Week 16: The Bead Factory

week16-1

Don’t get me wrong: I love making beads. And I love working for myself. It’s just that sometimes it starts to feel like I am hosting my very own little bead making factory. This was one of those weeks since custom orders slowed down and routine orders were manageable. I churned out a stack of bead canes (and regular canes) for the next few days and weeks of bead making. The innocent little stack above will probably turn into 800 or so new beads. This is all good because the shop badly needs fresh new stock and I need piles of beads to crank out pieces for my show next month but… factory like.

week16-2

Luckily as I start the first round of slicing and shaping, I have help. My daughter is pretty patient about working on the routine stuff. Keep her in WiFi, tea and cookies and she’s a productive bead maker apprentice.