Inspirational Beading

Inspired Beader: Elizaveta Yankelovich

2012-01-27T08:05:00.000-08:00

No introduction could possibly prepare you for the fabulously wild designs of Elizaveta Yankelovic. Her unique statement jewelry combines eye catching elements and abundance with a wide variety of found objects and unusual materials. Each design is a work of art, and a story, all wrapped into one piece of amazing jewelry.

Inspirational Beading: How did you first get into jewelry design?

Elizaveta: I've always loved fashion, I've always loved making things with my hands... For 6 years I immersed myself into wardrobe styling, for fashion creatives, independent magazines, websites, and commercials ...while doing that I realized I craved doing things in an original, resourceful and shocking make-your-jaw-drop kind of way.... I started creating props, clothing and looks that were just meant for the camera not for every-day functionality...that brought me to the necklaces... I realized that there was really no limits.... other than weight perhaps... that anything can look shockingly gorgeous and provoke different feelings from the wearer of the piece and the people that see them wearing it.

When I started selling my work on Etsy in 2006 I honestly didn't expect to sell any of my elaborate grander pieces... so to get the ball rolling I made little quirky pieces... but I quickly came to the conclusion that those pieces didn't excite me ... even if yes they were more mainstream and sold faster... they really didn't do anything for me...So I decided to stay true to myself and not worry about sales and focus on the process that I love of making necklaces that make me smile and jump up and down swearing it's my best one to date .... which happens after almost every piece.

Inspirational Beading: What’s the most unusual or unexpected material you’ve ever used?

Elizaveta: A lot of the materials I use are unusual and unexpected. One of my favorite activities is to go to thrift shops and garage sales to discover and unearth forgotten items.... Like I mentioned above there are no limits or boundaries... anything that calls to me ... like a doll with eyes that open and shut... or a mini tea set, or a bunny sculpture or a sail boat.

I also use things that were a part of my past ... like cassette tapes, 12" records or My Little Ponies, and bubble gum... I also love finding bulk items like 3 bags of amazing scrunchies... or 5 bags of hair rollers or a box of paint chips... I really can't get enough. I also love to combine odd objects with recycled fabrics, like tearing up bed sheets or t-shirts and dresses and braiding them together...and incorporating beads and gems or old buttons and scrap jewellery parts.

Inspirational Beading: Do you have a favorite kind of bead or jewelry component?

Elizaveta: To me it's more about my favorite process.... It's very important to me to work on a different/one of a kind piece each time.

Every single necklace is different. It's part of the magic. No one else will ever have the same one. Right now I have noticed that I am very much obsessed with necklaces that take me a long time to make. Before when I first started I would always work on a piece until I was done.... I wouldn't be happy if it wasn't completed in one session, however long (max two evenings).

But now I revel in the process that takes longer so every few days when I look at a work in progress new ideas come to me.... and seeing the different stages that a piece goes through inspires me to think about other designs and directions they can take. I like this new change. It's definitely slower but my necklaces are more elaborate and feel different.

My favorite processes to date [are] feathering, braiding, tying and hand painting.... for example. This Is What Love Is and the Long Tribal Rain Necklace are the most recent.

Inspirational Beading: Where do you find the most inspiration?

Elizaveta: I find inspiration everywhere.

Inspirational Beading: What was the inspiration behind your favorite design?

Elizaveta: Well.... I love Gaudiness in an understated kind of way....
For example with This Is What Love Is .... I was thinking of marriage, traditions, mermaids, nets, love, but to be honest all those thoughts and inspirations almost come as I'm making the piece.... It's almost like the piece is it's own inspiration.... it's hard to describe.

Inspirational Beading: Is there a material or subject that you would love to work with, but haven’t tried yet?

Elizaveta: I want to eventually try working with metals, gold and silver .... One day I want to be able to create large obnoxious and luxurious pieces from scratch too....

Inspirational Beading: Who do you hope to inspire with your work?

Elizaveta: Whoever wants to be inspired.

You can see more one of a kind statement jewelry, art, fashion and more at ElizavetaYankelovic.com, or in Elizaveta’s Etsy shop.

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading and Elizaveta Yankelovich
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Heart Shaped Beading Tutorials and Projects

2012-01-24T08:01:00.000-08:00

As the universal symbol of love, devotion and passion, nothing beats a heart when you want to add a little charm to a design. There are so many different ways to add this fun shape to beadwork, from heart beads, to metal stamps, to beadwork patterns.

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, you might be inspired to use some variations of the heart theme in your designs. Though shades of red are a traditional color scheme at this time are year, any combination of colors that speaks to you can be combined with hearts to make beautiful designs.

I searched from some fun and fantastic heart tutorials and patterns, especially those that would work with more adventurous palettes at any time of the year. I’ll try to come up with some unique ways to mix up these patterns, and I hope you’ll make your own suggestions, too! Here are my favorites:

FusionBeads.com’s True Love Bracelet is a fun variation on the leather wrap bracelet. A sprinkling of opaque red glass hearts among ruby fire polish brings to mind cinnamon candies. I like the use of red cord in the original project for a cohesive look, but I prefer a little contrast. I would combine black leather with white or ivory hearts, and fire polish beads in emerald green.

For a fun, textured focal, Anna Nimmity’s felt heart pendant tutorial is a sure hit. Her version is suspended from a simple chain, but could also be combined with beads, silk, or cord for even more texture. I like the pattered red in the original project, but I think it would look fabulous in friendly yellow or an earthy mixture of green and brown.

One of the best things to come around at this time of year is the conversation heart. These little candies look too good to eat! Delighted Momma’s easy tutorial for making candy heart beads from polymer clay is perfect for satisfying a sweet tooth. Instead of a traditional rainbow of pastels, how about minty blues, whites and greens?

A swirled glass heart and luscious crystals combine with chain in this romantic necklace tutorial from Artbeads.com, entitled Everything for Love. For a more tropical approach to romance, I would combine a fiery orange heart with round glass beads in yellow and fruity green. Perhaps it would be called "Jungle Love"!

This beginner friendly Wild Heart Earrings tutorial from Beadaholique is eye-catching in Siam ruby crystals. The simple design leaves lots of room for embellishment, like additional bead dangles or some chain fringe for shoulder dusting Valentine earrings. Instead of red and black, why not turquoise and chocolate brown?

One more fantastic design from Fusionbeads.com, this Wild At Heart peyote stitch pattern is perfect for year-round wear. I love the starburst pattern in the background, which would look equally wild in green, purple and black.

For added Valentine’s fun, I also discovered these great projects:

Lori Greenberg demonstrates how to create a perfect
puffy heart lampwork bead in her fantastic tutorial.

Maria Nerius creates a fun and textural
heart pendant with needle punch techniques.

This Key to My Heart Necklace tutorial
from Little Birdie Secrets is great for Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day.

What’s your favorite way to include hearts in your designs?

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading and Friends
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New Beads: Indonesia

2012-01-23T08:42:00.000-08:00

When I first decided that my 2011 New Year’s resolution would be to try out new beads every month, I had my sights set on really unique materials, like one of a kind lampwork and vintage treasures. I have found some fantastic focals along the way, and learned a lot about my own beading preferences and abilities.

Towards the end of the year, I had to make some adjustments to my goal, since ever shrinking bead budgets left little room for expensive art beads and one-use components. Although I’m glad I had this challenge to give me the chance to try out other things, like long magatamas, I wanted to make sure that the final New Beads design was a big one. Luckily, December is always a little fatter than the rest of the year, and I was able to finally make a trip back to Happy Mango Beads for some irresistible goodies.

The selection on the website is large and varied, and since I didn’t have a specific focal style in mind for the last challenge piece, I started in the new arrivals section. Much to my delight, I came across some adorably charming face pendants from Indonesia. I was even more thrilled to discover that they are made from glass - no metals, gems, or plastic! I didn’t even hesitate to snap them up. I couldn’t walk away without a few strands of this and that, and I found some beautiful dyed buri nuts, also from Indonesia, and added them to my African Christmas beads and white hearts.

When I saw my new face pendant in person, I had a long debate about how I was going to use it. Such a beautiful bead deserves a great background, but did I want to make something so elaborate that it would take away from the fine details in the pendant? And with so many different accent colors to draw from, how could I choose a palette that would work with both the beadwork and the focal?

At the risk of boring even myself, I was drawn to use a simple beaded chain - my favorite treatment for unique focals. The advantage to such an uncomplicated necklace would be the extra room for color play. So, I gathered up an assortment of brown beads, plus orange, yellow, red and turquoise green to match the decorative glass face.

I love the natural element that the buri beads bring to the chain, and their size allows the smaller, more colorful beads to sit in the background a little, balancing the design. Although this wasn’t exactly the ‘big’ necklace I had envisioned for the twelfth and final piece, I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. Trying out these Indonesian treasures was exactly the experience that I had hoped for last January.

Thank you so much for following along and supporting me during this challenge. The new mission for 2012 will be revealed soon, and I’ll be inviting beaders and bloggers to join in the fun!

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading
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Inspired Beader: Strings for Hope

2012-01-22T15:15:00.000-08:00

Have you ever stopped before tossing something in the trash or recycling, and wished that you knew of a way to reuse it instead? We all know that recycling is the last option of the Three R’s, and if there’s a way to keep items from ending up in a bin, we should take it. Many artists, beaders and jewelry designers use this approach in their work by saving, salvaging and repurposing objects that others view as trash, and turning it into treasure.

Laura Wilson of Nashville Restrung keeps used guitar strings out of the landfill by using them to create beautiful upcycled jewelry. In addition to reducing a little bit of waste and making a great statement, she also uses her creativity to help support causes locally, and around the world, that aim to alleviate and eliminate poverty.

Inspirational Beading: How did you first get into combining guitar strings with beads?

Laura: I started working with guitar strings 2009; at that point I had been a beader for 10 years. My husband is a guitar builder and I kept watching him throw used strings in the trash. That perfectly beautiful wire was headed to the landfill! I learned that strings from musical instruments are made from mixed metals and therefore not recyclable. I thought the wire itself had far too much character to be wasted, and figured I should be able to do something with it. The first bracelet I made used an interesting triangle bead.

Inspirational Beading: Do you have a favorite material or color to work with?

Laura: Strings come in such a variety of textures and weights there is always something new to work with. I particularly enjoy when I get a set of violin or cello strings. They are so fluid and flexible they make very delicate, feminine pieces. When it comes to beads, I love stalking thrift shops and estate sales for pieces I can disassemble to reuse. I recently found a bracelet at a thrift shop that was commercially made from wonderfully carved Tibetan silver and accented with huge blue plastic pony beads. It could not have been more hideous! I redesigned the silver pieces and it’s one of my top favorites now.

Inspirational Beading: Where do you find inspiration for new pieces?

Laura: Each brand of guitar string has different characteristics. The ferrule ball end – the piece that holds the string to the bottom of the instrument, at the saddle -- can be round, bullet shaped, or even a loop. They can be stainless, brass or a variety of colors. I let the strings' unique character take me down a path to beauty.

Inspirational Beading: If you could master any new technique, what would it be?

Laura: I made some trial and error stabs at soldering and it hasn’t been pretty. I think soldering would allow me to add so much more dimension to the items I make.

Inspirational Beading: Do you remember your first jewelry project? Where is it today?

Laura: I was so blissfully unaware! I thought, How hard can it be to throw some beads together? I learned a lot of lessons from that piece. I still wear it often – a multistrand necklace of black glass and crystal beads.

Inspirational Beading: Do you have a favorite organization to donate to?

Laura: In the summer of 2011 I listened to a message based on Matthew 25 and the parable of the 10 talents. Before going away on a trip the master gave his servants his wealth to care for. To one he gave five talents, another two and the final one. When he returned they came back and presented his wealth and what they had done with it in his absence. At the end of the story the master states, “For whoever has, will be given more, and they will have an abundance.”

I looked around my life and was overwhelmed with how blessed I am with a great family and friends, a home, a job I love. It opened my heart to really see how many people in our own communities are struggling to feed their families. I had this great little hobby making jewelry, so why not use it to do something meaningful?

I’d had some success in selling my pieces but it wasn’t until we opened ourselves up to really giving back to our community that it took off. We’ve made a commitment to work equally with local and global agencies. In our community we support the Backpack Ministry that sends food home with students who otherwise would not have meals available on weekends, and we also support our local food bank. Globally, we’re currently working with two fabulous organizations – Jacaranda Kids in Kenya, and Mission Lazarus in Honduras.

You can see more of Laura’s creations, and learn about her commitments to creating change through jewelry at Strings for Hope, and browse designs in her shop Nashville Restrung.

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading and Laura Wilson
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How to Style a Valentine Necklace

2012-01-17T16:20:00.000-08:00

A time for great debate is approaching - the middle of February, when everyone will have the opportunity to show their allegiance or disdain for everything from greeting cards and chocolate, to singles bars and cinnamon cocktails. While the merits of Valentine’s Day are always up for argument, it also brings us to a major color battle as well. Is it okay to pair red with pink?

Many people do not approve of putting pinks and reds together, but still others agree that it can be done, if done right. With the right shades and proportions, pink and red can be gorgeous together. And with this in mind, I decided to take on the challenge of combining red with a really tough shade of pink - magenta - plus a little peach thrown in for extra fun.

Naturally, any Valentine collage should start with hearts, and I found an abundance of simple heart pendants that weren’t very inspiring. When I finally stumbled across a Betsey Johnson statement necklace with zebra print hearts and magenta colored rhinestones, I couldn’t resist. But how well would it work with my chosen palette?

Valentine Zebra by mortira featuring leather boots

I combined soft fabrics and pretty contours with black, red and peachy coral. Each outfit provides a romantic backdrop for our quirky necklace. A simple black bag and a luscious red crystal cluster bracelet easily cross over from casual to semi-formal. My favorite find is the chunky Murano glass statement ring!

As always, these looks - or something like them - can be found in handmade and vintage.

And here are my favorite Polyvore sets featuring today’s picks.

crimson nutmeg by rewolf71 featuring a long vest

Ka-Bling by wonderfullyweird featuring flower dresses

RED KISS by tanya777 featuring chiffon tops

It´s passion.... by petush featuring a pleated skirt

Do you like to combine red and pink in your designs?

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading
Polyvore.com and Etsy.com
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Time Capsule: January 2009

2012-01-14T08:15:00.000-08:00

Three years ago this month, something really fantastic happened on Inspirational Beading - the first ever Inspired Beader segment. I had originally imagined this showcase of awesome beading and jewelry talent as a stand-alone site, long before I had really sunk my teeth into blogging. When I realized how much fun it was to create posts for the blog, I realized that sharing and celebrating the work of other beaders was just the thing I needed to keep the ball rolling.

Our first inspired beader was Sheryl Westleigh of Noadi’s Art. Her incredible polymer clay sculptures and pendants caught my eye, and I was very pleased to share some of her inspirations and designs here. Since then, her selection of cephalopod and specimen jar jewelry has grown, but her imaginative designs still have her signature flair.

There have been almost forty inspired beaders featured here in the last three years, each one with their own exciting ideas and techniques, and amazing portfolios of beading and artwork to share. Here are just a few of my favorites:

Lionfish Mermaid
by Noadi

Amethyst Soap Rocks
by Soapsmith

Glass Pendants
by C.C. Valenzo

Barbie Smile Brooch
by Margaux Lange

Colorido Crochet Necklace
by Lavender Field

Spring Romance Necklace
by Zoya Gutina

I’m always on the lookout for unique designs to showcase on Inspirational Beading, and beaders who want to share their ideas and insights into our favorite materials. There are now three separate segments for guest designers, and everyone is invited to join in the fun. I want to extend a huge thank you to everyone that has participated in an interview with me over the years. Thanks for sharing with us!

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading and Friends
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New Beads: Long Magatamas

2012-01-12T13:43:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things about trying new beads, is that there is always an opportunity to learn something new. While this sometimes means trying a new technique, it can also help a beader learn more about the techniques they already love.

My bead budget for November was incredibly small, and once I had purchased some supplies I needed for a custom design, I had very little room left for new beads. I decided to make the most of it, and added a couple of magatama packets to the order, since I’ve been longing to try them all year. I grabbed some in blue, and I couldn’t resist the transparent lemon lime.

These leaf shaped seed beads have a lot of interesting qualities, particularly the angled holes, which make them ideal for organic inspired designs - they make excellent leaves and dragon scales. I wanted to put these beads to use in a design that would really show off their shape, instead of simply throwing them in with my usual work. Bangles have been done, and beautifully, so I had to come up with something else.

I decided it would be fun to replace the 8/o seed beads in a Dutch spiral with magatamas. They would look fantastic snuggled into the beadwork, and spiraling around the chain. After some debate, I settled on a palette of brown and gold to contrast the green and blue, and lend some more organic flair to the leafy shapes.

At first I was really excited about the idea, but after a few turns around the spiral, I started to get bored. The idea seemed to fizzle as I contemplated all the work ahead, even though the project was turning out as I had planned - perhaps better. It was then that I realized that I wasn’t interested in the project because I was forcing myself to do something that worked for the beads, instead of making the beads work for me. It was time to start over.

Instead of making a project that was ideal for the magatamas, I decided to take a chance and see how they would work in a design that was more my style. With the drop-like nature of the magatamas, I couldn’t resist trying a Chevron collar. I removed the topaz from the palette, and simply added some blue and green drops to the edge of dark brown netting.

Although taking the time to make sure that the long magatamas were facing the right direction with each stitch made the work go a little slower, it was much more fun that trying to please the beads, instead of the other way around. And now I have this fun little collar with blue and green leaves along the edge!

Have you worked with long magatamas? What’s your favorite technique to use them with?

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading
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Craft Space and Bead Storage Ideas

2012-01-10T15:53:00.000-08:00

If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to organize and de-clutter your craft space, you’re probably contemplating some new and improved storage solutions. Although we might fantasize about living in a bead store, since a never ending abundance of supplies in one big room would remove the need to constantly shuffle our stash around, it still wouldn’t help with the little things. Every opened package, cut strand, and salvaged treasure needs a home - preferably sorted by size, color, or shape! Add to that all the extra things that we need to keep on hand, like tools, packing materials and finished designs, the need for dependable and stress-free storage creates a never ending battle for beaders.

Today I want to share with you some of my favorite handmade and store bought storage ideas, plus a few more that I’ve discovered along the way. Many of these handy tools help to keep beading supplies together in a single limited space, and organized enough to know exactly where everything is. The less time you have to spend looking for things, or finding a home for new beads, the more time you can spend creating!

Tackle Trays

It’s interesting to note the little things that all hobbyists have in common, and one trip through a tackle shop or sporting goods store will give you a sense of connection with fishermen and fly-tyers. This is one of the best places to find affordable and reliable storage solutions for beads and jewelry components.

My personal favorite is the compartment tray, especially those with a variety of compartment sizes. These little trays can hold a lot of beads, don’t take up a lot of space, and are very stackable. Clear trays allow you to easily grab the beads that you need, but there’s always plenty of room for labels along the sides. One tiny spill can be a huge disaster though, so I like to store beads in their original packages, and use the compartments for organizing by size and color.

Traditional tackle boxes, like those with hinged, stacking trays inside, are also excellent for materials, tools and larger beads. The locking lids and handles also make them ideal for traveling and beading on the go. Smaller tackle containers like space saving jars are very handy for sorting and organizing small quantities of beads.

Cereal Boxes

Anyone who has ever visited an elementary school has probably seen magazines stored in cereal boxes, which help keep the flimsy booklets upright and easy to browse through. All you have to do is remove the top flaps and cut out a wedge from one side to make a handy book receptacle for beading magazines.

This easy upcycled solution is also great for storing and sorting supply invoices, tutorials and printouts, and packing materials like envelopes and tissue paper. The leftover box tops can also be cut and taped together, making handy bracers for storing beaded bangles.

Food Containers

Food containers of all shapes and sizes can make ideal homes for our materials and tools. Once they are thoroughly washed and dried, baby food and spice jars, dairy tubs, and even cookie trays can make a little space go a long way. To make containers absolutely spotless for bead and jewelry storage, I triple wash them with hot soapy water and a generous amount of baking soda. It works as a mild abrasive that also deodorizes and disinfects.

Totes

For a more professional feeling craft space, there are a wide variety of bead storage options available to choose from. Personally, I find a lot of them too fiddly for my taste, and each one has it’s limits for bead sizes and quantities. But for beaders who are on the move a lot, storage totes can provide both organization and security.

Bead Tube Tower by Beadsmith

Drawer Displays

I can’t say enough good things about these upcycled beauties. Even though we all know hanging isn’t good for beaded jewelry, it’s hard to resist these pretty little compartments. Something about them is just ideal for the magpie in all of us. In a studio, these refurbished printer drawers would make great displays or storage space for bead strands and hanks.

Jewelry Display by Blue Bird Heaven

Other fun vintage and upcycled options include commercial baking trays, science lab accessories, and sewing kits - thoroughly cleaned, of course.

Home Décor

If it has cubbies, hooks, shelves, or drawers, chances are it can be used for storing craft supplies. Any bed and bath or home improvement store will have a treasure trove of storage options for beading and craft spaces. Paper towel racks are great for spools of ribbon, cord and thread. Shoe caddies are just waiting to be filled with tools and other miscellany.

If you’re thinking about an overhaul of your craft space, the Crafty Storage blog might help give you some ideas for how to get organized. There are lots of great images of studios and storage ideas to get inspired with.

Do you have a fun or unusual way to store beads and jewelry?

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading and Friends
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200 Beading Tips, Techniques & Trade Secrets

2012-01-07T08:48:00.000-08:00

The only thing more exciting about a title like 200 Beading Tips, Techniques, and Trade Secrets, is the contents of Jean Power's little beading encyclopedia. Everything you ever wanted to know about beading is packed into this beautiful guide to creating unique jewelry from beads. There’s a little something for everyone, with full color instructions for wirework, stringing and knotting techniques, as well as easy bead weaving techniques for on and off the loom.

Beginners and expert beaders alike will enjoy the sections on materials, tools, and bead types. Design tips, like mixing colors and choosing size and texture will help you create stunning jewelry with confidence. There’s even a handy fold-out to help you measure beads and wire, so you always have the right materials for the job.

Jean Power’s book is an excellent guide for newbies who want to learn a variety of beading techniques, and can also help experienced beaders try something new. The book is packed full of unique designs, including some of the author’s most stunning beadwork, and there are plenty of example projects to help inspire you to use the techniques that you’ve learned.

200 Beading Tips(also published as Compendium of Beading Techniques) finishes with a beading glossary, and an alphabetical index, so you can jump right to the section that you need to complete your latest project, or master a new technique. A helpful resource guide also offers recommendations for bead shops, magazines, and beading societies, so you can make the most of your hobby.

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading
Jean Power and St. Martin's Griffin
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Bead Wish List: New Arrivals

2012-01-05T13:35:00.000-08:00

With another 12 months of beading time and ideas ahead of us, it’s time to take a look at what’s new and fresh at our favorite bead shops. Whether it’s a totally new product, or a new addition to lines that we already love, it’s always exciting to have access to new supplies that might help shape our future ideas into fabulous designs. Maybe you can find some beads to add to your must-try lists for 2012!

Silver and Coral Pave Bead by Beadelle
From Artbeads.com

The popular jewelry design style is now available in beads for quick design boosts!

Glass Pearl Rondelles in Fuchsia
From Auntie's Beads

The shimmer of pearls and the consistency of glass in a versatile rondelle shape.

Opaque Matte Dark Red Rainbow Tilas
From Fusionbeads.com

Tilas aren’t exactly the most versatile of seed beads, but luscious new colors open up lots of possibilities!

Sono Wood Chain Strands
From Happy Mango Beads

These necklace chains are handmade in Indonesia - imagine the design possibilities!

Shell Pearl Strands
From Lima Beads

Imitation pearl beads made from genuine shell and mother of pearl. The beautiful Twilight coating is shown here.

Crystal Red Magma Emerald Cut Fancy Cabochon by Swarovski Elements
From Fire Mountain Gems

Nobody does focals quite like CRYSTALLIZED by Swarovski. These gorgeous cabs are perfect for bold and elegant designs.

White Wood Heishi Beads
From Rings & Things

These lightweight natural beads come in a variety of gorgeous dyed colors, like lime green.

Wildly Bohemian Seed Bead Kits
From Artbeads.com

Oodles of coordinated seed beads in one pack! Love Affair is perfect for Valenetine’s Day projects.

Do you have your eye on a new bead style, or beading tool this year?

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading and Friends
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A Bracelet a Week: Happy New Year

2011-12-31T08:10:00.000-08:00

I can barely believe it, but week 52 of the Bracelet a Week challenge has arrived, and everything is wrapped up in a neat little bow. Bracelet number fifty-two is complete, and there are only hours left until the end of the year. Thank you so much for joining me and encouraging me during this challenge!

For the final bracelet, I wanted to do something colorful and celebratory. I’ve made a habit during these challenges to use rainbow themes for final designs, and I didn’t see any reason not to do it again this time.

Because this challenge is ending at the start of the New Year, I was inspired to create something that might resemble stars and fireworks. I started with a selection of Swarovski bicones in bright birthstone hues. The variety of colors and their characteristic sparkle would easily provide that flashy effect that I wanted.

Although I had a little more time for beading this week compared to Christmas, I still had a pretty tight deadline. I know from the Necklace a Day challenge that one of the easiest ways to make a design go faster is to use larger beads. So, I paired my crystals with 6/o silver lined crystal seed beads, and whipped up a simple but sparkly herringbone cuff.

I added one crystal every two rows in random places, trying not to repeat the same pattern of colors as I went. Once the bracelet started coming together, I realized that it looks a little like white fruit cake – even more appropriate for this time of year, and certainly a fun treat for celebrations.

The overall concept for this cuff – using almost entirely 6/o silver lined crystal seed beads – came about when I was contemplating my design challenge for 2012. I’ll be ready to reveal it in January, as soon as the New Beads challenge is wrapped up. November’s necklace is a little delayed, but coming along nicely, and December’s beads are in the mail. Within a few weeks, I’ll have one more goal to check off the list.

Farewell to 2011! What are your crafty resolutions for the New Year?

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
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Inspired by Geodes

2011-12-29T09:55:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite inspiration blogs, Glitter Guide, recently suggested using geodes to add sparkle around your home. Although they have been known to make great paperweights and end table decorations - not to mention jewelry components - I wondered if there were even more ways to incorporate these gorgeous crystal formations into decor. Perhaps there would even be something for someone who has sworn off rocks and gems!

I wasn't surprised by the number of stunning photographs that I found on Pinterest with a quick search for geodes, but I was delighted with the variety. Here are just a few of my favorites...

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
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A Bracelet a Week: Unexpected

2011-12-28T08:11:00.000-08:00

Have you ever wished that you could make time stop, so that you could get a little more work done? That’s a little how I felt over the week of Christmas, as so many different deadlines and obligations closed in. Not only is it the busiest work week of the year, but I was spending most of my free time rushing to finish a handmade Christmas gift. So I needed a bracelet project that I could finish in one sitting, and check one more task off the list.

One of the quickest stitches to work is St. Petersburg chain, so I decided to take this opportunity to use a few more of my new 8/0 seed beads, and whip up a quick wrist wrap. Instead of making a complicated pattern or palette, I chose simple black and turquoise. Even though the design and colors look fairly ordinary, they seem to make a big impact together.

As I was stitching the first row, and looking forward to the end of the project, a little light bulb came on. What if the button were completely different from the rest of the bracelet? It would certainly be new and interesting, but I also hoped that it might lend a bit of mod-podge flair. Plus adding a contrasting button would give the bracelet an unexpected and welcome focal.

It was a little tough choosing colors for the button. I definitely wanted red or green - but not both. I finally decided on white lined peridot with a brown horn druk base, and I couldn’t be happier with the result. I look forward to testing out more combinations of contrasting button colors in the New Year!

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
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A Bracelet a Week: Yellow

2011-12-19T07:57:00.000-08:00

Last week I couldn’t resist giving in to the temptation to make another herringbone cuff. Apart from how easy it is to create simple repeating patterns with this stitch, I love how quick it is to finish the ends and cover up the bridge threads, since the beadwork moves vertically instead of horizontally like peyote stitch, and the bare edges are small.

Perhaps I’m getting a little weary of gray winter weather, but I’ve been craving some yellow seed beads, so I built my palette around two shades of bright and lemony hues. I added transparent cobalt for a bold contrast, but something else was needed to fill things out. I considered green for awhile, before finally deciding on a pale shade of transparent orange.

There are only two more bracelets left in this challenge, and I can’t decide what to make! Let’s hope that inspiration strikes soon. In the meantime, happy holidays!

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
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Bead Color Ideas: Winter Wonderland

2011-12-18T16:59:00.000-08:00

It’s only one week until Christmas - one of the most inspiring seasons for artists and crafters. As beaders, we’re pretty lucky to have such a wide variety of beads to choose from when creating our crafts, gifts and ornaments for the holidays. Thanks to the subtle changes that bead shape and finish can make, we can take familiar seasonal palettes and make them seem new again.

Of course, we also have the option of taking non-traditional colors, and making them seem more festive in the ways that we apply them. Instead of looking at bead palettes in red, white and green, I wanted to examine some of the possibilities of a less obvious color scheme, and make them seem frosty and nostalgic.

Jewel tones and metallics can easily be transformed into stunning holiday designs, so I started with a palette of indigo, seafoam and gold. The challenge will be to pair up the right shades and shapes to create trios with classic Christmas flair.

The brightest and boldest of the triads is Sugar Plum, made with 11/o seed beads in silver-lined topaz, purple lined Rosaline, and 8/o matte transparent teal. There’s a lot of color and shimmer here - it’s a magical palette perfect for ornaments and festive jewelry.

The look of the first palette inspired a second that pays tribute to Vintage Christmas Ornaments, with their unusual shapes and colors. I had strings of Mardi Gras style beads in bright metallic colors and giant flocked glass bulbs in mind when I paired 11/o seed beads in cobalt AB with aqua AB fire polish and antique gold Swarovski pearls.

Finally, the softest palette contains transparent light topaz seed beads, sea foam lined hex cuts, and matte blue raku bugles. This trio brings to mind Window Shopping, perhaps on a street in New York on a crisp December afternoon - elegant jewelry, holiday gowns, and cashmere sweaters.

Do you like to use metallics and jewel tones in your holiday designs? What’s your favorite combination?

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
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A Bracelet a Week: Stripes and Wine

2011-12-14T12:02:00.000-08:00

This week I was in the mood to work with primarily seed beads. I’m not sure why, but the accent bead sections of my bead stash just aren’t inspiring of late. I tried to steer clear of yet another herringbone cuff - though I’m starting to think of them as a signature design. Instead, I thought I’d use a different style of herringbone.

Graduated, or bridged herringbone bracelets were a favorite project when I first started beading. They’re simple to do, but look unique and complex. Plus it allows for the combination of many colors without creating an elaborate pattern for them.

I’ve been trying to stick to my Egyptian and tribal themes whenever I can, so I started with black and white, which would make up the striped center. I chose transparent rootbeer for the base, but the palette needed a little something extra.

I noticed that my stash of mauve lined topaz was getting low, but there would be more than enough to finish this bracelet. So I added it to the mix, and found that the brown and red look delicious together - like wine and chocolate. Or maybe I’m just looking forward to holiday treats?

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
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Book Spotlight: Lovable Beaded Creatures

2011-12-13T12:55:00.000-08:00

Do you remember berry beads? Not to be confused with Miyuki’s answer to the peanut seed bead, these little plastic beads with bubbly surfaces were all the rage for crafting in the 70’s and 80’s. Most craft stores carried them in abundance, along with fun little booklets for making all kinds of 3-D animals and objects with them. I used to think berry beads were ultimate.

Then I discovered seed beads, and everything else got swept aside. But it was those first pipe cleaner and plastic projects that inspired my love of 3-D beading, though I’ve mostly admired the work of other artists in that area. So when I picked up a copy of Lovable Beaded Creatures, I was instantly transported to the 80’s. Although these creatures are made with totally different materials, they still have a very charming, very vintage look.

Loveable Beaded Creaturescontains nearly thirty different 3-D animal designs by artist Anja Freese. Each creature is constructed with 8/o seed beads and wire, using a simple cross weave approach. The structures look so lively and elaborate, it’s almost hard to image how they can come together with such straightforward techniques.

Anja begins with a detailed overview of the materials and tools needed to create your own beaded creatures, and provides instructions and tips for weaving the beads together, assembling the designs, and adding embellishments. The steps are very clear, and include easy to follow diagrams to help guide you through the process of building animals from beads.

Animal lovers will be absolutely delighted with the projects. There are a wide variety of creatures to choose from, including insects, fish, barnyard animals, and exotic beasts like anteaters and poison arrow frogs. Each one is so charming that it’s hard to choose a favorite, or decide which one to try first!

Each project includes a color and weaving chart to follow that will guide you through the construction of the animal, plus written instructions and tips for putting each creature together. There are plenty of close-up photographs of finished designs to help guide and inspire you as well.

At the end of the book, Anja Freese gives a brief overview of loom weaving, then shares some fantastic beaded animal patterns like birds and snakes, which can be used to make traditional-looking bracelets. She also includes instructions for creating brooches and hair barrettes with 3-D beaded animals.

If you ever get bored of the same old thing, and want to try using your beads in a whole new way, this book will provide you with hours of fun!

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading and Anja Freese
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A Bracelet a Week: River Stripes

2011-12-09T07:19:00.000-08:00

When I sat down to write about last week’s bracelet, it suddenly occurred to me that this challenge is nearly at an end. It seems that out of nowhere, the end of the year is approaching - there are only a few weeks left to go. It hardly feels like an entire year has gone by, let alone nearly fifty two bracelets.

I had no idea how difficult this challenge would be at the end, with so many changes to my schedule. I would love to make something big and elaborate for the last leg of this journey, but I don’t know if I can find the time. It would be nice to finish off with the best design yet, but I’ll be happy with whatever inspiration, and opportunity, allows.

In any case, I was a little worried that the designs over the past few weeks have been a little dry. While I’m certainly not wanting for ideas, I have a lot less time to execute them within the tight deadlines of a weekly challenge. For the most recent piece, I set out to do something that fits my current style, but wasn’t previously attempted. In the end, I turned to a stitch that I haven’t used in a really long time - since I first started beading, in fact.

Using plain, ordinary flat brick stitch, and a combination of fun bead colors and shapes, I worked up a simple cuff that looks so much like a rag rug that it makes me think of early 1980’s kitchens, flying carpets, and macramé wall hangings all at once. The combination of greens and blues, with a hint of black and white, has a sort of watery effect, like jewels at the bottom of a lagoon.

I’m very tempted to use this stitch one more time this year, because it was so much fun to play with a simple pattern and an even simpler stitch.

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
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Christmas Beading Projects and Craft Tutorials

2011-12-03T07:27:00.000-08:00

Although there are so many wonderful things to look forward to in December, there is one downside to this particular time of year. There isn’t a whole lot of daylight to go around. I’ve just put the finishing touches on this week’s bracelet project, but I won’t be home to capture some photographs for you until next week.

In the meantime, I thought I would share some of my favorite holiday inspired beading projects. Some you may recognize as instant classics, while others may help to inspire your next decoration or gift. Either way, there’s no better time to pull out your bead stash and get creating!

A classic decoration gets a modern makeover with this Felt Folly Beaded Christmas Wreath
by Artbeads.com

For a fun Christmas vacation project to do with the kids, try these Easy Beaded Ornament Hangers
by LimaBeads.com

Get the look of antique ornaments in miniature with these Old World Christmas Earrings

For a more complex project, try the Carol of the Bells Bracelet in square stitch, by Beadaholique.com

It just wouldn't be Christmas beading without a great pattern like this Holly Wreath Peyote Cuff Bracelet
by FusionBeads.com

Swarovski crystal shapes are great for holiday crafts, like these Elf Hat Earrings

It was too hard to pick just one project from the FusionBeads Inspiration Center. It is a fantastic resource for seasonal beading and basic jewelry techniques.

Happy beading, and happy holidays!

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading and Friends
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Bead Crochet Rope Tutorials

2011-12-01T08:47:00.000-08:00

Earlier this month, an Inspirational Beading reader requested a tutorial for bead crochet. I have been fascinated by the combination of classic crochet techniques with beading and jewelry design for many years, although I haven’t quite had the motivation to pick up a new kind of needle. I dabbled a bit with chain stitch last year, and found it to be very pleasant, but since then I’ve been content to admire the work of crochet experts in fiber, and even wire.

Like many beaders, I do love the look of an evenly stitched bead crochet rope. The appearance is similar to tubular peyote, but more supple, and with a little planning, the more marvelous patterns can be created. I’m not quite ready to invest in a bead spinner and take the crochet plunge, so I went on a hunt for some crochet experts.

One of my favorite bead crochet tutorials by far is by Julie A. Harper of Le Beadoir, on Beader's Showcase. It includes, big, colorful close-up photographs that are easy to see and follow - essential for learning this very hands on technique.

On Beads East, you can find a quick list of helpful, and even animated, bead crochet tutorials for both left and right handed work.

Naturally, beadcrochet.com features an excellent primer for beginning a bead crochet rope, with big color photographs and easy to follow instructions.

For the visual learner, nothing beats the instruction that comes from a live class. The next best thing is a well made video tutorial, and this one from CraftMastery.com is my favorite. The use of big pony beads in the example rope makes it easy for beaders to see the steps. The CraftMastery channel also has lots of excellent videos for learning crochet techniques that can provide helpful knowledge to absolute beginners.

Although the techniques that we use for beadwork are mostly universal, everyone has a favorite tutorial or teacher to turn to that really helps them click with the concepts. For one more taste of getting a bead crochet rope started, check out a quick tutorial from Beading Daily.

The Bead Wrangler provides a whole page of helpful tips and tricks for bead crochet, including which threads to use, which bead types, and how wide ropes should be when working with variations.

Have you tackled or mastered bead crochet? What’s your favorite way to use it?

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
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A Bracelet a Week: Quick Jade

2011-11-27T17:59:00.000-08:00

This week I needed a bracelet project that I could finish and photograph in the same day - something quick and simple. Ironically, the piece that I chose to make used a large assortment of beads, which made my work space look a lot more complicated than the actual bracelet-to-be.

I decided to go with an easy three strand bracelet, and what better place to start than with an Egyptian hieroglyph bead? I’ve already done one with orange, so I decided to create its mate in jade green. Although the opportunity to find another new palette for these hieroglyph beads was tempting, I couldn’t resist using some of the same beads from my jade necklace. I really loved the combination of olive greens with turquoise and topaz.

Unfortunately, I had used up all of my green Swarovski bicones for the necklace, so I had to make a few adjustments to the palette for the bracelet. Once I got going, I found all kinds of fun things to add, and ended up with a very different look. The bracelet has a much softer mood to it - a bit more playful.

Do you like to use the same palettes over many projects?

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
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New Beads: Baby Blue

2011-11-25T19:53:00.000-08:00

When I started my buy-some-neat-new-beads-every-month challenge at the beginning of this year, I didn’t anticipate any major changes in my bead budget, and I had hoped to discover lots of unique and interesting beads, particularly handmade lampwork. I have found some great glass artists along the way, but October’s budget was too small for anything quite so special.

I don’t like to give up on a good challenge, especially one that helps inspire new ideas and ways to use beads. In order to keep the New Beads challenge going, I had to break a few of my own rules. The upside is that it allowed me to make use of some beads that have been rattling around in my stash for a long time.

Years ago, I purchased a vial of mixed Czech glass beads, and sorted them out by shape and color. All of those beads have long since been used, except for a handful of rough cut Picasso tubes in black and red. When I first gathered them up, I was inspired to pair them with pale blue or turquoise, possibly in a multi-strand necklace. I saw them nestled randomly along strands of Czech seed beads - the slightly irregular shapes would pair up well with these speckled little oddities. I’ve been carrying around the image of this necklace ever since, and whenever I pass by the bead section at my neighborhood dollar store, I think of it. The big packets of delightfully wonky* Chinese seed beads call out to me, saying “Wouldn’t we look great in a multi-strand necklace?”.

Since my budget was so small, I decided to grab some of these quirky seed beads in baby blue, and finally create the necklace that my little Picasso beads were meant for. I was excited about finally tackling the project, but because I wasn’t going to be selling a piece made with something from my taboo list, I have to admit that I wasn’t eager to spend a lot of time making beaded caps and metal-free ends to hold a lot of strands woven in and out. I had to come up with something new - an easy way to put lots of beads together in one place.

I decided to put my one spool of neglected Nymo to good use, and strung almost the entire packet of seed beads with the Picasso chips and a few black 8/o’s for texture. I wanted to use up as much of the beads as I could, so I left the thread on the spool and watched the strand get longer and longer. When I was running out of ‘good’ beads, I tied the ends together and wove the tails in to get an enormous connected loop of pretty beads.

After that, all I had to do was wrap the strands together into a suitable length, and lashed them with short spiral ropes stitched to a beaded clasp. The necklace has the look and feel of a traditional eye pin multi-strand project, and even twists up nicely. Although I appreciate the softness and drape that the Nymo provides, I think I’ll switch to my Fireline if I ever decide to recreate this piece with better beads. It turned out so nice, I think it’s very likely that I will do it again!

*Wonky is a widely excepted technical term for beads that aren’t quite right.

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
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Collections: Beautiful Bicones

2011-11-23T17:45:00.000-08:00

The results are in, and the winner of the faux gems bead giveaway is Pine Ridge Treasures! Congratulations to our winner, and thank you so much to everyone who entered. As always, your answers to the bead question were varied and exciting. This month, we talked about our favorite bead shapes. The winning comment also happened to be the most popular - bicones.

These bead shapes are quite common, thanks to their versatility and good looks. Although we often think of crystals as the ultimate bicones, there are lots of other variations as well. Here are just a few examples of beautiful bicone beads, and how to use them.

Happy beading!

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading and Friends
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A Bracelet a Week: Time Piece

2011-11-23T15:13:00.000-08:00

I find myself in a bit of a pickle this week - I’m four days behind with last week’s bracelet post, and the weekend is fast approaching. I’m going to count this as a slight hiccup in the challenge, only because I was able to finish the bracelet in the usual time. Photographs and posts are another matter.

I have discovered a new appreciation for beaders, bloggers and handmade sellers who carry on full time day jobs in addition to everything else! I used to think that there weren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done, and now I’m just happy to get the important things out of the way while everything else piles up.

I have been away from the bookstore business for a few years now, and I’m delighted to be back, despite the drastic changes in my daily schedule. I have a lot of reading to catch up on, and loving that as well. I forgot how much I missed having my nose in a book at every opportunity, and I finally have a reason to make use of Goodreads.

I have also discovered that the less time there is for beading, the more reluctant I am to do it. It seems that beading only feels worthwhile if I can devote myself to it totally. I’ve never enjoyed doing something in fits and starts. Things are going to be a little quieter here on Inspirational Beading as the holidays approach, but I’m still determined to keep this challenge going. There are only a handful of weeks left, after all. I hope to see you at the finish line!

In any case, I had an extra day to get some work done last week, and I decided I would take the opportunity to make something different, something that wasn’t a guaranteed success. I went through my list of bracelet ideas from the beginning of the challenge, but of the designs that have yet to be crossed off, I found nothing that appealed to me at the moment. I went through my accent beads, waiting for inspiration, and came away with nothing. What to do?

I decided to let color be my guide instead, and turned to one of the western inspired palettes I had created earlier this month. I really loved the look of jonquil and aqua cube beads with transparent ruby, and created a palette very similar to the original. The cube beads inspired a new bracelet shape, with a square stitch base and bands of right angle weave. I love the watch-like shape of the beadwork, and the simplicity of the three bold colors. It was a risky project, but turned out great!

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
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Bead Giveaway: Faux Gems

2011-11-18T10:46:00.000-08:00

It’s been far too long since we’ve had a bead giveaway. This month, I want to share one of my favorite bead collections - lots of lovely little round beads in imitation gemstone colors. I carefully collected these 6 mm rounds and treasured them for the way they resemble semiprecious stones and quartz. Though they have typical acrylic characteristics - particularly their light weight - they always remind me of some of my favorite beads - druks.

There are over 300 beads in all, with assorted shades of white, brown, blue, green, and even a little pink. To enter for your chance to win these pretty beads, simply leave a comment on this post, and answer the following question:

What is your all time favorite bead shape?

If you do not have a Blogger profile with email contact enabled, be sure to leave a link to your shop or website, or an email address, so that I can contact you if you win!

One lucky winner will be drawn at random on Wednesday, November 23rd.

Good luck, and happy beading!

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
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Wish List: Luscious Lampwork

2011-11-16T08:35:00.000-08:00

Lampwork beads are the ultimate material for beading and jewelry designs. The uniqueness of each piece can turn an ordinary necklace or bracelet into a work of art. Although inexpensive factory made lampwork beads are available in large quantities, high quality artisan lampwork designs are the most desired by beaders and crafters.

Even our favorite bead retailers are catching on to the allure of art glass, and many are offering up lampwork beads made with care in the USA. But when it comes to one of a kind beads, individual torch artists provide us with amazing treasures.

Here are just a few examples of the delightful focals, spacers and components available from flamework artists around the world!

Sun Conure Parrot Lampwork Focal
By LandS Arts

Purple and Ivory Pillow Bead by Grace
From Artbeads.com

Spots and Bumps Bead Set
By A & R Beads

Hibiscus Heart Lampwork Focal
By Crazy Lady Glass

Stripes and Frit Lampwork Focal by T-Beads
From FusionBeads

Funky Lampwork Bead Set
By Fluid Glass Art Beads

Cosmo Lampwork Focal by The BeadsNest
From Lima Beads

Reactive Ivory Garden Lampwork Buttons
By Firedance Beads

Burnt Orange Lampwork Rondelles
From Happy Mango Beads

Burned Flowers Pebble Beads
From Venetian Bead Shop

Tok Lampwork Bead Set
By Helen Chalmers

What's your favorite way to use lampwork beads?

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading and Friends
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Wear It Twice: Tribal Twist

2011-11-15T07:57:00.000-08:00

I’m always very excited when the time comes to put together a little collage of jewelry and garments with a fun theme and color palette. Exploring different ways to style jewelry with fabrics, textures, cuts and colors is like a creative stretching session. I look forward to it every month, and it’s exciting to find new statement necklaces for each focus.

Animal Prints by mortira featuring leather high heels

This month, I spotted a gorgeous multi-strand necklace with hints of orange and yellow, and a big turquoise drop pendant. I thought it would be fun to pair it with different animal prints, and other elements that would highlight the bold colors. The challenge with animal prints is to avoid too much visual noise, and bring everything together for a polished look.

Both the zebra print dress and asymmetrical leopard top work well with the necklace, and a set of wood bangles with a bit of snakeskin for good measure. Extra splashes of color like turquoise accessories, teal shoes and orange leather boots tie everything together.

Putting together a chic tribal outfit is easy with handmade and vintage options.

And here are my favorite Polyvore collages featuring this month’s picks:

I go for tribal prints by beesticksay featuring a turquoise necklace

Outfit by cinta99 featuring a leather clutch

autumn time by an14kata13 featuring leather leggings

Everyone Smiles in the same Language :) by browneyez featuring a tan belt

On The Go by lby54229 featuring a black tee

Do you like to use animal prints in fashion or jewelry?

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
Polyvore.com and Etsy.com
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Time Capsule: November 2008

2011-11-14T12:18:00.000-08:00

Compared with previous months, November 2008 was a fairly steady month here on Inspirational Beading. Although there were only three posts in all, I was beading steadily and chronicling each piece with a new found momentum. I was really starting to like the concept of beading and blogging side by side, though it hadn’t yet occurred to me to write about any other topics just yet.

November was special because it was the first time that I created something for the purpose of awareness. That month, I made a pink multi-strand necklace as a way to merge my support for international bullying awareness week, and Canada’s Pink Shirt Day, which actually occurs in February. Creating a design and sharing it with an audience - even the small one Inspirational Beading had at the time - was a big step for the blog, and one I have been eager to continue with in various ways throughout the last three years.

Making this pink necklace wasn’t just an important moment for the blog, but for me as a beader as well. Today it is an interesting example of the things that motivate us to create. When we begin our journey into the world of beading, our desire to learn something new is often what drives us to keep going. Of course, trying out new techniques and materials is a constant motivation once we realize how agreeable this art form is - but without those extra inspirations, our creativity can go around in circles.

Whether we want to make gifts that our friends and family will love, tell a story, or capture a particular theme, finding a motivation for our beadwork is what helps us move on from simply combining materials and stitches, to truly designing works of beaded art.

This pink necklace isn’t exactly a work of art, but it was a momentary spark of determination. Suddenly, beading wasn’t just a fun thing to do, but a tool and a channel for other, sometimes greater, things.

What’s your greatest creative motivation?

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
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Daily Treasury: Perfect Pastels

2011-11-13T10:40:00.000-08:00

As the holidays approach, many of us are on the look out for some of our favorite seasonal treats. One thing I always look forward to every winter is a little box of butter mints - smooth, tasty and delightfully colorful.

This pretty pastel treasury by Sharky's Waters captures that same smoothness with a hint of holiday elegance.

What's your favorite holiday treat for inspiration?

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
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A Bracelet a Week: Stone Spiral

2011-11-12T08:46:00.000-08:00

This week I was in the mood to test out some of my newer 8/o seed bead colors. One of the prettiest stitches for larger seed beads is Russian spiral netting; the simplicity of the stitch allows the beads themselves to stand out, and makes it a great technique for mixing up colors and basic patterns.

I combined turquoise green and dark beige 8/o seed beads, and gave them a background of jet black. Alternating the bigger beads in each row gives a speckled, almost striped look to the bracelet. Although none of the beads have a Picasso finish, the texture of the beadwork and its colors almost has the same effect overall. Even with the flashes of bright green standing out starkly against the black, I find that it has an earthy quality - like a pebble on the beach.

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
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Eleven

2011-11-11T11:11:00.000-08:00

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
Lampwork Poppy Image Hosted by Flickr
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Red and Turquoise, Softly

2011-11-10T13:16:00.000-08:00

How interesting that just after exploring the color possibilities of red and turquoise, I should stumble across this very pretty treasury in soft shades of red and minty blue. The abundance of white backgrounds in these picks by WiseApple gives the entire set a very festive, wintry look.

World Beaders: India

2011-11-10T08:43:00.000-08:00

Today I want to extend a warm welcome to Inspirational Beading readers from India! I was very excited to see India near the top of our monthly visitor’s list. I knew before I even started looking for photographs to share with you, that it would be difficult to choose only a handful. I found so many beautiful and stunning pictures, and many that were also sad - it seems to be a world of striking contrasts.

Like many cultures around the world, jewelry and adornment make up a large part of India’s traditions and heritage. India is one of the world’s largest consumers of gold, and has been a home to different kinds of bead manufacturing for thousands of years.

The Republic of India is the second most populated country in the world, second only to China. The richly diverse culture of its citizens is due in part to the local origins of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, which have been accompanied by Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam in recent history. Between the early 17th and 18th centuries, The East India Company slowly gained access and control over the region, and eventually annexed most of India. The country won it’s independence from British rule in 1947.

One of the most famous Indian landmarks is the Taj Mahal, an immense and beautiful monument and mausoleum of Mumtaz Mahal, third wife of emperor Shah Jahan. Construction began in 1632, after Mumtaz Mahal died giving birth to her 14th child. The tomb is set within a 980 square foot garden, and is one of the most easily recognized structures in the world.

Another widely know Indian treasure is Bollywood, the home of Hindi-language films. The nickname describes films from the area of Maharashtra, formerly Bombay, which is the largest film producer in India. Known for colorful, musical romances and action films, Bollywood movies have been growing and evolving since the early nineteenth century, and eventually surpassed the US as the world’s largest film producer. The term Bollywood, which is not appreciated by all cinema lovers, was coined sometime in the 1970’s.

Happy beading, India!

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading and Friends
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Favorite Beads: The Lot

2011-11-09T14:46:00.000-08:00

Today my guest, Ellen of yellowee, shares her love of a fun assortment of beads and buttons for decoration and embellishment.

Inspirational Beading: What is your all-time favorite bead?

Ellen: I love glass beads of all types, and also lots of semiprecious stones, especially labradorite, moonstone, amethyst, and garnet. Basically anything glittery or iridescent. I also have a deep love for buttons, which can be used in many of the same ways as beads, and I view them as the same type of supply for my creations. Jars of vintage buttons can be a lot of fun, because you never know what you'll find inside.

Inspirational Beading: What is your favorite technique or method to use them?

Ellen: Since I'm primarily a fiber artist, I mostly use beads as an embellishment for my knitted, crocheted, and needlefelted creations. My favorite use of beads in combination with fiber is to make fiber jewelry.

Inspirational Beading: Of all the creations you’ve made with these beads, which one is your favorite?

Ellen: This brooch I made with strips of fabric and brighly-colored glass seed beads: Crochet Flower Brooch

It turned out really big and bold and I love the little pool of beads in the middle. It was also one of my first international orders, and it was really exciting to me that someone in Australia liked it as much as I did!

Inspirational Beading: Do you have any tips for making the most of these beads?

Ellen: I think a lot about the combination of colors when I'm making something. I take my time choosing yarn based on its colors, and it's important to me to select beads that harmonize and enhance the overall effect. I guess my tip to other artists would be not to be afraid of unusual color combinations. Something that "clashes" can also be unique and exciting.

Inspirational Beading: What is your favorite bead or material to pair these with?

Ellen: I like the way wool has a little bit of fuzz to it. For instance, in this brooch, I enjoy the combination of the furry background with the smoothness of the beads: Sparkle Flower Brooch. And this bowl also has a fun combination of textures: Bounce Bowl.

Inspirational Beading: If you were stranded on the moon, and you could have only one kind of bead with you, would you choose these?

Ellen: If I were stranded on the moon, I would probably be totally happy with a big bowl full of shiny glass beads, especially if there were lots of colors to choose from. I'd be really sad if I didn't have any yarn, though! I need both!

Inspirational Beading: In your opinion, what is the best source for these beads?

Ellen: I love to get supplies on Etsy. There are always other crafters de-stashing something that they don't need anymore, so you can get some good deals. And I like to know that I am supporting another crafter when I buy something.

You can see more delightful bead and fiber creations in Ellen’s shop yellowee, and on her blog, ebebee crafts.

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading and yellowee
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Bead Color Palettes: Wild West

2011-11-07T08:43:00.000-08:00

Over the past few months, I’ve been adding to a collection of necklace inspired collages with simple themes and striking color palettes. Each collage has a basic template of an editorial photo, coordinating garments and accessories, and a few background elements to tie everything together.

So far, my favorite collage features a Western theme, with a classic palette of coral red, turquoise blue, and sandy, leathery browns. The combination of coral and turquoise is one that we see so often, it’s almost as ordinary as red, yellow and blue. But with the addition of a neutral - like warm desert brown - it really comes to life.

I wanted to see how well these three colors would work with beads alone. The challenge would be to pair up shades and finishes that compliment each other as well as the natural colors of coral, turquoise and leather.

I was drawn to use a simple combination of seed beads and druks, which would allow for a wide variety of designs, while remaining uncomplicated with just a hint of texture. Though the beads are drastically different in size, the smoothness of the druks makes them easy to blend.

The first palette began with pepper red - bold and spicy enough for a Western theme. I included creamy dark beige seed beads that seem to recede against the red. The addition of the turquoise druks balances and brings them together. Their bright, orbital appearance inspired the name Chameleon for this trio.

Next I combined slightly smoother shades of lustered cherry and turquoise. Together they look like mint and cinnamon - Hot and Cold. I topped this palette off with some brown horn druks, which have a rustic look all their own, and add personality with their varied finish.

For the third palette, I couldn’t resist switching to some different shapes, so that I could include my strand of bright red rice beads. I suppose I will have to get around to using them eventually, and this might just be that palette to do it with. To complement the transparency of the rice beads, I added dark topaz seed beads, and turquoise blue 4mm cubes. The amount of light and color in Red Leather Belt is stunning!

Do you like to combine turquoise with coral red?

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
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Daylight Savings

2011-11-06T09:31:00.000-08:00

The days may be getting shorter and colder, but at least today we get an extra hour of sleep. Did you remember to set your clocks back? Today's Treasury was inspired by bleary mornings and sunny winter days, with picks from the April's Army team.

A Bracelet a Week: Winter Mint

2011-11-05T18:26:00.000-07:00

I had so much fun weaving last week’s striped herringbone cuff, that I decided to keep going and make another with a new palette. I wanted to do something that was a little more Egyptian-looking, so I started my palette with navy blue, turquoise and white. It needed a little something extra, so I tossed in avocado green for a dash of personality.

Unlike the first bracelet, this palette didn’t have a smooth graduation, so I switched up the pattern and did double columns in staggered rows. Instead of a toggle clasp, this time I used a cobalt AB druk to make a button, which goes really well with the navy blue seed beads.

Though this cuff is a little bit wider than the first, I didn’t expect it to take much longer than the autumn colored version. The beadwork seemed to drag on for awhile, and I suppose I was more excited about the idea of another herringbone project than the actual making of it. Next week’s bracelet might have to be something light!

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
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Rum, Cream and Spice

2011-11-05T11:04:00.000-07:00

Treats that only come around once a year are incredibly special, nostalgic, and often irresistible. Most stores are now fully stocked with the first supplies of holiday fare like egg nog - that rich and sweet drink that goes with everything from morning coffee to turkey dinner.

Today's Collection by zoomgraphik offers a preview of holiday treats, with lots of golden, creamy colors.

Bead Spotlight: Trade Beads

2011-11-04T09:13:00.000-07:00

The term trade beads can refer to a wide variety of unique, interesting and totally delightful baubles. Some are handmade, some are manufactured. Some are new and some are very, very old. There are glass trade beads, and natural ones. The defining characteristic of them all is their rich cultural origins, and their ability to create the look of fantastic tribal jewelry.

1. African Trade Beads, 2. Recycled Glass Trade Beads, 3. Yellow Glass Krobo Beads, 4. Cirrus Green Kazuri Bead

5. Watermelon Chevron Beads, 6. African Style Lampwork Glass, 7. Round Kiffa Beads, 8. Sand Cast Trade Beads

While trade beads are technically those that have been used as currency - traded and bartered for everything from food to people - new handmade beads from Africa are also traveling under the umbrella of trade beads, and are just as alluring as their vintage and antique counterparts. Many are made from recycled glass or vinyl, and allow artisans in underdeveloped communities to earn a living to support their families.

1. Trade Bead and Turquoise Necklace, 2. Red and Blue Ceramic Pendant, 3. I Think I'm in Love Bracelet, 4. African Peace Sign Pendant

5. Orange Coral Necklace, 6. African Kazuri Lariat, 7. Trade Bead Earrings, 8. Tribal Blue Krobo Earrings

The look of trade beads is often imitated in new, mass produced beads, in a variety of materials from lucite and acrylic to glass and bone. Some are created with traditional colors and patterns, while others have their own tribal vibe or earthy colors.

Do you have a favorite bead style for tribal jewelry designs?

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
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Turquoise Blue Persuasion

2011-11-03T11:53:00.000-07:00

Although aqua blue and blue-green are usually associated with aquatic, ocean inspirations, genuine turquoise has a distinctly earthy quality that pairs up well with warm colors like red, orange and brown. This color also shows it's versatility when paired with delicate shades like white and silver, or bold colors like lime green and yellow.

Today's collection offers a hint of some of these beautiful turquoise palettes, and a look at the variety of hues in the turquoise family.

Book Spotlight: Stitching Beaded Jewelry

2011-11-02T12:09:00.000-07:00

Every beginner has to start somewhere, and if you want to get into beading, a no-nonsense guide is a great resource. Although many of us have picked up some of our favorite skills by learning from the more elaborate and complex projects in our favorite books and magazines, if you’ve never before put thread to beads, those can be a little vexing.

Learning how to master a basic bead weaving stitch by making a simple project is a logical and fun way to jump into beadwork. With Lesley Weiss’ book, new beaders can do just that. She covers most of the popular and essential techniques, each with it’s own easy project to complete.

The instructions are easy to follow, with lots of big, color photographs to guide beaders through the process of making necklace, bracelets and other fun designs. You can start with the basics, like ladder stitch rings and daisy chains. If you’re ready to move on to the heavy stuff, there are herringbone cuffs, and even rivoli bezels. There’s even a rare appearance by the flat spiral technique, which is always gorgeous, but often overlooked.

Over 15 pages of basics, tips and a look at materials, plus a handy glossary of beading terms, makes Stitching Beaded Jewelryone of the best all-in-one books for getting started with beadwork jewelry making. My favorite design is the Graduated Collar, which uses different sizes of beautiful pearls to give right angle weave a delightful curve. It’s a great example of how anyone can make a stunning piece of beadwork jewelry, using only the simplest of materials and techniques.

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
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April’s Army Favorites

2011-10-31T08:20:00.000-07:00

For the past few months, I’ve been having a blast creating items and donating tutorials for the fundraising efforts of the April’s Army Etsy team. Every month when the shop opens, I look forward to browsing through the amazing donations from other members, and sharing my favorites with you. The variety of items is always delightful and creative!

The April’s Army shop is on a sort of vacation for this month, and will hopefully be returning soon. So, instead of showing you my favorite designs from the shop, I wanted to share with you some of the fantastic items that I’ve been able to purchase from talented April’s Army members during previous fundraisers.

I’ve started to build quite a collection of unique Pithitude magnets from tamarakraft.
Last month a fantastic set of Halloween balloon magnets was up for grabs, and I was really exited to scoop it up!

I know my fellow beaders will appreciate my all time favorite find - a quirky and adorable pincushion from Gloomstopper.
I don’t know whether to laugh or cry whenever I poke this little guy with a beading needle. What a face!

As a book lover, I was really delighted to get my hands on an upcyled vintage storybook journal from paperdiva.
Made from a Golden Book, it still has the entire story intact, with blank pages added for notes, sketches and whatnot.

I’m also really fond of these handmade cotton face scrubbers by selkiecrochet.
They are amazingly gentle, but clean really well - my face has never been happier!

Do you have a favorite handmade or vintage indulgence?

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading and Friends
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Inspired Beader: RAWRmonster

2011-10-30T08:16:00.000-07:00

For many beaders, our love of tiny materials began at a very young age. From some of us, it started with grandma’s button jar, a strand of love beads, or a vending machine trinket. Many beaders also got their first taste by creating 2 dimensional bead art with Perler and Hama beads.

These fun little craft beads allow kids of all ages to create interesting pixilated images by arranging an assortment of colors on a peg board and melting them with an ordinary household iron. Boards of different shapes provide the base for lots of unique creations, and coming up with new patterns and playing with piles of tiny little plastic tubes can really ignite the beading spark in new crafters.

Today, I want to show you some truly incredible Perler bead creations by RAWRmonster. The artist, Shelby, turns these simple little beads into some of our favorite characters from the world of 16 bits. Her magnets, coasters and jewelry can really bring out the kid in you!

Inspirational Beading: How did you first get into bead crafts?

Shelby: Last year, I switched my major to Mathematics and in the process made a lot of new friends. Being a typical broke college student, I had NO idea what I was going to get everyone for Christmas gifts. I had an Etsy account, and was poking around looking for ideas and potential gifts, when I first saw coasters by iamadecoy, and I fell in love! I bought my first set of Perler beads off of eBay, and got to work.

I had no idea what I was doing - I never played with Perlers as a kid. I searched the internet, and found an incredlible forum of wonderful, talented people who made really awesome things out of Perler and Hama beads - Pixelgasm-forum.com. I read everything I could, and learned from some of the best.

Inspirational Beading: Do you remember your first project?

Shelby: Oh boy... yes, I remember my first project.

Like I said, I was making Christmas gifts for maybe 15-18 people, so I needed a game plan. The first thing I did was to make a sheet with 8 different 'sets' on it, featuring Space Invaders, Pacman, Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, The Legend of Zelda, and Tetris. I told people to pick a set, and tell me if they wanted coasters or magnets. Each set had about 4-8 sprites on it; 'ambitious' is definitely an overstatement!

Before I could make everyone's gifts, though, I needed to make a few practice runs. I beaded two little aliens from Space Invaders in glow-in-the-dark beads with green backgrounds. I didn't have any ironing paper, but I had just bought a pack of stickers, and they come on non-stick paper, so that should work...right? No. Not by a long shot.

I felt a little discouraged, but more determined than ever to master these beads. So, I made the three magnets you see at the top of the picture (from left to right: Boo with a glow-in-the-dark outline, Blooper, and Bob-bomb). I only had maybe 4 pegboards, so I would work in batches; I'd lay down a sprite, iron it, let it cool while I laid down another sprite, iron the back of the first sprite, iron the front of the second sprite, and so forth. It was a very long month. However, I managed to get presents done for everyone at school before the semester let out for winter break, and finished presents for everyone else in the following week.

I hadn't really thought of selling anything I made until one of my friends asked if they could buy some magnets from me, and it took off from there.

Inspirational Beading: Where do you like to look for new inspiration?

Shelby: Honestly, most of my inspiration comes from my customers. The Minecraft coasters and Creeper keychain, and the Mega Man coasters are all the result of someone asking "Hey...think you can do this?". Jewelry was never on the game plan until Jeni from grimmlynn saw my early mustache magnets and messaged me excitedly about making a rainbow necklace. I love doing custom work, and I love hearing back from people who share their fond video game memories with me.

Besides that, my inspiration comes from my own childhood. I once left my NES on for 8 months as a kid so I could beat Super Mario Bros. 3 from start to finish. I have more items from that game in my shop because it had the biggest impact on my life growing up.

I think people have had a very negative stereotypical view of video games and gamers for a long time, but it's slowly starting to change. I think it has a lot to do with the how quickly smart phones are becoming a part of our culture, since playing [games like] Brick Breaker is now a totally acceptable usage of time. People are embracing their inner geek, and it's awesome.

Inspirational Beading: Do you have a favorite color to work with?

Shelby: It's difficult to say. I try to make my items as true to the game as possible, which restricts my color usage, and I try to make my background colors compliment the sprites. I love bright, funky colors though. I always enjoy making things with Lime, Turquoise, Purple, Hot Pink, and anything that glows in the dark!

Inspirational Beading: What’s your favorite thing about working with Perler beads?

Shelby: I've only been working with Perler beads for about a year now, so it's been really cool to watch my technique improve with time. If you were to go back and look at some of my very first pieces, they weren't so great. It takes a lot of trial and error to figure out the little things that make all the difference: finding what's the best temperature to set the iron, how long to iron for, how to keep the different colors melting at the same rate, and how to lay down the sprite as quickly as possible.

Besides that, my favorite thing is always hearing back from people. Seeing people's reactions as they look at my stuff - there is this gleeful excitement, almost like they're eight years old again and unwrapping a new game. I also secretly love the idea that there are people out there in the world, people I don't know, who have my coasters on their table, or my magnets on their refrigerator, or my necklace around their neck. It's like there are these little pieces of me floating around out there. In a metaphysical way, not in a creepy gross zombie way, of course.

Inspirational Beading: Who do you hope to inspire with your work?

Shelby: I don't know if I'd say my work is inspirational. I'm just a college kid trying to share her love of video games with the world. But maybe that's the inspirational part? It doesn't matter who you are, it doesn't matter what talents you think you have or don't have. Just do what you love, and love what you do, and be awesome.

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading and RAWRmonster
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Red in the Spooky Woods

2011-10-29T19:26:00.000-07:00

Halloween is so close that we can start counting down the hours! I am so excited for this year's dress up - the weather might even stay nice enough for some traditional trick or treating. I've always thought that the image of little Red with her pale face in a dark wood was delightfully spooky and perfect for this time of year. In anticipation of Halloween, I gathered up some dark and moody picks with lots of dark reds.

Do you have a favorite Halloween story?

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
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A Bracelet a Week: Blazing Colors

2011-10-29T08:36:00.000-07:00

Inspiration can come from a lot of different places, and sometimes it sneaks up on us suddenly and inexplicably. I can’t quite explain why, but this week’s bracelet was inspired by coloring books.

At some point, I was musing about something or other, and had a flash of a coloring page done in gradually changing shades of green, yellow, orange and beige. It was a tree line of sorts, and reminded me of the AMAV art coloring books that I used to love during summer road trips. The images started out simple, and got more complex and interesting with each page. I’ve searched high and low for them in recent years, but it seems that they are either no longer in print, or not available as single books like in the good old days.

I had a hard time shaking the image of the billowing colors, so I decided to build the palette, even though the time for fall inspirations is quickly passing by. I wouldn’t be able to completely mimic the shapes that I had imagined, but I came up with a pattern that would work well with the blend as well as the structure of herringbone weave.

Using an all transparent palette of emerald, lime, lemon, tangerine, sherbet, light topaz and dark topaz, I was able to capture the look of an autumn tree in the sun.

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
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Book Review: Make Wire Beads

2011-10-28T16:06:00.000-07:00

Although the variety of beads available to us, and the ways that we can combine them is nearly limitless, there comes a time for every beader when inspiration expands beyond ready made beads. The desire to create our own unique materials and components is a large part of the creative process, and allows us to explore possibilities that make our designs completely unique.

The materials and products available to bead makers are nearly as abundant as those used by large bead manufacturers. We can melt glass, forge metals, pour resin and sculpt clays. Though every bead maker’s materials and techniques make their creations unique, some of the most interesting and exciting beads are created with objects that we already have in our studios.

It was this desire to do what the big bead factories weren’t that inspired Lisa Van Herik on a journey to create lightweight metal beads using wire and simple tools. In Beadifferent: Make Wire Beads, Lisa has shared recipes for a wide variety of beautiful wound and coiled wire beads that can make any jewelry design stand out.

Make Wire Beads gives readers an in depth look into crafting and creating with different types of wire, and provides plenty of information and encouragement to beginners. After a thorough explanation of the materials and tools used to make wire beads, the basic techniques are described in easy to follow steps. Diagrams can help beaders follow along and get started on their own beads right away.

There are over 40 bead designs to try, each worked on the basic principles of wrapping and coiling wire to create the desired shapes and textures. By changing the types of wire and tools used, and manipulating the finished piece, a wide variety of beads can be created. Lisa provides lots of inspiration and tips for shaping, texturing and hammering wire and wire beads to create unique freeform and structural designs.

If you already enjoy working with wire and want to try something new and creative, or you want to get started with gratifying wire projects, Make Wire Beadsis an excellent guide!

Beadifferent: Make Wire Beads is an independently published book. I would like to thank Lisa Van Herik for giving me the opportunity to enjoy it! Inspirational Beading has not received compensation for this feature. I have shared my sincere thoughts about this book.

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading and Lisa Van Herik
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Favorite Beads: Turquoise

2011-10-27T13:45:00.000-07:00

Today my guest is Tanisha of Kasuallery Design Inc. who shares her passion for one of history’s most classic gemstones: turquoise. This sometimes blue and sometimes green stone has been valued and prized by many cultures, and can easily transform the beads around it into a classic or nostalgic design.

Inspirational Beading: What is your all-time favorite bead?

Tanisha: Turquoise.

Inspirational Beading: What is your favorite technique or method to use them?

Tanisha: I have none, I do everything.

Inspirational Beading: Of all the creations you’ve made with these beads, which one is your favorite?

Tanisha: Vibrance turquoise (shown at right).

Inspirational Beading: Do you have any tips for making the most of these beads?

Tanisha: The best thing to do is use that in small amount in all of the creations you make. turquoise is beautiful with everything.

Inspirational Beading: What is your favorite bead or material to pair these with?

Tanisha: Red coral, Green Jade, Any brown beads or crystals they give the turquoise life.

Inspirational Beading: If you were stranded on the moon, and you could have only one kind of bead with you, would you choose these?

Tanisha: Yes I would. Why, because I could find new moon beads and create all day and night.

Inspirational Beading: In your opinion, what is the best source for these beads?

Tanisha: The best source for these beads is Fire Mountain Gems or Bead FX. Fire Mountain Gems, Bead Style magazine and Lima Beads have great tutorials to help any beader.

You can see lots of beautiful jewelry designs with turquoise and more at Kasuallery Design.

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
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Bead Color Trios: Swamp Water

2011-10-26T14:10:00.000-07:00

One of my all time favorite trendy color palettes is a quartet of vibrant hues: black, orange, aqua and lime green. Ever since I saw these colors used together about ten years ago, they’ve been a source of inspiration when intriguing colors are needed. I’ve used them in everything from spiral ropes and treasuries, all together or in variation.

As a set, these colors are very unique and charming, and grab a lot of attention. Take away the aqua blue, and suddenly you have a fantastic palette for Halloween and quirky fall designs. As a trio, these colors could be made to look rather sophisticated. Add a dash of purple, and you’ve got the makings of a youthful Halloween palette. With dress up day just around the corner, I wanted to experiment with black, orange and lime green, and see what kinds of moods could be created with them. Would they be silly, cute or even spooky?

The first palette has a lot of punch, and is the one with the most whimsy. I started with pumpkin orange 8/o seed beads and transparent lemon lime 11/o’s. Although pairing up opaque and transparent beads doesn’t always work, these shades go together really well, and the lemon lime picks up enough light for both of them. For black, I added some Czech glass skulls to make a Witch’s Brew.

Darkening the green a little bit creates a whole new look. In Storm Drain, I paired Christmas green vitrail leaf beads with transparent tangerine 11/o seed beads. As a pair, these colors look just like a bowl of fresh oranges, or some fancy party punch. The addition of shiny jet black 8/o seed beads creates a spooky vibe that’s just right.

Frog Spawn is very similar to the first palette, but the changes in shape add new dimensions. The lustered coral 11/o seed beads aren’t quite as bold as the pumpkin orange, but they do have a kick. I paired these with lemon lime magatamas, and a sprinkling of jet black druks, which blend together nicely with their smooth rounded shapes.

What colors get you in the Halloween mood?

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading and COLOURLovers.com
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Daily Treasury: Fall Colors

2011-10-24T08:57:00.000-07:00

I had honestly hoped that this new inspiration segment might truly be a daily feature, but things don't always go as planned. The good news is that I am loving the new job! But, since things are a little hectic around here, we'll have to pretend that "daily" means a few times a week.

Today's treasury is a lovely selection of fall colors and leafy shapes by Jane Priser Arts.

A Bracelet a Week: Leopard Print

2011-10-23T18:56:00.000-07:00

This week I was in the mood for some more medallions. After experimenting with brick stitch and stick pearls, I wanted to take things a step further and combine lots of medallions into a single piece. To create a theme that would go with lots of circles, I chose a palette of black and topaz, with tortoiseshell druks for the medallion base.

This bracelet was a lot of fun to make. I added a loop of seed beads to either side of each medallion while adding the picot finish, and connected them together as I stitched. The best part was being able to incorporate a button clasp seamlessly into the design - it exactly matches the smaller circles in the chain, and completes the pattern as well!

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
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Crayon Color Experiment

2011-10-21T15:08:00.000-07:00

We’ve covered the inspiring qualities of crayon colors before, as well as the beauty of the primary colors that are so important to basic arts and crafts. Recently, I had an inspiring experience with crayons that I wanted to try to recreate with beads.

One of my favorite crafts to do in the fall is making window art with leaves and crayon shavings. After spending some time collecting various leaves and ferns, the little guy and I sharpened several wax crayons to collect the shavings. We used two shades each in a palette of four fall colors: green, yellow, orange and red.

I was struck by how pretty the shavings looked all mixed together in their containers, and the way the pairs of colors looked together, and against the other hues. I wanted to try and capture this look with beads, just to satisfy my curiosity. Would it be possible to get this vibrant, cheerful look with just seed beads?

I combined pairs of similar colors - one transparent and one opaque for each set. Although the palette is interesting, and would make for some beautiful beadwork, it doesn’t have quite the same appeal as those colorful bits of crayon.

How to Make Crayon Window Art

To make your own fall pictures you need some dried leaves, ferns and other thin, flat nature finds. Arrange them face down on a sheet of waxed paper, with the sticky side facing up. Sprinkle generously with wax crayon shavings.

Place a second sheet of waxed paper over your picture, then carefully press it with an iron on the lowest setting. Move the iron quickly outwards from the center until all of the crayon is melted and the waxed paper is fused together. Tape your creation to a sunny window and enjoy the colors!

The Healing Power of Beads

2011-10-20T22:01:00.000-07:00

Today is giveaway day! Congratulations to Carla and Sally, who were both drawn for a copy of my new beaded buttons and toggles tutorial. Thank you so much to everyone who entered!

For this giveaway, I asked what aspect of beading you are most grateful for. The responses were overwhelming and often moving. Many of you agree that beading has a special power to heal, whether it’s relaxation at the end of a stressful day, or providing hope and joy during a difficult time or illness.

The conversation reminded me of all the wonderful organizations and movements that use beading and jewelry to change the world, one person at a time. Today I want to give a little tribute to some of these special people and causes. Many of them will be familiar, but they deserve recognition as often as we can give it!

Soul of Somanya

The Global Genes Project 7000 Bracelet for Hope Campaign

Beads of Courage

Beading to Bead Autism

Bead for Life

The Andean Collection

How have beads influenced your view of your community, and your planet? If you know of another great cause, organization or movement that is making a difference with beads or jewelry, leave us a link or story in the comments!

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
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Wear It Twice: Jewel Tones

2011-10-19T13:04:00.000-07:00

This month’s fashion inspiration is jewel tones - intense shades of ruby and emerald. The challenge is to pair up these greens and reds without looking like Christmas. By including soft shades of teal and adding dramatic black, the saturated palette looks right at home for fall.

Jewels in the Rain by mortira featuring velvet tops

The multi-strand cord necklace is very warm, not only in color but in texture as well. For both outfits, I paired it with classy trench coats and bold statement rings. The chunky black and red resin bangle adds a bit of fun.

What’s your favorite jewel tone?

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
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Daily Treasury: Show Offs

2011-10-19T09:25:00.000-07:00

Today's selection was inspired by the never ending task of finding ways to organize one's hobbies and life. Just when you think you've got your beads, books and jewelry stored in just the right way, something always comes along that makes you want to rework it all over again.

What's your favorite thing to reorganize?

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
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Bead Wish List: Lovely Leaves

2011-10-18T08:59:00.000-07:00

Pressed leaf beads are an accent bead staple. They work well with both beadwork and stringing projects, can be used as accents, focals, and even in large, lush quantities. Most function as drops, with top drilled holes, and some are center drilled. In short, leaf beads are a delight to work with.

Like flowers and other natural elements, leaves also provide inspiration for other bead styles, including lampwork and polymer clay designs. This month’s wish list is full of lovely leaves for fall!

Brown and Turquoise Lampwork Leaf Headpins
by Star Girl Jewelry

Red Tiger Eye Czech Glass Maple Leaf
from Artbeads.com

Multicolor Turquoise Leaf Pendants
from Auntie's Beads

Brown Polymer Clay Leaf Beads
by Tina Holden Designs

Carved Red Horn Leaf Beads
from Fusionbeads

Ezel Orange Filigree Leaf Pendant
from Beadaholique

Peach Czech Glass Leaves
from Garden of Glass

Fire Leaves Lampwork Pendants
by Silvia Art Glass

Pink River Shell Leaf Pendants
from Beads Direct

Spearmint Ruby Czech Glass Leaf Drops
from Lima Beads

What's your favorite kind of leaf or leaf bead?

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Daily Treasury: Sanguine Delights

2011-10-17T21:17:00.000-07:00

Today's deliciously red treasury was inspired by The Nightingale and the Rose by Oscar Wilde. Thanks to Wrens Nest Creations for this lovely set!

World Beaders: Romania

2011-10-17T10:51:00.000-07:00

This month I’d like to give a big welcome to readers from Romania!

Romania is the ninth largest country in Europe, and is nestled between Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria and Ukraine. Once a part of the Roman and Ottoman Empires, and occupied by the Soviet Union, Romania is also thought to be the home of one of the earliest human settlements in Europe. Some of the oldest human remains known were located in Pestera cu Oase, or The Cave with Bones.

Romania is also home to the region of Transylvania. Long associated with vampires and the occult thanks to Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Transylvania in fact has a rich and vibrant culture. Formerly ruled by Hungary and Austria, the literal meaning of Transylvania is “The land on the far side of the forest”. It is home to one of the largest gothic churches in Europe - The Black Church.

1. Sighisoara, 2. #014 - A Locally Owned Store (non-chain), 3. The bust of Queen Mary of Romania in Alba Iulia, 4. Romania,
5. Traditional Romanian Dress, 6. Lenutsa (L) and Petrutsa (r) Estr flwr sales, 7. Romania, Bihar area, 8. Hand-made beads from the souvenir lane

Happy beading, Romania!

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
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A Bracelet a Week: Papyrus

2011-10-16T12:38:00.000-07:00

This week I picked up on my mission to remake old designs in new colors. I was craving something ‘easy’ - a design that I could just make and meditate to without having to map out a complex plan or count stitches. I’ve been meaning to use up the last of my bugles, so I mixed together black and ivory in a striped cuff.

I love the look of bright colors against black and white patterns. For this bracelet, I went with peridot and apple green. The bugles had me thinking of papyrus reeds, and the color combination turned out just right. It’s sort of electric and fresh, and I much prefer the subtle shade of ivory to a stark white - it seems to complement the greens very well.

This cuff, and the original blue version both turned out so nicely that I’m really looking forward to making more. I suppose I’ll be keeping an eye out for more bugles in the future!

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
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Daily Collection: Green and Blue

2011-10-15T20:30:00.000-07:00

It would be terrible to skip a beat on the second day of a new daily challenge, so I present this gorgeous green and blue collection by TBeads, before relishing the exhaustion of my first full day at a totally awesome new day job. Stay tuned for tomorrow's belated Bracelet a Week!

Daily Treasury: Comfort Zone

2011-10-14T14:36:00.000-07:00

As a little extra inspiration, and just for the fun of it, I want to try something new! A daily snapshot of a great treasury or collection. Today's treasury includes lots of warm fall neutrals and woodland themes, all from member's of the April's Army team.

Bead Embroidery Pendants

2011-10-14T12:54:00.000-07:00

Trying out a new material or medium can sometimes be a little intimidating, but excitement usually overshadows those doubts. And if we keep at it, we are often rewarded with a new skill. Last month, I decided it was time to finally stop procrastinating, and I used my New Beads budget to try out some wool felt as a material for bead embroidery. It was money well spent!

I shared a little peek at what I’ve been up to with the felt last week, but it was just the first in a parade of new designs. The felt is a fantastic base for embroidery, and a delightfully soft backing as well. It holds up well to lots of stitching, even with Fireline, and the colors are awesome. I chose a set of three shades from Material Evidence - a versatile palette of black, blue and brown.

I was having so much fun that I just keep stitching, and made a series of pendants without stopping to make necklaces for them. I like to think of it as a little primer for designs to come. I won’t be switching over to embroidery full time, but it’s wonderful to have an extra technique ready when inspiration strikes.

Inspiring Links: October 2011

2011-10-12T08:35:00.000-07:00

Flatback rhinestones go on an adventure
on zombies wearing helmets

October is the start of a steady stream of inspiration throughout the end of the year. There are so many fun and festive holidays coming up, beautiful colors outside, and tasty seasonal treats. Here are some of my favorite inspirations of late.

If you love Halloween and vintage ephemera, A Nostalgic Halloween is sure to delight! This simple but stunning blog highlights gorgeous mixed media collage, vintage Halloween advertisements and lots of Halloween goodness.

Remember the 7000 Bracelets for Hope blog hop? The campaign is still going strong, and now you can view some of the amazing jewelry donations on the Global Genes Project Facebook page.

Do you keep a certain palette in mind when designing jewelry throughout the seasons? What about your wardrobe? At Elegant Musings, Casey shares her fall palette must haves and vintage fashion inspirations.

Margie Deeb wants you! In preparation for a new book titled The Beader’s Guide to Jewelry Design, Margie wants your input on the topics and features. To add your thoughts, respond to the question of the day on Facebook, or sign up for the beader’s color newsletter at MargieDeeb.com

Whether you like to dress it up all the time, or just need a little extra something to make your Halloween costume complete, this bow tie brooch tutorial from Honestly…WTF is as easy as it is cute!

My favorite fashion house, Rodarte, took a surprisingly girly twist with their upcoming Spring 2012 collection. The combination of bright yellow and aqua is stunning!

Does your sewing machine have a special story to tell? SINGER Story has been gathering up amazing tales of the origin of sewing machines, and how they have helped to shape hobbies and lifestyles. You can add your story, track the history of your machine, and read about other passionate sewers.

Incredibly bold jewelry
by FLorian

One of them most wonderful things about beading, is that it’s an international passion. Through our beads and techniques, we can connect with people all over the world, without ever saying a word. Beadweavers will love the browsing gorgeous designs of Polish beader Jolinka. For more eye candy without borders, check out Les Perles de Pencio.

Staying up to date with fashion, jewelry and color trends is the key to making wearable designs. Whether you use a blueprint or just a pinch of inspiration, having a good source for current fads and favorites can help. New Found Lust on Facebook has lots of inspirations and insights for designers of all mediums.

A fun tutorial from Artbeads.com combines cute bead caps and Swarovski pearls in fall colors, to create a collection of adorable acorn charms for pendants, earrings or ornaments!

Metal stampers will love a fun, fall inspired variation on the book locket from FusionBeads.com.

Glitter Guide has a quick and easy chunky necklace tutorial using big chain and chandelier sized crystal briolettes. A topaz or citrine colored variation would make a gorgeous statement necklace for fall.

Skeletal Bracelet
by Delfina Delettrez

Is your favorite celebrity modern or vintage? If you love photography and unique art concepts, you’ll love George Chamoun’s Iconatomy series, which carefully blends color and black and white portraits of different celebrities into one unique image.

Are you an Etsy seller? There have been many changes this year to the way Etsy listings are seen. Market My Shop has a list of 23 tips for getting the most out of your listings and in house search algorithms.

Learn the truth about free patterns from La Bella Joya, with insights into the value of both sharing and selling designs and tutorials.

Melinda Barta shares five tips for submitting your beadwork and jewelry designs for magazine publication, specifically for Interweave’s Beadwork Magazine.

What’s your favorite inspiration of the moment?

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading and Friends
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Beaded Clasp Tutorial Giveaway

2011-10-10T11:06:00.000-07:00

Over the last few years of metal-free beading, I’ve had a lot of time to test out, perfect and improve upon custom beaded clasps and components. I’ve been making matching bracelet and necklace clasps for so long, that I can’t imagine doing it any other way.

There are many varieties of custom beaded clasps and closures, but I tend to stick with two basic forms of buttons and toggles. Each of the variations that I use the most have all been included in tutorial projects, and now they are available as a single lesson in beaded clasps.

This new compilation tutorial features instructions from four different beading tutorials, highlighting the beaded clasps, with new tips and insights for making your own custom closures. The tutorial includes instructions for making brick stitch buttons with two different finishes, odd count peyote toggles and even count peyote toggles.

In honor of Canadian Thanksgiving today, I’m giving away a copy of the Beaded Clasps tutorial to a pair of lucky readers! I’m so grateful to be able to create and share jewelry designs and ideas both here on Inspirational Beading, and through my shop. I hope that we can all continue to share and learn together for years to come!

How to Enter

For a chance to win a copy of the Beaded Clasps tutorial, simply leave a comment on this post, answering the following question:

What aspect of beading are you most grateful for?

If you do not have a Blogger profile with email contact enabled, be sure to leave a contact method such as a website or email address, so I can contact you if you win! Two winners will be drawn at random on Thursday, October 20th.

Good luck, and happy beading!

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
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Halloween Craft and Beading Tutorials

2011-10-09T11:11:00.000-07:00

When it comes to creativity, Halloween is one holiday that can really bring out the best in us. From unique handmade costumes, to elaborate yard displays and spooky party snacks, Halloween arts and crafts can be a lot of fun. But it’s not all kids stuff. Halloween is an inspiring time of year for crafters of all ages. Here are just a few of my favorite projects for a creepy, fun and creative Halloween.

Spooky Sparkly Spiders with Felt Beads by Artbeads.com
Visit the Artbeads learning center for more easy Halloween jewelry ideas!

Paper Plate Owl by Crafts by Amanda
This blog is a treasure trove of family friendly craft ideas. You might also like the Tin Can Mummy tutorial!

Paint a Creepy Eyeball Pumpkin by Kaboose

Spooky Bat Peyote Cuff by FusionBeads.com
Check out their entire selection of Halloween themed jewelry projects!

Witchiepoo Black and Orange Cuff by Beadaholique
Also check out their fun Ossuary skull variation of the classic leather wrap bracelet.

Learn to make polymer clay candy corn for a cute cluster necklace on No Big Dill

And if faux candy corn makes you hungry, try out these totally edible candy corn popcorn balls from Family Fun Magazine
They also have a spooky version of frozen banana treats!

It wouldn’t be a holiday without ambitious crafts from Martha Stewart. These enameled treat jars could also be made with decoupage and tissue paper.

Spooky Chandelier Earrings by JewelrySupply.com
Also check out the matching Spooky Sparkle Necklace.

What's your favorite Halloween craft?

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A Bracelet a Week: Forty

2011-10-08T13:07:00.000-07:00

Today’s bracelet is the first design in the last quarter of this year long challenge. I can’t believe the end is nearly here! There are still twelve more weeks to go, and I think the challenge is going to be a success.

This week I got a head start on a design that I’ve been pondering for some time. I wanted to recreate some Egyptian jewelry that I have long admired in a vintage issue of National Geographic. The article from December 1982 reveals some of the treasures and artifacts uncovered at a lost Egyptian outpost in the Gaza Strip.

After following leads on some grave robbers, archaeologists discovered a burial ground near Deir el-Balah that was suspiciously Egyptian. Four years later, they were given permission to dig, and found previously unknown settlements spanning several centuries and cultures. The final reveal was a small fortress from the time of Akhenaten and Nefertiti, which explained why so many of their early discoveries included Egyptian style housewares, jewelry and personal effects.

Among some of the most intriguing original finds was a set of jewelry in the sarcophagus of a man and a woman - dubbed Romeo and Juliet by the team. In addition to several rings and pairs of gold earrings were a handful of simple single strand necklaces. One featured tiny carnelian beads and gold palmette spacers - beautiful tree or leaf shaped beads.

It was this necklace that I wanted to recreate. I had hoped to use Indian white heart beads for the job. Their color, size and irregular shape would be perfect. I’ve had my eye on some from a favorite shop for awhile, but I’m also eager to pick up a few other unique bead strands, and I’m waiting until my budget has room for a spree. I was starting to get a little impatient with myself, so I went ahead without the white hearts, with the notion that I can always do a later variation with different beads.

To replace the gold palmettes, I needed something that would give the same protruding, fringe-like shape to the necklace. I had planned to use a combination of daggers and drops, but when I found some coppery stick pearls in a bead grab bag, I knew it was meant to be. At first I considered using the pearls and daggers together, but the coppery brown was such a nice complement to the different shades of ruby red glass all by themselves.

I was so happy with the way this piece turned out, that I had to make a bracelet to match. I didn’t want to do the obvious thing and make a multistrand bracelet that copied the necklace exactly. Instead, I started with a brick stitch medallion. Adding some bead loops to either side made it easy to tie on strands of stick pearls and druks with just the right amount of beads for a lightweight bracelet.

Bead Spotlight: Bicones

2011-10-07T11:37:00.000-07:00

When we think of bicone beads, crystals are often what comes to mind. The Swarovski bicone is one of the most common and versatile bead styles. They are wonderful as accent beads, but their unique shape is also ideal for bead weaving, and 3 dimensional beadwork.

The term bicone refers to beads or objects that are wide in the middle and tapered at both ends - officially the shape is that of two cones places base to base. This basic shape takes on many forms in different types of beads, and can be squarish, faceted, and elongated like a tube or pipe. The bicone shape is also found in other mediums - think vintage Christmas decorations, for example.

1. Turquoise Blue Apatite Swarovski Bicones, 2. Strawberry Fields Czech Crystal Bicones, 3. Golden Pond Pinch Bicones

4. Swarovski Elongated Bicone, 5. Red Jade Faceted Bicones, 6. Emerald Czech Glass Bicone

The unique shape of bicone beads allows them to be nestled together in a variety of patterns. Different stitches or variations on other bead additions can provide some very interesting beadwork. If you’re a fan of Czech pinch bicones, you’ll love Jewelry Supply’s beaded pinch bead tutorial video.

1. Crystal Teardrop Earrings, 2. Pink Crystal and Pearl Earrings, 3. Lime Pearl Earrings

4. Blue Mabe Pearl Bracelet, 5. Fire Opal Pendant, 6. Red Pyramid Ring

For more fun bicone bead projects, check out these tutorials and inspirations:

Winter Candy Earrings by Auntie's Beads
Autumn Artistry Bracelet by Artbeads.com
Pacific Blue Bicone and White Pearl Earrings by Beads Talk

Do you have a favorite type of bicone bead?

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
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Time Capsule: October 2008

2011-10-06T13:02:00.000-07:00

Three years ago this month, Inspirational Beading had only one post. But, considering the amount of work behind it, it was a big one. After what seemed like weeks and weeks of stitching, I shared an incredibly ambitious bead embroidery project. In square inches, it might be the largest piece I have ever made.

I think that this collar/bib might be partially responsible for my reluctance to get back into bead embroidery, as much as I love the medium. I was so exhausted that I didn’t even finish it - the spiral rope connector wasn’t part of the original design. And after all of that work, I’ve never even had an occasion to wear it.

I was really happy with the beadwork though, and the little dragonfly is still one of my favorite beading successes. As I dip back into the bead embroidery realm, I’m glad that I have this piece to look back on. It's also pleasantly nostalgic. The entire piece is stitched with Czech seed beads, in some of my old favorite colors.

I don’t want to completely spoil the surprise, but I might just have a few new embroidery projects to share next week. None of them are quite like this one, but there’s always a chance that I’ll be crazy enough to try it again.

Three years later, I’m very pleased to say that bead embroidery is a lot like riding a bicycle. This is the first of what will hopefully be a long line of fun new designs!

Do you have a favorite, but long lost technique?

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
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Inspired by Rain

2011-10-05T09:21:00.000-07:00

Today it is a very gray, cold and rainy day in my neighborhood. It’s the kind of weather that makes you want to hide under a fuzzy blanket all day. There is a very good chance that I will spend a good portion of today drinking homemade mocha and watching X-Files on Netflix. Maybe, probably, I’ll do a little beading.

But just in case I want to be a little more productive, I’m going to take the Egyptian approach, and fight fire with fire. Or in this case, rain with rain. If rain also makes you feel about as gray as the sky, some blue drop beads or some dreamy Labrodorite might cheer you up!

Is It Raining? by moodycat featuring bootcut pants

Source: bourbonandpearls.tumblr.com via Lena on Pinterest

Source: witanddelight.tumblr.com via Jamie on Pinterest

What do you like to do on rainy days?

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Favorite Techniques: Tubular Braiding with Wire Tutorial

2011-10-04T11:31:00.000-07:00

Today we have a very special treat for beaders who love to work with wire! Lisa Van Herik of Woven Wire Studio is a talented designer, creating gorgeous dimensional jewelry and sculpture with wire. She has been working with a variety of techniques and mediums over the last 20 years, and has been featured in museums and galleries, along with her own self publish instructional books. Lisa’s favorite technique is an original wire weaving concept, or tubular braiding. It’s beautiful, versatile, and great for beginners and experts alike.

Inspirational Beading: What is your all time favorite beading or jewelry technique?

Lisa: Of all of the various and plentiful wire jewelry making techniques, my favorite is called Crown Sinnet Braiding. While this is a technique I originally adapted from a wheat weaving how-to book, it’s also a little-known wire jewelry making technique. The weave produced from this technique is essentially a type of round braiding and produces a very lovely, sophisticated woven jewelry product. I’ve spent several years testing, developing and adapting this highly versatile and speedy technique for wire jewelry making.

Inspirational Beading: Do you have a favorite material to use it with?

Lisa: I’ve always worked in sterling and fine silver wires but given their expense today, copper wire would be my preferred wire for working this technique. Copper is a rather soft material making it a pleasure to work wire. It’s also relatively inexpensive and an excellent wire to begin wire smithing with. Copper wire is also easily available from hardware stores like Ace and comes in small bundles perfect for wire smithing. Adding a darkening patina (color enhancer) to the copper after weaving also gives it a richer look.

Inspirational Beading: If someone had to choose to learn only one technique, would you recommend this one?

Lisa: If I had to recommend only one technique to learn, this would be the one. Why? It is so very simple to learn, exceptionally fast and lends itself easily to making a wide variety of jewelry including neck rings, necklaces, earrings, pendants and bracelets. Anyone, regardless of skill level, can learn this quickly. It’s also very simple to add beads into the weave and vary the look of the weaves you can get by changing the gauges (thicknesses) and types of wires you use.

Inspirational Beading: How can beginners learn this technique?

Lisa: The best way for beginners to learn this wonderful technique is probably to follow the steps in the short tutorial below. Understand that you can change the size of the hole inside your woven wire tube by changing the size of the dowel that you weave onto. Once you finish this first tutorial, you can do amazing things with this technique and beads.

Crown Sinnet Tubular Braiding With Wire Tutorial

Cleaning and Preparing Your Wire

Step 1: Begin by cutting four 9 inch long strands of 22 gauge copper. It’s always a good idea to clean your wire before beginning a weave. That way, it will be much easier to “fine” clean your finished woven piece. While there are many good liquid jewelry cleaners out there, I use Tarnex (in a well ventilated area) to initially clean the wire, followed by a using a polishing cloth. After I use the polishing cloth, I wipe away any residue with a paper towel.

Step 2: Setting up wires to weave. Using a hollow ¼ inch brass tube, tape each of four strands from Step 1 evenly spaced flush against the tube as shown in the picture below. Leave roughly ½ inch of wire sticking out the bottom (past the bottom of the tube).

If you’re using a brass tube, tuck the ends of the wire inside the bottom of the tube as shown.

Step 3: How to hold the wire to weave. Hold the taped end of the dowel with one hand and then grab any one of the four copper strands with the other hand

Begin to Weave

Step 1: Moving counter clockwise, gently place the strand in your hand across the next two strands.

The very next wire that you move in the next step will be Wire #3 (since it is directly behind the wire you just moved (Wire #1).

STEP 2: Complete the move. Immediately grab the strand behind the strand you just moved. (Original Wire #3).

Important Tip in Weaving: This is the most important move in this weaving process and the one that confuses people the most. Consider this: once you move a strand it now is located in a new position. The strand to move next is the one directly behind the strand you just moved into that new position.

Another important thing to do when moving strands, is to place or gently pull them into a tight weave, making sure all wires in the weave are close to one another.

It is also extremely important to keep all four of your wire strands at equal distances from one another around the dowel while you’re weaving. What this means is that once you move a wire strand into its new position, make sure you gently move the other wires to be equadistant from one another.

Step 3: Continue the weave. Move the new strand (ie; the one you just picked up behind the first strand you moved) across the next two strands in a counter clockwise motion.

Continue moving one strand over the next two strands, then pick up the strand directly behind where the first strand was moved.

Move this new strand over the next two strands, then pick up the strand directly behind the strand you just moved, etc. Continue in this fashion weaving around and up your dowel until you’ve completed the desired length of your woven tube. Once you’ve woven several times around your dowel, you should start seeing a pattern in the wire.

This is really an extremely simple weaving technique although you must remember to do it exactly as stated here to keep from confusing your strands. One of the things I do to keep on track is to grab the strand behind the one I just moved before I drop the one I just moved.

Important Note: When moving a strand across one of the other wires, try and pull the new wire that is being moved up just a bit, sliding it down the dowel before laying it on top of the next two wires.

You can find full instructions for wire braiding techniques on Lisa’s website, Beadifferent, along with more fun wirework techniques and ideas. For a fun and totally neat project preview, check out Lisa’s sugar cube bead tutorial video.

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
Tutorial Copyright 2010 Lisa Van Herik
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Book Spotlight: Read My Pins

2011-10-03T08:45:00.000-07:00

For jewelry lovers, studying the origins and history of ancient, traditional and famous trinkets can be endlessly fascinating. Sometimes, just getting a look into the jewelry box of someone iconic or influential can be a treat for the serious magpie.

In Read My Pins,the former US ambassador to the United Nations, Madeleine Albright, shares a glimpse of her amazing collection of pins and brooches. What started as a traditional way to accessorize eventually became an important part of her identity as a diplomat, as well as a rewarding hobby.

During her career as ambassador, Madeleine became known for her charming and unusual pin collection, and for her habit of using brooches to signify her mood or attitude toward the events or tasks of the day. Throughout this memoir, we catch glimpses of important meetings throughout the decades, with jewelry to highlight their significance. Some of the most interesting photos include Madeleine Albright wearing an Interceptor missile pin with Igor Ivanov, zebra pins with Nelson Mandela, and an enormous American flag pin while posing with Kim Jong-il.

Read My Pins is beautifully written, and fascinating from the first page to the last. Along with anecdotes about special pins, and how they played a part in some of the most important events of the last few decades, Madeleine shares some of her personal stories as a jewelry lover. The book is filled with hundreds of beautiful photographs, including plenty of close-ups of amazing pins - from quirky dollar store finds to stunning Swarovski creations. A handy Pindex at the back of the book highlights each pin, its origin and designer (if known), materials, dimensions and page number from the book.

If you love jewelry, current events or American history, Read My Pins is definitely worth a look!

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
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A Bracelet a Week: Nile Orange

2011-10-02T11:04:00.000-07:00

This week I was in the mood for a little color challenge. I’ve been eager to try out new palettes for the orange hieroglyph beads I purchased in August. The color is so intense, it’s hard to find just the right complements and contrasts for it.

I recently picked up some new turquoise blue druks, and turquoise green seed beads, which I thought would provide a nice background for one of these curious orange beads. As I went through my bead stash, building the palette, I collected all kinds of blues and greens. The different shades together have a sort of aquatic, boggy feel to them - like papyrus reeds along a river bank.

With so many different colors and shapes, I decided to keep things simple and use them in a three strand bracelet, with the hieroglyph bead front and center. I love the way the orange works with the hints of turquoise, and the darker emerald and cobalt beads really highlight the metallic green hieroglyphs.

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
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Jewelry Pricing Exercises

2011-09-30T09:57:00.000-07:00

For the professional beader, one of the toughest business hurdles to overcome is learning to price designs. There is no perfect way to find a price tag for handmade jewelry, and each beader must find their own groove. I was recently asked for some advice on pricing beadwork, and I thought I’d pass on my tips and some pricing ideas to you.

Calculations

If you go to a beading or marketplace forum and ask for pricing advice, you will almost surely get several suggestions for using a pricing calculator or equation. There are a few different variations out there, and many artists - myself included - create their own. While I am definitely a believer in pricing equations, I also think it is important to use them with flexibility.

One of the most common calculations, particularly for simple jewelry designs, is: (Materials Cost) x 3 = Retail Price. Once you’ve worked out the cost of your materials, it’s easy enough to do. Remember that this includes all materials, including your thread or wire, and findings. And when calculating materials costs, you should use the replacement cost, not what you paid for it - or whichever is higher.

For example, if someone gives you a strand of pearls as a gift, you would still need to include the price of the pearls in your calculations for things you make with them, even though they were free to you. Or, perhaps you bought some buttons for 50 cents in the 1970’s, and are only getting around to using them now - even if they aren’t valuable collector’s items, it would still cost you more to replace the materials for future designs.

While the Materials x 3 formula certainly provides a lot of cushioning, it doesn’t include the amount of time or skill needed to make the finished piece. If you’re making copies of a similar design again and again, then this formula might work for you. However, if you’re making a lot of different jewelry styles, there could be a lack of balance in your prices.

Emerald, rhodochrosite and gold plated findings from Fire Mountain Gems

As an extreme example, let’s say that you make a simple pair of headpin earrings with gold and gemstones, and a long necklace with a detailed pattern of colorful vintage Lucite beads. The earrings take only a few minutes to make, and the final price is $99. The necklace takes a little over an hour to plan and string, but the price you calculate is only $21. Factoring your time into price calculations is not only more fair to you, but to your customers as well.

Vintage Lucite beads and stringing essentials from The Beadin’ Path

One other pricing formula that gets a lot of circulation includes materials costs, time spent designing and making the piece, overhead to cover business costs, and a hefty markup, which allows you to give discounts and sell bulk orders at wholesale. It goes something like this:

(Materials x 2) + (Hours invested x 20) = n

(n + 10% overhead) x 2 = Retail price

Even if you adjust this calculation to compensate your work time at minimum wage instead of $20 per hour, the results will be quite high. Though this calculation is ideal for finding a fair price for the artist, it doesn’t include factors like quality of work, the target market, or the artist’s ability or desire to reproduce the design many times.

Also, the amount of time it takes to make a piece can vary based on many factors, including your familiarity with the materials and techniques. For example, your first peyote stitch project might take days to complete. If you make the same design a year later, it will probably go much faster, but the work will be of better quality.

Whether you’re just starting to sell your work, or you’re curious about your pricing methods, I highly recommend using the above formula just to get an idea of what your work is worth. Remember that no matter what formula you use, or what the results are, you are in charge of your designs, and pricing is as much a personal choice as it is a business one. Using this calculation can help shock you out of the “who would pay for this?” mindset. Pricing your work too low can be more of a turn off to shoppers than pricing it too high.

Work Value

Just like finding your own design niche, pricing your work can often be a learn-by-doing experience. I didn’t discover that my jewelry prices were too low until I received several custom orders, and I had the work ahead of me, instead of behind.

To get an idea of what your work is worth, try pricing your designs before you’ve made them. As long as you have an idea of how long it will take, you can predict a price based on the amount of work you need to do. When you’ve already made a design, and are eager to sell it, it’s all too easy to decide on a price that you think someone might pay for it. This is were we undersell ourselves, because the work is already behind us.

After you have already made a design, and decided on a price, walk away for awhile. Later, imagine that a customer has asked you to make 3 new versions of it in different colors. You have x number of hours of work ahead, including buying materials, making the pieces, etc. Now consider your asking price. Is it enough of a reward at the end of the job? This exercise can really help you find prices that work for you, and unlike an equation, the way you feel about the design and your work becomes a factor.

Another worthwhile activity you can use to improve you perceptions of your own work is to donate something you've made to charity. An artist is often her own worst critic, and we can sometimes feel sheepish about asking others to pay for our designs. However, if you’re making something for a fundraiser, especially if it’s a cause that you are passionate about, the importance of quoting an accurate price makes it easier to place value on your work.

Do you use a special formula or method for pricing your beadwork? What do you like or dislike about pricing formulas?

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading and Friends
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MyMemories Software Giveaway Winner

2011-09-29T07:49:00.000-07:00

The results are in, and Random.org has selected Mandy of Beads for Brains to receive a free copy of the MyMemories digital scrapbooking suite! Even though the software is intended for family photos, just like a traditional scrapbook, there are endless possibilities for creating beautiful jewelry and beading presentations. I can’t wait to see what Mandy can do with the fun layouts and decorations!

I’ve been having a great time playing with papers and embellishments, and finding new ways to present photos and make them look even better than before. The blank layouts provide a great jumping off point, and they can be edited and altered until everything looks right. I tried making a little presentation for A Bracelet a Week with a simple 16-image layout. With some tinkering, I got pages like this one:

Then I decided to really make use of having multiple images on a single page. Not only is this a great way to show off a design at multiple angles, but there’s room for inspiration photos, color swatches, materials, or even a little jewelry haiku. I started with one of my favorite beads to beadwork designs - the original strawberry blossom pendant. Once I had the right background paper, all I needed were a few extra polka dots in coordinating colors.

Source: Strawberry Blossom Photo

I love how easy it is to transfer finished albums into JPEG folders. Once I got going, it was hard to quit! I gathered up some of my favorite bead palette pictures, and did a little seasonal remix with simple layouts and embellishments. Next, I uploaded them into my movie maker and created a brand new color ideas video!

Congratulations to Mandy, and thank you so much to everyone who entered the MyMemories giveaway! If you’d still like to give it a try, Inspirational Beading readers can use coupon code STMMMS31747 for $10 off the MyMemories Suite. It’s such a fun and easy creative tool!

Happy beading, and happy scrapping!

I would like to thank Story Rock Inc. for giving me the opportunity to try out My Memories software. Inspirational Beading has not received compensation for featuring products in this review, however, using the coupon code STMMMS31747 to purchase My Memories Suite v2.0 will earn a commission for Inspirational Beading. I have shared my sincere opinions of this product.

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
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World Beaders: Poland

2011-09-28T10:44:00.000-07:00

Today I found some amazing bead and jewelry inspirations from Poland - our top visitor country of late. The market stall images are especially delightful, and of course there are lots of beautiful pieces made with Baltic amber. Since it happens to be Wednesday, let's go wordless and let these gorgeous pictures speak for themselves!

1. Beads,
2. Beads, 3. Lowicz, Poland, 4. mehe*, 5. Polish Jewelry,
6. Poland Pavilion [Polska], 7. Baltic Amber Blossom,
8. Poland. Krakow, 9. Amber jewellery on sale in Old Town, Gdansk, Poland,
10. Beads, 11. Lubiaz, 12. Beads, 13. krakow poland

Happy beading, Poland!

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
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Tutorials for Christmas Cheer

2011-09-26T08:39:00.000-07:00

Can you believe that September is nearly over already? This month went by so fast, and was filled with lots of new designs, inspirations and videos. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to create the totally outrageous necklace that I want to donate to the April’s Army fundraising shop. It's still on the drawing board, and I hope it will be ready in time for the next campaign. In the meantime, I thought I’d inspire some beaders to get a head start on their Christmas crafting.

There are six copies of my Beaded Poinsettia tutorial available from April’s Army. The PDF instructions explain how to make cute little Christmas beaded beads, plus variations for four additional flower designs. All proceeds from this month’s shop will help an artist during her battle with cancer. You can learn more about the fundraiser on Regretsy and Facebook.

As always, here are my favorite jewelry and accessory designs, donated by members of the April’s Army Etsy team.

Click on the images to see these great designs, and learn more about the artists behind them.

There are always some fun and fantastic designs to see in the shop, including clothing, home decor items, handmade soap and art prints. I hope you’ll stop by and see them all!

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading and Friends
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Inspired by Cthulhu

2011-09-25T13:16:00.000-07:00

One of the most famous literary characters in fantasy and sci-fi is Cthulhu, a chimeric creature with features of an octopus, dragon and humanoid demon. Created by H. P. Lovecraft, Cthulhu has appeared on some level in many of the author’s works, and inspired many artists in every medium imaginable.

Cthulhu is a classic character of terror - huge, mysterious and omnipotent. Still, fans and followers are often putting a lighthearted spin on this character, with everything from plush toys to quirky kitchen ware. You’ve probably seen at least one Cthulhu inspired design somewhere, because they are just about everywhere.

Untitled by blini on Polyvore.com

Bride of Cthulhu by apokalipstick on Polyvore.com

An unpronounceable name is almost a prerequisite for any legendary sci-fi and fantasy character. The most common pronunciation for Cthulhu is kuh-THOOL-hoo.

1. Diablo Tentacle, 2. RUBY CTHULHU, 3. Day 83: Pensive Cthulhu,
4. Cthulhu, 5. Cthulhu, 6. Cthulhu

Are you a fan of Lovecraft’s creature? Who’s your favorite scary but fascinating character?

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading and Friends
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A Bracelet a Week: Queen Weret

2011-09-24T10:33:00.000-07:00

This week I had some fun with something I don’t often use - bold, opaque colors. I usually avoid pairing different colors of opaque beads in a single piece, because I want to avoid that crayon-y, gift shop beadwork look. But with so many new Egyptian and tribal inspirations, I’m challenged to find the right balance of colors, shapes and proportions to make it work.

Opaque royal blue isn’t a new color to me, but I’ve had no desire to use it for years, until I decided to recreate the anklets of Queen Weret. My bracelet is actually a recreation of a recreation. No one will ever know for certain what Queen Weret’s jewelry really looked like. The materials used to string and weave her lovely beads were long gone when her remains were discovered, but Adela Openheim of the Metropolitan Museum of Art was able to reconstruct them with some educated guesswork.

I particularly like the anklet design from the Queen Weret jewels, with the enameled claw charms in the center, so I used these as inspiration. The palette of the original is blue, red, turquoise and gold. Most of my gold substitute colors are too transparent or flashy to work well with the rest of the palette, so I went with dark beige instead. I like the way it cools off the palette, makes it earthier, and balances the slight luster of the turquoise.

I used the same technique behind my Wavy Wedges bracelet, but without the waves. To mimic the charms, I added some drops and daggers to the center panel. They certainly don’t resemble the glass inlay of the original, but they complete the look all the same.

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
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Beaded Leaf Tutorials and Projects

2011-09-23T09:11:00.000-07:00

No matter what your favorite time of year is, you’ve got to admit that there’s something special about a tree full of orange and yellow leaves. The bold, fiery colors of fall foliage can be relaxing, breathtaking, and even inspire poetry.

Beading and leaves go together very well. Not only are there hundreds of varieties of leaf beads, but we’re always looking for new ways to recreate classic leaf shapes and colors with our favorite techniques. There's simple leaf fringe, and complex sculptural leaves in peyote stitch and St. Petersburg chain.

In honor of the changing colors of autumn, here are some favorite tutorials and projects that feature beautiful leaves.

1. Russian-inspired Peyote Stitch Leaves, 2. Russian Leaves and Crossweave Beaded Leaves

3. Crochet Lydia’s Leaves, 4. Polymer Clay New Leaf Beads

1. As the Leaves Turn Earrings, 2. Vineyard Leaf Filigree Earrings

3. Autumn Leaves Necklace, 4. Leaf Bead Earrings

And, don’t forget the classic Tree of Life, which uses ordinary round or chip beads to imitate leaves. This really fun and easy to follow video tutorial explains exactly how to make a Tree of Life pendant with 4mm round beads.

Do you have a favorite type of leaves or leaf beads?

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading and Friends
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New Beads: Cowry Shells

2011-09-22T13:10:00.000-07:00

Ever since I started looking for new Egyptian jewelry inspirations, I’ve been on the hunt for cowry shells. Like many ancient cultures, the Egyptians loved the look and feel of cowries, and considered them to be a feminine symbol and a way to promote fertility. Cowry shapes appear often in Egyptian jewelry designs, so I wanted to get my hands on some and see what they could do.

Unfortunately, I had a hard time finding anything but sawed cowry shells, which are often used in hemp jewelry and other pieces as charms and dangles. I wanted the full effect, especially the smooth shell backs with their pretty, organic designs.

I had almost given up my search for whole, preferably drilled, cowries, when I got lucky. I was out doing some thrifting, and spotted a long, luxurious shell necklace made almost entirely from whole cowries. I didn’t even hesitate to scoop up this treasure, and took it home to disassemble it and see just how lucky I was.

Sure enough, the necklace design relied on the cowries being drilled once, allowing the strings to be fed through the inside of the shell, and out through the spout on the opposite side. Pairs of cowries were then anchored together by a single shell, hiding all of the strings and making a nice, neat necklace.

All I had to do was come up with a beadweaving design that would make the best use of the cowry shape. Dangles and fringe would likely be askew and not very pretty. I finally decided on spiral rope, which would allow the shells to hug the beadwork, and show off their pretty backs.

Weaving with cowries isn’t the most fun I’ve ever had. Most of the time, I was able to feed Fireline through the tiny, curved spaces by hand. Occasionally, I needed a little help from a twisted wire needle, which is now hopelessly kinked and mangled from the job.

Although I was happy to be able to use up the blue and white bead mixture I accidentally created this summer, and I like the ocean theme, I sort of wish I had gone with an earthier palette. I don’t have quite enough shells left to make another necklace like this, but there are enough for a few bracelets. I’d like to give them another try in a more tribal design.

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
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Digital Scrapbooking for Jewelry Designers

2011-09-21T08:44:00.000-07:00

Whether your bead and jewelry creations are for business or pleasure, there comes a time when you want to share what you’ve made. Taking great photos is the first step, and once you’ve mastered that, the fun begins. There are so many ways to promote and show off your work both online and in person, from Flickr and Facebook, to graphic business cards.

With digital scrapbooking, you can turn your jewelry and beadwork photographs into beautiful presentations. And the best part is, you don’t need to take a class, or read tons of tutorials to learn how to do it. MyMemories digital scrapbooking software - developed by Polaroid - is incredibly user friendly. If you know how to use the programs that come with most home computers, you’ll be able to navigate MyMemories easily and create professional looking albums for your best work.

The MyMemories Suite comes with everything you might expect to find in a real scrapbooking studio. There are plenty of background “papers”, stickers, and embellishments. You can add ribbons, faux stitching and even graphic staples for an authentic scrapbook look. The studio comes with hundreds of options for decorating your albums, and you can also create your own elements.

Here's a basic designer template for traditional scrapbooking.
On the right, you can see some of the export, print and share options.
Just click to add photos, change the text and you're done!
You can also color, move, change or remove any element on your album pages,
to create presentations that are totally unique.

Beginners will love the pre-made designer templates for picture albums. You can choose your theme, and pick from a variety of page styles and layouts. Then all you have to do is click to add the photos that you want from your computer. Every element on an album page is dynamic - you can change sizes and shapes, move objects, switch colors, and add extra elements to every page. Once you get the hang of things, you can create your own album pages completely from scratch.

I created this custom layout using the built in papers and stickers.
The digital layouts are ideal for professional-looking craft presentations.

I was very excited to have the opportunity to try out MyMemories. As a professional beader, I’m always looking for new and unique ways to show off designs. Once you’ve created an album with MyMemories, you can transfer it to any material that is compatible with your printer. My favorite feature also allows you to create JPEG files of your individual album pages, and with these the possibilities are endless. You can use photos of your designs to make a Facebook landing page, a blog header, a video slideshow, or a professional-looking gallery.

Want to try it out? All Inspirational Beading readers are invited to try the MyMemories Suite at a discount of $10 using coupon code STMMMS31747. You can download the software instantly, and get started on your jewelry albums right away - you might even find some other fun ways to use it! To get an even better idea of how the MyMemories Suite works, and all the things it can do, check out this digital scrapbooking tutorial video by The Pink Toque, or browse through some user creations on the MyMemories Facebook page.

This layout was made with a designer template.
You can add your own text, or fill the area with
more pictures, embellishments, or color.

For one lucky reader, I also have one free copy of MyMemories to giveaway! I know sometimes beaders and scrapbookers are like oil and water, but I would love to see what a beader could do with all of these fun tools!

How to Enter

Take a look at some of the cool album extras and digital scrapbooking kits at MyMemories, then head back here and leave a comment with the name of your favorite scrapbooking theme, and how you would use it to showcase your designs.

If you do not have a Blogger profile with email contact enabled, please make sure to include a contact link - like your shop or website - with your comment, so I can let you know if you win!

One winner will be drawn at random on Thursday, September 29th. Good luck!

I would like to thank Story Rock Inc. for giving me the opportunity to try out MyMemories software. Inspirational Beading has not received compensation for featuring products in this review, however, using the coupon code STMMMS31747 to purchase MyMemories Suite v2.0 will earn a commission for Inspirational Beading. I have shared my sincere opinions of this product - it’s truly awesome!

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
Story Rock and Polaroid
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Poster Sketch: Pink Padparadscha

2011-09-20T16:40:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Amy of Amybeads, who has won the Faux Crystals bead giveaway! For this draw, I asked what your all time favorite Swarovski color was, and your answers were so varied! Montana sapphire was a popular choice - my personal favorite. I somehow knew that someone would choose padparadscha - it’s a great color with a cool name.

Padparadscha crystals get their name from the orangey-pink variation of sapphires. Both the natural and manmade colors are citrusy and warm - a perfect sunset color.

Thanks so much to everyone who entered the draw, and happy beading!

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading and Etsy.com
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Bead Wish List: Freshwater Pearls

2011-09-19T08:52:00.000-07:00

Is there anything more lovely than a strand of pearls? Thanks to a little help from science and nature, beaders can enjoy the natural beauty of pearls on almost any budget. Virtually all pearls on the market today are cultured - grown with a little help from humans - but the most varied and abundant are the freshwater pearls. They come in a wide variety of shapes, and are dyed in the most appealing colors.

Did you know that many freshwater pearls come from small, family run rice farms? They provide an extra source of income, as well as lovely beads. Although the mussels used to grow pearls today are selectively bred, and materials must be introduced to start the pearl making process, freshwater pearls are all natural in content.

I recently treated myself to a few strands of freshwater pearls, and they are so pretty, they make me wish I wasn’t such a bead snob. My favorite quality is their weight, as if they are hiding something underneath that shiny surface. If I could buy pearls all the time, I might choose some of these…

Turquoise Green Coin Pearls
From Artbeads.com

Peacock Potato Pearls
From Beads You Need

Peridot Zebra Top Drilled Pearls
From Auntie’s Beads

Bright Pink Potato Pearls
From House of Beads

Lime Green Leaf Drilled Nuggets
From FusionBeads.com

Metallic Jeweltones Lined Potato Pearls
From Happy Mango Beads

Fuchsia Biwa Shaped Stick Pearls
From Beadaholique

Meadow Green Nugget Pearls
From SilverSense

Plum Purple Rice Pearls
From Lima Beads

Do you have a favorite pearl shape?

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading and Friends
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Book Review: Torch Fired Enamel Jewelry

2011-09-18T13:10:00.000-07:00

Designing your own one of a kind jewelry is so much more than just choosing the right elements and materials to put together. With the right tools, and a little inspiration, we can create pieces that are as unique as they are gorgeous. Making or decorating your own beads and components can be a rewarding creative adventure.

One technique that really stands out is enameling. By combining metal with heat and glass, designers can create stunning beads, pendants and jewelry components in nearly any shape or color they desire. In Torch-Fired Enamel Jewelry,enamel artist and expert Barbara Lewis explains everything you need to know about torch firing - a quick and relatively easy process that doesn’t require expensive kilns or lengthy firing processes.

Using the torch firing technique - or painting with fire - developed by Joseph Spencer, Barbara shows readers how to enhance ready-made metal beads with stunning color, design and shape new pieces from copper, silver, gold or iron, and even create colorful headpins to accent jewelry designs.

A detailed introduction on the basics of metals, enamels and torch use will help beginners get started in this exciting technique. Barbara also gives a list of some common torch enamel mishaps, and how to fix them. Though the book does cover some essential jewelry making basics like wrapped loops, readers with some knowledge or experience will have an easier time with some of the project techniques, like using collapsible wire needles and dapping blocks.

I wish that I could show you all of the gorgeous projects featured in Torch Fired Enamel Jewelry. There are twenty two projects in all, including necklaces, pendants, earrings, bracelets and rings. Some projects simply feature enameled beads, while others require cutting, etching and firing metals to make entirely unique designs. Readers will learn how to combine their torch fired creations with glass or gemstone beads, fabric, ribbon and chain to create colorful jewelry full of texture.

Each of the projects includes step by step photographs, tips for getting the best results the first time, and lots of guidance and encouragement. If you’ve always wanted to try making your own beads, but are nervous about the heavy-duty process and all that hardware, this book could give you the confidence to buy your first torch!

I would like to thank North Light Books and F+W Media for giving me the opportunity to preview Torch Fired Enamel Jewelry. Inspirational Beading has not received compensation or merchandise in exchange for this review. I have shared my sincere impressions of this book.

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
Barbara Lewis and F+W Media
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