Work in Progress: Aquatic Embroidery

I am very happy to report that my fish leather experiments are moving along nicely. This week I’m combining my curiosity for this new embroidery medium with my baroque pearls. The new blue strand that I picked up recently only has a handful of wonky beads. Most of them are drilled quite smoothly, but I did find a few that had exposed holes that make them unsuitable for stringing. I was hoping that they’d make good accents for embroidery, so I’m testing out two nice looking pearls in the same piece.

We finally completed our latest medallion pendant. A new color was finally added at the very end, and the dark topaz trim goes perfectly with the golden patina of the scarab.

What are you working on this week?

Copyright 2014 Inspirational Beading
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Wear It Twice: Totally Random

Themes and palettes are all well and good, but sometimes it’s fun to just throw out all the rules. As I’m preparing all of the details for my submission to this year’s Ugly Necklace Contest, I’ve been craving some more eclectic and freeform designs. And now that heavy coat weather is over, it’s also a good time to experiment with layered outfits and wild styles. With this idea in mind, I went in search for some interesting, exciting, and eye catching pieces to pair with a great statement necklace.

Mix Not Match by mortira featuring chamak by priya kakkar bangles

I started with a chunky multi-strand bead and chain necklace. With a great mix of neutrals, it would be that much more fun to play with patterns and textures. For each outfit I combined pieces that had prints or patterns, with a few complementary colors to bring out the personality in the necklace. I also added lots of chunky bracelets, a few with some great examples of trade beads at work.

If you’re in the mood to let your beads run wild, here are a few tutorials for similar designs in necklaces and bracelets:

This Trail of Turquoise necklace project from FusionBeads.com is the perfect combination of chain and chunky beads. The soft colors work harmoniously with the metals - for extra fun, try adding some striped beads!

For a more traditional approach, combine floating beads and chain in a cascade necklace from HowDidYouMakeThis.com

Daggers and spikes add even more texture in the Gulf Stream Necklace project from Artbeads.com

Like the idea, but want it a little more demure? Pair a handful of bold beads for a smaller statement with a Multistrand Statement Necklace tutorial from HappyHourProjects.com

If you're not comfortable with freeform but want the look, start with a simple technique and add lots of bead varieties. The Vegan Wrap Bracelet from Beadaholique.com provides a great place to start.

Layering bracelets is a great way to add personality to any outfit. The simple seed bead Stratum Bracelet tutorial from AuntiesBeads.com projects lots of color in a totally stackable size.

Natural elements in jewelry look great when they're big and bold. The combination of links, leather, and big beads in Live In Art's Chunky Bracelet Tutorial really delivers.

And here are my favorite Polyvore collages features some of this month’s picks:

Sin título #939 by loveisforgirls featuring a multiple chain necklace

Untitled #1794 by julinka111 featuring a floral messenger bag

Casual Walk *No Backgrounds by synderella featuring Lynn Ban

What’s your favorite freeform technique?

Copyright 2014 Inspirational Beading
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The Rainbow Loom Gateway

Beaders, something really exciting is happening, and has been for several months now. A whole new generation of beaders and jewelry makers is being formed, and the best part is, a lot of them are boys.

If you don’t know any kids or people with kids between the ages of 6 and 12, it’s possible that you’ve never heard of the Rainbow Loom. This past holiday season, it was the toy to have, and stores were selling out everywhere. What makes this crafting set different from other toy trends is that it is a favorite of boys and girls of varying ages, rather than just a specific little childhood niche. Everyone loves Rainbow Loom.

Although I’m not a big fan of plasticy things, and we have no need of one in our house, I’m an admirer of the Rainbow Loom, too. I love it because, like macramé friendship bracelets and boondoggle key chains, this craft trend is going to usher in a new batch of future beaders - and this one might be bigger than any before. If even a small fraction of kids weaving tiny rubber bands into bracelets develops a love of beadwork, that’s still a lot of new designers to share inspirations with in the years to come!

We sell Rainbow Looms and accessories at my day job, and whenever a small gang of preteen boys drops by to casually pick up some new bands without the slightest hint of self-consciousness, I smile - a lot. At no point was there ever an announcement or decree stating that it was “okay” for boys to do this colorful, wearable craft. It just happened, proving in a small way that gender roles are a lot of rubbish.

So, to all of the boys and girls out there who are learning to love jewelry design, welcome! Pull up some beads and lets make beautiful things.

Copyright 2014 Inspirational Beading
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Giveaway: House of Gems

Gems, jewels, beads and baubles – we beaders can never have enough of these little morsels! Whether you love the natural look of gemstones and pearls, or the uniform elegance of glass and chain, you’ll find it at House of Gems. This shop has a great selection of beading essentials and favorites, and they’re offering Inspirational Beading readers a chance to sample the goods!

How to Enter:

For a chance to win a $25 gift certificate, head on over to House of Gems and check out their selection. Then leave a comment here on Inspirational Beading, letting us know which bead or product is your favorite. Anything goes!

One lucky winner will be drawn on Thursday, May 1st.

Important: Please make sure to leave your comment on this post, and include a contact method with your comment if you do not have a Google profile with email enabled. For security email address can be typed like so: username at yourmail dot com. Incomplete or duplicate entries will not be included in the draw.

This giveaway is open to international readers. Good luck!

A big thank you to House of Gems for sharing this giveaway. To see more beads, inspiration and project ideas from House of Gems, check out their weekly community feature #BeadingFriday on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

Update: This giveaway has closed.

Copyright 2014 Inspirational Beading and HouseofGems.com
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Work in Progress: Oodles of Embroidery

The bead tray is looking a little chaotic right now as I try to wrangle several projects and get caught up on missed work. All the beading I've accomplished since last week was done within the last 24 hours or so, and there’s a lot of wasted hours in between.

Several days ago I was feeling a little under the weather, so I dusted off a favorite video game to veg with and it was so much fun that I didn't want to do much else. The same often happens when I get wrapped up in a good book, too. Although it’s pretty unproductive at the time, when I’m finally ready to get back to work, I’m bursting with ideas and eager to get going, so it does provide a nice creative boost in the end.

Right now I've got a couple of different embroidery experiments on the go, including some pieces using tilapia fish leather. It is really cool stuff; I’ll share more on its merits when I’m finished, but for now I can say that it really satisfies my craving for the natural patterns that I miss out on by not using gemstones.

Last week’s medallion is almost finished. Apparently for this one we’re going to be repeating transparent cherry and Montana sapphire throughout. So far, I like it! My summer collar idea is still on the drawing board until I get these more exciting experiments out of the way.

What are you working on this week?

Copyright 2014 Inspirational Beading
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