Sometimes when we see a certain style of bead, we instantly see the perfect project to use it in. Something about the color, shape and texture calls out, providing inspiration before the beads are even out of their package.
That is the way I see cobalt blue beads. Unlike most blues, which are cool shades, cobalt has a mysterious warmth to it. Even turquoise, which can be used to represent a tropical ocean, can’t compete with the heat of cobalt blue. I like to combine them with bright, electric colors, like toxic chartreuse green or sunny opaque yellow.
In my large collection of vintage beads, I have a stash of round cobalt blue lucite that I’ve been hoarding for years. Even when I still used plastics, I could never bring myself to work with these beads, because they were just too beautiful to part with. The 10mm rounds are perfectly clear, and when they catch the light just right, they seem to amplify it, like a fiber optic cable.
It seems like such a waste to let these beads hide away in my stash, never to be seen in a piece of jewelry. So I’ve decided it’s time to pass them on to another beader who can appreciate their beauty. Will it be you?
How to Enter the Cobalt Blue Giveaway
For a chance to win my collection of vintage cobalt blue beads, just answer the following question:
If you could capture and recreate any memory with beads, what would it be?
Leave a comment on this post with your answer, and you’ll be entered in the draw! There are 161 beads in the set - about ½ a cup of gorgeous cobalt blue rounds. The draw is open to residents of Canada and the US.
Receive a second entry by Tweeting this post. Leave a link to your Twitter account, or your Tweet, along with your comment.
You can also receive an extra entry by mentioning this giveaway in a blog post, and link back to Inspirational Beading. Leave a link to your post with you comment!
The winner will be randomly drawn on Monday, August 23rd.
If you do not have a public Blogger profile with email contact enabled, you must include your email address with your comment. You can type it spam free like this: beadlover AT yourmail.com.
Good luck, and happy beading!
Copyright 2010 Inspirational Beading
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Inspiration Topics
accessories
amulet
Ancient Worlds Modern Beads
animals
April's Army
art
ArtFire
astrology
astronomy
autumn
awards
awareness
bangle
beach
Bead Inspired
Bead Shops
bead soup
bead spotlight
bead stash
Bead Trays
beaded beads
beading theory
beads
belt
bezel
birthstones
black
blog spotlight
blue
boho
bone
book spotlight
bracelet
Bracelet A Week
branch fringe
brick stitch
brown
bugles
buttons
cabochon
ceramic
chain maille
challenge
charity
chevron chain
christmas
collar
Collections
color
Color Ideas
color triads
conservation
craft shows
crafts
crochet
crystals
cuff
Culled Beads
current events
Current Faves
daggers
Daily Sets
daisy chain
Delicas
Destash
drops
Dutch spiral
earrings
Egypt
Egyptian Gods
embellishing
embroidery
environment
etsy
exotic
fair trade
fantasy
fashion
Favorite Beads
Favorite Techniques
feminine
fibers
film
findings
fire polish
fixtures
Flashback Test
flickr inspiration
flowers
food
found object
free form
fringe
Geek Jewels
geekery
gemstones
geography
giveaway
glass
gold
gray
Greece
green
herringbone
hex cuts
history
holiday
home decor
insects
inspiration tip
inspired beader
Inspired by...
Inspiring Links
ivory
Jewelry Stash
knitting
ladder stitch
lampwork
lariat
leaf fringe
leather
lights
literature
loomwork
macrame
magatamas
Master Class
Medallions
metal free
metalwork
Mini Collar a Week
mixed media
mixture
Mood Board
MOP
multi-color
multi-strand
music
natural beads
nature
necklace
Necklace a Day
Nepal chain
netting
New Beads
ocean
ombre
orange
paint
paper
patterns
pearls
pendant
peyote
photography
Picasso finish
pink
Pinspiration
PMC
polymer clay
poster sketch
purple
quick inspiration
rainbow
RAW
red
resin
ring
Ring a Day
rivoli
Rome
Russian spiral
scarf
science
seed beads
shell
silver
soutache
spiral rope
spring
square stitch
St. Petersburg
steampunk
stringing
stripes
summer
tagua
TBT
The Elements
thread
Tilas
Time Capsule
tools
trade beads
triangle weave
tribal
tropical
turquoise
tutorial
two-hole beads
Ugly
vintage
Wear it Twice
weather
white
winter
WIP
wire
wishlist
wood
World Beaders
yellow
Blog Home * About * Beading Tutorials * Advertise
Learn About Sponsoring Inspirational Beading with Project Wonderful
Affiliated With ShareASale.com and Amazon.com
Learn About Sponsoring Inspirational Beading with Project Wonderful
Affiliated With ShareASale.com and Amazon.com
If I could recreate a memory in beads it would have to be of the view from my hotel balcony of Lake
ReplyDeleteGeorge, NY. I have never been on a tropical vacation, so to me Lake George is the most beautiful place on the plantet. Anyhow that view was in the early am, sun just coming up over water, mountains in the background. The various shades of early am sky, water, foilage and distant mountains was absolutely breath taking. I swear it almost made me cry, if you know what I mean. It was just so beautiful and peaceful.
Debbie
I was 21 when i got pregnant with my son. I knew at the begining that something was not quite right with my baby! I would sit in the shower holding my ever growing tummy, crying, and begging God to make my son be ok! On January 3, 1998 my son was born emergancy c-section. He was missing half his heart, was underweight, having seizures. After they told me and my husband all this terrible news, they put my son in my arms for the first time. In that instant all the worries dissapeared, the love i felt, the love that radiated from me to my son that day was amazing. It is that love that i would like to recreate in my beading. My son is almost 13 now, he has incountered 36 surgeries, and we just regerstered him for middle school!!! He can not speak and is delayed but that love that radiaded from me that day still is present every time i look into those beautiful brown eyes!!
ReplyDeleteOne of the most peaceful times I can remember as a child is night time camping at the beach and hearing the ongoing rolling of the waves breaking onto the beach. Walking, running and playing in the beautiful sand. Swimming, collecting shells and drift wood. All the beautiful crab in their holes. We spent every holiday there and I have all those wonderful, wonderful memories. My beading would have to reflect the ocean and beach.
ReplyDeleteThese are great inspirations indeed! Thank you for sharing your stories, and good luck in the draw!
ReplyDeleteThe older you get, the harder it is to bring a memory forth on command!
ReplyDeleteI would capture the moment I met my brother when I was 30 years old.
There was one evening during college, there was a new snowfall and my friend and I seemed to be the only ones out. We decided sled down a big hill. It was a VERY happy few moments. The only way fresh snow can, with more snow soon to arrive. Like the inside of our own personal snow globe. Dec. 1984 :)
ReplyDelete