If I do want an assortment of beads, for a spiral or freeform piece, I like to make my own. So why is it that I am so drawn to bead mixes? Every time they appear, I want to have them for my own. Perhaps it’s the explosion of color, which ignites creativity, or the illusion of vastness that an assortment of beads creates.
Either way, they are so hard to resist, it almost makes one want to do freeform work all the time, just to try them all. Here are just a few of my favorite seed bead cocktails:
Blue Frost Bead Mix by TOHO
from Artbeads.com
Tropicooler Seed Bead Cocktail by TOHO
from Rings & Things
Turquoise and Coral Miyuki Bead Mix
from Aunties Beads
Georgia Earth Tones Miyuki Cube Bead Mix
from The Bead Stylist
Momiji Red TOHO Seed Bead Mix
from Lima Beads
Serenity Miyuki Seed Bead Mix
from Bead My Love
Caribbean Seafoam Seed Bead Mix
from Earthly Possessions
Matte Rainbow Delica Bead Mix
from Beadaholique
Picasso Perfect Seed Bead Mix
from A Grain of Sand
Northern Lights Seed Bead Mix
by Whimbeads
Dusky Evening E Bead Mix
from Totally Unique Treasures
Caribe Seed Bead Mix
from FusionBeads.com
One Pound Seed and Bugle Bead Assortment
from Fire Mountain Gems and Beads
Twilight in the Canyon Seed Bead Mix
by Spirit Bear Beads
And my personal favorite!
Small African Christmas Trade Beads
from Happy Mango Beads
Do you like to buy pre-mixed beads, or come up with your own unique concoctions? What’s your all time favorite color combination?
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Yeap, I have the same addiction. I have used some of my mixes but not many. I just love looking at them. Especially your closeups in this post. I haven't seen the cube mixes before, so I'm off to explore them right now! Nice post!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for featuring my mix, Twilight in the Canyon Seed Bead Mix.
ReplyDeleteIt has been one of my most popular mixes to date.
Mia
Spirit Bear Beads
I have so many seed bead mixes and haven't used ONE, not one. Feeling shame about that since I've spent the money. I have no idea what to do with them. But they do make me happy to look at. I have several of the ones in your photos.
ReplyDeleteI really like bead mixes: lovely to look at and they can be inspirational as there are colour combos I might not have thought of myself. Sometimes I've bought a mix in colours I don't normally use as a challenge.
ReplyDeleteI don't actually bead with mixes very often, though. Mostly, I guess, because I'm used to beading with colours seperatly or in patterns. But they are very pretty just to look at, as rockcreekcreations said.
It's good to know I'm not the only one who is simultaneously tempted and stumped by mixes!
ReplyDeleteI know they're fabulous for freeform peyote, and I like them for freeform netting and brick stitch. I think the best way to use seed bead mixes is for stringing, be it multistrand, or chunky spiral ropes and Dutch spirals.
The trick is to get up the courage to use them! They have the same too-good-to-use quality as art beads.
Ah, the intoxication of the lovely seed bead cocktail mix...so very addictive to us beadaholics. lol :D
ReplyDeleteI think you're right that they are best used freeform or to just string as luck wishes, into bedazzling strands of gorgeous mixed beads.
Want to say how lovely it is to have you as a follower (I am now following your wonderful blog too). I'm sorry I didn't get over here sooner but Google blogspot was giving me trouble...I could not see or access my followers. :(
But yea, I finally found what the problem was, my old Internet Explorer browser was too old so Google stopped using it. Anyone with anything older than IE8 had problems seeing their followers, so I had to download a newer version.
Oh, btw, I love your bracelet for the 7000 Bracelets for Hope...it is so pretty, I'm sure it is going to make someone very, very happy. :)
Mortira,
ReplyDeleteI'm new to your blog, so I may have missed something, but I think it's important to note if you benefit by featuring certain bead sellers (even if it's just getting the beads).
I'm the same as everyone else, tho -- don't even buy 'em, tho I spend a lot of time looking:-)
I'm with you, I don't use seed mixes either. I buy specifically so I can use in a particular design and mix 'em myself if I need to. That said some of these are lovely and I can see why they are so tempting!
ReplyDeleteEmma
Hi Nina! I always include an FTC compliant disclaimer whenever items are featured as part of a trade or promotion. Most of the artists or products that I share are just for the inspiration and the fun of it!
ReplyDeleteThey really do look a lot more beautiful in photos than if it was just a bunch of beads in one colour. I've bought beads mixes, and delighted in the sorting, only to go back to pair them again with the ones I separated them from...go figure.
ReplyDeleteOh there you go again teasing me! I do love the colors in the mixes and how they blend them but I would end up separating them so what a pain. They should come in packs already separated them I would so be in trouble.
ReplyDeleteI remember reading an interview with an eBay seller who specialized in color-combos with individual bead packs. I wish I could remember the name, but I can't find anything in searches.
ReplyDeleteRed Panda Beads does their "Monday" mixes, which are very cool custom palettes of delicas. I bet there are a few savvy bead sellers on Etsy or Artfire that do separate bead palettes, too!