Mood Board: Tropical Reef

It’s good to take a break from life for awhile, especially if you ever start to feel like beading is like work. Even if beading is always the best part of your free time, sometimes it’s just nice to kick back. Lately I’ve been stealing a little veg time with virtual scuba diving via Wii Endless Ocean. I'm having a blast discovering lots of different tropical fish and mammals from the comfort of the couch.

Of course, it’s impossible not to be inspired by the amazing colors, patterns, and shapes of a tropical reef, even if it’s only a digital one. So for this month’s mood board, I went on the search for jewelry and garments that would appeal to a South Pacific mermaid.

Mood Board: Tropical Reef by mortira featuring paper wall art

Aquatic themes are among the easiest to create with beads. There’s an enormous variety of blues, greens, pinks, and oranges to choose from in every material imaginable. There are pearl, shell, and coral beads, beads shaped like fish and sea life, and plenty of techniques that evoke the feeling of an underwater realm. Combine any beads at all with coralling and the right colors, and you’ve got an instant tropical reef!

1. Green Stick Recycled Sea Glass Beads from Happy Mango Beads

2. Fuchsia Fish Leather from Fusion Beads

3. Porcelain Fish Bone Beads from Artbeads.com


4. Shell Fossil Nugget Beads from Lima Beads

5. Kelp Forest Bead Mix by Rhaad5

6. Pacific Blue Recycled Glass Beads from FireSpirit Beads

Do you like to use ocean themes in your designs? What are you favorite materials to use?

Copyright 2014 Inspirational Beading
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Mood Board: Pina Colada

It wouldn’t be summer on Inspirational Beading without a little pina colada inspiration. I suppose I could be a little obsessed with pineapple and coconut, but there’s just something about tropical yellow and blue that makes for irresistible summer palettes.

For today’s mood board I combined fruity elements with shades of yellow, blue, and cream - and a little cherry on top. I had hoped to find lots of natural bead jewelry with coconut wood, acai and the like. I did find a really fun coconut statement necklace, and an abundance of pineapple inspired jewelry. Although transparent blues would really enhance the tropical feel, I had to settle for fabrics this time around - the do pair up nicely with creams and browns.

Pina Colada by mortira featuring rhinestone jewelry

The pina colada bead selections include some matte accents with natural coconut shell and coconut wood, plus lovely transparent seed beads. Though the hybrid seed beads don't fit with the transparent theme, they do make a great stand-in for fresh coconut! I went with a matte finish in yellow to get that really fruity look, and the blue seed beads are ocean waves all the way.

1. Flower Coconut Shell Button from Artbeads.com
2. Round Coconut Wood Beads from Happy Mango Beads
3. Lampwork Glass Pineapple Beads from Fire Mountain Gems

4. Matte Transparent Yellow Seed Beads from Auntie’s Beads
5. Sparkly Light Sea Foam Seed Beads from FusionBeads.com
6. Light Beige Apollo Seed Beads from Lima Beads

What’s your favorite tropical color palette?

Copyright 2014 Inspirational Beading and Friends
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Mood Board: Mother’s Day Dandelions

Happy Mother’s Day, beaders! I hope that all of the moms out there are getting lots of love, or that you’re able to spend time with a mom that you care about.

Whenever this special holiday comes along, I always think of a bouquet of dandelions. They are the one bouquet that truly comes from the heart - hand picked by tiny hands for the absolute pleasure of it. Some may think of dandelions as weeds, but we love them at our house. They’re natural, resilient, and beautifully yellow - and they are the first food for bees and other pollinating insects each spring. Not to mention how much fun they are once they go to seed.

Dandelions and Honey by mortira featuring DENY Designs

In honor of dandelions, bees, and all things Mom, I’ve put together a new mood board that speaks of spring delights. With an abundance of greens and yellows, these picks are warm and cheerful. Perfect for an outdoor mother-daughter or mother-son tea party.

Finding beads to create these looks was delightfully easy. It turns out that dandelions and spring greens are a popular inspiration. I combined two-toned beads and materials with dandelion motifs and symbols of friendship. These components would make delightful necklace and charm bracelet sets!

1. Czech Glass Leaves from The Best Beads
2. Dandelion Pendant from Artbeads.com
3. Dandelion Clay Pendant by Summer Wind Art

4. Heart and Flower Lampwork Bead from AuntiesBeads.com
5. Two Tone Fire Polish Ovals from Beadaholique.com
6. Lillypilly Dandelion Disc from FusionBeads.com

7. Golden Honey Fire Polish from Bead Girlz Boutique
8. Green and Yellow Wooly Wire from LimaBeads.com
9. Antique Silver-ton Teapot Charms from Kitsch n'Kaboodle

What flowers are your favorite to give or receive? Do you ever use them in your work?

Copyright 2014 Inspirational Beading and Friends
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Mood Board: Fiesta

Although I love all four seasons just as much as anyone, as far as I’m concerned the months of the year are best divided into two categories: those when you can wear shorts, and the rest. So now that Easter is behind us, I’m ready to put away the pretty pastels and bring on the heat!

For this month’s mood board, I’ve refined the look a bit, and reserved the bead picks for their own mosaic. I started with a sort of Cinco de Mayo theme in mind, and searched for exciting statement pieces, hot colors, and a hint of natural goodness. With so many multicolor and mixed media jewelry pieces to showcase, I chose a simple but still interesting dress for a background. The huge daisy print is definitely a great show-stopping complement to the full-texture jewelry.

Fiesta by mortira featuring a floral print dress

In a beaded design, this theme could be carried out not just with color, but with carefree abandon. Lots of unique elements, some freeform techniques, and a mix of materials would make the look. For this mood, I chose lots of multicolored beads and mixes, then added some bright pops of color and a few more of those natural elements. Honestly, it was a challenge not to just look for the most exciting bead mixes and those with a multicolored finish. This theme really calls for some big statement beads to bring everything together. These are my picks for perfect summer explosion designs:

1. Red Jasper Seed Bead Mix by Spirit Bear Beads
2. Murano Diamond Pendant from Artbeads.com
3. Ashanti Glass Disc Beads from Happy Mango Beads

4. Saffron Recycled Glass Rounds from Auntie's Beads
5. Czech Glass Ladybugs from FusionBeads.com
6. Paper Flower Lampwork Beads by Mermaid Glass

7. Rainbow Mix Seed Beads from Beadaholique
8. Chili Pepper Glass Beads from Strum and Sparkle
9. Multicolor Sari Silk Ribbon from Lima Beads

What kinds of beads are you in the mood for this month?

Copyright 2014 Inspirational Beading and Friends
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Mood Board: Pink Lime

Nothing fuels inspiration quite like a collage, whether it’s clipped and glued or a digital mood board. With so many different and varied things happening in my workspace right now, I’ve been craving some creative time that’s totally freeform and experimental. To shake things up a bit, I wanted to try a new approach to jewelry collage from the usual Wear It Twice segment. Rather than focus entirely on fashion, I wanted to gather ideas and designs in one place along with gorgeous beads.

Fruit Punch by mortira featuring glass vase fillers

To start this new experiment, I went in search of a great statement necklace. The one I found features a wonderful collection of pearls and charms, with a summery mix of flowers and tropical colors on a black backdrop. This piece has plenty of personality to go around.

Featured beads and components include:

Lucite flowers from Artbeads.com and LimaBeads.com
Black Java glass from HappyMangoBeads.com
Chinese knotting cord from Lytha Studios on Etsy
Magnesite flowers from AuntiesBeads.com
And Freshwater pearls from Beadaholique.com

This collage turned out pretty well for a first try, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the idea evolves! To top off the inspiration, I found some really fantastic jewelry tutorials featuring similar styles and beads.

Collect a gorgeous bunch of touchable pearls in your favorite colors with the Clustered Pearl Necklace tutorial from Dismount Creative.

Create some unique flower components with polymer clay using the Six Petal Flower Cane Tutorial from tooaquarius.

Mix fibers and beads in a cute Flower Ribbon Necklace Project from Panda Hall.

The Montery Pop bracelet tutorial from Artbeads.com combines kumihimo with long magatamas for tons of texture.

And for good measure, one more lovely Flower Cane Tutorial for polymer clay from Georgia P. Designs.

Where are you finding inspiration right now?

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