Work in Progress: Golden Hues

Today my bead tray is looking rather tidy as I’m just getting ready to start a new bracelet. I've chosen all the colors, and now it’s just a matter of getting the stitching done. I’m really excited to get started, as this will be the first piece featuring one of my new Czech glass buttons. I picked up the hematite finished one because I loved the pattern, but it was a little tricky finding the right palette to go with it.

Without any other truly metallic beads in my stash - not counting the gold-tone freshwater pearls - I turned to brown iris. Like most of the Czech seed beads in the iris family, the finish gives them the look of a mix, rather than a single color. In this shade, about half of the beads look like a darker version of hematite. I've got some culling ahead of me, but it should work out nicely, especially with topaz to bring all the colors together.

What are you making right now?

Copyright 2014 Inspirational Beading
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May Bead Stash Favorites

We are almost one week into May and I couldn’t be more excited. The caterpillars are out, which means butterflies won’t be far behind. Temperatures are climbing (hello beach weather!) and some of the best flowers are just starting to think about blooming. I’m looking forward to lots of summer inspirations, and looking to my bead stash for projects to come.

My absolute favorite thing right now is a new strand of cobalt blue white hearts, which I just picked up from Happy Mango Beads. I’m not sure why it’s taken me so long to stock up on my favorite beads in my favorite color, but they’re here now. They’re definitely going to look good in some Egyptian designs, but ocean inspired pieces aren’t out of the question either.

…Especially when I’ve got these fantastic scallop shell pendants! These huge beauties are made from carved bone with just the right patina, and I can’t wait to see what they can do. I grabbed these from Fire Mountain Gems, and I’ve been hoarding them while I wait for the sun to come out. One of them definitely needs to meet with some aqua and topaz.

Last but not least, I’ve got my eye on some new Czech glass buttons from Artbeads.com. I’ve decided to start experimenting more with purchased buttons, including making a little exception to the no-metal rule for glass buttons with metal shanks. These little buttons are all glass, though - and just the right size for summer bracelets. The floral designs are especially inspiring, and that lime green is too pretty.

What are your favorite bead muses right now?

Copyright 2014 Inspirational Beading
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April Bead Stash Favorites

Although there’s really no such thing as too many beads, it can be a bit tricky finding inspiration when there are so many wonderful baubles waiting to be stitched. I’ve really beefed up my bead stash recently, and now I just don’t know where to begin! Spring and summer inspirations are definitely having some influence, which is why these three bead picks are at the top of my list right now.

I’ve been keeping my eyes peeled lately for great buttons, particularly those that are metal free. This usually leaves rather expensive crystal, glass, and ceramic buttons, so when I saw these totally affordable beauties at Artbeads.com, I couldn’t resist. These hand painted flower buttons are made from coconut, so they’re really lightweight despite their size - 35 mm of flowery goodness.

The only thing better than a lovely, organic baroque pearl is a blue one! Although these beads aren’t always drilled ideally for bead weaving, I can’t get enough of the fun shapes. I'm planning to experiment a bit with any culled pieces and see if I can work them into bead embroidery in a satisfactory way. It's not good to waste such gorgeous beads, even if the holes are a mess. The dark blue color of these pearls from Fire Mountain Gems is definitely beach worthy, but I can see them just as easily in some Egyptian inspired pieces.

And finally, in my quest to find great seed bead colors to substitute for gold, I recently fell in love with matte mustard yellow from FusionBeads.com. They’re a little bit yellow and a little bit brown, and the matte finish gives them a wonderful earthy look. Although I usually stay away from matte finish seed beads - I find them far too crunchy for beadwork - I can't pass up a good shade of non-metal gold. I can’t wait to try them out with cobalt and jet black!

What beads are inspiring you right now?

Copyright 2014 Inspirational Beading
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Book Spotlight: Button It Up

Isn’t it interesting how our crafting backgrounds can influence the way we view and categorize materials? To a crafter or seamstress, buttons rule, and beads might just be pretty once-in-a-while embellishments. To a beader, buttons might be considered sewing mediums that can masquerade as wonderful components. To some beaders, buttons are just another kind of beautiful and versatile bead.

However you look at buttons, it’s true that they can be great when used for jewelry designs or beaded crafts. After all, they have holes, come in a variety of shapes, colors and materials, and are often inexpensive. Some of the most beautiful buttons fall into the realm of vintage finds, which also makes them incredibly trendy for jewelry projects.

In the pages of Button It Up, button enthusiasts and crafters of all skill levels will find an amazing array of beautiful projects to use for showcasing fabulous buttons. Author Susan Beal is a serious button aficionado, and begins with a detailed history of button making and collecting, including popular styles and materials throughout the past few centuries.

This intriguing read is followed by a wonderful basics chapter, which covers a variety of sewing and jewelry making techniques, as well as tips for making and embellishing buttons. There is even a brief tutorial on making your own resin beads from vintage molds. Each tip includes clear diagrams to help you get started.

Then it’s on to the projects. Susan has just about covered it all in this book. Beginners, and crafters who want some instant gratification projects, will love the easier designs. The projects gradually progress to more complex techniques and design styles.

There are nearly 50 jewelry and accessory projects to try, including necklaces, bracelets, earrings, rings, and hair pins. Each one explores a different method or approach to showcasing marvelous buttons, so you’ll never run out of ideas or inspiration for putting your own button collection to use.

There are also several sewing and home décor projects, including embellished tops and skirts, pillows, curtains, handbags, magnets and more. Some of my favorites include an adorable and chic collage wall hanging, using fabric scraps and lone buttons.

Although many of the projects use simple, classic techniques like hot gluing, the designs are very classy. Readers will love the full color photographs, and be inspired to create their own variations. There are no step-by-step photographs – each project is very straight forward, and includes detailed instructions for completing the design.

Button It Upalso includes a thorough alphabetical index and reference guide, plus bios of the many guest designers that contributed button projects for the book. Some notable designers include Leah Kramer, Jennifer Perkins, and Christy Petterson.

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading
Susan Beal and Taunton Press
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A Bracelet a Week: Unexpected

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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Favorite Beads: The Lot

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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A Bracelet a Week: On the Nile

This week’s bracelet is yet another Egyptian inspired design, but this time it’s a little less literal. It all started with a carved boxwood button in the shape of a lizard on a log.

I shared a peek at this little guy back in April, along with a tribal necklace that I entered into this year’s Bead Star competition. I think it’s safe to tell you that I didn’t get past the finalist round, but what a great experience! I hope that they continue to have a beadweaving category in future contests.

I had always intended to use the lizard button as the focal for a bracelet, but it wasn’t until I started coming up with Egyptian themed pieces that I really got the inspiration I needed to make it work. I made a handful of beaded lotus flowers to surround him on his little log, and worked all of the pieces into a freeform cuff.

Perhaps it was because I had a fun necklace idea that I was anxious to get started on, but this bracelet seemed to take forever to make. Freeform openwork RAW is one of the most time consuming stitches ever. Right angle weave is already a lot of work, but when you go freeform, it’s all too easy to forget the basic rules and start making all kinds of wild decisions that eventually have to be compensated for. It’s one of the only techniques that requires constant attention so that the beadwork doesn’t get away from you.

By the time I had finished the leafy fringe vines, I was so exhausted that I put off weaving in the tails until my necklace project was finished. All the work was worth it though. I can’t get over how cute that lizard is, floating along with the water lilies. There are lots of other unique buttons in this style, with everything from mermaids to frogs and roosters at Unique Buttons. If you like buttons it is definitely worth a look!

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
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Favorite Techniques: Right Angle Weave

Sometimes you can tell, just by looking at an artist’s designs, that they absolutely love beads. This is the impression one gets while browsing through the creations at randomcreative. The artist, Rose, shares a little insight into a great way to use them.

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

Rose: It’s a tie between right angle weave and peyote stitch. I’ll be discussing right angle weave in this interview.

Inspirational Beading: Where/how do you first learn to use this technique?

Rose: I learned how to bead weave from beading books and tons of pictures online.

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

Rose: It is so hard to pick a favorite, but I really love my leafy series. I also love my button embellished series, which has a right angle base.

Inspirational Beading: Can you share any tips for getting started with this method?

Rose: The best advice that I can give is to start simple and then build on your technique. I made a lot of bracelets in this right angle weave design when I first started bead weaving: Petite Garden.

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

Rose: I love all sorts of Czech glass. I use a fair number of seed beads in almost all of my beadweaving pieces. For right angle work, I also use pressed Czech glass, lamp work, and gem stone chips fairly often. Of course many of pieces include plastic or metal buttons as well.

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

Rose: Most beadweaving techniques are very versatile. Right angle weave is no exception. Once you have the basics of the stitch down, there is no end to the possibilities for designs that you can create.

Inspirational Beading: In your opinion, what is the best place for beginners to learn this technique?

Rose: The two books that I used most frequently when I started beadweaving were Getting Started with Seed Beadsby Dustin Wedekind and Mastering Beadworkby Carol Huber Cypher. Tammy Powley has a lot of great right angle weave techniques, too. I have a compilation book of hers from Barnes and Noble that isn’t available on online, but she has several books that are available on Amazon.

You can see more of these fun and bead-tastic designs on The Beadings and Buttons of Randomcreative or follow randomcreative on Facebook.

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading and randomcreative
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