Are you in an imaginative rut? Inspiration all dried up? Or maybe you are only seeking a few new ideas to keep both inspiration and interest up! If any of those apply to you, then you've come to the correct place! If any of those apply to you, then you've come to the right place! Below, you will find five beading ideas that could help kick start your imagination and get you creating again!

I am writing this list with beaded necklaces in specially in mind, but the beading ideas presented here might be easily adapted to most any project you've an interest in. That is among the wonderful things about bead craft as a hobby! Its sheer versatility. You can spy a thought that is executed in one way (say, a ceiling fan pull chain), and with a small work and modification, simply transform it into something completely new and different (a bracelet, necklace, or even a matched set!).

1 - If you have fallen into the habit of making single strand designs, branch out into fun multi-strand or wrap designs for a fresh viewpoint! Multi-strand designs add layers of difficulty to your work, and can turn a more ordinary single-strand piece into something truly extraordinary. It's a little trickier to pull off, but you could even try a "hybrid design," one that starts off (at the clasp) as a single strand, branches out into a double, or perhaps even a triple, and then, as it winds its way round the neck, re-converges.

2 - Commit yourself to incorporating a color or design of bead you don't usually use into your next design. This can be as simple as looking through your existing stock for those beads you generally "pass over," or taking a road trip to your local bead shop to see what's new!

3 - Look for anything exotic! How about using a few decorative Czech glass beads or Swarovski crystals in your next piece? This could take you in all types of new and different directions! (note: this also can get a little expensive, so use with care!)

4 - Commit yourself to learning a new system (i.e., "African Net") this month! Anything that breaks up your "common" method of doing things is bound to spark a slew of ideas! - There is an almost endless number of methods to be learned, and every time Christina and I think we "know it all," we discover something new to try!

5 - Instead of stringing your next piece, investigate chains, and find ways to affix your designs onto gold or silver chains for an entirely new look! - This takes the idea of "mixed medium" to the next level!

As the 5 tips above demonstrate, there're all kinds of things you can do, all sorts of new methods of looking at even current beading ideas, to break out of a creative run, and these are really just the recommendation of the iceberg!