Work in Progress: Chromatic Cuff

I’m just about to start a new cuff bracelet with a very exciting palette of opaque crayon colors, plus a dash of black and white stripes. With all of these rainbow and chromatic inspirations coming my way, I’m really missing have more orange in my stash, but I’ll have to make due until the next seed bead stock-up. So far I’m more than happy with the way things are turning out, so there's no rush.

I’m also playing around a bit with some vintage millefiori beads that I picked up while thrifting for new summer garments. (The star of the trip was a new handbag in my favorite color – chartreuse!) I’m looking forward to seeing what these little beads can do, though the oblong shape might make them a little tricky to incorporate into my favorite designs.

What are you making right now?

Copyright 2015 Inspirational Beading
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Quick Inspiration: Sprinkles

Have you ever seen something that would be totally amazing, if only it were made from beads? When beading is your number one obsession, it’s hard not to think of beads wherever you go. And some things can inspire while also being a disappointment for their actual un-beadness.

This happened to me just the other day. While on a family outing, we visited a shopping center that we haven’t been to in years, and found a nifty little bulk foods store. While browsing I turned a corner and was instantly transfixed by this display of sprinkles and dyed sugar. How gorgeous!

The first thing that really catches the eye is the color blocked display in appealing ROYGBIV (actually, WPROYGBP, but close enough). Nothing beats a rainbow when you want to make something unanimously likeable. I sometimes find myself wanting to buy things that I don’t even like, just because they have a perfectly executed rainbow palette. Then there’s the fun factor - all those tasty things that go on other tasty things. It’s like seeing every birthday party plan ever made, all squished into one place. Then of course there’s the glittery quality of the sugars and sprinkles - a little bit of childlike magic that reminds us of simple pleasures.

I smiled big when I saw these sprinkles. Then, even though there was never any doubt, I still became mildly annoyed that it wasn’t filled with beads. I’m sure if I was wild about cupcakes, it would have been pure bliss. I think my second reaction may actually be some lingering irritation about my last bead store trip. I’ll share the full story soon. In the meantime, let’s just enjoy these tasty colors, and pretend that they’re really bins full of beads!

Copyright 2014 Inspirational Beading
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Wear it Twice: Burnt Rainbow

It’s time again to explore the possibilities of combining great garments with beautiful accessories. Usually I like to stick to a simple palette of 3 main colors and perhaps a few accents, but today things got a little carried away.

It all started with an awesome mixed media necklace including cord, chain, and bead fringe with a wild variety of colors. What I wanted to do was focus on the red, orange, and green of the cords at the center of the piece. Although the necklace itself has a great summer vibe, finding summery clothes in these colors would be a challenge. The trick would be to keep it fresh instead of looking like fall.

Burnt Rainbow by mortira featuring a bracelet bangle

Things were going really well with a lovely red dress and top, orange shoes for each, and some fun handbags. Then I started adding accessories to go with both outfits, and suddenly it was a perfect rainbow of deep shades. It still looks pretty summery, and there’s nothing wrong with a little (or a lot) of color!

Here are just a few tutorials and projects to try with mixed materials and rainbow palettes:

Combine beads and fabric in one gorgeous piece with the Turquoise Dreams necklace tutorial from Jewelry Making Journal.

If you love bangles, this Rainbow Wrapped Bangle Project from love u madly is worth a try! It would work great in any color combination or ombre pattern.

Block your colors and get a lot of texture in one piece with a tribal necklace tutorial from DIY fashion blog make it & fake it.

If you prefer a little fringe over a lot, the understated beaded fringe necklace project from A Common Thread is a great way to show off some favorite colors.

A funky Poly Rope Necklace project from dollar store crafts looks like a reverse of today’s necklace design. Switch out the poly cord and rhinestone trim for hemp and brick stitch, and you’ve got a gorgeous statement necklace!

The Going Tribal fringe necklace tutorial from M&J Trimming just needs a few strands of Picasso seed beads or Java glass, and it’s perfect!

And these are my favorite Polyvore collages featuring this month’s best picks. If you're ever stuck for inspiration on outfits, color, or style in general, these collage artists have you covered!

Tribal by emjule featuring Forever 21

Plaid top by kmaryk featuring a nails inc nail polish

Trio by cris-1121 featuring a tan leather shoulder bag

Stella by xandriah featuring black glasses

Do you like to style your outfits with multiple colors?

Copyright 2014 Inspirational Beading and Friends
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Work in Progress: Rainbow Rings

Inspiration can strike at any time, and when it does it’s often difficult to ignore. I prefer to stick to a single project at a time, checking things off my to-do list with rhythm. But every once in awhile, I can’t resist the urge to stop everything and try out an idea.

In order to create lots of rings for a craft fair this fall, I came up with a plan that wouldn’t interfere with my other projects: Every time I use druks in a design, I set aside one, and make a ring at the end - usually with the same beads I used in the preceding project. It’s been working well so far, at least until my latest project.

The necklace I’ve been working on had two colors of druks, so I set aside one of each. Then, somewhere I got this inexplicable idea to make rings with rainbow striped bands. I liked it so much, that instead of making one or two rings with the colors I had set aside, I went through my stash to make the perfect rainbow palette. And I changed my mind about one of the druk colors after pulling all of the beads, so now I have all these rings on my to-do list!

I haven’t yet decided if I’ll finish all four rings before moving on to my next Egyptian gods piece, but I did get started on one after finishing the rainbow pieces, since I had so many seed bead colors right there to choose from.

What are you working on this week?

Copyright 2013 Inspirational Beading
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Wear It Twice: Rainbow Statement Jewelry

Although summer isn’t a rainy season that might bring a lot of rainbows, there’s still something very summery about a full spectrum of colors in one place. Rainbows are connected to carnival prizes, sugary drinks, ice cream sprinkles, and lots of happy moments. Summer is a great time for rainbow jewelry.

The trouble with having all of the boldest colors in a single piece of jewelry is finding pieces to go with it. Personally, I like to go with a combination of neutrals. Nothing sets the stage for a rainbow quite like black and white.

For this collage, I mixed black and white with earthy neutrals and sky blue, but something was missing. I added a few accessories to get a more CMYK look as well. A little yellow polish and some magenta lip gloss? Why not! It’s summer.

The Nangara fiber statement necklace is gorgeous in design as well as color. I found a few fun tutorials for inspiration, using fibers and rainbow palettes.

DIY Fringe Statement Necklace Tutorial by Brit+Co, using ready-made necklaces and fringe.

Trellis Necklace Tutorial by Just Another Hang Up, crocheted with trellis ribbon yarn.

Hand-Wrapped Tassel Necklace Tutorial by CraftTuts+, with color blocked embroidery floss.

Rainbow Pom Pom Necklace Tutorial by Rags to Couture, with a trendy Peter Pan collar shape.

DIY Rainbow Ribbon Necklace Tutorial by Clones N Clowns, with silver and pretty pastels.

What comes to mind when you think of rainbows?

Copyright 2013 Inspirational Beading
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March Pinspiration

Have you ever noticed that the things you are drawn to aren't necessarily the things that you like? Something tells us that an object we see is appealing, even if we know it doesn't suit us. Like when you have a closet full of your least favorite color, or recipe books for foods you don't crave. Are these items calling to us for a different reason? Perhaps all those orange garments aren't meant for your closet, but for your walls.

Sometimes this can happen to us when we're bead shopping, too. We go bananas for a new shape or color or cut, and snap them up before considering if they'll ever have a home in our designs. Sometimes, it's better just to look! With that in mind, here are just a few of the lovely things that have caught my eye on Pinterest this month.

Do you have a weakness for something that is out of your 'element'?

Copyright 2013 Inspirational Beading and Friends
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Wings of Isis Collar

Although I started my Egyptian gods series late last year, making it my 2013 beading challenge has already had some great advantages. Giving myself an entire year to move through the pantheon allows lots of time for re-dos if something doesn’t come out quite befitting an ancient god, and I’m much more eager to jump in and try the first great idea that comes to mind.

The latest addition to the series is Isis, and as the most well known goddess of not just Egyptian but probably all ancient mythology, making her necklace was a tall order. Instead of wondering if I was up to the task, I got straight to work on choosing the shapes and colors that I would use to represent her with my favorite techniques.

The mother goddess’ magical wings seemed like the most obvious path to choose, not just because it would allow for some fun color use, but because the shape is so ideal for beadwork. I sketched out a few different ideas for netting patterns, picked out a few colors, and got to work on a collar.

I selected some jet lined blue magatamas for the edges of the collar, to help create the look of wing tips. Cobalt blue white hearts made up the bulk of my palette, along with raspberry, Rosaline, and pale jade. Once I got about a thread’s length into the beadwork, I started to have some doubts. Was there enough color? Would this pattern be magical enough for Isis? And I realized that I might run out of some colors before the design was complete.

The most obvious solution to those three problems was simple: add more beads. I got out all of my bead trays again, and started taking things out and shuffling them around, until a new idea began to form. I decided to divide up the collar into halves and thirds, blending the different color choices together, while also creating two separate “wings”.

I ended up adding three new shades of green and some green 8/o accents, orange topaz, and lime magatamas. Only a wider selection of bead choices could have made this project more satisfying. The pattern came out exactly as I had hoped, and the opposing fans of magatamas really help to create the winged look, and give the split colors a little more purpose.

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Wear It Twice: Back to School

Happy Labour Day, beaders! For some of us, it’s just another day off, but for many, it’s a day for double and triple checking supply lists, planning lunches, and getting back into a routine. For me, the words “back to school” always bring to mind the look and fragrance of a fresh box of crayons, and the excitement of a new outfit or two.

Today’s fashion collage is a mixture of inspirations: back to school clothes and the colors of fall candy apples. Between county fairs and Hallowe’en, these treats are everywhere. Whether you like cinnamon or caramel, these tastes and colors are a once a year delight!

Candy Apple by mortira featuring handcrafted jewelry

For this collage, I used a palette of cream and brown, with just the right amount of lipstick red. Bold red lips are making a comeback, and what better time to show them off than during the months when the weather is starting to cool off? I wanted just a hint of apple green to avoid any Christmas vibes, so I went with a beautiful, glossy statement necklace. I like the hint of blue as well, but all green would be even better.

For a little extra September inspiration, here are a few apple and crayon inspired bead picks and projects.

Colored Pencil Bead and Jewelry Tutorial by Design Mom

Color Wheel Bracelet Video Tutorial by Auntie’s Beads

Apples and Sunshine Stoneware Pendant from Artbeads.com

Czech Glass Yellow and Red Apple Beads from Beadaholique

T-Beads Apple Glass Bead from Fusion Beads

Fire Designs Rainbow Sparkle Furnace Glass Beads from Artbeads.com

Crayon Glass Bead Mix from Fusion Beads

Opaque Rainbow Delica Mix from Beadaholique

Tiny Ceramic Crayon Beads from The Crafty Bead on Etsy

What’s your favorite thing about back to school time?

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading and Friends
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Rainbow Chameleon Pendant

One of my favorite things about being a beader in the internet age, is having so many wonderful artists to interact with. We help, teach, inspire, and encourage each other, share bead sources and techniques, and sometimes just give a well deserved pat on the back.

Earlier this month, I was knocked head over heels by a little inspiration, care of Catherine from Shadow Dog Designs. Catherine is a veteran Pinterest user, and when she shared a favorite pin of a beautiful panther chameleon photograph on Facebook, I was lucky enough to be there to see it.

This charming creature has the most amazing rainbow coloration, and the bumpy lizard-skin is so akin to beads that it was totally irresistible. You know that moment when you see something and just have to bead it? It was love at first sight, and must have been meant to be, because everything just fell into place.

I knew right then that I would have to find a way to turn the photo into beadwork, and it was in the back of my mind for days. It was the lime green spots especially that caught my eye, and I was grieving the fact that I didn’t have any opaque sour apple seed beads to match. Fortunately, there was a big vial waiting for me on my bead shopping trip last week!

I actually put off starting the design a lot longer than I needed to. I was completely stuck on a pattern, or a method for getting the same array of colors in an organic way. I considered drawing myself a diagram to follow, but where to begin? And if I did that, would I even be able to follow it, or perhaps would it hinder the beadwork by being too rigid? Finally, I made a really simple chart that included all of the colors in the proportions that I wanted, just as a reminder of where I might want things to be placed, so I wouldn’t forget to include certain color combinations. I put the start point - the eye of the chameleon - off-center, to get a more natural, less perfect look. I ended up ignoring the chart after about 4 rounds of stitching, and just going on instinct, and it turned out just right.

Once I had a design plan, I gathered up all of the colors that I would need to recreate panther chameleon skin, including both of the opaque vials that I had just purchased. The palette also includes pepper red (not as purplish as the real thing, but a great contrast for the lime) plus dandelion yellow, shamrock green, and lustered coral for orange. I chose cyan to be the main color for my piece, and to help with the lizardy texture effect, I used two shades of turquoise - one lustered and one AB - and alternated them whenever two or more turquoise beads were side by side.

My color choices for felt backing were limited to brown, black, and dark blue. I went with the brown, because it’s natural looking and complements the turquoise nicely. I like how it looks, although I almost wish that I had known ahead of time how I was going to finish this piece. I was so excited about the beadwork, I didn’t think enough about the end result.

The variety of bead sizes (10/o, 11/o, and 12/o), combined with really snug stitches only added to the bumpy texture, and really gives the medallion personality. Normally I would examine every stitch and lament at those that don't line up perfectly, but for this piece, flaws are beautiful.

About halfway through the embroidery, I decided that I wanted to use a multi-strand base, and even though I had accent beads for the extenders that perfectly match the beadwork, I wanted to do something a little different this time around. Instead of matching my clasp chains to the multi-strand section, I thought it would be fun to have a completely neutral backdrop, and did it almost entirely in jet black. I needed a little something more than just seed beads and druks, but with no other jet black accent beads at hand, I chose a handful of dark teal coconut heishi instead. I like the way the hint of color peeks through, and highlights the intense colors of the medallion.

Many, many thanks to Catherine for passing on such fantastic inspiration! I highly recommend checking out some of her inspiration boards for gorgeous photographs galore.

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading and Friends
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Wish List: Seed Bead Rainbow

The only thing more relaxing than window shopping for beads, is buying them, and maybe beading with them. In other words, looking at beads is a fantastic way to spend a little down time, and it’s a great mood enhancer. Every month, I like to go on the hunt for really special beads, and I’m always on the look out for pieces that I want to add to my own stash. Being a bead weaver at heart, every once in awhile I need to stop and just dive into the marvelous realm of teeny tiny beads.

I think one of the things that is most appealing about seed beads, even to non-bead weavers, is their quantities. Instead of a single bead or two, you get a handful of wonderfully fluid little treasures. Seed beads are great when you want to buy hundreds of beads, but spend only a few dollars!

With spring finally here, and a whole summer of beading inspirations ahead, I needed a little palate cleanser. So, I searched out some irresistible seed beads in a rainbow of colors and finishes for a fresh start.

Fuchsia lined crystal
from Lima Beads





Opaque rainbow fuchsia
from Ornamentea





Punchy Orange Iris
from Sab's Glass and Destash






Glossy yellow
from pluffbeads





Pale apple green
from Spirit Bear Beads





Chartreuse lined aqua
from Caladonia March





Opaque green turquoise
from Beadaholique





Sky blue lined aqua
from FusionBeads





Frosted AB Purple
from Fire Mountain Gems





Wisteria lined crystal
from Artbeads.com

Do you have a favorite, have-to-have-it seed bead color?

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

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 Crayons

Colorful crayons aren’t just a tool for art, but a symbol of youth, and a reminder of how quickly time can pass. So it’s now wonder that even though we grow up and move on from classroom crafts, crayons and colored pencils still make their way into our art, and the color palettes that we choose.

Box of Crayons



Colorful Crayon Creations

Did you know that the 64 pack of Crayola crayons has been around since 1958? The first Crayola crayons were created in 1903, and sold in packs of eight. Since then, the company has been creating new innovations in art for children and adults, as well as evolving with the times. In 1962, Crayola renamed it’s “Flesh” crayon “Peach”, in recognition of different skin colors in a multicultural world - a concept that the fashion industry is still catching up with.

The wax crayon is a popular symbol in all types of mediums. They have appeared as Halloween costumes, novelty balloons, hair accessories, and even night lights. The basic crayon box palette of red, yellow, blue and green, with occasional highlights (orange, purple, black or white) is also popular in art of every kind.

Do you have a favorite crayon color?

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading and Friends
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