Learn a little Culture

Here's a little Cultural lesson for you. This hand symbol is called a Hamsa. It symbolizes protection and defense.

The Hamsa is often seen in the Middle East and Northern Africa. This symbol has been accepted to signify many things by numerous religions.

So now that you know a little about the Hamsa, did you know that Blue Moon has a pendant line that has these cool little hands in many styles and colors?

What I did with this bracelet was took the Hamsa pendant and built off the color of the stone in the middle, which is a very pale green. I grabbed some chain with large links and took to making a charm bracelet of sorts, but only used colorful beads and not charms. I slapped on a toggle clasp and Viola!

Make a Wish

 Make a wish! I think we've all, at one point in our life, pulled a wishbone with a friend or family member and wished with all our might for something we wanted. It's cool to think of what wishes I wanted as a kid. If I had it my way back then, I would probably be a super hero today.
Wishbones don't only symbolizes wishes and desires, it also symbolizes success. So with all that good stuff in one symbol, why not wear it everywhere?

Blue Moon Beads has a fantastic line out that is full of symbolic pendants. Not only are they gorgeous, but they all have really cool meanings.

With this necklace I made little hoops with seed beads to add texture. I love the blues (as if you couldn't tell from previous posts I've done). This technique is very simple and makes for a one-of-a-kind necklace.

30 Minute Challenge

 EARRING CHALLENGE

I decided to spice things up. I gave myself 30 minutes to make as many earrings as I could. I grabbed a whole bunch of random things at the ready before I started and then set the timer.

(This was mostly to de-bulk my massive storage of beads.)

I think this one is my favorite out of the three that I made. I started with some fun leaf clasps from Blue Moon Beads and then added some fun beads from a mix tin. I linked those to a copper chain to create the hanging effect. They are so fun! I wore them right after I made them. :)

For this pair, I used some fun links that came on the Urban Warrior line of Blue Moon Beads and then some beads from a bead tin to make a very modern look.

For this pair, I took apart a pendant to get the key-hole centerpiece's for these. Then I hung some flat metal dangles from the Urban warrior line, which is one of my favorites! I also used golden links from the same line. These follow one of my favorite styles, Steampunk!

I had a blast with this challenge, so now I challenge you!
Gather some items that you've been planning to use for ages, set the timer and let your creativity lose!
This can be done with more than just earrings; you could just as easily make bracelets or necklaces or rings or whatever your little heart desires! Though I would give yourself more time to work on items bigger than earrings or rings.

Have fun! Let me know how it went. I would love to see what you've come up with!

Blue Seeds

I was going through my treasure trove of Blue Moon beads and noticed that I have an uber amount of blue seed beads in every shade imaginable. Well, since I love blue, I had no problem with that. 

So I decided to try something new. This is a first for me. I whipped out a bead loom and attempted a bracelet. 

And I think it went rather smashingly! 

The pattern was tricky at first (God bless graph paper), but I got the hang of it and it looks freaking awesome, if I do say so myself.

No the only thing with bead looming, is that it is time consuming, so if you don't have much patience, I would skip this project. 

I can't wait to see what other things I can make with this loom!

This projects beads brought to you by: Blue Moon Beads. 

Let your imagination soar!