My family used to accompany me bead shopping, but finally gave up when they discovered that there is o such thing as a "quick trip to the bead store" for me, except under extreme circumstances; one time, I even won a $10 bet with my husband that I could get in and out of the store in 10 minutes, but the truth was, I really did only need one item, it was a slow time, and I was hungry, so I wanted to get to the restaurant. Otherwise, it's not difficult for me to spend hours Bead Shopping, whether on line, shuffling through a Gem Faire, or standing in a bead store. I love glass, and I love color, and I love the endless variety of those two elements in beads.

I recall reading an article somewhere about the brain's inability to perceive more than about 150 of the different colors and shades of Delica beads on the market, and that after the basic "core" of beads has been purchased, everything else is a waste, since the brain "sees" each of the additional colors in the same way it would one of the core colors. Once we've obtained those basic core colors, everything else is just lagniappe. Unfortunately, I have never seen an actual list of those core colors. I wish I could, as I would love to experiment with that theory a bit.

Beader Sandra Wallace, in her gorgeous treat of a book, The Beader's Color Directory teaches that it's not the bead, it's how, where, and when it's used in a grouping of colors that makes it work. This is one of those books I recommend for all beaders, as the color combinations she demonstrates are but a gateway to creating your own colorways, using a variety and palette of colors and shade you might otherwise have never considered.

Margie Deebs, in her book A Beader's Guide to Color teaches us how to let color sing. Well, that's not what she says, but it's how I've always interpreted her beading and color theory teaching style/ I sense the same feel for color and placement in her lessons that I do when breaking down a piece of music into the individual instruments; hearing only the bass line, or the drumming, a thread of flute or a wide line of he horn section. I am also able to see and "feel" the use of color as Margo teaches it, much the same as I see the separate and integration of color in hand woven textiles. Observed up close without looking at the finished piece as a whole, a single strand of color may look out of place, random, or possible in error. But when the full article is viewed as a whole, or from a distance, the colors come together and integrate the work. That seemingly random color becomes the "tie that binds" the whole of the weaving, or the beadwork, together.

What are your thoughts and feelings on bead colors and the variety available? Do you think there are simply too many of them, that there are too many shades, variations, treatments to make it worthwhile to own more than a few basics? Or do you celebrate every new bead that is introduced, and hate to see any color leave the lineup?

Do you find that you work with a core of colors, or are you all over the map, depending on the beadwork? Let us hear from you. I'm sure I'm not the only beader to question her choices on different colors, and wonders if it's just acquisitiveness that makes me collect, even though I do use them, or if there's a reason. Are these shades reaching out to parts of my art-brain, or am I just expressing bead greed? Let's hear your thoughts. Comments below, please!

How often do you hear or read :

• "I only use natural materials to create my beaded jewelry and decorative pieces."
• I am a glass snob; none of that cheap-looking plastic bead making material for my artwork."
• I only use the finest materials in my beadwork; genuine leaded crystal, the finest gemstones, sterling or fine silver, heavy gold plate or vermeil, and the best glass beads available."

I admit, openly, happily, even, that I like to think the same about myself, other than the reference to non-glass bead making materials; I am a Klew Bead devotee, and am proud to say that. I use many natural materials, too; stone, metals, some animal products, wood, marine-mined products, lots of glass, paper, and I am getting involved in recycling, "upcycling" and using found materials in my beading.

However, there's one material that we all use in abundance but very likely rarely consider as an "issue" in beading and that is plastic. Think about it; we use a huge amount of plastic in creating beadwork. Large bead quantities are wrapped in plastic at the factories, and then these are broken down into smaller quantities and placed in plastic bags. We get them home and as soon as possible re-bag, as the bags hanging in the sore could be old, weakening, and are likely not too clean.

Most of the storage we use is also plastic; parts bins, rolling carts, tubes, boxes, more bags - you name it. And we will change a storage container in the wink of an eye. If a zip-top bag looks worn, we think nothing of pouring those beads into a new one and tossing the old one.

But are there any real alternatives? Plastic, of course, is made from a petroleum byproduct, and consequently, with the rise in fuel oil prices, the cost of all that plastic will increase, raising the price of beads, the waste is en environmental issue, but with all my own brainstorming, I have not figured out a good alternative. Small glass storage containers are heavy, costly, and too easy to break. Metal is do-able, and many people have begun to use some metal for storage with the little flat, round metal containers and boxes, but they aren't too practical for very large collections. Wooden boxes are nice, but again, are heavy and expensive and use wood - another precious commodity.

Are you cutting back on the plastic in your beadwork? Have you thought about this? What steps are you taking to change the amount of plastic you use to transport and store your beads?

So far, the "greenest" storage I've found is the Bead Pavilion Bead Storage Shelves for Round or Square Tubes, as well as the tubes sold by Sova Enterprises. Yes, they are plastic, however, the shelves and storage racks are sturdy and will last for ages, meaning that you won't be replacing flimsy boxes when the hinges break every 2-3 months. The removable shelves are useful for a variety of storage including that of tools, accessories, small parts and more.

If you've developed some great "green beading" methods, including storage, please post your comments below. I would love to make up a list of ideas from readers on how we can use less plastic, and therefore reduce the "carbon footprint" of our beading.