Farewell Magenta Coins

Since the beginning of this year’s destash challenge, I’ve been putting off using the last of my top-drilled magenta shell coins. I was hoping that some inspiration would strike for a totally new design, but I finally decided to go with what I know would work. The last success I had with these beads was a colorful collar - all I needed was a new palette.

I asked for a little feedback on Facebook, and one reader responded with a great palette idea for magenta - lime and coral. I was instantly intrigued, being a huge fan of lime green. Unfortunately, I didn’t have anything resembling coral, salmon, or even peach on hand. Rather than go with a fruity palette, I decided to turn down the brightness on the orange portion of the palette, and chose rootbeer brown instead.

After counting out the shell coins, I realized I didn’t have quite enough to embellish an entire collar. This is just as well - too many pink circles could be a little overpowering. To space out the shells, I grabbed the remnants of a Czech teardrop strand in dark topaz - an excellent complement to both the rootbeer and lime.

I couldn’t be happier with how this necklace turned out. All three colors work so well together, and look very summery. I also don’t know how many more big successes I’ll have coming up in the challenge. I’m starting to scrape the bottom of the destash barrel, and very few great inspirations are forthcoming. A collector’s necklace is starting to look better and better!

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading
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Wear It Twice: Sand and Shell

With summer heat in full swing, all I can think about is ocean breezes, ice cream, and cool clothing. 'Cool' here meaning garments that help to beat the heat, like lightweight fabrics and pale neutrals. So I went on the hunt for some summery outfits that would go perfectly with a beachy necklace.

I started with a great statement necklace in white mother of pearl, with chunky cabochons that are perfect for a day at the beach. Hints of sandy taupe and tropical turquoise make for a refreshing palette, without out-shining the paleness of the shell.

White Sand Splash by mortira featuring tote handbags

I chose garments in linen and chiffon - perfect for catching a wisp of breeze. Strappy sandals and simple accessories keep with the theme of light and breezy. All that’s left to add is an icy pina colada!

It was a little tougher than usual to find handmade and vintage pieces to match this month’s collage, so I also sprinkled in a few beach inspired art prints.

If you like these looks, here are few beach inspired jewelry tutorials to try!

Tidal Treasures Necklace
Don’t Mesh with Me Necklace

Fill Me In Earrings
Fairy Wings Earrings

America Sparkles Mutlistrand Bracelet
Beachy Keen Bracelet
Growing Tall Multistrand Bracelet
Strands of Sparkle Bracelet

And here are my favorite Polyvore sets featuring this month’s picks.

A day at sea.. by mariapia65 featuring current elliott boyfriend jeans

Summer Fun by roseyrose27 featuring a raffia handbag

Untitled #97 by anne-symanski-goranson featuring shell jewelry

The Avatar State by sunshineowlnew featuring roman gladiator sandals

Seaside Romance by hatsgaloore featuring a metallic dress

What are your favorite colors to wear in summer? Do they carry over to your summer jewelry designs as well?

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading and Friends
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Bead Color Ideas: Wasabi Summer

Have you ever been stumped by beads in your favorite color? I recently treated myself to some lovely bright wasabi green Czech diamond-shaped beads, and have been pondering the perfect palette for them ever since. The beads are gorgeous, with a Picasso finish on the edge, but something about them makes it difficult to find the right colors for an equally gorgeous design. Their size is part of the problem - they are rather chunky - so getting the right balance of color is a challenge.

I tried out a variety of color trios, looking for a combination that was just right. The first color that jumped out was a soft purple-lined crystal in size 6/o. It makes a nice contrast for the lime green, but it needed another solid color to balance with the Picasso finish. To complete Fairy Garden, I added canary yellow 11/o’s for a bright, flowery look.

The wasabi diamonds have a nuttiness to them, thanks to the Picasso finish, so for the second palette I tried some soft, creamy colors that would bring to mind pistachios and Gelato. Here, ceylon cream 8/o seed beads, and lustered turquoise 11/o’s become ice cream’s sophisticated side.

I couldn’t resist taking the wasabi name literally, so for the final palette, I used Sushi as inspiration. For white, I chose opaque crystal AB, which has a beautiful shimmer. Dark transparent emerald both contrasts with the white, and complements the bright green beautifully, drawing everything together.

Have you ever purchased beads for their color, and found them difficult to match?

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading
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Book Spotlight: The Bead Jewelry Book

I think most beaders would consider themselves collectors on some level, considering how much time we spend hunting for unique and versatile beads, sorting and organizing them, and showing them off. But can you imagine collecting beads and keeping them just the way you found them?

Expert bead collector and enthusiast Stefany Tomalin shares her amazing and varied collection of beads and beaded jewelry in this fantastic book filled with histories and facts about our favorite beads. Hundreds of bead types and jewelry styles are showcased through The Bead Jewelry Book, including everything from ancient stones to modern plastics.

This book is a must read for anyone that appreciates or works with beads and jewelry. There are four chapters in all, broken down into subsections that are packed full of fascinating and useful information about the origins of beads and their materials, techniques for making beads, and the history of beads in fashion. Although the text is written from an academic perspective, each chapter also contains instructions for creating wearable jewelry from the beads being discussed.

Stefany begins with natural beads and their qualities, including: seeds and organic matter; shell, pearl, and coral; amber, jet and precious and semi-precious gemstones. Readers will learn about the first uses for these materials as adornment, how and when beads were manufactured, and how to care for new and vintage natural beads.

Other sections cover metal beads, glass, plastic, polymer clay, beaded and decorated beads, and of course seed beads (referred to here as embroidery beads). The Bead Jewelry Bookalso explores modern and traditional jewelry making techniques, jewelry styles, and their place in fashion over the last century. There are also in depth explorations of specific jewelry types, such as collars and pendants. Every chapter is a wealth of information that will appeal to crafters, collectors, and designers alike.

The jewelry projects sprinkled throughout the book are simple enough for a budding crafter to try, but there are very few diagrams to follow. Experienced designers will love the photographs of finished jewelry and vintage designs, which provide plenty of inspiration for boho, tribal, and 1920’s style jewelry. Bead collectors and jewelry upcyclers will appreciate Stefany’s tips on finding and identifying authentic vintage and antique components.

The Bead Jewelry Book is a bit of a relic, from a time before online bead stores and world famous beadweaving magazines. The more traditional perspective makes this book the perfect resource for any beader who wants to get back to basics, or work from the ground up!

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading
Stefany Tomalin and McGraw-Hill
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Nut and Geb Necklace

For my most recent destash project, I wanted to combine several elements from pieces that I’ve enjoyed in the past. The more recent piece of inspiration was a chunky asymmetrical necklace with beaded macramé beads. I had a lot of fun making the beads and putting them all together, and the results were very satisfying.

I also wanted to use up some more of my silver-lined crystal seed beads, since I decided not to complete my quadruple St. Petersburg chain necklace. I started thinking about possible color palettes to use them in, and thought it would be fun to use them like stars, similar to my space lariat from long ago.

These ideas kept rolling forward, picking up other seed bead colors that have been needing a home, until I finally came up with plan to capture the essence of Nut and Geb - the Egyptian deities of earth and sky. In addition to most of the macramé beads left in the destash tray, I also grabbed some blue lined 4/o beads, and a few patterned wood beads to help blend all of the colors together.

This time around, I used two sizes of macramé beads, and a symmetrical pattern with earth in the front, and sky over top. Although I still like the look of the bare wood beneath the seed beads, I almost wish that it was a little darker for the sky beads.

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading
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