It’s my Beading Anniversary – or beadiversary if you will! This June it will be 10 years since I discovered my passion for beading. Join me for a special Make and Take style workshop at The Bead Shop in Nottingham, back where it all began!
In actual fact, I discovered seed beads a little while before this, I would spend hours stitching on a bead loom in my bedroom at university. Nearly all of these endeavours fell to pieces as I didn’t know the right techniques or have the correct materials.
However, a few months down the line and I graduated, moved to Nottingham and discovered the Bead Shop – OMG a whole shop just for beads! My luck was in, they were hiring! On Saturday 3rd June 2007 I started working with Steph, Hana, Robin and the team at 7 Market Street.
I learnt an enormous lot from this talented bunch, and shared plenty of laughter and tears along the way. Working amongst all these sparkles really set my crafting passion on fire. I discovered Swarovski crystals for the first time, as well as the joy of Miyuki Delicas. I learnt the difference between a calotte and a trigger clasp, and much more besides!
The role fired up my own journey of self-learning, as I began to devour beading books and magazines, working my way through them to re-create projects, learning new stitches and techniques. I even helped design and create a beaded cake to celebrate the Shop’s own 10th birthday!
I spent three and half years in Nottingham, working first as a retail assistant and then supporting as a supervisor, helping out with PR and marketing activities. I set up the small but friendly evening Bead Group, which is still running! Eventually it was time to move on, and I left to take up the mantel of Editor at Bead magazine. Now, 10 years on I look back as that first day in the shop as a turning point.
Up until then, I’d never found that thing I was good at. Now I know – it’s working with tiny beads! 10 years down the line I am grateful for so many of the skills I have learnt, friends I have made and experiences shared in that decade. I have built my own small jewellery making business and I get to share my own beading designs with the world, through my workshops and patterns. In fact, it was through colleagues at the Shop that I met my fiance! And it all started with a ‘We’re hiring’ advert.
Join me to celebrate!
I’ll be running Make & Take sessions at The Bead Shop from 10am – 1pm. We’ll be creating fun and functional Disco Beadswith 2-hole beads. It’s just £5 for the session – what a bargain! Drop in any time between then, do come and say hello! More info can be found here.
From 2pm, join us for a paw-some afternoon tea – the team will be running an afternoon of cat-themed projects with plenty of baked goods too, all raising money for the Cats Protection.
