Today I went in search for focal beads. I ordered recycled paper beads from Project Have Hope (check out my post). I picked out single color mixes of beads in red, blue, pink (PINK - I KNOW!), and purple. It's deeply satisfying discovering beads in the random mix, but a bit onerous. So I decided this time to get more specific. I chose blue - well because I love blue. It's cool when you can still see some of the text on them. Purple is another favorite color. Red works well with a number of beads I already have. And pink.. well it's not my favorite but it's growing on me, and I want to design for you - not just me.
When the purple beads arrived, this is what greeted me: a bowl of the purple recycled paper beads I received from Project Have Hope.
It's a lovely mix from pastel purple, to lilac, to grape. The beads I like best are the ones with striations - character. They will play a nice backdrop to a focal bead - which now I need to find.
I decided to visit a store I had only been to once before called Rare Earth Beads, Crystals, Rocks & Gifts located in Durham NC. If you have an obsession with crystals, this may be a great or a bad place to visit - depending on your account balance. The moment you walk in, you're surrounded - crystals in every size, shape, and color, catching the light from every surface. It's a lot, in the best possible way.
The first time I was there was as a birthday present from a friend - he was feeding my bead addiction. Originally, I was overwhelmed, given it's such a small store - my little tray in my hand. I found it to be a treasure trove at every turn.
Off to the side of the store is a room where there's a selection of string beads on discount. I spent a lot of time in there on my first trip. But now I have plenty (who's kidding - there's never enough) of round 8mm beads - which are the standard for beading. Today though I found a string of jasper and (blue) jade that were rectangular. To add dimension to the item they will find home eventually.
However today I was not looking at the crystals - and I wasn't (necessarily) looking for strings of beads - I was searching for larger beads - to be the focal of my bracelets with the recycled paper beads. In the front of the store there is a section of loose beads, organized by color for those of us who couldn't name them but love them. I brought a small selection of the paper beads with me as reference - preplanning my beading is not a strong suit of mine.
Walking down, gazing at all the lovely beads. But unfortunately today, most of them were small beads. I was tempted by a bowl of vintage beads I saw, nonetheless I was trying not to get off task.
Finally, I saw a bowl of chevron amethysts. The mix of lights and darks — like smoke and embers. I picked one that would be an excellent addition to any bracelet. But wait, around the corner of the table, there was a bowl of irregular shape amethyst pieces. I found one that even the divots in its surface I found charming. Yep one also found its way onto my tray.
Regrettably I couldn't find a suitable focal for the red, blue and pink. Another day, another trip perhaps.
Another piece to the puzzle. What will the beads say to me - which beads will marry harmoniously on the wire? Well that, my lovely, is another story.