Wear It Twice: The Great Outdoors

Even though cold, wet or snowy weather provides the perfect excuse to stay at home and get some beading done, the arrival of spring is a welcome one. After all, some of the best inspiration comes from nature, and it’s always best when viewed in person.

It’s time to start planning some fun outdoor pursuits, stretch our legs, and get a little sun. And what better way to motivate ourselves than with some great spring attire?

Today I found the most interesting Proenza Schouler necklace, perfect for a girl who occasionally likes to play rough. It’s made from climbing ropes, with lots of fun color and texture. The stone dangles add sparkle and a playful element that I couldn’t resist.

The Great Outdoors by Mortira featuring lace up heel boots

For a pretty approach, I started with a cute cinched waist dress with crystal embellishments. It’s smart and comfy, and it has pockets - great for collecting treasures along the beach, perhaps. In case it’s a little windy, I paired it with pale gray patterned tights and a wool shawl. A pair of crochet ankle boots and a black Juicy Couture tote add a little tenacity, and a simple flower ring picks up on the yellow cords of the necklace.

The second outfit is a little more versatile, with a great pair of black cargos and a pretty blue V-neck blouse. Simple black oxfords and a many-pocketed Balenciaga jacket give it a go-anywhere edge, but the denim blue and leather backpack help maintain the outdoorsy look. I finished things with a very wearable Murano glass ring in yellow and amber.

The companion bracelet I chose for both outfits is a charming little number, with plaited leather and tassels, and lots of beads that match the blue and neutral palette. I love the texture and movement, which plays along nicely with our mountain climbing neck piece.

Gotta have handmade and vintage? I found these gorgeous pieces for a day at the park:



And here a few of my favorite Polyvore sets, featuring this month’s picks:

Spring is in the air! by Becky_86 featuring a rope necklace

If you're a bird,I'm a bird. by Dubravka ღ featuring lace tops

lazy hazy daisy days by MarinaCarstens featuring a white ring

---When a heart breaks, It don't break even--- by belieber128 featuring glass shades

What inspiring things will you be doing outside this year?

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading and Polyvore.com
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Book Spotlight: Rejuvenated Jewels

Some trends come and go, but it would seem that upcycled and repurposed jewelry is here to stay. This is good news, and not only because of the way this craft keeps things out of the landfill. Preserving objects from the past, and making something new out of something old, is a rewarding practice with beautiful results.

Although I stay away from wire and chain work, I long to take apart old jewelry and make it my own. It’s probably lucky for me and my wallet that there are no flea markets within shopping distance. I could spend a lot of hours looking through cigar boxes and trays of forgotten jewels.

When I picked up a copy of Rejuvenated Jewelsby Amy Hanna, I expected typical craft book projects that would provide a little inspiration. I did not expect to be glued to the pages, and practically drooling over the designs within. This book ought to come with a warning label: Caution, May Incite Uncontrollable Bargain Shopping and Attic Rummaging.

After an in depth look at some of vintage jewelry’s most precious components and qualities, basic materials and found objects, Amy gives readers an introduction to preparing both new and old jewelry components for designing. Step by step tutorials with clear diagrams also explain some jewelry basics like wrapped loops and crimping.

The following five chapters are filled with gorgeous and intriguing jewelry designs, made with everything from vintage photographs to military ribbons. There are 36 necklace, bracelet and earring projects in total, each with a complete materials list and instructions for making your own variations.

Most of the designs are simple and straightforward, and provide an excellent guide to designing jewelry from found objects. There are no step-by-step photographs for the individual projects. Absolute beginners to the world of jewelry making may want to practice on newer, more replaceable materials and objects before attempting to drill, file and rejuvenate rare finds.

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading and Quarry Books
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Bead Wish List: Seed Bead Cocktails

I can’t speak for all beaders, but personally, I don’t really like working with seed bead mixes. When I'm planning a design, the colors and shapes that I select each have a specific job to do, and sorting through a mix just isn’t that fun.

If I do want an assortment of beads, for a spiral or freeform piece, I like to make my own. So why is it that I am so drawn to bead mixes? Every time they appear, I want to have them for my own. Perhaps it’s the explosion of color, which ignites creativity, or the illusion of vastness that an assortment of beads creates.

Either way, they are so hard to resist, it almost makes one want to do freeform work all the time, just to try them all. Here are just a few of my favorite seed bead cocktails:

Blue Frost Bead Mix by TOHO
from Artbeads.com


Tropicooler Seed Bead Cocktail by TOHO
from Rings & Things


Turquoise and Coral Miyuki Bead Mix
from Aunties Beads


Georgia Earth Tones Miyuki Cube Bead Mix
from The Bead Stylist


Momiji Red TOHO Seed Bead Mix
from Lima Beads


Serenity Miyuki Seed Bead Mix
from Bead My Love


Caribbean Seafoam Seed Bead Mix
from Earthly Possessions


Matte Rainbow Delica Bead Mix
from Beadaholique


Picasso Perfect Seed Bead Mix
from A Grain of Sand


Northern Lights Seed Bead Mix
by Whimbeads


Dusky Evening E Bead Mix
from Totally Unique Treasures


Caribe Seed Bead Mix
from FusionBeads.com


One Pound Seed and Bugle Bead Assortment
from Fire Mountain Gems and Beads


Twilight in the Canyon Seed Bead Mix
by Spirit Bear Beads


And my personal favorite!
Small African Christmas Trade Beads
from Happy Mango Beads

Do you like to buy pre-mixed beads, or come up with your own unique concoctions? What’s your all time favorite color combination?

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading and Friends
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7000 Bracelets for Hope

This week’s bracelet is very special. Earlier this month, I got word through Twitter that Lori Anderson of Pretty Things was hosting a blog hop challenge, inviting beaders and designers to create a bracelet for the Global Genes Project’s 7000 Bracelets for Hope campaign, and I happily got on board.

The purpose of the campaign is to show support for families that are affected by rare disease, and of course to help raise awareness about Global Genes and their efforts. I found it very exciting that Lori’s challenge would fall into my lap while I was doing my own bracelet challenge. It was meant to be.

All I had to do was push back my ideas by one week, and come up with a design using a blue jeans theme. I hadn’t planned on repeating any designs so early in my challenge, but inspiration really took over this time.

As I was pondering what to make, and how to recreate the look of denim, I kept seeing hints of copper (buttons and grommets and zippers) on dark blue. I went through my bead stash, and picked out some very denim-like blues - abalone lined crystal and dichroic lined cornflower.

I don’t have any metal beads or components, so I had to come up with another way to add that hint of orangey brown that I kept seeing in my imagination. I was really drawn to the patterned wood rounds that I use to make big brick stitch buttons and flowers. As soon as I put the beads together, I saw a big blue flower bracelet, like my Spring Corsage from week three.

The bracelet turned out so nice, though I sort of wish I had used a third blue for the flower. This time I added more wood beads to the bracelet band, and I love the contrast of color. I’ll be mailing this one out right away, and I hope that it can help its new owner smile.

There are so many talented jewelry bloggers taking part in this campaign. You can see some of the previous contributions on the 7000 Bracelets list, and visit all of the blogs in Lori’s bracelet challenge today, to see what they created. Here are a few of my favorite blogs from the list:

The Bead Dreamer
Brandi Girl
Stefanies Sammelsurium
Staci Louise Originals
Linda’s Bead Blog & Meanderings
Lutka and Co.
Treasures Found
The Impatient Crafter

Stop by Pretty Things to see the complete list of participants in the 7000 Bracelets for Hope Hop - there are over 100 of us! If you missed out on the hop, but you would still like to contribute, visit the Global Genes website to learn more about making and sending your own blue bracelet.

On a side note, I have also completed the jewelry sets that I was making for some fundraisers closer to home. Earlier this week, I shared my first attempt at mixing pink and orange with green and brown. I was able to make it work, and finished the pendant, plus a ring to go with it that almost matches. I ended up adding a new shade of green for the ring band - I don’t think pink would have looked quite right. I also talked about color palettes that don't need any extra help to get along - the second set is one example of those. I do love the sweet and sour combination of green and purple.

One of my favorite things about the ability to create, is being able to give my time and energy to causes that matter to me, and know that it will help in some small way. What’s the most amazing or warm and fuzzy thing you‘ve ever done with creativity? I’d love to hear your story!

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
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Bead Color Triads: Ukrainian Easter Eggs

When I think of Ukrainian Easter eggs, I think of intricate patterns in red and yellow on a shell dyed pitch black. Although the art form of pysanky has evolved to include every color, shape and pattern imaginable, I am always taken back so some strange and obscure Sesame Street video about making these beautiful little eggs in black, red and yellow.

With Easter weekend right around the corner, it is very tempting to use bead palettes that include plenty of pastels and lush spring color. I thought it would be fun to be a little different, and look at bead triads with deep reds, yellows and black.

Although these hues seem more suited to fall than spring, there is an advantage to using them in designs at this time of year. Because the colors are so bold and absorb your gaze, you can use fewer beads to make a big impact. Warmer weather calls for lightweight, easy to wear jewelry, and the heat of summer is closer than we think!

So, I went through my bead stash and tried to find creative ways to combine these three colors with beads. I had a really hard time naming the palettes this month, so the titles need some improvement. If any of them inspire you with a fun name, let me know!

First we have Midnight Magic. The very first beads I went to were jet black Swarovski rivolis. I can’t think of any other bead that absorbs the light quite like they do. Although they do have the signature Swarovski sparkle and glint, the black is as deep as it gets. For a bezel, I added lemon yellow 15/o’s, and transparent ruby 11/o seed beads.

Circus Midnight started with opaque cherry red druks. No matter how I arranged them, I kept seeing clown noses. With black delicas and opaque yellow 8/o seed beads, it’s like a clown costume from some macabre carnival - very Ray Bradbury.

Magic Dawn is an all seed bead palette, though the different shapes create new possibilities and room to improvise. I think this palette would make a great spiral rope, with ruby hexes at the core, lustered dandelion 11/o rounds for the base, and matte black magatamas in the middle for texture.

Just like bead weaving, decorating eggs in the Ukrainian style is a hobby that many people think requires a great deal of patience and skill. I highly recommend having a browse through some of the beautiful and carefree designs by artists on Flickr. It’s clear that this art form is just as open to interpretation and whimsy as any other - it’s only hard work if you don’t like doing it.

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading amd COLOURlovers.com
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