Amuse the Muse - Rose Quartz and Serenity - with Rebecca of Songbead

Hello everyone! Another week, another Amuse the Muse. It's the last week of Rose Quartz and Serenity, and I must say I have found a bumper selection for you this week! I hope you'll find something in this selection to inspire you - I must admit to still not being totally sold on these colours as being the standout 'colours of the year' as a duo, but I am much more sold on them than I was back in December when they were announced. You can check out my Pinterest board on these two colours here for more inspiration. 

Ok, now for the beads!

Sarah Downton

Rachel C Art Glass

Areto Beads Jewellery

Nea Beads

Linda Landig

Earthshine

Terracotta Toys

Puffafish

Nadia Terra

Eva Bean Beads

Made by Fire

Elizabeth's Beads

I hope you've enjoyed this month of exploring these two colours, and seeing what beautiful beads and components there are out there to work with. And, happily, these colours are also perfect for working into this month's challenge! There's still time to join us. 

And now for the BeadBlogger Links. Have a great week everyone!

Make Book Pages with Your Sewing Machine
Did you know you can make signatures (a fancy book word for pages that are stuck together) using your sewing machine? It's actually really easy.

Craft & Win
Show off your finished crafted objects in the monthly FOs Ravelry thread in the Crafty Princess group and get a chance to win. 

Diffuser Necklace DIY
Terry Jeanette of Tappingflamingo shows you how to make your very own essential oil diffuser necklace.

4 Wine Bottle Crafts for the Thrifty Oenophile
Instead of throwing out your empty wine bottles, turn them into trendy decor accessories. Save those attractive corks and labels as well. What crafter doesn’t love free supplies?

Beading Arts
Cyndi's landscape crazy quilt tutorial finishes up today!

Art Bead Scene
Take a peek at what the Art Bead Scene team has to offer in Pantone's Colors of the Year, Rose Quartz and Serenity!

Rebecca is a Scottish jewellery designer; currently living in the capital city of Edinburgh. You can read more about her and her work at her blog, songbeads.blogspot.com and see more of her jewellery at songbead.etsy.com. She also has a supplies shop at thecuriousbeadshop.etsy.com.

Amuse the Muse - Rose Quartz and Serenity ABS Team Edition - with Rebecca of Songbead

Hello all! It's Monday, it's time for Amuse the Muse and the BeadBlogger Links - let's get this week started! This post is going to be all about what beads and/or jewellery you can get in this theme from the Art Bead Scene Team. We have a whole lot of art bead loveliness to share with you today!

Claire has a collage of beautiful pieces featuring Rose Quartz paired with some gorgeous neutrals and vintage components. I would happily pop any of these in my ears today; how about you?

Erin has '...a small selection of limited edition pendants with hand carved forget-me-nots on them that would be perfect for this month's inspiration. I am only offering the few I have and ALL $ will go to the Alzheimer's organization for the sale of them."

Michelle has these super-fun jellyfish. Don't you just love them?!

How absolutely adorable are Heather's gorgeous wee owls? Each one is an individual wee personality - I love them!

Mary has several listings which fit Pantone's new colours, including this gorgeous bracelet bar. 

Julie's been working on some of her infamous Weenies, and seriously - how perfect are these? She's hoping to get them listed in her shop soon - for updates, check out her Facebook page.

Tari shared these fab drawer pulls, which are made from one of her original buttons - how cute are they?! 

Heather has these beautiful Dogwood pendants in the perfect colours.

And last, but hopefully not least, some handwoven beads from me. I've made some 'double dip' beads with both colours, and some pairs in both Serenity and Rose Quartz for if you want to work with these colours individually.

Well, I hope you've enjoyed this little tour of what the ABS team have to offer in Pantone's Colours of the Year 2016 - why not dip a toe and try these colours, and see how you can incorporate them into your own work? And then don't forget to send us your pictures - we'd love to see!

And now for the BeadBlogger Links. Have a great week everyone!

Loosey Goosey

Connie's added a new free pattern inspired by the Flying Geese quilt block. It offers ample practice for quarter stitches and of course, she's got just the tutorial and tips you need!

How to Tie a Knot for Hand Sewing
Starting your hand sewing project with the right knot is important for success. Here Sarah shows you her favorite simple knot that's strong and won't easily pull through fabric.

Knitting Needle Set Review
In this video, the Crafty Princess looks at various wooden knitting needle sets from Knit Picks.

Yummy Breakfast Oatmeal Recipe
Here is one of Terry's first videos she put together about a year ago. Terry shows how to make a delicious oatmeal dish that would be great for those cold mornings.

Art Bead Scene
Winter Bird Studio + Round Rabbit + Mia Only Beads are the perfect combination for Erin's Perfect Pairings selection! 

Beading Arts
Cyndi played around with a new form (to her, anyway!) of landscape quilting and is happy to share her process.

Silhouette Pop-Up Drawer Card Box: 
Tips for assembling Silhouette pop-up drawer box cards. Lori Whitlock designed a series of these cute pop-ups. Here's how to make them nice and sturdy.

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Like peyote bead stitch? Jean revisits a wonderful beadweaving book by Melinda Barta with a review you can't miss!

Keepsake Shell Necklace
This free necklace tutorial shows how to turn shell beads picked up during a cruise into a necklace.

Rebecca is a Scottish jewellery designer; currently living in the capital city of Edinburgh. You can read more about her and her work at her blog, songbeads.blogspot.com and see more of her jewellery at songbead.etsy.com. She also has a supplies shop at thecuriousbeadshop.etsy.com.

Amuse the Muse - Rose Quartz and Serenity - with Rebecca of Songbead

Hi guys! I'm still pretty under the weather so it's another short and sweet from me today. It's proving tricky to track down art beads with a combination of these colours, but I've managed to find a few lovelies to share with you today! Don't forget to leave links in the comments below if you come across any art beads with Pantone's 2016 colours - Rose Quartz and Serenity - we'd love to see!

Phoenix Dreams Studio

Tempting Little Charms

Both colours in this charming wee pastel set from Bo Hulley Beads.

And now for the BeadBlogger Links. Have a great week!

Free Border Pattern
Is it a border or a bookmark - you decide. This free chart has a myriad of uses and can be stitched in any color.

Apply Those Crystals
Add more bling to your garments or fabric jewelry components with this super cool tool.

Illustrate Your One Little Word
Do you have a word for 2016? Why not use it in a piece of art? You can do this with any word you like and whatever supplies you have.

Taylor Knit Shawl
Here is a little knitting progress as the Crafty Princess continues to learn how to knit. 

Art Bead Scene
Check out our beautiful new challenge for January - the first of 2016!

Yes, Another Jewelry Challenge
Terry Jeanette of Tappingflamingo shows her entry in the Dry Gulch Beads and Jewelry Challenge, January 2016

Repair It with Bondic Plastic Welding Pen 
Eileen repairs a small cast iron sculpture with Bondic. No waiting time required when you repair it with Bondic. Apply, cures in a few seconds, add finishing touches. Your repair is immediately ready for use.

Beading Arts
We've all been there...Cyndi is drowning in STUFF!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's Beading to Be Done!
Jean reviews a beautiful follow up to an earlier book on bead embroidery: Bead Embroidery Stitch Samples Motifs. If you like to embroider, don't miss this!

Rebecca is a Scottish jewellery designer; currently living in the capital city of Edinburgh. You can read more about her and her work at her blog, songbeads.blogspot.com and see more of her jewellery at songbead.etsy.com. She also has a supplies shop at thecuriousbeadshop.etsy.com.

Amuse the Muse - Rose Quartz and Serenity - with Rebecca of Songbead

Hello all! And a happy new year. 2016, eh - it's kind of crept up on me this one! And unfortunately, it's brought with it (for me) a nasty cold, so I'm typing this feeling rather under the weather today. Forgive me if this post is on the short side! 

This month, I've decided to feature the new Pantone's Colours of the year. Yes, you read that right - colourS! They've decided to go for two shades this year, kind of merging them together in an ombre effect, instead of the usual one, strong hue. Meet Rose Quartz and Serenity. 

Let me be the first to say that I am NOT overly convinced by this combination. I do like occasional pastels, but baby blue and baby pink....together?! Not doing it for me yet. And I know I'm not alone from the comments online. 

Meh...

HOWEVER, what I love about exploring colours is the unexpected things that you find, and how colours you thought you hated can really set you alight when you see them in an alternative palette/context. So this month is going to be about exploring these colours - together and separately - and seeing how bead artists can convince us that these are THE colours for 2016!

I've got to say, seeing this little scene from Little Big Bell, the official announcer (I believe!) of the new colours of the year, has got me thinking just a little. I have a feeling that the key to these colours not being too wishy washy may well be the addition of black....watch this space. But I'm also interested to see that both in the above scene, AND in last month's challenge piece...

...there are pops of yellow that really add a touch of something solid and definite to the delicate pastel tones. As always with colour, it's going to be HOW you use these colours that really makes or breaks them. 

So what do you all think? I'm interested to hear your thoughts. I'll start sharing beads I've found in these colours from next week - if you spot any, please leave links below! 

And now for the BeadBlogger Links. Have a great week everyone!

Atmos Flare 3D Pen Review
Are you intrigued by tools for 3D drawing? Sarah got to try out a fun 3D pen, though she found it to have a steep learning curve.

Scarfutopia
Here's a quick video review of this free knitting pattern.

Altered Binder to Store & Enjoy Your Mail Art Collection 
Tall binder rings of an old Franklin Planner binder accommodate a lot of bulky pages while leaving them easy to flip.

Snap out of it, Jean! There's Beading to Be Done!
There's nothing like a brand new beautiful calendar to encourage you to express your creative hopes and dreams for the new year. Jean has hers for 2016--you can get one, too! She will show you where!

Rebecca is a Scottish jewellery designer; currently living in the capital city of Edinburgh. You can read more about her and her work at her blog, songbeads.blogspot.com and see more of her jewellery at songbead.etsy.com. She also has a supplies shop at thecuriousbeadshop.etsy.com.