Portrait of Tawny

Today is New Year's Eve, and I'm sure many of you have big plans to go out to some club and party with friends tonight. But before you do, please read the following story.

One September night in 1987, a man (who suffered from both mental illness and a heavy drug & alcohol addiction) was caught sneaking onstage at a Carlos Santana concert in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. He was ejected from the premises, so he decided to go to another nightclub. It is unclear what happened next. Some say the man kicked in a glass door after being refused entrance to the club. But, others disagree. Whatever happened, the man ended up getting in a violent confrontation with the club's bouncer. This man was then rushed to the hospital where he suffered from multiple face fractures, and a horrible disfigurement to his face. He also lost his right eye, and sustained irreversible brain damage. Then, he slipped into a coma and was put on life support. Soon after, it was apparent that his brain was no longer functioning, and his family made the difficult decision to remove him from life support. After he was removed from life support, the man's heart kept beating for 3 hours.
He died at the age of 35.

This man was jazz bassist Jaco Pastorius. Not only was Jaco a musical genius, but he was also most likely the world's greatest bass player. He is remembered for his unique style and amazing technique on the fretless bass, and his influence on modern electric bass playing is widely recognized. Jaco will never be forgotten...

So, before you go out, get intoxicated, and do something stupid tonight, remember that story...

Here's Jaco playing "Portrait of Tracy" for Tawny. In this piece, Jaco uses both natural and false harmonics to extend the range of his bass. Enjoy=:)
(If you don't have speakers for your 'puter, I suggest you go out and buy them now.)

Here's a closer look at Tawny Bear's portrait. I just finished the first layer of bead embroidery, and now, I've started the second layer starting with Tawny's nose. I stitched on tiny beaded fringe for her whiskers. These fringes actually move when you touch them. I might also do a 3rd layer there, but I'm not quite sure yet.

Lastly, I hope that Jaco's story stays with you, but more importantly, I hope that you take the time to check out some of his music.
Together, we can keep his legacy alive.

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Dog Walkin' Blues

For the past couple of weeks, I've been feeling a little blue, and I'm not exactly sure why. I know that I usually feel blue right after Christmas every year like clockwork. I think it's because at the end of the year, I always think about what I didn't accomplish over the past 12 months. Or, I think about how I spent the entire month of December preparing for Christmas, and then it's over in the blink of an eye. Or, I think about how I dislike New Year's Eve because I never have anything planned other than work. And, of course, I'm never looking forward to the day that W-2's arrive in my mailbox and I have to start thinking about taxes.... Thinking about all of those things depresses me.

But, for some reason, the blues came a little early this year... Oh well. Hopefully, this feeling will pass. I guess I'll just keep doing beadwork while Eric Clapton sings for Tawny.... But first, I'm gonna go grab a beer...

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Just One of Those Sofas

I think it's wonderful that so many of you are getting involved with this project, and I appreciate all of your ideas regarding who should come to visit my beaded Airedale, Tawny Bear. However, I'd like this part of the series to be a bit different....

Since I graduated from Berklee College of Music, on rare occasions, I do listen to jazz. Although I was never a jazz player myself, I certainly appreciate it because improvisation is indeed a true art form. So, today's guest is one of my favorite jazz artists, Art Blakey.

Art Blakey was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He was born in Pittsburgh, PA in 1919 and he lived until 1990. He was one of the inventors of modern bebop- style of drumming, and he was known for his powerful grooves. His hard bop style of drumming had a profound influence on mainstream jazz. Art's band, The Jazz Messengers, was an ever-changing group of musicians, many of which started out young and went on to become prominent names in jazz.

I love Art Blakey's bluesy style, as well as his funky solos. If you have some time, check out "Hank's Symphony", "Roots and Herbs", and "Chicken An' Dumplins". I also love "Lost and Found" and "Ping Pong", as well as "Sincerely Diana", which was a song written for Blakey's wife.

Today, Art plays his solo piece "Split Skins" for Tawny Bear. Enjoy=:)

And, in the photo above, you can see how I'm mixing several different shades of seed beads to achieve Tawny's coloring. It takes me a little while to do this because I only pick up 2-4 beads at a time, depending on the direction of the stitches. It'll be worth the extra time in the long run...

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Here's Yo Couch

Many of you have enjoyed our previous musical guests, so I thought perhaps it should continue. Now, Tawny the Airedale Terrier will be our beaded subject. For those of you who have just begun to read my blog, Tawny was my dog when I was growing up. Like Rudy, Tawny also enjoyed listening to music, and here to play for her on my bead-embroidered sofa is the one & only Yo-Yo Ma. (Ma was suggested by my union brother, George:)

Yo-Yo Ma is a French-born Chinese-American virtuoso cellist, and he is perhaps one of the finest in the world. He started his career as a child prodigy, appearing on American television at age 7 in a concert conducted by Leonard Bernstein. Since then, he has played his cello with symphonies all over the world. Most people think of cellists solely as classical musicians, but Ma possesses a far more eclectic repertoire than is typical for a classical player. He has performed and recorded American bluegrass, Traditional Chinese, and Brazilian music, among other styles. He has also appeared on several children's TV shows including Sesame Street and Mister Rogers Neighborhood=:)

Above, Yo-Yo Ma is simply playing solo...

Who else should come to entertain Tawny??

Also, here is a close-up of Tawny's face. I'm using Japanese size 15 seed beads. I used a plastic babydoll button for her nose, and I've already layered her ears with a second color. Tawny has only just begun to come to life with beads=:)

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Which 5 Slides?

On Saturday, I dropped off another disc of images at Noble's Camera Shop in Hingham, MA. This time, I had them make 6 slides. I was surprised when they called me this afternoon to tell me they were ready. Noble's is quick.

Anyways, since I hadn't heard from the last show that I entered, last week, I searched around for another one. I discovered Upstream People Gallery. They hold regular Juried Online International Art Exhibitions. I was a little mad that I missed the entry deadline for their 9th Annual All Media Art Exhibition, but then I noticed the 9th Annual Realism Art Exhibition. It's open to all artists in the realistic or representational styles in all media. I emailed the gallery to ask about sales, and they responded by saying that if chosen, I would have the option of negotiating my own sales, rather than selling through their gallery. And, if a piece is not for sale, all I have to do is specify that on my application. Chosen artist's work will be represented online for an entire year.

If you have time, take a look at last year's Realism Exhibition. A handful of my favorite pieces are "Joshua" by Melissa Martinez, "Rusty Car" by Joanna Jesse, "New Bedford Whaling Museum" by Mike Mazer, "57 Chevy" by Bruce Rigby, and "On the Hood" by Phillip Windell. After viewing those, do you think that my work could perhaps fit into this category??

Entry deadline for the 9th Annual Realism Art Exhibition is Jan. 8th. If I decide to give it a shot, I can enter up to 5 slides. Above, from left to right starting at the top, are slides of the following bead-embroidered pieces: "Waiting for Dad", "The Messenger", "The Divas", "Rudy's Dream", "Great Blue Heron", and "Laguna de Flamenco". If I were to enter, I'd probably leave out the beaded flamingos, because I don't think the quality of that photo is as good as the others, but I'm not sure.
Which one would you leave out??

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It's Never Too Late

Well, Christmas Day is just about over, but I decided that it's never too late to decorate. One of my best friends knew that I didn't have a Christmas tree in my apartment, so she got me this baby tree as a gift. It measures about 8" tall, and the tag says it's a 'European Tree'. I believe that it's some type of Conifer, although I'm not sure which type. I thought it was adorable, and when I got home this evening, I decorated it with this beaded snowflake garland that I made a couple of years ago. The garland is similar to my Snowflake Lace Choker, but instead of weaving all of the snowflakes together with thread, I linked them with jump rings so that I have the option to adjust the length....

Now, it's my own special little Charlie Brown Christmas tree:)

Also, I'd like to show you this very unique gift that my sister, Julie, sent me. Customized United States postage stamps!!! And, they have a picture of my beaded 1978 Datsun pick-up truck on them!!! How cool is that???

Thanks, Ju!! I love you=:)

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Imagine...

*Kris:
"Do you know what the imagination is?"

Susan:
"Oh, sure. That's when you see things, but they're not really there."

Kris:
"Well, that can be caused by other things too! No, to me the imagination is a place all by itself. A separate country. Now, you've heard of the French nation, the British nation - well this is the Imagi-Nation. It's a wonderful place.

How would you like to make snowballs in the summer time? Eh? Or drive a great big bus down Fifth Avenue? How would you like to have a ship all to yourself that makes daily trips to China and Australia? How would you like to be the Statue of Liberty in the morning, and in the afternoon, fly south with a flock of geese?

(Susan nods, wanting to know more.)

Very simple. Of course, it takes practice. Now, the first thing you've got to learn is how to pretend..."


*An excerpt from the 1947 film Miracle on 34th St. starring Edmund Gwenn as Kris Kringle and Natalie Wood as Susan.


Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

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All Lit Up

Well, here it is. Christmas Eve. Finally, it's the day that you get to see my bead-embroidered cat that I made for EBSQ LIVE.

I entitled this piece All Lit Up. This pin measures about 1.5" x 2.5" wide. It was made with Japanese size 15 seed beads, as well as some fun holiday lightbulb beads. If you click the photo to enlarge it, you should be able to see that I've layered the cat's face and tail. The cat's tail is made up of 3 layers of long fringes that I gathered together at the ends. There is a 1.5" pin-back attached to the back. If you would like to learn how I made this little kitten, you should be able to view my entire presentation in the archives on New Year's Day.

This pin was inspired by Teia, my Aunt Nancy's cat. In 1998, my sister and I went over to her house one evening to help decorate her Christmas tree. Needless to say, I got a little creative with the lights, and Teia didn't seem to mind one bit. To this day, we still laugh about the good times we had that night. So, this little beaded cat is also a Christmas gift to my aunt.

Shhhhhh.....don't tell.....;)

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Freudian Slipcover

Sew Miaow had suggested that Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud have his turn on my bead-embroidered sofa. Freud lived from 1856- 1939, and he was seldom seen without a cigar. He was best known for his theories of the unconscious mind, such as the interpretation of dreams as source of insight into our unconscious desires. He is commonly referred to as the 'Father of Psychoanalysis'. His work has made an incredible impact on many different fields, such as psychology, philosophy, literature, and film. Although Freud was least sensitive to music than any of the other arts, here he provides a quick analysis of our previous musical guests:

Ozzy Osbourne
The psychoanalysis of neurotics has taught us to recognize the intimate connection between wetting the bed and the character trait of ambition.

Lemmy Kilmister
The tendency to aggression is an innate, independent, instinctual disposition in man... it constitutes the powerful obstacle to culture.

Slash
Civilized society is perpetually menaced with disintegration through this primary hostility of men towards one another.

Prince
The ego is not master in its own house.

Keith Richards
The mind is like an iceberg; it floats with one-seventh of its bulk hidden below water.

Beethoven
When a man is freed of religion, he has a better chance to live a normal and wholesome life.

Robert Plant
One is very crazy when in love.

Jimi Hendrix
If youth knew; if age could.

Paul Stanley
Time spent with cats is never wasted.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What is your analysis??
And, what do you think I should do with all of my paper cut-outs??

I'm almost finished with my couch cushion. Below, you can see just how much more beading I must do before I move on to the next felt shape...

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Bead It Out Loud

As you can see, I'm really having fun with this 'Celebrity Sofa Series'. And, the best part is, many of you are getting involved by sending me suggestions as to who you want to see on my beaded love seat:)

My next guests were suggested by RockDog. They are singer/guitarist Paul Stanley and drummer Peter Criss of KISS. (And, of course, they can't go anywhere without that giant lit-up sign... LOL!) KISS is an American heavy metal/glam rock band who's been around since the early 70's, and everyone recognizes their face paint, and wild costumes. Personally, I admire their glitzy style and creativity, as well as their elaborate stage productions. They are famous for fire-breathing, blood-spitting, smoking guitar solos, and pyrotechnics. When they first came out, parents were worried that their kids were listening to Satan's music, which is pretty funny when you think about it. If you listen to them now (or see them perform), they're actually quite comical:)

For those of you who didn't know this, I'd also like to point out that Paul Stanley is an artist. His designs have been seen on KISS album covers, as well as in their costumes. Now, he's back to painting again, and you can view some of his work HERE. And, coincidentally, Peter Criss' birthday was just 2 days ago. Peter was born on Dec. 20, 1945. (Happy Belated Birthday, Peter!) He is no longer with the band:(

And, just curious- when you first saw this image of KISS today, what was your initial reaction??

Here's my Scandinavian sofa all by itself. I've stitched on just over 13 rows of seed beads today. I am leaving some blank spaces, because that is where I'll eventually stitch on the other shapes of Tawny & Julie. I know it looks like I'm getting close to being done, but as we know, bead embroidery is a slooooow process...

Also, before I forget, I 'd like to point out a couple of new additions to my sidebar. First, I've finally created a banner for this blog. If you'd like to display it on your site, just copy & paste the simple HTML code that is provided. And, lastly, I finally received my Flamingo Moon back from Fire Mountain Gems the other day. They had it for an entire year! I am told that eventually, it will be published as part of one of their full-page back-cover magazine ads. You can view that piece by clicking on the Beadwork FOR SALE link in my sidebar. Enjoy:)

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Purple Beads

Here, you can see all of my purple beads. This photo makes them look blue, but in person, they look somewhat purple to me. I snapped this photo using a flash so that you can see the different shades of seed beads. I'm working mostly from the pile in the middle, and I've mixed 2 different shades of purple, which is very unlike me. And, look at the needle I'm using. It has quite the bend to it. I've been using that needle for at least 7 months now. How much longer do you think it will last??

Suggested by my friend Nina, today's guest is Jimi Hendrix. Jimi was born in Seattle, WA on Nov. 27, 1942, and he is also the first American musician who is worthy of my semi-beaded sofa:) Jimi Hendrix is considered to be one of the most influential electric guitarists in the history of rock-n-roll. Although he was left-handed, he played a right-handed Fender Stratocaster that was turned upside-down and restrung. He was also famous for playing feedback sounds during his performances. Jimi played Woodstock in 1969, and he died in London in 1970 at the age of 27.

I have a very interesting story that involves one of Jimi's songs. Recently, one of my friends was out of town, and we had been keeping in touch via text-message photos. One evening, I had the urge to take a picture of a very cool jukebox, and send it to my friend. I sent the photo with the title of the song I chose to play: The Wind Cries Mary. That's one of my favorite Hendrix songs because I love the guitar solo. Anyways, the next morning, I received a message back from my friend. He responded with a photo of Jimi saying that day would have been his sister Mary's 42nd birthday. I was stunned. I knew Mary died suddenly just 3 years ago, but I had no idea when her birthday was... As soon as I read that message, I began to cry. I'll never be able to listen to that song again without thinking about how lucky I am to still have my sister...

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Whole Lotta Beads

I suppose you were thinking about my last post regarding Beethoven. I actually researched modern-day Beethovens, and found a number of recent articles about Bono (from the band U2), which surprised me. According to the British classical music magazine Gramophone, Bono is just like Beethoven. I love U2, but I'm not sure how I feel about that... And, another thing I noticed while doing that search, is that just over a year ago, more people downloaded Beethoven than they did Bono. Interesting...I wonder if that's still the case...

Anyways, in my opinion, there is no modern-day Beethoven. But, if there were, it would be someone whose music conveys feeling in a beautifully complex and innovative way. Music that is perhaps shocking at first, then loved by all, and eventually considered timeless.

A perfect example of this would be Led Zeppelin. They were English pioneers of hard rock and heavy metal music. Pictured above, on my semi- beaded love seat, are 2 members of the band - guitarist Jimmy Page & singer Robert Plant. Why can't they be modern-day Beethovens??

And, as you can see, I still have aways to go on this love seat, even though I've already stitched a whole lotta beads onto this felt. But, the good news is, I'm done thinking about Christmas, and I hope to spend the rest of the week doing beadwork:)

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The Unfinished Sofa

Now that I've introduced you to a few modern-day rock stars, it's time for an early musician to make an appearance on my unfinished bead-embroidered love seat. In fact, it's a man who most likely owned one of these Biedermeier- style love seats in his lifetime:)

German composer Ludwig van Beethoven.

Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany on December 16, 1770, and lived until 1827. I consider Beethoven to have been one of the world's first rock stars. Here's why:

Beethoven had a rough childhood. Young Ludwig was often dragged out of bed by his drunken father who forced him to play music for his friends. Ludwig's musical talents came forth at an early age, and he gave his first performance at the age of 7. His father recognized his talent, and unsuccessfully tried to exploit his son as a child prodigy. Then, both Ludwig's mother & sister died when he was 16. He was then forced to raise his 2 younger brothers as his father's alcoholism had worsened.

Beethoven launched his career by working as a freelance composer & musician, rather than working for the Church. His music was groundbreaking in terms of both technical and emotional impact. He was also viewed as one of the most important transitional figures between the Classical and Romantic eras of Western Classical music. And, he studied with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who many consider to have been the world's first rock star.

Beethoven started to go deaf in his 20's, which led him to think about suicide, and he also experienced periods of depression. He often fought with his family, and treated others with disrespect. And, he had strange personal habits, such as wearing dirty clothing, even though he bathed frequently.

And, lastly, he became quite a public figure. When he died in 1827 in Vienna, Austria, it is estimated that somewhere between 10,000 and 30,000 people attended his funeral.

Now, after learning about Beethoven and seeing paintings of him at different stages of his life, which modern-day rock star does he remind you of the most, and why?

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Paint it Purple

The next guests on my beaded sofa are guitarist Keith Richards & bassist Ronnie Wood of The Rolling Stones. I can't imagine why they're so tired, though... I mean, The Stones have only been touring for the last 43 years... I'm tired just thinking about working one of their shows. For example, it took us almost a full 24 hours to build their stage when they played at Fenway Park in 2005, and that didn't even count the time it took to build the steel structure... :0

And, as you can see, I'm really beginning to paint my couch purple. The other day, I went back to Beadworks, and picked up a couple other shades of this color. Now, the left side will be a bit lighter than the right. You can also see where I outlined the shapes of Tawny & Julie with a fabric pen. These areas are quite large, so I don't think I'm going to stitch any seed beads there...

This week, work is slow for me, so I'm hoping to finish this love seat soon. But, first, I need to finish my Christmas shopping... :0

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On the Purple Couch

Today, I got a fair amount of beading done. I'm almost finished with the right side of the cushion of my love seat. For this section, I'm using an opaque purple, as well as a transparent matte purple:)

I love having this blog because it gives me the opportunity to express myself. And, putting paper cut-outs of rock stars on my beaded love seat is just one way to do that. You see, I'm a stagehand, and I've worked all of these artists' shows at least once - and in Ozzy's case, many times. This piece of beadwork is giving me the opportunity to show you how I think and envision things...Afterall, that is the purpose of art, correct??

That brings me to my next guest on the purple couch: Prince. He is playing guitar for Ozzy... This idea was inspired by Cynthia:)

I've worked Prince a number of times, and he puts on a very entertaining show. If you've never seen him, you will when he performs at the 2007 SuperBowl Halftime Show on February 4, 2007. My favorite part of his show is his drummer, John Blackwell. John went to Berklee College of Music and lived across the hall from me in the dorms. He is extremely technically skilled, and he plays with amazing showmanship... not to mention, he's a sweetheart:)

My next question is, what do you suppose Ozzy's thinking as Prince is sitting beside him strumming a guitar??

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Paradise Sofa

I didn't get a lot of beading done today, mostly because I've been busy preparing for the holidays. There just aren't enough hours in the day, especially around this time of year. But, I did manage to finish the lower part of my sofa cushion.

My friend Nina had suggested that Axl Rose of Guns 'n' Roses should be sitting on this love seat. I couldn't seem to find a suitable photo of Axl, so here's Slash instead. Slash was G'n'R's guitarist, and he was my favorite member of the band. Slash left the band in 1996 due to several disagreements that he had with Axl regarding the band's musical direction. So, he formed his own band, Slash's Snakepit, and Guns 'n' Roses was never the same. When I think of G'n'R, I think of the times when Slash was a member. I love his guitar solos, especially the one in the 1987 release of "Sweet Child O'Mine".

Currently, Slash and former G'n'R bassist Duff McKagan are members of the Grammy Award-winning hard rock band Velvet Revolver. Hmmm...perhaps the title of this post should have been Velvet Sofa...

And, just a bit of trivia for you - Slash was born in Hampstead, England:)

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Art of the Day

I just checked my email, and EBSQ wrote to tell me that my beaded pickup truck is the 'Art of the Day'. That means my piece is also displayed on their home page for the day. This week's theme is Beads, and I encourage you to check out the other bead art. This is the second time my art has been chosen for 'Art of the Day'. Last year, my beaded devil was chosen during a week that featured dolls:)

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Lemmy Be

Today, I happened to be in Harvard Square, so of course, I went to Beadworks. I don't make a habit of going there, because they're somewhat pricey. But, I wasn't happy with the blues I chose for my love seat, and that meant that I had to look for new colors. Here are the seed beads I chose. And, they're actually a bit more purple than this photo suggests.

When I got home, I ripped out two rows of the cushion, and started again. This is the #1 reason why you should use short pieces of thread, and work in small sections. You just never know when you might change your mind... I don't usually have to rip out my work, but today called for extreme action. If you've read my post entitled 'Fear of a Blank Canvas', you'll learn that it is completely healthy to start over again... In fact, I feel so much better now that I did that. Now, I'm using both opaque and transparent purple size 11 seed beads. Can you see the difference??

I also read your comments on my previous post, and Sew Miaow had suggested that Lemmy Kilmister should be sitting on this love seat. When I read that, I smiled:) Lemmy is the singer/bassist for the metal band Motörhead. I have always said that the British produce the world's best music, and Motörhead is no exception to the rule.

So, heeere's Lemmy...

This image is taken from the movie Down and Out with Dolls. I have never seen this movie, but I read that Lemmy plays a homeless roadie named Joe, who lives in Fauna's closet....LOL. Anyways, I was checking out Motörhead's website, and I noticed that they posted artwork created by some of their fans. You can find that page in their Picture Gallery. Very cool... And, coincidentally, last night, Motörhead played their last concert for the year in Munich, Germany.

Looks like Ozzy & Lemmy will have to fight over this sofa....
Who will be next??

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A Sofa for Ozzy

Thanks to all who attended this month's EBSQ Live! It was a wonderful experience for me. My presentation will be posted in the EBSQ archives on New Year's Day, so if you were unable to attend, you'll still be able to check it out:)

After my presentation, I cracked open an icy cold beverage and turned on Ozzy Osbourne. I love Black Sabbath, and I've been listening to them a lot lately...

Then, I continued to work on my piece. I had been wondering what color I was going to choose for the love seat cushion, and this time, I picked blue. I used size 11 Metallic Emerald/Dark Sapphire seed beads for some of the outline. And, for the front of the cushion, I'm using a mix of matte aqua and slate blue-gray. I'm going to try to blend different blues to achieve some shading...wish me luck...

Anyways, after beading to Ozzy's heavy metal music for awhile, I started to envision him sitting on this antique love seat. So, I found a photo of him and printed it out. Years ago, I watched a show on the Travel Channel that gave a tour of his home in the United Kingdom. For some reason, this style sofa reminds me of something Ozzy had. And, if he doesn't have a Biedermeier- style love seat, maybe he needs one...He looks pretty comfortable sitting there...What do you think?

Also, Ozzy's birthday was last week. He was born on Dec. 3, 1948 in Birmingham, England. Happy belated birthday, Ozzy!!

Who else do you think should own one of these love seats??

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Don't Forget...

Just a quick reminder to all who are interested:

My EBSQ Live! presentation will take place on Monday, December 11, 9pm EST in the EBSQ Chat Room. I will demonstrate the basics of bead embroidery, as well as share a few of my techniques. If you would like to attend, please read this invitation for more details.

Hope to see you there:)

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Legs to Stand On

Work has been busy. I'm still working that nutty Nutcracker everyday. The first performance is tonight, and the show runs through next week. So that means next week, I should have more time to get some beading done, as well as holiday shopping... :0

This morning, I finished beading the 'wooden' area of my antique love seat. I did not end up having enough topaz seed beads, so I ended up using 4 matte root beer bugle beads to fill this layer in. (Can you find them??) Right now, I just don't have the time or patience to run out and look for similar topaz beads. So, now, I think that these bugles may show up on a second layer...

Next, I need to figure out what color the cushion should be...

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Seed Bead Heaven

A catalog from a company called Seed Bead Heaven arrived in my mailbox yesterday. They actually contacted me when they saw Rudy's Dream in this month's Bead & Button Magazine, and asked if they could send me a catalog... I asked if they carry size 15's, which is what I use the most. Each tube of Japanese size 15's contains approximately 5400 beads. I took a look at their Frequently Asked Questions, and it says that is equal to 30 grams. Depending on the color, I still think Fire Mountain Gems has better prices...

As you can see, I sort of have a little 'seed bead heaven' of my own, and here's where I store it. In a rolling 4-drawer storage unit from IKEA. It also has a white top, in case I feel like doing any beading or sorting of colors there...

All of my seed beads are in the second drawer down.

As you can see, I could stand to do some organizing... Usually, when I'm looking for colors, I just dig around until I find a suitable one, which is what I'll be doing very soon. I'm going to have to decide on a color for the cushion part of my Scandinavian love seat.

Back to working on my latest piece:)

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