It happens, we lose that spark. Winter gets long and it’s more fun to shop for beads than actually sit down and make something. Or maybe you just feel like you are a in rut creating the same designs and need to expand your jewelry horizons. Use this list as a jumping off point to find new inspirations. Or give yourself a weekly assignment for each of the 10 ideas! Print this out and hang it next to your bead area. Here are some resources to help you get started:
Jewelry Challenges & Contests: Art Bead Scene Challenge * Challenge of Music Blog Hop * Uncommon Goods Jewelry Design Contest * Bead Star * Bead Dreams
Bead Soup Basics and the Bead Soup Book and check out the bead soup inspirations in the Spring issue of Stringing.
Online jewelry classes: Beaducation is a nice resource to check out for online classes.
Pinterest is a good place to find tutorials quickly: Earwires and Clasps. It’s also great for inspirations like Ancient Jewelry.
Explore Design Seeds for new color palettes.
Check out inspiring websites like Anthropologie, Sundance and Mod Cloth to find clothing to inspire your next jewelry design. Create a piece of jewelry to match an outfit.
How do you break out of a beading rut?
TesoriTrovati
February 13, 2014 at 6:07 pmOh, you are speaking my language! I love to do all of these. In fact, I am going to print this out to keep by my beading table so that every time I sit down I will have something new to do!
I just started a new monthly design challenge on Earrings Everyday: We're All Ears. I post a new image for inspiration on the 1st Friday and on the 3rd Friday we invite everyone to post a link to their blog with a pair of earrings based on the inspiration. I think it will be fun! Earrings are a quick and easy way for me to start creating. A gateway drug, if you will! Helps me get addicted to making something new!
Come and check it out!
http://earrings-everyday.blogspot.com/2014/02/new-were-all-ears-inspiration-challenge.html
Enjoy the day!
Erin
TesoriTrovati
February 13, 2014 at 6:11 pmForgot to mention that I also host a monthly color palette inspiration challenge on the Halcraft blog. The premise is to use Bead Gallery or other Halcraft line of beads in your creation, but since I shop at Michaels weekly, this is easy to do! Still time to enter the Pretty Palettes challenge for February:
http://www.halcraft.com/design/draft-pretty-palettes-february/
Or you can use them for your own color challenge!
And the palettes that our own Miss Brandi posts on her blog are uber inspiring. http://www.brandigirlblog.com/
Enjoy the day!
Erin
Enjoy the day.
beth
February 13, 2014 at 6:51 pmGreat ideas! I've hit some slumps that lasted quite awhile and I think I'll print this and hang it on my studio wall! You guys always have just great posts for your bead buds!
bairozan
February 13, 2014 at 9:04 pmThat's exactly why I was looking for a new challenge when I found the January ABS. And it worked! Thanks for the list and the links – precious!
Divya N
February 14, 2014 at 7:30 amSo True – I signed up for the bead soup swap and off to pinterest now. Its frustrating when you are surrounded by beautiful supplies and still cant make a thing
Deb Fortin
February 14, 2014 at 11:32 amthis is so timely. I am suffering from winter inertia. I lost my mojo and I can't seem to find it anywhere. (perhaps it's buried under the piles of supplies i haven't tidied up yet.)
I am going to print this list off and post it where i will see it everyday.
great ideas .
Aranthe
February 15, 2014 at 10:14 pmHi Heather,
Just so you know, the links to Beaducation, Anthropologie and ModCloth need help. The first is going to BeadingDaily instead of Beaducation. The second two are missing letters from the beginning of their domain names. (Feel free to delete this post; it's just FYI, so you'd know to fix them.)
moin
February 18, 2014 at 8:47 amGreat ideas! I'll definitely flow the chart and try some of these ideas.
moin
February 18, 2014 at 8:54 amGreat tutorial. Those earrings are really beautiful to enjoy a fun dress up. Thanks for sharing.