Pink is the colour for 2011

Pink is sensual,passionate without being aggressive....This season is all about pink...pink denims,pink chinos,pink lipstick and of course pink accessories - which means pink beads!!(Click on this link and everything pink will show)Pantone Colour institute have declared honeysuckle( a pinkish red) to be the shade of 2011 but all pinks seem to be in from soft blossom pink to raspberry pink.It seems to be the perfect 'pick me up' in these hard ecomomic times.

INTERESTING PINK FACTS

• The Chinese did not recognise the colour pink until influences came in from the west.The chinese word for pink means foreign colour.


• Pink has been used in prison holding cells to reduse aggressive behaviour.


• Surverys suggest that cakes taste better out of pink bowls or off pink plates.


• A pink ribbon is the internationally recognised symbol of hope and awareness against Breast Cancer.


• Tickled pink....to be happy

Snowflakes

It is snowing hard here and I seem to have been focused on snowflakes all weekend.It started off last Thursday when the excitement of the first snowfall made me hunt out the beaded snowflake samples I made last year with my children and ended up with me making kits for the school fair which luckily still went ahead.It is so disappointing for everyone when these things are cancelled after so much hard work and excitement.

The snowflakes are made with a very fine beading wire and some 6/0 miyuki beads .The final design is approx 4cm across.However once you have the pattern and general idea,you can substitute with larger beads or bugles and then the possibilities are endless...!

If you want to have a go click on this link :-http://www.constellationbeads.co.uk/kits.asp The kit makes approx 8 - 9 snowflakes but there is enough beading wire to make loads more- so if you need more miyuki beads go to :-http://www.constellationbeads.co.uk/sub-category.asp?subcatid=39

The New Blog

I haven't written a Blog for ages because I have been wracking my brains to try and decide what to actually put in it which would be both interesting and useful.... ..it finally came to us on a brainstorming session and following a spate of e mails from customers that 'bead lovers' sometimes worry about what to actually do with their beads,what combination of colours to use,what shapes look good together etc etc.. So that it what I'm going to do - talk about colour and shape,with design tips,trend forecasts and the usual chat about the business and of course the latest news on great new beads that have just arrived. I hope that you find it useful- any suggestions and comments are of course very welcome.

The first thing you may have noticed is that the site has been changed into colour combinations rather than by material( you can still search by material).The exception to this is the Miyuki Seed Beads,Findings and Metal Beads and Pendants which have their own category.

I find when I am designing that I rarely make something without either a stone /pendant as the starting point or with a specific colour in mind - because it needs to match an outfit,because it is someones favourite colour - or more and more because a customer has had their colours 'done' and are classed as 'Spring', 'Summer' ,'Autumn' or 'Winter'- more on that at a later date.I hope that you find the colour categories both helpful and inspiring.

Next Blog I will be discussing the COLOUR BLUE in design - what it signifies and how it mixes with other colours

Welcome to the Blog

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