Late November last year, I was invited to create a project for Stringing magazine using Pantone's colors for Spring 2012. I chose tangerine tango (orange), solar power (yellow), starfish (beige), and driftwood (gray).
I love assignments like this because they force me to move outside my comfort zone, but sometimes it can be tough to get started. Luckily, one of the rules of this assignment was to create a fairly simple design so that the attention would be on the colors and not on complicated techniques or patterns. For me, simple means a symmetrical design. I did add a few wire-wrapped dangles near the pendant, but otherwise, this is a very simple strung necklace with Czech glass, pearls, and pewter beads.
If you're nervous about designing with unfamiliar colors, thinking simple can help. Try a pair of earrings or a single strand bracelet. You'll gain confidence and be able to move to more to more elaborate designs.
You can find the instructions for my Sunshine Day necklace on the Beading Daily website. The beautiful handmade ceramic pendant is by Marsha Neal Studio.
P.S. Yes, I did name this necklace after the Brady Bunch song. "I think I'll go for a walk outside now / The summer sun's callin' my name . . ."