Storing Chain | Sorting Beads | Organizing Wire

A pitcher can make a pretty earring display tool and one of our readers finds another use for the tray inside a box of chocolates.

1 smooth finish
When finishing a strung necklace or bracelet, dab the end of the flexible beading wire with hand lotion. The wire will go back through the beads more easily.
- Laura Bub, East Granby, CT

2 pitcher perfect
For a pretty, functional jewelry display, hang earrings on the rim of a pitcher, mug, bowl, or vase. (The larger the rim, the more pairs you can hang.) The inside of the container can hold earrings that need repair or have lost their mates.
- Amanda Bohm, Austin, TX

3 storing chain
To prevent fine chain from tangling, keep it on a business card. Cut two notches at opposite edges of the card, wrap the chain around, and secure the ends in the notches. Label the card with the vendor's name, the size of the chain, and the item number.
- D. Harris, via e-mail

4 box of chocolates
After you finish that Valentine's Day box of chocolates, clean the plastic tray and use it to sort beads. The tray holds small quantities of many kinds of beads and findings, which is helpful when stringing a complicated piece.
- Samantha Bond, via e-mail

5 wire at a glance
I like to organize spools of flexible beading wire in stacks but want to know their sizes without removing each spool. The solution: Label each spool's plastic cuff with the wire's diameter. (Use a permanent marker. Affix a small white sticker to black or clear plastic.) You'll see each wire's thickness at a glance.
- R. Podell, Milwaukee, WI

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March 2006