Are you in a creative rut? Inspiration all dried up? Or perhaps you are just looking for a few new ideas to keep both inspiration and interest up! If any of those apply to you, then you have come to the right place! If any of those apply to you, then you\’ve come to the right place! Below, you will find five beadwork ideas that could help kick begin your imagination and get you creating again!

I am writing this list with beaded necklaces in specially in mind, but the beadwork ideas presented here could be easily adapted to most any project you\’ve an interest in. That\’s among the excellent things about bead craft as a hobby! Its sheer versatility. You can spy a thought that has been executed in one way (say, a ceiling fan pull chain), and with a little work and modification, easily transform it into anything entirely new and different (a bracelet, necklace, or even a matched set!).

1 – If you have fallen into the habit of creating single strand designs, branch out into fun multi-strand or wrap designs for a fresh perspective! Multi-strand designs add layers of difficulty to your work, and can convert a rather common single-strand piece into something truly extraordinary. It is a little trickier to pull off, but you can even attempt a \”hybrid design,\” one that starts off (at the clasp) as a single strand, branches out into a double, or perhaps even a triple, and then, as it winds its way round the neck, re-converges.

2 – Commit yourself to incorporating a color or style of bead you don\’t usually use into your next design. This can be as simple as looking through your existing stock for those beads you often \”pass over,\” or taking a road trip to your local bead shop to see what\’s new!

3 – Look for anything exotic! The ways about using some decorative Czech glass beads or Swarovski crystals in your next piece? It could take you in all sorts of new and different directions! (note: this can also get a little costly, so use with care!)

4 – Commit yourself to learning a new technique (i.e., \”African Net\”) this month! Anything that breaks up your \”common\” method of doing things is bound to spark a slew of ideas! – There\’s an almost endless number of techniques to be learned, and each time Christina and I think we \”know it all,\” we discover something new to try!

5 – Rather than stringing your next piece, investigate chains, and find methods to affix your designs onto gold or silver chains for a totally new look! – This takes the notion of \”mixed medium\” to the next level!

As the 5 tips above demonstrate, there\’re all types of things you can do, all sorts of new methods of looking at even existing beadwork ideas, to break out of a creative run, and they are really just the recommendation of the iceberg!