Wear It Twice: Peacock Princess

I didn’t have a particular theme in mind while planning this month’s fashion collage. Instead, I went on a search for one sensational necklace - I didn’t have to look far. The first thing that really jumped out at me was a gorgeous fringed collar in a vibrant indigo. The shape and color of the fringe made it perfect for a peacock inspired palette, with teal, purple and gold.

Peacock Princess by Mortira featuring ballerina shoes

Bibs and collar necklaces look best when there is little else to compete with around the neckline, I think. So for the first outfit, I started with a strapless cocktail dress in a dusty teal. Because the necklace has so much texture, I wanted to keep things simple, but I couldn’t resist a Bottega Veneta clutch with frayed woven leather in bright teal. Gold Vera Wang ballet slippers add some shine, and an amethyst cabochon ring gives an extra hint of color.

The second outfit was one of the toughest ever to complete. I finally decided to build around a simple pair of denim jeans to avoid adding too many colors. It was that, or black and gold sequined jeans! A simple teal tank top provides a great base for the necklace, and green leopard print heels with purple trim add plenty of excitement. I topped it all off with a gold headband and pretty gold sequined handbag from Juicy Couture.

Next, I went on the hunt for some similar handmade and vintage pieces with their own unique personality.



I wasn’t ready to put fashion behind me until next month, so I thought it would be fun to share some of the other collages using pieces from “Peacock Princess”. Here are a few of my favorites:

ink by medusa_B featuring leather dresses

Pink Leopard! by Glamlicious19 featuring skinny belts

Polka dot dress! by ~annabu~catching up! featuring vintage inspired jewelry

Take Me To The Future by lplm07 featuring leopard sweaters

One great necklace can really go a long way!

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading and Polyvore.com
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Bead Spotlight: Czech Fire Polish

When it comes to choosing the best beads for the job, longevity is definitely a factor. Glass beads have been made in the Czech Republic since the 17th century, and the technique is pretty well perfected by now. Although there are many unique colors and shapes to choose from, the style that really stands out is the fire polish bead.

These little beauties are faceted and heat polished for a remarkable shine and shimmer. They have the look of expensive crystal beads, but are much more affordable, even though each batch is still made by hand. And, like any great bead, the color selection is to die for!

Most projects that call for fire polish beads refer to the round style, which can usually be found at most well stocked bead shops and suppliers. There are also barrels, bicones, cubes, drops, ovals, and even cathedral beads, with a unique boxy shape.

Fire polish beads are a little more forgiving on threads, so they are perfect for bead weaving techniques where larger beads can be incorporated. They look great in between rows of St. Petersburg chain, as accents in cascades and multi-strand designs, and can even be worked into spiral ropes.

If you have a few fire polish beads in your stash that you’d like to use up, here are some fun projects to try:

Embellished Right Angle Weave Bracelet, from the Auntie's Beads video library
Green with Envy Multistrand Necklace, from Fire Mountain Gems
Chinese New Year Earrings, from Ben Franklin Crafts

Happy beading!

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
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A Bracelet a Week: My Valentine

I have quite a few new goals for myself this year, and one of them is to stay ahead of the seasons with my jewelry designs. So, even though I’m not a chocolates and teddy bear type of gal, I’m thinking Valentine’s Day already.

This week’s bracelet started with a bit of a guilty pleasure - red velvet Chinese crystal rondelles. One of last year’s resolutions was to stick to buying beads from North America and Europe - with the exception of artisan lampwork and fair trade beads. My stash of accents has gotten considerably smaller - except for druks, which I am now hoarding like a squirrel!

When I discovered two strands of these rondelles in a grab bag from Auntie’s Beads, I had a moment of doubt. Words cannot describe the gorgeous color of these crystals. They’re bright and vibrant, with a deep inner glow. I see them and think of fresh, cold raspberry juice on a hot day. When combined with white ceylon, the red color becomes even more intense.

This bracelet reminds me so much of those classic valentines with the paper lace trim. Plus it was a lot of fun to make. It’s always a surprise to see right angle weave work up so quickly when you switch to large beads. I have a feeling I’ll be taking a lot more notice of my 6/o stash over the coming weeks.

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
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A Flicker of Inspiration: Ancient Egypt

I recently retook photographs of my Princess Nefertiti collar, and it reminded me just how much I love the Ancient Egyptian aesthetic. The Pharaohs - and their royal artisans - had an amazing gift for combining gold with colored gemstones, and the shapes and lines are so enchanting. Not to mention some of the beautiful mythologies and intriguing pantheon of gods and goddesses.

The interesting thing about the use of color in Ancient Egyptian art, is that most combinations were chosen for their spiritual significance, and not for their overall appearance. Symbolism was an important part of the design process.

Today I did some browsing through photographs of Egyptian artifacts and landmarks. Sadly, many of the unique pieces I found were photographed in museums far from their homeland. The Egpytian Supreme Council of Antiquities is constantly negotiating the return of many important artifacts, including the bust of Nefertiti.

Perhaps these images will inspire some enchanting beadwork!

1. Das Auge des Horus - The eye of the Horus, 2. Nefertiti, 3. tutankhamun, 4. Tutankhamun 2010,
5. Wadjet, 6. DSC_0604, 7. Egyptian_Statues_IMG_0763, 8. Egyptian pyramids,
9. Egypt-9B-020 - Amenhotep II, 10. Egypt,
11. Egypt Adventure your key to Egypt, 12. egypt, 13. Egypt

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading and BigHugeLabs.com
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Inspired Beader: Averilpam Design

Being able to create your own beads and components for jewelry making adds a whole new element to handmade designs. The beading bead maker isn’t limited by the selection of ready-made materials - though it’s a pretty big selection - but can create with an extra level of imagination and inspiration.

At Averilpam, polymer clay artist Pam mixes her handmade beads with jewelry techniques for truly one of a kind designs.

Inspirational Beading: How did you first get into bead making?

Pam: I've been making jewellery for a couple of years and started to notice polymer clay jewellery in other shops, blogs etc. I really liked the look of it and started to look at books, then decided to jump in the deep end.

I bought a couple of books and researched some online tutorials, then bought myself a pasta machine and lots of clay and started to play! My main motivation was to make jewellery that was more original and not just with the same beads that lots of other makers could buy.

Inspirational Beading: Do you remember your first project? Where is it today?

Pam: I started off with a very simple jellyroll cane in turquoise and yellow which I reduced and sliced up into little beads. My first blog post was about making them: New Ideas. I sent the beads to my granddaughter in the USA. She loved them, but I don't think she made anything with them!

Inspirational Beading: Where do you like to look for new inspiration?

Pam: I'm not sure how to answer this as I don't use anything obvious for inspiration, taking it mostly from the materials I use. I do get inspired when I look through books and see other artists' work. I never copy but may get ideas for colour combinations, techniques etc.

I make a lot of canes from the techniques I learn, then see where they take me! I do have quite a few beads I've made but when I came to make something up with them the idea I had doesn't look as good as I'd hoped, so they are bagged up and sit waiting for inspiration to hit - or I may decide to just sell the beads.

Inspirational Beading: Do you have a favorite clay to work with?

Pam: No not really. I've more discovered what I don't like working with.

If clay is too hard I have trouble conditioning it even with a pasta machine - you have to get the clay softened up a bit before you can put it through the machine. My hands are pretty weak and I had to discard some Kato clay as it was crumbling up as I cut it.

I do really like Cernit's nature range, it is a lovely stone effect in several colours including a beautiful terracotta.

Inspirational Beading: What is your favorite color or color combo?

Pam: My favourites keep changing! I love black and white, and love metallics, especially copper. Colours I love at the moment are pinks and purples.

Inspirational Beading: Who would you like to inspire with your work?

Pam: I am very proud and pleased to have inspired my granddaughter (she's now 10).

Both my grandchildren took to playing with the polymer clay on my last visit and Emily showed wonderful ability to make mini sculptures. She created a range of little aliens - all shapes and colours, very inventive. I'd like to hope she'll continue with it.

Other than that I'd be delighted if I could inspire anyone to try something new and get pleasure from it.

More About Pam:

I have always been creative and loved to make things. I worked full or part time until 5 years ago when I retired, and since then have been able to concentrate on my creative efforts.

My given names are Averil Pamela though I've always been called Pam. I chose Averilpam for a username when I first went online and this seemed the ideal business name when I set up shop.

To begin with I sold handwoven scarves I made from my homespun wool and alpaca. I still sell some now and spinning remains one of my passions. I also make bags but since I discovered polymer clay it has become something of an obsession and scarves and bags have fallen by the wayside for now.

I live in Lancaster in the north west of England. As I now have chronic health problems I spend a lot of time at home so selling online is ideal for me. I enjoy my garden and feed the birds, and am fortunate there is a canal in close walking distance where I go to feed the ducks and take photos.

To see more unique creations, visit Averilpam on ArtFire and Folksy. You can also catch up with Pam’s latest inspirations on her blog, Averilpam, and on Facebook, or browse a gallery of her designs on Flickr.

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading and Averilpam Design
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