A Magical Mystery Bead Box Journey
Monthly subscription mystery boxes seem to be all the rage these days, with many arts and crafts companies getting in this fun way to introduce their products to the masses. When I found out Jesse James Beads was doing a monthly Magical Mystery Bead Box, well I just had to try! As I noted in in a previous post I am fast becoming a fan of Jesse James Beads so starting a subscription was a no-brainer for me.
Each month Jesse James Beads picks a theme, with a matching color pallet of beads, charms, findings and a surprise project. For September they had “Into the Woods”. A lovely earthy color pallet of greens, golds, browns, teal and silver. I wouldn’t normally have picked this color assortment but I found it a wonderful push to go outside my comfort zone.
This selection of stunning goodies made me think of time long ago. When I saw the owl pendents included in the box what came to mind was Athena, Greek Goddess of wisdom, inspiration, warfare, mathematics and art.
Now you might wonder why I had Greek mythology on the mind. Recently I had the chance to see The Getty Villa‘s Buried by Vesuvius Treasures from the Villa dei Papiri exhibit. So many lovely sculptures, paintings, literature and delicate treasures, it was a site to behold. One statue in particular caught my attention and my imagination, Athena Promachos (First in Battle), Roman, first century BC–first century AD.
Using that amazing statue of the goddess as my inspiration I created a necklace from the Magical Mystery Bead Box. Athena’s symbol of the olive tree is represented by leaf charms from a Jesse James Beads Goddess mix, her owl from charms from my bead stash, and the multi strand pattern represents her snake fringed aegis (protective cloak). The pendant is a replica of an ancient Athenian coin, with a image of the goddess herself stamped on the front. The majority of the beads and all of the tassels come from the Into the Woods box. With a few Czech glass beads and metal components from my collection.
Even though I used a lot from beads from the subscription box I still have so many more left over to create many more projects. When the October box arrived I was so happy with the new assortment I knew I had to sign up for a longer subscription.
Until Next Time, Safe TravelsNew Beading Journey with Jesse James Beads
For a couple of years now I have had friends and clients tell me I needed to start working with supplies from Jesse James Beads. In particular their online exclusive collections of beads and supplies. So in July I started ordering from them, and after I received the first package, I was hooked. Their color and style selection was just what I needed to break my inspiration block! All the beads were packed well, shipping was fast and they even included some free tassels!
Mauna Loa Bead Mix What caught my eye was their limited edition Destination Hawaii bead mixes and strands. I bought several packs for gifts and the Mauna Loa 2-Tier Bead Mix for myself. It contained a lovely collection of metal, acrylic, crystal, glass, fiber and semi precious stones. The colors brought to mind the island of Mauna Loa, which is home to one of the five volcanoes that make up the Hawaiian islands. Vibrant red and oranges for lava and stunning sunsets. Black and grey for the volcanic rocks and smoke from the volcano. Metallics and tassels reminiscent of the Polynesian regalia and pageantry.
*If you hurry you might still be able to get one of these lovely bead mixes before they sell out.
Gold Assortment Starting with my personal collection of gold findings I selected beads that brought to mind the warmth of sunsets and bonfires by the beaches. In most, if not all Jesse James Beads mixes you will find two to even six beads of the same type, making earrings and symmetrical jewelry making a breeze.
Silver Assortment I felt certain beads lent themselves to the cooler tone of silver, thinking of cooling breezes among the palms with bright glow of lava at night. Digging through my collection of crystals, fire glass and silver findings I found just the right combinations to go with the bead mix.
Lava Flower There was a selection of black matte beads in the mix that immediately reminded me of cooled lava flow. I thought of ʻōhiʻa lehua, a species of evergreen myrtle found in Hawaii, that often is the first plants to grow on new lava flows. With some additional matte beads, Swarovski crystals and silver findings I created this earring and necklace set.
Last Dance Queen Liliʻuokalani was the last sovereign monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom, a woman of talent, tolerance and intelligence who advocated for a free Hawaii until her death in 1917 at the age of 79.
In honor of Queen Liliʻuokalani I created a vintage design using the deep red crystals from the Maua Loa bead mix, one Ruby Red JJB Chain Reaction, and vintage findings.
Hawaiian Crow Last but not least I created a set highlighting the Hawaiian Crow, extinct in the wild, with reintroduction programs being started. Culturally significant to Hawaiian mythology this beneficial omnivore known to both prey on pest animals and spread seeds of native plants.
In hopes this wonderful creature has a brighter future, that from death there might be life, I designed this set with crystals from the bead mix, a raven skull pendant and supplies from my personal collection.
More bead goodness.. Even after all of those creations I still have beads left over to use.
The quality and diversity of the beads Jesse James Beads offer, along with their ever changing color pallets of the limited editions has made me a fan!
Until Next Time, Safe Travels!
Ancient and Contemporary Inspired Artistry