Saturday, May 22, 2010

Remember the song "Bo Jangles"?

I don't know exactly why this bracelet made me think of that song but here it is. "Bo Jangles"


 I think all the dangles and chain inspired a tambourine like sound in my head.  
I can't remember to take my memory herbs so why would I remember where I got these rich swirly colored and textured beads but now that I have used them I want more!! 
I am trying to get serious about making an inventory of my supplies and suppliers so I don't end up in this situation.  Organization is not a natural state for me but I truly need it in my life.  It is little things like this that remind me how helpful it would be to keep the flow going. 
My first contest!! 
I would love to hear from you:  
How do you organize your supplies and suppliers?
I will randomly select a winner from all the people who leave comments and helpful tips regarding this issue here on my blog.
The Prize:
Two of my two -sided flower beads!  
Here is the front
and here is the back

I have not drilled the holes in these yet so the Winner will have a say where he/she would like said holes. 
So post your Tips.  
I will announce the winner here on Sunday, June 6th.
The winner will need to contact me with shipping info so I can mail them their fabulous prize.

11 comments:

  1. Hi Heather, I am a natural-born clutter-bug! I collect and horde stuff. I have a lot of trouble keeping organized (who and i kidding -- I have trouble GETTING organized!) One of the things I have done this past year is sto try and organize my beads. I have a rolling cart with drawers for for the different color families of beads: blues/greens, red/pink/orange, black/white/grey, etc. It has helped a lot, but with artist beads, I try to keep them together with the artists' name and card with them. It is not a perfect system, but it is a start.

    I hope you find a system that works for you.

    Emanda
    your bead buddy!

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  2. Hi Heather, My worktable is usually in a state of organized chaos, I know where each and every bead is and who it came from! I do have rolling carts for storage, but I now want a wooden tool bench with drawers from Harbor Freight. Keeping organized is a challenge, one that takes consistent and persistent vigilence in putting things away when one is done with them!

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  3. Special beads put in a special place and labeled. This is my suggestion. Now, if I would only stop being distracted by this beautiful bead and that inspiring idea!!!

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  4. Gorgeous beads! Organization comes a little more naturally for me because I move so often...I have to keep things in their place so I can find them! haaaaaaaaa But, the best things about organizing? Making little labels with my little label maker and fondling all the pretty beads!!!! Jen

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  5. Unfortunately no help here, because all my stuff is always in a state of chaos. But I love your work:-)

    regards Stefanie

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  6. Being organized is an ongoing challenge, isn't it? I also use a rolling cart, and buy the plastic boxes to put in the drawers. It's all good until I go shopping again and have no new cubbyholes! Miss you! Your birthday buddy, Mary

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  7. I work alot with seed beads and had them organized by size. Didn't work. Last year, I moved everything out of the tubes, etc. that they cam in and organized by color. Din't work. I now have my seed beads in in 8x8 drawers - Row one vertically by size, horizantally by color - with sizes ranging from 15 to six. Works!!!!! I am still in the process of putting away beads - will store drops, cubes pearls, crystals and bugles in their own boxes. Larger beads and random beads are still store by color in large flat fishing tackle boxes. I can pull the tops off of these and line them up so I can see what I have.

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  8. Love the beads! There are two of us who work in our studio. I am the messy one and mom is the organized one. My workstation looks like a tornado hit it and her workstation is nice and organized. We do have places for our moretti and boro glass, the accent beads, stringing and wire material, but that was all mom's doing. If I had my way it would be all over the place but in an organized chaos sort of way.

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  9. Have you ever seen those spice racks that are a bunch of clear top round metal boxes with magnets on the bottom that stick on a small piece of metal? Imagine that but on a wall and the sheet metal is 6 feet by six feet, with 100s of canisters of beads all where I can see them. I found the canisters and magentic tape online (cheaper than buying them ready made) and then got the sheet metal and hardware at Home Depot. Luckily I have an incredible husband who supports my whacky ideas. Some day I will have a craft room all to myself and an entire wall will be covered in sheet metal...sigh...I even dream in beads!

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  10. Always have a home for your items. Labeled containers with contents and have a permanent home for that container. I kept shuffling my items because I did not know where to put them when I was finished. When I needed something then I had to search and that created more of a mess.

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  11. I organize by color for lampwork beads and then I have special drawers for "novelty" beads like cupcakes, hearts, cake slices, etc. Anything that isn't a more typical shape.

    I think the best step to take is to take time ONCE at the beginning and have lots of drawers that you either write on with a marker or label with nice labels that list the categories in that drawer. WITHIN those two divided areas, you can then group the finishes...sterling, copper, gunmetal, etc.

    That way, a drawer marked "earring findings" really has many divisions within it but from the outside it's just one neat drawer with lots of treasures hidden inside.

    I love the cheap stacking drawers that you have to assemble from IKEA.

    For earring materials, I only have one drawer, but have it divided into two sections, one for the headpins and one for the ear hooks.

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