Success and Necklace Thirty

I can hardly believe that November is really ending, and I didn’t miss a single necklace! It’s so exciting to be presenting the final design in my Necklace A Day challenge.

There were many times when I thought that I was going to fall too far behind to finish. I had to get used to the idea of blogging in the afternoons instead of first thing in the morning, so that I could stay caught up on projects and photographs.

Of the 30 different necklace ideas that I jotted down back in October, only six of them had to be bumped. Most of them I declined making because they were just too complex to make in a short period of time. I had so much fun trying out simple designs, like Y pendants, to stay on track.

I finished off my Ring A Day challenge with a rainbow palette, so I thought it would be fun to make it a tradition! For today’s necklace, I wanted to make a rainbow of beaded flower beads, but I didn’t have enough 6mm rounds in the same style to make them look consistent. I don’t mind having different seed bead finishes in one piece, but I didn’t want to combine flowers with druk and fire polish centers.

Then I remembered that I still had most of a packet of black and white druks, and inspiration struck! I created nine different colored flowers with black and white middles, and strung them with more druks, black seed beads, and translucent white pinch bicones.

This design challenge was a lot of work, but it was totally worth it. I’ve been able to try out so many techniques and materials, and finish projects that have been on my to-do list for a long time.

To share the joy of this journey's end, I’m trying out the coupon codes at ArtFire, and having a celebration sale. All of the designs I created this month - minus the two I kept for myself - are 15% off. And, to say thank you to all of my readers for sharing this journey with me - and my subscribers who stuck it out through the steady stream of posts - all of my tutorials are on sale, too! Buy any tutorial, and get a second project of equal or lesser value from the same category free!

And now, back to our regularly scheduled program…

Copyright 2010 Inspirational Beading and BigHugeLabs.com

Bead Wish List: Primary Colors

Have you ever wondered why most colored Christmas lights come in strings of red, yellow, green and blue? Red and green are obvious of course, and yellow could represent gold. Those three together make a cheerful holiday palette.

Blue can be a holiday color, when paired with white, or metallics like silver and gold. But when red, yellow, green and blue are together at the same time, it doesn’t usually give a Christmas vibe - until they’re all lit up and dancing around the branches of an evergreen tree.

For today’s bead wish list, I went on a hunt for some deliciously colorful beads with primary color combinations. They might not be festive, but they are gorgeous!

Fire Designs Hand Blown Glass VIBRANT Mix
from ArtBeads.com



Handmade Lampwork Rainbow Disk Beads
by Linden Avenue Designs



Multicolor Molded Kancamba Trade Beads
from Rings & Things



Colorful Czech Glass Bead Mixture
from BeadsDirect



Gypsy Swarovski Elements Crystal Mix
from FusionBeads.com



Millefiori Glass Bead Chips
from Fire Mountain Gems



Murano Style Glass Donut in Blue
from AuntiesBeads.com



Wild Night Out Lampwork Bicone Focal
by Burning Scentsations

Today’s necklace design started with another fantastic creation from Burning Scentsations. I’m very fond of tree silhouettes, and as soon as I saw this focal bead, with it’s combination of blue and chartreuse, I had to have it.

I love the weight and texture of a handmade lampwork bead. I wanted to do something really special with this one, without overshadowing it with lots of elaborate beadwork. I hoped to mimic the colors and shapes, while enhancing the slightly aquatic, or oceanic quality of the design.

Along with cobalt and chartreuse seed beads, I used mother of pearl chips and black-flecked aqua fire polish beads to bring out the beachiness. Black magatamas add a little texture within the coralled leaf fringe.

If you have time to take a closer look at any of the beads in today’s wish list, I highly recommend taking a stroll through Burning Scentsations. The beads are exquisite, and the customer service is extraordinary. Plus, there’s nothing like a one-of-a-kind focal to inspire a wonderful necklace!

Copyright 2010 Inspirational Beading and Guests

Collections: Christmas Baking

Last week I asked readers to share their ultimate beaded Christmas treat ideas, for a chance to win a copy of my newest beading tutorial - beaded strawberries.

The winner is RuxyPixy, who chose either chocolate Santas, or cozonac - a traditional Romanian bread. Though the name might not ring a bell, most of us are probably familiar with at least one Christmas treat similar to cozonac. It’s a little like banana bread or fruitcake, and reminds me a lot of Oliebollen - Dutch dumplings with raisins or dried fruit.

With a craving for holiday baking, I went on a treasure hunt to find some delicious, fragrant and downright yummy handmade creations. Here’s what I found:

One of my all-time favorite holiday goodies is actually a newer addition to my must-have Christmas fare. A very good friend makes the most delicious, creamy pistachio cake with pudding and an almond crust. It’s so delicious, I could eat a whole pan. In fact, I once ate an entire cake to myself over the days between Christmas and New Year's.

So, for today’s necklace, I tried to recreate that sweet and nutty goodness. I used an assortment of pale, dusty green beads - shell coins, druks and seed beads. For a little color I added some antique brass Swarovksi pearls, then finished the palette with ivory 8/o seed beads and crystal AB fire polish rounds. I’d say it looks good enough to eat!

Copyright 2010 Inspirational Beading

A Necklace a Day - Twenty Seven

Sometimes it’s fun to throw caution to the wind, and use color palettes that are way out of our comfort zones. If we’re lucky, we can create something amazing, but we always learn a thing or two about our ability to play with color.

Today’s necklace started with a pretty dichroic glass pendant in orange, green and light blue. With the black background, choosing a palette to compliment the pendant wasn’t that easy. For every option, there was a 50/50 chance that it would go horribly wrong.

In the end, I decided to try and mimic the colors of the pendant exactly. Luckily, I had just the right seed beads to do it. I started with 8/o seed beads in chartreuse and light blue, then added some in hematite. I wanted to add another layer of even deeper black, so I also grabbed some matte 8/o hexes. For orange, I picked 11/o seed beads in luminous sherbet.

Instead of making a beaded bail for the pendant, I stitched it to a V-shaped St. Petersburg chain. I think the color and bead combinations turned out great. Although the beads don’t match exactly, the beadwork sort of contrasts with the pendant in an interesting way. One seems very industrial, the other more mystical. And now I feel a little more acquainted with color than I was before.

Copyright 2010 Inspirational Beading

A Necklace a Day - Twenty Six

The necklace I was going to share today has been postponed. It was nearly finished when I noticed a huge stitching error that could not be ignored. And since I didn’t have enough time to take it apart and start over, I had to come up with a new design and fast!

I already had a purple tagua slice on deck for later. It’s the last color in my stash of tagua and all I needed was a palette to use it with.

I really like orange and purple together, almost as much as I like stretching combinations to the far edges of the color wheel. Something told me to pair the bright purple up with rich browns, and I’m glad I listened!

I pulled some purple fire polish, vintage beads in dark topaz, some caramel seed beads and fuchsia 8/o‘s for accents. I wanted to start by making a bail for the pendant, and this is where my luck came back to me. It wasn’t until I sat down to start stitching that I noticed how big the hole in the pendant was - too big even for a 6/o seed bead to cover.

So I mentally scanned my stash, trying to come up with a suitable cover or cap. I remembered my slowly dwindling collection of mother of pearl chips - many of which are wide and flat. I picked out two pieces that were just right and got to work.

I incorporated more mother of pearl into the design, and ended up with a great seaside piece. I love how it has a great ocean vibe without a hint of blue or green. Now to fix my blundered necklace!

Copyright 2010 Inspirational Beading