Have a great beading idea, technique or time-saving tip? View helpful tips from other beaders and submit your own to share with the worldwide jewelry-making community.
Beading Resources > Simple Tips
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Have a great beading idea, technique or time-saving tip? View helpful tips from other beaders and submit your own to share with the worldwide jewelry-making community.
Beading Resources > Simple Tips
Fire Mountain Gems and Beads - One Fire Mountain Way, Grants Pass, OR USA 97526-2373
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2013
Fire Mountain Gems and Beads, Inc. All rights reserved.
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- Elaine from the U.S.
- Artie from Texas
- Elaine from Colorado
- Karen
- Christina from Florida
- Brandy from Texas
Recycling plastic containers for 'pony' beads I recycle the plastic containers from my cockatiel's food supplements to store pony beads (regular size and mini) along with other supplies. The clear plastic (after removing the label) makes for easy viewing and the screw-on caps fit snugly.
- Sarah from California
- Wendy from Massachusetts
- Ayshea from Virginia
- China from Indiana
I made a bean bag tray to use while beading in bed or watching TV. It sits nicely on your lap or whatever as the beans help to form a cushion that fits anything. It has helped a lot for not spilling, which is everyone's dread.
- Barb from Idaho
First of all, I am only three weeks into beading and wow! The bead box system I finally settled in with had 58 boxes contained in the carry box. I do ALPHA beads so things have to be lined up. I raided my kitchen cabinets for the step shelves for storing soda cans. I used VELCRO to secure my tiny bead boxes in place on the shelves. I now have three sets of steps with perfectly organized and displayed bead boxes. The boxes can be closed and the system can be neatly and quickly put away.
- Lynda from South Carolina
When I am finished assembling a necklace, I bag every little bead left over, including a few more from the original bead selection, and then place the bag in a basket. When I feel like making earrings, I take out each bag and create as many earrings possible that would match that necklace. I use every bead from one batch to make an assortment of earrings, bracelets, and accents that would match the original necklace.
- Veronica from Oklahoma
When you have a design idea, but not the time to get to it right away, put the components in a small container (like a plastic medicine bottle) and label what it will be. If you have a photo or directions, put them in there too. This can save a lot of time, and hair pulling, if you have everything ready to just pick up and go!
- Ronnie from Florida
For cheap and creative earring display, simply use a wire mesh wastebasket turned upside down. This works exceptionally well for hook earrings and if you look in the right places you can find rubber coated wire mesh bins in neat colors.
- Christie from British Columbia
I use empty clear spice jars. You don't need to write what is in them since you can see what's already there. It is a great time saver.
- Kaz from Australia
Coin tubes are great for bead storage. They are clear, come in different sizes and have screw on caps.
- Maureen from Idaho
For keeping beads organized, I use a storage cabinet that is supposed to be for nuts and bolts. It is located in the automotive department. It keeps everything organized nice and neat, and it transports very nicely.
- Beth from South Carolina
Use teacher's pocket charts with clear vinyl fronts to organize and store small bags of beads and findings. Attach them to coat hangers with swivel hooks to store many in your closet or turn the hook to hang it over a door. I also keep my beads in the original Fire Mountain bags with the sticker tag for easy reordering.
- Ed from Washington
I use the small plastic cups with peel-off lids, like applesauce cups, to sort beads for projects and to give away when teaching a beading class. A local pizza place puts salad dressing in small clear or opaque cups with clear lids that are great to organize pony beads by color for classes for kids. I use 2x4-inch dense black foam that came from a shipping container and stick my T-pins in the end of the rectangular foam for storage. Then I place my thick paper earring cards on the foam to punch the holes for the earwires without bending the cards. My sister encouraged me to get a small bookcase with several shelves to store my 40 or more 12-compartment storage containers on their sides, labeling each container by color or type of beads in that container.
- Ann from Illinois