How I store my seed beads

My coffee table, where I do my selection work

I keep my size 15 and size 11 beads in large serving trays from Cost Plus. The beads themselves are in flip top boxes, or the dynamite boxes from Fire Mountain Gems (depending on where I bought them). The trays themselves live below the glass top of the coffee table. I will be keeping this technique even when I move to a larger studio, probably with with cafeteria trays and a tray rack. I like that I’m able to pull all the beads out, put them out on top of the coffee table, and start choosing colors.

Where the rest of the beads live

The czech glass and other specialty beads live in cigar boxes and tic tac box storage boxes in the bookcase. I still have quite a lot of room there for beads.

Where I actually sit and bead

I do my actual beading work at a work desk for chairs. It moves around nicely, and adjusts height and angle. My favorite beading table was an adjustable drafting table from Target, but that got jettisonned a couple of moves back as being too big to drag along. It went to my fav landscaper instead, who uses it to draw up yard designs.

Eventually I hope to get my very own room for a studio, but that’s not in the near future. Until then, this setup works very nicely!

As you can see, I’ve started an new endeavor.  I’ll be selling my kits at beadkitsbymail.com and planning to sell other designers kits also.  If you are a beadwork artist with a design you’d like kitted, or if you already have some kits and would like a different venue to sell them from, get in touch with me!

Joann Loos