Monday 23 November 2009

Advice Please

I have just had my first experience using beads, which I found painless enough but it has left me having to solve a dilemma I have been thinking about for a while. How do I store the beads once they are open and know which beads are which.?

I bought a circular container where the top rotates so as the beads can be accessed in their individual compartments but that doesn't have the means to label the beads easily. How do you store your beads?

14 comments:

Angela said...

I just store mine in the original containers but then again I don't have more than a dozen at most. Sorry not much help :)

Andrea said...

I store mine in small oblong containers (about 1 3/4" high, 1" wide and 1/2" depth). 24 of these then fit into a bigger plastic box. I stick a label on the side with what type of bead, number and colour.

Stitchabilities said...

I keep them in the original packaging, but I think a sticky label with the number on would do the trick

Jennifer Ann Fox said...

I store mine in pallets that look like earring trays which are thrown out when they unpack new pap smear bottles.....isn't that great to recycle????? LOL

Jennifer
Feathers in the Nest

Daffycat said...

I have a blog post that shows my bead storage. You can see it here:

http://itsdaffycat.blogspot.com/2008/03/beads.html

I got small containers at Walmart that have the little bead boxes inside and store them in a large container bought form Hobby Lobby. The small containers look just like the big box only smaller and I use those for other stash. I use a label maker to create the labels.

Lindsay said...

Mine are in flip tops boxes which are in turn in clear plastic boxes and they are all labelled

drea_dear said...

I store my seed beads in snack-size zip-top bags. That way I can see the color easily, and they can be labeled with a piece of masking tape. I have a lot of beads for jewelry-making, so it helps to be able to label with the finish and size. For what I do, I find that the plastic storage boxes are annoying - difficult to get the beads out that I want. I have a couple of canvas boxes from IKEA that hold my baggies of beads.

Meadows08 said...

I use the same storage containers as Daffycat and it works great. I found mine at Wal-Mart.

BilboWaggins said...

If the packet they come in can be secured safely, then leave them in the original container.

Unfortunately, many comes in blister packs which are useless once opened. I used to use 35mm film canisters but these are not so widely available any more.

You would always try Bead Soup. Regardless of shape, size and colour, keep ALL your beads in one large container - apparently it leads one to be creative! Never tried it but when I dig out my embroidery stuff next year for some planned projects I might just chuck everything into one big Mason jar, it would then look pretty on the shelf and take up less room than all the individual pots!

Jo said...

I leave them in the original packaging (I only seem to be using Mill Hill... so far!). These are roughtly sorted by type and then number and stuffed in self seal bags (groupd of about 20 packets) and kept in a small Ikea box. I have lots of beads because I bought a ton in St Ives that were on clearance - I think 50p a pack. I spent about £30....

Karan said...

I use the LoRan bead caddies which are stackable & come with labels - write the numbers on, stick them on, job done. :0)

Cindy said...

I bought some little containers (1 x 1 x .75 inches) from the Container Store. These fit into a larger box. I label the containers, and put them in numerical order.

Jennifer said...

I use the same system that Daffycat does for my most of my beads. I found the boxes in the craft section at WalMart.

For beads that I order online, they usually come in tiny, labeled ziploc pacakges, so I leave them in those bags and store them in a clear, snap top tote.

pv said...

Here are pictures of my storage:
http://whichhobby.blogspot.com/2009/12/beading-bead-storage.html

I like the boxes in boxes the most. I have stuck labels on the tops of some that I may want to buy again, with store, product number, cost. This can also come in handy if you have to price your piece to sell.

patty