Winner of Celebration Giveaway!

It is time to reveal the winner of my "Celebration Giveaway". Really, every single tip I received was a really great tip. What a success! Thank you all so much for your contributions. However, I said I would pick my favourites and a winner, so without further ado, here is the top-tip list in no particular order. (It has not been easy for me, since all the tips are so good. It ended up being six in the top instead of ten like I said before. And I may have shortened your texts slightly, that's why I have not put quote-signs there.)

One of my favorite places to look for beads is in thrift stores. I like to take jewelry apart and remake them, my style. I have made some great finds in bags of jewelry sold as one cheap lot.

Stephanie in Tuscon Arizona, USA

Oh, that sounds so exciting. Great tip! Thank you!

A tip ... well sometimes when my bead tray's not working, the beads want to fall over or don't fit ... what do I use? Rice. Sound silly? Its amazing and the beads stay right where I opt them and in the direction! I spread the rice out on a dinner plate ... they never move and stay for however long I wish. (Long grain by the way).

Janet McDonald of Singingwoods

I will definately try this. Just the other day I got irritated that some rondelle beads kept falling on their sides so that I couldn't see properly how they would look together. Had to test-string them. Now that won't be necessary anymore. Thanks Janet!


Never let anyone tell you you have enough beads!

Lori Anderson of Pretty Things

Clearly the winner in the sub-category of being most funny, this one made me laugh out loud. And Lori, I promise! I shan't ever ever let anyone do that. Thank you so much!

This tip is for connecting beads with wire wrapping. If you want to bulk up the wire by having some of the wire wrap down on the crown of the bead ... put the wire through the bead, on the one end create just a single loop without the extra wrapping. This will secure the bead in place. Leave eight inches of wire for wrapping, but don't wrap yet. Go to the other end of the wire, do a wire wrapped loop and continue wrapping and wrapping, bringing the wire down over the crown of the bead. Now that the bead is in place, go back to the other end and repeat by wrapping the crown. You have to have the bead securely in place in order to wrap both ends of the crown, you can't simply wrap the first loop with lots of wire without having the bead securely in place.

Barbara Lewis of Painting With Fire

I already have had a chance to use this tip, the other day, when I did some wire wrapping. I wasn't wrapping down on the crown, but just ordinary looped connector type wire wrapping. And I had the other end folded 90° when I started on the first loop. It helped a lot. Thank you so much Barbara! Very useful for me.

I just discovered this website a few days ago. This woman does great buttons and I want to buy everything on her site. I hope you will enjoy too. www.susanclarkeoriginals.com

Pascaline Loricourt of Beadjouls


Oh, absolutely beautiful Art Buttons there Pascaline! I thank you sooo very much for that tip!


AND ... my number one favourite tip and the winner of my beads is Rebecca Anderson of Songbeads, UK

My tip will be to KEEP LOOKING. Look beyond other beading artists; look to decorative/high/folk artists and see what they do and how they can inspire your work. Look beyond the obvious and you will find inspiration everywhere.

The Jury's Motivation:

Your tip goes along so well with my own general philosphy in life. And although I feel it is something I almost could have said myself already, I am so grateful for being reminded. And refreshed! This attitude is easy to forget at times. And just now in my life it just happened to be PERFECT timing to get this tip. So utterly perfect, you just couldn't believe it. Thank you so much Rebecca! I hope you will enjoy the beads I am sending, and that YOU will be able to make something "beyond the obvious" with them. (Please let me know your address, and I will send them right away.)

And I really wish everyone who is doing something creative could take this tip to their hearts. I believe it is the source of development in all fields, and the mother of inventions. I could keep going on about this, but I believe it would end up being a whole article (or even a book) about all my thoughts about creating things, creativity, life, exsisting, co-exsisting, being human and so on. One day I might write that article, but not now. Until then I leave you with another wise person's (along with Rebecca and myself, that is of course) very wise and very very beautiful words:

To see a World in a Grain of Sand


And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,


Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand


And Eternity in an hour

William Blake