Bead Color Ideas: Rainy Days

Here on the West Coast, we don’t get a huge kick out of spring. By the time April showers roll around, we’re already so tired of rain that we can’t wait to start baking in the oven of summer. We don’t even get a lot of rainbows, since the rain is usually accompanied by completely overcast skies. The mild temperatures are nice, of course, but sunshine is definitely a welcome treat.

In the ancient Egyptian tradition of fighting fire with fire – in other words, if you’re going boating on the Nile, wear a crocodile pendant – I thought it would be nice to look for some rainy inspirations and use beads to find the good in rain again. I certainly don’t have a shortage of blue beads to work with, and with gray being one of my favorite colors for fashion, I always have a few bits of it in my stash.

I started by getting out what’s left of my Picasso jet druks – one of my favorite gray finishes. The effect is so like a natural stone and the resulting shade of gray is perfect. I paired these with some patriot blue bugles and robin’s egg seed beads for a cool, smooth palette that reminds me of raindrops on a garden shed or a streaking down a favorite reading window. This palette would be perfect for a cuff bracelet or a twisted multistrand necklace.

Next I found a little mixture of colonial gray and dichroic blue lined TOHO cubes that were perfect for rainy inspirations with their sparkly AB finish – like little reflective puddles. I added some vintage aqua white-hearts for another pop of blue, then calmed things down a bit with a neutral backdrop of bone white. For this palette I’d want to let the cube beads shine, so perhaps it would work with some fringed earrings or a bridged herringbone cuff.

For the final palette I drew inspiration from one of my favorite rain features: petrichor. We don’t get to enjoy the smell of rain much here, since it’s so rarely dry enough to release the dusty-oily smell of petrichor when the skies open up (they’re pretty much always open). I started this scent-inspired palette with some transparent medium topaz for the dust, and some Job’s tears for a hint of gray and their raindrop shapes. Then I finished the palette with a backdrop of storm-cloud navy blue. I’d love to use this trio for a statement necklace – perhaps a collar or a fringed lariat.

What’s your favorite weather for creative inspiration?

Mortira

Subscribe * Facebook * Google+
Send your beading questions to InspirationalBeading@gmail.com
Support Inspirational Beading for bonus tutorials and more!

Copyright 2016 Inspirational Beading

Geek Jewels: Donna Noble

The first design in my new challenge series was a quick project that I couldn’t wait to start. When I decided to start a new series inspired by my favorite nerdy themes, the very first inspiration that came to mind was my favorite Doctor Who companion, Donna Noble.

Donna was one of the toughest and funniest of all the ladies to travel with the Doctor. She was my favorite right from the start, and continued to be awesome right until the sad, irreversible end. Donna was incredibly stylish, and often rocked lovely gray and purple ensembles to compliment her ginger locks. It was this palette that I wanted to use for my inspiration, which would prove to be the biggest challenge. An overall design was easy to envision – most of her best outfits included a big pendant or opera length necklace.

I started by pulling out every single gray and purple bead that I had in my stash, just to see what my options were. While I was sorting, I spotted a recycled bottle glass pendant that I thought might come in handy. Sure enough, it was a perfect fit to outline a pretty gray shell butterfly. All I needed to do was add some chain.

I stitched up a quick St. Petersburge chain with white-lined black and purple-lined Rosaline, then suspended the bottle pendant from the chain, and the butterfly from the pendant. The double loop on the butterfly helps to keep the chains in place, and everything looks as sharp as the best temp in Chiswick.

So the first design in the new series is complete, and I’m pretty happy with the result. I have lots of other character inspired designs in mind, and I’m working on a list of some even more obvious inspirations that my fellow geeks should enjoy.

Are you a Whovian? Who’s your favorite companion?

Mortira

Subscribe * Facebook * Google+
Send your beading questions to InspirationalBeading@gmail.com
Support Inspirational Beading for bonus tutorials and more!

Copyright 2015 Inspirational Beading

Work in Progress: Plentiful Pearls

I have just a quick snapshot of my workspace this week as I scramble to finish up the last of my top secret projects in time to start on this year’s handmade Christmas presents. Stormy gray weather is not helping with what little photography time I have either. I’m going to remember this the next time I bring up how wonderful winter is!

Right now I’m working with a lot of freshwater pearls, including a few new colors that I added to my stash recently. I’m loving the olivine in particular, which goes really well with a lot of different palettes. It took me several attempts to get just the right balance of beads in the piece that I’m working on, and no matter what I added, the colors looked great. I had hoped to go with teal Picasso for the main accent at first, but I’m going with the gray instead. I think it’s going to turn out great when all the stitching is done.

What are you working on this week?


Copyright 2014 Inspirational Beading
Subscribe to Inspirational Beading
Get inspired on Facebook and Google+

Fall Jewelry Colors Part Two

In our last color experiment, we explored using purple as a fall color, inspired by Pantone’s color of the year, Radiant Orchid. Thanks to some great pieces in Cognac and Misted Yellow, I’d say it was pretty successful. This time I’ve upped the challenge with the even pinker hue of Sangria.

Although at first glance the color lineup for this fall doesn’t scream autumn, there are several colors that look right at home in the season, when taken individually. For this week’s palette, I chose Aurora Red – a somewhat lighter shade with just a hint of orange. The final player in the trio is frosty neutral Aluminum. What I like about this palette is the suggestion of winter on the horizon, which makes the addition of warm Sangria seem very appropriate for fall.

Frosted Apple by mortira featuring Lauren Merkin

The biggest challenge for this collage was finding the right balance of colors. Too much purple would make things too busy, while too much red would be overly dramatic. Luckily, I was able to find lots of pieces that almost perfectly matched my color choices, including a gorgeous fringe necklace with red ostrich feathers and an element of gray in the leather and chain base.
I couldn’t resist adding some red rain boots to go with the jackets and overcoats. All it needs is a mug of apple cider and there’s no mistaking the autumn vibe.

To create some of these jewelry styles, try these project and tutorials in your favorite colors:

1. This String Feather Necklace Tutorial by Hey Wanderer makes great use of embroidery floss.
Add a few Swarovski crystals and it’s perfect!

2. The Alison Show’s Chevron Fringe Necklace Tutorial
allows for lots of gorgeous color combinations.

3. If you love to wrap, this bangle tutorial from Paperphine is worth a try.
The project uses paper twine, but could also work with your favorite fibers.

4. Would you believe that this gorgeous Embroidered Bangle Project by Alison Strang
started out as a roll of packing tape?



If you can’t find the perfect pair of druzy stones for earrings, you can make your own using beads,
with this Druzy Beads Earring tutorial by Beadaholique

.

These are my favorite Polyvore collages using this week’s picks:

CampusChic by rellenj featuring a chain necklace

Athens by rellenj featuring pink pumps

Ruffled Trench Coat by shuchiu featuring an opi nail polish

How would you use purples and pinks in your fall palettes?

Copyright 2014 Inspirational Beading and Friends
Pantone and Nicole Miller
Subscribe to Inspirational Beading
Get inspired on Facebook and Google+

Bead Color Ideas: Polka Dots

Many shapes and patterns are always appealing wherever they go. Some are comfortable and familiar, while others inspire energy and vim. Spirals, rainbows, and concentric circles are just a few examples of the motifs that draw us in time and again.

Polka dots are also a favorite pattern - they’re cheerful and carefree in any palette. Sometimes they can remind us of a favorite fabric, or of natural pleasures like lady bug wings. This month, I did a little color experiment with spotted glass eye rondelles from Happy Mango Beads. With a soft lavender gray as a base color, the overlapping yellow, green and red dots really stand out. These Java glass beads are both youthful and organic, with a little tribal flair.

The first trio has all the elements of an early spring day - a bright blue sky and new eggs in a Birds Nest. I started with a little contrast by adding some turquoise blue Czech white hearts. The light-filled color works perfectly with the bright polka dots. Then I added a little more light in a neutral color with transparent dark topaz seed beads, adding to the earthy effect of the accents.

Moving down to the ground for a Ladybug Picnic, I started with some spring green seed beads in opaque cactus. This lively shade looks fantastic with the dark yellow spots, as well as complimenting the pale green ones. The palette is finished with a double dose of color in gorgeous red lined sapphire.

The final trio brings to mind new baby chicks with a focus on sunny yellow. Opaque dark yellow 8/o seed beads provide a vibrant backdrop for the polka dots, while lustered orange adds a little warmth. Despite the intense colors, Cheep Cheep is comforting, while also bringing to mind lots of tasty Easter treats.

Do you have a favorite bead finish or pattern? What do you like most about it?

Copyright 2014 Inspirational Beading
Subscribe to Inspirational Beading
Get inspired on Facebook and Google+

Bead Color Ideas: Job’s Tears

One of my favorite things about working with natural beads - apart from their sustainable qualities - is the way that they can blend into almost any style or color palette. Unless dyed, natural beads have wonderful neutral colors that go with anything, and they have a unique ability to work with modern, minimalist, and chic styles with the same ease as they do with other natural and organic elements.

This month I went on the hunt for the perfect bead colors to pair with Job’s tears. These pretty little beads are made from Lagrima de San Pedro seeds found in Ecuador, and look quite a bit like pussy willows, but without the fuzz. They are incredibly lightweight, making them perfect for fringe, which also allows them to make pretty music when they sway.

I particularly like the soft pastel gray of Job’s tears, which often appears to be hiding another color beneath. To accentuate this mysterious natural finish, I started with some equally soft and misty colors, with a hint of sweetness. Tropical Honey includes wisteria lined crystal seed beads, and some dark transparent topaz.

To see how these natural beads would stand up to a more modern design, I combined two stark opaque colors that could be either chic or tribal, depending on the design. Shiny jet black and pepper red provide a great backdrop for the gray in Dancing Shoes. This palette really flatters the Job’s tears, while playing down their texture a bit.

And finally, I couldn’t end without pairing beads from the rainforest with exciting tropical colors. The turquoise blue and opaque pale green seed beads are very lively, and allow the Job’s tears to remain cool, like a stretch of white sand. Perhaps we’ll call this palette Laughing Mermaid.

Do you like to combine natural beads with organic elements, or contrasting styles?

Copyright 2013 Inspirational Beading
Subscribe to Inspirational Beading
Get inspired on Facebook and Google+

How to Style an Easter Necklace

Easter weekend just keeps getting closer, so for this month’s fashion collage, I couldn’t resist starting with some sweet egg inspirations. Not all of us can pull off wearing pretty pastels like baby pink and blue, but luckily, soft gray counts when you’re going for a spring palette. And since accessories and jewelry can look good no matter what color they are, it’s easy to find a nice balance of pastels for any taste.

I tried to locate an egg shaped or bunny rabbit necklace for this spring collage, but the choices were not very inspiring. I didn’t want to go with a simple pendant-on-chain piece, which would be far too easy. So I restarted my search with pastel jewelry, and was nearly overwhelmed with tasty choices. The one that really stood out was a pretty necklace with big chunky round beads in four pastel colors. The ribbon closure only adds to the Easter-basket look, and it had more than just a hint of gray, which I was determined to include in the palette. It was perfect!

Sweet Spring Pastels by mortira featuring ballet flats

For the more adventurous ensemble, I started with a pink baby doll dress in pleated polyester. It’s light and pretty, but could look very grown up with the right accessories. For cooler climates, I added some gray tights, but it would also look great with some gray suede ankle boots.

The second outfit is a little less girly, with a beautiful cinched jersey top and sailor jeans. A pink leather shoulder bag and soft yellow ballet flats add a hint of color. I couldn’t resist adding an optional pom-pom scarf with hints of magenta.

Each outfit has only a hint of blue to complement the necklace, with earrings that are small but stylish. Some fun round and egg-like cocktail rings add some extra color and sparkle, and the lovely pastel crystal bracelet would work well with both sets.

As always, handmade and vintage alternatives can build looks just like these:

And here are my favorite Polyvore sets featuring some of today’s picks:

bez tytułu by mine-and-only-mine featuring a wood necklace

Powered by Flower with Nine West by gakranz featuring skinny fit jeans

Kandela ime by lealeal featuring loose pants

I wish I had never met you by rasha featuring enamel jewelry

What’s your favorite pastel to wear or use in beadwork?

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading and Polyvore.com
Subscribe to Inspirational Beading
Get inspired on Facebook and Google+

A Bracelet a Week: Rocky Path

This week’s bracelet design took almost the full week to complete. Summer comes rather suddenly here on the West coast, and as soon as the cold weather of June is behind us, my family and I spend most of our free time out doors, which leaves very little time for beading.

Luckily, I was able to scramble things together and finish the bracelet with just enough light to take photographs. Perhaps it was because I had to rush, but I had a lot of mixed feelings about this bracelet as I worked on it. For awhile, I thought it was going to be a dud. But by the time I had put on the edging, I realized that it’s pretty charming.

I wanted to try a different approach to the ‘safe’ freeform peyote I had used with African Christmas beads. This time I started with Delicas, then increased with 11/o seed beads. The beadwork started to pucker almost immediately, so I improvised by adding extra pockets of Delicas. It turned out really cute - the little gray patches look sort of like buttons.

This bracelet is the first piece of the last half of the challenge, and it is also my first Etsy listing of the year. Since joining April’s Army, I find I’m spending a lot more time on the site, and I decided I might as well try to sell some jewelry while I’m there. I had to eat a little crow, but that’s okay. Now I’ll be able to separate my new tribal themes from other designs.

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
Subscribe to Inspirational Beading

Bead Spotlight: Labradorite

Of all the materials that I steer clear of in my work, gemstones are the ones I miss the least. In most cases, the qualities that we find appealing about stones can be captured in other ways. With the huge variety of sustainable beads available, I’m never wanting for color, shape, or sparkle.

There is one gemstone, however, that I have never seen emulated in glass. Labradorite is so stunning, that I do have a bit of envy for designers that use it. The unique, smoky color with it’s tiny flecks and flashy shine is almost irresistible. One look, and you feel like you could slide right into the stone and disappear.

1. Labradorite Teardrops, 2. Labradorite Nuggets, 3. Smooth Drop Labradorite, 4. Heishi Discs
5. Cube Briolettes, 6. Labradorite Hexagons, 7. Labradorite Chips, 8. Labradorite Rounds

Labradorite is a feldspar mineral, and is often found within igneous rocks such as basalt. It goes by many other names, such as spectrolite, black moonstone and falcon’s eye, depending on it’s color, and where it is mined. It is found in abundance in Newfoundland and Labrador in northeastern Canada, as well as Finland, Mexico and Madagascar.

According to Inuit legend, labradorite is the Aurora Borealis, or northern lights, trapped in stone. It is considered a good luck stone, and has been used for charms and luck jewelry since the 18th century. Some also believe that labradorite increases clairvoyance.

1. Labradorite Necklace 2. Flashy Faceted Earrings, 3. Shimmering Labradorite Necklace, 4. Simple Chic Earrings
5. Beach Sea Glass Necklace, 6. The Moon Bangle, 7. Clouds Bracelet, 8. Triple Strand Necklace

Do you like to use Labradorite in your work? What do you like most about it?

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading and Friends
Collages by BigHugeLabs.com
Subscribe to Inspirational Beading

Wear It Twice: Coral Sunset

Color trends are some of the easiest fashion fads to get on board with, because you can incorporate the season’s palettes into your usual wardrobe. Colors easily translate to almost any style of dress. This month, I wanted to take a look at a toned down version of the neon and neutral trend - color blocking electric hues with your basic greys, beiges and creams.

Instead of using true neon colors, I wanted to work with a more subtle palette that goes with day or night, youthful or seasoned, and fits perfectly into summer. Bright yellow and orangey-pink coral look great on their own, but get a classy touch with soft greys.

I started with a gorgeous multi-strand seed bead necklace with bands of bright yellow. It’s simple and chic, with a hint of tribal appeal that opens up lots of fun possibilities for other accessories. It might be a little over-the-top to pair it with long feather earrings, but that would make a great statement.

Coral Sunset by Mortira featuring sheer tops

The first outfit began with an irresistible strapless sundress in multicolored pleated tie-dye fabric. The hints of yellow, orange and pink mixed with cool blues and greens provide a great backdrop for the necklace. This piece would look cute with just about any style of strappy or open-toed shoe, and I found a couple of fun options in grey. I love the combination of rainbow and storm cloud!

Instead of long feather earrings, I topped this outfit with some chunky chain earrings with accents of feather, shell and earth tone beads, or a simple pair of rosy aviator sunglasses. A bright yellow cocktail ring and beachy Kate Spade tote bring everything together.

For a more casual look, I flipped the palette over and paired cool black capris with a gorgeous distressed grey blouse with lots of feathery appeal. Shoes are always good for adding a pop of color, so I added a choice of coral pink heels or flats. The Oscar de la Renta cabochon earrings offer a little reflection of the rainbow outfit, with coral, green and aqua for a bold look, or a simple embellished headband for the more subtle approach. Instead of a ring, I added a stackable black bead bangle to this outfit, and a wild yellow and black tote.

For both outfits, I chose a slinky sliced leather bangle in dark gray. The long leather strips go really well with the necklace without completely imitating it.

The handmade and vintage sellers at ArtFire provided lots of fun options to repeat these looks, including some fun summery cosmetics.



And here are my favorite Polyvore sets featuring some of this month’s picks:

The New Superhero by Blujay_Walking featuring leather shoes

Untitled by Nikush2711 featuring platform heels

Daily look №4 by xitrojo featuring a kimono tunic

14/31 Finnish hernekeitto by Akatonbo featuring vintage style sunglasses

bez tytułu by gunshi featuring black sunglasses

Do you like to follow seasonal color trends in your jewelry designs, or your own wardrobe?

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading and Polyvore.com
Subscribe to Inspirational Beading

A Bracelet a Week: Pink Fire Polish

One of my favorite things about extended beading challenges is the opportunity to try out new things, and rotate some of the materials in my bead stash. What better time is there to finally get around to using beads that have just been hanging around?

This week I decided to tackle a packet of pink fire polish beads that I had purchased earlier this year. I picked them up because they so closely resembled the 2011 It color, Honeysuckle. Then I put them away and basically forgot all about them.

To make sure that I could use as many of the beads as possible - hopefully all of them at once - I wanted a bracelet design that could hold a lot of accent beads. I started by choosing a base color, and the first thing that caught my eye was colonial gray lined crystal. They have a shimmer that matches the finish on the fire polish perfectly. Plus gray and pink always look fabulous together.

Next I had to decide on a technique that would allow both beads lots of room to play. I finally decided on openwork right angle weave, with the fire polish stitched in at the end. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to get the width that I wanted, and be able to cover the entire cuff with pink accents, but I went ahead anyway, hoping that the right pattern would come to mind as I worked.

When it came time to add the fire polish, I had no idea what I was going to do. I thought about doing a random network of columns, but I didn’t like the uncertainty. Instead, I decided to make some pyramids.

The pattern turned out great, and there were only a few fire polish left over. I love the look of the raised pink triangles, and recessed gray ones. I wonder what other inspirations are now lurking in the bead cupboard?

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
Subscribe to Inspirational Beading

A Bracelet a Week: Easter Eggs

Another week has come and gone, and I am enjoying this bracelet challenge more and more. I had no idea that I could relish making new bracelets so much. Having this motivation not only helps me to come up with new ideas, but adds to the excitement of trying them out.

This week, I wanted to experiment with a technique I haven’t used in ages - graduated tubular herringbone. The very first time I ever attempted it, I was limited to just three seed bead sizes, and it didn’t turn out as well as I had hoped. Now that my bead stash is a little more sophisticated, I thought it was time to revive the stitch and see what happened.

In order to get a really broad range of bead sizes, I wanted my base to be smaller than an 11/o, but 15/o seed beads seemed much too flimsy for the job of holding up bigger herringbone bobbles. So I went to delicas to start my palette, and chose a tube of lovely matte transparent grays.

Since it was coming up on Easter weekend, I added different sizes and shapes of beads in cool pastels to go with the gray. Normally, I really love to photograph my bead picks in their little cups, but there are far too many to capture in this palette (I just didn‘t feel like spilling them all out at once). Instead, I thought I’d share a rare glimpse of my actual beading station, moments before I began working on this bracelet.

The palette includes: 11/o wisteria lined crystal, 11/o opaque lustered turquoise, sapphire lined light sapphire Miyuki triangles, 8/o dichroic lined cornflower blue, 8/o fuchsia lined aqua, 6/o Czech ceylon pearl, 6/o Miyuki purple lined crystal AB, 4mm opaque gray lined cubes, and 4mm light jonquil lined aqua cubes. I later added some 8/o raspberry lined crystal beads as well.

It was so fun to have all of these beads laid out on my tray at one time, especially because I almost never get a chance to use delicas or cubes, and they all looked so pretty in their little cups and coasters. The bead tray I use is actually the lid of a veggies and dip container, and at about four bucks, it’s one of the best beading investments I’ve ever made. The round shape is especially handy for projects like this one, because I can place the beads along the outer edge, and rotate the tray for easy transitions.

I was a little worried halfway through the first increase that the bobbles would be too boxy thanks to the cubes at the center, but they rounded out again as the beads decreased, and I love the shape. Sizing was a bit of a hassle, and it took a lot of pondering to decide where to stop to get just the right length. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to finish the pattern as smoothly as I would have liked, but I’m still happy with the bracelet overall. It actually turned out a lot more sophisticated than I had hoped it would.

Happy Easter!

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
Subscribe to Inspirational Beading

A Necklace a Day - Eleven

Yesterday we saw some amazing jewelry designs using semi-precious stones, from the studio of Joan Hunter Handmade. Though every beader has their own favorite beads, we can all agree that elements such as color and sparkle are important when we choose our materials.

For today’s necklace, I started with one of my favorite things - pointed-back rivoli rhinestones. Of all the glass or crystal beads out there, they remind me the most of cut gemstones. This may or may not be because most of the fantastic jewels we see in movies about treasure are actually made of crystal - often Swarovski crystal, no less. You can look for Swarovski in the credits of films like The Illusionist, Ocean’s Thirteen and The Phantom of the Opera.

The shape and sparkle of rivolis give them an incredibly precious appeal. They would look right at home in a chest full of coins and bejeweled goblets. And since they come in a variety of jewel-imitating colors, they make great birthstone alternatives.

This “Rainy Day” necklace combines a peridot rivoli with sapphire triangles and gray seed beads. The finished piece doesn’t look anything like I had imagined, and I’m not really happy with how it turned out. If I were to do it over again, I would choose beads by their shapes instead of their colors.

This necklace is going to be a keeper. I’ll make a little room on the jewelry rack!

Copyright 2010 Inspirational Beading

Also, some recommended Remembrance Day / Veteran’s Day reading:

Canadian Women in the Military
Why the Poppy?
Terry Kelly: A Pittance of Time

Poster Sketch: Round and Pointy Shapes

The dice have been thrown, and the lucky winner of my color lined cubes giveaway is Julie, who shared an inspiring story of teaching kids to bead and discover new ideas with shape and color. Thank you so much to all of my readers, and everyone who shared their favorite bead shapes in the contest!

Julie’s favorite seed beads shapes are 11/o rounds and bugle beads. To celebrate finding another home for some of my favorite beads, I have a fun collection of items with round and pointy shapes - just like seed beads and bugles!

Copyright 2010 Inspirational Beading and Etsy.com

Pussy Willow Bracelet

As adults, we often take the beauty of nature for granted. A blue sky with big white clouds, wild flowers along the side of the road, and birds singing in the trees are so much a part of our lives that we don’t always notice them.

Once in awhile, nature gives us something that is so wonderful, we can’t help but think of it fondly. Tropical fish and brightly colored butterflies are some things that come to mind. Because we don’t see them every day, their charm does not wear off over time.

Some of nature’s gifts can only be enjoyed at certain times of year, and because of this, we treasure them even more. They are often most valuable to us as children, which is the case with pussy willows. To a young heart, there are few things more wonderful than the fuzzy little buds that pop up in the spring.

The Inspiration:

I recently took the opportunity to try out the new peanut seed beads. I remembered seeing an announcement for them awhile back, so when I was shopping for new needles I scooped some up. I had no idea what I was going to do with them at the time, so I grabbed some in pink, hoping that a fun color would spark some inspiration.

The Beads:

After much pondering, I decided to play it safe and use the peanut beads as accents. I paired them with some pretty gray seed beads at first. The gray-lined black color has been one of my favorites ever since I first learned about the existence of seed beads. I have used them several times to imitate pussy willows, because the two-tone color is perfect for the task. To complete the look, I made a mixture of assorted brown 11/0 seed beads.

The Beadwork:

Instead of trying to make actual buds, I simply used the colors I had chosen to mimic a pussy willow tree. The brown beads make up the base of the spiral rope, with the peanut beads adding texture within the rows. To make it a little more interesting, I increased and decreased the number of beads every five rows.

I really like the way the bracelet turned out, but I’m still not satisfied. I’m anxious to really put the peanut beads to work. I still have them sitting out on my work space, waiting for just the right project. I’m afraid to put them away until inspiration strikes!

Copyright 2010 Inspirational Beading