Color Inspiration - Field of Weeds in Sunset

An excerpt from my upcoming Color Inspirations book. Hope the color palette inspires you!

p.s. I just hung a huge metallic print of 'Field of Weeds in Sunset' on my wall - the colors make me happy.

New Bag of Color!

Bag of Color #13 includes large handfuls of gems and tubes of seed beads that can be used separately or mixed together to make a Wander with Color necklace, a Cornucopia of Gems neckpiece (full Cornucopia kit included) as well as some earrings or a bracelet to match!

My Inspiration:

Lilacs are blooming everywhere in my garden, their heady scent spilling into neighboring gardens and along a path at the side of our property.

For my latest Bag of Color I drew inspiration from one of my new lilac bushes (1 of 8 varieties I bought at the Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens in Woodland, WA on my way home from a Portland Bead Society meeting last year) called 'President Grevy'. It's blossoms start out violet and turn a lovely blue-violet as they open. This photo was taken when some of the older blossoms had started to fade, their edges tinged with copper.

How can I resist falling back on the yummy combo of purples and greens? My new Bag of Color stirs in some blue-violet with a dash of copper for a stunning palette that jazzes up an already lovely mix!

A New Bag of Color

Inspired by the snowy world outside my window, a flow of color for
Wander with Color and Wanderlust Bracelet pieces.

Read more about it here.
Happy Beading!
Beverly

Favorite Color? (Blog Hop Winners)

COLOR
How can I choose a favorite?
Each day is a different mood
And each hue fills me with deep emotions
But for today - as I get ready to climb up on a ladder and paint our entry-way a deep, heathered teal...

I have to admit that the lovely range of colors between green and blue make me smile.

What is your favorite color... at least for today?

Thank you all for swirling through colors with me this last week.
I have loved being a part of this wonderful group of artists who have inspired me to run outside in this cold, rainy December and take pictures! (though admittedly my photos are a bit dark in this cool, grey light).

Here are the lovely winners* (Drum Roll Please):

Wednesday (December 7): Barb Mahle (Anonymous)
Thursday (December 8): Valerie (Hot Art)
Friday (December 9): Sally Anderson (Wild Sally Road)
Monday (December 12): ChrisD
Tuesday (December 13): Pamela (Bailey in a Box)
Wednesday (December 14): Mari (Mis Amores)

*Please e-mail me with your e-mail address so I can send you the
pdf of DIP INTO COLOR!

Your comments have filled my cup and as a thank you, I am offering a SPECIAL DEAL on my eBook: DIP INTO COLOR through tomorrow (6:00 pct). Take a peek here.


Thank you again - I hope your Holidays are filled with color and warmth and music!
Beverly

p.s. Would you like to learn more about color? Join my mailing list for periodic COLORFUL newsletters from my studio and from the ColorQueen team!

2011 Autumn Retreat

Wander with Color
October 12-13

Wanderlust Bracelet

October 14

A Day at the Beach
October 16-17am

Queen of Unfinished Projects
October 17pm-18

Cornucopia of Gems
October 19

Felt series Day 1 - Felt Basics
October 21

Felt Series Day 2 - Scarves and Ruffles
October 22

Felted Ropes, Cords and Beads
October 23

Stringy Thingy
October 26

Wearable Art workshop retreat on beautiful Whidbey Island near Seattle, Washington. Get your creative juices flowing and join us for a week, or a day, filled with beads, felt, color, wine and food.

Registration opens on-line on Wednesday, May 25 at 10:30 pct.

Photoshopping my Beadwork photos

just for the fun of it!

Come play with color!

Beads on Metal, Friday November 5

Saturday - Sunday, November 6-7

Creative Castle Newbury Park, CA

Jewelry Retreat on Whidbey Island

2010 Autumn Festival!

Get your creative juices flowing and join us for a week, or a day, filled with beads, color, wine and food. See below for an overview of the classes to be held. For more detailed information, visit the Autumn Festival 2010 page on my website.

Wander with Color
Monday - Tuesday, October 4-5, 2010

Tour of Whidbey
Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Wander with Flair
Thursday, October 6, 2010

Wander through Photos / La Duet
Friday, October 8, 2010

Beads on Metal
Saturday, October 9, 2010

This is a very small, intimate retreat in my island cottage with class size between 6 and 10 students per day. We will be working in my sun room with tons of natural light, views of water, wetlands, numerous birds and sunrises. Each day includes a full day of instruction, lunch, wine hor 'doeuvres and dinner, interspersed with walks on the beach, a visit to the galleries at Greenbank Farm and plenty of colorful inspiration!

Registration is now open for those wishing to attend the entire week long retreat. (this is so that those wishing to attend the entire week are not closed out of a class in the middle!)


Registration will open at 12:00 noon (PST) on June 21st, 2010
for those wishing to attend individual classes, rather than the entire week.

I hope you can join us!

I Dream of Beading

Wander with Color Friday - Saturday, April 30 - May 1

Wander with Flair Sunday May 2

I'm off to I Dream of Beading in Poughkeepsie NY for a trunk show and 3 days of classes. I'll come loaded with bead soups and books (Beaded Colorways and Eye For Color) - hope to see you there!

Whirlwind of colorful beads and women

Beachcomber Pendant by Betty
(using Hydrangea Bead Soup)

Beads on Metal Pendant by Adrienne
(using Autumn Leaves Bead Soup)

Wander with Color Necklace by Adrienne
(using Grass, Spring Rain, Deep Teal, Dark Chocolate, Olive Grove Bead Soups)

Wander with Color Bracelet by Kerstin
(using Dark Chocolate, Grass, Tropical Punch, Fuchsia Bead Soups)

Beachcomber Pendant by Dini
(using Twilight Bead Soup enhanced by Dini)

Start of Wanderlust Bracelet by Joie
(using Spring Rain Bead Soup)

It all began with Adrienne from Wales... Our conversations last winter snowballed into an Autumn Festival with 5 days of classes, food and wine and even a bit of massage on the last day.

What amazing, creative, fun women! Some came for a day, others for the whole week, all were a joy to have in my home.

Colorful, prolific Dini joined in for all 5 days!

Turns out Carol lives in my home town right next to my old high school!

We beaded in the 'barn'

and ate downstairs - Kristi and Pam from Bellingham Washington, Adrienne from Wales, Dini from southern Oregon, Betty from North Carolina, Carol from Gig Harbor.

Dini and Joie (co-publisher of EYE FOR COLOR, did I mention college roomie and dear friend?)

The 'gang' from Tacoma - Jacquie, Candace, Lynda Janeen - friends for decades (we heard lots of good stories)

Kerstin from Bellingham joined for the weekend - so good to meet her in person after long admiring her amazing photography. See her photos from the workshops here.

I didn't capture a photo of Charron from Winnepeg - she hopped out early to travel up to Vancouver for Canadian Thanksgiving.