Art Bead Scene Blog: Etsy Picks

Saturday, November 7, 2015

Etsy Picks

As soon as I turned to the job of Etsy picking this month, and stopped to take a proper look at this month's challenge painting -

I immediately thought of our own Mary Harding...

Mary Harding

There are so many leaves in the painting and so many leaf beads on Etsy I thought I'd stick with that theme. I adore the soft, restrained colour on these discs.

Blue Magpie Design

Having said that, I also love the vibrant, vintage shades in these lampwork leaves.

Fire and Fibers

Here's a selection of the other leafy beauties I found...

Bye for now, Claire

www.somethingtodowithyourhands.com

www.somethingtodo.etsy.com

www.somethingtodobeads.etsy.com

Saturday, October 10, 2015

Etsy Picks

There are lots of different design avenues you could take with this month's challenge: colour, shape, line, texture, symbolism - it's packed with potential inspiration. I spent a leisurely hour-or-so searching Etsy yesterday; I hope you'll find something that inspires you amongst this little lot.

Bye for now, Claire

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Etsy Picks

I'm quite taken with this month's challenge painting.

I love the use of colour: the cool, watery shades outside the window and the warmer, chalkier hues within the room. And yet, the distinction of inside and out isn't really the primary focus of this painting. Far from being a depiction of spacial depth, it is more a study of composition on a flat ground, an arrangement of colour and shape that is not too many steps away from abstraction. And, if you look closer, you can see use of the 'outside' colours throughout the painting, and the same can be said of the warmer 'inside' colours. This brings coherence and aids the painting's success.

These characteristics have lead me to focus more on colour than figurative forms in making my Etsy picks this month. I found a number of ceramic bead sets that bring together various shades in the painting.

This ceramic shard connector strikes me as being a good match for the blues and greens in Bell's painting.

Something to do Beads

Or, if you're more drawn to lampwork, here's a couple of focals that could work nicely:

Scootrgrl

Glass Bead Art

However, if you do feel more comfortable being lead by the figurative features in the painting, here's a few pieces that you might use to reference the landscape seen through the window.

Mary Harding

Humblebeads

Pottery Girl

Bye for now, Claire

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Etsy Picks

I'm getting in early this month with the Etsy picks. Just in case you haven't seen this month's challenge image - or if you need a remindered, here it is.

One thing that really attracts me to this image is the range of indistinct neutrals: the greys, grey blues, olives, and ochre. So, I thought that today I'd focus on that range of colours, along with the patterns and textures of the shells. You might want to make a feature of these shades in your designs or you may want to combine them with hits of bright red, orange or yellow. In either case, I hope you'll see something here that catches your interest or your imagination.

Bye for now, Claire

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Etsy Picks

How's everyone getting along with this month's challenge? I'm getting in early with this month's Etsy picks - I hope you find something here to tempt or inspire you.

Of course, in searching for selections I searched for leafy pieces - how could I not?!

How perfect would these leaves be?

Gardanne Beads

Or if you're in the mood for making earrings, you might work with these sweet little charms, each holding a leafy profusion - like the challenge painting.

Orrtec

Here's another nice earring option:

Bead Fairy

Or, if you're looking to make bracelets, how about this?

Suzie Q Beads

I really love the range of fiery, tropical shades in the painting and when looking for picks I instantly thought about Wooly Wire. I got some recently that was not dissimilar in colour to those in the painting and I was sure I could find a good match in their Etsy shop. I wasn't wrong.

Wooly Wire Etc.

The colours in this Grubbi set couldn't be a better fit either. There were a number of listings in Natalie's shop in similar shades.

Grubbi

I also think the shades and shapes in this set of Numinosity beads could work brilliantly if you fancy taking a more abstract approach to the challenge.

Numinosity Beads

I'm always thinking that I could do to have more Boro lampwork beads in my stash. Even though my technical knowledge of what makes Boro beads Boro is lacking, whenever I see them I adore them!

Paul Bead

To finish, here's another piece of beautifully-hued lampwork loveliness - and another thing I wish I had in my collection.

Genea

Bye for now, Claire