Like all of the beading magazines currently available, there is at least a page of advertising for each page of content. Normally, that's fine with me, but Step-by-Step takes it to a new level. It's misleading to accept ads from dealers who only work with members of the trade and put them in a beginner hobbyist's magazine. A full page ad with great prices is terrific, until the new beader discovers that the company only deals with wholesalers and has a minimum order of hundreds of dollars. It would be far more ethical for the publishers to limit wholesaler's ads to more high end publications.
To decide whether beading is for you, and to see what pretty and fashionable jewelry is available, this is a good magazine. However, understand it as a beginner's guide, and know that if you decide you want to advance in the craft of jewelrymaking, you'll need to unlearn some bad habits and buy much better tools and supplies than those recommended in this magazine. More advanced beaders and jewelrymakers will probably want to skip it - there's nothing new here.
