Thoughts on Making Unusual Color Combinations Work

I have a theory:  I don't think there's any color combination that won't "work" if you keep at it long enough.  I love thinking up some oddball combo and playing with it to see what happens.  This time I chose a deep olive green, soft turquoise and yellow.  I really wanted a good mustard color but couldn't find the right color of beads (yes, even with my stash) so I went with this soft lemon color.  I'm loving the outcome!

If I had to come up with some suggestions for making unusual color combinations work, I'd say:

1.  Start with three colors.  Two can get boring (unless you play with texture and finishes) and four gets pretty busy on smaller jewelry pieces.  Think of Three like Baby Bear:  just right.

2.  Vary the finishes.  I like to combine matte with shiny and I use a lot of beads with a rainbow or iris finish (both matte and shiny).  The coating seems to help the beads blend a little better since the color isn't as solid.

3.  Try changing the intensity of the colors.  If you're trying to combine blue, green and yellow for example, you'll get a much different look by using navy blue than you will using sky blue.   Using all bright or dark colors or even all pastels is less interesting to me than combining a deep navy and dark green with a very soft yellow.  Or a strong green and yellow with that sky blue. 

4.  Try an "off" color.  Try subbing mustard yellow instead of a true yellow.  Or turquoise instead of true blue.  Again, much more interesting.

5.  Experiment. I like to make a pile of the colors I'm considering.  I dig out any and all possibilities and start there. Here is an example:

Not all of the beads or every color of cord ends up in the finished piece, but putting them together and adding and subtracting colors is a good way to figure out which direction you want to go.

6.  My last piece of advice is to look around you for color inspiration.  Take the time to actually LOOK at the things around you and think about those colors. 

In a nutshell?  Have fun with color and don't be afraid to fail.  You might just learn something really interesting even in that failure.  

A Pretty Summer Coloway

Isn't this a gorgeous colorway?  It feels so summery somehow and the copper in it seems to really set off the aqua blue and chartreuse green.  The copper beads actually new Czech micro spacers and are copper plated glass with faceting which adds a lot of interest to them.

I love this version of the tree of life button, too.  Did you notice the little bird in the tree?

This multiple strand bracelet just screams summer to me.  It's lots of fun to wear. After making these two bracelets, I was feeling pretty cocky.  I decided to try something with some two hole dagger beads Leslie from the Beadsmith had sent.  

Let's just be kind and say it didn't exactly go as planned.  I started at the top using a 2/0 bead in the center and a dagger on either side.  The daggers didn't want to stay straight.  As if that wasn't bad enough, I couldn't get the cord color pattern to work out right.  After a few pattern repeats it was clear this design was not a keeper, so I abandoned it and just started experimenting to see what might work.  I added a second dagger bead to each side which did help to stabilize them.  Although it was completely unintended, the two daggers give an impression of dragonfly wings.  I decided to expand on that and came up with this:

It's kind of fun and different, anyway!  So there you have it:  three very different micro macrame bracelets in the aqua and chartreuse colorway with some fun new beads thrown in for good measure. 

Starfish Color Palette Challenge Reminder

This is just a quick reminder that there are only a few days left to finish your piece for the Starfish Color Palette Challenge.  Photos of finished pieces need to be in by June 15th in order to be included in the blog reveal post.  You can find all the details over on the Love My Art Jewelry blog.  

I hope you'll play along - there's still time!

Yet More Beachy Macrame Jewelry!

With Memorial Day behind us, it finally feels like summer is official and the Starfish Collection color palette I've been working with seems even more appropriate.  Turquoise blues mixed with sandy tans and ecru just scream beach and summer and when you throw in macrame knotting, it's a match made in heaven.

As usual, before I've even finished knotting one macrame bracelet I'm struck with an idea for another.  Usually it's some variation or mutation of the one I'm working on.  This time I started with the Woven Diamonds micro macrame bracelet in the first photo (pattern is offered as an online class on CraftArtEdu, if you want to make your own).  While I was making that one, I was thinking how pretty the bead mix was and how nice it would look in my Drunkards Path pattern (also an online micro macrame class at CraftArtEdu).

As I was working with the bead mix, I thought it would be fun to arrange them in arcs of color, so that led to another bracelet.

 

Me being me, I couldn't leave well enough alone.  I had to see what it would look like with all stripey sections.

I liked the stripes up so that they undulate through the length of the bracelet.

And of course I added a little starfish on the end.

I have a completely different project in the back of my mind that I've been wanting to try for years - barefoot sandals.  I'll never get there if I keep getting distracted by other bracelets that need to be made, but I'm still mulling over the idea.  Meanwhile, this:

Beachy Beige Macrame Jewelry

Yes, I'm still playing with the Starfish Collection and I'm showing no signs of running out of inspiration.  I've been concentrating more on the neutrals lately, Beachy Beige!  The neutral colors seem to make the knot work of the macrame stand out a bit more, playing up the texture and pattern.  Tiny pops of color add a little "something".

I am having so much fun with this palette that I think everyone should join me, so I'm hosting a little challenge over at the Love My Art Jewelry blog.  It's pretty simple:  make something handmade inspired by this photo:

You'll find all of the details in this post:  Starfish Color Palette Challenge.  I hope you'll join me!

More Beachy Macrame Jewelry

The starfish palette I've been playing with for weeks now still has me enthralled.  Now it's become a challenge to see how many different pieces I can create working from it.  

This week I've been concentrating on the neutrals.  It's amazing how much more the texture and subtle patterns show up when your eye isn't drawn by bright colors

It's also fun to see how the teal colored patina starfish grabs the eye when it's set against a backdrop of neutrals.

That little experiment led to another - what if I added just a tiny bit of color in the beads...

If I'm counting right, I think I may be up to sixteen pieces inspired by the Starfish palette so far, and I'm still going strong!!

Starfish Collection Macrame Jewelry

I really need to get a beach fix!  I do love this time of year in Nebraska when all the hills are greening up and the trees are filling out, but it's still not warm enough to suit me yet.  I'm dreaming of this:

I pulled beads and cord a month ago and turns out that must have been what was in my head!  Look:

This palette has inspired a bunch of new pieces (you can see them here and here and here if you missed them) like these:

I played a bit with the starfish theme and sprinkled them down the center of a cuff (made from my Marquise design, online class available here):

Then I decided I needed to try these colors out in the Leaves pattern, which was a lot of fun.

That led to the Falling Leaves thing (leaves, leaves....), and it turns out if you use turquoise and tan you get a very summery version of the bracelet, especially with a starfish bead attached!

The whole time I was making these macrame bracelets, I was trying to come up with an idea for a necklace in this color palette.  

I started playing around with a brass ring, adding chevrons of color.  I intended to hang one of the howlite starfish beads to the ring as the pendant, but it just didn't have enough impact.  I went back to the pile of beads I'd originally pulled and it turns out the answer had been right there all along!

The starfish pendant is from Summer Wind Art and I can't believe how perfectly it goes with the rest of the necklace.  My subconscious must have been working overtime on this one.

Beachy Macrame Jewelry - Part II

Last week I showed you this beachy pile of beads and cord I've been working with, building a Starfish Collection in micro macrame (the post is here, if you missed it):

I recently received an order from Bello Modo (one of my favorite online bead stores) with some pretty new beads called Fiesta and thought they might be a nice addition to these colors.

The pinkish color looked really pretty outlining the flower shapes and for some extra punch, I filled in the diamond shapes with shimmery blue beads.  I also made some macrame earrings to match the bracelet and added starfish dangles.

The earrings were so cute, I had to make a pair in tan and turquoise, too.

The weather here has been cold and rainy and miserable, so working with these colors keeps me dreaming of sun and sandy beaches!  I'm thinking I might have to make a necklace next.  What do you think?  

If you'd like to try your hand at making micro macrame jewelry pieces like these, you'll find the bracelet pattern in the Hydrangeas Micro Macrame Bracelet Tutorial in my Etsy shop.  Both the earrings and bracelet are covered in the Hydrangeas Micro Macrame Bracelet and Earrings Class on CraftArtEdu.com if you prefer that format.  

Happy knotting!!