Welcome to Liz

A big welcome to Liz from the Crimson Moon who is joining us here on Operation Tackle That Bead Stash. We are glad to have you! There is a link to members blogs on the right, please check them out.

Leftover Project - Multi strand Necklace

This week I will be searching out free projects for using up all those leftover beads. If you are anything like me you'll have lots. I have been mainly using my small amounts of accent and seed beads to make rings but I have lots of other beads that would be good combined in larger projects.

Today's link is for a great multi strand necklace from about.com. I can fully blame About.com for my current stash size. I had been searching cross stitch information and came across the beadwork pages which got me started.
http://beadwork.about.com/library/weekly/aa060400a.htm

Project for Leftover Beads

I have been neglecting this blog this week sorry, I have been very busy preparing for a craft fair, I have been making lots of beaded rings with leftover beads and more bracelets from my stash of fire polish and glass pearls. Lots of beads are now out of the stash and I'll take some pics soon.

Here is a link to a lovely toggle necklace project by Cindi Lavin on the Lapidary Journal Jewelery Artist website designed to use up leftover beads,
http://www.jewelryartistmagazine.com/stepbystep/toggleneck.cfm

4th Goal/Project completed...

I'm happy to report that in between beading some pieces for some orders, I was able to finish my 4th Goal/Project towards "Operation Tackle that Bead Stash"! I started out again looking through the Bead Stash that I had and I came across some very pretty pink beads, so I thought that I would use them because they reminded me of Spring.
This was a fun piece to make for me, purple is actually my favorite color but next in line is pink! The flowers were just fun and this cabochon went very quick for me.

Introducing: Pretty in Pink




Thanks so much for stopping in and I hope that you have a beadiful day! So until next time please don't forget, "Operation Tackle that Bead Stash" and Bead Happy!
Hugs and happy beading...
Bobbi

Main Goal for April Shadow Wave- Tackling that Book Stash

In an earlier post I mentioned that I have a lot of books that I have never made projects. I had a look through them and chose Marcia DeCoster's Beaded Opulence, there were a few projects that I liked but this one, Shadow Wave was the most intriguing. I think this will be a bit of a challenge for me and I don't have a rivoli suitable so I will need to make a focal. I did consider buying a rivoli but that defeats the purpose of trying to use up my stash. I have banned myself from buying new beads unless I need them for a specific gift for someone else. I will still be buying finding though.

I am currently busy using up leftover beads from other projects to make beaded rings for my 2nd craft fair on saturday so I will be making this my main goal for April, although it may well take me a lot longer.

3rd Goal for March Complete

I have quite a lot of glass pearls in my bead stash, both full strands and some leftovers from previous projects. They are one of my favourite accent beads to use in bead woven projects. For my 3rd gaol I decided to try to use up 2 strands (the blue & purple) and some leftover cream pearls, as an added bonus I also used up quite a lot of fire polished beads. Each bracelet took about an hour and I will be taking them with me to sell at my 2nd craft fair on Saturday.

4th Goal/Project Complete!

Still trying to tackle some more of my Bead Stash for "Operation Tackle that Bead Stash" I was looking through what I had and I noticed that I had some topaz color beads. I really wanted to make something with these. So I thought and I decided to make another cabochon with the topaz colors that I had in my Bead Stash! Here's the colors that I had to work with.

After starting this new project I wish that I would have gone through a box of findings and small charms for this piece but those will be used in a different project on a different day!

But I thought that this was coming along nicely. This is only my fifth cabochon that I've ever made and I've been teaching myself from a wonderful book that I had purchased called, Beading with Cabochons, by: Jamie Cloud Eakin.
I'm trying different stitches while I'm making this cabochon (as I did the others) and actually getting somewhat better at the ones I've already done before.
So I 'd like to introduce to you, "Desert Sea"


I want to wish you a Happy 1st Day of Spring and I hope that your weekend is a beadiful one. Thanks for stopping in. So until next time please don't forget, "Operation Tackle that Bead Stash" and Bead Happy!
Hugs and happy beading...
Bobbi

Mother's Day Gift!

Look what I got for Mother's Day this year, what a clever little boy I have got! I haven't had much chance to look through it but it definitely looks like it has so great ideas for using the stash.

I'll write a more in depth review when I have had a better look.

Bead Stash Beaded Eggs...

With Easter almost on it's way I wanted to be sure that I made some beaded eggs this year. So I thought what better way to use up some of my Bead Stash. I used the flower motif for one and added some daisies. The other is just free form. I do still want to make a few more before Easter if I find the time, but here's a couple of them for starters.
Guess what? I just realized that this is my third goal/project already completed in "Operation Tackle that Bead Stash"! It's actually coming along quite easy and pretty fast now and I'm so happy that I'm trying to tackle my Bead Stash and make beadiful and useful projects and pieces!
This evening I'm going to start on another cabochon, I wonder what I'll come up with this time. I had found I had quite a few topaz colors and I want to use as many up as I can of those this evening.




I hope that you have a wonderful rest of your day, thanks for stopping in! So until next time please don't forget, "Operation Tackle that Bead Stash" and Bead Happy!
Hugs and happy beading...
Bobbi

March Goal 2 Complete!

When digging around in my stash on Friday night I came across 2 tubes of bright red bugles, in real life they actually look like plastic. I bought these about 3 years ago to make a gift for a friend but ended up making a bracelet instead of the necklace that I had planned because the stitch I used was taking forever.

I had been flicking through Beth Stone's book Seed Bead Stitching and found the tri stitch, which I have used before but only the circular version for ring tops and medallions. The flat version whipped up ridiculously quickly so I decided to just make 2 long strips (each one is 1 tube of beads) and tie them together to wear as a lariat. For such a simple idea I think it worked out great! My summer wardrobe is based around white and navy, so this bright red little number should work really well.

A note about working with bugles: I would normally recommend using a seed bead either side of a bugle to protect your beading thread from the bugles sharp edges. I haven't done this here as I am using K.O. which is quite a new thread to me and I want to see how long it holds up! I don't mind experimenting on a piece that took just a couple of hours but would hate for the thread to break and ruin something that had taken a long time.

Goal 1 complete!

Here is the 2nd project that I made with the beads from March Goal 1 and I am happy to say that I used up every single bead, plus a small piece of leftover silver plated chain & about 80 silver plated headpins!

This means that my bead stash is 65grams lighter!

My next goal was to use up 20 grams of bugle beads that I have had for at least 3 years. I will post that project later.

So stay tuned & tackle that bead stash!

Beaded Beads - A Great Way To Use Up Small Amounts of Beads, Part 1.

I don't know about you, but I have lots of half or almost used up tubes of beads languishing in my bead stash. One of my top priorities is to clear these odds and ends out of the stash, I love the idea of making something out of almost nothing! I haven't decided what I'm going to do with them yet but my plans may well include beaded beads. I have been browsing for free beaded bead patterns and here are links to a few that I have found;

First of all, no list of beaded beads would be complete without something from Gwen & Florence of Bead Infinitum, I have made several of their patterns and they are wonderful. Here's their fab spinning top bead,
http://www.beadinfinitum.com/Kits/index.html#spinning_top

Here's a link to a you tube video for a lovely self supporting bead, I think I will try this one very soon,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VlWDgzKjdo&feature=related

Another you tube video, this time for a peyote covered wooden bead. Somebody on a forum I belong too recently followed this tutorial and it came out beautifully!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X37DzUsV8gc&NR=1

Imagine the fabulous necklace you could make by combining these 3 beauties! In fact I may well make one myself soon.

I think these 3 are enough to keep us going for this week, I am planning to do another post on this topic next week, so stay tuned and tackle that bead stash!

2nd Goal/Project Completed...

Moving right along this week for Operation Tackle that Bead Stash I've now completed my second goal/project! I had come across various black beads that I wanted to start to use up. I also had come across while looking thru some of my Bead Stash some of those golden/brown seed beads and also those gorgeous brown beads. So, last night I started another cabochon. Keep in mind that these cabochons are something very new to me and that I'm in the process of teaching myself some stitches.
In this cabochon I feel that I accomplished quite a bit. Not only towards my goal/project for Operation Tackle that Bead Stash but to learn more about these wonderful cabochons! I actually taught myself 3 new stitches in this piece. I'm quite pleased that not only did I use up some of my Bead Stash but learned something in the process. I call this piece, Earthbound.


I hope that you have a wonderful weekend, thanks for stopping in! So until next time please don't forget, "Operation Tackle that Bead Stash" and Bead Happy!
Hugs and happy beading...
Bobbi

Beading Kits...

I have a very bad habit of buying beading kits and not finishing them or not even starting them. I know that I have 3 right now that I've purchased and they're just stashed away waiting for me to bead.
So, what better way to help Operation Tackle that Bead Stash is to also use up my Beading Kits that I have! Within the next 2 months my goal is to have all of those kits that I already have made! Plus, while still tackling my other Bead Stash and working on beautiful beadiful projects for my Bead Stash that I have.
Here' a picture of each of the three kits that I will be beading over the next 2 months.



Do you also, like me have any kits that you purchased and couldn't live without but when the kits arrived to your home some how it's now just managed to become part of your Bead Stash? If you do you may want to go and find those kits and bead them up, maybe for you to keep, a gift for someone special or even to sell.
So until next time please don't forget, "Operation Tackle that Bead Stash" and Bead Happy!
Hugs and happy beading...
Bobbi

Apart from the Bead Stash....

I also have a ridiculous amount of beading magazines and books. I get Bead & Button, Beadwork, BeadStyle, Bead Unique and Bead every issue and occasionally pick up other mags if something catches my eye. I also have a lot of books, I can't take a photo as they are packed away while we decorate. I rarely make anything from a mag these days but do frequently spend an evening going back over them for inspiration, so I do feel that I use them regularly and so they are worth buying. I did recently destash quite a few BeadStyle magazines to my work friend Sam, who is thinking of starting to make jewellery (yay, another convert!) and I plan to give some to another colleague whose mum wants to take up the hobby.

I look through my books less often so I feel that I should really try to make more use of them. I think that this weekend I will try to find some time to look through the books and make a list of 5 projects to do some stashbusting with in the next 3 months. I will list them here and track my progress. Hopefully this approach will mean that I use up a lot of beads and make proper use of my beading library.

Do you have any beading books that you don't feel you make proper use of?

Sarahx

1st Goal/Project Completed...

When I started Operation Tackle that Bead Stash the other day, I had found quite a few red beads and a Cabochon. They seemed to be calling my name to use them to make my next piece with. So, I wanted to share this necklace with you, I named it, "The Red Sea" I'm so happy now that I had gone thru and tackled some of my Bead Stash, because now I have this great necklace to show for it instead of beads and a cabochon just stashed away.

Tomorrow I'll be going thru my Bead Stash again and I'll let you know what beads will be my next new project. So until next time please don't forget, "Operation Tackle that Bead Stash" and Bead Happy!
Hugs and happy beading...
Bobbi

Some helpful links...

Here's some links that might help to use up some of our bead stash in great and beadiful ways.
This is one for the African Helix Stitch
This one is for free Delica patterns
This one is for Jewelry Making and Beading Projects
This one is from Bead and Button Magazine for Free Projects
Here's one for a Square Stitch Rosette Beaded Ornament
This one is for a Beaded Icicle
This is for Free Patterns
Here's one for a Bracelet with Paua Shell Cabochon and Seed Beads
Free patterns from A to Z
More free beading patterns
Free Peyote Patterns
Even more free Beading Patterns
Here's one for a beautiful Necklace
Bead Tree Tutorial
This one is for Bead Crochet
Here's many different Tutorials
Here's one for a beading glossary

I hope that these links will be helpful to you in using your bead stash up and making beautiful beaded pieces!
So until next time please don't forget, "Operation Tackle that Bead Stash" and Bead Happy!
Hugs and happy beading...
Bobbi

Great Book For Stashbusting Ideas.

Seed Bead Stitching by Beth Stone has some great projects that I think would work really well for using up leftover beads and those small amounts off accent beads that we buy even though we know they aren't quite enough for a project. Or is that just me?

Operation Tackle that Bead Stash and 1st Goal...

Hi, first I want to introduce myself and thank Sarah for having me on her team! Thanks so much Sarah I hope that I can contribute some good info and use my bead stash up in wonderful and beadiful ways! Okie dokie, here goes, my name is Bobbi Ann Cook and I'm a mother of 4 sons and a proud Maw-maw of six grand-children with the 7th on the way in June. I have 3 furry ones, Sweet Pea, Lil Lily, and Rocky. I have 3 kitties, Ashes, Gracie and Cali and a feathery friend to! I'm addicted to beading. Everything about beading! Beads are my thoughts and even in my dreams. It's my passion! I've only been beading for a few years now but have grown as a beader a artist and designer. I have a blog of my own: The Bead Goes on so you can also visit me there any time! I'm a member of the EtsyBead Street Team, have a Etsy Shop. I also have a Artfire Studio. I'm also a member of Bead Space, and a member of Bead Jewelry Making. So if you would ever like to find me, I just very well be in one of those places.
Now onto Operation Tackle that Bead Stash! I myself have to admit that I have a stash of beads that I'd much rather not speak of. I'm not really sure where they all came from, how they got here or why they aren't used yet. But it's time to put a halt on stash and put all our beads to use in some way. First I really do believe that we must somehow organize even half of our bead stash, that way we won't be over whelmed and may keep to our commitment of using most or even all of our stash in the very best manner.
So, the first thing I did was to go in one of my places that I keep my beads at and got everything out and put of it into containers. The rest I put into plastic bags which I labeled. This took me only about a hour to do and then I took a long look at what I want to make next with what I had in front of me and in what order I might like to make things in also.
So, I took a few pictures of my Bead Stash and of the containers that I used, then of the next project I'll be making with some of my stash. Oh...I can't forget about my lil helper Cali. She has to oversea most everything I do.



So until next time please don't forget, "Operation Tackle that Bead Stash" and Bead Happy!
Hugs and happy beading...
Bobbi

March Goal 1 (Sarah) - Progress

My 1st project for goal 1 is complete! That's the wonderful thing about working with size 8's you can really zip along. I alternated between add 1 outer set with an accent bead and 1 outer set with 5 size 8's. I used just over half of the tube of size 8's but very few of the bead mix. So I have now started on the 2nd project and have threaded all the remaining beads onto headpins. Looks like there will be a lot of wrapped loops in my near future!

Welcome to Bobbi!

I am really happy that Bobbi from The Bead Goes On is joining in the fun on Operation Tackle That Bead Stash! Welcome Bobbi! There is a link to members blogs on the right, please check them out!

March Goal 1 (Sarah)

My 1st goal this month is to use up one of the many tubes of purple beads (these are 8's) and this 50g bag of bead mix that was a bit of a mistake buy, there aren't really enough of each bead for the usual things that I make. My plan is to make a simple spiral stitch bracelet with the 8's as the core and randomly using the accent beads on the spiral. That probably won't use them all so I also have some leftover silver plated chain and headpins that I will use up the rest with to make a charm bracelet, which I have never made before!

Welcome to Operation Tackle that Bead Stash!

Well it's finally happened, my stash has morphed from ridiculous to mildly horrifying! It doesn't look too bad in this picture but trust me when I say, it's big and that's not quite everything!

A member on the UK Beader's Forum recently started a thread to post your seed bead stash, so today I thought I would organise mine and post to the board. I thought it would maybe take me half hour, it took over 2 hours! As I was labelling up each box I became more and more embarrassed at the amount of beads I have had for a long time and have not used. It's got to the point where I just don't have anymore space for new beads until some of this lot has been used up.

So I had a little think and came up with a plan to Tackle that Bead Stash!

I would love some company so please let me know if you would like to join me and I will make you a member of Team Tackle that Bead Stash!

I have set up this blog to post goals for using up the stash and keeping track of progress. Goals can be whatever you want them to be, using leftovers from other projects, creating something with a strand you have had forever, whatever you want!

I will also be posting about projects and ideas that I think are great stashbusters and would love to hear yours!

I will be posting my goals for this week later today. In the meantime take a look at your stash and see if there are some beads you would like to finally use and join in!

Sarahx