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There’s something wonderfully enticing about a mixture of beads. The combination of colors and shapes all playing together before the beadwork has even begun can be so much more inspiring than a single seed bead color. Bead soups are an excellent source of creative juice, not to mention a great way to experiment with new colors, or use up leftover beads. One of the best ways to create a gorgeous

Whenever new beading or jewelry materials come on the scene, it’s always exciting to see where designers will take them. One of the most amazing developments in recent years is soutache and bead embroidery. Beaders who are working with this amazing technique create designs that look like pure magic. Marthe of Poland-based Ozdoby Ziemi creates a wide variety of jewelry styles – each one a riot of

Just look at how neat and tidy my bead tray is right now! I’ve decided to put away the ever-growing culled bead RAW panel that I’ve been working on between projects until I’m back down to just one thing on the go. The herringbone necklace, which I still haven’t quite finished, is awaiting the final stage of beadwork and photos, so I’ve been able to set it aside as well and really get a fresh

One of my creative resolutions for this year was to finally try frogging some old designs and salvage the beads. I’ve never really bothered with this beading step before, since it always seems a shame to cut up Fireline when I could just wear the designs instead. After my most recent jewelry shop overhaul, I was left with a lot of pieces that actually seemed to be worth ripping up. I thought I

Whatever new innovations in beads come our way, nothing quite beats the beauty of a handmade lampwork bead to inspire amazing creations. The colors, shapes, and patterns of unique flameworked glass go so perfectly with our favorite techniques and materials. One of my favorite lampwork artists of late is Serena Smith, whose floral creations are a delight to behold. Inspirational Beading: How did

For our very first beading Master Class, we’re going to explore the essential and often frustrating peyote stitch. This technique is one of the most common in beadwork, with many applications and variations; it is also one of the most difficult to learn. The first few rows of peyote stitch are tricky to control on a first or even tenth attempt. New beaders often complain of uneven stitches,

I’m currently working my way slowly through my workspace clean up and as always I’m making new discoveries and inspirations along the way. One thing that occurred to me as I was putting beads away in their proper places is that I still have way too many druk beads that haven’t been used in years. Some of them are nearly 10 years old, while others seemed really exciting a short time ago, but

My bead tray is looking a little tidier this week and it feels like I’m finally getting back down to just one project – not counting the ongoing ugly necklace and my herringbone rope which I might just finish this weekend. Right now I’m working on the prototype for an upcoming collar tutorial. I'm keeping the palette simple which really makes a difference in how messy my creative space feels. I

Some of the biggest trends in jewelry of late include knotting and cords – from wrap bracelets to paracord jewelry, the possibilities are constantly evolving. One of the best places to learn new knotting techniques for jewelry design is the Tying It All Together channel hosted by J.D. Lenzen. There are oodles of videos for tying gorgeous and interesting knots and creating unique knotted jewelry.

When I made my New Year’s resolution to wear more jewelry, I didn’t really think much about my methods for achieving that goal – so long as I was putting on a piece or two every day, I’d be winning. As I started to look at mixing and matching pieces in new ways, I decided it would be a fun challenge to quarantine everything I’d worn and work my way through the entire stash a bracelet and necklace

The aught sizing system is probably one of the things that frustrates new beaders the most, along with the first few rows of peyote stitch. Although it’s easy enough to remember that the larger the number, the smaller the bead, even seasoned beaders can get confused sometimes. After working with beads for a while, we start to associate their aught numbers to them and all is fine, until we come

Chevron chain is a surprisingly versatile stitch, considering how simple and delicate that it can be. The unique way that the beads link up allow for lots of variation, including adding two-hole beads, or creating a floral pattern. One of my favorite ways to enhance a simple chevron chain is to incorporate daisy chain stitches. It’s also a reader favorite, and a tutorial for this technique has

It’s been a long week of not much beading here in my workspace. The two tutorial projects that I’ve been working on are stalled while I wait for time and sunlight to get the next round of photos in. So I’ve mostly been adding new rows to the culled bead RAW monstrosity. The RAW is coming along really nicely, although I’ve barely made a dent in my collection of culled beads. Hopefully this means

January is a time for looking forward, but it’s also a great opportunity to look back. Perhaps it’s best to just look over your shoulder as you move ahead to new things, but reflection is definitely a healthy exercise. When I looked back at what was happening three years ago this month on Inspirational Beading, I was surprised to discover that it was the start of the Egyptian Gods jewelry

Ever since the innovative two-hole Tila bead by Miyuki landed in bead stores, multi-hole beads have been It for beadwork. New stitches and variations are being created all the time to make use of these exciting beads. It seems like every week a new style is being manufactured, and they’ve evolved into all manner of shapes and styles, with 3 and 4-hole varieties being added to the mix. With so

This week I’m just about ready to finish the first project in the peyote stitch Master Class series. I don’t want to reveal too much right now, but the first installment will include some stitch basics and a practice project. The cuff has a very simple beach-inspired pattern that accentuates the stitch but doesn’t over complicate things. I’m very excited to get the series started! I haven’t had

For our first trio of bead palettes of the year, I thought it would be fun to change things up yet again. This time around, I started with two seed bead colors, then added an accent bead to coordinate. For the sake of exploring possibilities, I chose the first hank of seed beads – mint green AB – because I have yet to find a project for it. Then I added some transparent medium topaz to make a

I recently did a complete overhaul of my bead storage space. It took two days to complete the clean up using a simplified variation of the Kaizen method - which basically means that you pick up literally everything in a space and decide whether to keep it or toss it. Anything that is kept is then assigned a space. I was able to get rid of a lot of unnecessary things in my hoard, and made a lot

Although setting lofty goals in the New Year can be an exercise in futility, I’ve always thought that this tradition provides a good opportunity to make small changes in one’s routine. If you set reasonable, doable goals, then this time of the year is a great way to reflect and improve. I’ve decided to make a couple of 2016 resolutions in my workspace, which I’ll hopefully be able to stick to and