A Diversion to The Bead Monkey

In my quest to enter a knitted item into the Minnesota State Fair this year I have felt my creativity expanding in many ways. On Tuesday night I took an Intro to Beading Class at The Bead Monkey in St. Paul, MN. The class was free and included a demo, an in depth store tour, and a free earring kit.

www.thebeadmonkey.com

Kathy started the class right on time. She expertly demonstrated putting a clasp on a bracelet or necklace. Then she showed us how to make loops for earrings. She told us the goal is to make a round circle shape at the top of the beads not a lopsided letter P.

Next Kathy lead us on a tour around the store. It was a complete tour and was great for someone like me who did not start out with an appreciation for Swarovski crystals. The store has beads from glass to semi precious stones, and amazing colors and shapes.

They also have all types of clasps and loops and wires and leather and silk and on which to put your beads.

If you are new to stringing, or not feeling very creative there is a wide variety of kits you can purchase. It comes with all the pieces you will need, as well as easy to follow instructions. Most kits have many different colors of beads to choose from.

The class list is also impressive! Many different classes are offered and each one lets you complete a project in the class.

We were presented with a complimentary earring kit and the offer to work in the classroom using The Bead Monkey's tools if we wanted to.

A creative lady in my class wanted to buy a few extra beads to add to the earring kit we received. Great idea! I followed her lead.

Here is what comes in the complimentary earring kit...

Here is what I created...

Very fun!