treasure hunting or the way I work

One of my least favorite part of beading is that feeling right after I've completed something. The 'oh, no, what's next' feeling.

One of my absolute favorite parts of beading is matching up beads with each other.

So I go and find a bead or strand of beads to work with and then it's a treasure hunt from there.

This is a short version as I don't remember everything I picked up and discarded, but I'd say that I only keep one out of four things that I look at.

But it goes something like this . . .

These amethysts were great in that last necklace but I pulled too many off the string can I use them? With what . . . Ohh this fabulous Lutrick tab, didn't I buy that for me? . . . oh well, but what goes with it? These purple glass? Too dark and clear and modern.

More raku? Sure.

This raku lampwork? Too dark.

What's this down on the bench? Red (forgot I had that), silver leaf agate (these go together and I should put them with the other sla I had out earlier) green! Ooh soft serpentine. Nice. (Smiles are a good sign. Means it's a sure thing, a definate go, a must do.)

What about this last rhococrosite bead? Prettiest I've ever seen, and I bought them for me, but I used some of them already. This one was left over. In the hand it goes.

Must have silver. What about this darker loner and the shiny ones?

Bone? Too something . . . (a grimace or a wrinkly nose is a bad sign . . . back up it goes)

One of my all-time favorite porcelain beads from Egypt, running low and hoarding now.

Blue agate? Too blue.

No chips . . .

Ah! That bowl of ancient Roman beads I bought a few weeks ago-- four of them work.

Mother of pearl from my beading tray. Nice banding, works great with the cream. Why not the pearls too?

One big verdigris round to match this swirl.

Moonstone? Maybe. A couple floating pieces of rose quartz (floating around the tray, on the table, on three of my work mats that is. Translation. I'm bad a putting stuff up.)

Missing something . . . something rustic and purpley. Turkish wound glass.

I put it together and I have beads here that I've had for *years*, so long I don't remember when or where or why I bought them. Beads that I bought on sale. Beads I bought for me. Beads I bought for friends wedding projects. Beads I bought because they were old. Beads from around the world. Beads from friends. Beads I got in assorted packages. Beads I hand picked in bead stores I'll probably never see again.

I love that part. If you want a closer look at Treasure, it's here.

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