Spool Tamers

These are a handy new tool from Beadalon.  They're made for keeping wire spools neat and tidy, and they work very well for that.

But I've been using them for my beading thread spools instead.  And I looooove them for that!  They keep all of the thread on the spool from unraveling.  If you grab the tail of the thread and the little elastic tab and pull, it feeds out thread.  And if you pull out too much, you just run the elastic tab around the spool and it winds it up in a jiffy!

The spool tamers come in a pack of three and they're a pretty good deal.  I highly recommend them whether you use wire or thread, or both.  I got mine here.

Wire Looping Pliers

If you make jewelry, you know that wire loops (simple or wrapped) can be a bit annoying.  For me, they were downright troublesome - until I found these pliers!

I make a LOT of jewelry, in my personal time, and at my full-time job.  So listen when I tell you that this is one of my all time favorite tools!  I got my pair from Beadaholique, and there's even a video on the page that shows how to use them.  You just place the pliers next to where you want the loop and close them.  Bend the wire around, rotate the pliers, and bend the wire the rest of the way around. 

The loops are neat and round every time, and you can change the size simply by moving up or down the nose of the pliers.  Oh, and let me tell you, they transformed my wire wrapped loops - into something that actually looked nice!