Yes, I am still here...

I know, I know, I have been horrible at keeping up with my blog posts.  My New Year's Resolution is to be more consistent (I promise!).  Aaand...lol...that being said, I have started a new blog....hehe.  And yes, I will be keeping both of them up to date.

My new blog will be used to showcase my love of paper and color, and all things crafty :).  You can find it here.

Currently I am working on Andrew Thornton's Deep Waters challenge and have many other new things to show you.

In my last Beady blog post, I mentioned the Bead & Glass Boutique For the Love of Beads Challenge, which I never did finish.  I am one of those people who can't do something with beads if they don't speak to me.  And, so sorry Amy, these ones did not speak to me.  I even tried to add to them, take away from them, and to no avail.  So, they sit in my bead-soup stash, awaiting further inspiration. :(

On another (lighter) note, I have finished a few pieces in the meantime:

Thanks to Amy at Bead & Glass Boutique, I managed to get my hands on Amee K. Sweet-McNamara's newest book, Soutache & Bead Embroidery.  Such beautiful designs!

I have tried my hand at soutache a few times, and really love the flow of the braid and the textures when mixed with glass beads.  So, I had a thought...I emailed Amee K. and asked her if I could showcase her book and pictures of the finished pieces in her book (NOT the instructions of course, let's make that clear right now...) as I bead along with the book project by project.  Her response :  "You bet your sweet bippy you're allowed to do that! Blog away Fabulously Crazy Girl!"  Ha!  I love Amee, she is just so...loveable.  

Here is my first project from the book:  page 79, Blissful Abundance Necklace.  Being a creative person by nature, I tend to not follow instructions exactly, and like to make the overall piece a little bit mine...lol.  As you can see in the comparison pics, I varied from the overall construction of Amee's piece by not including the smaller focal piece.  This was mainly because the bigger focal cab is a lot larger than was intended for Amee's necklace design, and therefore, another smaller focal would have been too much, in my opinion.  I am so thrilled with this piece, I am seriously considering keeping it for my own :)

Amee's piece

My piece

Closer up of my piece

My second piece from the book, page 19, Princess earrings, is still in the works.  But what a fabulous pattern to use as a base for soutache knowledge instruction.  Yes, I should have started at the beginning of the book, but, I am that "fabulously Crazy" girl, as Amee so politely puts it...heehee.  Thanks Amee!

Amee's beautiful Princess earrings

my "in-the-works" Princess earrings

I will post more pics when I get them finished of course!

And lastly, for this fabulously long blog post, my mystery kit reveal from Amy at Bead & Glass Boutique !

This is my mystery kit from Amy for the month of February:

 Between life happening, and well, life happening, Amy and I both forgot about March, but I know that April's mystery kit is on its way as we speak.  So excited to get it...I could use some beadspiration!