Taking it all with you...or packing beads!

We're back home again from our adventures! As I unpacked the car, I thought about how I transported both my finished jewelry and some projects and tools and wanted to share a few tips with you!

Finished pieces pack up easily - I always pack my finished jewelry in plastic zippered bags with an anti-tarnish strip. They are grouped by color or type of jewelry (i.e., sterling necklaces together, copper chainmaille bracelets together), with anything that might be prone to tangle in it's own bag. This trip, I then sorted categories into stackable trays, which then fit into a neat carrying case - all from Nile Corporation. It worked very well - takes up little room in the car, and everything stayed safe and neat.

Projects are a little more challenging. Like shoes, I tend to overpack beads that I'll actually use. I brought all of my jump rings this trip (packed in baggies in a shoebox...need some suggestions on that one!) but limited myself to two compartmentalized plastic boxes for beads - one for silver and one for stones. I also grabbed the two portable file portfolios I use for wire (sorted by metal type and gauge). In addition to the loose beads and wire, I put together a couple of "kits" and unfinished projects that I wanted to work on while I was traveling. The beads, projects and some basics (clasps, earwires, crimps, beading wire) go into a large canvas bag with handles that can be transported easily.

My tools go into another canvas bag, which my son complains is 1/4 the size of the project bag, but weighs 10 times more (well, what does he expect...there are pliers, hammers, and a steel block in there!) I can easily access just about anything I bring while I'm working, and again, it's portable.

If you are traveling by air, check first on what is allowed to be taken on the plane. I've packed jump rings and small pliers in a plastic pencil box (easy to snap shut when turbulence hits!) but not all flights will allow you to take pliers in the cabin.

Labels: beading projects, beading supplies, packing, travel, vacation

posted by Beading Help Web Editorial Team at 6:19 AM |