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Beam N Read Review and Giveaway

March 1, 2010 by Shellie Wilson


This Beam N Read Reading Light from ASF Lightware solutions is a personal portable LED light.

The lights are worn around the neck and illuminate the workspace in front resulting in much greater versatility than other lights. They are particularly well suited for reading, quilting, knitting, crochet, crafts, travel, camping, power outages, and childcare.  However, the range of uses is almost limitless. They deliver a wider light than clip lights, easily work with newspapers as well as books, and provide anywhere, anytime lighting for tasks like knitting without disturbing others.  Battery life is a lot longer so the ongoing cost to use them is less. Depending on the model, accessories include clip-on magnifiers and color filters.  The result is a product that is one of the most versatile and economical, personal, portable, hands free LED lights available

Thanks to ASF Lightware Solutions we have 2 of these lights to giveaway.

For your chance to win simply leave a comment on this post telling us what you need to “Light Up” in your life.

Competition Open Worldwide.

Competition ends April 1st.

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Comments

  1. sandra says

    March 1, 2010 at 2:47 pm

    Oh this is sooooooooo cool!!! I took a trip this past weekend, and was holding a small LED light which was sooo bright i had to place my thumb over the top to dim it…This beam n read would be sooo awesome!! I would love it!

  2. Jennifer N says

    March 1, 2010 at 3:34 pm

    Right now – I just need to light up late night/early morning reading. But, I’m hoping to get back into cross-stitching at the end of the day . . . I haven’t done it since my son was born, and he’s 3-1/2! Yikes.

  3. Megs says

    March 1, 2010 at 3:40 pm

    This would help a lot in my sewing room. It is so darn dark in there, I can hardly see anything! I would love to use these when sorting through my buttons!!

  4. Jennifer says

    March 1, 2010 at 4:01 pm

    This would be perfect for cross stitch. I like to work on it at night when we are watching tv, but my dh prefers the lights off.

  5. Loralynn says

    March 1, 2010 at 4:12 pm

    I would love to have this for my evening embroidery! The family is always complaining that my light shows up on the tv so this would keep a lot of peace in the family!!!

  6. crazyestonian says

    March 1, 2010 at 5:31 pm

    It would be perfect light source for crafts on a sailboat. We have lights but they are so dim that any crafting beyond knitting stockinette stitch (or well, garter) is out of question. Books can be held up to see better but crafts usually can’t..

  7. Gillian says

    March 1, 2010 at 6:29 pm

    Oh so perfect for reading on our many roadtrips!

  8. Janet says

    March 1, 2010 at 8:50 pm

    It would be perfect for doing stitching while watching tv. No light sources in my living room. Reading late in bed would be great too!

  9. Pam B says

    March 1, 2010 at 11:27 pm

    This would certainly be great for reading, but my quilting and cross stitch details would love me for having this!!

  10. Ellie says

    March 2, 2010 at 6:17 am

    I tat, often with fine threads, and this would be perfect for helping me see my work, esp. when finishing ends. This would be easily taken when working away from home, too!

  11. Joanne Carpenter says

    March 2, 2010 at 8:39 am

    I’ve been making fabric corsages lately. This light would be a great help when I’m watching TV with the family and trying to sew at the same time.

  12. Joan Cain says

    March 2, 2010 at 8:52 am

    I do alot of reading and I need lots of light and this would be ideal.

  13. Laura says

    March 2, 2010 at 8:55 am

    Wow! What a super product, and not just for crafters. I’m nearing age 50 and my eyes are just not what they used to be. I don’t have vision insurance so I get by with reading glasses for crafting and reading for the time being. I love the idea of the Beam N Read having a light, that helps tremendously with tiny print and delicate crafting. It also comes in handy when crafting while watching T.V., with reading glasses I’m constantly fidgeting with adjusting my glasses when ever I glance up at the T.V. screen. I really could use the Beam N Read to “light up my life”!

  14. sandy says

    March 2, 2010 at 8:57 am

    I neede one for knitting and reading, my hubby likes to save energy with very low lighting in our home.

  15. Consuelo says

    March 2, 2010 at 9:07 am

    This product looks like it would be great for just about everything I like to do, from creating w/polymer clay to reading. The only problem I foresee is that my dh would end up ‘appropriating’ it for himself!

  16. lisa says

    March 2, 2010 at 9:11 am

    Hello,
    Love the idea of being able to see my knitting and or patterns w/o turning on the lamp !

  17. Milai says

    March 2, 2010 at 9:15 am

    This is perfect for when you want to do work at night and don’t want the whole room lit. Embroidery, hand sewing, reading small print on patterns……AWESOME!
    Thanks for the chance…

  18. Susan Spiers says

    March 2, 2010 at 9:29 am

    I am an avid reader & crafter who wears glasses in order to do any of the above. Therefore, I need to “Light Up” all things crafty in my life!

  19. Julie says

    March 2, 2010 at 10:13 am

    I would like to give this to my Father. He is having trouble seeing and I think the extra light would help when he reads. He will soon be 88 years old and I think this would be perfect for him to use.

  20. Darla says

    March 2, 2010 at 10:33 am

    It would be perfect for reading in the middle of the night when I can’t sleep. It would be oh so handy at our Mountain cabin where the electricty frequently goes out.

    Darla

  21. Amanda says

    March 2, 2010 at 11:08 am

    I need to light up my crocheting when I’m using a steel hook in order to see those tiny stitches!

  22. Jen says

    March 2, 2010 at 11:32 am

    This would be awesome for when I go camping and want to read or journal in the tent 🙂

  23. gwyneth says

    March 2, 2010 at 1:35 pm

    sewing projects!

  24. debbie says

    March 2, 2010 at 1:48 pm

    As I have AGED GRACEFULLY,my eyesight isn’t what it used to be.These would be wonderful to use when doing ANY craft project.My eyes would be so happy!!

  25. Joanna says

    March 2, 2010 at 2:30 pm

    I need to light up my counted cross-stitch. This little light would be great because I would not have to light up the whole room to see what’s in front of me. Great idea. Thank you.

  26. Mimi says

    March 2, 2010 at 2:42 pm

    I love to quilt and read but often find the lighting not the best… especially when my dh tells me to turn off the light because it is getting late!!

  27. Vickie Riddle says

    March 2, 2010 at 3:43 pm

    This would be so nice to give my mom when she’s working on her puzzle books.

  28. Ellen Lai says

    March 2, 2010 at 4:31 pm

    I work better with good light, and especially if working with dark colours. Also, this would be neat for early mornings when it is still not bright enough, but only I need a light for some reading or handiworks. I light up when I am working on my crafts and tatting!

  29. Minta says

    March 2, 2010 at 4:56 pm

    I love to cross stitch, but here in Seattle it is very hard to do in the fall and winter with all the gray cloudy days. This light would be a great help.

  30. Jd says

    March 2, 2010 at 6:05 pm

    I would love to give this to my aging grandmother who loves to knit, but whose eyes aren’t quite as good as they once were. Having the extra light or some magnifying would help her alot!

  31. Mary Eilers says

    March 2, 2010 at 9:34 pm

    This looks like it would be very help full to use while hand sewing. My eyes have seen better days. LOL

  32. Vicki Sprain says

    March 2, 2010 at 11:21 pm

    I would love to have one of these lights! When I saw the picture of the lady reading with the light around her neck, I thought, “That light would be perfect to use when I am quilting with my longarm quiting machine!” Being able to aim the light straight at the needle would really help me to see the quilting much better.

  33. Bonnie Hayes says

    March 3, 2010 at 10:32 am

    This light would help me in many ways. My husband is almost blind and very light sensitive. This would help me focus the light where it needs to go for reading or knitting and then I would not have to hear him complain that I have too many lights on. Would also be good to read in bed with and not disturb him with the big light.

  34. Penny Landrum says

    March 3, 2010 at 11:20 am

    This would be great for reading at night. My husband hates the bedside lamp I use so normally I forego reading.

  35. Carol Schlabach says

    March 3, 2010 at 2:14 pm

    I love to applique. This light would be just perfect for these old eyes of mine. Please add me to your drawing. Thanks so much!

  36. Nancie says

    March 4, 2010 at 9:45 am

    I would use this when I’m paper crafting. The light in the craft room is ok for general use, but when I need to color or cut small areas, I really struggle to see, this light would be my new best friend, indeed!

  37. Janet A says

    March 4, 2010 at 10:57 am

    I would love to have this for travel. It would allow me to read or crochet without disturbing anyone else.

  38. Swagata says

    March 4, 2010 at 9:55 pm

    I wish I could find something to brighten up my life. I have picked up sewing as a hobby to deal with the loss of my unborn 4 mth old baby…And it gets too dark in my bedroom where I sew so I have to limit myself to daytimes only. Sewing rocks…I love being able to create something new with my own hands for my daughter and neightbours…

  39. Margie says

    March 5, 2010 at 10:41 am

    This is too cool! I live on my patio pretty much all summer and hate to have to go inside after dark to continue my knitting or reading. I could stay outside all night with a fabulous light like this!

  40. Marilyn Wallace says

    March 5, 2010 at 2:03 pm

    Bright lights really bother my eyes at nightime……but I do need to see to knit…..This concentrated light would be perfect for at home or in the car…..

  41. Sue Engler says

    March 5, 2010 at 2:13 pm

    I am always looking for better lighting! I sew, draw, paint, bead, knit, etc. and my eyes aren’t what they used to be!

  42. Shay Williams says

    March 5, 2010 at 6:07 pm

    This would be so wonderful for my beading. I have an OTT light but when I bead in the living room, it is too much hassle to drag it out of my studio.

  43. Charlotte Prescott says

    March 5, 2010 at 8:33 pm

    A cure for cancer would light me up like a Christmas tree! In the meantime, it’s pretty much impossible for a beader like me to have too much light. Shiny good wishes to all.

  44. Jenny Renna says

    March 6, 2010 at 8:15 am

    oooohhh….luv this light! I would totally use this sitting in the backyard, crafting, while my 3-yr old catches fireflies this summer!

  45. bob smith says

    March 7, 2010 at 9:51 am

    its alright

  46. Deci Worland says

    March 12, 2010 at 9:29 am

    I need to shine a light on my creativity.

  47. Stephanie Morris says

    March 16, 2010 at 2:37 pm

    All I need to light up my life is waking up to my great husband and daughter every morning. Couldn’t ask for more.

  48. Amy Wing / Gauche Alchemy says

    March 25, 2010 at 2:26 am

    Well… I could light up my book in my daughter’s darkened room as she goes to sleep (she likes me to stay with her)… or I could light up some crafts in my studio, which doesn’t get enough natural light… or I can light up my hangnail as I try to trim it… or I can sneak a peek at hubby’s toenails under the covers at night… really, possibilities are endless.

Have you read?

Cross Stitch Lids for Mason Jars

Mason jars are fun to craft with, use for storage or even use to hold gifts like baking mixes or sugar scrubs. But you can make your jars even cuter — no matter what you’re using them for — by adding a bit of cross stitch to the lid. 

This idea comes from Gathered, and while they are showing examples of Mason jars used for storage in the craft room, you can use these throughout the house. I’m also thinking you could do this as a way to fancy up a traditional Mason jar sewing kit, since there’s already a little batting under the piece of cross stitch you could still use it as a pincushion. 

The post walks you through how to make a cross stitched Mason jar lids and a link to a PDF pattern that includes six design options.

They’re not totally for beginners because they include cross stitch, backstitch, eyelets and Rhodes stitch, but if you aren’t familiar with those techniques you can either leave them off or there’s a stitch diagram in the PDF to help you. 

Either way these designs are cute and relatively quick to stitch in whatever colors you like. It’s easy to turn them into jar toppers, or you could even just use the Mason jar ring as a frame rather than using it on top of a jar (I did this with a little Christmas tree cross stitch pattern I turned into an ornament). 

They’re super cute in the pastel colors shown, or work in red and green for more of a holiday look if you’re using them for gift giving. 

Check out the instructions and grab the free patterns for these jar toppers at Gathered. Once you start stitching I’m sure you’ll come up with all sorts of things you want to store or gift in jars so that you can make more of them!

[Photo: Gathered]

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