This week's winner is Kristi of Curiosities by K. Congratulations! You have won one of Tari's new clay Circle Components. Send Tari an e-mail with your address and she will get it right out to you.
And now join me in the Humblebeads studios.
Do you ever feel like your bead habit is a serious problem?
Hi my name is Heather and I'm am helplessly, utterly and completely in love with beads. Oh, I mean addicted to beads.
I have a room full of them. Tables stacked and spilling over, shelves lined with containers, bowls and trays filled to the brim. If I didn't buy another bead for a year, I would probably survive. But it would be a bleak existence. I don't think anything brings a smile to my face more than a new pile of beads to add to my collection.
Oh and I'm not picky. I put mass market beads right along with my $100 collectible lampwork treasures. A bead is bead and if they work together, they work together.
Case in point, I stopped in to Michael's today because clay is 1/2 off and well, and whenever there is a sale on clay, I like to clean the store out of my favorite colors. Mission accomplished. So I walk in and there is a big fuss going on in the bead aisle. And then I see it - 50% off tags everywhere. Hold on Paypal account debit card, we are about to take you out for a spin.
So beads I don't need, beads I don't have plans, beads I could have lived without, made their way into my basket. I found some great base metal chain, cool square bead caps, wood beads, ceramic, love the red beaded beads - sort of vintage and the enamel tags that are a lovely turquoise. And look how well they go with my Humblebeads!
Bead rush. Yep, totally and completely addicted.
The worse part of this is that I am in the middle of a major studio purge getting rid of beads that are just hanging around and need to find a new home. You can check out my Big Huge Giveaway and sale on my blog. The giveaway includes over $200 worth of beads and they could be yours. I know, I'm an enabler.
So this week, I'm switching things up -Let's do a little pay it forward and give some beads away this week to someone you know.
Maybe you know a young beader who would love getting some new beads or give a bead to a good friend. You could send beads to Beads of Courage. I know you have beads that haven't seen the light of day for years - let a few of them go. You'll feel better.
Leave a comment letting me know you plan on giving some beads away this week.
(And I won't judge if you immediately replace them with brand new beads.)
One random winner will receive a pair of my Hibiscus charms, pictured above.
27 comments:
my grandson has been beading with me since he was cordinated enough to hold some gimp and string a big plastic bead on it,(about 4 years old) so I think I will add to his bead collection this week, since I have a lot of beads I'll never use and I know he would love them he is eleven now and his taste in beads, is more sofisticated now, I think I'll add some hemp to the beads I give him!
I have a huge stack of beads earmarked for BOC. I don't know if I'll get them out this week, but this does give me some incentive to clean more out!!!
I am so happy that I am not the only one with a bead obsession, I mean addiction, I mean love for beads! I too have a studio filled with enough beads to last a year and then some. To make room for my new treasures (Bead Fest is right around the corner), I have been putting all of the beads that I don't plan to use in a box. When my friend's daughter is old enough to learn, (she is 4 years old) I am planning on introducing her to the world of jewelry making. She likes to pick out beads when she visits, so I think a future jewelry designer is already in the making!
It makes me feel so much better to know that there's a whole boatload of people who are bead addicts too :-). The idea of giving away beads is a great one. I've been exchanging beads with a co-worker who's also a beader so I think I'll surprise her by packaging up some little lovelies and giving them to her. It would be a wonderful antidote to the monday blues!
Looks like I'm not alone in this boat. I am going through all my beading supplies over the past week as well. I just can't be responsible for what ends up at home after our bead show in September! I just can't help myself around beads!
I'm addicted too, and can't seem to stop.
But I do realize that I need to get rid of the ones I know I'm not going to use. Thanks for sharing the link to Beads of Courage. In my spare time this week I will package these beads up and send them off to a worthy cause.
After that, maybe I won't feel so guilty when I cruise through etsy, or take a trip to Michaels, or spend a load of cash at Fusion Beads.....
So glad we're all in this together! Cleaning out my stash this week as well but I won't be responsible for what finds it's way to my home after our bead show in September! I pass my beads on to my teen and her friends. They have fun making their own originals!
I have been going through beads to give to local YMCA--
Beth F
I enjoy organizing my beads as much as creating something with them. Does anyone else do this....you go shopping anywhere and everything you touch could be used for beading in some way.
I'm pretty excited because this fall I'll get to work with a group Brownies and show them how to bead. I'll get to share some pretty special beads and such with them.
LOL, I keep telling everybody, "I don't bead", but I keep buying beads. My sister has been trying to learn how to bead, so I'm trying to get some of mine together to give her to get her motivated. If not this week, then next.
Funny you should mention giving away bids. I just filled up a big box that I am giving to my sister-in-law!
I just sent off a small packet of beads to a friend who needed cheering up !!! I think beads are the perfect "I'm thinking of you gift" For non-beading friends a few
little beads on a ribbon can be a lovely bookmark or simple necklace.
This is why it's Important that we keep adding to our stashes !!!We need to be prepared to exchange random acts of beadie kindness whenever/wherever they are needed!
I like to think I am not really a bead addict...I am just a person who likes to be prepared to cheer up my friends!!!
m.e. :)
I do not have the massive amount of beads I hear you guys talking about but I am trying to get there. What a great problem to have. My granddaughter just turned 6 and is beading with me. I think I will put together a pretty goodie package for her.
I am also addicted to beads. I make them all the time and force myself to stay away from the stores to see if I can reproduce the beads I would have bought. that is the beauty of polymer clay. Sometimes I can't but I pride myself on trying. Humblebeads, love your work.
My space limitation is how I control my bead appetite. Nothing goes in without something coming out...but I would happily make exception for this giveaway.
I live in a very small community, less than 500 people year round. Our school is K-12 however and many people do a lot of volunteer work to provide activites for the kids. There is a beaded jewelry class being planned for this winter and I happen to have a large bag of beads sitting on my table that I've culled from my stash to be donated to this project.
Two of my nephews are going to come for a visit this week, so I am sure we will get out the bead stash and make some manly bracelets. Do they call them bracelets when they are for boys?
I think I need a trip to Michaels!
Ann
http://mycriticaleye.com
I am giving some beads to my daughters who have wanted to learn to make their own necklaces. I have also bought and given many "fun" beads to their teachers for projects and fun for their classmates to learn the fun of creating AND fine motor skills.
This is an awesome idea of paying it forward and am going to check out the Beads of Courage
Misty
I'm having several giveaways on my blog the whole month of August starting Monday, August 1.
I just gave away a bunch of old stuff to a church group for an activity where the young girls could make bracelets and earrings for themselves. It was fun seeing them choose beads for themselves and knowing they were getting used rather than languishing in a container.
Love the hibiscus charms!
Erin S
Yes, me too! I am so glad to read your post today. It is so refreshing to hear I am not alone in my addiction to beads. Yes, I too, have more beads than I will ever use in my lifetime, but I always feel the need to buy just a few more to use on a special project. Something catches my eye, or something new, like the new peanut seed beads, oh my, I need to have some of those, and if I have a coupon or discount, how can you not buy more? So, upon reading this today, I am very excited about the possibility of winning yet more beads, but these are so beautiful, and I don't have anything like these, so, please, let me win these! I am going to Philly Beadfest in a couple of weeks, to buy more beads! I did read somewhere that I can donate beads to a very worthy cause there. I am unloading some of my collection and feeling good about it. However, you know what that means.....now I have more room to add to my collection.
'would love to win!
Chris
You are SO an enabler! And I didn't know about the sales at Michaels. Wonder if they are still going on? I have some of those SAME beads though. We have the same taste, you and I ;-)
My birthday is coming up and I plan to host a weeks' worth of giveaways on my blog to celebrate. August is going to be a very good month.
Enjoy the day!
Erin
Does it count that I gave several baggies of old beads away to my nieces LAST week? I might be able to find a few more to take over there this week as well. My grandmother keeps telling me not to bring them any more because she keeps finding beads in the floor of their room. I toldnher she'd be really scared of the floor of my craft room!!
My sister designs hair accessories along with other things. I plan to give her some beads very soon. I'm hoping the gesture will be returned with a new headband or hairclip! :)
What perfect timing. I have been organizing and I have a box of beads that I am taking down to the local retirement home for their craft days. I try to do this at least once a year.
I have a pile of beads that are going to go to Beads of courage. Just waiting for me to make a fabric bag also to send them in. Got to get going on that. Great beads in your giveaway.
Every time I win a giwaway, I keep thinking I should host one or two myself. It's a lot of fun giving away beads that way. I enjoy it (almost) as much as winning myself. Though I end up doubting what beads/components to offer.
I do have an onyx pendant or two that I've etched that might be worthy to give to someone. But are they good enough? Then there's the beads I've sorted out to sell, but I keep thinking if I don't want them, perhaps no one else want them either. And buying new beads just so I can host a giveaway doesn't sound as good to me. I think I'm overthinking the whole thing...
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