Every January, the BeadStyle staff does a one-day retreat at Cathy's house, where we talk about our goals and our wish-list for the magazine. We also review what we enjoyed from the past year. This year, we have a homework assignment: to bring our thoughts about our five favorite BeadStyle projects. In preparation for tomorrow's get-together, I thought I'd share my list here.

What does it mean to select our favorite projects? Could I just say, "Ornaments," because those are my favorite to design, year after year? Or should I evaluate the projects based on what struck me as the most dazzling? Or what taught the reader the most?

As it turns out, I used none of these criteria. Instead, as I paged through the issues from the last five years, I realized that the projects I liked best are the ones I still wear. Here they are, starting with the most recent:

• Pearly girl, by Naomi Fujimoto, September 2005. (Okay, it may seem narcissistic to pick my own design, but I hope you'll cut me some slack.) Even though the pieces are made mostly with round beads, the effect isn't boring. I also like the way the necklace, bracelet, and earrings work with other pieces, too.

• Facet fascination, by Diana Grossman, July 2005. Diana has a beautiful eye for color and has designed more elaborate pieces (like Chandelier cheer), but this is my favorite. I think her simple treatment of the huge glass bead is brilliant; these necklaces have a perfect sense of proportion. It can be challenging to create clean, pretty designs, but she makes it look easy.  

• Heart to heart, by Brenda Schweder, July 2005. Brenda is a regular contributor and this is less bold than most of her designs, but just as interesting. The oversized, off-center heart is stylish and not at all cutesy. I layer my necklace with others (it's also very eye-catching when worn solo). You know you love a piece when you put together your outfit around your jewelry. 

• Instant heirlooms, by Jan Kostura, July 2005. Apparently July 2005 was a good issue. This necklace is stunning: the combination of hot pink and turquoise with the scalloped settings looks both fresh and retro. And it gives me another excuse to wear a turquoise shirt.

• Hoop dreams, by Jill Italiano, September 2004. I didn't "borrow" these earrings (as I did the other favorites), but Jill's design is both pretty and basic. Plus, this design never goes out of style. She has an excellent design sense and top-notch craftsmanship (check out her portfolio to see more of her work).

So those are the pieces I'm still wearing. I'm curious about what Cathy, Jane, Erin, Stacy, Linda, Carole, and Serene will choose. And what about you? If you haven't already, try our search engine when you're looking for past projects — it's probably easier than going through five years of back issues.