Bead Color Ideas: Sunscreen Hues

There are so many different ways to find color inspiration in the seasons, and many of the ones we turn to again and again are natural. For summer this might be the colors of the beach, summer fruit, or even a purple-and-gray thunderstorm palette. Then again, traditional and nostalgic color palettes are pretty inspiring as well – like the red, blue, and white of a rocket pop. This summer, I wanted to explore some colors that would bring to mind some of the best things about getting out in the sun, and perhaps the scent of coconuts.

The first palette was so easy to create. Nothing says sunscreen like aquatic blues and yellows. For this Kids’ Sunblock trio I used canary yellow, transparent capri blue, and opaque turquoise blue. It’s fruity and vibrant, and definitely has a beach feel to it. I would love to see this palette in something with lots of exotic, playful fringe.

Next I went in the opposite direction and concocted a trio for lovely coconut scented Suntan Oil. I started with opaque terracotta, though I would have loved to use some transparent rootbeer as well. Next I added smooth orange luster and lustered pearl cream. This palette has so much warmth. I think it would look great in a spiral design, particularly a double spiral rope with lots of chunky accent beads.

Finally, I combined both of these palettes for a final trio inspired by everyday Sport Sunscreen. This time I went with the transparent rootbeer and opaque patriot blue, finishing with a dark Ceylon cream. This palette is more shea butter than coconut, and would be perfect for a geometric cuff or perhaps a colorblocked rope.

What colors and scents make up your favorite summer inspirations?

Mortira

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Bead Color Ideas: Green Duo

While working on the often-earthy Greek and Roman projects for Ancient Worlds Modern Beads, I ended up accumulating more shades of green seed beads than I would normally ever use. Since then most of them have been untouched in my stash, waiting for another Geb-inspired design or something that would require a lot of green. For this week’s color ideas, I thought it would be both inspiring and useful to try out some accent beads against a two-tone green palette and see if anything sticks.

I had a lot of choices for the seed bead duo, but I immediately went for a hank of transparent rainbow mint that I haven’t even cut into yet. It was meant for the Atlantis lariat project, but proved to be much too shimmery for the rest of the palette. I paired it with some metallic June bug and then picked out a few ideal accent beads, starting with a strand of metallic blue drops. The finishes on all three beads play together very nicely, and would make a great collar, or some wing-inspired bead embroidery. I call this trio Lady Dragonfly.

Next I tried out some flat rounds that have been in my stash for ages. I picked them up with a particular project in mind, but when it went sideways I never found another use for them. Once again the shimmery finish works really well with the seed beads, but this time in a coppery hue. This Scarab Beetle trio is exactly the sort of palette I’d been hoping for, and would be great in a medallion or an embellished cuff.

Finally, I had to go with something a little more spring-inspired. It took a while to find the packet of pink freshwater pearls, as they were hiding behind some olive ones, but it was worth the effort. I love the way the soft pink complements the mint green, while the June bug adds depth. Curious Caterpillar would be great in something spiraled or fringed, but I would love to use it in a full-sized collar.

What are you favorite colors to pair with green?

Mortira

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Bead Color Ideas: Blue Marble

For this week’s bead color ideas, I wanted to explore some possibilities for a curious quartet of beads from my drops and daggers stash. Some time ago I picked up four blue marble petal drops because they were on sale, and I thought they might make for interesting accents. Inevitably, they’ve been sitting in my stash ever since. Four beads can sometimes be just the right amount for a project, but with drops more are usually required, so I haven’t had any inspirations for these particular beads. Now that I’m on a mission to make lots of mini collars with whatever drops I can get my hands on, I may have finally found a way to use them. I just need to discover the perfect palette.

A two-tone finish like the marbled glass of these petals can sometimes be hard to match. While one set of colors might work really well for half of the finish, the other half might clash. I tried out several different possibilities before finally settling on these three, and the first success was a little Delft blue inspiration with opaque bone white and opaque turquoise. I think the palette would look equally good with opaque white instead, or both the white and bone beads as well as the turquoise in the right proportions. I can see this palette in something spiraled, or perhaps in a patterned broad collar.

Next I tried going a little earthier and combined opaque olive green with transparent dark topaz. The somewhat mossy-looking, plant-inspired palette makes the blue petals look like Dew Drops in the shade. I particularly like how the transparent topaz adds just a little bit of light to the palette, while also looking very mysterious like something from the deep woods. This palette would be great in something with lots of fringe and embellishments, such as a statement cuff or a cascade necklace.

Finally, I really wanted to go with some strong contrasts. I picked up the transparent ruby seed beads right away, but took some time to find a third color for this trio. At last I went with gel sol pink for a Berry Salad palette that looks lively and delicious. This palette would be perfect for a mini collar, but I can also see it in a mulitstrand piece.

Do you like to use two-tone beads in your designs?

Mortira

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Bead Color Ideas: Tropical Delights

What with my latest blue coconut dagger project and the cool spring weather we’ve been having in my area, I’ve really been in the mood for warm colors and anything that will make it feel like summer. Tropical themes are always great for adding a little spice, and offer plenty of options for inspiration. There are colorful flowers and fruits, and gorgeous blue waters to draw on – everything looks better and brighter when it’s illuminated with bright sunlight. This week I wanted to capture that warmth with seed bead palettes.

To start I went with florals, using three sweet, saturated colors. To make Island Lei I combined a most cheerful shade of purple - wisteria lined crystal – and aqua white-hearts for that touch of intense light and ocean blue. Gel sol pink topped everything off with just the right amount of sugariness.

Naturally, I had to start at least one palette with intense yellow, so I grabbed some opaque canary 8/o’s. I wanted some equally bold hues to go with it, so next came opaque vermillion red. I haven’t really had a chance to use this color yet, but it’s a perfect match for the yellow. Passion Fruits is finished with lustered orange sherbet, though I would have preferred a more peachy or pumpkin-y orange.

Finally, I had to go with a palette to represent my favorite tropical flavors. Coconut Lime includes some transparent lime green long magatamas, and opaque white 8/o’s. The lovely brown of transparent dark topaz seed beads looks gorgeous with the green and definitely brings out the coconut in the white beads. Delicious!

What’s your favorite tropical inspiration?

Mortira

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Bead Color Ideas: Slate and Olive

Blue and green have really been taking over my creative space lately, so for this week’s bead color experiment, I thought it would be fun to make a great blue-green pairing and then test out some of my favorite accents with it. You can never really go wrong with a blue and green palette, though some combinations are more exciting than others. For this set of color trios, I went with opaque slate blue and opaque olive seed beads. They’re like an earthier version of lime and turquoise, and pair together really well.

Of course my first instinct was to go with more primary colors to finish the palettes, but they would have to be equally earthy or subdued. My first choice was chunky pale yellow mother of pearl chips, which I’m still trying to find a great project for. I really like these beads, so of course that means that I’m reluctant to use them for just anything. This Olive Crème palette is nice, but I think that the yellow does more for the blue and green than the seed beads do for the chips. The palette would work well in a fringed project, with the blue scaled way back and green/yellow taking center stage.

Red horn rounds were up next, and although I have used these beads a bit, I like them too much to see the last of them go until the perfect palette comes along. The slightly translucent finish and deep color are a perfect match for the seed beads, not to mention a lot more versatile than the chunky shell chips. I think Juniper Berry would be perfect for just about any project, but I’d love to use it in a collar or a patterned rope necklace.

Finally, I just had to see if my elusive strand of polka dot Java beads would work with slate blue and olive. I’ve been holding on to these beads for years now, and I’m way past the hoarding stage. I really, really want to use them but the right project just won’t make itself known. I do like this Summer Buds palette, but I’m still not seeing it in a stitch. The polka dot beads are going back into the stash. Again.

What’s your favorite way to pair blue and green?

Mortira

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Bead Color Ideas: Blue Mother of Pearl

With summer just around the corner I’m looking forward to light and airy designs, aquatic themes, and lots of gorgeous color. For this week’s bead colors I started with a strand of aqua blue mother of pearl coins that I’ve just barely tapped into. They’re always sitting in my stash, calling out to be used, but I rarely have any ideas for their shape. The best solution, of course, is to find the perfect color palette and wait for inspiration to strike.

I didn’t have any particular colors or themes in mind when I started looking for seed beads to back up these coins. I just pulled out colors that I thought would look good and then matched them up. My first trio features the always ready-to-work transparent medium topaz for a lovely beachy look. I added a dash of flotsam in the form of metallic olivine. I love the moody earthiness of this particular color, which works really well with the nacre patina on many of the coins. The Baked Boardwalk trio would be great in a design with lots of geometric elements - perhaps a cuff bracelet or some brick-stitched fringe earrings.

I’ve really been in the mood for my precious white-heart seed beads lately, so I was quick to grab what’s left of my cobalt stash. The glow of white hearts plays really nicely with the shimmery shells. To complete this palette I ended up with some buttercream Ceylon with its barely perceptible hints of pale yellow and an equally pretty shimmer. Though Vanilla Milkshake doesn’t pop quite as much as the first palette, it still has plenty of potential. I’d love to use in in an ombré-style design with the shells spanning between the seed bead colors. An asymmetrical mulistrand necklace would be perfect.

Finally, I couldn’t resist some transparent cherry red to get a coral and turquoise effect. This color combination always makes me happy and eager to get creating. It’s equally great for aquatic, Western, and ancient Egyptian themes. I added a backdrop of jet black 8/o's to really make both colors shine. The Fire Urchin palette would be lovely in something fringed, as well as netting. It would be so much fun to make a scarf lariat in this palette.

What colors do you like to use in summer designs?

Mortira

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Throwback: The Original Bead Trios

So far this month we’ve had three sets of Bead Color Trios, which is definitely a record. Over the years, the concept behind these color experiments has evolved and changed, which means there are so many more options for trying on different beads. When the segment began, I always started with a simple inspiration such as Neapolitan ice cream or the variations on primary colors, then created three different palettes with their own unique themes.

Neapolitan/Vanity and Saturn/Chemistry Set

As my bead stash was a lot smaller back then, and I was just getting the hang of things, I was only creating one set of trios per month. This gave me a lot more time to play around with the concepts, and I used to arrange the beads into shapes that also represented the themes that went with them. It wasn’t until I was thinking about how far the concept has come that I remembered these little bead scenes.

Blue Tang/Splish Splash and Beach Palm/Sunny Day

Today Bead Color Trios has so many variations. My favorite is probably the accent bead start, which always gives me new ideas on how to use items in my stash. And I always look forward to mixing and matching Pantone colors in the spring and fall.

Do you have a favorite method for trying out new bead combinations?

Mortira

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Bead Color Ideas: Blue Coconut Redux

For this week’s bead palette ideas, I wanted to try out some seed bead colors to go with accents that have been languishing in my stash. The first thing that came to mind before I even had a good look through my bead trays was about half a strand of blue coconut daggers. I haven’t used these beads since the start of the Egyptian Gods challenge, and I think it’s time to find a new inspiration for them. As I was snapping photographs of the colors that I chose, I started to get the sense of déjà vu. Sure enough, when I looked back at old color ideas, I discovered that I had already tried out some palettes for blue coconut way back in 2012. I think 3 ½ years is plenty of time on the sidelines. I’m determined to use more of these daggers this year.

The first two palettes that I picked out actually got swapped around when I sat down in my photo spot. I had pulled out yellow and green at first, but ended up replacing the green with black to make Banana Boat. The contrast of blue and yellow is always great for a tropical theme, and these dagger beads really want to be tropical. The addition of jet black makes the combo even more dramatic. I could see this trio in a statement necklace, perhaps with Dutch spiral or some really big beaded beads.

I took the rejected lime green and added bone white for the next palette. The pale neutral is a nice counter to the bright blue and green, giving the entire palette a cool feeling. Once again the shape of the coconut gives the trio a tropical vibe that works really well with a fresh green and sandy white. Shade Palm would make a great palette for something netted – perhaps a freeform bracelet or an elaborate lariat.

For the final palette I wanted to try something really new, and looked for a blue that was a close match for the daggers. Aqua white-hearts were the best for the job, and have the added bonus of looking right at home with the organic coconut shapes. The final color I chose is matte mustard. It’s part neutral and part contrast for the blues, which take on a bit of an underwater look together. Golden Urchin definitely wants to be fringed. I can see this palette as a great pair of earrings or a cascade necklace.

What’s the most hoard-worthy item in your bead stash right now?

Mortira

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Bead Color Ideas: Pantone Spring 2016

In previous years I’ve always been quick to snatch up new color inspirations via the Pantone Color Institute’s spring and fall picks. This year I’ve sort of dragged my feet, mostly because I find the Colors of the Year totally uninspiring. For the first time ever, there are not one but two annual highlight colors. This should have been pretty exiting except that the colors Pantone chose are Rose Quartz and Serenity – basically baby pink and baby blue.

I know that I was quick to reject Rose Quartz and Serenity partly because I’m so very opposed to gendering colors and toys, and these two colors are a pretty strong reminder of a tired custom. But it wasn’t just the baby-ness of the colors that makes them fall flat for me. Although either shade would look fine in an adult garment or piece of jewelry, they’re not exactly exciting. The pink hue in particular, Rose Quartz, looks sun bleached, especially when held up against most of the other colors in this year’s fashion palette. Serenity has a hint of steely gray with lots of potential, but next to an equally soft pink it’s hard not to see outdated onesies. With these two colors leading the pack, I just wasn't eager to explore the new picks.

When I finally got a chance to really browse through the eight other colors in the Spring 2016 color line-up, of course I found plenty of inspirations. Nothing gets ideas flowing like playing with color. Once I tossed out Rose Quartz there were lots of possibilities for trio palettes to experiment with. I wanted to avoid making obvious choices like combining the very crayon-like Fiesta, Buttercup, Green Flash, and Snorkel Blue, as well as find a way to use Serenity that would bring out its moodier, less baby-blue undertones.

I started with my favorite color in the mix, Snorkel Blue. I’m always keen on shades similar to cobalt, so I wanted to begin where I saw the most potential for inspiration. It took some time to finally decide on a palette for this color. I felt that Fiesta red would be too obvious and Buttercup yellow too easy. I finally matched my blue up with Green Flash, then tried on a few different colors until settling on Limpet Shell, which completes the trio perfectly. For beads I chose transparent cobalt and transparent lime, with some aqua blue Czech teardrops. I love the light in this palette, which would be so great in a lightweight collar or some super long duster earrings.

Spring Lagoon

For the next trio I started with Buttercup. I knew that Fiesta would have to go with it, as it’s much too orange and would look garish next to most of the remaining colors. The final addition was Serenity, which looks much more blue next to these bright hues. Likewise, the softness of the blue seems to have a cooling effect on the red and yellow as well. For the beads, I picked some lustered lemon seed beads and lovely translucent red Java glass rondelles. The closest thing in my stash to Serenity blue was a pair of Picasso coins in a pastel aqua. I’d definitely want to use this trio with bead embroidery with lots of overlapping circles and whorls.

You Can't Take the Sky From Me

The three remaining colors make up a lovely pastel palette with Peach Echo, Lilac Gray, and this year’s neutral, Iced Coffee. I love this trio for spring, especially with the watermelon-esque Peach Echo. This is a hardworking pink that look's like it would be at home just about anywhere. For beads I started with my closest pink match – gel sol rainbow rose seed beads. Lavender-lined 6/o seed beads stand in pretty well for Lilac Gray and are a good match in finish. I finished this trio with some voluta shell heishi which look gorgeous next to these two candy hues. Although I’d love to use this palette in a multistrand piece, I think the voluta spacers would look much better as accents for a cuff or a fringed lariat.

Iced Peaches

Now that I've given the Spring 2016 colors a chance, they're providing all kinds of inspirations. The round up is much better off without Rose Quartz, although I wouldn't mind seeing that one with some chocolate and mint, or perhaps midnight black.

Which Spring 2016 color is your favorite?

Mortira

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Pantone, Emilio Sosa and TOSIA

Bead Color Ideas: Rainy Days

Here on the West Coast, we don’t get a huge kick out of spring. By the time April showers roll around, we’re already so tired of rain that we can’t wait to start baking in the oven of summer. We don’t even get a lot of rainbows, since the rain is usually accompanied by completely overcast skies. The mild temperatures are nice, of course, but sunshine is definitely a welcome treat.

In the ancient Egyptian tradition of fighting fire with fire – in other words, if you’re going boating on the Nile, wear a crocodile pendant – I thought it would be nice to look for some rainy inspirations and use beads to find the good in rain again. I certainly don’t have a shortage of blue beads to work with, and with gray being one of my favorite colors for fashion, I always have a few bits of it in my stash.

I started by getting out what’s left of my Picasso jet druks – one of my favorite gray finishes. The effect is so like a natural stone and the resulting shade of gray is perfect. I paired these with some patriot blue bugles and robin’s egg seed beads for a cool, smooth palette that reminds me of raindrops on a garden shed or a streaking down a favorite reading window. This palette would be perfect for a cuff bracelet or a twisted multistrand necklace.

Next I found a little mixture of colonial gray and dichroic blue lined TOHO cubes that were perfect for rainy inspirations with their sparkly AB finish – like little reflective puddles. I added some vintage aqua white-hearts for another pop of blue, then calmed things down a bit with a neutral backdrop of bone white. For this palette I’d want to let the cube beads shine, so perhaps it would work with some fringed earrings or a bridged herringbone cuff.

For the final palette I drew inspiration from one of my favorite rain features: petrichor. We don’t get to enjoy the smell of rain much here, since it’s so rarely dry enough to release the dusty-oily smell of petrichor when the skies open up (they’re pretty much always open). I started this scent-inspired palette with some transparent medium topaz for the dust, and some Job’s tears for a hint of gray and their raindrop shapes. Then I finished the palette with a backdrop of storm-cloud navy blue. I’d love to use this trio for a statement necklace – perhaps a collar or a fringed lariat.

What’s your favorite weather for creative inspiration?

Mortira

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Really Red Bead Color Ideas

Just before my creative spark got doused and I had to take a little bead break, I put together some new seed bead and accent trios. I wanted to play a bit with some of the red seed beads in my stash that have for some reason completely stalled. I picked up several different red hanks awhile back because I felt that my selection was lacking. For some reason, now that I have them, I never seem to need them. So I paired up two hanks of red and went looking for accents that would work well with an all-red palette. Since its Valentine’s Day, it seems like the perfect time to finally unveil these trios!

I went with a high contrast combination right away, and paired the transparent cherry and ruby AB seed beads with lovely satin blue bugles. I love the way the light shines through all three of the beads. The cherry and blue go really well together, making just the right amount of room for the moodier ruby to fit in as a backdrop without clashing. I think this palette would be great in something long and fringy.

I wanted to keep the momentum going with more light and a nice transparent pop of color, so I tried out yellow white-hearts next. I was hoping to get a sort of fiery look by combining the reds with yellow, and it worked out pretty well. I think the ruby would look even better in this trio with the addition of some black to smooth everything out. This palette would make a great collar or perhaps a chunky bracelet.

Finally, I went with a nice easy neutral. I have to admit that the reds did have me thinking of Valentines, but instead of adding a stark white, I went with natural bone. I love the way the reds make the bone beads look creamy and elegant. Likewise, the natural color of the bone spacers keeps the reds looking organic and blend-able. I’d love to use this trio for a cuff bracelet or a statement pendant.

What are you favorite ways to use red in beadwork?

Mortira

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Bead Color Ideas: Leftover Druks

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 haven’t quite lived up to their expectations. I thought it was time to pair some of them up with seed beads and see if any ideas arise.

Romantic Turquoise Palette

The first trio was surprisingly easy to build, considering just how long I’ve been holding on to the pink druks. I so rarely have a reason to use pink, and this particular shade of transparent rose is way too subtle for anything I’m making these days. At first glance, I couldn’t possibly imagine what I could make with them. That all changed once I started adding the right seed beads, though. First came transparent topaz AB, which I love with this shade of pink. It’s a romantic, champagne-in-Paris kind of pairing. All it needed was a dash of lustered turquoise and...voila! I definitely think this palette needs a spiral design - perhaps a rope lariat or an embellished bangle.

True Blue-Green Palette

The next druk color still makes me a little sad. When I ordered them I was so excited to have this color in my stash of accents, but in person they just didn’t deliver. It might be because these are actually a coated finish, and not a true lime green. Even though I couldn’t wait to use them at first, I’ve barely touched these beads. The first color I chose to go with them was black-lined aqua – definitely my favorite blue right now. When the light hits both beads, they really zing. To finish the palette, I didn’t want to use a contrasting color, so I added lustered emerald instead. I almost went with metallic June bug, but it looked much too moody next to the bright green. I’d love to use this trio in something netted or freeform with lots of fringe.

Cherry Bomb Palette

The last palette was actually a pre-planned one. I’ve got something special in mind for these colors, but I wanted to test them out first and see how they played together in person, not just my mind’s eye. This palette begins with opaque cherry druks – a long time favorite that have started to lose their appeal after all these years. Although I’m sure a project or two might come up in the future where they would work, I’d really like to move on and try some other reds instead. The first seed bead color I chose for them was opaque lime. I’ve used these two colors in projects before, and they always look fresh and fruity. To keep things looking chic, a backdrop of jet black was all the trio needed. I think the palette would look amazing in flat beadwork like a cuff, but I’m planning to use it for something light and fringy!

Do you have any not-so-inspiring beads just hanging around? What was the last project you used them for?

Mortira

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Bead Color Ideas: Earthy Hanks

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 fresh, earthy palette.

The first accent bead was an easy choice. I still have lots of two-tone ivory and black moon coins for embroidery projects, and they work so well with the topaz. The darker side of the coins also plays nicely with the green. The whole palette has a sort of fairy door feel to it that would be great in a statement necklace or embellished cuff.

I finished the next trio with a strand of polka-dot Java glass. I’ve been dying to use these beads for many months now, but the right inspiration has yet to come along. I hope that the more I experiment with them, the closer I’ll get to the perfect design idea. I like the way that the green and topaz mellows the colors of the polka dots, but I think it washes out the gray too much, which should really pop in whatever design they decorate.

The final accent was a little tougher. First I tried some red bone tubes, but the color looked to garish with the softer seed bead shades. Right next to them I had some ivory bone tubes with a hint of dark purple – an excellent pairing for either brown or green. Like the previous palette, there are elements here that I like, but it doesn’t have the wow factor that I was looking for. I do think this trio would look great in a fringe design with some additional accent colors.

What are you favorite earthy colors for beadwork?

Mortira

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Double Winter Bead Palette Ideas

The bead color trio series has been around on Inspirational Beading for a long time, and to keep fresh ideas coming, I’ve changed up the inspiration method many times. Lately I’ve been starting with a single accent bead, then building three palettes around them. For this month’s palettes, I wanted to try out some holiday colors, but I couldn’t decide on just one accent to start with. Instead, I thought it would be fun to come up with the themes first, then choose the perfect accent bead to go with them, followed by some excellent seed bead colors. It turned out to be so much fun that I couldn’t stop at just three!

The very first idea that came to mind, even before I decided to go with a mix of palettes, was snowflakes. There are so many gorgeous decorating ideas that begin with a little glitter in white, silver, and maybe a hint of blue. I started this palette with some shimmery white potato pearls, then added a little backup of opaque white and transparent sea blue. Snowflake Glitter would be lovely in a netted design, or perhaps in a multistrand necklace.

Next I had a vision of a cardinal on an evergreen branch, like something from a classic Christmas card. I started with some dyed horn rondelles for the intense, natural red. Some lustered emerald and a touch of transparent dark topaz complete the woodland look. I think Woodsy Wonderland would work really well in something fringy, or as a chunky double spiral necklace.

For a more lighthearted palette, I couldn’t resist using a strand of multicolored Chrsitmas lights for inspiration. This trio started with a mother of pearl chip mix in tropical colors, with a backdrop of jet black and some transparent mint green. I’d use Deck the Halls for a spiral lariat, or perhaps an embellished cuff.

Of course I had to go with something really classic, so for the next palette I turned to holly sprigs. Big, round, gorgeous red white-hearts provided the perfect pop of red and white. I kept the palette simple with a backdrop of transparent emerald and forest green. Jolly Berries would be great as a light collar, or perhaps a lariat with bead cluster fobs.

I hadn’t yet used a food-themed palette, so I tried to recreate one of my new favorite holiday treats – peppermint bark. First I grabbed a strand of cherry red triangle beads, and some chocolately terra cotta seed beads. Although opaque white would have looked great in this trio, I decided to go with bone white instead, for a hint of eggnog or perhaps toasted marshmallow. Peppermint Latte could definitely make a wonderful spiral rope bracelet, or a pair of tasseled earrings.

Finally, I simply had to do a palette with a hint of gold. I started with some metallic gold freshwater pearls, which have a nice warm look to them. I added some metallic olivine and dragonfly seed beads, creating the perfect trio for a vintage-style glass globe. Heirloom Ornament would be perfect for any earring style, or maybe a pearl-netted statement necklace.

What winter color combinations do you love? Have you ever used them in a design?

Mortira

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