Teach a Kid to Bead

I taught my first jewelry making class this past November at the library where I work. It was for kids, and I planned for weeks to come up with something the 7 and under set could handle. With kids, I discovered, jewelry making is basically just bead stringing, and since I had to do the program free of charge and on a light budget, the materials weren't as fancy as I would have liked.

The kids, however, thought it was a blast, and the parents were pleased as well, which got me to thinking that maybe, someday in the future, I can offer my teaching services up again. It would be fun to have a little more leeway with funds, and to work with older kids, but even helping 4-year-olds string plastic beads fosters a sense of creativity in the kids and plants a seed of appreciation for the handmade.

Welcome to My Bead-dazzling Blog!

I love pretty things - bonus points if they in any way sparkle, shimmer or shine. I'm also fairly creative and have been on the lookout for an outlet for that creativity for years. I stumbled upon jewelry making almost by accident, writing a feature piece for a newspaper about the increasing popularity of the art/craft. I took a beginner's class as part of my research and was instantly hooked. That was two years ago, and ever since, I've been churning out pieces for myself, as gifts and even a couple of commissions.



This is the first piece I ever made, from the aforementioned class. Even though I had never done anything like it before, I think it was a pretty good first attempt. The quality of the materials I used was great, since I took the class from a bead shop, and I love the way the colors look together. I don't wear it often, but this necklace will always have significance to me, for whetting my appetite for the jewelry world.