The Beaded Branch's Dirty Secret...

In this post I am revealing the The Beaded Branch's Dirty Secret.

WARNING: Some of the photos might cause some people a great amount of anxiety, and stress, due to a TOTAL lack of organization!!!

After reading a bunch of the forums on Etsy, I started seeing all these people that had great crafting spaces, organized, clean, and neat.

I became jealous.

Here at The Beaded Branch we don't have one nice, neat craft area. We have four areas designated for our business that is comparable to a craft bomb going off in the middle of my house.

Here's the first area, the screened in porch. This is one of the favorite places to work for me and my hubby, especially during the fall and spring. In winter in can get really cold, and in the summer it can get really hot. But those are problems easily dealt with. However, right now, it is a mess, in dire need of organization and cleaning, as can be seen here:

As you can see from these pictures, life is NOT rosy. If you look close, there is a rotary tool stand and a bench vise that are waiting to be attached to the table. There are catalogs and magazines stacked all over the table, along with mail and trash that we were too lazy to throw away. SHAME ON US!!!!

On to problem area number two, the computer area, in the living room.

The computer area, is needless to say, a mess. Nothing has been filed. It's all piling up and I'm pretty sure that we're all going drown in paper eventually. There are even jewelry parts hiding in the wreckage of the paper avalanche. Disorganization at its finest!!!! Hang our heads in shame, once again.

Onto the third area, and can you tell that it's just getting worse. Hold onto your hats! Here's the dining room table horror:

Repulsive, isn't it? Piles of supplies, beads, tools, displays, and paperwork piled up on half the table (thank goodness our kids have their own table that they eat at, or in their high chairs!). That's a microwave cabinet over there in the corner on the left. THAT is supposed to be my workstation outside the office. You'll notice that it, too is covered in random "stuff" that needs to be sorted through and thrown out. I also have a jewelers tool chest on top, but there's nothing in it right now. FOR SHAME ON ME!!!!

And now, onto the greatest horror show of disorganization of all. The office. What is supposed to be my studio. My haven. My workplace, where I can go, shut the door, shut out the world, and create to my heart's content. Yeah. Right.

Ever try to create in a space like this? Our office has become a catchall for all sorts of junk, toys that need to be repaired, half finished projects, clothes that need to be repaired, jewelry supplies and tools, and goodness knows what all.

THIS IS GOING TO CHANGE!!!!

After seeing many organized, beautiful craft spaces, I have made a New Year's resolution to get this organized, de-stashed, stuff thrown out, and everything streamlined.

So why am I revealing The Beaded Branch's dirty secret? Because, I am going to chronicle right here on this blog everything that I do to get things back in working order!

Keep checking back for updates on Project "Clean Up This Godforsaken Mess!!!", and all the steps that happen as I travel down the road of organization.

Have a good evening, and I hope the pictures weren't to frightening.

Coming Soon: The Beaded Branch's Dirty Secret!!

Hopefully, today or tomorrow I will be releasing the dirty secret of The Beaded Branch. Follow us, so that you can find out what it is!!!!!

New Pieces Coming, I promise!!!!

Hello all! Teri here! Yes, it's been awhile since I've posted. On my Facebook page I have been saying for ages (or so it seems) that I'm creating new jewelry. Well, here are some pictures to prove that I have been busy.

Here are pieces that are finished, they just are waiting their turn in front of the camera for a formal portrait!

Here are some pieces that are waiting to be strung, either with beads, on chains or on velvet:

And here are some pieces that are waiting for their backings, trims, and what-have-you.

We won't even get into all the supplies sitting around waiting to be played with!!!

As soon as I am over this darn cold (ugh...) I will be back into the studio (okay, my dining room table and living room couch) making more pretties. I will set up links as soon as the jewelry is listed, whether it's on Etsy or at the Palmyra Country Store. Check back soon!

More info on the Palmyra Country Store

The Palmyra Country Store is a great little place located right outside the gates of Lake Monticello, located in Palmyra, Virginia. The building used to be the Lake Centre Pharmacy, for those of you who know the area. It is owned and run by a great couple, Bob and Janice Ullenbruch. They had a dream of a bulk food store and ice cream parlor, both of which were needed in this area. They took this dream, ran with it, and meeting with success headon.

Not only do they serve ice cream and sell bulk dry goods, but they also have an area set aside, which they refer to as the "Living Room". A comfy couch and chairs, a coffee table with magazines and newspapers, and coffee being sold for 75 cents a cup, with the proceeds being donated to local charities. It's a great place to relax.

The couple also saw a chance to help out the community in another way. Since there are few craft fairs in Palmyra during the spring, winter, and fall, they decided to also start helping out the local craft artisans in the area, by selling pieces on consignments. They now sell stained glass, woodwork, quilts, rag rugs, purses, soap, baskets, and, of course, jewelry. (Hint, hint)

New products are coming in almost daily, and it's always wonderful to go up and see what new things have been added.

While Melanie gave directions to the store (thanks Melanie!!!), I do have a Google map posted on our website, also. CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE MAP.

This store is worth a special trip, especially if you're looking for that one special ingredient for something, a dish of ice cream, or a special gift for someone.

Cookie Sheets and Crafting...

One thing I forgot to mention, if you use cookie sheets for crafting, please make sure, for safety sake that they are CRAFT DEDICATED. DO NOT USE THEM FOR COOKING!!!!!!!!!

Cookie Sheets and Jewelry Crafting

I had answered a question on Cyndi Lavin's Beading and Jewelry Blog (link is above), and figured I could expand on it, at least a little bit. So, here goes!

What do cookie sheets have to do with jewelry crafting? A lot, actually. Cookie sheets, to me, are one of the most perfect tools someone with an interest in the creation of crafting jewelry can have.
Why?
The possiblities are completely endless, and they are so helpful in a huge variety of mediums.
Beading, metal clay, polymer clay, and altered art media are just a few areas where they can be utilized.

In beading, they can be used as beading trays. The beads will roll around a lot, I hear some of yo thinking. True, but if you place a handtowel in the cookie sheet, the towel will hold the beads in place. Most cookie sheets have a lip all the way around, which will help keep the beads on your work surface. Also, they are generally large enough to hold the tools you will need for a given project.
Are you working on more than one project at a time? This happens to me a lot. Inspiration will strike before I'm done with one project, so I try to gather all the supplies I will need for the next, to keep the idea in my head. Or someone will have a strand of pearls they need to have restrung, or a piece of jewelry they want repaired, or a custom order they want me to fill. After I've gathered all the supplies I will need for the second (or third or fourth) project, I will put the supplies into its' own cookie sheet, and then put it on a shelf.
Each project I work on gets it's own cookie sheet. The cookie sheets are then stacked, in order that they need to be finished. Sometimes I'm even organized enough to put a tag with the start date on the cookie sheet, or some other information, like a type of bead I'm missing, or some other notation I will need for future reference. Once a tray is empty, it goes back to the bottom of the pile, just waiting to be filled up with beads, once again.
And if you really like the beading trays with grooves in them to assist with the laying out of necklaces and bracelets, most of the smaller ones will fit into a cookie sheet. The other bonus is that the cookie sheet with provide you with extra workspace, or, if you prefer working directly on the bead tray, the cookie sheet will provide you with a little extra stability, since sometimes those bead trays are a little too flexible.
To be continued tomorrow.