Bead Bowls and Other Annoying Habits

It wasn’t long after Nick and I first started dating that he discovered one of my most annoying habits- the bead bowl.

See, whenever I undertake a beading project, I like to use ramekins, bowls, cups- really, any type of vessel- as my little crystal and sequin receptacle. I pour hundreds of tiny beads into these things, and then I balance them on the edges of sofas and shelves, or I leave them in the middle of the floor. And once the beads are poured out, they stay like that, for years sometimes. The shelf in our studio area is full of the half-used materials from projects past. I’m like the girl from Signs with the water glasses. Nick loves it.

JK, he hates it. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of hearing the WHOOSH and subsequent pitter-patter of tiny round pieces of glass and plastic hitting the floor and rolling in every possible direction, you’d hate it, too. And I feel bad about that. I’ve tried to change. It is, however, a part of who I am- and so while Nick used to get annoyed about them, he now accepts it as a part of my process. That’s true love.

It’s been a minute since I’ve had the bead bowls out, but I brought them back out this past week to start work on some samples for my dress. THEY ARE HERE TO STAY. Because beading takes a VERY, VERY LONG TIME.

I won’t tell you how long it took me to do this stupid little piece, because if I put it in writing, I might just give up.

I have some pretty ambitious beading plans for my dress. I’ve started by cutting these lace appliques from light ivory Chantilly and Alencon laces. I’ve done about 10 and need probably several hundred, so that’s going super-well. It’s time-consuming and arthritis-causing, but it’s nothing in comparison to adding the sparkle. But doesn’t it look pretty?

My original plan was to dye the lace and THEN do all this extra stuff, but I’m thanking my lucky stars I altered the plan. This is more than enough to keep me busy for the rest of my life. The trickiest part is color balance- these appliques are going onto a light gray dress, so the beading can’t be too light. It also can’t be too gray. So it’s like Goldilocks: Lesage edition up in here.

My bead bowls have gotten an upgrade for the occasion. Nick and I are producing these porcelain petri dishes (COMING SOON TO AN ONLINE STOREFRONT NEAR YOU), and they are basically the most perfect bead bowls. Rhinestones shouldn’t have to live in the same house as soup or Cheerios- it’s just not natural.

I’m still having fun with this project and cherishing every little stitch, but I’m sure that enthusiasm will wear off soon. But for now, this is something I look forward to working on at the end of the day. One thing I know for sure- if my future daughter tries to cut my dress in any way, she’s written out of the will. I’m not as nice as my mom. After the wedding, this thing is going into a hyperbaric chamber.