time2cre8 ... from my Bead Hoard

I know a lot of beaders, and therefore I know that a lot of us share the same habits when it comes to beads...  we hoard.  It doesn't start out as our intention (at least I don't think it does), but as we see all those beautiful little bits of glass, metal, and clay, we just can't resist them.  All we can think about is how pretty they are and all the lovely things we could make to use that beady goodness.

But then time comes into play.  There's never enough of that, it seems, so we pack those pretty beads away carefully to be used another day.  And then we see more pretty beads.  And we have to have them.  But we don't have time to use them.  And they're packed away.  And the cycle continues...

For someone like me, who's been happily beading away for about nine years now, the bead hoarding begins to reach astronomical proportions.  I resist the urge to buy new beads, no matter HOW pretty they are (we won't even talk about the gorgeous lampwork hearts I bought yesterday... ahem).  I make resolutions for myself to use beads from my "stash" rather than buying new beads, and sometimes I'll actually go to my stash and grab some beads after spending a couple of hours ogling beads online.  Sometimes.

So why all this talk of bead hoarding?  I'm throwing down a challenge to my fellow beaders -- go dive into your bead hoard, your own personal stash, and pick out some beads you've had stored away for a future project.  Choose some you've had for a long time, some that haven't seen the light of day in years.  Then make something with them and show it off!  Post pictures to your blog or your Facebook page, and tell everyone how good it feels to use some of your bead hoard.  Maybe we can all find and support each other if we tag our creations with #beadhoard.

Here's a little something to inspire you -- I just finished this bead crochet rope, which I've named  Tutku, a Turkish name that means "passion."  The rope is crocheted from cream colored pearl finish Czech seed beads that look like spun honey, and the focal beads I used for the ends of the lariat (the beads that inspired the Turkish name) are polymer clay beads made by DDee Wilder.  I've had the polymer clay beads for four or five years now, so long that I even forgot I had them until I went through my bead hoard.  I think they deserve to see the light of day, don't you?  :-)