Pantone Spring Colors

Before the holidays I mixed up these colors inspired by Pantone's Spring 2015 picks. I always find their palette inspiring. 

I finally made some time this week to make beads with these colors. 

For this collection I pulled the custard yellow, classic blue, strawberry ice, toasted almond, lucite green, glacier gray and tiny touches of tangerine. The looks so fresh and happy! 

My inspirations were lace patterns, butterfly wings, entwined vines and birds, lots and lots of birds. 

I find as soon as the world turns winter white and gray I am ravenous for color. Thankfully my bead table is quite the color feast!

So which spring hues are you digging? 

For the Love of Color

It's all about the color, color, color! Loving playing with color palettes each morning before I start working on bead orders. It's been so much fun to go crazy with mixing colors. I'm squirreling away beads for Bead & Button but also putting some in my shop for those who won't be able to attend the show.  

I may have to make a set of these for myself.  Wouldn't a little family of birds make a fun necklace or bracelet?

Inspired by my Totem Earrings last week I made a few sets of tiny disk beads that would be fun to stack together in an earring design.  These are also cute paired with charms for fast and easy earrings.

Yes, these were definitely inspired by my latest island visits on the Bead Cruise! Loving these bright, tropical colors!

You can find the new beads in my Etsy shop.  If you loving all these posts on color and would like to learn my tricks for color mixing and making beads check out my upcoming workshop.

Willam Morris Beads

You know when an artist just speaks your language?  Their images just make your soul sing?  Designer William Morris speaks my language - loud and clear.  Mr. Morris was a textile designer who was part of the Arts & Crafts Movement which celebrated the marriage of nature, design and the handmade. The Arts and Crafts Movement was from the 1860s-1910's.

"It stood for traditional craftsmanship using simple forms and often applied medieval, romantic or folk styles of decoration." - Wikipedia

That my kind of movement!   Inpsired by William Morris' designs and colors I created three sets of pendants and beads in a few of my favorite styles.

Above is Honeysuckle.  Oh my gosh, I loved tasting honeysuckle as a kid and every time I smell those sweet blossoms it takes me right back to my childhood.

This set is called Willow Bough inspired by the branches of a Weeping Willow tree.  I love, love this design. Jess made me the most spectacular jewelry box with the pattern on the front of it.  It's definitely near and dear to my heart.

And the last design is called Windrush.  I've seen it in several colorways over the years but decided to go with a blue/teal monochromatic design.

You can find these in my Etsy shop.  I only have a few sets available now. These are some of the new styles I will have at Bead & Button this year as I'm working on a series of Art Inspired beads.  Which ones are your favorite?

Two New Projects

Here in Michigan the first color you see in the spring is yellow.  Long before the green takes over the world, it's the yellow flowers that start blooming in the chilly days of March and April that let us know nature is ready to come back to life. That's what I wanted to capture in this jewelry design, just the hint of spring at the end of winter. 

I created two new free projects using some of my new folk inspired beads. You can find the instructions to print out or view online for the bracelet here and the earrings here.

My inspiration for this series of beads was this sweet embroidered textile that I ran across on Pinterest. I have a fun board of Folk Art textiles that have captured my imagination this winter. I need the color!

Winter Whites

I was inspired this month to work up some Art Deco inspired gingkos and a necklace fit for a roaring 20's flapper.  Boy did they have amazing style back in the day.  We are having a 1920's costume party on the Bead Cruise in a few months, so I'm sure you'll see several designs influenced by this time period as I work up something to wear.  I pulled in some muted colors to accent my shabby chic white gingko leaf.  The Czech glass in teal and bronze are accented by a ceramic bead from Gaea.  I love the little touches of sparkle the faceted brass beads add to the beaded links.  I'm so glad I bought several strands of those at the last show!  Although now I wish I had bought them in bulk.  You can never buy too many of favorite beads. 

Here is a close up of the gingko leaf.  I've wanted to make one forever, I don't know what it took so long.  These were first created for the December Bead of the Month Club. 

These beaded links are so fun and easy to make.  Cut 10" of 22 gauge brass wire, fold it in half and create a wrapped loop in the center of the wire.  String on the peanut seed beads on both sides and them create a wrapped loop with one wire and then wrap the other wire around the bottom of the loop.  Trim of the excess wire and tuck in the edges.  

I created these earrings to match the necklace but they are flying off to a good home now!  I used tiny pewter beads from Green Girl Studio with my Birch disk beads.  

 

Chicory

Chicory is a wildflowers that is probably one of the most common weeds along the roads and wooded areas here in Michigan.  I love seeing a little field of these tiny blue flowers. I made these pendants for last month's Bead of the Month club as my farewell to summer.  Although their abstract design and earthy hues will look great for fall too.  Below you can see how I would mix it up with bold graphic prints and designs - it's a nice juxtaposition for the delicate petals.

“For myself I hold no preferences among flowers, so long as they are wild, free, spontaneous." -Edward Abbey

Autumn Abstract by humblebeads

Swept Away

Inspired by the print on the dress in the painting 'Boreas' by John William Waterhouse. I was drawn to the design on the dress in this artwork and found myself sketching it several times while I let this inspiration sink into my heart. I wanted to create a pendant that captured the wind-blown and carefree spirit of the painting.

Some painting just make me sigh.  They pick at things deep in my brain and whisper things to my heart.  Once upon a time I would conjure up words like aesthetic experiences and the sublime - art touches my soul in such a spiritual way.  It's never just a pretty picture on a wall or more likely, on my computer screen.  I take in those pieces of artwork, I see the artist's touch, search for their message, find beauty that makes me want more than what the everyday and ordinary present us.  

I get swept away.  

I hope in some way, my love of artwork translates into my beads and jewelry.  That in some way that euphoria that catches me up in a painting finds its way into inspiring you when you create with my beads.

And just like an artist, I love creating in collections and exploring a series and theme to round out my body of work. I felt like purple would be a great variation of this pendant and I have a traditional red poppy that is waiting a little more paint.  I was also considering doing a peach color.  I don't know why but navy blue, dusty purple and peach/melon always appeal to me. Throw in rustic wood beads or smoky quartz faceted beads, some chain and sari ribbon and I'm feeling like my inner boho chic is ready to go.

If these speak to you, you can find them in my Etsy shop.