Time Capsule: Beading Challenges

January is a time for looking forward, but it’s also a great opportunity to look back. Perhaps it’s best to just look over your shoulder as you move ahead to new things, but reflection is definitely a healthy exercise. When I looked back at what was happening three years ago this month on Inspirational Beading, I was surprised to discover that it was the start of the Egyptian Gods jewelry challenge.

Geb and Bast Egyptian Designs

Even though I could have done the math without looking and known that this challenge began 3 years ago, it was still a bit of a shock to discover just how long it’s been since I took on that exciting journey of inspiration. When I look back through some of my favorite designs from the series, I find that they are still inspiring me to this day.

One important thing I did discover is that I’m not feeling the same amount of excitement and inspiration for my current challenge theme. I’m having the hardest time trying to fit my favorite geek characters and ideas into the type of beadwork that I like to do. It’s just not working, and I think I’m going to pack in the Geekspiration challenge and look for something new to broaden my repertoire with. I might get an idea for the series here or there, but I'm going to focus most of my creativity elsewhere for now.

Donna and Aurra Designs

The good news is that I’ll probably be able to get new projects ready for the Master Class series even faster than I thought. I’ve been a bit limited by work schedules and the sun’s winter timetable, but I should have the first installment ready soon. After that, who knows what inspirations await?

Have you ever had a great beading idea fizzle out before completion? What did you take away from the experience?

Mortira

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Copyright 2015 Inspirational Beading

Geek Jewels: Aurra Sing

Back when The Phantom Menace was in theatres, I went to see the movie more times than I care to admit now. After about my third viewing, I was basically going to catch the 2 second glimpse of Aurra Sing – a then-anonymous background character watching the pod race. Lots of fans were just as intrigued, and after much demand, she was given a complete background and started showing up in comics, novels, cartoons and, of course, Star Wars merchandise.

For my second Geekspiration project, I wanted to see if I could design a piece of jewelry that would go with the bounty hunter’s signature outfit. As I started to work on an overall design and palette, I realized that it would be the perfect way to use my stash of center-drilled coconut chips. A cuff bracelet seemed like the way to go. A chunky design would have that tough, gauntlet-like look ideal for a space-travelling fighter.

I started with a base of transparent rootbeer with a bold blue stripe. I revived the Earth Mother Cuff design from Ancient Worlds Modern Beads, which has a built-in fringe and works up really fast. Over the blue stripe, I layered some of the coconut chips with purple O-beads and a hint of orange.

Although the cuff itself turned out pretty good, I’m not quite sure that I captured the look that I wanted. I wouldn’t call this one a total success, but I had a great time putting it all together.

Do you have a favorite Star Wars character? What kind of accessory would you design for them?

Mortira

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Copyright 2015 Inspirational Beading

Geek Jewels: Donna Noble

The first design in my new challenge series was a quick project that I couldn’t wait to start. When I decided to start a new series inspired by my favorite nerdy themes, the very first inspiration that came to mind was my favorite Doctor Who companion, Donna Noble.

Donna was one of the toughest and funniest of all the ladies to travel with the Doctor. She was my favorite right from the start, and continued to be awesome right until the sad, irreversible end. Donna was incredibly stylish, and often rocked lovely gray and purple ensembles to compliment her ginger locks. It was this palette that I wanted to use for my inspiration, which would prove to be the biggest challenge. An overall design was easy to envision – most of her best outfits included a big pendant or opera length necklace.

I started by pulling out every single gray and purple bead that I had in my stash, just to see what my options were. While I was sorting, I spotted a recycled bottle glass pendant that I thought might come in handy. Sure enough, it was a perfect fit to outline a pretty gray shell butterfly. All I needed to do was add some chain.

I stitched up a quick St. Petersburge chain with white-lined black and purple-lined Rosaline, then suspended the bottle pendant from the chain, and the butterfly from the pendant. The double loop on the butterfly helps to keep the chains in place, and everything looks as sharp as the best temp in Chiswick.

So the first design in the new series is complete, and I’m pretty happy with the result. I have lots of other character inspired designs in mind, and I’m working on a list of some even more obvious inspirations that my fellow geeks should enjoy.

Are you a Whovian? Who’s your favorite companion?

Mortira

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Copyright 2015 Inspirational Beading