It's Spring!!!

We've all heard of Spring Cleaning and I suppose I've done a bit of it, but mostly I've worked in my yard to get it ready for the wonders that come with the onset of Spring!  I love my flowers so posting a few photos is just as much for me as for you.  And the photos can't really do them justice - you can't smell them either.  They are all wonderful.
Everyone gets out into their yards in the Spring, but I needed to Spring clean some of my toys just as badly as I needed to Spring clean my yard and home.  Namely - my beads.
Eight or ten years ago I began collecting beads - my source was Hobby Lobby primarily and when I went to Houston there was a fabulous vendor there that had 'boucous' of beads.  Naturally, my bead stash increased.  Then, I discovered "Argenta Beads" in downtown North Little Rock  and a couple of weeks ago I found "Kitty's Kreations" in Sherwood.  Of course, I delighted myself with adding to my collection and time passed.
I enjoy cooking and consequently I have a spice cabinet full of those beautiful glass bottles in which   McCormick puts all its spices.  I occurred to me that it was a terrible waste to throw them away. I decided that the little bottles would be a great place to put all my growing bead collection.  The little glass tubes in which the beads were sold were not uniform, depending on where I bought them and so, I thought; looked untidy.  On the other hand, the McCormick spice bottles, were all the same size.  As time passed I put beads into each spice bottle as I emptied it of its spices.  I also discovered that the little jars that hold pimentos and the little sample jelly jars would be great bead bottles as well.
Doesn't this sound clever?  In turn, I would put all the bead-filled spice bottles and pimento jars and little jelly jars into big plastic storage boxes.  I now have three such storage boxes filled with bead-filled spice bottles, pimento jars and cute little sample jelly jars.  Oh yes, very clever!
Every Spring and Fall our Quilt Guild sponsors AWOL (Arkansas Women On the Loose w/Jim & Eddie). This a fun filled three day get-away out to Ferndale, AR. to the 4-H Center is a wonderful escape to the woods. Forty of us pack up our Studio/Sewing rooms and haul it off to Ferndale to sit and work on projects in peace and quiet. (no meals to cook, no pets, just sewing) 
I decided that I would take my beads so that I could finish embellishing a beautiful grey basket I had made.  The full impact of what I had done had never registered with me until I began lugging those storage boxes out to my car, unloading them from my car onto a trolley at Ferndale, unloading them from the trolley onto my table, then loading them up again and doing the whole process in reverse. Mercy!!! Plus, I spent most of my time digging through the glass bottles hunting for the right beads!  It was embarrassing and they weighed a ton!   I knew when I got back home something had to be done.
It has been well said, "Between the idea and the reality falls the shadow." T. S. Elliot
I have spent the past week or so cleaning the labels from all those little glass tubes with my trusty 'Goo Gone' (how does one run a household without 'Goo Gone'?), and pouring beads from the little glass bottles back into the little glass tubes.  Spring Cleaning!  But, here lies the 'Shadow'.  It seems there are more beads than little glass tubes.  Sometimes beads are sold in little plastic baggies.  I hate the little plastic baggies - I find them difficult to open, plus they distort the look of the beads.  Now, I don't have enough little glass tubes for the beads and Fire Mountain is sending me more beads next week.  And I'll bet they arrive in little plastic baggies. 
You may now consider this an all out plea for little glass tubes.  What's a beader to do?
I do think I've done a good job however; since most of my beads fit on that tray in the photo above and I don't need a trolley to haul it around.
Does anybody have any use for the McCormic Spice Jars?  They are very tidy.
On a related note, I do want to assure you that I have been working on my Quilts.  Today, I started making the back for "Third Times The Charm" and three days ago I completed 128 blocks for a new project.  (Understand - I started these blocks 6 or 7 years ago, but they are well on their way to becoming something because I am going to start arranging them on my design wall this week-end!)  I also intend to get the boarders on my black and red beauty very soon. 
Isn't is wonderful - all the roads we wander when we decided to become a Quilter.  I veer off into beading, painting, rug making, rug hooking and basketeering, but my first and true love is the art of the Quilt.
We'll talk later,
Carol Ann