Saturday, March 26, 2011

A Bracelet a Week: Pina Coladas on the Beach

Pina Colda Freeform Cuff

This week’s bracelet was pure indulgence. I wanted to make something featuring my new starfish color, aqua blue, and I wanted it to be fun and easy to create. I needed a simple, carefree design.

I can’t think of anything more carefree than freeform beadwork. The only style that I’m comfortable with is netting, which is easy to work, but has enough limits and boundaries that I still know what I’m going to get in the end. It’s also very aquatic and nautical, so it fits well with starfish. And since I really enjoy throwing lots of different beads together, I couldn’t resist.

In order to make blue starfish stand out, and look right at home, I created a palette that would look just like a white sandy beach - the kind that hasn’t been cultivated, polluted or in any way touched by humans. It would be imperfect, varied, and totally beautiful. So I started by mixing 11/o and 8/o seed beads in opaque white, lustered white, ceylon black/gray, light beige, and dark beige.

White Beach Bead Palette

For accents, I went all through my bead stash and picked out beachy pieces, and assorted odds and ends that I might want to throw into a freeform piece. I began with pinch bicones in turquoise, crystal, and green meadow, frosted magatamas, the last of my pink shell beads and a few other bits of shell, just in case.

Almost immediately after I got to work on the bracelet, I omitted the turquoise and green beads from the accents. I was really happy with the more subtle colors, and I wanted to make sure that the blue starfish were the stars of this show.

Once the bracelet was complete, I went over the entire piece again, adding in peyote stitch and extra nets wherever it seemed fitting. Unlike most of the cuffs I make, this one has an overlapping clasp. I much prefer the seamless look for this piece, and I think I’ll strive for the same effect more often in the future.

Pina Colada Freeform Bracelet


Pass the coconut!

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
Subscribe to Inspirational Beading


9 comments:

  1. I am not a huge fan of freeform pieces, but that is awesome!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. This piece is SCRUMPTIOUS! You really captured a nautical feel with this. I love it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. This does indeed pulse with a beachy vibe. I love the subtle colors you chose to make up the "sand."

    ReplyDelete
  4. It's great and feels very beachy. Love it!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love it! Good move deleting the blue and green beads, the starfish really stand out!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. WOW, I've never seen anything as cool as this!! I really need to share! Do you mind if I mention it and link over from A Bead A Day?

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi, Lisa! Of course you are welcome to share! Please feel free to grab the pick code, too. And thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I like it Mortira. I think you took the right decision taking off the turquoise and green. Lovely colors and the design too.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Stunning!!!...I love this!!..;o))

    ReplyDelete

Blog Widget by LinkWithin
Fire Mountain Gems and Beads

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