Regardless of which of the multitude of beading ideas I am pursuing, I consider patterning as the single most significant aspect of the hobby. A good pattern can cover a huge number of other bead craft design sins, and skilled crafters will spend a lot of time fiddling with their patterns to get them just right.

In this article, I am going to take a brief look at 2 sources of inspiration for your bead craft ideas that you might not have thought of. Consider this a research in cross discipline thinking, and it's my hope that when you read these words, your mind will immediately start turning on the subject, and a full boatload of OTHER thoughts will fall into your lap. Even if that doesn't happen though, that is still a ward against the bead craft equal of "writer's block." So here goes:

Poetry

Any poem that is not free verse has a rhyme and meter to it. Haiku's structure is 5-7-5. Iambic pentameter has its individual rhythm, and so on. There are a huge number of rhythms to pick from, and source of inspiration is as close as your nearest volume of poetry.

Take the haiku example. You can build a pattern around the haiku rhythm, 5-7-5. An arrangement of five beads. A different arrangement of 7, and then back to 5. Go over this around your necklace (or bracelet, or whatever) and you'll have designed a "haiku bead craft necklace."

Or if your favorite poem is consists of funky rhythm like

a-b-b-a

b-c-c-b

c-d-d-c

(repeat)

You can arrange a bead craft pattern around that (every letter represents a different element) to striking effect. And, your bead craft project could have a remarkable story surrounding it!

Sheet Music

An additional exceptional source for inspiration to enhance your bead craft projects is sheet music. Assign one bead component to each note and place based on whatever song you pick.

As you please, either ignore sharps and flats or add wholly new bead craft ideas elements for them. Begin with anything simple. Design a "Mary had a little lamb" necklace, playing with the components until you are happy with the results. Again, an off beat method of looking at the area of patterning that can enrich the execution of your bead craft ideas in unexpected techniques!

*Note: You will probably just prefer to focus on one line of the sheet music in your bead craft project, lest you make anything much too large to be usable! Also note that pattern and medium can, and generally will, influence one another! What may work well with semi-precious stones may not be as viable with a wood/metal mix, so there is definitely a bit of experimentation involved! The major thing, no matter where your inspiration comes from, or what form it finally takes, is to stick with it! Persistence and experimentation will almost always win the day!

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We are all most accustomed to seeing beading projects as jewelry related. Mostly we see it as necklaces, bracelets, or earrings. You can also find rings made out of beads. That is all well and good. As a matter of fact that is what I do with the beads I have.

Resources Necessary For Beadwork
As you know, every hobby that we do will require some sort of materials and tools necessary to accomplish that hobby.

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