Er, except I trim off the excess wire once it is looped back through to avoid it coming loose and scratching me.
Now… that amount spent on the special beads found in the special adults-only establishments…
…perhaps THAT I could understand!
Take a look at Fire Mountain Gems and Beads to get an idea of what good quality jewelry supplies cost. Many of those beads are still relatively cheap. There are some lampwork glass beads that sell for HUNDREDS of dollars each! (I cannot recall the most recent example I saw of this, I didn’t bookmark the site.) This site’s beads are still VERY pricey, but not that expensive.
Oooh… shiny! Oooh… pretty!
I feel trouble coming on…
Yeah, I know. Some of the beads Fire Mountain has had make me itchy too. Good thing we don’t have credit cards. They do have some decent bead kits that I am seriously considering investing in at some point, so I will be more likely to have just the right shade/shape/size of the particular color I want. Those are actually a practical buy for some of the colors I tend to use most. They have some other bargain stuff there too, some of their products are pricey though, look out.
Only 94 bucks? Poser.
A tip from the Trial and Error school of beading: Ditch the “tackle box” method of storing your beads. It’s amazingly spill-prone, as you’ve discovered. Get yourself a bunch of the tiny resealable plastic bags that you can find at any craft shop. I am also a huge fan of Ultimate Storage Boxes. Highly sortable, you can see all of your beads easily, and they’re great for organizing projects – take the flip-top boxes with the beads you’re using, whatever you’re stringing them on, and your tools, and put them all in a bag or storage box to go in your purse or tote bag.
I also use my Crafter’s Tote all the time. It’s the same size as a purse and holds a zillion beads, tools, and supplies, all sorted and easy to see. It also doesn’t scream, “Look at all the crap I brought with me!” I’ve used it in the car, while visiting people, and on a blanket at outdoor concerts.
Usual disclaimers. Welcome to the world of [del]crack[/del] beading!
Not that I would intend to ever take this up as a hobby or anything…
What are your favourite tools? Wee pliers? Things to string with?
I took my wife here once. Never again. Imagine a fairly large grocery store with nothing but beads.
$95 ? amateur ! it’s not serious until it’s over $500 ! (OK, that was for a bunch of gemstone beads at a trade show, including some rubies)
If you want some tips on jewelry construction, my email is in my profile. I’d be happy to help you get started.
My bead affliction is so bad, I’m making my own now. The Corning Museum of Glass has fantastic studio where they teach classes for glassblowing, flameworking, fusing, etc. There are classes devoted to bead making !
I can’t have a torch at home (I live in an apartment) so I take as many classes as I can … and visit friends who do have torches. Love to make beads !
of course, then I need to go to the bead store and get the bits that go with them …
My ex-wife used to do shit like that all the time. She still does but now I just laugh.
You are not alone, nor is this exclusive behavior to bead-ophiles!
I have the same problem with yarn. Buy it because it’s pretty, then save it for something special. But what if I choose the wrong pattern? Also, never forget the most compelling reason to not knit with yarn you have: If you knit it, you won’t have it in your stash anymore!
With that kind of money you COULD have bought 3.928 Manhattan Islands. But, no. Beads. Pity.
Beads just take too #$#@ing long. It’s like tatting, but more expensive. (Yes, I know how to tat. It’s high on my “entirely useless skills list”).
So, yeah, I have beads. Once about every 9 months, I see something in a bead magazine and think “I must have that.” So I buy the supplies, and start, and get so bored 1/2 inch in to a 14 inch project that I end up with just a bunch of beads.
I have an idea for a very cool rosary, but as I don’t use a rosary (not being Catholic) and I can’t find the beads that I’d need for it, I am so far free from having dumped a ton of money into that never ending project.
Quilting stores are much more evil. All the pretty, pretty quilts just calling out to me and I’ve never actually pieced an entire square. And while I’ve bought more yarn than anything else, I’ve actually made useful sweaters and gifts and stuff.
Yeah, I routinely drop $200-$400 every time I go “bead shopping”. It’s a sickness I tell you. The Fire Mountain catalog gets me charged up the way the Sears Wishbook did when I was nine. Yeah, over 800 pages, and they send it for free.
Lots of terrific websites offering beads too. And don’t forget to go to bead shows.
My husband is an “enabler”. He has already driven over 2 hours just to drop me off at a bead show and pick me up later. He knew I was afraid to drive in such an unfamiliar area.
Beads. Shiny, beautiful, sparkly beads…
My favorite stringing material is the 49-strand stuff. No kinks. I’ve made hundreds of bracelets with that stuff.
If you’re afraid of what you’ll spend, DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE purchase Swarovski crystal or sterling silver beads. Everything else sucks by comparison. I have literally thousands of Swarovski crystal beads, just waiting to be strung…
And if you get really crazy you can do beaded knitting and combine the insanity. Yes, the Firemountain catalogue competes with the WEBS catalogue for pride of place next to my couch.
Or you can buy Tili Thomas yarn with the beads already on for completely faint-worthy prices. :eek:
I knew I wasn’t the only one ! 
I, too, am adamantly against the “Cute Gingham Shit on a Stick” aesthetic. I make stuff, but I never described myself a crafty. Nope. I sew, spin, bead (applique, and needle stuff), make chainmail and bead-and-eyepin jewellery…
I can’t get out of my favourite bead and findings store without spending at least $40, and more likely $60. Probable total cost over seven years- over $5000. Argh.
Sigh. I looked at this thread a couple days ago. I already get the Fire Mountain Gems catalogue in the mail, but I thought, just one little peek. My package arrived today. Bliss. I managed to only spend about $30. But I had to have those hand painted bottles with the Chinese zodiac animals painted inside. They are wonderful. They came in a cloth covered wooden box. I think I shed a tear when I saw them.
What do you mean, what am I going to do with them? I’ll… they… alright. Fine. They’ll probably stay in the damn box until I’m an old biddy scolding my grandchildren for touching them. But they’re so beautiful. I’ll have to think of something to do with them. They are too beautiful to keep hidden away in a box.
Also, a flourite cat, a bag of mixed glass beads to add a little variety to my slowly diminishing bead pile, and something I haven’t opened yet - the Boss’ Bead Bag - a whole pound of assorted beads! What will I find inside? Who knows! I can’t wait! I have to finish my chores first. That will be my reward. WOOHOO!
Oh, and anyone following along, I haven’t quite finished my manager’s purse, but here it is so far. The corners need cleaning up, and I need to clean up the letters (that’s her nickname, she’s Czech), and finish lining the inside. Sorry, picunurse, I didn’t even see your post until today, and I’ve already got the lining - but thank you for the offer! I will remember you for next time! Not too bad for a decoupage virgin, huh? A little rough, but I think when it’s done it will be presentable. 
Be careful where you say things like that around here! 
I decided to emulate a crafty friend of mine and buy some rubber stamping stuff. About $90 later I had barely scratched the surface of what I could have gotten!
And fabric stores are bad for me too. I fall in love with one fabric and can’t just get it, but must get coordinating pieces so I have a whole set ready to go. I design my own so I rarely buy patterns but I make up for it in fabric.
My first order from that Fire Mountain place came today.
I am very afraid.