Melanie West has revived her appetite for beads. She’s added a hole and modified the shapes of her squid, cicada and cephalopods that usually become bangles.

The new creations retain her unmistakeable undersea aesthetic.

Explaining her “two steps back” approach, Melanine says, “I have found that sometimes going back to a form that comes easy (i.e., simple round balls with holes in them) helps coax out a sleeping muse.”

And speaking of muses, we’ll post the winner of the “Creative Sparks” giveaway here this afternoon.