Welcome to the Messy Beaders' Club

So, I was reading through a magazine the other day, and I came across an article about embracing chaos.  Well, I thought, that would certainly sum up my beading table!  Attached to the article was a photograph of a messy desk and a quote by Albert Einstein: "If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, then of what is an empty desk a sign?" 

And I thought, THAT'S IT!

My desk isn't cluttered - it's CREATIVE. 

God knows, I've promised my husband about a million times that I would keep the chaos to a minimum, particularly when we moved my work area from a cramped corner of the dining room into a full setup in the living room. 

But no matter how hard I try, I manage to have a bijillion things on my work table. 

I see a tube of beads and a focal, and I think, "Oh!  New project!"  And onto the table it goes, only to be pushed into a corner by the eighteen other projects I have going at the same time...

And so, when I published this photograph of my messy desk on Facebook the other day, I got loads of comments, and I realized that most of the time, I hear from other beaders that their work areas look like a bomb has gone off, particularly when they are in the middle of creating something.

So I created this blog.  The Messy Beaders' Club!  You don't have to be ashamed of your messy tables anymore - embrace the chaos, take a picture, and send it to me at vanbeads@yahoo.com with a short blurb about why you LIKE your messy space and how it helps you create!

And while we're sharing stories and pictures of messy bead tables, let's talk about organizing, because we do need some control over the chaos.  Not a lot, mind you - personally, as long as I can remember which drawer I stuffed that tube of seed beads in or where I tossed the bag of Czech glass leaves, I'm good.  But do you have any tips for organizing your beads?  Take a picture of your organized spaces, too, and tell me what kinds of tools and organizers work for you, and where others might be able to purchase those containers.

Last, but not least, happy beading!