The story of my bead stash.

Today I had an opportunity to revisit my bead stash. I have been focused on many other things, like painting and sewing.
But as I sorted out some beads for my latest project I was thinking about where some of them came from.
15 years ago when I came to Alaska I brought beads with me. Some of the coolest beads were pre WWII German beads I picked up from a thrift store in New Mexico. I bought the necklace for a buck. I have been hoarding them and using them only for special jewelry.
Some others had been a lucky find on line from a place going out of the bead business. 8mm Fire polished czech faceted beads for only a penny each. They became addicting and are still my go to bead for everything.
I have also been very blessed by friends who chose to give me their bead collections when they moved out of the State. The last lady gave me her stash from decades of collecting. She had a heart condition and her eyes had gotten bad so she knew she would not be using them. The box was huge and full of amazing things. I split the stash in half and donated half to a few silent auctions to raise money for a school garden.
My latest project is also one for charity. I am making items to be sold at a bazaar to raise money for our quilt guild.
I have found that giving things away like that so often leads to getting more things.
Here is a picture of what I am working on.