Nicola sent me this practical tip for working with seed beads:
When using small seed beads for stringing I use my daughter's prit stick (kids glue stick). Put some of the glue on your finger and stick it in the beads - you can hold loads of beads on your finger without them falling off.
This is a wonderful resource for learning about beading. It covers everything you need to know to get started in beading, as well as lots of more advanced hints and ideas.