tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88170676477425646752024-03-12T16:14:56.796-07:00Inspirational BeadingBeading Tutorials and Jewelry Making IdeasWTF Storehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07263314251703492801noreply@blogger.comBlogger1238125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817067647742564675.post-7796571169309375342017-05-28T18:07:00.001-07:002017-05-28T18:07:31.599-07:00Putting an End to Beader’s Block?
Greetings, beaders! I have been putting off a return to the blog for quite some time, mainly because I haven’t been certain for many weeks whether or not I would continue to make things or write about them on a regular basis. The good news is that if I don’t get started now, I will have too many projects to update on, and some things will have to be left behind. Since we can’t have that, it’s WTF Storehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07263314251703492801noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817067647742564675.post-15758182050144517872016-12-10T20:00:00.001-08:002016-12-10T20:00:09.000-08:00Work in Progress: Spiral on the SideMy new ideas and inspirations are on the back burner for the next couple of weeks as I work furiously on some top-secret Christmas presents. I have several projects on the go this year, including a lot of sewing and painting that will be keeping me up late at night. When I do get a little time to bead, I'm planning to add a stitch or two to the spiral rope necklace that I started and gave up on aWTF Storehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07263314251703492801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817067647742564675.post-24396589553164082562016-12-02T13:29:00.000-08:002016-12-03T00:16:47.624-08:00The Lady of the HouseAsk anyone who their favorite Egyptian goddess is, and most people would probably say Isis or Hathor. These dieties known for motherhood, healing, love, and protection long outlasted their original culture and continue to be an important part of spirituality and feminity to this day. This is an impressive achievement when you consider that they were competing with hundreds of other gods and WTF Storehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07263314251703492801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817067647742564675.post-58385971603956415352016-11-30T19:42:00.000-08:002016-12-01T17:10:32.203-08:00Tutorial: Golden Tapestry Netted Cuff BraceletNetting is one of my favorite beading techniques because it is simple, medidative, and creates such beautiful collars. The method of connecting beads together in nets has been around for thousands of years, and was even used by the Ancient Egyptians - chances are you've seen photographs of the beautiful faience bead 'gown'. Netting in some form can be found in the beadwork of many cultures, WTF Storehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07263314251703492801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817067647742564675.post-51935219481188813662016-11-16T12:37:00.000-08:002016-11-16T12:37:14.438-08:00Work in Progress: Progress in WorkI am happy to say that I have found some new inspiration that will keep me going for a good long while. At the very least, I am excited to start making things again, and to share the ideas behind each project as I go. My very first project will return to a favorite place: I'm making a new necklace inspired by my favorite Egyptian goddess, Nephthys. As someone who has long been fascinated by the WTF Storehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07263314251703492801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817067647742564675.post-79870093386431695002016-11-07T10:42:00.001-08:002016-11-07T10:42:42.573-08:00Work in Progress: Daggers and Spirals
Greetings, beaders! I hope that you've had a fantastic transition into fall. I am still struggling with finding the right work-life balance, and fitting creative time in where I can. Things seemed to be going smoothly for awhile: I had some projects lined up that I was really excited about and the first one turned out great. I was working on a new spiral rope lariat with lots of different daisy WTF Storehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07263314251703492801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817067647742564675.post-43885195737841548212016-09-06T16:40:00.001-07:002016-09-06T16:40:50.209-07:00Work in Progress: Spiral DaisiesAs promised I have moved on from herringbone fringe necklaces, but I wasn’t quite ready to give up on fringe yet. Not only is it really satisfying to make fringe, but I’ve been in the mood to use up not just my favorite accent beads, but some of the less-than-versatile Czech seed beads as well. One of my goals for this year was to be a little less picky about culling Czech beads, and fringe givesWTF Storehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07263314251703492801noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817067647742564675.post-83886289562758943612016-09-01T16:23:00.002-07:002016-09-01T16:23:30.155-07:00Bees Heart Honey Necklace TutorialIt’s the first day of September, which means that no matter how many more sunny days we may have to look forward to, it’s officially time to say goodbye to summer. With help from the Monochrome Bead Box from Blueberry Cove Beads, I decided to create a pretty necklace with a hint of summer colors, inspired by bees and honey.
This asymmetrical design is super easy to stitch, and you can createWTF Storehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07263314251703492801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817067647742564675.post-47443176609595608672016-08-26T19:57:00.000-07:002016-08-26T19:57:52.084-07:00Work in Progress: Nefertiti Stripes
My adventures with stripes and fringe are still going strong, and projects are chugging along at a much better pace. I had thought that I would want to try a new project once the latest necklace was complete, but I was still really in the mood for fringe, and herringbone necklaces are just the most satisfying way to use it right now. For the new necklace, I had a craving to do something a littleWTF Storehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07263314251703492801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817067647742564675.post-9673855309256475492016-08-18T12:00:00.000-07:002016-08-18T12:00:57.619-07:00Bead Color Ideas: Sunscreen HuesThere are so many different ways to find color inspiration in the seasons, and many of the ones we turn to again and again are natural. For summer this might be the colors of the beach, summer fruit, or even a purple-and-gray thunderstorm palette. Then again, traditional and nostalgic color palettes are pretty inspiring as well – like the red, blue, and white of a rocket pop. This summer, I WTF Storehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07263314251703492801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817067647742564675.post-37357740094620997762016-08-11T12:03:00.000-07:002016-08-11T12:03:52.786-07:00Work in Progress: Ongoing StripesI have been enjoying my summer down time immensely these past few weeks, just working and relaxing – and getting lots of beading done. I have definitely found a good groove with working multiple projects at once, and giving myself permission to pick up whichever one I happen to feel like working on at the moment. It also helps that I have a great series to watch to keep me coming back to my WTF Storehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07263314251703492801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817067647742564675.post-57635208139320113692016-07-29T14:43:00.000-07:002016-07-29T14:43:12.502-07:00Inspired Beaders: The Thembalethu BeadersToday my guest is Adam Jordan, co-founder of the Thembalethu Beaders project of South Africa. Supported by gorgeous beadwork designs, and founded by Thuli Dumakude, their mission is to “Increase global awareness about the economic, education, health and political inequities undermining the magnitude of women and children and produce sustainable, dignified and liberating opportunities for women WTF Storehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07263314251703492801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817067647742564675.post-21570321191004604612016-07-13T11:56:00.000-07:002016-07-13T11:56:04.131-07:00Work in Progress: Beadwork Potpourri My tentative steps back into my normal beading routine have begun, and I have actually had some time to sit down with beads over the past couple of days. I decided it was time to just pick a project and go with it, then took some time to decide what I really, really wanted to do. For a while, I plan to just make things that I want to, and avoid anything that feels obligatory (though that doesn’t WTF Storehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07263314251703492801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817067647742564675.post-51548548981945747862016-07-04T12:55:00.000-07:002016-07-04T12:55:09.930-07:00Inspired Beader: Anika JaumannToday I want to introduce you to an amazingly talented beader. Anika Jaumann’s elegant beadwork designs are a delight to behold!
Inspirational Beading: When did you first get started with beading?
Anika: As a kid, I used to string bracelets and necklaces out of wooden beads and wore them in kindergarten – I put them secretly on after my mom was gone, because she didn’t want me to do so. When IWTF Storehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07263314251703492801noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817067647742564675.post-47394225093343100052016-06-30T11:03:00.000-07:002016-06-30T11:03:36.858-07:00The Long Overdue UpdateGreetings to all of my fellow beaders and jewelry lovers! It has been very quiet here on Inspirational Beading for several weeks, and I need to begin this update by apologizing profusely to anyone who has been waiting patiently for new content to appear. I know it was incredibly rude to wander off without leaving a note, but it couldn’t be helped.
I’ve had a few unexpected absences before, and WTF Storehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07263314251703492801noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817067647742564675.post-43374746663275128912016-06-08T21:36:00.000-07:002016-06-08T21:36:08.664-07:00Work in Progress: Lazy CollarIt is taking quite a bit longer than I expected to get back on track after my recent hiatus. There’s something about a long to-do list that’s easier to put off than a short one. Plus I’ve really been enjoying some quiet time for reading and other hobbies. It was nice to take a break, even if I did feel things looming in the background most of the time. We’ve missed one week of the mini collar WTF Storehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07263314251703492801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817067647742564675.post-64301624725822617442016-05-29T20:14:00.000-07:002016-05-29T20:14:52.443-07:00Mini Collar a Week: Blues and GreensLast week’s mini collar was a complete success, and a very welcome one as well. A spot of illness totally ruined my timetable, so it was fortunate that this collar turned out just right, and I was already finished stitching it before things got derailed. With a new week beginning, I can use the start of a new collar to help me get back on track.
The design process for this collar was a lot moreWTF Storehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07263314251703492801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817067647742564675.post-78825677160759806712016-05-24T18:53:00.000-07:002016-05-24T18:53:19.836-07:00Work in Progress: Satisfactory NecklacesMy beading trays look much the same this week as they have for the past month or so. I’m making good progress on this week’s mini collar, using some of the greens I experimented with for a recent bead color challenge. I’m very happy with how this collar is coming along, although it is pretty tame compared to some of the previous projects that held a few surprises. I think for the next piece, I’m WTF Storehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07263314251703492801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817067647742564675.post-11364996651101714042016-05-22T10:04:00.000-07:002016-05-22T10:04:08.879-07:00Book Spotlight: Convertible Crystal JewelryOne of the best things about making your own jewelry is the ability to make it versatile and even interactive. It can be as simple as designing three necklaces to be layered together, or making a variety of focals to pair with a favorite rope stitch. Once you’ve finished making a piece, the real adventure is in how much fun you can have wearing it. In Convertible Crystal Jewelry,author and WTF Storehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07263314251703492801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817067647742564675.post-45750344485444120662016-05-21T19:54:00.002-07:002016-05-21T19:54:30.572-07:00Mini Collar a Week: Black LotusThis week’s mini collar was a bit of a whim. When I opened my tray of daggers and drop beads to plan the next design in the challenge, I was once again a bit overwhelmed by how many choices I have. Although I have months to work through and try them all, deciding each week where to go next isn’t always that easy. Eventually my gaze fell on the last 5 jet black daggers from a strand that I picked WTF Storehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07263314251703492801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817067647742564675.post-5820176059331250812016-05-20T17:24:00.001-07:002016-05-20T17:24:41.698-07:00 Peyote Stitch Master Class: Tubular and Spiral PeyoteNow that we’ve covered all of the essential basics of working with peyote stitch, we’re moving on to some of the more exciting variations available for this versatile stitch. We’ve already tried out circular peyote by working skip-a-bead-add-a-bead in the round, so the next logical step is to go 3-D with the marvelously meditative tubular peyote.
Basic tubular peyote looks a lot like tubular WTF Storehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07263314251703492801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817067647742564675.post-7464459731652079792016-05-18T19:06:00.000-07:002016-05-18T19:06:32.713-07:00Work in Progress: Many DaggersThis week my bead tray looks like all kinds of progress. I’m about an hour away from completing a new mini collar for the challenge, incorporating the last 5 jet black daggers from a strand that has been serving me for some time now. It will be sad to see them go, but also nice to finally finish off the strand and not have them floating around any longer. I was also able to get a few more fringesWTF Storehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07263314251703492801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817067647742564675.post-26935935976061550732016-05-17T11:19:00.000-07:002016-05-17T11:19:22.734-07:00Gorgeous Polymer Clay InspirationsToday I’m in the mood for a little jewelry eye-candy, and nothing beats polymer clay when you want to feel a little creative awe. Really great polymer clay designs are like a combination of sculpting and painting, yet they’re so much more than either of those things. There are lots of essential techniques that look amazing when done well, such as canes; there are also many unexpected ways to WTF Storehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07263314251703492801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817067647742564675.post-59167495800450664682016-05-16T19:18:00.000-07:002016-05-16T19:18:10.138-07:00Bead Color Ideas: Green DuoWhile working on the often-earthy Greek and Roman projects for Ancient Worlds Modern Beads, I ended up accumulating more shades of green seed beads than I would normally ever use. Since then most of them have been untouched in my stash, waiting for another Geb-inspired design or something that would require a lot of green. For this week’s color ideas, I thought it would be both inspiring and WTF Storehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07263314251703492801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817067647742564675.post-23528952445952488172016-05-14T22:01:00.000-07:002016-05-14T22:01:13.451-07:00A Collar a Week: Berry SaladFor this week’s mini collar, I couldn’t resist using one of the palette ideas to go with a quartet of pretty glass petal drops in marbled blue that we explored last week. The combination of transparent ruby and gel sol pink just needed a little bit of Montana blue sapphire for backup, and I had everything I needed for a cute collar.
For this piece, I worked out a new palette with angled rows ofWTF Storehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07263314251703492801noreply@blogger.com0