I was just reading a recent post on Beading Daily about using up leftover beads, and I had to laugh. Since I usually buy beads wholesale, 90% of what I buy doesn’t get used up on the project or design I originally bought the beads for.

Autumn Leaves bracelet, made from leftover beads

So what do I do with all these leftover beads? Mostly, I organize them and reorganize them when I’m not feeling inspired, and usually I find something I’ve forgotten about that sparks a new idea for a piece of jewelry.

Certain types of beads that I use frequently, such as my better quality freshwater pearls, and a few sizes of semiprecious stones that work well in my designs, are organized in clear plastic divided trays. When I’m done making up a bunch of silver “frames” (that’s what I call my freeform metal pendants before I finish them off with beads), I get out a tray or two of these favorite beads and look for the perfect pearl or stone to complete my design.

Another thing I do is make up a bunch of dangles, without any finished design in mind. I grab a tray of beads, about 20 headpins, and make pairs of dangles, which can be used later on for earrings and other projects. This is one of my favorite things to do while watching Project Runway - it’s a fairly mindless task for me, since I make thousands of dangles, and then when I have a design in mind that requires bead dangles, they are ready to go.

If I’m really feeling uninspired by some extra beads, something that is fun to do is make “bead soup”. I take beads in a certain color scheme - maybe metallics, maybe greens, whatever - and mix them all together, then string them into necklaces and bracelets. Some of my favorite strung pieces have been made this way, and it’s a great way to use up beads that might not be appropriate for my metal designs.