Welcome to Inside the Studio!
Each week one of our contributors gives you a sneak peek into their studio, creative process or inspirations. We ask a related question of our readers and hope you’ll leave comments! As an incentive we offer a free prize each week to bribe you to use that keyboard. The following week we choose a random winner.
Congratulations Kathy Lindermer! You won a fun Circle Button from Claybuttons.com! Send Tari an email and she’ll get that right out to you.
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Welcome to the Humblebeads Studio.
Let’s talk about inspiration and more importantly Pin-spiration!
If I could marry a website it would be Pinterest. Not only because I’d never be bored, it so get’s me in a soul mate kinda-way, but I’m pretty sure with a few pins I’d have the perfect wedding arranged in an evening! I would say it’s my go-to place when I have a few moments to spare in a day. Sometimes I’m on a mission looking for something, other times I’m happily entertained by the days pins or looking through past pins. But how does all that translate into beads and jewelry for me? Let’s look at some of my current inspirations and dish.
First up, I’m slightly obsessed with folkloric influenced fashions and thanks to my Pinterest friends I’ve recently discovered Gundun Sjoden. All the photos and designs above are from their website. I love the playful mix of colors and patterns and see new beads being inspired by this trend. My next step will be to spend some time sketching and deconstructing what I find so appealing about these styles and how to translate that into beads.
I’d say this fits the folk theme quite nicely. Wild flowers and oak leaves to entwine the wrist.
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Next up, looking ahead to winter and into spring I’m digging the teal, navy, sage mix in these textile prints. I know you’ll be seeing beads from me as a direct inspiration from these designs.
Until then, I’m seeing those colors spill over into some of my Woodland Winter Collection.
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And Pinterest can help expand your idea of a motif. Like the deer pins that have been swirling around in my brain. I’m seeing something layered, brightly colored and patterned with antlers that look like tree branches. Are you seeing it? This is going to be my work this weekend, finding my voice in the deer motif.
Until then I’ve been using a few deer components I have from Green Girl Studios and Andrew Thornton like the Bronze Deer Pendant.
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Now I’ve shared my inspirations with you,
in the comments below share a link to a Pin that you’ve found inspirational lately.
We’ll pick one random winner next week for a $20 gift certificate to Humblebeads.com.
Mary Anne
November 15, 2013 at 11:33 pmhttp://www.pinterest.com/pin/126874914476083572/
Potato chip patina is my latest inspiration! I have 2 copper disks sitting in a mixture right now. Thanks for the giveaway. ~Mary Anne
Keith@Vintage Crab Jewelry
November 16, 2013 at 12:49 amhttp://www.pinterest.com/pin/525162006519260795/
driftwood, old walls, time worn, texture
I am working on an entire driftwood, be achy series!
Erin S
November 16, 2013 at 1:35 amI'm probably the only chick in the universe that doesn't do the pinterest thing–I figure I already waste enough time on etsy and facebook. If I added pinterest, I'd never get anything done. Love the green girl deer component!
Lisa Martin
November 16, 2013 at 2:10 pmbeautiful inspirations!! my son likes polar bears, here is a pin that inspired me to make a small polar bear this weekend. http://www.pinterest.com/pin/30399366208609834/
Ann Schroeder
November 16, 2013 at 2:10 pmhttp://www.pinterest.com/pin/495888608941646194/
These cute button bracelets I saw recently by Julie Whitmore Pottery made me want to start collecting cute buttons for a bracelet of my own.
freshbakeddesigns
November 16, 2013 at 4:10 pmWhat a fun post, Heather! Love Pinterest for inspiration. Here's one that I posted for all it's lovely greens for Pantone's 2013 color choice
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/185210603395091221/
Lynda
Susan Delaney
November 16, 2013 at 8:07 pmI saw a gorgeous photo of fossilized agate-ized dinosaur bone on Pinterest.
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/295830269244157841/
I decided to make fossilized pyrite-ized dinosaur bone from polymer clay and write a haiku to go with it:
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/295830269244488156/
Susan
LadyFlowersbySusan
Maneki
November 16, 2013 at 8:08 pmLovely jewellery! The wildflower and oak bracelet really go well with her designs. Not the biggest Gudrun Sjödén fan, lots of stuff that I really don't like but some pieces are really nice — and as you show they can be very inspirational for jewellery makers and other creative people.
But… sharing just one pin? You know that won't happen… 😉
Considering all that's happened I've not been that into looking for inspiration lately or doing anything at all, but I always pin, really, creatively and emotionally drained or not. It always feels good to look at beautiful and inspiring things.
Have recently bought paints, before everything bad happened, and one of the less obvious things inspiring me since is nail arts. Don't care at all about painting my nails, but the nail polish colours and painting/embellishing techniques used today are quite inspiring. Random example of something I pinned on that theme: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/109634572152651342/ Or perhaps not that odd, considering the amount of nail polish jewellery tutorials you can find (one pinned tute here).
Of stuff I've found elsewhere (through blogs) and pinned, this pin is one that's inspired me colourwise right now. I've also done som pinning of two creative people whose work I love: embroiderer Carolyn Saxby and silversmith Beth Millner.
Otherwise it's been more generally that I'm enamoured by a technique or theme and sort of collect pins (repinning or original pins) in that style. Lately it's been a lot of wax/encaustic and weaving for me, but also handmade journals/books. A lot of it in the organic, patinated fairytale style I love.
kmorgan
November 17, 2013 at 4:51 amI love wire & metal. Buttons are making a come-back. I recently did a book review on Project Necklaces by Kalmbach. In it there is a button & wire necklace I love on pgs 73-75. See my pin http://www.pinterest.com/pin/475411304385761793/
I also found a pin at http://www.pinterest.com/pin/475411304385761693/ that is made with metal buttons. This would make an interesting necklace, earrings, & bracelet set.
beadrecipes
November 17, 2013 at 10:00 amI've been collecting ideas for Christmas decorations incorporating beads — you can see my board here http://www.pinterest.com/lissiloo/beady-christmas-decorations/
Kathy Lindemer
November 17, 2013 at 12:28 pmhttp://www.pinterest.com/pin/126523070753670880/
I have a board called art inspiration and I collect pins that I spot and might might want to use later. Currently, the pin I posted is being used by me for a bracelet with a Humblebeads bracelet bar. I do love Humblebeads and would love to win a gift certificate.
Becky Pancake
November 17, 2013 at 5:43 pmHi Heather, You have such a distinctive style that I can spot your work whenever I see it. Thanx for the chance to win a gift certificate from you. I am designing and creating a special Christmas ornament right now so that is what I am looking at on pinterist. Here is my link http://www.pinterest.com/pin/10836855326891830/
Patti
November 17, 2013 at 8:59 pmHi Heather,
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/431008626809444304/
Inspiration abounds in Autumn, my favorite season. Especially fall leaves!
KayzKreationz
November 18, 2013 at 1:18 amI have found this book most inspiring and can't wait to try some of the designs/ideas in it.
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/537195061773965771/
Plus, I found these earrings inspiring, since I just took a jewelry sawing class and fell in love with sawing.
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/537195061774019573/
Meadowland Designs
November 18, 2013 at 10:06 pmWhile I'm not actually on Pinterest, occasionally I will wander into its depths if there's something particular that I'm searching for.
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/110338259590478081/
Though I'm a jewelry designer, I am currently learning to sew skirts & have been keeping an eye out for charming embroidery patterns to accent a simple skirt.
Thanks for sharing your inspirations with us!
~ Catherine
Manola Maria
November 21, 2013 at 4:38 pmhttp://www.pinterest.com/pin/66287425738863363/
I love everything about this work of art! The lines, the colors, just beautiful!!!