Keeping Organized...

Sally asked in a comment on a previous post how I keep organized and manage my bead stash.

Before I get into my system, I wanted to mention why I do what I do. Since I write for books and magazines, it's important to keep organized on this front. Almost always, you're required to have resource list with the items you used in your projects. Also, when you're pricing your jewelry, it's often helpful to have a reference to see how much money you're putting into each piece and how much money you're going to make. This is particularly important if you wholesale your work. I think one of the reasons why a lot of jewelry artists don't make any money on their pieces is that they sell themselves short. This might be useful when they're starting out and building up a clientele list, but in the long run... it's a place where a lot of people hemorrhage money.

As soon as I get home from a bead show or purchasing materials, I either seal it up in a bag until I have a solid block of time or I sit down and start organizing right then and there. It's helpful to do it as soon as possible! Above is a shot of one of my bead boxes and to the right of it is a close-up.

I use little stickers, but it has been suggested that I could use a spreadsheet. I like the old school system better though, because when I'm making stuff, I don't want to have to go look up a spreadsheet to check a price or material. I just want to glance down and know.

I write down the material, price per strand, where I got it from and how much per bead. It's helpful to count the beads while they're still strung up. I also like to keep the original tags, if possible, and put those at the bottom of the bead bins.

Another thing that I do to help keep organized is maintain relationships with a select number of vendors and artisans. It's true that every now and then, I'll see something and have to have it, but for the most part, I try to control who I spend my money with. I think it's a good way to keep track of where I get things, as well as to support companies that I want to see succeed. I think it's also a good way of "employing personal shoppers". If you've got a good relationship with your vendor, they'll know your tastes and keep an eye out for materials you'll most likely want and in a price range that you can afford. When they go to the dealer only showrooms, they won't be flying blindly.