GetCrafty Craft Facts

Q: I have just discovered bead looming (in the last 2 weeks), and am addicted. I have surfed the net several times re. beads, and SO much information is from the USA. I don't mind this - there are some great sites, but I would love to see some British sites, especially with details of suppliers - with the possibility of ordering over the net. Can anyone send me in the right direction? Are there tuition groups, etc. in London?

A: According to some of my customers, there aren't a lot of beads available in England. Many of them order from me (an ex-Londoner, now in Canada!). My website is http://members.aol.com/dsgnrstdio/ I'll happily translate prices if you wish. You can also find me on eBay.uk, seller i.d. k1p2cda. There aren't a lot of British bead places on the web, but there are lots of bead supply places in the country. There are at least four bead shops in the London area. I have a list, which I will send you if you E-mail me (although it needs an update, which I propose to do this weekend if I can find time). If you would like to take a one-to-one class or can find a few others, I teach all kinds of beadwork, and I live in North London. You might also consider joining 'The Bead Society of Great Britain' - http://members.delphi.com/britishbeads/index.html - I'm the newsletter editor, by the way. Try 'Creative Beadcraft'. They also trade as 'Ells & Farrier'. They can be found at 20 Beak Street, London. Tel: 0207-629-9964. Or try 'The Bead Shop', 21a Tower Street, London. Tel: 0207-240-0931 I'll send you (by E-mail) a copy of the list of UK bead suppliers that 'Crafty Owl' sent me. I can certainly recommend 'Creative Beadcraft' for mail order. I rang an order in on Monday, it came Thursday and I discovered that one of the items I had ordered was the wrong thing. Entirely my fault. I wanted an item for my beaded thimble holder class tomorrow, so I rang them Thursday and the item was in my letter box today. Less than 24 hour service.