DC Bead Store

I was in Washington DC last week for business, and while there I visited a bead store I had been to a few times before. Bedazzled is located in Dupont Circle, very near the Metro. While it is convenient, it is not the best bead store in the world (sorry, Bedazzled), but it IS a bead store and I support any and all of them. (LOL)

I found some gold french boullion I had been looking for (I use it to protect the threads while attaching clasps) and some different toggle clasps in gold and silver, and even two $1 grab bags of assorted beads. I got those as a challenge to myself to make something from a hodge podge assortment.

Many of the bead magazines that I read often have Bead Challenges, where the same assortment of beads is given to three or four people, and they are to create something with them. Then the magazine publishes photos of the finished pieces to show everyone that there are many ways to use the same materials, just depending upon your taste, skill level, and preference of materials. (The designers are encouraged to use the beads from the initial assortment, but it is okay to fill out the design with materials from their own stash, too.)

Anyway, if I ever get around to making something with those grab bag beads, I'll post a picture of it.

Better Late Than Never

It's been way too long since I updated this blog. Life gets in the way sometimes.

Anyway, my friend Bonnie and I are going to hostess a Holiday Boutique at her home in Oceanside this season. She wants to hold it over three Sundays in December, from 11 to 4. My initial thoughts were that two would be enough, and another vendor that is participating thought the same thing. But I don't have anything to loose by doing it three weekends, so heck, I'm in.

Bonnie is a rep for Silpada Designs, which is a line of very nice sterling silver jewelry and accessories. She used to sell Cookie Lee Jewelry, but moved up a few notches with the new silver line. Bonnie also makes jewelry herself, so I hope she has some of her own work for sale too.

I have been on sort of a bracelet binge the past couple months. I like making them and they take less time than a full beaded necklace. (I am talking about beadweaving moreso than stringing.) I am addicted to tiny seed beads, in all shapes, colors and finishes, so I love to work with those more than any other type of bead. Which isn't to say that I don't adore semi precious beads, freshwater pearls or glass beads of any kind -- I Do!

Anyway, I will attempt to post the flyer that I am working on for the show. Tell me what you think, and by all means, come and visit!

They're Everywhere, They're Everywhere!

Bead Stores, that is...


I spent this past weekend in Morro Bay with my husband, celebrating his 55th birthday. We drove up early Friday morning (and I do mean early) and arrived around 9:30 am. While waiting for our hotel room to become available, we wandered around the town, looking at neighborhoods and tourist attractions. After poking around the shops by the waterfront, we checked out other downtown streets. And wouldn't you know, in this sleepy little town we found not one, but TWO bead stores!


Harvey noticed the first one, and immediately swerved into a parking spot a couple doors down. He said to take as long as I wanted, so I did. What fun.

This one was Beads By the Bay. It was a small, jam-packed little store, with two rooms up front, and a garden where they sold plants, and a little shed-like building with a table and clearance items. I imagine they held classes back in the little shed, and it looked cozy and inviting.


And they also had a sweet neighborhood yellow kitty with no tail who came up to me and nuzzled and talked to me. She let me pet her tummy and followed me back past the koi pond into the main rooms of the store. They had dishes with food and water for her, and said all the neighboring businesses got visits from her.

I found some fun seed beads, bugle beads, pearls and findings, and tore myself away before I dented my checking account much worse.

The lady who worked at that first store also told me about another one around the corner. Paula Radke, the dichroic glass beadmaker, had her store a mere block away.

So I checked her store out too, and had a pretty tough time choosing a strand of dichroic glass beads. She had a bunch of pre-strung beads with Swarovsky crystals and spacers, just itching to be finished into bracelets or taken apart to make earrings or necklaces.

I struggled and finally decided to go with a strand of black/orange/pink/fuscia round beads that came with light pink Swaro 6mm crystals and gold star-shaped spacers. I don't know what I will use them for, but I was pretty pleased with my purchase.


I behaved in that store (mostly because her beads were pretty expensive), and happily left with my one strand.

My husband earned LOTS of brownie points that day. He even stopped at a couple more stores just for me, but these two were the cream of the crop. I was in bead heaven for the rest of the weekend.

There really ARE more people out there like me...

Man, where did the time go? I have attended several bead-related functions since I last wrote in May, and started many new projects too, so I guess rather that try to play catch-up on everything, I'll just write about the biggest highlight of recent events.


Harvey and I went to a birthday party for a friend one Saturday evening in July (the best man at our wedding) and when we got there, we walked around the side of the house to their back yard. We made our way into their kitchen, as we had brought a bottle of Falkner wine and a card, and wished to give our gift to him in person.

There were just a handful of folks in the house at the time, as the crowd was mostly outside around the pool. We said hi to Dennis, and then his wife, Jamie introduced us to people there. As she got to one woman, I noticed this exquisite beaded necklace she was wearing, and almost sank to my knees. I asked her to open the collar of her shirt so I could see the necklace better, and mentioned that I was a beaded jewelry designer and had a deep appreciation of things like this!

Well, that was it. She said her name was Judy, and that SHE had made the necklace, and we ended up spending the rest of the party talking beads, beads, beads! I barely said hello to the other guests! Judy lives in Palm Springs, and spends a lot of time in Big Bear too, so we know that this friendship has great potential. She loves freeform peyote and bead embroidery, and loves making intricate necklaces with cabachons and freshwater pearls.

I told her I could hardly wait to see some of her work, and a few days later she oblidged with some stunning photos.


We shared all sorts of tips and information, and I turned her onto sites like Etsy.com, ShopHandmade.com, Meetup.com and some of my favorite online bead stores. I gave her the url to see some of my older photos of my work (http://www.flickr.com/photos/elan_studios/show/) and told her about this blog. (I warned her I would write about her too!)






I am thrilled to have a new bead buddy, and look forward to a long and rewarding friendship with you, Judy!

Beadwork Meetup (or what Harvey affectionately calls "Bead-a-rama")

I hostessed a Beadwork Meetup at my home a couple weeks ago, and although the turnout was rather small, we had a really good time. (It also spurred me to get my house cleaned from top to bottom.)

People brought appetizers and desserts and I pulled out my mom's antique glass dishes for coffee and tea. I set up a long table in the family room and brought a few Ott lamps for good lighting, even though it was pretty sunny outside. Two of us were working with tiny seed beads, so the extra light was useful.

Of all of the people who RSVP'd, only three (plus me) attended. That was okay, though, as we had interesting conversations and got to know each other so much better this way.

Doreen blew me away with her exquisite beaded teapots that she brought along to show. She had seen the basic instructions (by Diane Fitzgerald) in a bead magazine and then went on to create them with decorations of her own design instead of just plain. The ones on the left side of the picture have a blue and gold geometric design, and the center and right ones have florals.















Doreen's Beaded Teapots and Wedding Cake

Oh, and she made up her own patterns for the teacups, saucers, creamers and sugar bowls, too! The teapots and sugar bowls have removeable lids and are just the cutest things you have ever seen.

She also made a beaded wedding cake (center of photo with the purple edges) that is three tiers, AND opens up on top (not sure why but it is cute). I think she said she was planning to enter it in the Fair this year.

Michelle worked on, and finished, a necklace that had Swarovsky crystal beaded beads. She showed me how to make them (better practice it soon or I will forget) and they seem pretty easy.

Teresa made a necklace also, and we had fun giving each other advice on our projects. Doreen started a Russian lace (beaded) bracelet from a pattern she downloaded from Bead and Button's Beading Daily site (I think that's where she got it). Pretty, but complicated.

I started a spiral twist necklace in black seed beads and bugle beads. I finished it a few nights later and have worn it twice already.

I had such a good time with these ladies that I am definitely going to do it again. They all posted nice comments on the Meetup website after they got home, so hopefully other beaders will read what a good time it was and will want to come next time. Oh, and they loved my studio. :-)

Doreen, Teresa and Michelle

London Bead Store

So, I just got back from London (well, actually two weeks ago, but time flies fast) and I wanted to write about the bead store I visited. It is called, appropriately so, The Bead Shop.

I have been there several times before, but this time I was sorely disappointed. It seems the bad economy has even trickled down to the bead shops overseas. They have a wholesale area in their basement, and in the past I have come away with some pretty terrific finds. Well, not so this time. I did buy some beads (can't go that far and come home empty-handed!) and have started using them, but it was just not the same.

I bought two bags of metallic beads (gold and silver plated) that are round like a tube, but short, like a large seed bead. They look best strung and not in a beadweaving pattern because the beads are quite irregular. But that makes them look rather cool in multi strands.

I made a bracelet this past Sunday with four strands of the silver beads, and interspersed with small silver Indian bells. The bracelet has definitely an East Indian look to it, which I attribute to my love of Bollywood movies. When I get a chance to photograph it, I will upload it.

Meanwhile, I am continuing to play with the other stuff I got there, and will write about it when I make some more pieces.