Tomorrow I’ll be heading into the sixth month of this year’s beading challenge, which seems like a great time to take stock and get a look at what’s ahead. So far things have gone more than smoothly ...
Have you ever had a finished project turn out even better than you had hoped? For my most recent destash piece, I wanted to tackle the huge amount of transparent crystal bugle beads in my stash. As u...
The results are in, and the winner of our gold and turquoise bead soup giveaway is Kashmira of Sandafulee…always in bloom! Congratulations to Kashmira, and thank you so much to everyone who joined in...
The sun is out, the trees are lush with leaves, and bright color is everywhere. Must be summer! Here are some new lampwork bead and fashion ideas to get you thinking of long days and warm nights!At t...
I have the prettiest bead soup to giveaway this weekend! These are some of my favorite acrylic pieces in my collection of “Egyptian” beads. There are several wonderful shades and finishes of faux gol...
With Father’s Day right around the corner, many beaders are taking on the challenge of designing jewelry for men - and what a challenge it can be. Although jewelry for guys becomes more and more popu...
I am quickly running out of focal beads from my destash supplies, with the exception of a few pieces that just haven’t called out yet. I was really pleased to be able to tackle nearly half of my rivo...
I recently treated myself to a strand of black lip heishi beads, and I’m looking forward to using them so much, that I couldn’t resist exploring some more beautiful disk-bead possibilities. The term ...
It’s been a long time since we’ve had a round up of interesting and inspiring blogs and articles, and I have some fantastic things to share with you this month. The first is very exciting - the creat...
Yesterday we had a look at ways to connect and combine St. Petersburg chains for fun beadwork variations. Coincidentally, three years ago I was using this same technique to make a very unusual neckla...
At first glance, St. Petersburg chain might not seem like the most versatile stitch. It’s great for necklace straps and simple bracelets, fringes, and even dangle earrings, but apart from changing up...
Do you ever find yourself getting hooked on things? Perhaps you get tickled by a new bead color or beading technique, and want to use them all the time. Or you find a special treat that you want to h...
I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen a book title more appropriate than Sherry Serafini’s Sensational Bead Embroidery.If you love beads or jewelry of any medium, it’s almost certain that this book will k...
This week I decided to go ahead and use one of our recent bead color trios. I like the combination of blue and brown Picasso coins with transparent lemon lime so much, that I just couldn’t resist. I ...
The art of bead making is hundreds of thousands of years old, and one of the first materials that primitive humans used to create their jewelry and adornments is bone. Readily available, easy to carv...
My latest destash mission went through many different stages before I was finally ready to begin. The beads to be used were just a small handful of Swarovski crystals in amethyst, sapphire and crysta...
Yesterday I had some fun making an Egyptian themed fashion collage, and then I played around a bit and made one for my One Zebra Necklace. I was having such a good time that I decided to keep going, ...
Have you ever felt like you were in your element? Or that you had found a great groove? As I write, there is a copy of the Egyptian Book of the Dead on my desk, and a new encyclopedia of the classic ...
One of my favorite things about the destash challenge so far is the moments where I don’t bother to look before I leap. Whether I’m combining unusual elements, using up an intimidating bead, throwing...
Get your guide books out, beaders! Today we’re going on a trip to delicious and luxurious France. As the world’s largest producer of wine, and Europe’s top agricultural center, the French countryside...
Many inspiration segments have come and gone here on the blog, but those that remain are the ones you and I like best. Although it requires a lot of work, one of my personal favorites is Bead Color T...
Have you ever felt like your beading creativity and jewelry making ideas were in a rut? No matter how many times you look over your stash, or how much you adore your beads on hand, sometimes you just...
One of my favorite places to look for inspiration - and creative outlets - is Polyvore. There are a million and one ways to use the collage tools, such as brainstorming outfit ideas, showing off your...
The only thing more relaxing than window shopping for beads, is buying them, and maybe beading with them. In other words, looking at beads is a fantastic way to spend a little down time, and it’s a g...
It’s funny how we can come full circle. Three years ago this month, I shared a design that used a minimum of beads and stitches, but turned out great. At the time, I wondered if it lacked effort. Eve...
Beaders, I have a confession to make: I’ve stopped knotting my threads. That’s right, after years of steadfastly adhering to a 2-knot per thread rule, I have thrown caution to the wind.Well, maybe no...
I know I’ve mentioned it once or twice before, but I often find myself envying designers who use metal materials like wire in their jewelry. One of my favorite taboo designs is the Tree of Life penda...
It’s only been a week, but it feels like I‘ve been away from Inspirational Beading forever. It’s good to be back! The first thing I have to show you this week is something you may have already seen a...
Im taking a little blog break this week to catch up on a few things around the house, including plans an upcoming birthday party, but I didnt forget about choosing a winner for our latest bead giveaw...
This week I have a fantastic collection of rectangular acrylic beads to give away - the colors are so bright and juicy, perfect for spring and summer designs. Most of these pieces were saved and coll...
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