AJE Component Reveal with a bit of tipsy on the side!

I am sorry for posting this a bit late this morning as I was trying to complete my piece and get pictures.  Pictures did happen but finishing did not.

Here is what the amazing Rebekah gave us to choose from this month.

 

I choose the very light whitish blue one.  When it came I was really blown away by the texture and depth of the bead.  But what to do.  As you know if you follow me regularly I let some pieces sit on my tray so that I see them everyday and wait (and in this case wait, wait wait) for them to tell me what they want to be.

Sometimes it takes a bit of a push especially if it has come down to the last minute.  This time it was still waiting on New Years Eve.  I know I know for a beadweaver this is beyond last minute.  How the heck can I weave something to show how much I love the bead?  Here is where the Tipsy comes in!

I do not know why I think it is fun to attempt beading while I have had a few mimosa's but I guess that is just a challenge I like.  So Cheers!

So with a couple of these under my belt I set to playing.  

Tipsy tip # 1 - Using a doubled thread is challenging enough when not tipsy it is nearly impossible when tipsy!  Oh the tangles!

Tipsy tip # 2 - I was not inhibited by color play at all.  I was able to pull colors from the bead AND and accent!!!  That is usually a challenge.

Tipsy tip # 3 - Do not I repeat do not ask hubs to help you find a missing bead in your stash ever!!!  He has set forth a bead buying ban and stash busting challenge!  Darn it!

Tipsy tip # 4 - 4 mimosa's in 2 hours makes for very slow beading!

With all of that I have to tell you I can not wait to finish this piece.  I made my first Y necklace and I am in love with it!  I know it may not be what someone else may like but I found sweet and somewhat simple is right up my alley!!!

Be honest when commenting please as I really appreciate all comments.  They help me learn and grow as a beader!

Please visit everyone else to see how they played!

Guest Designers:

Stephanie - Confessions of a Bead Hoarder

Ann - Bead Love

Karin - Ginkgo et Coquelicot

Melissa - Bead Recipes

AJE Team:

Karen - Starry Road Studio

Diana - Suburban Girl Studio

Kristen - My Bead Journey

Lesley - The Gossiping Goddess

Jenny - Jenny Davies-Reazor

Linda - Linda's Bead Blog & Meanderings

Melissa - Melissa Meman… Art, Life, Love

Susan - Sue Beads

Rebekah - Tree Wings Studio

Caroline - BlueberriBeads

 

Kristen

Book Review - Artistic Seed Bead Jewelry by Maggie Roschyk

A funny thing happened on my way to writing this post.  Yep you guessed it life!  I know it is late but here is what you all have been waiting for.  My sort of annual Tipsy Beading Post.  If you read last years post I have to tell you that so much has changed since that post.  I said that it would not be a regular feature but since so many of you had a good laugh I thought I would attempt another "beading til the Ball dropped" with a bit of help from this.....

So what pattern to pick?  Well that was a no brainer once I saw the "Helena Elements" excerpt from Maggie's book in the Feb/Mar issue of Bead and Button.  In my usual style I fall in love with something that I end up having to morph because I generally stick to my stash for reasons you are all well aware of by now and I tend to fall for projects with beads that are just plain too expensive or hard to find.  I had some gorgeous 12mm puffed squares that I have been holding on to forever and as soon as I saw this pattern I totally knew this was the reason to use them.

I even made a snap clasp to finish this off.

Helena Elements is a fantastic well written and frankly ingenious way of showcasing these beads.  I did have to adjust my bead counts but with how her pattern is written that was an easy task.  I did make one before I started drinking though just to insure I wasn't going to have any surprises.  By the way just in case you are all thinking I am a lush....you know how bars sometimes have a 2 drink minimum?  Well Kristen has a 2 drink MAX.  Yep I am a total lightweight.  

So on the tipsy part....

1. I did so much better on the three I made while waiting for the ball than the first test run.

2. When threading the needle....the middle needle and thread are best to follow!

2. Yes by the time the ball drops you are so ready to morph just about anything ( in your dreams )

5. You totally loose count too often making it very difficult to finish a whole project.

8. Lady Gaga can really freak you out if you have been staring at beads then look up.  Love her music though.

7. Make sure if you want to continue with your Mimosa's watching the New Years Day Parade that it is not on a Sunday!  Had to wait a whole week to have them! 

There now you are well aware of the challenges faced when attempting to plan a tipsy post.  Next time (if there is) I think I will just let it flow.

On the review part of Maggie's book Artistic Seed Bead Jewelry......Yes I have the book.

I have to tell you that I do love the books that are out there but sometimes I also think some bead designers do not remember what it is like to have a restricted budget which can make their projects seem unattainable.  When my hubby asked if I wanted the book I had these reservations, however they were totally unfounded.  Yes the 8mm cubes I so desperately want are a bit difficult to find at a good price for me but her book is filled with so many awesome projects using a lot of readily available beads that I can not wait to make another project.  Her instructions are easy to follow and she can really inspire you to think totally out of the box.  For that I am truly grateful to her for sharing her knowledge.

So there you have it a 2for post.  I can not wait for you all to see the next post.  I have been so lucky to have been selected by Jeannie to participate in........

That's right she picked me!  Click the pic and it will send you to her! I have been working on my design and the reveal is January 25th.  I am so excited to be part of this and she really inspired me to go way outside my comfort zone!

Til then

Hugs and Blessings

KK

Facebook Ate my Saturday!

Yes I made the jump.  If I didn't have enough trouble navigating through Blogger and The Hive and trying to keep up with all the updates from my friends I know have a Facebook account.  The time sucking that it has is amazing for instance, Friday I got my hair cut (actually fixed after 6months of trying to grow out the hack job I received the last time) at a new salon here in town.  I totally got so caught up in Facebook that when I went to take a shower I had totally forgotten about it and thought something was wrong when I started to wash my hair!  OMG!  So for all of you who don't know what I am talking about if you decide to set up an account be prepared for a few hours of playing around your first day at least.  I will say that it's awesome to connect with beady friends that do not have a blog and see all the gorgeous work that bead designers have out there.  Oh and one other plus is that I can see if anyone is tattling on me when I write a post about my favorite designers...Ahem Jennifer!

Thank you all so much for the overwhelming response I received for my New Feature idea.  Shelby is insistent that I not listen to you because you are all very very bad influences.  I have decided that I may or may not attempt this again but that I will be adding to my pattern reviews a "how tipsy should can you be" rating.  I think that is only fair and that way I won't be wasting good bead $ on booze!

So on to Sunday.  With yet again all the bad influence out there in the blogging world I decided to venture into this area.  ORGANIZATION!  Argh.  And while I did not get very good shots of the mess I do have before and after pictures.  So this is how I blew about 3 hours on Sunday.  With the help of some pretty curious and sticky fingers I might add.

Ain't he just tooo cute?

Waving to my blog friends!

This is all by bead stash!  Except the bottom drawer of the white file.

I did get to Lowe's and found some cool findings that I have an idea for but haven't taken pictures yet. 

Hugs and Blessings

KK

Coming soon from the Tipsy Beader......No drinking but there was a little Wine involved.

New Feature?

With everyone talking about revamping their blog I started thinking "Do I need to start a feature?"  Maybe but all I have other than pairings (which are not as regular due to that crafting ADD thing) well....

Tipsy Beading....Humm no that should NOT be a regular feature in fact I do not think I should ever attempt to read a pattern drinking anything other than coffee!  With that said you know already that I did try this exact scenario on New Years Eve and believe it or not continued on New Years Day!

So let me set the scene......We stay in on NYE as the kids are still here and as I have said before Shelby DOES NOT babysit!  And lets face it, it can be a bit scary on the roads this time of year.  So with that said my sweet hubby and I have a tradition of having this on NYE.

So with a bit of this, Shelley Nybakke's Sparkling Waves pattern from Oct/Nov 2010 Beadwork, some beads and memory wire I had a brilliant idea that I would bead until the ball dropped.  Oh and we decided to watch that Tom Cruise/Cameron Dias movie that I still can't remember the name of.  (It was a good movie with a lot of action)  I know you are probably all laughing at this point as what I was attempting was doomed before I even began!  And here is where I should apologize to Shelley (even though she will probably never read my little blog) about all the things I said about her twisted talented beady fingers.  The pattern is fun and once you get through the initial peyote row of it ( I probably should have had a more flexible needle...ya think?) it goes rather quickly but it did not get finished by the time the ball dropped so we went to bed!

I have to tell you of yet another tradition I have.  Mimosa's during the Rose Parade.....I know what you are thinking but when I start something I need to finish it in the same manner.  (yeah right you know I was just determined at this point.)  Now I am going to introduce you to my "Tipsy Waves"

Yeah I was thinking the same thing......this didn't turn out bad at all...........maybe...........No Way Jose I will not try this again so no it will not be a regular feature for me.   Maybe I will have to come up with something else to keep everyone coming back!

Hugs and Blessings

KK