I stumbled across an article in the online version of Better Homes and Gardens magazine a while back. Of course, every article and picture in there has a person’s head spinning and reeling with ideas, inspiration and motivation. It gave some really great tips on how to incorporate beads, jewelry and the like into your home décor. What better way for a beader to surround themselves with creative inspiration! Here are some of the highlights…

These strands are whimsical, fun, addicting and full of potential! At approximately 12” long, these little press molded gems have a menagerie of shapes that gives the strand tons of texture. The most common colors are all in an opaque glass, including red, yellow, aqua blue, tan and white. But depending on the strand, the shapes vary from strand to strand. You may find melon shapes, fluted interlocking beads or an array of flower styles. Own a strand of these and a whole bunch of possibilities opens up for you. Do you string them as they are? Should you break them up? Should you get more than one strand and mix and match up the beads into one long strand? Think of the design options! We carry these strands when we can find them. Check out the vintage glass section to see what colors we may be hoarding.

This is easy to do and can make a centerpiece on your table be the talk of the day. You can use clear or colored vases, and simply wrap beads on wire around the neck of the vase as many times as you wish to fill the neck. Then spiral the ends to make them a bit fancier. How about filling the bottom of a vase with some great beads? They’ll look awesome with flower stems gently resting among them. Just make sure the beads are water safe. You could even use pearls or stones, glass or lucite. Avoid wood or clay beads, or beads with unstable finishes.

So simple and easy to do. Just sew a few bead in a couching style to any pillow front for a glam version of couch adornment. That’s right… not only pillows functional, but they’re meant to dress up your room a bit also. You can use a patterned fabric to just sew a few accent beads, such as the center of flowers or a random bead here or there. What about fringing the edges of your pillow to give it some hippy hippy shake? :-)

This is one of my favorites! Just place a few glass votives with candles onto some wide rimmed candle holders, then place a smattering of stacked bangles over the glass. What a change, hm? It doesn’t have to be little skinny bangles, either. Try some big chunky versions in different colors for a blast of color.

I’m a fringe nut. I adore the swaying movement of color and shapes and textures all swishing and clacking against each other when a fringed piece moves. The drape of a swag is so pretty to me. You can fringe up anything that has a hole in it to anchor a fringe to it. I love the idea of dressing up a pretty cake platter like this one to make a special occasion even more fancy and special.

Beginning with a simple picture frame, try adhering a simple brooch or cabochon to the top center. Or try smaller ornamentation in the corners of the frame. It will make those frames that are filled with friends and loved ones even more special.