What Is a Beaded Bead?

by Jen VanBenschoten

To me, there is nothing more magical than a beaded bead.  Put simply, a beaded bead is simply a bead (something that can be strung and with a hole running through it) that is made up of other beads.  This is one of my favorite beaded beads that I designed last spring, based on a piece of jewelry I found among my mother's things after she passed away:

The original beads were actually more oval-shaped, and were covered in Swarovski crystal pearls, if you can imagine that!  I used right-angle weave to cover the bead with dozens of tiny 4mm round beads and even tinier size 15 seed beads.  And yes, this was one of those designs that took me many, many tries to get it right.  The first time I succeeded in creating a right-angle weave covering that fit snugly around the bead, I had to tear it all apart to figure out what I had done because I didn't write any of it down!  (Head, meet desk...)

Now, if you really want to get into the beaded beads, here's a version done by my good friend Carol Dean Sharpe of SandFibers.  She calls these her Blooming Beads, and let me tell you, they are addictive to make!

Carol Dean Sharpe's Blooming Beads are the Epitome of Zen in Beadwork!

I don't often get a chance to make another artist's design, but when I saw the directions for these pretties, I basically dropped what I was doing and set out to make two of them.  I wear the big denim-blue one on a simple multi-strand wire necklace, and let me tell you, it gets compliments and questions like crazy!

Beaded beads are one of the mystical aspects of beadwork that I love so much.  It's like that M.C. Escher drawing of the hands drawing themselves - the beads make themselves into...beads!

And on that note, while I have you, I have a very exciting announcement to make, even if I'm a little late in making it.  As of May 2, I took over as the online editor for the Beading Daily online community!  I'll be writing daily blogs, along with the fabulous Jean Campbell, and working behind the scenes to bring you lots of beady goodness every week!  This is truly a dream come true for me - I have been a follower of Beading Daily since it's launch back in 2007, and I really think it's one of the friendliest online beading communities around.  You can sign up for free newsletters, get free projects, and even free eBooks - there will be one new free eBook available every month for 2011!

For today's post, I want to leave you with this question: where do you find the mystical in your craft?  Is it in the transformation of raw materials into finished pieces?  The creative journey itself?  Share your thoughts here on the blog!