CraftyHope

Bead Box 19(ish) Stocked

Confession - this isn't really number 19, as it's been over two years since I shared one of my bead boxes and have gone through a few since then. But I left off with 18, so here we are.

If you're new around here, let me quickly explain. Basically, I like to keep a supply of jewelry designs at the ready for when I travel, need to sit with a family member, or just need to make some jewelry and don't have the time or inspiration to come up with something new. I stash the components for each design inside a basic plastic craft organizer and call it my Bead Box. Here's a look at what this version looks like.

And, here's a better look at what I've packed into each of the compartments.

1 - You may be able to tell by the number of beads and the button that this is going to be a bright yellow bracelet with some black accents. The Chinese crystal beads in the center will be used to make a loop for the button closure and to separate the other yellow beads.

2 - Obviously, these will become a simple pair of earrings. I'll admit that for some of the earrings in this box, it probably took more time to pack them up and photograph them (then pack them again) than it will be to make them. Ha!

3 - I'm super excited about this pair of earrings. They'll be great for Halloween or really anytime for those who love a little spook. The skull beads will receive a crown of bead caps while the blood-red beads dangle below.

4 - Though there are really only a few types of items here, this necklace will keep me busy for a long while. The wood flower and brass ring, along with several of the beads, will make up the focal for a LONG beaded necklace. I'll use some aged brass-colored wire to connect the beads with wrapped loops.

Soooo....I've already made most of the above pieces (though the necklace is still in the works).

And, the two below were completed in a YouTube video that you can watch on my channel.

5 - I was encouraged to make more bright, summery pieces, so this one came together with that in mind. I cut wonky circles from brightly-colored tin containers, punched holes, and filed/sanded them before riveting them together. I simply need to add some lemon yellow bellflower beads as dangles to them.

6 - These are the elements for a beaded bracelet with a button and loop closure. I really love this style because it's so easy to put on and take off. It's definitely a favorite design - and one I previously shared in May (OOF!) But they're fun to whip up.

7 - This almost seems like too much for a pair of earrings. And they will likely be a longer pair. I plan to hang the tin pieces inside the rings (after I wrap the pink beads around the rings). These should be stunners, hopefully.

8 - It's not often that I "steal" from another artist. But when I happened upon these little acrylic flowers in my stash, I remembered a super cute bracelet I'd seen from Lorelei Eurto that might be fun to make. We'll see how it comes together.

9 - These are going to be some purple-y, flowery earrings. I don't have my notes in front of me and am now puzzled as to why there are so many jump rings. We'll both have to wait and see!

10 - Honestly...did I really need to pack these? Super simple, pretty earrings are planned.

11 - This necklace is definitely going to be less simple. I completely forgot that I snagged a couple of these spinner hearts from B'Sue's Boutique a few months back. I feel like it doesn't need much more. So, cultured sea glass beads and lots of brass findings are what I grabbed.

12 - I can't wait to pull these cutie earrings together. Granted, I already got a start by adding the tin ovals to the rings, but there's still a little more to do.

13 - Oh heavens, this will just be a simple stacked pair of earrings. But, I need to make the ear wires with the eye pins. So, that'll keep me busy a little longer.

14 - I am just going to WHIZ through some of these designs. I honestly packed this box to take with me when I went out of town and knew that my time would be limited. So, I don't think I was very concerned with how easy some of these are going to. At least I'll have lots of jewelry done quickly!

15 - This is a weird color palette for me. But I think the two larger pieces were sitting near each other in my drawer, so I went with it for a necklace design...we'll see.

16 - I'm actually thrilled to be using some of these acrylic flowers that have been in my stash for a long, long time. I'm hoping to get the little yellow beads (yes, some of the same from my first design) to dangle from the inside of the flowers. Wish me luck!

17 - After so many colorful designs, I decided to finish out this box with a more subtle bracelet. It's just going to be a mix of beads on beading wire.

And, that's it for this box.

If you're interested in seeing the previous ones, here's the long list of them.

Hopefully I'll have the reveal of these designs for you soon.

What's What (Vol. 5 - June 12-28)

Alas, it seems I couldn't "stay on the ball" with these posts as I had hoped. But that's okay...it just means that there's more for me to share with you.

What's Finished

My last post gave you a sneaky peek at June's Inspiration Trove project inspired by the prompts: slides, treasures, and clock. The link above will take you to the video of the whole, long process.

What's in Progress

Day 18 of ICAD

Index-Card-A-Day (ICAD) is in FULL SWING. As always, I'm enjoying the results of the challenge. But I almost feel like it's taking me more time to get the cards done than usual. I'm definitely overthinking it but also enjoying the fruits of this labor and the experimental nature of creating every single day.

Day 26

As well, I've been working some on Halloween pieces - though nothing is actually finished. I'm hoping to start on Christmas soon, so I'd better put a fire under my butt!

What's up next

Besides Christmas makes (ornaments & cards), I'm planning to finish up my Keep It Spicy Art Journal video today so that it should be available tomorrow.

As well, we're prepping to have friends over for swimming on the 4th of July.

What's caught my eye

Is it any surprise that I spotted a little bag of buttons at a local antique mall? And, for only ONE DOLLAR!! I was pleasantly surprised to find so many mother-of-pearl buttons in it.

What's had my attention

We've had a lot of rain and heat recently, so I've had my eye trained on the weather app more than usual.

But, as far as fun stuff - I finished reading The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett. IT.WAS.SO.DARN.GOOD!!!

- The hubs and I just finished rewatching the second season of House of the Dragon as the third one just started. If you're unfamiliar, it's a Game of Thrones spin-off on HBO.

What's filled my cup

After it rained for something like four days straight, I came off the back porch to find that the husk of a dead bamboo tree was covered in clusters of these little mushrooms. I can't tell you how tickled I was.

What's new

Just a few days after my last post, I took some time to re-organize and freshen my space at Hello Gallery in downtown Fairhope. I encourage you to go check out the whole shop if you're ever in the area! It's so bright and cheery. And, there are so many amazing artists displaying their beautiful works.

If you're interested in watching a week-in-my-life and seeing my face, there's a fairly new June VLOG available on YouTube.

That's it for now, I need to get to everything else on my long list.

What's new with you?

What's What Vol. 4 (May 18-June 11)

I knew this would happen. I'm just a few weeks back into blogging, and things went awry. Let's see if I can knock out a little bit of a catch-up without going too crazy.

What's Finished

As I wrote the last blog, I was working on my May Inspiration Trove Assemblage project. You can watch the video, and the piece is now available at Hello Gallery in downtown Fairhope for sale.

As well, the 100-Day Project came to an end, and I finished strong by completing this little stitch (and stitched) pouch. You can get a better look at it in my reel on Instagram.

What's in Progress

Here's a sneaky peek at this month's Inspiration Trove project. (Any guesses as to the prompts I pulled? One is pretty obvious.) And, of course, ICAD has begun!

This is yesterday's card that used the Glossy prompt.

What's Up Next?

In the next few hours, I should be pulling the sentiment(s) for June's Finding the Words art journaling. If this interests you, here's the full playlist to explore. As well, there's more index card altering to do, of course. I had hoped to do a vlog this month, but I've been crazy busy and caught a cold in the midst of it all. So, we'll see if that even happens.

What's Caught My Eye?

I went on a thrifting excursion/"artist date" yesterday and picked up several new-to-me items. I'll have them in a thrift haul video later this month. However, you can see some of my other recent hauls in the Thrifty Thursday video that just went up.

What's Had My Attention?

I mentioned in the last post that I've become a member of a book club, we're now reading The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett. I'm listening to it and am loving it so much. Also, the hubs and I just finished re-watching Ted Lasso and remember why it was such a favorite. SO DARN GOOD!

What's Been the Best Part of My Week(s)?

I've gotten to spend a little more time with one of my best friends. That's a lot of what's kept me busy - no complaints there. At her encouragement, I've joined the Junior League of Mobile! My "provisional year" is just starting, but I'm so looking forward to meeting some new people and serving my community.

I think I'll stop here for this post and try to make sure to stay on the ball.

Here's hoping!

What's New with You?

What's What (Vol. 3 - May 4-17)

It's been two weeks since my last post, but we had our staycation during the first week. Then, I spent all of last week trying to get caught up. (Not that I EVER feel caught up.)

What's finished

Since it has been two weeks, and it rained for about half of our vacation, I did get a few things done.

This assemblage work has been in process for several weeks. It's the first in what I hope will be a series that highlights the little details of some of the ephemera in my stash. As such, this piece (available at Hello Gallery) is titled Ephemeral Treasures 1.

Likewise, I took a bit of time last week to turn my ICADs (Index Card a Day) into greeting cards for the gallery.

And, the May Finding the Words art journal spread for YouTube was completed.

Those are just the bigger tasks I accomplished. There were loads of smaller ones too.

What's in Progress

Speaking of cards, I've been working on restocking my supply of cards that get included with purchases from the Etsy Shop. That meant making masterboards and watercoloring some flowers for them.

I can't share what's actually on my desk at the moment, though, as it's my Inspiration Trove assemblage project for the month. I should hopefully have that available to watch within the week.

What's Next?

In addition to the Inspiration Trove video, I'm hoping to have another Thrifty Thursday video up this week, list a few pieces on Etsy, work on a NEW WEBSITE, and get into my Spicy art journal.

What's Caught My Eye?

Since we were on vacation...it's been a lot of things!

This note written in the sidewalk outside a thrift store in Milton, FL is just one of them.

I also found this abandoned birds' nest in the brambles of our property while I was doing yardwork yesterday.

What's Had My Attention?

I just started listening to/reading The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick and am really enjoying it. In fact, it's this month's book for a book club that I'm likely joining. So, that's exciting too.

What's Inspired Me?

Our staycation was full of inspiring activities. We went to the Walter Anderson Museum in Ocean Springs, MS. It was full of so much colorful inspiration!

We spent an afternoon at the beach (Orange Beach, AL). It's my favorite place to restore my soul, and I am so thankful that we live so close to the coast.

A whole day was enjoyed in Milton, Florida. First, we rode 16 miles of the Blackwater Trail on our bikes. Then we did some dining, antiquing, walking along the Blackwater River, and sampling the local brews.

What was the Best Part of my Week(s)?

See the section above! 😜

What's New?

It's not especially new-new, but I did recently get my PaperArtsy Infusions into little organizers that I've had hanging around. I even made a whole Reel about it on YouTube.

What's New with You?

What's What (volume 2 - April 27-May 3, 2026)

Look at me sliding in with another week's roundup!!

What's finished

Honestly, the biggest tasks I accomplished this past week were getting the last blog post up, updating my space at Hello Gallery, and cleaning the house.

I did get these two photos altered as part of my StitchABit100 for the 100 Day Project.

What's in progress

Here's where so much time has been spent. I've got other photos still in the process of being altered. (I'm really just trying to decide if they're done for now.)

Other stitching has been done on this scrap of fabric, to which I'm adding white buttons and additional stitches.

I've also been keeping my hands busy with some neurographic doodling. It's been a while since I dabbled with these. But, I was absolutely pulled back in.

What's up next?

We're doing a staycation this week and started strong yesterday with grilling by the pool. Though the water is still pretty chilly. We're hoping to take the bikes out, go for a paddle on the kayaks, and maybe even spend a day on the beach. However, we may be overambitious with our time.

What's caught my eye?

After a ton of rain this past week, I looked out my office window and spotted this beauty of a mushroom. It's as tall as my hand!

What's had my attention

Pat had several band practices and a gig this week, so I was left to my own devices (hence the doodling). I watched Practical Magic for the first time ever and rewatched Dead Poets Society (for probably the hundredth time. It's a longtime favorite that I've avoided since Robin passed away.) As well, I picked up watching Outlander from where I left off several years ago (the end of season 2).

Also, the Mastering Mixed Media Expo 2026 has started, and I've been picking my way through those videos. (Today, the Making Zen Online Retreat also starts. I'm hoping to be able to watch some of those too!!

What's Been the Best Part(s) of My Week

~We did go see Cake, though we didn't take any pictures or video (as requested by the band). It was an awesome show!

~I thrifted some buttons.

~A couple of assemblages sold at the gallery

~We celebrated Pat's birthday with a few friends while exploring Pensacola on Saturday. (It was also Kentucky Derby Day, and a mint julep was in order. And, more celebrating was done poolside on Sunday.

What's new

Can you call thrifted bits "new"? If so, I picked up a few new items that will be in an upcoming Thrifty Thursday (though, not the one I've got scheduled for this week.)

My pressed flowers came out beautifully! I was just off to pick more yesterday when I realized that I had plenty to do before our guests arrived. Hopefully, I can make it happen this week.

New videos on YouTube -

~Art Journal Page (Keeping it Spicy challenge)

~Create with me Handmade Bracelets

So, what's new with you?