We worked long and hard, both Saturday and Sunday.  We tubed all kinds and sizes of seed beads, including some of the fabulous new cuts and Aiko beads!

But don’t worry, there are still plenty of them left, and we’ll be back next weekend, doing it all again!

Thanks eversomuch to all the wonderful volunteers, we love ALL of you!

As Mary says – “Woo-Hoo!”

Well, I was planning to take a picture of the new store after we finished the floors and trim, all brand new and shiny, to compare to the “before” pictures of the space when we rented it.

I was going to take those pictures this afternoon.  Then Mary came over with endless boxes of tubes, wall pegs, and bins!  Really, vast amounts of this stuff!  Like 16 gynormous heavy boxes of wall pegs.  And 9 huge boxes of tubes for seed beads!  Soooooo many! 

It seemed a bit much to take a picture of a piled-up mess of mashed boxes, so I just skipped it.  At least we all know we’ll have plenty of beads to work on this weekend, and tubes to put them in.

There are still a few spots left, if anyone wants to help!

The new Artful Bead has floors now, so we’re willing to let out the address:

• Artful Bead  
• 2501 N. Josey Lane, Suite 116
• Carrollton, TX 75006
• Phone number 972-242-8949

It’s on the south-west corner of Josey Lane and Trinity Mills/George Bush Turnpike.  (There’s an exit for Josey on Geo. Bush, but you don’t have to use the tollway!) Catty-corner from the Target shopping center, and across Josey from Cafe Brazil.  When you see Shipley’s Donuts from Josey, turn in!  It says “Beads” above the door. 

Mapquest and Google maps are right about the address, but Microsoft’s seems to be a bit off. 

Now I have to get the back door painted and the bathroom floor cleaned up.  I’m running out of time! 

Updated Sunday 

Here’s who I have down so far.  Mornings are 9AM – 2PM, afternoons are 2 – 6 or 7PM, whenever we loose it.  Don’t worry if you come later and leave earlier or later, it’s not that organized.  If I’ve got you down for a time you can’t do, email info@artfulbead.com or leave a comment.

Saturday July 19th – Morning

• Marilou P
• Chris P
• Carol K
• Denise M
• Dianne D
• Patty C
• Shelly T
• Celeste H

Saturday July 19th – Afternoon

• Chris P
• Denise M
• Dianne D
• Carolyn H
• Patty C
• Shelley T
• Celeste H

Sunday July 20th – Morning

• Marilou P
• Chris P
• Carol K
• Dianne D
• Shelley T
• Celeste H
• Teresa S

Sunday July 20th – Afternoon

• Sandy T
• Dianne D
• Carolyn H
• Shelley T
• Celeste H
• Teresa S

Saturday July 26th – Morning

• Marilou P
• Chris P
• Carol K
• Denise M
• Dianne D
• Patty C
• Teresa S
• Celeste H

Saturday July 26th – Afternoon

• Chris P
• Denise M
• Dianne D
• Patty C
• Carolyn H
• Teresa S
• Jan V
• Celeste H

Sunday July 27th – Morning

• Marilou P
• Chris P
• Carol K
• Dianne D
• Patty C
• Teresa S
• Celeste H

Sunday July 27th – Afternoon

• Sandy T
• Dianne D
• Carolyn H
• Patty C
• Teresa S
• Jan V
• Celeste H

We can deal with 10 – 12 at a time, so we still have LOTS OF ROOM!!! 

Still no pictures to show you, but as of today, we have half the slatwall up, the bathroom finished, and all but 4 of the ceiling tiles replaced!  So we’re on track for our Grand Opening on August First and Second!!!  Brenda spent over 2 hours scraping paint, tape, and gum (?! gum?) off the windows, so they’re nice and shiny.  And we won’t try to figure out why anyone stuck gum on the window a long time ago. 

I’ll try to post the schedule for the tubing parties tomorrow night, now I have to update the class schedule.  Sorry!  Please feel free to say mean things about me, and about my general level of incompetence.  (It’s all true, I know it is.  I’m going to eat worms now.)

Sorry it’s been so long, but we’ve been BUSY – busier than should be possible for humans. 

For starters, Monday thru Wednesday this week we were shopping for stones, and what wonderful stones we got!  Fabulous stuff, great shapes, and much-much coolness.

Thursday the plumber came, then Friday Sheetrock Al came and made our arch and patched 74,643 holes.  (Or close to that many, there were a LOT of holes in the walls.)  Saturday and Sunday we painted our brains out, and put TWO coats of Kilz to cover up the pinky-ick on the walls.  Then we painted it all again, with the real white.  And this Tuesday the Electrician comes to put up some track lights and make sure all the other lights are working. 

So the target date for the Grand Opening is Friday August 1st!  Mark that calendar! 

But before that, we need a bit of help.  You see, Mary ordered seed beads for the new store, lots of seed beads, enough that she had to order around 30,000 tubes to put them in.  LOTS of seed beads.  And we need help getting them ready.  So we’re asking for volunteers to help us tube on July 19th and 20th, and 26th and 27th.  You will get a free lunch, drinks and snacks, and the “tail ends” of the beads you tube!  (Tail ends are the beads left over that aren’t enough to fill another tube.  How many there are depends on the size, finish, and shape of the beads.)

We will be tubing from 9AM till around 7PM all 4 days, and we’ll have room for 12 workers at a time.  Email me at info@artfulbead.com if you’re interested in joining us, tell me what day, and what hours.  You can sign up for a whole day, or part of a day.  I’ll try to arrange it so everybody that wants to gets a chance, but sign up early! 

We’ll look forward to hearing from you! 

OK, it’s official, the new Artful Bead has an address!  Drinks all ’round!  Oops, not so fast.  Now we have to WORK awfully hard to get it painted and slatted and wonderfulled.  (I don’t care if it’s not a word, that’s what we’ll be doing to it.)

We’ll let you know the date of the grand opening, some time later this summer, so be sure to sign up for the newsletter!  Now I have to go look at (white) paint chips.

Have you heard the rumors that The Artful Bead is moving / opening another store / changing drastically?  If you’ve been in the store recently when Mary is being blabby in an expansive mood, then you know they’re not just rumors.  So here’s the full scoop:

The Artful Bead is expanding into North Dallas!!!  We’re opening a second store that will look much like the original one, with the same great ever-changing inventory.  Somewhere close to freeways and easy to get to, but that part’s not nailed down yet.  We’re planning to open sometime in August, but it’s kind of hard to plan when you still haven’t picked the exact spot.  (And if that seems disorganized, ask Mary about some of the other things that have been done slightly out of order.)

Don’t worry, the Original Artful Bead will continue to serve the west side of the Metroplex, and we won’t check addresses, so you can shop at either store.

Check back here for the latest news, and be sure to sign up for the newsletter (click “Newsletter Sign-up over there on the right for instructions) just in case we send out a Grand Opening Sale announcement or something.

Nobody ‘fessed up, evidently I am the only person on the planet that falls under the influence of beads.  I thought at least Lolly would say she did too, out of solidarity.  Now I know, I’m the one that’s “one taco short of a combo plate.”

So I’ll just keep it to myself.  I’ve been conducting experiments, and have learned a lot about the ways beads influence my decisions.  But since it’s only me, I should just keep quiet.  At least about bead auras.

I’ve heard talk of yarn “accidents” – of people going into a yarn shop for a darning needle, and getting home with 3 huge bags of yarn (and no darning needle) that they can’t really remember buying.  They blame it on “yarn fumes” and talk about the intoxicating effects.

I’ve had several “bead accidents” in the past, sometimes I pull something out of the stash and have no idea when I got it.  Sometimes I pull something out and wonder what on earth I was thinking when I bought it.  Once I even wondered why someone would bother to dig up a rock that ugly and polish it on purpose.  (And before you ask, yes, I still have it.  I find it nearly impossible to get rid of any bead that’s not been made into something.)

So the other day I walked around the Artful Bead looking for some signs of bead fumes.  I picked up a tray and started wandering.  Ooo! Nice onyx!  And some beautiful agate!  And look at that fabulous brass toggle!  And… wait.  How is this tray so full?  I mean, the bottom of it is completely covered up!  How did those get there?  I see no sign of bead fumes anywhere in here, all I smell is chocolate.  (Before I forget – have you seen the new Cherry M&M’s??  Wheeeeeee!)

OK, can’t be actual fumes.  Oh, new Swarovski colors!!!  How pretty…  Now the tray is so heavy I have to hold it in both hands.  What the heck?  How did all those beads get down from the wall and climb on my tray?  Awww… look how pretty that coral looks next to that jade…

When I get home, I start putting my new goodies away.  Soon after I start (it seems), I hear “are we eating tonight?” and realize it’s been two hours.  I’ve been sitting on the floor fondling beads for 2 hours.  But they’re nicely arranged, and nobody is getting scratched.  And those two strands are absolutely wonderful together, where are those copper spacers?  Huh!?  Dinner?  Oops, sorry, right.

Ah-HA!!  It’s not fumes, it’s some kind of electro-magnetic field that beads emit!  When you get a large enough concentration of beads, all the frequencies harmonize. If you’re susceptible, you fall into a light hypnotic trance, and pick up any beads that “speak to you” without conscious thought.  I wonder if anyone can actually see their auras?  Should we hire some of the Ghostbuster type people to see if they can track down the energy they emit?

Please tell me I’m not the only one affected by beads this way.