Micro Beads and Choices

For a change, we had a lazy and toned-down Sunday which was a real treat. We didn't clean house, we didn't shovel snow, we stayed in the computer room for much of the day playing "Lord of the Rings Online" and I did a few on-line jigsaw puzzles. We had Chinese take-out for dinner, and finally we ended the night up with an episode of "Midsommer Murders". All in all, Sunday was rather delightful. But today it's back to the trenches and the start of a very busy week. 

The key to these micro beads will be storage that won't break and
labeling them appropriately. I'll take another look at them today
and see if I can come up with a good solution. 

I'm trying to figure out a good storage system for some antique seed beads that I own in my personal collection. These ultra-small beads (sizes 20o or smaller for those who know/care) haven't been made since the first half of the 1900's and are used by people doing repairs on antique items or are collected by bead-crazy people like myself. I bought these early on in my second bead phase - probably in the late 1980's, maybe the early 1990's. They're in plastic bags right now, but I'd like to change them over to a better system before putting them into a labelled bin. 

These micro beads were often used for beaded
handbags dating back into the early 1900's. These
are often in sad shape these days, requiring
new linings, new fringe and general repair. The
beads are usually used for this type of work. 

I keep thinking about ways I can use these little things. I won't ever use them to stitch with - my eyes just aren't up to it, and those small holes are pure frustration in projects. Still, they are delightful little beauties and I don't want to actually waste them, and they are glass - a media that I work with in several different ways. So, if I can't bead with them, can I melt them or glue them or fuse them? 

Antique purses can be repaired, although it takes the hand of
someone who understands them and loves them. That's NOT me -
I collect quite enough, thank you. The photos I've put into
today's blog, however, come from a website named
www.beadedpurserepair.com and it looks as if she does
quality work. 

That's rather like life choices, isn't it? Sure, I'm thinking of little beads here - not people who would seriously object to being melted, glued or fused. But the point is that I'm examining alternatives and that's what life presents us with every day. We are always making choices - what to have for dinner, what to wear to work, what formula to plug into the latest chemical equation you're trying to resolve. Choices equals life. Maybe Hell isn't as much a place of horror as a place where you, as an individual, are allowed no choices. Ack! 

Making choices - it's not always easy to do, but it's wonderful
to even have the opportunity to make a decision. Right or
wrong, we have the right to choose. 

On that note, I'm choosing to shut this down for the day. Have an excellent Monday and I'll be back tomorrow.