Work in Progress: Daggers and Spirals

Greetings, beaders! I hope that you've had a fantastic transition into fall. I am still struggling with finding the right work-life balance, and fitting creative time in where I can. Things seemed to be going smoothly for awhile: I had some projects lined up that I was really excited about and the first one turned out great. I was working on a new spiral rope lariat with lots of different daisy patterns, and I decided to go ahead and make a second one, thinking that since I was on a roll, I might as well keep going. This was a huge mistake. I got bored with the new rope pretty quickly, and then a string of graveyard shifts threw off my whole routine and I never got around to finishing it.

I picked up a new project a few weeks ago, and found myself something new to binge-watch while I worked on it. It took some time to decide what kind of project I could really fall into, when I remembered that I had some new peacock daggers to use. Not only is black with silver polka-dots an easy finish to work with, but the size and shape of the daggers are perfect for a wide-net collar. Rather than come up with a whole new project, I recreated my last successful dagger collar and had a pretty good time with the simple pattern. The colors are pretty similar to the previous design as well, although I had a little fun adding a hint of purplish cobalt iris.

I still haven't made or added a button to the new collar. A few late nights working on Hallowe'en costume elements derailed my beading plans yet again, but I'm determined to get back on the horse and hopefully have some nice winter projects to keep me occupied. I know that if I can get back into the zone with making again, more writing will follow as well. A little extra inspiration is all I need to come up with some new tutorial ideas for you!

What kinds of projects have you been working on?

Mortira

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Copyright 2016 Inspirational Beading

Mini Collar a Week: Black Lotus

This week’s mini collar was a bit of a whim. When I opened my tray of daggers and drop beads to plan the next design in the challenge, I was once again a bit overwhelmed by how many choices I have. Although I have months to work through and try them all, deciding each week where to go next isn’t always that easy. Eventually my gaze fell on the last 5 jet black daggers from a strand that I picked up ages ago, and I thought it would be nice to finally finish them off and remove one entire option from the list.

Choosing colors to go with the daggers wasn’t easy either. Whenever possible I want to stick to Egyptian palettes, while also trying out new patterns in the chevron chain. Although I wasn’t sure how well the finishes would mix at first, I finally settled on opaque slate blue and dark cream Ceylon to get a faience and alabaster look. For pattern I went with some simple blocks of color to get a horizontal stripe effect.

For next week’s collar I’m going to try out a recent bead color trio, and then perhaps it’s time to go for some smaller accents like my teal magatamas.

Mortira

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Work in Progress: Many Daggers

This week my bead tray looks like all kinds of progress. I’m about an hour away from completing a new mini collar for the challenge, incorporating the last 5 jet black daggers from a strand that has been serving me for some time now. It will be sad to see them go, but also nice to finally finish off the strand and not have them floating around any longer. I was also able to get a few more fringes in on the tropical necklace. The coconut daggers seem to fit into the design quite nicely. I’m not going to call it a success until both sides are complete and I see how it all looks with a symmetrical drape, but so far things look very promising.

Meanwhile, there’s only a little bit more work to go on the new Peyote Stitch Master Class project. There have been a few mishaps along the way and I had to do some of the work over again, but I’m sure that we’ll have this lesson wrapped up on time.

What are you making this week?

Mortira

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Work in Progress: Tropical Coconut

This week I’m finally going to use some of my blue coconut daggers. Probably.

I had a great idea for incorporating them into a scalloped St. Petersburg chain necklace. I’m not entirely certain that the shape of the daggers will work with the stitch, but I won’t know until I’m more than halfway finished with the design. Fingers crossed! Even if it doesn’t work out, I needed to revisit the design again anyway because I’m hoping to create a PDF tutorial for it later this year.

I’m also working on this week’s mini collar. I’ll leave all of the details for Saturday, but it is going really well so far. Although I’m only two projects in, I’m still very happy with how well the challenge turning out. I’ve got so much inspiration for my tray of drops and daggers now that I’m on a mission to use them.

What are you making this week?

Mortira

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Bead Color Ideas: Blue Coconut Redux

For this week’s bead palette ideas, I wanted to try out some seed bead colors to go with accents that have been languishing in my stash. The first thing that came to mind before I even had a good look through my bead trays was about half a strand of blue coconut daggers. I haven’t used these beads since the start of the Egyptian Gods challenge, and I think it’s time to find a new inspiration for them. As I was snapping photographs of the colors that I chose, I started to get the sense of déjà vu. Sure enough, when I looked back at old color ideas, I discovered that I had already tried out some palettes for blue coconut way back in 2012. I think 3 ½ years is plenty of time on the sidelines. I’m determined to use more of these daggers this year.

The first two palettes that I picked out actually got swapped around when I sat down in my photo spot. I had pulled out yellow and green at first, but ended up replacing the green with black to make Banana Boat. The contrast of blue and yellow is always great for a tropical theme, and these dagger beads really want to be tropical. The addition of jet black makes the combo even more dramatic. I could see this trio in a statement necklace, perhaps with Dutch spiral or some really big beaded beads.

I took the rejected lime green and added bone white for the next palette. The pale neutral is a nice counter to the bright blue and green, giving the entire palette a cool feeling. Once again the shape of the coconut gives the trio a tropical vibe that works really well with a fresh green and sandy white. Shade Palm would make a great palette for something netted – perhaps a freeform bracelet or an elaborate lariat.

For the final palette I wanted to try something really new, and looked for a blue that was a close match for the daggers. Aqua white-hearts were the best for the job, and have the added bonus of looking right at home with the organic coconut shapes. The final color I chose is matte mustard. It’s part neutral and part contrast for the blues, which take on a bit of an underwater look together. Golden Urchin definitely wants to be fringed. I can see this palette as a great pair of earrings or a cascade necklace.

What’s the most hoard-worthy item in your bead stash right now?

Mortira

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Copyright 2016 Inspirational Beading

Operation Inspiration: Phase Two

For the past week or so I’ve been picking away at getting back into beading with one of my favorite recharge methods, and I didn’t even have to clean up first!

Once it occurred to me that putting a stopper on the herringbone collar project I was (not) working on would help get me inspired again, I realized that it would be the perfect place to start a new ugly necklace. I took out my box of UfO’s and selected a few choice scraps of beadwork, then opened a few packets of beads that I had been planning to put away last week. I’m going to stitch all of these elements together any which way and use the free-for-all as a way to find my creative groove again.

I had been planning to make another Unfinished Object purge necklace at some point this year, and now is as good a time as any. Beading without any rules - not just freeform but totally without attention to style or form - is so liberating and has never failed to give me a cleansed feeling in the creative sense. It’s also giving me an opportunity to try out some unusual beads that have had me stumped for months.

The center drilled coconut daggers have been on my mind a lot lately, but I just couldn’t come up with a good design to use them in. By adding them to this completely crazy necklace, I can use them in ways that I wouldn’t dare to otherwise, and get a feel for what they can and can’t do. I’m also incorporating some assorted leftovers and some really fun beadwork scraps from the past couple of years. I can’t wait to see how this piece turns out!

I’m hoping to have this ugly necklace complete in the next few days, so that I can be ready to work on normal projects again by the time Orange is the New Black hits Netflix. A great series always helps to keep me in my seat and beading away, since I can’t stand to watch movies or shows alone and not have something for my hands to do.

The final phase of Operation Inspiration all depends on my bead budget, but will probably be the most effective overall. Then things will really get rolling again!

How do you like to deal with stale or unfinished projects?

Copyright 2015 Inspirational Beading
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Work in Progress: Dragonfly Collar

This week I’m jumping right into a new collar using my caramel Picasso daggers. I knew right away that I wanted to pair them with some gorgeous dragonfly blue seed beads, so making a palette was easy. I also added some white-lined black diamond seed beads to my stash recently, and they seemed like the perfect way to top off the palette.

Rather than complicate things with a lot of layers and varying accent beads, I stuck with just two rows of color and rootbeer AB 8/o’s between each net. I was thinking of using some yellow white-hearts between daggers on the outer edge, but thought better of it at the last minute.

This collar should whip-up pretty quickly, and I’ve already got a follow-up project in mind using some very old beads from my stash and possibly a new Czech button. I've also got a little toggle clasp on deck for an upcoming tutorial.

What are you making this week?

Copyright 2015 Inspirational Beading
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January Bead Stash Favorites

Over the past several months I’ve accumulated a lot of new beads. Many pieces are left over from my secret project, while others simply tagged along with my stock up orders and were forgotten in the mix. My mission for 2015 is to make my way through all of the amazing accent beads in my stash and see what they can do. This month I’ve got my eye on some really fun pieces.

I’m a huge fan of carved bone beads in almost any style, but these dyed tubes are definitely among my favorite. A while back I added a strand in crimson to my supplies, but haven’t had much of a chance to play with them. I’m thinking of a few different projects for this, including fringe and multi-strand. The color is just right for Egyptian designs, and looks amazing against turquoise.

I might be able to combine my new bone tubes with these gorgeous turquoise Picasso teardrops. In 6x9mm, the size is very full – one could almost say plump. The Picasso finish is very enticing, of course, and the color is ideal for just about anything. I’m thinking these might make a great collar fringe, although there are only enough for one project. This ignites the hoarder in me that wants to hold onto them until the time is just right. I'm going to challenge myself to just jump in and use them up.

Picasso has been on my mind a lot lately, and my final favorite this month keeps with the theme. I just recently picked up a strand of these delicate caramel daggers and I can’t wait to see them in action. There are definitely enough for a collar, plus at least one more project. I’m not going to worry about waiting for just the right inspiration to strike. All I need is a great palette of seed beads to back them up.

What materials are you working with right now?

Copyright 2015 Inspirational Beading
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Work in Progress: Nile Collar

This week I’ve been working on a new Egyptian Gods design for Thoth, the ibis god of scribes. It’s been slow going, since the design I chose requires a lot of prep-work. I had planned to save this idea for the next challenge, but I couldn’t resist giving it a try, especially with all of the potential it has for lots of stripes. I've been eager to turn my wavy square stitch bracelet into a necklace for ages, and this seemed like the perfect time to try - especially since many of the other pieces I'll be ending the challenge with will be ropes. I wanted a collar that was totally new.

I hadn’t planned on using any accent beads, but right at the last minute I decided to add some lovely blue daggers. I needed to add extra shapes somehow, to give the finished collar a look worthy of an ibis-headed god. I’m also not sure if I’ll stick entirely to my original palette. I’m waiting to see what the beads tell me to do.

Tefnut’s necklace turned out great. I had a hard time choosing just a few accents from all of the great possibilities, so I ended up using them all.

What are you working on this week?

Copyright 2014 Inspirational Beading
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Bead Color Ideas: Coconut Trios

Often beads that look irresistible on the strand can be a bit vexing once they’re in the studio. One way to find the right way to use them is to play with color combinations until inspiration strikes. For this month’s color trios, I decided to search for ideas that would help me put some gorgeous coconut daggers to good use.

The organic appeal of natural beads always keeps me coming back for more, and when I spotted some lovely coconut wood chips at Happy Mango Beads, I just had to have them. Because they’re center-drilled, the perfect method for using them isn’t immediately apparent - apart from some lovely fringe, of course.

I started my color experiment with some earthy colors to compliment the natural beige of the coconut shell. Opaque lime green 8/os add a dash of freshness that could represent spiny cacti or rustling Grass Skirts. The organic swirls and warm tones of brown mix druks perfectly compliment the daggers.

Continuing with a tropical theme, I returned to one of my favorite palettes for cheerful beadwork: Pina Colada. Opaque dark yellow and light blue make a great pair, and the addition of the coconut beads gives them a more authentic look. I can see this trio making a wonderful embellished spiral rope.

The final palette creates a bold background for these unusual beads. Black Forest Flake started with some cherry red white-hearts, which looked fabulous with the coconut at first. The trouble was finding a third color that didn’t clash with either. Playing it safe, I went with shiny jet black, but some green white-hearts would make a great festive palette.

What’s your favorite natural bead? How do you like to use them?

Copyright 2013 Inspirational Beading
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