Quick Inspiration: Muse Meets Stash

The deadline for ordering kits for the USE THE MUSE II beading contest is coming up this week. Not only does this mean that it’s nearly time to submit our creations, but it’s also time to reflect on how we’ve used the muse.

For my project, I used nearly all of the beads in the kit, and added some from my own stash. I chose some gorgeous abalone lined crystal 11o seed beads, matte blue AB 60’s, and silver lined aqua 15o’s from Artbeads.com. After the ‘Big Reveal”, I’ll show just how these selections from my stash measured up against the Muse.

Although I’m really pleased with my creation, the leftover components from the kit had me wondering what other combinations I could have made. So, I pulled out all the bead boxes in my cupboard and put together a few examples of the beads not taken.

Beautiful Blues



This is a second example of how the blues in the Muse kit can be paired up with additional blue beads. The Swarovski pearls and crystals, and the 11o seed beads look bold and fresh against baby blue 8o’s and jonquil lined aqua 15o’s.

Pretty Pastels



The purple-blue silk ribbon provides a lovely background for crystal AB bugles, white Ceylon 11o’s and pink lined blue 6o’s.

Colorful Contrast



For something completely different, I placed silver lined violet and transparent green mix seed beads against the deep blue Muse kit beads. The combination looks so lively and tropical.

Misty Metals



This collection is my personal favorite. I love the deep muted shades of the platinum pearls, cubes and seed beads, with gold lined black diamond 15o‘s, silver lined gray 15o’s and jet black druks.

I’m really looking forward to seeing all of the USE THE MUSE II entries, and the many combinations of beads and components that everyone used. For more information about the contest, visit TheBeadersMuse.com.