashion something with a whole new look. Another reason I love teaching is the opportunity to be with so many people who feel the desire to create jewelry that is personal and made with pride, instead of being content with mass-produced items.

It will be fun to see how Leslie adds to our boxes...and of course to see what she decides to keep for herself.

~~~

If you are interested in being one of the twelve beader for Round 2 of The Best Little Bead Box, please submit your application by December 1, 2010. Thank you.

Two Stuffed Boxes... Oh, Yeah!

2010-11-25T01:55:00.000-05:00

How did this happen? Last Thursday night I started taking pictures of what I planned on adding to the Best Little Bead Box(es), knowing that I had plenty of time before they arrived on my doorstep. The next morning, while I was sipping my coffee and Niki dog was staring at the front door anxiously awaiting the daily mail drop, the door bell rang. Niki went ballistic and I knew, I just KNEW that there would be a treasure chest sitting on the other side of that door. Still in my jammies, no camera at hand, there was no chance for me to get a picture of the postal worker delivering the goods. Oh well, here are the boxes sitting on a chair in my kitchen…

I had to wait until later in the evening before I tore into them. This day job thing really kills me some times. But first, we had to eat dinner. The best little pizza box...

I don’t remember the last time I wolfed down a pizza that quickly. After I cleared off the table, I was practically drooling with anticipation when I made the first incision with the box cutter. I felt like a little kid on Christmas morning – and the rest of the world ceased to exist. I tackled the medium sized box first. I had beads and bags strewn all over the table!

No, the salt and cayenne pepper did not come from the bead box. After forever, it was time to put back the goodies that I decided not to keep and get into the large box. So many beads! I know I spent well over 2 hours going through all the bags, carefully choosing the items that I just couldn’t resist, and making a list of what I took. I know this because every now and then I took a breather and commented on my “bead box” status on Facebook. But after 2 hours, I lost track of time.

Here’s what I decided to keep for myself. I’m trying not to feel guilty…

The first thing that I grabbed was a hank of seed beads in a glorious indigo color covered in crystal clear. I might even use them tonight to embellish my latest felt vessel. Then from a bag labeled Miscellaneous Focals & Buttons, I snagged a porcelain face. I’m going to have to make a rather large vessel to keep that beauty afloat! I took two other items from that bag – a clay connector that has a couple of figures on it that look like petroglyphs, and an Artisan Clay pendant in a color that just screamed at me. Then there was a bag labeled gemstones with a bunch of amber in it. I took one little piece that has some inclusions in it. And then a little bag of gunmetal round beads. Time to take a deep breath!

I grabbed three little silver Lucite leaves because I just cannot resist leaves! Then, because every girl deserves a little bling, I took the Swarovski cosmic ring donated by Lynne in what looks to be Crystal Chili Pepper. Hot cha cha cha… Lynne also included a rectangular clay piece with a large hole in it by Elaine Ray that will look wonderful on one of my felted creations. Back in the face department, I just had to have a few more – two of Laura’s cabs just jumped right into my lap! Speaking of Laura, her ammonites were sooooooo tempting – but I left them for everyone else.

Coming down the finish line - I now have a little rainbow moonstone briolette from Glass Addictions, 2 pieces of black coral, and a Lisa Peters heart. There were several pieces by Lisa Peters, and they are so hard to resist - but I only took the heart.

And now for the “give” portion of my give and take. I had to get a replacement box at the post office - the medium flat rate box has morphed into a large flat rate box.

First, I added several porcelain beads. Most are Chinese porcelain, but the little pink strand with the painted decals are from Greece. I also added a bag of pinbacks – 20 gold-tone and 20 silver-tone. Continuing in the metal department, I put in several stampings – leaves, winged beetles, filigrees, and a beadable stamping from the local bead store. Surrounding the stampings is a strand of recycled glass beads from Africa.

In other glass news, I included a small bag of miscellaneous glass heart beads, some Indian glass beads (and 10 beads that I think are polymer - sorry, they're not glass...), a bag of small etched glass beads, a bag of vintage glass beads, and some artisan glass – a wild glass pendant from Carol Fonda and Monty Clark, a fused dichroic glass pendant, and a strand of 6 lampwork beads by Calvin Orr (I LOVE those beads!).

There had to be leaves – a bag of Lucite leaves in various colors. And then on to the rocks… a birch jasper donut, a peach jade pendant, some red jasper star beads, green something-or-other V beads, with some mother of pearl “sticks” thrown in for good measure. Then I added two small strands of rainbow fluorite in 2 different shapes, and a strand of faceted Botswana agate flat rectangles. Finishing up the rocks are 12 petrified palm wood beads, 6 large Dalmation jasper beads, a strand of blue tiger eye, a gorgeous strand of silver leaf jasper beads from Elan, and a wonderful strand of golden agate beads, also from Elan.

And there you have it. Oh wait… I almost forgot! I also included some of my own lampwork beads. :-)

Here’s a long bead, a medium sized cone bead, and 3 chunky focals.

Then there are 3 etched beads. The one on the right sports a murini by Lori and Kim that I left shiny, and the one in the middle has capped bubbles that I left shiny as well.

Here’s an organic lentil bead, and then one of my selectively-etched floral inlay beads.

And last but not least, I included 4 of my leaf beads.

Phew! The boxes are all packed up and ready to head out to the next stop on their country-wide trip. Stay tuned for more updates on this wild, wild journey…

Week Eight: Shirley Cook

2010-11-19T21:38:00.000-05:00

The Best (so totally NOT) Little Bead Box(ES!!!) is back on its way to California, to the home and studio of Shirley Cook, the eighth of our twelve beaders. You can keep up with this bead and fiber artist and her creations through her Jumping Jack Glass website and her blog.

Here's a little bit about her and her involvement in our project, in her own words:

I'm Shirley Cook, owner of Jumping Jack Glass - named after my jumping Jack Russell terrier Peanut. I got hooked on beads in 1996 when I learned how to make earrings by putting beads on this thing called a head pin and then making a loop at the top. Little did I know then where that lunch-hour class at the office would lead. After spending about 4 years haunting beads stores and shows, I took my first lampworking class and decided to trade in my fantasy of becoming a skydiving videographer for the torch. My husband is grateful to this day - maybe that's why he wanted to buy me a torch before I even thought about learning to melt glass. Over the years I've tried various beading techniques, learned a bit of wire and metal work, become hopelessly addicted to seed beads, and ventured into fiber art, but I am still enthralled with melting glass. When I was presented with the opportunity to participate in the "Bead Box" project, there was no way I could turn it down. I've been involved with the Beads of Courage program for several years and have even attended a "roll out" of the program in one of our local children's hospitals. I teach glass bead making classes on a regular basis, and donate all of my demo beads to Beads of Courage. It's a wonderful program that is near and dear to my heart. And then there's the opportunity to raid the bead box... how could anyone resist THAT?!

It will be fun to see exactly what Shirley decides to keep from the box and - more importantly, of course! - what she decides to add. We have it on good authority that she will be creating some beads for the occasion. Stay tuned!

So Many Beads ... Really, SO Many Beads

2010-11-18T19:36:00.016-05:00

I knew the box was coming during a very busy time in my holiday show schedule, so I was a little afraid that I was not going to spend very much time with it. I fretted and anticipated as though looking forward to a great, but all too brief love affair. I learned that it was scheduled to arrive on either Monday or Tuesday, and began hopping up and down like a small child or a puppy that really needs to go outside. To my great surprise, it arrived early in the afternoon on Monday and I raced to the door to meet the mailman. I almost hugged him. I did ask if I could take a photo of him to commemorate the occasion, and he was so relieved that my vicious attack sheltie hadn't devoured him (she associates him with the UPS driver, and she HATES that guy) that he agreed.

With little pause to acknowledge my husband who had just entered the room (I guess), I dropped to the floor and tore into the boxes and settled in for a nice luxurious excavation. I raised my head (it was dark outside; go figure) and John informed me that I had been fully invested for over an HOUR. He said he'd been there the whole time and we'd conversed, but I have no such recollection. These were good boxes.

Okay, I'm going to start with what I removed. I tried my best not to be piggy, but it was HARD!!! I decided on two hanks and a tube of seed beads (duh), a sexy strand of freshwater pearls, a really cool Dzi-type glass focal bead from Kelli Burns, two shell rings, a bag of ball headpins, one of the bead pens, one of the smiley brass stampings (I was reallyreally hoping one would still be there and it WAS!), a let's-face-it,-really-HOT Lisa Peters swirly cabochon, some spotted dagger beads, and some Vintaj metal stampings. And that's all I need. ...and this paddle ball game.

It was all I could do not to also snag that cool cab that looked like pencils, but I left it for someone else. You're welcome.

And now for what I put in:

A bunch of polymer face cabochons, many of which are inset with Charlottes.

Some vintage German Cabs.

Some white vintage German glass beads and a couple of boxes of seed beads (because it would have been weird if I had included NO seed beads).

Some orange Swarovski and teal vintage Czech beads that I bought a LONG time ago because they were cool, but they have never really belonged in my color palate. I'm sure they will be in someone's color palate.

Some stone cabochons.

And because it was supposed to "hurt a little", I included some ammonite fossils. This caused me physical and emotional pain, and my hand kept shooting back in the box to remove them, but they DID make it.I had a great time with the boxes, which are growing in size at an alarming rate. I only hope that the final beader to receive them is strong enough physically (and emotionally) to deal with them.

We are taking applications for Round Two!

2010-11-14T12:52:00.000-05:00

Thanks to some very generous donors (which we will tell you about soon), we have a great start for The Best Little Bead Box - Round Two, which is schedule to start its journey right after New Year's. What we do not have yet is the most important part of our project - the twelve beaders!

The application for you to participate in Round Two is up on this blog. Just follow this link or visit the tab next to the "Home" tab above. Deadline to apply is midnight (Eastern Time) on December 1, 2010. We will announce the selected beaders on December 15, 2010.

We look forward to reading your applications! Thank you for supporting The Best Little Bead Box!

Week Seven: Laura Zeiner

2010-11-13T11:41:00.000-05:00

Our one box morphed into two before it started its journey to our next beader - Laura Zeiner of Austin, Texas. You can find Laura's work in her Stick Lizard Designs Etsy store and you can keep up with her through her blog.

Here's a little bit more about her, in her own words:

My name is Laura Zeiner and my business name is Stick Lizard Designs (because ... it's really the only thing I can draw). I've been beading for about ten years and I have a deep and passionate love for beads that are so teeny-tiny that most people don't believe they even exist. I teach beading and live in Austin, Texas with my husband and two furry "assistants." I'm really excited about this project because the proceeds are going to Beads of Courage and I hope the "fun factor" attracts beaders from all around the country.

Rumor has it that Laura is spending the weekend at a bead show in Houston. She'll return to Austin for a very personal bead show in her own home - The Best Little Bead Box!