The Long Overdue Update

Greetings 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 I always assume that they won’t happen again. I never see them coming. When things were really rolling here on the blog, I was working up to posting nearly every day, and I was really happy with the content. I’d never had so many ideas at once. Things were going great. And then I got sick, and took a few days off, and just never got back on track. There were days when I felt really guilty about having nothing to share, but there were also many days when I just really enjoyed not being tethered to my workspace.

The Oatmeal recently published a comic called Creativity is Like Breathing that explains the creative process really well. Nails it, in fact. If you aren’t familiar with The Oatmeal, please note that the comics are almost always Not Safe For Work. To summarize this one: creating things is like exhaling, and doing it too much can be hazardous. I was exhaling a lot, and it burnt me out so completely that I couldn’t even bring myself to log in to Facebook or compose a farewell Tweet. I checked my emails almost every day, in the same way that one checks on children periodically to make sure that they’re not about to stick something into the light socket. Other than that, I’ve been completely unplugged.

Over that last few weeks I’ve been waiting for inspiration to happen, for something to spark the kindling that makes me want to play with beads, make things, and/or write about it. There were little motes of inspiration here and there: watching Bob Ross on Netflix made me think about making things; I needed something to do while sitting at my laptop binging on Orange is the New Black, so I started a new medallion with my bead helper, and put a few stitches on the coconut dagger necklace. Unfortunately, none of it has started a fire. I don’t even carry my creative journal with my anymore. I’ve mostly just been reading, filling myself up with new words and waiting for beads to be exciting again.

I don’t have a definite plan, but things are going to be very light here on Inspirational Beading over the summer. I don’t have as much free time as I did when I started the schedule that went so far off the rails, so it will be baby steps from here on. It would be a mistake to force the ideas - I want to be sure that what I do post is really good, and not just whatever I had the energy to pull together. I promise that when inspiration strikes, you will be the first to know!

Mortira

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Work in Progress: Lazy Collar

It 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 challenge, but I did manage to get one started for this week.

I really want to take things slow and get back to something resembling my old routine a bit at a time. For this week’s collar I’m going with a super simple design in some favorite colors. I have been saving the Autumn Tucson Gold for an upcoming peyote stitch tutorial, but I think I can spare enough to make this quick collar.

What have you been making lately?

Mortira

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Mini Collar a Week: Blues and Greens

Last 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 more difficult than it would seem from the simplicity of the piece. I wanted to use an as-yet uncut strand of glass drops, but I also didn’t want to use all of them up in a single necklace. At the same time, I wanted to make sure that their presence in the piece would be worthwhile, so it was important to use them well. It was also important not to repeat the focal design that I’d used for the previous two collars, so it took some time to decide exactly how to balance out the drops. Although there isn’t a lot of complicated pattern work in this collar, it showcases the drops very well, and has just enough color to be interesting. I’m really pleased with how it turned out.

I haven’t begun to work on the new collar design just yet. I did want to work on something without drops for a change of pace, so I’ll have to spend some time with my beads and see what happens. Cleaning up my workspace, which has been accumulating bead packets for a while now should prove inspiring!

Mortira

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Work in Progress: Satisfactory Necklaces

My 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 going to have to try something a little more exciting. So far I’ve tried to choose accents and build patterns on a whim, just to see what will happen, but I think a little more planning is in order for the next project.

I’m also nearly finished with the blue dagger necklace, at last. I have a whole bunch of tutorial projects lined up for my days off, so I’m not entirely sure if I’ll be able to finally finish this necklace before another week begins, but I’m certainly going to try. I have a feeling that it’s going to turn out great. Because the daggers have a curved shape, they don’t drape in a uniform way; I would have preferred a more even look, but in the end I think it will look great anyway. Only a few more hours of work and I’ll know for sure.

What are you working on at the moment?

Mortira

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Book Spotlight: Convertible Crystal Jewelry

One 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 Swarovski Elements Ambassador Diane Whiting offers a beautiful selection of adjustable, mix-and-matchable projects for beaders of every skill level. Each one features gorgeous crystals and new ideas on how to make the most out of your beads.

There are 25 projects in all, each one using a mix of components and techniques to help you build and test your skills. There are designs for stringing, knotting, wirework, ladder stitch, peyote stitch, and so much more – each one more inspiring than the last. Diane’s projects make great use of the crystals and other components to create beautiful, versatile jewelry. There are beaded focals to wear with your favorite necklace base, necklaces that can become bracelets, tassels that can go anywhere, and two-tone bracelets that you can flip to match your mood. Many of the projects are created with ingenious techniques that spark so much inspiration, such as layering pairs of crystal flatbacks to make two-tone rivolis!

After a quick overview of materials, the projects begin, starting with a super easy lark’s head necklace for showcasing your favorite big-hole beads and Swarovski Elements fancy stone pendants. The difficultly increases as you go - the final projects feature more advanced techniques like beaded bezels and tubular right angle weave. Each project includes a materials list and step-by-step instructions with clear photographs to guide you through the design. There are also tips for adding even more variation to your finished piece, including ways to mix and match components from other projects to create something totally new. My favorite design is the Tila for Two x Two reversible cuff that looks gorgeously slinky and fun to weave.

If you’re looking for ways to revitalize your jewelry stash, Convertible Crystal Jewelryis sure to provide lots of inspirations. Many of the projects can even be converted to dress up your existing pieces and make them new again.

Happy beading!

Mortira

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Copyright 2016 Inspirational Beading, Kalmbach Books and Diane Whiting

Inspirational Beading has not received compensation for reviewing this title, however, actions you take from this post can result in a commission for Inspirational Beading.