| ORCHID and OPAL |

It’s a legit question. If I were on the outside looking in, I would wonder the same thing! I receive A. LOT. OF. BEADS… month-in, and month-out. It’s borderline overwhelming to me sometimes; I won’t deny it. You all see them come in, and sure, to some enthusiastic beaders it may seem incredible (and very overwhelming to others). I’ll admit, it’s a great “problem” to have. However, is there such a thing as too many beads? For me, the answer is YES!

I am not a bead hoarder, as it may appear from the face value of my video content. Also, the vast majority gets sent to me at no (financial) cost, in exchange for my videos. In my everyday life I lean much more “minimalistic” than the type of person to have a lot of things around me. Honestly? Having too many “things” cluttered up around me cramps my thinking process, and quite frankly, stresses me out. There is no way I could realistically use up all of these beads myself (wouldn’t it be wonderful if we had that kind of time?!). In addition to the pieces I create and sell, and the supplies I give away, I have created another solution that is a win-win for me, and other bead enthusiasts. [Enter: Patreon]

My solution for managing the large monthly influx of beads and findings is by sharing the wealth. I LOVE to share, I LOVE to keep myself organized (a constant work in progress), and I LOVE having the opportunity to send fun bead surprise packages to some of my lovely viewers each month. I currently have about 12 people that I share 15+ bags of beads and findings with EVERY MONTH. If you do some math, that is a whopping 180+ bags of beads that I send to others… did you catch that? 180+ bags LEAVE my studio every single month. It’s a win-win because these Patrons provide me with a small amount of regular financial support, which enables me to create and share more content with you, AND I am not drowning in a sea of beads!

The thing is, most of you wonderful viewers don’t actually get to SEE that end of things. You see what you CAN see; all of the amazing boxes and bounties of beads coming in, but you don’t see what’s going out. Like I stated at the very beginning, though, it’s a totally legit question to ask! Hopefully this helps you understand how I manage this process in a way that is a win-win (win-win-win, actually, because the bead companies benefit from me sharing).

If you are interested in signing up to be one of my Patrons, and would like to receive one of these monthly bead bags from yours truly, you can find the details here: https://www.patreon.com/join/orchidopaljewelry. Spots are limited. I currently have tiers for US, UK, and Canadian viewers, but if you are outside of these areas I’d be happy to set up a tier just for YOU, by request! I would need you to pay the additional shipping costs, though, but would be happy to provide you with a quote first. Don’t hesitate to ask!

Hopefully this little blog post will be the first of many to help address some of your burning questions. It’s easier for me to refer someone to a post like this when I get asked the same question multiple times (which is no prob!). I want to be able to provide the deets in my response, instead of a quick one-line answer. Perhaps at some point I will make posts like this into videos, but I am swamped right now, and this is the best I can do!

Finally, thank you all a million times over for all of your enthusiasm, support, and encouragement! I would not be continuing to put myself out there in this way if it weren’t for YOU! I appreciate YOU! ???

PS) I plan to continue sharing multiple boxes and “hauls” as long as I have my channel. The reality is, this content is a large part of my business, and it is a major piece of what enables me to bring you free tutorials, finished jewelry updates, and other videos you enjoy. Most of you understand, but I can already hear someone asking me “Why don’t you just stop requesting/accepting so many boxes?.” Doh! ?

HAPPY BEADING!