Show Me Sunday - Flower Beads with Rebecca of Songbead

Happy Easter everyone! I hope you've all had a lovely, chocolate-filled weekend. I'm afraid that, due to internet problems, this Show Me Sunday will reach some of you a little late. I'm staying away from home and my Mum's internet hasn't been so happy.....But here I am, better late than never, to show you our last few flower beads. (Yes, I know I got very excited about our new April theme, but Sunday is technically still March! Save the water beads for next week....) 

Here are a few of my flower art bead finds from this week:

Wildflower leaf by Beads by Earth Tones

Quatrefoil flowers by Slate Studios Supply

Sunset Hibiscus by Suburban Girl

Next Sunday really will be April, so I'm thinking of April Showers....Show Me Water-themed beads. Rain, clouds, the ocean, rivers, teardrops......think outside the box for this one! My favourite colours are within the blue-green spectrum so I am really looking forward to seeing what you come up with for this coming month. Leave your links in the comments here! Enjoy today, wherever you are spending the extended weekend.

And now for the Bead Blogger links:

A Bead A Day 
Do beads and jewelry making components ever take you on a trip down memory lane? Lisa shares a song inspired by sparkle.

About.com Jewelry Making 
Make a cutie patootie little bunny charm bracelet. 

Art Bead Scene 
Erin takes us through this month's inspiring challenge entries! 

Beading Arts 
Cyndi has her March pieces completed for the Bead Journal Project, and they feature an embroidered form of the Cellini spiral! 

Resin Crafts 
Resin Crafts has a week of how-to's featuring Nunn Design and a great give-a-way for the winter Nunn Design collection. 

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done! 
Jean discovered a great offer from Jewelry Making Daily and wants to share it with her readers! 

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton 
Using Now That's a Jig!, Andrew creates a fun ring! 

Rebecca is a Scottish jewellery designer, currently living in Manchester, England. You can read more about her and her work at her blog, songbeads.blogspot.com and see more of her jewellery at songbead.etsy.com. She also has a supplies shop at thecuriousbeadshop.etsy.com.

March Monthly Challenge Blog Tour

Deer in the Forest I by Franz Marc is a shot of color in this otherwise drab time of year. If the snow has already melted where you are, it might very well be rainy and drab and the bright palette in this month's challenge painting really wake me up and make me feel alive and exited for the change of seasons. I need a shot of color in my life and this painting sure fits the bill!

Color was obviously high on the list of those that participated with bright colors mingling with the darker hues of the forest floor but there were also beautiful abstract interpretations and wonderful forest fauna as well. On with the party! I am ready for spring!

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Michelle of Concatenation (above) imagined that the darker areas of the painting hinted at the spring that is about to come and so she made a beautiful multi-layered necklace in the first colors of spring.

We are glad to know that Just Beadey (above) pushed past her initial reaction to the cacophony of color in this painting and found some great lampwork that mimics the faces of the deer hidden in the foliage.

You know, I don't know that I saw the infinity symbols present in this painting until Monique of A Half Baked Notion (above) pointed them out! I love the little infinity connectors, color palette and the wonderful handmade natural clasp made by Monique. So glad to see you participating this month!

Miss Tari of Pearl and Pebble (above) brings together an eclectic assortment of art beads in her very earthy necklace. I love that the focal has a triangular shape that echoes the shapes in the focal painting.

I love the earthy feel of the necklace that Angela Lund-Logan (above) made with a sweet birdie pendant. The rich yellows and browns remind me of the forest floor and I love anything with a positive message!

Miss Malin (above) shares two different pieces inspired by this month's painting. The bracelet features a sweet little fox (which, for the record, I thought was a deer, too!) and some earthy colors. And her earrings are a very clever use of an abstract design focusing on the wind in the trees. Check it out!

So glad to see your creativity shine Miss Molly! Molly (above) of Beautiful Broken Me shares a necklace that she made with her own enamel work in geometric shapes and rustic soldered chain that give this such a great flair. I love the soft colors that she chose and the way the chain she made reminds me of the swirls in the painting and look at that ribbon! So pretty! We hope that you will be back to share with us again real soon!

Miss Marcie of La Bella Joya (above) can certainly do it all, but she is realizing that there is a value in seeking out others to help with your creative vision! She found these amazing art beads that work perfectly with the bright palette. And I just love the fun treatment she gave these beads to make them the highlight of the design.

Bringing the rich rainbow of colors alive, Miss Sara Jo of SJ Designs (above) found this amazing copper enameled focal that really echoes the strong feel of the challenge painting. The strong colors are repeated in the beads and the asymmetric design works perfectly with the abstract painting.

Miss Lynda Moseley of SC Diva (above) captured the frenetic energy of the intersecting lines in the challenge painting in her richly hued leaf shape earrings. I am always impressed with those that push the envelope of their art and Miss Lynda has been coming up some new coloring techniques. So much promise with these new ideas! I hope to see more!

Using the shapes and the bright colors, Miss Mary Ellen of bee tree by m.e. (above) created these chalkboard charms that allowed her to add details of the visible lines in the painting. What a clever idea! The swirls and shapes of the drawings add such a great detail.

Shaiha of Shaiha's Ramblings (above) focused on her favorite of the palette - green - and made a beautiful pair of earrings. The lines of the copper tubes and the radiating shapes of the caps highlight the intersecting lines in the painting in a very wearable piece of jewelry.

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Thank you for submitting your designs to our Flickr gallery for this month's lively challenge painting. There were so many more beautiful interpretations that I didn't find blog posts attached to. Please be sure to share your blog post in your description if you want to be included in the end of the month Blog Tour. Stay tuned for the reveal of the April Challenge!