Bead shops were also the inspiration for author Laura Levaas’ book Beader’s Stash: Designs from America’s Favorite Bead Shops (144 pages; Interweave $21.95). Levaas invited bead shops from around the world to submit projects for her book, which is designed to showcase the talent of bead shop owners and their employees.
The book is obviously very much about beaded jewelry, but one thing I liked about it was that it wasn’t just beaded jewelry. While you will find lots of beading project, from stringing to bead weaving, wire workers will also find a little wire work here and there mixed in with beads such as the Martini Sticks project from Sweet Beads, the Wispy Wire Earring Stand from Boca Loca Beads Inc., and the Kiwi Serpentine bracelet project from Ambrosia Bead Company. Along with jewelry projects, another nice addition were home décor items including a beaded lantern, a beaded collage, and cigar box purse.
Besides loads of projects (39 total), there are also shop profiles included, which is very interesting, especially if you’ve ever thought about opening your own bead shop. Even if your local store may not be included, you’ll see some familiar names from the web such as The Bead Shop, Ornamentea, and The Beadin’ Path.
The back of the book includes a lot of basic information about beads, findings, and techniques. Most of the techniques are not extremely detailed, more like what you see in most magazines today, so total beginners may be a little challenged. However, there are really a range of projects in the book from advanced (like the Seed Bead Snowflake Buttons) to the super easy (such as the Gold Pearl Goddess Earrings). So there's really something for all skill levels.
