A Bead in Time - book by Lisa Crone

I was thrilled to come home to have a box waiting for me on the kitchen counter. I saw the Amazon label and knew it was my book! I ripped open the box and there it was - the beautiful shiney cover of "A Bead in Time" looking up at me. Just the cover itself makes you want to open the book. First you see a beautiful bracelet and earrings mirroring the colors and textures of the beach/tropic setting in the image. Its winter and cold here, the cover was so inviting I couldn't wait to see what was inside. I ran to my computer, emailed Lisa – “I GOT MY BOOK!! I GOT MY BOOK!” grabbed my book and ran upstairs to look thru it at my pace and with no interruptions.

Lisa starts with a great introduction sharing ideas on how to battle 'beader's block'. It sets the tone for the book, how she uses vacation photos as her inspiration while creating beautiful jewelry. The book has 127 pages of beautiful images broke into four chapters including step by step instructions, tips and inspirations. I mean right off the bat she gets to the point with a measurement conversion chart on the very first page! Brilliant.

Lisa did not over look any detail. After the introduction she does a listing of materials and tools that are referenced in the book. She does not take for granted her readers have a prior knowledge of jewelry making. That alone makes this book a perfect addition to any library collection. It is written to accommodate any skill level. I thoroughly enjoyed and was thrilled to see the “Basic Techniques” section. Again, leaving nothing to be questioned, there are pictures and instructions for many different techniques that are needed for the beginning and the experienced beader. I remember when I first started making jewelry, so many things eluded me as far as "how in the world to you make that happen?" If only I had had this book, I would have spent less time scratching my head and more time making jewelry!!! Here is just a snippet of the Basic Technique page and the illustrations. Beautifully photographed and instructions clearly defined, you can confidently tackle any of the designs shared in this book.


Each entry shows the finished product alongside the image that inspired it. Lisa gives you a little history about each picture, and how it inspired her to create the jewelry. She adds a little inspiration quip to each project and adds tips to the instructions to help you along.
This is not just a recipe book for making jewelry. Lisa opens up and gives you a very intimate look into her thought processes and I am humbled by her talents, expertise, and willingness to bring you into her crafting world. I feel like I am sitting across the table from her, having coffee and chatting about her last vacation as she shows me the jewelry she just made. There is an excitement in the book, the way it reads, I am sure it is her very energy coming through the pages.

I have looked through the book several times and can’t wait to try some of these new techniques. I hate to pick a favorite, because I love them all, but when you get a chance to see this book, the Summer Salad is so awesome!

Stop by Lisa’s blog, get to know her as I did, you won’t be disappointed. A Bead A Day