Beading frenzy

As Bitty was at his grandparents' house last night, I got into the mood to finish a beaded flower I'd begun as a Christmas present. I haven't done a flower in awhile, and at times I found myself holding my breath so that the little beads would stay on the wire. Not the most relaxing hobby for me, but one that turns out some impressive -looking crafts.

The pink azalea came from my Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts. I made ten petals and five stamens, taking the 28 gauge wire back through the rows of beads. 

Next, I twisted the wire strands together and wrapped them in layers of floral tape. I wrapped the finished flower onto a pin backing with some wire, then wrapped the whole thing in floral tape again to make it wearable. 

The instructions can be found here, on Martha's website, if you don't have the Encyclopedia (!): http://www.marthastewart.com/268845/beaded-flowers