And heartfelt thanks for the advice on everything from photos to ceramics to Venetians to amber! You are so generous with your time, and I know I am not the only one who depends on The Beadman and his vast storehouse of knowledge. Please stick around, the forum will be much poorer otherwise!

PS I was just in a local bead store, and when I expressed disinterest in some of the beads on a mixed strand, the shop owner said, well, you can always use them for fillers....