Inspired Artist: Percee

As beaders, we’re all quite adept at stretching and surpassing the norms of jewelry design. Our methods couldn’t be more different from the classical jewelry of the past. So it’s incredibly exciting to see an artist that takes these unique jewelry ideas even further with unexpected materials and styles. Today’s guest is Pera of Percee, an amazing shop where embroidery and polymer clay combine for gorgeous jewelry designs.

Inspirational Beading: When did you first get started with fabric and embroidery?

Pera: As a child, I've learned some embroidery basics from my mother. And shortly after that, I completely forgot about it and wasn't interested in it until pretty recently, about five years ago. First I started to make greeting cards with embroidered paper on them. And some day I spontaneously begun to embroider on little pieces of felt and some scrap fabric which I found in my home. And with that little pieces of embroidered fabric I was making bookmarks and then one day I just started to make brooches and necklaces.

Inspirational Beading: Have you always been drawn to jewelry design as well?

Pera:Not explicitly. I see a jewelry design as a way to make my drawings and my doodles an object with some purpose. I love to look and admire at various types of jewelry, but I rarely wear it. I don't know why, I love to wear it, but always somewhat forget to put it on.

Inspirational Beading: Do you remember your first wearable piece? Where is it today?

Pera:Yes, I remember. I remember that I was painting with acrylic paint and then just by coincidence I started to paint a tiny tree on a piece of dark grey felt. I don't know how, but I ended up making a brooch. That was 5 years ago and that was my first brooch and my first piece of jewelry. I was wearing it for about two years on my coat and now it is in my jewelry box.

Inspirational Beading: What kinds of beads and materials do you like to use the most?

Pera:I love handmade beads. I love to make them out of the clay or polymer clay. And I love irregular and organic shapes. Also, I just love round beads, I adore circles.
When making jewelry, I use small glass beads and wooden beads too.
And my favorite fabrics are cotton and linen.

Inspirational Beading: Where do you look for your favorite inspiration?

Pera:An inspiration can be almost anything, I don’t have that special something, I think. All the different shapes and colors. And birds and flowers. Mostly I just look at the ideas in my mind taking shapes and becoming clearer and clearer.
And I always carry with me a little sketchbook to write down various ideas and I just love to draw. So every time that I find myself waiting in various waiting rooms, I draw and often a parts of my drawings become motifs on my jewelry.

Inspirational Beading: What’s the most interesting or unique thing about your design process?

Pera:I think that my design process is not much different than any others. But it is interesting and unique to me because I enjoy it so much. And most of the time I don't know how would my final piece look like and that is what's interesting to me.

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

Pera:My favorite color is yellow and I must control myself to not use it too often. I remember when I was a little girl, almost all of my clothes were yellow. So, me and yellow have a special relationship all my life.

Inspirational Beading: What are some of your other favorite materials?

Pera:I love to work with clay and making ceramics is something that I'm learning right now. I hope that I will be able to incorporate it in my jewelry soon.

Inspirational Beading: What is the most exciting design in your shop right now? What makes it special?

Pera:I think that it's a fabric bird necklace. I love birds so much. I love to look at their colors, their feathers and their eyes so much. And that necklace also has tassels, and I adore tassels.

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

Pera:I would be happy to manage to inspire just anybody. I think that would be a great success.

You can see more of Pera’s gorgeous jewelry at Percee on Etsy and on Facebook. For the latest designs and inspirations, follow along on Pinterest and Instagram.

Copyright 2015 Inspirational Beading and Percee
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Favorite Beads: Czech Glass

They’re gorgeous, affordable, and versatile - nobody does beads quite like Czech glass artisans. Today my guest is Andrea from Bead Soup Jewelry, who shares her love of these perfect and inspiring beads.

Inspirational Beading: What is your all-time favorite bead? Why do you like them?

Andrea: This might be cheating but my all time favorite bead would be anything Czech glass. There are so many shapes, sizes, and designs. You can really pull off any design with glass beads. I think that Czech glass has come so far since I first started making jewelry. The Picasso finished beads are to die for!

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

Andrea: I really like using the Czech glass beads to make knotted projects like necklaces and wrap bracelets. With a few strands of fire polished or druk beads you can make a really eye pleasing and affordable piece.

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

Andrea: One of my favorite pieces of jewelry made using the knotting technique would have to be this Woodland Knotted Necklace, I used a polymer clay focal piece that I made and a brass patina leaf charm. I use some vintage Lucite beads and wood beads to give this necklace more detail.

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

Andrea: To make the most out of your beads or to use them sparingly, I would break up a design by not using just Czech glass but put other beads in too. That will also give your jewelry character.

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

Andrea: I guess my signature pairing for Czech glass beads is sari silk, I use the silk in many cases for the back of a necklace or just simply in a bracelet.

Inspirational Beading: If you were stranded on the moon, and you could have only one kind of bead with you, would you choose these? Why or why not?

Andrea: I love this question, yes I think I would take some Czech glass beads if I was to do some beading on the moon.. I would take these because I am so familiar with them.

Inspirational Beading: What’s your favorite method for storing your bead collection?

Andrea: I really don't have a special way to store my beads, they are just in little baggies in big plastic tubs, I love plastic containers, use them for everything. I guess its my way for looking organizer but not bring organized.

Inspiraitonal Beading:In your opinion, what is the best source for Czech glass?

Andrea: I really don't have a brand, Czech glass beads come from a hand full of manufacturers, and I really just buy them on etsy, and local. Czech glass beads are pretty common and everybody sells them.

You can see more lovely Czech glass jewelry designs at Bead Soup Jewelry on Etsy and on Facebook. Also check out Andrea’s blog to see new designs, and the latest additions to her supplies shop Bead Soup Beads, where you can find an amazing selection of Czech glass and handmade polymer clay beads and pendants.

Copyright 2014 Inspirational Beading and Bead Soup Jewelry
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Tropical Daisy Pendant

Sometimes the simplest things are best when you’re looking for something new to make. Simple palettes, simple stitches, and simple shapes. I’ve been in the mood to make a new multi-strand necklace in the same style as the chameleon pendant, with overlapped bead strands and beaded anchors. It wasn’t until I thought of making the multi-strand section with daisy chain that a real idea started to form.

I’ve also been looking for an opportunity to use up some nearly finished bead colors, and I thought a combination of blue and orange would also make the perfect base for some new natural beads I had. I combined my seed bead selections with a large and uncomplicated sono wood pendant, and lovely, rich brown Rudraksha seed prayer beads from Happy Mango Beads.

Although there are several different components that make up this necklace, they all stitched together quickly for a great instant gratification kind of piece. I’m especially thrilled with how well the Rudraksha beads look against the matte aqua druks - the contrast of colors and textures is gorgeous, and balanced by the round shapes.

It was definitely fun to go back to classic daisy chain, and I wouldn’t hesitate to use it as part of a larger design again. This is one of those pieces that turned out exactly the way I pictured it - a little boho with a hint of cottage. It's the kind of necklace you wear when you're reading Jane Austen outdoors.

Do you have a favorite quick project or stitch?

Copyright 2013 Inspirational Beading
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Beading Tutorial: Potawatomi Daisy Chain

This week we talked a bit about beading origins, and the cultures that influence our beadwork. If you draw some of your beading roots from Native American artwork, or Bohemianism, then you’ll want to add Potawatomi weave to your repertoire. This simple yet sturdy stitch contains a pattern that can be adapted to look just like a neat little row of daisies, and once you get it started, the steps are simple to remember. To get a traditional looking daisy chain, use a basic palette of opaque seed beads, or better yet, love beads.

To get the hang of this stitch, it can help to split your perception of the pattern three ways: the daisies, with a row of ‘leaves’ between each; a repeating pattern of 2- and 3-bead rows; and the actual thread path, which is also worked in a repeating 2-3 pattern. It sounds more complicated than it actually is - all you have to do is remember the correct sequence of bead colors to make the daisy pattern come through.

You’ll need at least 3 seed bead colors - for the petals, leaves, and pollen.

To weave a Potawatomi daisy chain:

Pick up 4 petal beads, and 1 pollen bead. Leaving a tail of 6 inches or more, stitch back through the first bead again, moving towards the tail thread. Pull snug to form a cluster of beads.

Pick up 2 petal beads, and stitch down through the last petal bead picked up in the first step. Pull snug, and you should have a tiny daisy!

To continue, pick up 1 leaf, 1 petal, and 1 leaf colored bead. Stitch up through the second petal bead picked up in the previous step - the one just above the bead your thread is exiting.

Pick up 1 leaf and 1 petal bead, and stitch down through the petal bead picked up in the previous step. Pull snug after each stitch, but don’t worry if the flowers don’t look perfect right away. With each new stitch, the previous row will get stronger and more even.

Pick up 2 petal and 1 pollen bead. Stitch up through the top petal bead in the work.

Pick up 2 petal beads, and stitch down through the second petal bead from the previous step, just below the pollen bead.

You'll see that once the first flower you stitch is complete, all of the steps will repeat with 2 and 3 beads picked up in each stitch, in the following pattern:

1 leaf, 1 petal, 1 leaf
1 leaf, 1 petal
2 petal, 1 pollen
2 petals
Repeat

Although Potawatomi stitch is a little more complex than the daisy chain we learn at summer camp, the results are worth it. The chain is sturdier, and the flowers are easier to distinguish with their leafy borders. Of course, you can skip the flower pattern and make a solid or striped chain as well! And, if you have a little time before Valentine’s day, you can combine two patterned chains to make a row of tiny hearts.

Happy beading!

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading
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Wear It Twice: Poolside

I didn’t fully understand the purpose of bathing suits that can’t get wet, until I started making jewelry. Fashion doesn’t have boundaries - it goes everywhere, and so does jewelry. And just because you’re wearing a fabulous bathing suit, doesn’t mean you plan to go swimming. Maybe all you want to do is get a great tan.

In any case, if your swimwear is just for looks, then there’s no reason not to accessorize it. Today, I wanted to look at some fun ways to pair jewelry with bathing suits, for hot summer days on the patio. I started with a statement piece that is a vacation essential - a shell necklace. The one I picked looks wonderfully tropical with shell donuts and strands of tiny wood beads.

Swimsuit Additions by Mortira featuring a beaded bikini

I tried to create two unique looks for different tastes. One is a little more conservative and a little tribal inspired. The other is a bit daring and a lot more uptown. The palette of orange and aqua, with hints of warm brown and yellow is great for the pool, the beach, or the backyard.



For the handmade and vintage alternatives, I decided to take a look around Etsy this month. The selection of bathing suits is much broader, and I was able to find two that fit perfectly with the theme. It was hard to choose just a few necklaces, and I couldn’t resist adding the aqua lampwork nautilus.

Last but not least, here are just a few of my favorite Polyvore sets featuring today’s picks:

Let's go to the beach... by CukrausVata featuring beige handbags

beachyyy:D by <3Rachel:) featuring boho necklaces

♥ by ThanyuzhK featuring an orange tote

HOT HOT Summer by FashionQueen76 featuring paper hats

What’s your favorite bathing suit style? Have you ever worn your jewelry to the beach?

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
Polyvore.com and Etsy.com
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A Bracelet a Week: Trade Bead Medallions

Earlier this week I dabbled a bit with some new African Christmas beads, and made a set of tribal inspired rings. Once I got going with these little beauties, I felt ready to dive right in and make something with a little more kick.

I had already planned a new necklace design using the bigger strands, so I unstrung the smaller beads, which range in size from 11/o to 8/o. The colors are amazing, with lots of red and yellow, and plenty of striped seed beads, which are often hard to find on their own. The Bohemian quality is so inspiring, and reminds me of everything I love about beads.

Again I was reluctant to do anything too wild with these beads, since they are already so vibrant. So I paired them with up with simple black seed beads and druks. The Christmas beads are slightly irregular, and I needed a technique that would lend itself to various bead sizes. Brick stitch seemed like a great choice.

I started with a single medallion of circular brick stitch, then added two half circles to either side, and made a matching button. Regular flat brick stitch provides straps to connect everything into a simple and colorful bracelet.

I’m really head over heels for this design. I think the shapes work so well with the Christmas beads, and if I hadn’t made it about ¼ inch too large for my own wrist, I’d be keeping this one for myself.

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
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Wear It Twice: Wild Accessories

Creating a well coordinated outfit can be a lot of work, but the results are usually worth it. Still, sometimes it’s fun to throw caution to the wind, and build an ensemble with total whimsy. Not everyone likes clothes that are matchy-matchy and tailored just-so.

For this month’s fashion collage, I wanted to see how many bold and vibrant accessories I could layer onto each outfit. I started with a multstrand tube statement necklace in a crazy palette of black, white, orange, purple, pink and blue.

Boho on Black by Mortira on Polyvore.com

I made things easy on myself, and started with an all black clothing palette. First I picked out a cute tube dress with a feathered skirt. The extra texture makes a great background for lots of flashy add-ons. Since it’s winter and anything sleeveless looks impossibly chilly, I added some boots and a simple shrug.

The accessories for this outfit feature plenty of jewels and rhinestones. There’s a gorgeous pair of Splendori embroidered earrings, a jewel encrusted peacock bracelet, and an adorable flower beaded clutch.

For the casual side, I wanted to create a bit of a contrast with the basics, so I started with military cut jeans and army boots. I topped these off with a simple black top - the three-quarter length sleeves leave lots of room for statement bracelets.

Instead of earrings, I started with a splash of color on top, care of a gorgeous Hermes scarf. A boho mosaic bangle adds some more vibrant tones, along with a batik style shoulder bag. I couldn’t resist throwing in a lovably ridiculous octopus cocktail ring to put things over the top.

As always, handmade and vintage shops are up to the challenge. Here are just a few fun ways to build looks like these:



And a few of my favorite Polyvore sets featuring pieces from today’s collage:

Blue doesn't mean sad by YANA 7519 (very busy&behind) on Polyvore.com

Wambli's Birthday Dress by wambliwakan bd 02/24 on Polyvore.com

Spirit by Amielleh on Polyvore.com

crazy by asiuuunia on Polyvore.com

Coco Chanel said it’s best to take off one piece of jewelry before leaving the house. So the more you put on to begin with, the more choices you’ll have!

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
ArtFire.com and Polyvore.com
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Beading Tutorial: Classic Daisy Chain

There’s something wonderful and feminine about a delicate chain of tiny flowers. Whenever I see a white and yellow daisy chain necklace, I think of the poet Sappho, singing with friends and weaving flowers together in the warm Mediterranean sunshine. A strand of beaded daisies can brighten up any outfit with it’s springtime charm, and it never needs watering!

The basic daisy chain stitch is probably the simplest bead weaving technique ever created, and it is often taught to children in art class and at summer camp. Perhaps it is because of this that it is often over looked in the realm of serious beading. Although mastering the technique may be child’s play, once you know how to do it, you can incorporate it into even the most elaborate projects. It’s great for fringe and embellishment as well as making chains.

To make a classic daisy chain, start by adding a stop bead to a comfortable length of beading thread. Pick up one bead, slide it down until there is about a 6 inch tail, and stitch back up through the bead to secure it.

Next, pick up six white seed beads. Slide these down to the stop bead, then pass the needle up through the first bead added, moving towards the other five beads. Hold this first bead in place close to the stop bead as you gently pull the working thread snug. The beads should now form a tiny ring.

Pick up one yellow seed bead. Pass the needle up through the fourth white bead picked up in the previous step. To double check your thread path, count the white beads to make sure that there are two on either side of the first bead and the one you are stitching through.

Gently pull the thread snug, and nudge the yellow bead into place at the centre of the ring of white beads. Tug the working thread to make sure that the daisy is secure.

You can now repeat these steps and add a second daisy against the first, continuing on to make a tightly woven chain of flowers. To help distinguish each flower from the next, try using two or more sets of colors and alternate them with each new daisy.

Another variation is to add spacer beads between each flower like stems. Simply pick up one or more beads in a contrasting color before adding a new daisy. Make sure that the new flower is snug against the stem beads as you stitch to keep the tension even. You can also add accent beads or leaf fringe between daisies for lots of pretty texture.

Although the white and yellow flower is instantly recognized as a daisy, there are lots of other natural color combinations that you can use. Try using yellow and brown for Brown Eyed Susans, purple and yellow for violets, or pink and yellow for wild roses. The round shape of the daisy chain can also be used to make fruits or berries when all seven beads are the same color.

Daisy chain is a great technique to use when you need a quick project. You can use up leftover beads from other projects for an instant gratification necklace or bracelet. If you don’t shy away from the ordinary, you never know what you might come up with!

Copyright 2010 Inspirational Beading