Summer Beading Ideas

I’m so sorry for disappearing for so long.  Life seemed to take over and the bead blog got neglected.  😛  But on to better things!

This spring Kelsey made some new necklaces that are fun pieces for warmer weather.  I really like each of the pieces.  She managed to put something unconventional in each necklace which makes them unique and interesting.

PSX_20150625_035339I loved this necklace for several reasons.  It is a choker length piece which is my personal favorite style to wear.  She used beads with a variety of textures and materials–glass, metal and plastic.  The colors are all warmer toned and put together, the pinks, orange and brown remind me of a sunset.  She also incorporated beads with a double holes which separated the two strands nicely.  The two strands combine into a single strand toward the back of the necklace and are finished with a gold toggle clasp.

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This is another super pretty necklace that looks much more complicated to complete than it really is.  It did take some time for Kelsey to string the multiple strands of seed beads and bugle beads, she make her bead selections quickly as she simply used various shades of pink and magenta.  Again, she used a lovely combination of textures, such as shimmer, opaque, and faceted beads for extra shine.  While one side of the necklace does utilize a multi-strand metal finding, the other sides incorporates a silver toggle clasp as a design element.  This necklace falls to just below the collar bone which allows each of the beaded strands to drape together nicely.

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The sheer pastel colors in the necklace make it a perfect choice to wear in the spring or summer months.  Kelsey used glass beads that came in both chips and faceted rounds.  The chunkier section of the choker was made using a daisy chain technique.  Because the faceted round beads are so big, rather than making separate daisies that lay flat, they become a chunky focal point for the piece.  The “daisies” look almost like a helix pattern.  This might be my favorite of her most recent creations!  I love the way this necklace turned out.  Let me know if you might like to see a tutorial on how to make a beaded daisy chain.

 

 

PSX_20150625_035615The last necklace that Kelsey made reflects her own personal style.  It is a boho piece that really casual.  It is just edgy enough for a teen to enjoy wearing it with the blue skull beads and large metal pendant.  Again, she mixed a variety of materials in the necklace which gives it additional contrast and interest.  I like the bronze metallic beads and the use of a large silver toggle as part of her design.

Each of these pieces is unique and different.  Some of the pieces are casual and some are more dressy.  Either way, Kelsey has added to her jewelry stash nicely.  Which is your favorite necklace?

 

 

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Black Agate Necklace

I recently offered to make a necklace to donate for a charity silent auction. Since individual tastes can vary so much, I decided to keep it simple and elegant. This strung bead in necklace just alternates 12mm black agate beads with 4mm sterling silver round beads. I finished off the piece using a large sterling silver lobster claw clasp.

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The necklace measures 20 inches, so it is a little longer than choker length. The stones beads give it a nice weight. In the photos the beads just show up as black, but there are some subtle color variations and a few stripe striations. Hopefully, this piece of jewelry does well and raises a few dollars for a worthy cause!
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My Favorite Bead Show!

We finally had the opportunity to go!

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Can you tell that my kiddos were excited about their new finds?

It has been such a long time since I have attended a bead show, and I loved the chance to see what kinds of great beads and other jewelry components are available now.  We were overwhelmed by all the choices….glass and resin dollar strands, decorative chains, gorgeous high quality pearls, beautiful lampwork beads, and tons of sparkly semi-precious stones.

Considering this was the first time that I had taken the kiddos along with me, I think we demonstrated admirable restraint.  We walked out with beads and components for several projects:

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Kelsey is not exactly sure what she is going to do with these, but she has a couple of ideas.

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These were $1.50 each.  There one for me and one for our littlest kiddo because we had to leave her at home.

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Maddie loved the color of this dollar strand, and I think she wants to use these with copper wire somehow.

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Maddie loved the color combo of these three glass strands and has a necklace project in mind with these.

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My mother-in-law’s birthday is coming in a week.  There may be some pearl knotting in the future….shhh!!!

Can’t wait for the show to come around again–the girls and I had a wonderful time together!

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Finding Ideas

Don’t be afraid to browse around to find inspiration!  This may sound silly, but I enjoy looking at the costume jewelry during my weekly trip to Target, as well as perusing catalogs that come via snail mail.  These are good places to find new trends in color combinations and jewelry styles. 

Of course I love to browse online as well.  Anthropology and Forever 21 have interesting ideas.  The inspiration for this particular necklace actually came from Stella and Dot (love the jewelry, just can’t afford the prices).  Whenever I am trying to make piece that is similar to something that I like, I try to find “substitutions” from my personal stash for the various beads. Since I didn’t have any semiprecious beads that were close the ones used in the Ailene necklace, I just used faceted glass beads in similar colors. 

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The original necklace joined all the components together by using wire wraps. I just used eye pins and linked everything together. As you can see, the piece is long enough to be worn in both a single strand or double strand. Personally, I love the summery colors and sparkle that the faceted beads give this necklace.

So, what are your favorite go-to places to look for ideas?

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Kids as Inspiration

We’re definitely a family of beaders, and often I get inspired by watching my daughters work on their projects.  My eight-year-old recently designed this multi-strand necklace.

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She came up with the design, and we worked together to find the components that she needed to put it together.  While she needed a bit of help to attach the wire, she strung the beads and put on the clasp by herself.

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I personally thought it was an elegant necklace and liked her decision to pair the gold chain (I’m not sure if it shows up in the photo, but there are two different kinds) with the white glass pearls.

As I mentioned, my daughters’ jewelry is frequently one of my sources of inspiration.  Now she’s got me thinking of multi-strand necklaces using chain….

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