Want to know how we spent our sunny Saturday afternoon? It involved some good friends, white wine, and lots of beads. We wanted to craft and enjoy the summer weather we were having, so we dragged our city feet over to the East Bay for a beading party. Not only was it warmer on the other side of the bay, but our friends over there have a nice big yard perfect for crafting in the sun. We brought our bins of beads, stopped off for some supplies on the way, and had a lovely afternoon.

When you bead with friends not only can you swap beads and supplies, it's also the perfect time to share skills and teach each other different techniques. Start with an easy project like a necklace or drop earrings. We know that lots of people don't have time to make their own jewelry, but after you learn how to make a pair of earrings you'll never look at store bought ones the same way again. Once you get some basics down, you can make those $50 earrings for about $5, and feel proud showing off your handy work to everyone.

We've been buying beads in the city for a while now, so we thought we should share some of our favorite places to get supplies. We'd love to hear about your favorite spots to buy beads, so feel free to leave comments with any places we didn't list and may not know about.

Photo courtesy of CharmingMilo.