A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about my annual beading challenge to myself to make a pair of beaded earrings every day for an entire month. Doing this earring making challenge is a way to get myself to start thinking differently about my beads and my beading designs, and it seems like a great way to start a new year!
But if making a pair of beaded earrings every single day for a
month is a little bit overwhelming for you, you can try an easier challenge to
get your beady brain going: try making a beaded bracelet every week for a
month! That's only four bracelets, and they can be as intricate or as simple as
you like!
The great thing about beaded bracelets is that most of them
can be worked up in a relatively short amount of time. Even if you spend an
entire week making a beaded bracelet, you'll still have a week's worth of new
bracelets ready for you at the end of the month!
Mortira over at the blog Inspirational
Beading has been doing just this for quite some time now, and her bracelets
are truly beautiful and inspirational! Each bracelet is a perfect example of
how to make the most of your beading time, whether she makes a bracelet with
intricate peyote-stitched components or a bracelet that just uses simple
stringing techniques and some of her favorite seed beads.
She started her challenge in January of 2011 as a
continuation of her Necklace a Day challenge from 2010. (And I thought I was
crazy for trying to make a pair of earrings every day for a month!) But
Mortira's blogging about each bracelet that she makes every week is a great documentation of her
exploration of a full range of beading and bead-weaving techniques and
materials.
Are you looking for a good beading challenge for yourself in
2012? Whether you want to do a Bracelet a Week challenge like Mortira over at Inspirational Beading, or you're going
to participate in our own Earring a Day challenge here on Beading Daily, you can always find a slew of great beaded bracelet making projects in the pages of Beadwork magazine. For a limited time, you can stock up on back issues of Beadwork and Stringing magazines in both digital and print! Check out the deals in the Beading Daily Shop and get ready to start beading in 2012!
Interested in participating in our Earring a Day Challenge?
Check out all the details on the Bead Along page here on Beading Daily!
Bead Happy,
Jennifer
Filed under: Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Stringing, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Bracelet Making, Earring Making, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily