Beading While Traveling | Making a Work Surface | Displaying Earrings

A plastic clipboard, fleece mats and small artificial trees all offer new uses for beaders.

1 postcard display
To display earrings, cut postcards and poke two holes in each piece for the earring wires. If you plan to sell the earrings, write the price on the bottom of the card. The price can be cut off if the earrings are given as a gift.
- Ami Coulliard, Milwaukee, WI

2 traveling clipboard
Buy a plastic clipboard that opens to store papers. Inside, place a bead mat to use as a work surface. Then, cover unfinished projects, supplies, and tools with another bead mat. When the clipboard is closed, the contents won't move around.
- Danielle Blumenberg, Orange Park, FL

3 conversation piece
I sometimes break beads when I use a bead reamer. Also, when I buy beads in bulk, some strands have broken beads. Instead of wasting these beautiful pieces, I display them in a crystal goblet. The goblet makes a colorful conversation piece.
- Naomi Kuritzky Regan, Bellevue, WA

4 fleece mats
I cut a yard of polar fleece into various sizes and use some pieces as work surfaces, some to line baskets that I put beads in, and some to line the drawers of my rolling cart to prevent my tools from sliding when I open the drawer. I also roll my unfinished stringing project in fleece and then tie it with a ribbon to transport it. The lightweight fleece provides a protective surface for the stones.
- Cheryl Finley, via e-mail

5 earring trees
Small artificial trees are a great way to display earrings. They are usually on sale after the holidays. The ones that have fiber-optic branches are especially beautiful.
- Marcy Whiteside, Delta Junction, AK

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January 2007