Then and Now….Bead Boards

Bead boards.  I don’t know a beader that can live without one (or two or three).  This is my very first bead board from approximately ten years ago.

Antiques Road Show, here I come!! I don’t know if this picture really captures how recessed the slots are.  Crazy deep!  These beads aren’t goin’ anywhere!  I’ve determined this board is perfect for a giant who likes to string beads or for lining up felt balls.

Ha, I just found another picture of it that I took in Suzhou (the old town I used to live in) with the original packaging.  Wow, that surely ups the value fifty cents.  Guess, I didn’t use it too much.  On another note, how this thing ended up in Ch!na with me I’ll never know.  I do recall getting a little delirious at packing time though. 

Now here we are ten years later after some refining….

Amazing, isn’t it?  They kept the bead board gray which is perfect to design on because it’s neutral.  The grooves keep your beads accessible and from rolling away.  The measurements around the grooves are accurate.  Lastly, there are some nice sized slots to hold bags and components.  Thank you to our industry people for making the bead board.  It is a super tool!

It wouldn’t be Then and Now, if I didn’t pull something out from my I remember when… jewelry files. 

Here we have a Candie Cooper Bead Soup original, circa 1995.  I’ve always loved picking beads from my loose bead bowl and stringing them.  I still love buying unique beads like the fish and elephant.  Some things never change.  But, now for the painful part…

Speaking of refining!  Holy Cow, what the H E double hockey sticks was I doing?!?!?!  Knot it, no, crimp it, no, knot it, no, BOTH!  Did I mention I taught myself to bead?  Clearly, I was determined to keep the beads from coming off the wire.  Poor clasp.  I do remember having troubles choosing the right stringing material when I first started. 

That concludes our torture for today.  What?  You’re thirsty for more?  Then go check out Katie and Linda’s Then and Now posts.