I am very excited about this! I have been thinking about exactly what I want my bead storage to look like for months, and in baby steps, I have ended up with something I just love.
My criteria were many and varied. First, I am a person who likes to have things out and accessible, rather than tucked away behind doors and drawers, so I wanted my beads visible. They used to be in glass jars on my work space, but they were beginning to take over.
Secondly, I wanted all of the beads of a color and finish to be together, no matter size 15, 11, 8, 6, or packaging, so I decided that trays that held tubes, boxes and bags would be perfect. I did not want to do any repackaging or labeling. I decided that my trays would need to be neutral in color, since the color and finish of the beads is to me the most important consideration in making choices. I considered black velvet trays, gray cafeteria trays, and silver bakery pans. I kinda wanted these trays to be pretty!
My third consideration was cost. I did not want to spend hundreds of dollars. I stumbled across these plastic trays at the Dollar Tree store and fell in love at first sight! They are the perfect size for long tubes of beads, they have little handles that feel good in my hands, they are totally color neutral, and they even cast pretty shadows on my counter! Best of all, $1 each, and compared to everything else I considered, BY FAR the best bargain. And bonus, I can see the color range from the end of the tray!
AND, these worked great for different sizes and kinds of containers, so no need to repackage and label! I found them here at Dollar Tree.
Also, these trays are lightweight, but quite sturdy. And let me tell you, beads are heavy things! I can lift three trays at once with one hand.
I also can sort any way I like, and move things around without trouble.
But then there was the problem of how to store the trays. I had then stacked in my beading space for a while, but with the trays 8 or 9 deep, it was hard to access the ones I wanted to pull out, plus I didn't like bending over to look for beads. Bad light, bad back, bad knees, bad ankles, bad, bad, bad!
The Best Man Ever said he would make me cabinets to hold my trays, but I am not at an age where I want more furniture, even super cool custom made stuff with tray slots, plus they would need to be HEAVY duty to support all the weight of the beads. So I kept looking and thinking.
And then LO! Last week at my Hancock Fabrics, which is going out of business, (insert HUGE sad face here) I spotted these!!!
My criteria were many and varied. First, I am a person who likes to have things out and accessible, rather than tucked away behind doors and drawers, so I wanted my beads visible. They used to be in glass jars on my work space, but they were beginning to take over.
Secondly, I wanted all of the beads of a color and finish to be together, no matter size 15, 11, 8, 6, or packaging, so I decided that trays that held tubes, boxes and bags would be perfect. I did not want to do any repackaging or labeling. I decided that my trays would need to be neutral in color, since the color and finish of the beads is to me the most important consideration in making choices. I considered black velvet trays, gray cafeteria trays, and silver bakery pans. I kinda wanted these trays to be pretty!
My third consideration was cost. I did not want to spend hundreds of dollars. I stumbled across these plastic trays at the Dollar Tree store and fell in love at first sight! They are the perfect size for long tubes of beads, they have little handles that feel good in my hands, they are totally color neutral, and they even cast pretty shadows on my counter! Best of all, $1 each, and compared to everything else I considered, BY FAR the best bargain. And bonus, I can see the color range from the end of the tray!
Also, these trays are lightweight, but quite sturdy. And let me tell you, beads are heavy things! I can lift three trays at once with one hand.
I also can sort any way I like, and move things around without trouble.
But then there was the problem of how to store the trays. I had then stacked in my beading space for a while, but with the trays 8 or 9 deep, it was hard to access the ones I wanted to pull out, plus I didn't like bending over to look for beads. Bad light, bad back, bad knees, bad ankles, bad, bad, bad!
The Best Man Ever said he would make me cabinets to hold my trays, but I am not at an age where I want more furniture, even super cool custom made stuff with tray slots, plus they would need to be HEAVY duty to support all the weight of the beads. So I kept looking and thinking.
And then LO! Last week at my Hancock Fabrics, which is going out of business, (insert HUGE sad face here) I spotted these!!!
FELT RACKS!!!
They were selling all their beautiful fabric racks, and everything else in the store and I thought... These! I NEED THESE!!! I dashed home, got a tray and it fit magnificently in the little slots. So I held my breath and asked the price. $5 each. And they had two of them, which I bought on the spot.
Finally I have had a little time to move some things around and install the first rack. I am planning to move some of my beading operation to my costume studio, and the racks fit perfectly on my counter, under my bookcases, so I took some time this afternoon and moved one of them in!
So, there you have it, my new bead storage. This is ALL of my 15/0, 11/0. 8/0 and 6/0, and I have ANOTHER rack left to fill with cylinders, funky shapes, and Czech firepolish, but I may not get to them for a while.
I have about 60 trays, and will buy maybe another 60, so a total of $120 on trays, plus $10 on racks.
Feels great to have this sorted, and be really happy with my new bead storage!
Looks great, I need to work a bit more on my system. I have outgrown my last system a bit. :)
ReplyDeleteAngela, I think that is the constant battle. The tendency is to create for existing circumstances. Like the highway developers who build a road to meet current demands and a year later, there are more cars and greater demands. I am going to make a great effort to buy exactly what I need, but boy is that ever a challenge! Sometimes, you don't know what you need until you get it in situ, and then you need MORE!!
DeleteI am so going over to the Dollar Tree store as soon as I get off work today!!!
DeleteThey are cool little trays!
DeleteWhat a fantastic Idea with the trays and the racks, I love it, especially you can see the color and would not need to open a drawer. Great Idea!!!! Best Lanie
ReplyDeleteThe racks were such a lucky find. It's cool what appears when you are looking! Thanks for reading and commenting!
DeleteWhat a cost effective approach that is practical and aesthetically appealing
ReplyDeleteThanks Sharayah! I am really happy with it! I have found duplicate tubes of the same bead, and hope to avoid that sort of thing from this point forward. :)
DeleteThat is a scary amount of beads that you got there! It's awesome that you managed to find a good storage solution to keep all of it though! And something that works with the space in your craft room as it is!
ReplyDeleteSadly Mark, It was only about half. ((hangs head in shame)) Now I have moved in all the cylinder beads, drops and magatamas, triangles, rounds, and myriad new two-hole beads and funky shapes. Still have a bit of work to do, but I love "shopping" at my new store!
Delete