Designs come to people in different ways. Some people get an complete design in their head, and then buy the beads. I generally get my designs from the beads themselves. Here’s an example of how a necklace design came about.
I was at Shipwreck Beads with a friend of mine, and I saw this bead. It’s the exact color of kelp. I had to have it, so I bought a strand and took it home……
A few weeks later, I found the matching leaf. I tried to figure out how to combine them… Thread would be too noticeable, so I decided to wire wrap them together. They looked like this
Definitely on it’s way to kelp LOL
Now I had to figure out how to make them sway like kelp…. I decided to hook them onto a dangling piece of chain, so they would move with the wearer. I also decided to finish off the end with some Hill Tribe Silver charms, so the kelp strand would look finished.
I am in the process of making 5 of these strands to hang from a silver chain. I’ll post the necklace when it’s finished.
Technorati Tags: bead, beadwork, how to bead, design, inspiration
One question I see in the forum a lot is “what is the difference between beeswax and Thread Heaven?” I got the best answer for this in a class with Diane Fitzgerald.
Beeswax is sticky, and is used when you want multiple threads to behave like one. So use it when you are using your thread doubled. It will save you from having to reposition your needle all the time at the end of the threads.
Thread Heaven helps keep your thread from tangling. It puts a static charge on the thread so the thread acts like your hair on a very dry day — the pieces move away from each other. This keeps the thread from wrapping around itself.
I’m going to share with you my “secret” gemstone seller. Her name is
Szarka, and she sells at her ebay store “turquoise magpie”
http://stores.ebay.com/Turquoise-Magpie_W0QQssPageNameZstrkQ3amefsQ3amesstQQtZkm
Szarka is immensely helpful, has absolutely wonderful prices, and ships quickly. She has the nicest gemstones I’ve seen. And she tells you what you are buying. She’s well versed in the different types of stones, and will check her beads(as in, test them with acid, heat, stress) to make sure that they are what the wholesale vendor claims they were. You can buy from her with complete confidence that you are getting what you are paying for.
If you are looking for gemstones, definitely check out her store!
I went to the mailbox today and found my new copy of Fire Mountain Gems’ bead catalog!!!! I am always sucked into the pretty pictures and the designs that they have. It gives me a whole new set of inspiration!
Have you ever looked at the artwork in the catalogs? There are many first class jewelry makers and artists whose work is showcased in both the Fire Mountain Gems and the Shipwreck Bead catalogs. If you are looking for good eye-candy or places for new ideas, try these out!
I’m working on a piece on how to change the colors of a design to suit your tastes. Please allow me a week to get this up, as I need to do a lot of beading
to show the results.
Joann
Hello there!
I’d like to share my explorations of beading with you. I am working on mastering beadwork, and as a result, I’m doing a lot of experiments with the beads. I’m trying new design techniques, color ideas and various stitches. I’ll be posting the results of my experiments, and show how you can try them yourself. Please join me on this adventure!
Joann