Love at first sight. These beads. Those faces! Happy rings.

It all started because it was my sister's birthday. She creates beautiful beaded pouches. So for her birthday, I bought her one of those many-containers-in/with-another-container bead sets, with coordinated colors of sparkling potential. Then I found a pattern that reminded me of her origami kusudama balls, and purchased and printed it for her as well. Before I knew it, I had caught it.

The Seed Bead Bug.

Drawn to the small, ever so tiny, vials of seed beads. oh my. MUST GET SEED BEADS, never mind that I haven't worked in them for years, and have a faint memory of giving away a good shoe box filled mess of them to .... some young beader, and declared myself quite done with that phase of my life.

You'd also think that after 55+ years, I'd know myself better, and I would find myself rotating back around, as I am wont to do. Aging eyesight? Stronger glasses!

So I'm being quite obsessive about seed beads at the moment.

SO much fun!

For a trip down memory lane, here is the very first rock from my very first lesson at lapidary at the UCD Craft Barn, some decade ago. Leopardskin Jasper, freeform, backed on leather with seed beads.