Trendy Bead - Throw Away the Key

Welcome to this week's Trendy Bead, where I pair together my favorite art beads with fashionable finds from Etsy to offer up-to-the-minute design inspiration. Last week keys were mentioned and I just had to revisit that theme. Here are some of my favorite picks:

To start off we have a steampunk inspired selection with a pewter skeleton key from Mamicata Beadworks, a heaping pile of gunmetal chain straight from Hong Kong's seller ShereLiving and the focal bead, one of Earthenwood Studio's Keyhole Steam Stones.


What's behind door number 2? A wonderful little doorway pendant from Mamacita Beadworks, okay she's a favorite, what can I say? I'd pair this cute little charm with some glass swirls from Cindy Gimbrone in carmel and chocolate hues. Center stage would be a boro glass skeleton key from the Venerable Bead.

It's the entrance to a secret garden with my Tiger Lily bead. I could see them pieced together with some interesting components like this Key Hole pendant from cmyk, lots of brass chain and a pendant made out of ExpeditionD's copper etched key.

At the moment I'm so into charm bracelets with big chunky brass chain. I'd use this swirl button from Creative Impressions in Clay as the clasp. The charms? A ton of these tiny skeleton key charms from PenGwynneBeads mixed with these vintage glass flowers offered by a2zDesigns.

Speaking of inspiration, don't forget to check out last week's Studio Saturday post with Cindy Gimbrone. Leave a comment to enter our weekly drawing. And only a week left for our Summer Vacation theme challenge.