To Bead or Not to Bead

I started beading a long time ago. I don't remember how old I was, but it had to have been grade school age. My grandma's sister sent a big shirt size box full of beads and different embellishments to me. I know there were a lot of beads in there, but the only project I can really remember are these two snow flakes I made. One out of pink beads, and one out of blue beads. The beads were about 8 or 10 mm big. Faceted and made out of either plastic or acrylic. I strung them on wire spaced with small iridescent gray beads. I gave them to my Grandma and Grandpa. My Grandma was always great about displaying whatever I made her, no matter what it looked like. But I remember those snowflakes. I was so proud of how they turned out. My own design and everything. There was a little store in town that sold beads. It was a craft/bicycle shop. Weird I know. It was owned by a husband and wife. She liked to craft, he liked to fix bicycles. I remember asking my mom to take me there to shop for beads. I guess I have had a fascination with beads from a young age. I started playing with beads again about 9 years ago. I made a bunch of jewelry. Wore some of it, sold some of it, but mostly it just ended up in a box stuffed into the back of my "craft closet". When my oldest daughter was born, I continued to bead. I would drag her to the bead store, and being a good baby, she played happily in her stroller while I shopped. I don't know the exact moment I stopped beading and making jewelry, it just kind of happened. Kids, life, the expense! I have recently gone back to beading and making jewelry. It is so much fun, but I do feel guilty about the expense even though my husband is great about it. He even sold some parts on E-bay so I would have bead money. It's an addiction. I even started trying to sell jewelry on Etsy so I can at least try to support my habit! There is something about beads that make you want to own them. Make you want to create something with them. Archeologists have found bones and rocks fashioned into beads that date back to the Cro Magnon. What is it about human nature that makes us want to adorn ourselves? Why do we want to take beads and fashion them into necklaces, bracelets, earrings, etc.? I don't know the answer, but I do know that I am drawn to beads like a moth to the flame. I just can't resist.

draft