getting started with blogging and my 1st project

I'm kind of flying by the seat of my pants trying to figure out how to get started with this.  I figure the best way to learn and get started is to just jump in the deep end and do it.  I've never done a blog before and will probably flounder a bit here and there, but as everything else in life I'll get better over time.

I've been beading for a couple years now as much as I can.  Beads are expensive and we're on a tight budget, so they're pretty much a luxury.  But I've recently started selling loom and peyote patterns at www.thebeadcoop.com and am making a little pin money each month now.  woohoo!  (If you'd like to see/buy my pattners click on "our designers" on the left and click on the number to the right of my name.)

I started off with square stitch and looming on a loom my wonderful husband built for me.  I couldn't get enough of it until recently...I was introduced to improvisational bead embroidery and took an amazing 2 day class with Robin Atkins (click to go to her website--has a link to her blog too).  Looming doesn't even compare to what I personally get out of embroidering!  I'm working on a loom project right now and it's almost a chore to finish it because all I can think about are the patterns and colors I can put on a piece of fabric.

I spent a couple months collecting beads in shades of purple and blue, a little green and red and various little doodads getting ready to take the class.  I had no idea what i was going to do with them, but I couldn't wait to get at it!  I was nervous about the class because I have anxiety issues and don't do well with too many people at once.  Well, my anxiety issues were a non-issue after all.  I was so excited to be in that class and learn from someone so knowledgeable and experienced that I was able to focus on the beading and not about having an anxiety attack.  The anxiety hit on Sunday night after the class was over and all the adrenaline subsided, but that passed and Monday morning I was ready to continue my project.

I had no idea where my first project was going to go.  I had so many thoughts going through my head.  I was thinking about the last couple years of my life dealing with being bipolar, the manic, the depressive, the roller coaster, the process of healing and becoming stable, my family being together now...so many things...I just couldn't focus on a single thought.  They were swirling in my head like a tornado.  It only took me about a week to finish my project because I worked on it diligently every day.  Here's where the piece went:

Unfortunately, the photo doesn't show how vibrant the colors are.  But I think you can get the picture.  So many textures and patterns throughout the piece were very reflective of my thought process, which is why I call this one "My Racing Thoughts".