Bead Color Triads: Primary Colors

Ask anyone that made it through kindergarten what the three primary colors are, and there’s probably a 99.9% chance that they’ll say “Red, Yellow and Blue”. And while that answer is true, it’s not the whole truth. It’s only about a third of the truth.

Printers, artists, and scientists know that there are other correct answers to that question, depending on what type of color you mean. Anyone that has actually tried to mix red, yellow and blue paint knows that it doesn't actually work the way it does in preschool cartoons.

In honor of the back to school season, and art teachers everywhere, I thought it would be fun to do things a little differently this month. We’re going to look at beads in three different primary color palettes, and perhaps compare how well each one would look in a finished piece.

Building Blocks is the first group of beads that I made, so named because I can’t help but see Lego bricks when I look at those blue, boxy Miyuki hexes. The effect is even stronger with transparent ruby seed beads and yellow cat’s eyes nearby. No matter what the brightness or finish is, something about red, yellow and blue together always brings on memories of crayons and building blocks.

Shattered Light turned out to be a surprisingly irresistible palette. I’m usually not a fan of red and green together. I find that it either looks unsophisticated, or that the red is far too orange, and the combination looks garish. But here, the cobalt seed beads seem to anchor the other colors, rein them in and make them work together. The Czech rice beads and TOHO triangles don’t even have a hint of Christmasiness with blue there to keep things under control.

Pop Print somehow seems even more youthful than the crayon-colors, with almost fluorescent shades of magenta, yellow and cyan blue. I started with the tagua slice, which is a bit muted, but still leans far enough on the darker side of bubblegum to qualify for this palette. The dyed shell rectangles and 11/o seed beads seem to look tropical and candy-like at the same time. All this palette needs is a pair of headphones, and you’ve got the makings of a teenaged ensemble from recent, but simpler times.

So, if you had to choose just one of these primary color palettes - with any bead type - which would it be?

Copyright 2010 Inspirational Beading

Poster Sketch: Needful Things

I recently reached an important milestone - 100 active Etsy listings. It’s been one of my major goals for a long time now, and it’s a great feeling to finally have it in the bag. Now that I have that matter taken care of, I’m going to be working on something very special for my fellow beaders, which I hope to reveal later this year.

It’s a very time-consuming project, and I’m feeling totally swamped, especially with so many great holidays to prepare for in the coming weeks and months. I have to figure out how to make a mom-appropriate Catwoman costume on a teeny, tiny budget. Wish me luck!

So today I decided to take it easy, and take a few moments for myself. For a semi-professional beader, that means shopping! Just a little window shopping, mind you, but it was relaxing all the same. Here’s what I found:

Check out my full Shopping List on Etsy to see more! Happy crafting!

Copyright 2010 Inspirational Beading and Etsy.com

Favorite Beads: Swarovski Crystals

Today my guest, Paula of UxCritter, shares her love of beautiful, glittery CRYSTALLIZED™ - Swarovski Elements.

Inspirational Beading: What is your all-time favorite bead?

Paula: My ultimate and absolute favorite bead is Swarovski Crystals.

Swarovski Crystals will always be a part of my supplies; you will never find my supplies without at least one Swarovski bead in there somewhere, but I doubt I’d ever let my supplies get to only one. I’m serious! I just have to have the intense sparkle and shine of these uniquely cut crystals. I am certain that I was a crow in my last life as I share their obsession to covet shiny sparkly objects.

Crystals By The Piece photographs Swarovski crystals very well to show their intense sparkle and shine.

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

Paula: Absolutely any way a Swarovski is used is the best way to use it. If there is a Swarovski in the project it will be perfect. Honestly that is my opinion on Swarovski crystals. I’m seriously addicted.

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

Paula: Recently I’ve acquired butterfly Swarovski beads and these have become a new favorite. I enjoy threader earrings, and I created these earrings with sterling silver threader chains and dainty delicate and very sparkly Swarovski butterfly crystals.

Toe rings, which I don’t think any gal is complete without, in the summer especially, are magnificent with Swarovski crystals. Even just one on a toe ring makes a major impact fashion statement with its sparkle and shine. And of course Swarovski Crystals for fingers are an ultimate treat as well.

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

Paula: I have found that many people enjoy their birthstone in handmade jewelry as it personalizes a fashion statement even more. I have added birthstone colors into my projects and find that adds another element of uniqueness & personalizing to a bracelet, ring, necklace and especially mother daughter sets. Even the grouping on a piece of jewelry that holds all the family birthstones as sparkly Swarovski crystals in their own family’s birthstone colors is a very special way to present crystals - like a bird nest ring with all the ‘eggs’ in the nest.

Bobbi's This 'n That from Ontario has a beautiful Swarovski Crystal Birthstone Heart Mix. There are so many diverse Swarovski crystal sizes, shapes and colors it’s just mind-boggling. Hearts, Butterflies, Bicones, Pearls, Rondelles, Donuts, Slider Beads, and the list just goes on and on. There are Swarovski rhinestones, plus some that are Hotfix that can be heat-transferred to T-shirts for fabulous designs with sparkle.

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

Paula: 14 kt Gold and Sterling Silver.

Inspirational Beading: If you were stranded on a deserted island, and you could have only one kind of bead with you, would you choose these?

Paula: Oh absolutely! Without a doubt, the Swarovski crystal beads make me extremely happy. I’m not kidding. Their sparkle and shine make me smile and if I needed to wave down a passing plane while on that deserted island, I am sure the glint from the crystal would be like a mirror shining up into any pilots cockpit enough to lead them to my location. I have that much faith in the sparkle factor that Swarovskis have to offer.

Inspirational Beading: In your opinion, what is the best source for these beads?

Paula: They are a much sought after crystal bead that is incomparable in it’s cut of the glass bead to any other crystal in their price range. Swarovski crystals are easily found in a variety of places both in stores and online. Just be very careful to find a reliable source, as the untrained eye can sometimes mistake some crystals for Swarovski crystals, (I have done this myself when not looking closely at them). Like anything, if the price is too good, it’s probably not a deal.

Czech crystal can work similarly, but it’s truly not the same if a Swarovski is nearby. It lacks the extreme sparkle, shine and luster that a Swarovski has if they are compared side by side. If you really know and understand Swarovski, Czech will not be comparable. Yet if Czech is all that is available and no Swarovski is nearby to compare and show off its extraordinary cut, the Czech crystal, (even I will agree) can work nicely in a project. But truly, I’d rather have the official CRYSTALLIZED™ - Swarovski Elements cut crystals.

An excellent source on Etsy is Breathtaking Beadzz, where I find large quantities. I have also purchased from Bobbi's This 'n That, and I will definitely shop there again.

Copyright 2010 Inspirational Beading, UxCritter, and Rings Handmade

Wear It Twice: Teacher’s Pet

Everyone loves a long weekend, but is Labor Day break the most dreadful long weekend of the year? When it’s over, it’s time for students to go back to school and begin the day-in day-out routine all over again. Sure, there are lots of parents, and eager students, ready for the new semester to begin; but the start of the school year also marks the end of summer.

In anticipation of the year’s first homeroom period, this month’s Wear It Twice collection is inspired by some traditional school themes. I started with a pretty apple pendant - a great piece for the first day of school, whether you’re a student or a teacher.

Teacher's Pet by Mortira featuring Collection Tops

The first outfit I created began with a plaid skirt - another school essential. I paired it with a pleated white blouse to complete the uniform look, then finished it with some sassy red Mary Janes and a pretty black floral headband.

The second ensemble is a lot more modern. The printed knit top features a unique torn yarn pattern, and looks great with red skinny jeans. To create a touch of school-girl charm, I added a pair of plaid platform boots and a black and white striped clutch.

Can you hear the bell already? Go the handmade route and get these looks, or something like them, on Etsy!

Copyright 2010 Inspirational Beading and Polyvore.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