Wear It Twice: Back to School

Happy Labour Day, beaders! For some of us, it’s just another day off, but for many, it’s a day for double and triple checking supply lists, planning lunches, and getting back into a routine. For me, the words “back to school” always bring to mind the look and fragrance of a fresh box of crayons, and the excitement of a new outfit or two.

Today’s fashion collage is a mixture of inspirations: back to school clothes and the colors of fall candy apples. Between county fairs and Hallowe’en, these treats are everywhere. Whether you like cinnamon or caramel, these tastes and colors are a once a year delight!

Candy Apple by mortira featuring handcrafted jewelry

For this collage, I used a palette of cream and brown, with just the right amount of lipstick red. Bold red lips are making a comeback, and what better time to show them off than during the months when the weather is starting to cool off? I wanted just a hint of apple green to avoid any Christmas vibes, so I went with a beautiful, glossy statement necklace. I like the hint of blue as well, but all green would be even better.

For a little extra September inspiration, here are a few apple and crayon inspired bead picks and projects.

Colored Pencil Bead and Jewelry Tutorial by Design Mom

Color Wheel Bracelet Video Tutorial by Auntie’s Beads

Apples and Sunshine Stoneware Pendant from Artbeads.com

Czech Glass Yellow and Red Apple Beads from Beadaholique

T-Beads Apple Glass Bead from Fusion Beads

Fire Designs Rainbow Sparkle Furnace Glass Beads from Artbeads.com

Crayon Glass Bead Mix from Fusion Beads

Opaque Rainbow Delica Mix from Beadaholique

Tiny Ceramic Crayon Beads from The Crafty Bead on Etsy

What’s your favorite thing about back to school time?

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading and Friends
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Watermelons

Our very nice post lady brought me today (Sunday is working day in Israel) these cute watermelon pieces made by the very young and talented Bridget Aul, tweetypetieproducts.blogspot.com.  It's my very first purchase from etsy and I am so pleased.

Couln't resist these beauties!

Doesn't it look great on a Greek balcony?

Have a wonderful week! Blessings!

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Book Spotlight: Crystal Chic

No matter what kind of beading or jewelry design you practice most, chances are there are some areas where mediums and styles blur. Not all jewelry is beaded, and not all beading is done with just beads. Sometimes even the most basic craft techniques make it into high quality art jewelry designs.

Just like the cabochon which easily goes with beadwork, metalwork and more, flatback crystals are a jack-of-all-trades in the beading world. These little gems are just as beautiful as their drilled bead cousins, and can go many places that other beads can’t.

In Crystal Chic,Debbi Simon shows readers how to incorporate CRYSTALLIZED Swarovski flat-back and hotfix crystals into a wide variety of gorgeous jewelry designs. Debbi combines these versatile gems with everything from standard jewelry blanks and filigree, to polymer clay and tagua slices. Each project provides beautiful and inspiring examples of how you can add extra sparkle to designs you already like to make.

Crystal Chic begins with a detailed overview of materials and techniques, particularly selecting and using the right adhesives for your projects. There are also tips on making molds from two-part silicone and polymer clay, mixing and pouring resin, and basic jewelry techniques like wrapped loops and crimping.

There are 37 projects in all, including necklaces, bracelets, rings and earrings. There are also two embellished clasp projects, and a stunning polymer clay poppy brooch. The tutorials include complete materials lists with Swarovski product numbers for easy reference, step by step instructions and easy to follow photo diagrams. The projects are divided into seven chapters: Filigree, Metal, A la Pavé, Fibers, Polymer Clay, Resin, and Fun Stuff with found objects and charms.

The book finishes with an inspiration gallery, including crystal designs by artists like Kristal Wick and Brenda Schweder. If you love to embellish, glue and bedazzle, Crystal Chicwill provide you with lots of fun ideas. You may have to do some hunting at your local library or flea market to scoop up a copy, but it will be worth it!

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading
Debbi Simon and Kalmbach Books
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Actions you take from this page may result in commissions for Inspirational Beading.

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New Giveaway

Finishing my last project left me quite satisfied. My post received so many encouraging comments that I feel I owe my followers a little reward, a new giveaway which I hope you'd like.

I made the scarecrow and the climbing rose. The handmade, clay birdhouse was purchased in Venezuela .
To participate in my draw, you have to be a follower, make a comment on this post and, only if you want to, put a link on your blog. The draw will be on 22 September by the random number generator.

Ilona asked me what size is the collage.  It is 78x58 cms.

My husband is holding Sans' little suitcase against the collage.  I still think a background like this is more suitable for the suitcase garden.  Who knows, maybe sometime in the future I'll make something in this style.

A warm welcome and thank you to new followers

Olgita - www.plushyk.blogspot.co.il
Wyrna - http://afairytalecometruewyrna.blogspot.co.il
Susso - minajamuut.blogspot.co.il
Axfu42 - Please let me know if you have a blog I can visit.
Villa Conejo - Please let me know if you have a blog I can visit

I wish you a wonderful weekend.  Blessings to all

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Bead Spotlight: Twins and Tilas

In their own way, two hole beads have been taking the beadweaving world by storm. First we saw the release of the much-anticipated Tilas by Miyuki - tile shaped seed beads with parallel holes. Although they aren’t as versatile as other shaped seed beads, projects using these tiny tiles have been cropping up everywhere. The double hole makes them a little tricky to incorporate into existing designs and stitches, but they are perfect for constructing unique beadwork that lends itself to the unique shape of the beads.

Left to Right:

Matte Grey-Blue Rainbow Tilas from Artbeads.com,
Matte Dark Orange Rainbow Tilas from Fusion Beads,
Opaque Canary Tilas from Auntie’s Beads

Matte Opaque Turquoise Tilas from Beadaholique,
Opaque Satin Matte Brown Tilas from Fire Mountain Gems,
Antique Rose Luster Tilas from Bobbi’s This n That on Etsy

Here are just a few examples of the fantastic tutorials available for Tilas:

Tila Wheels Tutorial for Bib Necklaces by Whimbeads
Tila Cuff Video Tutorial by Beadaholique
Karla Kam Simple Woven Tila Bracelet Tutorial by Auntie's Beads
Sky’s the Limit Necklace Project by Artbeads.com
Sunrise Bracelet Project by Fusion Beads
Tribeca Tila Cuff Project by Beadaholique

Naturally, competitors wanted to get in on the action, and Czech bead makers responded with not one, but two styles of double-hole beads. Both the Twin and Czech Mate beads are much curvier than Tilas. The tiny twin beads are like a hybrid of Tilas and Peanuts, and warm up to traditional seed beads with ease. The Czech Mate is more akin to pressed glass beads, and can work double duty as seed beads or accents.

Light-Green Crystal Two-Hole Beads from Artbeads.com,
Opaque Beige Picasso Czech Mate Beads from Dream Jewelry Supplies on Etsy,
Celsian Siam Ruby Czech Mates from Lima Beads,

Jet Dark Teal Pearl Twin Beads from Beadaholique,
Matte Color Mixed Lumi Twin Beads from Beads and Babble on ArtFire,
Bright Opaque Red Twin Beads from Yashma Creations on Etsy

And a few fun Twin Bead Projects:

Twin Beaded Bead Stretch Bracelet by Beadaholique
Spiral Twin Bead Bracelet by Julia Gerlach and Bead & Button
Twin Bead Rivoli Bezel Tutorial by Sashi Si
Circular Stitch Twin Bead Bracelet Video by Beadaholique

Do you have a favorite two-hole bead style?

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading and Friends
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Man Cave Camo Chairs

Last spring I bought a couple of dilapidated director's chairs for $5. My plan was to paint one a Caribbean Blue and the other a bright pink
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Inspiring Links: August 2012

It’s been a very long time since we’ve had a roundup of delightful and inspiring links! With two of the most crafty seasons of the year coming up, and a new school year looming, the bar on creativity is now going up, up, up. Here are some of my favorite articles, products, and tutorials of late.

I love the way that the ribbon and bead embroidery perfectly complement each other in this beautiful Daybreak Frost necklace project from the Artbeads.com Learning Center. The giant Swarovski cabochon in my favorite Montana Sapphire blue helps, too!

A picture is worth 1000 words - no matter what language you speak. We all know that beading ideas and inspiration aren’t held back by language - just look at the popularity of the infamous White Russian Beading Book. So I was thrilled to learn about a wonderful Egyptian Facebook page, care of one of my fans. El Antiquo Egipto is written entirely in Spanish, but the pictures are amazing.

Are you a fan of the TLC show Craft Wars? It’s received a lot of critisism lately for making a mockery of craft, and failing to live up to the inspiring and creative qualities of its predecessor, Project Runway. Even with guests like Margot Potter, the over-usage of odd materials and hot glue does leave something to be desired. If you were in charge, what would you do to make Craft Wars better?

Speaking of Margot Potter, check out this fun damask pattern locker magnet tutorial on Make It With Madge! It’s perfect for back to school, and was inspired by some of the store-bought trends for locker accessories this year.

The best thing about fall is the colors, followed closely by the tastes. This is a bit of a shameless plug, but I can’t resist sharing my favorite fall recipe, Perfect Blackberry Crisp. The secret ingredient ensures that your dessert will be perfect for fans of both sour and sweet!

We’ve already seen some fantastic beading accessory tutorials in the form of fabulous pincushions, but what about storage spaces? Back to school time provides great opportunities to discover ways of refreshing your work space with decorative jars for holding scissors, pencils, dowels, and rulers. Crafts by Amanda has a cute neon pencil holder tutorial, and here’s a more stylish version in burlap from Simply Chic Treasures.

If you’re a creative over the age of 20, and grew up in North America, chances are you know and love the work of PBS painting personality Bob Ross. If you haven’t already seen this fantastic Bob Ross Remixed video, it might bring a tear to your eye!

I’m a thrifty bead shopper. Getting the most value for shipping costs is a big factor when I shop online, so one-stop-shopping is a must for me, and I’m really excited about some new additions to two of my favorite bead stores. FusionBeads.com recently added 125 yard Fireline spools to their amazing selection - a definite must have for obsessive seed-beaders like me.

And, one of my favorite methods for trying out new bead colors and styles is to add a few fun pieces to my regular seed bead orders. Auntie’s Beads is a favorite destination for fun focals, and now I have an excuse to visit them more often. They’ve recently added tons of new seed bead colors to their inventory!

Nature is one of our very best sources for inspiration, and it’s wonderful when we can find new ways of looking at these bounties. Check out this fantastic rainbow ocean collage by the inspiring folks with the David Suzuki Foundation, and Marine Detective.

And last but not least, I want to extend a huge thank you to AllFreeJewelryMaking.com for adding Inspirational Beading and myself to their desiger profiles. Many of our favorite beading tutorials are featured in their enormous database of jewelry and beading techniques.

Are you getting excited about fall? What’s your favorite inspiration right now?

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading and Friends
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