Are you in a creative rut? Inspiration all dried out? Or perhaps you're only seeking a few new ideas to keep both inspiration and interest up! If any of those apply to you, then you've come to the correct place! If any of those apply to you, then you've come to the correct place! Below, you will find five beadwork ideas that might help kick begin your imagination and get you creating again!
I am writing this list with beaded necklaces in particular in mind, but the beadwork ideas presented here might be easily adapted to most any project you've an interest in. That is among the excellent things about bead craft as a hobby! Its sheer versatility. You can spy an idea that is executed in one way (say, a ceiling fan pull chain), and with a small work and modification, easily transform it into anything completely new and different (a bracelet, necklace, or even a matched set!).
1 - If you've fallen into the habit of creating single strand designs, branch out into fun multi-strand or wrap designs for a fresh perspective! Multi-strand designs add layers of complexity to your work, and can convert a more ordinary single-strand piece into anything really extraordinary. It's a little trickier to pull off, but you could even try a "hybrid design," one that starts off (at the clasp) as a single strand, branches out into a double, or perhaps even a triple, and then, since it winds its way around the neck, re-converges.
2 - Commit yourself to incorporating a color or design of bead you do not usually use into your next design. This can be as simple as looking through your existing stock for those beads you often "pass over," or taking a road trip to your local bead store to see what's new!
3 - Try something exotic! The ways about using a few decorative Czech glass beads or Swarovski crystals in your next piece? This could take you in all kinds of new and different directions! (note: this also can get a little costly, so use with care!)
4 - Commit yourself to learning a new system (i.e., "African Net") this month! Anything that breaks up your "usual" method of doing things is bound to spark a slew of ideas! - There is an almost unending variety of methods to be learned, and every time Christina and I think we "know it all," we find something new to try!
5 - Rather than stringing your next piece, investigate chains, and find methods to affix your designs onto gold or silver chains for a totally new look! - This takes the notion of "mixed medium" to the next level!
As the 5 tips above demonstrate, there're all sorts of things you can do, all sorts of new methods of looking at even current beadwork ideas, to break out of a creative run, and they are really just the tip of the iceberg!
I am writing this list with beaded necklaces in particular in mind, but the beadwork ideas presented here might be easily adapted to most any project you've an interest in. That is among the excellent things about bead craft as a hobby! Its sheer versatility. You can spy an idea that is executed in one way (say, a ceiling fan pull chain), and with a small work and modification, easily transform it into anything completely new and different (a bracelet, necklace, or even a matched set!).
1 - If you've fallen into the habit of creating single strand designs, branch out into fun multi-strand or wrap designs for a fresh perspective! Multi-strand designs add layers of complexity to your work, and can convert a more ordinary single-strand piece into anything really extraordinary. It's a little trickier to pull off, but you could even try a "hybrid design," one that starts off (at the clasp) as a single strand, branches out into a double, or perhaps even a triple, and then, since it winds its way around the neck, re-converges.
2 - Commit yourself to incorporating a color or design of bead you do not usually use into your next design. This can be as simple as looking through your existing stock for those beads you often "pass over," or taking a road trip to your local bead store to see what's new!
3 - Try something exotic! The ways about using a few decorative Czech glass beads or Swarovski crystals in your next piece? This could take you in all kinds of new and different directions! (note: this also can get a little costly, so use with care!)
4 - Commit yourself to learning a new system (i.e., "African Net") this month! Anything that breaks up your "usual" method of doing things is bound to spark a slew of ideas! - There is an almost unending variety of methods to be learned, and every time Christina and I think we "know it all," we find something new to try!
5 - Rather than stringing your next piece, investigate chains, and find methods to affix your designs onto gold or silver chains for a totally new look! - This takes the notion of "mixed medium" to the next level!
As the 5 tips above demonstrate, there're all sorts of things you can do, all sorts of new methods of looking at even current beadwork ideas, to break out of a creative run, and they are really just the tip of the iceberg!
