Thank goodness it’s the weekend! I’m pretty sure I can feel another tooth, which certainly explains why I feel like Little Lovey’s been running me ragged. At least now I’ll have a chance to sit down with a cup of tea and recover from a rough week. If I’m really lucky, I’ll even be able to get started on a few project ideas that I’ve had rattling around in my head. As promised, here’s a peek at some of the things that are currently inspiring my bead designs.
First off, this awesome Egyptian inspired scarab necklace. I actually have a large bronze scarab bar pendant that’s somewhat similar, and I’ve been struggling for years to design around it. After seeing this piece, I think I’m going to play around with chain layers and possibly a small pendant or two.
Pinterest pin says trashydiva.com, but the link is broken. Does anyone have a working link?
Next up is an emerald and gold multistrand wire-wrapped necklace. I actually have a strand of green Roman glass that would look perfect in a recreation of this piece, and I’d love to use freshwater pearls as well. A few small faceted emerald rondelles wouldn’t hurt, either. (One of these days, I’ll finally splurge on a strand…) Plus, I could wear this to SCA events!
Can anyone tell me where this picture came from?
Next up is a piece that I can’t believe actually exists in real life. I adore Gail Carriger’s Parasol Protectorate series, in which octopi (octopuses? octopodes?) are featured, so when I found these stamped brass octopi a few years ago I bought two, wanting to make a play on a Victorian lady’s chatelaine. Then while looking at Victorian jewelry last week, guess what I found? AN ACTUAL VICTORIAN OCTOPUS CHATELAINE! Now I really need to find some nice antique keys!
Chatelaine from the Missouri History Museum
Finally, we have the piece that I really want to get started on now. I’m becoming fascinated by body jewelry, using beads and chains to create statement jewelry that goes beyond necklaces or bracelets. (I think it’s a side effect of not being able to wear much jewelry right now.) I’m picturing a cross between this next picture and angel wings, but I haven’t yet ironed out the picture of the piece in my head. I’ll be sure to keep you posted if I do attempt a piece like this, though. It’ll be a lot of time but I know that the results would be well worth it.
Picture of Mira Betz taken by Taboo Media
Those are the things that are tickling my creativity the most right now. I have to say that ADD can really come in handy as a designer; it leads to me being intrigued by and mashing up elements that aren’t usually paired together. I’m always thrilled when something comes out better than it looked in my head, but there are also plenty of things that will never see the light of day. I hope that you’ve enjoyed this peek inside my head, and that you’re inspired to try something new this weekend. Happy beading!
Menat Designs 