Bead Color Ideas: Blue Mother of Pearl

With summer just around the corner I’m looking forward to light and airy designs, aquatic themes, and lots of gorgeous color. For this week’s bead colors I started with a strand of aqua blue mother of pearl coins that I’ve just barely tapped into. They’re always sitting in my stash, calling out to be used, but I rarely have any ideas for their shape. The best solution, of course, is to find the perfect color palette and wait for inspiration to strike.

I didn’t have any particular colors or themes in mind when I started looking for seed beads to back up these coins. I just pulled out colors that I thought would look good and then matched them up. My first trio features the always ready-to-work transparent medium topaz for a lovely beachy look. I added a dash of flotsam in the form of metallic olivine. I love the moody earthiness of this particular color, which works really well with the nacre patina on many of the coins. The Baked Boardwalk trio would be great in a design with lots of geometric elements - perhaps a cuff bracelet or some brick-stitched fringe earrings.

I’ve really been in the mood for my precious white-heart seed beads lately, so I was quick to grab what’s left of my cobalt stash. The glow of white hearts plays really nicely with the shimmery shells. To complete this palette I ended up with some buttercream Ceylon with its barely perceptible hints of pale yellow and an equally pretty shimmer. Though Vanilla Milkshake doesn’t pop quite as much as the first palette, it still has plenty of potential. I’d love to use in in an ombré-style design with the shells spanning between the seed bead colors. An asymmetrical mulistrand necklace would be perfect.

Finally, I couldn’t resist some transparent cherry red to get a coral and turquoise effect. This color combination always makes me happy and eager to get creating. It’s equally great for aquatic, Western, and ancient Egyptian themes. I added a backdrop of jet black 8/o's to really make both colors shine. The Fire Urchin palette would be lovely in something fringed, as well as netting. It would be so much fun to make a scarf lariat in this palette.

What colors do you like to use in summer designs?

Mortira

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Copyright 2016 Inspirational Beading

Wear it Twice: Mother of Pearl

It’s been far too long since we’ve had a look at ways to style a great statement necklace. There’s something incredibly inspiring about experimenting with fashion looks for great jewelry, especially when working with a beautiful palette. For this collage, I wanted to create a little farewell to summer with pretty aqua and sandy browns.

Last Day at the Beach by mortira featuring sea home decor

A mother of pearl bib turned out to be the perfect necklace for this palette, with its subtle blue and soft shimmer. First I paired it with a great dress in aqua blue, followed by a gorgeous taupe blouse and sea foam jeans. A set of gold and turquoise bangles blends perfectly with both outfits for a breezy day at the beach.

These jewelry tutorials use similar materials and textures as the pieces featured in the collage:

Beachy Keen Bracelets Tutorial - FusionBeads.com





Moroccan Princess Necklace Project - Beadaholique.com





Tubular Square Stitch Bracelet Project - TheHeartBeading.com





Boho Blue Necklace Tutorial - Artbeads.com





Boho Button Necklace Project - DishfunctionalDesigns.blogspot.com

What’s your favorite palette for aqua blue?

Copyright 2015 Inspirational Beading and Friends
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Work in Progress: Ocean Collar

Progress is being made on projects this week - the new baroque pearl medallion is complete, and the collar I had planned is underway. I am happy to report that this time around it only took me two tries to get a pattern that I liked, although the first one turned out so wrong that I almost gave up. A slight reworking of the palette and some compromises in the pattern that I wanted brought out the best in the beads that I had picked, and it looks like everything is going to turn out great.

I still have to string the new medallion, but I’ve made a habit of saving up a handful to string all at once so that I can save time cutting cord and lacquering knots. I ended up asking my little helper for some color advice on this one, which prompted a request to make some new medallions with his unique input. I definitely think they’re be some knew embroidery designs on the horizon.

What are you making this week?

Copyright 2015 Inspirational Beading
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Work in Progress: Medallion and Collar

My plan to simultaneously clean up my workspace and search for new inspirations in my bead stash worked splendidly – almost too well, in fact. I still have to finish tying off the threads from the new chevron collar, and then I’m going to do a quick medallion pendant with some baroque pearls and a fish leather backing. It took some time to come up with a palette that I liked and that worked well with the burgundy color. Part of me really wanted to go with black and white stripes, but I’ve done it that way once before, and I’m looking to try something a little different this time.

As soon as that’s complete, I have plans for a somewhat elaborate collar featuring some hammer shell heishi that I’ve been sitting on for ages. I couldn’t resist getting the palette ready, so my bead tray is a little crowded right now.

What are you working on this week?

Copyright 2015 Inspirational Beading
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Bead Giveaway: From the Beach

I’m almost finished with this year’s stash clean up. My bead collection is starting to look really polished and much more ‘me’ than ever before. I’ve got quite a few destash beads to giveaway yet, and this month it’s all about the beach (again!). This prize pack includes a big handful of lovely cowry shells that are perfect for hemp jewelry and mixed media projects, plus a dollop of pretty mother of pearl chips. I’ve had some really great times working with these beads, but it’s time for them to find a more worthy home.

How to Enter

For a chance to win all of the beads shown, leave a comment on this post letting us know what your favorite beach-themed bead palette is. One lucky reader will be drawn on Tuesday, July 14th. This giveaway is open to readers in Canada and the US.

Important: Please make sure to leave your comment directly on InspirationalBeading.blogspot.com to enter. No log-in is required, but please make sure to leave an email address or contact link in your comment, so that you can be reached if you win. Incomplete or duplicate entries will not be included in the draw.

Good luck, and happy beading!

Update: This giveaway has closed.

Copyright 2015 Inspirational Beading
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July Bead Stash Favorites

Summer and the beach go together like carnivals and cotton candy - especially when you live in a cold climate. The few months of the year when it’s warm enough to swim outdoors are precious, so it’s no wonder that July and August are favorite months of aquatic themed designs.

Although I’m feeling pretty swamped with the approaching deadline for my Egyptian Gods challenge less than six months from now, I can’t help but be inspired by sunny weather and days at the beach. Right now, all of my bead favorites are fit for mermaids.

Shell and pearl beads are one of my biggest bead weaknesses. They are natural and sustainable, but they’re a little on the anonymous side, so I try to keep my consumption to a minimum. This is tough, because I adore the natural, organic patterns and colors in shell beads. Right now I’m craving a project for this gorgeous strand of hammer shell heishi from Happy Mango Beads. The chip shapes and soft browns are so perfectly beachy.

Ladder-stitching Egyptian inspired cuffs has really helped me get over my fear of thread-fraying bugle beads, and they’ve really grown on me. I’m starting to build up a stash of bugles again, and right now my favorites are these lovely satin aqua tubes from Shipwreck Beads. Not only do they have a great tropical hue, but the finish is perfect for breezy summer designs.

The newest addition to my stash are these pretty turquoise Rizo seed beads from Fusion Beads. I haven’t had a chance to try them out yet, but I’m eager to see how they play in my designs. I love the uniform shape, which should provide the same effect as drops, but with a little more sharpness.

What kinds of beads are you working with right now?

Copyright 2013 Inspirational Beading
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Farewell Magenta Coins

Since the beginning of this year’s destash challenge, I’ve been putting off using the last of my top-drilled magenta shell coins. I was hoping that some inspiration would strike for a totally new design, but I finally decided to go with what I know would work. The last success I had with these beads was a colorful collar - all I needed was a new palette.

I asked for a little feedback on Facebook, and one reader responded with a great palette idea for magenta - lime and coral. I was instantly intrigued, being a huge fan of lime green. Unfortunately, I didn’t have anything resembling coral, salmon, or even peach on hand. Rather than go with a fruity palette, I decided to turn down the brightness on the orange portion of the palette, and chose rootbeer brown instead.

After counting out the shell coins, I realized I didn’t have quite enough to embellish an entire collar. This is just as well - too many pink circles could be a little overpowering. To space out the shells, I grabbed the remnants of a Czech teardrop strand in dark topaz - an excellent complement to both the rootbeer and lime.

I couldn’t be happier with how this necklace turned out. All three colors work so well together, and look very summery. I also don’t know how many more big successes I’ll have coming up in the challenge. I’m starting to scrape the bottom of the destash barrel, and very few great inspirations are forthcoming. A collector’s necklace is starting to look better and better!

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading
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Wear It Twice: Sand and Shell

With summer heat in full swing, all I can think about is ocean breezes, ice cream, and cool clothing. 'Cool' here meaning garments that help to beat the heat, like lightweight fabrics and pale neutrals. So I went on the hunt for some summery outfits that would go perfectly with a beachy necklace.

I started with a great statement necklace in white mother of pearl, with chunky cabochons that are perfect for a day at the beach. Hints of sandy taupe and tropical turquoise make for a refreshing palette, without out-shining the paleness of the shell.

White Sand Splash by mortira featuring tote handbags

I chose garments in linen and chiffon - perfect for catching a wisp of breeze. Strappy sandals and simple accessories keep with the theme of light and breezy. All that’s left to add is an icy pina colada!

It was a little tougher than usual to find handmade and vintage pieces to match this month’s collage, so I also sprinkled in a few beach inspired art prints.

If you like these looks, here are few beach inspired jewelry tutorials to try!

Tidal Treasures Necklace
Don’t Mesh with Me Necklace

Fill Me In Earrings
Fairy Wings Earrings

America Sparkles Mutlistrand Bracelet
Beachy Keen Bracelet
Growing Tall Multistrand Bracelet
Strands of Sparkle Bracelet

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

A day at sea.. by mariapia65 featuring current elliott boyfriend jeans

Summer Fun by roseyrose27 featuring a raffia handbag

Untitled #97 by anne-symanski-goranson featuring shell jewelry

The Avatar State by sunshineowlnew featuring roman gladiator sandals

Seaside Romance by hatsgaloore featuring a metallic dress

What are your favorite colors to wear in summer? Do they carry over to your summer jewelry designs as well?

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading and Friends
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Wish List: Heishi Beads

I recently treated myself to a strand of black lip heishi beads, and I’m looking forward to using them so much, that I couldn’t resist exploring some more beautiful disk-bead possibilities. The term heishi, or heishe, typically refers to small round disk beads made from shell or gemstones - heishi means ‘shell bead’ in the traditional language of the Santo Domingo peoples of New Mexico.

Today’s heishi beads come in a variety of styles and colors. Rough chip shell heishi are a common component in West Coast and surfer style jewelry, while gemstone rounds make for beautiful, slinky necklaces. You can even get metallic ‘heishi’ spacers for capping precious stone or lampwork beads.

Red Lip Shell Heishi Beads
From Artbeads.com






Labradorite Heishi Beads
From Happy Mango Beads






Red Bamboo Coral Heishi Beads
From Auntie’s Beads






Black Pewter Heishi Spacer Beads
From Beadaholique






Garnet Cube Heishi Beads
From Gemalicious Beads






Turquoise Heishi Beads
From FusionBeads.com






Peridot Heishi Beads
From Lima Beads






Spiny Oyster Shell Heishi Beads
From Happy Mango Beads

Do you like heishi beads? What’s your favorite way to use them?

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading and Friends
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Retro Shell Necklace

One of my favorite things about the destash challenge so far is the moments where I don’t bother to look before I leap. Whether I’m combining unusual elements, using up an intimidating bead, throwing in large quantities of favorites to make a project work, or just going with a crazy idea, I’m loving all of the risks!

This week I put the finishing touches on a necklace that I never would have created it if weren’t for this challenge. Although I used a new favorite technique, the combination of beads was very unusual. In my destash tray I had a handful of shell beads leftover from a strand frenzy I went on a few years back, plus some white cat eye cubes and rectangles from the same era. I’ve used all of these beads many times, and there weren’t really enough of them left - let alone inspiration or ideas - to use any of them individually. So, I decided to put them all together in once piece.

Because the beads are all different sizes and shapes, I thought a multi-strand approach would be best. All I had to do was build a seed bead palette to coordinate the variety of colors. I had a little ceylon pearl and some aqua blue, but not enough to build a whole necklace. I only winced for a moment when I grabbed a few packets of transparent cobalt seed beads to use as the main color. After all, why buy the beads if I’m not going to use them?

After counting out the accent beads and separating them into equal portions for each strand, I got to work stringing a striped pattern, alternating between aqua, white, and pearl. I was so excited about how the necklace would turn out, that I forgot to save a few accents for the anchor chains. Luckily, I had some crystal AB druks and shocking orange 8/o seed beads to stand in.

Even though I went with a striped pattern to fit with my current style, I think the necklace turned out delightfully 1980’s. I can picture it with acid washed jeans, wrist bands, and orange plastic earrings. Radical!

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading
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New Beads: Cowry Shells

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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A Bracelet a Week: Blue Shells

This week’s bracelet was a bit of a last minute success. I was really sidetracked with other projects, and I needed a simple design that I could create in just a few days. While I was putting away shell beads from a necklace I had just finished, some blue mother of pearl rectangles jumped out at me.

I’ve only used them once before, in my SOS necklace, and since then I’ve been at a loss for what to use them for. Sometimes I wonder why I bother buying accent beads, since I don’t really do stringing, and I often have to hold on to things forever before an idea takes hold. Luckily, something usually comes along, and it often works out, too.

I was a little surprised by how easy it was to come up with a technique for using the rectangles after all this time, and I worried that it wouldn’t turn out as well as planned. I used a combination of right angle weave and ladder stitch to weave the shells together in a simply line, added a button, and voila! I’m actually quite happy with how it turned out., especially with the beachy combination of blue and topaz.

Copyright 2011 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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Collections: Rainbows

No matter how old we get, there’s just no resisting a rainbow. There’s something about a perfectly arranged set of colors that inspires happiness, calmness or even joy.

For today’s necklace, I decided to combine all of my colored shell coin beads to make a candy-like rainbow chain. I subbed in some cat’s eyes for yellow, and used white seed beads to make little daisy chain clouds between each set of colored beads. The connections are done with abalone blue lined crystal seed beads - purple looked just a little too over-the top.

And, for even more cheery color, I created this fun collection of ArtFire picks:

Copyright 2010 Inspirational Beading and ArtFire.com

Side-Drilled Rectangle Necklace

Almost every beader has experienced a moment of bead-shopping weakness. It’s that time when you saw a bead or component that was so beautiful, you just had to have it - even if you didn’t have a clue what you were going to do with it.

Sometimes we get stuck with these spur-of-the-moment purchases for a long time. It could be because they are too precious to use, or because they require us to wander far outside of our comfort zone. We see these beads every time we look over our stash of supplies, and wonder if they’ll ever become what they were meant to be.

The Inspiration:

While on a bead shopping spree awhile back, I scooped up several strands of yummy dyed shell strands in different shapes and colors. Most of the selections I made have proved very useful, and I have several projects to show for it.

Unfortunately, one of the strands that I selected did not seem meant for bead weaving. The side-drilled shell rectangles that I picked up have been baffling me for some time. Whenever I tried picturing them in a design, all I could see was a simple stringing project, even though I knew that there just had to be a way to weave with them.

The Beads:

The elusive shells are a lovely shade of dark pink, and the bar shape is very tempting, despite it’s apparent uselessness for my designs. When I finally decided to make something with them, or bust, I had to figure out what to combine them with.

I eventually decided on some of my all time favorite seed beads - Czech rainbow iris 11/o’s. They’re a good match for the dusty shade of pink, and I have plenty of them so I could design just about anything without fear of running out.

The Beadwork:

Right angle weave saved the day again, and after some trial and error, I finally came up with a way to showcase the shell rectangles with a technique I liked.

My first idea was to have each shell sitting within adjacent loops of seed beads, but the shape of the beadwork didn’t look quite right. I was getting mushy tear-drops instead of pretty loops. So I started over, using RAW squares, with each side having the same number of beads. This didn’t look very good either, since there was far too much negative space, and the seed beads had too much room to move about.

Swinging Doors Necklace

Finally, I came up with a pattern that worked. Instead of making symmetrical right angle weave units, I only used as many beads as where necessary to surround each shell, and the beadwork became snug and even. Now the rectangles swing between little seed bead windows, making a flexible but sturdy chain.

I used up the entire strand of shells, and made an extra long necklace. Now this hasty purchase is behind me instead of haunting me. The funny thing is, I like this necklace so much, that I want to buy more side-drilled rectangles and make another!

Copyright 2010 Inspirational Beading and The Sage's Cupboard

Bead Spotlight: Shell and Pearl

Summer is a wonderful time of year for the found object beader. The weather is perfect for spending hours combing beaches for beautiful sea glass, stones, driftwood and shells to use in jewelry. These little treasures are even more wonderful when found at a favorite vacation spot, and make for great keepsake designs.

The difference between beach shells and typical shell beads is that the latter is usually man made, and created from the inner layers of certain shells. Mother of pearl, or nacre, is a common material for jewelry, not just as beads, but also as inlay for elaborate luxury components.

Shell and pearl beads come in an amazing array of sizes, shapes and colors. Most natural and man made types of shell can be bleached and dyed to achieve any color, giving beaders an endless supply of inspiration and design freedom.

Shell Bib Necklace
by Leanne Designs

Because we can instantly recognize mother of pearl by it’s iridescent finish, shell jewelry in any color palette often has a summery feel to it. We see a strong emotional connection between shells, and beaches, and sunshine.

Here are a few fun projects to try using different types of shell beads and pearls:

Something Blue Bridal Hair Pin from The {NewNew}
Falling Water Necklace from paper n stitch
Pearl and Starfish Necklace by Irina Miech and Bead Style Magazine

Happy beading!

Copyright 2010 Inspirational Beading and Leanne Designs