Beading Babes Reveal

So I may have missed my marks totally on these two projects but sometimes that is just how I roll.  LOL  

First we tackled another Carol Ohl project.  Earthly Hues from the August/September issue of Beadwork.  I loved this project from the beginning so I knew I had filed it somewhere.  That was the first issue.  Where is somewhere?  With a bit of help the pattern was located and now to start gathering supplies.   Well you know I can not make anything easy on myself so here comes the story.  I had 4mm cubes and I had 2mm cubes.  If I go with the 4mm I would not have enough and where the heck were the 10mm rounds I thought I had?  Frantic searching in the hallway putting beads in piles of colors.  No luck.  Scrap that idea.  2mm cubes would so work but the colors were either blue or pink.  Now to search for the 8mm to match.  Well you wouldn't know it from my color challenge in the previous post but I tend to stay away from pink.  Really I do.  So where will inspiration strike.  Hummmmmmmm.....Well it struck in the form of an orphan bracelet I made back in September.  You can read about it here. 

So with that in mind you know I changed up the beads to fit my own unique style.  I have always said that I follow patterns well and that is still very true when doing reviews but when I am just playing I like to throw in a bit of well me.  So in my version of Earthly Hues (which is still earthy but on the ocean side) I used 8mm round crystals, 2mm cubes, drops, and 11 and 8 seeds.  I really enjoyed making this one once I got the rhythm going but when it came to making the pendent...yep another issue.  I couldn't get the cubes and the 8mm beads to sit like the picture.  After about 6 attempts I knew it was a total no go.  What to do?  Set it aside til something sparks.  And spark it did.  I had been keeping this little turtle because he was just too cute.  He called to me and said "pick me I have all the right colors".  Now you know the beads talk to you too so don't look at me like I'm the crazy one.  Anyway here is what I have decided to call "Turtle's Paradise"

I really do like this one so much even though it is way off the pattern path.

On to project 2.  Sleek in Silver by Hatsumi Oshitani in the October/November issue of Beadwork.  Well honestly I thought I was out of making this project because frankly I am still on a tight bead budget and those sweet tila's in this one seemed so out of my reach.  Well thanks to Kelli Burns of the Hole Bead Shoppe Blog and her really cool Friday Trivia game I won a $25 gift certificate to her shop!!!!!!!!  I raced over and saw she had those sweet tilas!!!  Win and of course I picked a few extras for my stash!  And you know what they came on my birthday!!!!!! Beads on my birthday!  (do you see the happy dance?)  I knew exactly what I wanted to use in this one and so without further ado (because you all know I can "ado" for so much longer)  Here is Spike Silver.

and doesn't it so match my Delightful Daggers bracelet?

So now I have to cut this post short as I just received a call from my son's doctor.  He has strep AGAIN!!!!!  OMG he has had it since October 21st and I am so glad and nervous that he is getting his tonsils and adenoids out on the 15th!  I hope this post finds you all a little less crazy than I am right now!

Don't forget to pop over to Karyn's Blog to check out the rest of the Beading Babe's versions of these two awesome projects

Hugs and Blessings

KK