A treasure trove of necklaces

I was given some beads. My best friend had been having a clear-out in her craft room, and gave me some things she no longer had need of. Among them were what she described as "some leftover beads". She evidently buys in bulk, as her leftovers included two giant jam-jars, one filled with black seed beads, the other with golden bugle beads.

I'm impressed (not to mention extremely grateful for the windfall!). Whenever I buy seed beads, it is by the 28g tube. I don't think I have ever seen so many beads all together.

She also gave me a large bag of featherweight silver headpins. And a bag of short golden eye-pins. And a bag of plastic crystal bi-cone seed beads. And a bag of..... well you get the idea. I'm a very lucky lady to have such a generous friend, and suddenly I had a heap of materials and inspiration.

So I set to making some necklaces - playing with ideas, indulging myself with this unexpected glut of beads. I've quite enjoyed the experience of creating without restraint. Usually I'm a fairly frugal crafter, making the most of every scrap. However, with this amount of raw material I am able to be completely indulgent and just play with ideas. Sometimes I am making small samples of designs to learn techniques, sometimes I just keep adding beads until an idea turns into a completed necklace.

So far I'm up to nine bead-heavy completed pieces; quite a little treasure trove. Most of all I am excited, and a little daunted, to see that there is no noticeable reduction in the materials. Better go and get back to work!

Hx