More Than Jewelry: What Else Can You Make?

It's amazing what designer-artists around the world create with beads and other jewelry supplies. It's more than just jewelry! Over the years, we've received quite a number of fantastic beaded chandeliers, embellished clothing and other craft ideas in our jewelry-making contests. Here are a few examples and the inspiration behind the pieces to get you thinking outside the jewelry box.

Beaded Mosaics

You don’t need to be proficient with paint to create stunning artwork for your walls. Color your world with Seed Bead Mosaics™ by Sabrina Frey. This colorful, tactile art medium lets you transform seed beads and other shiny baubles into shimmering compositions, similar to stained glass, and allows you to interact with your art from start to finish. Get your creative feet wet with Starter Kits, then branch out to customized designs with extra supplies and your own stash.

Home Décor

You already love dressing up your favorite outfit with jewelry; why not decorate your home with items made from jewelry supplies? Jazz up a plain picture frame with cabochons, flat-back rhinestones or other flat-backed components. Glue them directly to the frame or embed them in Apoxie® Sculpt. Add custom details with polymer clay, whether sculpted, molded or caned. Feeling ambitious? Stitch a spectacular cover for that old frame with seed beads!

If you're up to a real challenge, you can create 3D sculptures to grace your personal space.

Create vintage-inspired ming trees with gemstone chips, or any beads you fancy, and twist them onto wire. Plant your sparkling tree in that cool pottery dish you found at the rummage sale last summer, or mount it to a wooden base embellished with more beads and cabochons.

Breathe new life into plain glass vases and votive candle holders with flat-back rhinestones, metal filigrees, polymer clay and more.

And speaking of polymer clay, you can use this pliable, versatile medium to embellish just about anything, from pairing knives to mirror frames.

Beaded Figurines

Sometimes, a home décor sculpture made from beads involves stumbling upon the right bead at the right time. A unique, unusual or captivatingly beautiful bead can spark a flurry of inspiration, leading to the creation of some seriously spectacular art.

It's amazing what seed bead embroidery and a lot of patience can achieve.

Decorated Teapots

We have actually gotten quite a number of embellished teapots over the years in our jewelry-making contests. Popular materials for dressing up these nostalgic pottery pieces are polymer clay, gears, chain, buttons and beads.

Suncatchers and Wind Chimes

If you love the way glass and crystal beads sparkle in the sun, string them into dazzling suncatchers.

Plushies

Put on a little pizzaz to transform stuffed animals into whimsical home décor. Imitate the shape of dragon scales with seed beads or aluminum scale components. Add bling with crystal beads or rhinestones. You can even make tiny jewelry sets for a keepsake doll or Great-Grandpa's teddy bear.

Now that you’ve gotten some ideas, you’ll be looking at your jewelry-making stash with a fresh eye. So pull out those beads and baubles and see where inspiration takes you.