A few years ago when I was learning the peyote stitch an instructor was teaching me a bit about color in design. She mentioned to me that many people have a certain comfort level with using the same colors that they are naturally drawn to. She encouraged me to "get out of my color comfort zone" and play with color combinations that I would not normally use.

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I started to think more about this and play a little bit with this idea. I thought back to school and learning about color theory. I remember learning about the color wheel and the primary colors and secondary colors. I started to investigate a bit further about color theory in beading in design.

It gives a basic and easy approach to colors and how our eyes react to certain colors. Suzanne also talks about how to create your own color wheel. You can also purchase a color wheel at a local art supply store and Fire Mountain Gems sells them online.

I have had a lot of fun with designing with color and it has made a great deal of difference in my design. You can also play around with different finishes as well which I love to do. You can combine a matte finish with a shiny finish in the same color family. I can go on and on about color play because I have really learned what a great addition it has made to my beading skills.

So, for the New Year I encourage you to "get out of your color comfort zone" even if you don't go so far as to learn about color theory. Play around with color combinations that you normally wouldn't use. Have fun and create without inhibition and see what may materialize before your eyes.