First commissioned piece of beadwork for Beverly Kaye via Charlene Binder - wow this is FUN!

Beautiful glass cabochon chose itself for Beverly Kaye!

So I had a commission before I even retired. One of my very favorite faculty course authors and instructors, Charlene Binder, sent me a note and said she has a friend who is going to be celebrating a milestone birthday between 50 and 100 (wow! the older I get the more I admire this). A very Happy Birthday to Beverly Kaye! I'm hoping she is quite proud of where she is, still so very active and influential, apologies for the semi-disclosure if she's still celebrating 29....

Charlene described this wonderful woman and sent me a few photos - I liked her immediately upon seeing them, she seems a cross between Coco Chanel and Auntie Mame - right up my alley to design for!

This particular commission is such solid confirmation from the Universe that making this move at this time (retiring from my wonderful university and going full-time into the art) is the right thing to do. Especially since Beverly Kaye is the author of a fabulous book that every manager should read called Love 'Em or Lose 'Em: Getting Good People to Stay. Of course I had to buy the book and read it, I like to know about the people I work for. Lots of great tips in there for keeping talented people.

So here's where I am now with the cab.

The pendant part of Beverly's necklace is shaping up nicely

This pendant will have a beaded bail (the part that attaches the necklace to the pendant) and a beaded toggle fastener, and it will most likely have a bit of fringe, cause you know me and fringe--I LOVE it!

I've already learned a lot with this project. It doesn't matter "where" you work, the Universe sends you challenges and it's all about how you meet them. With this project I spent several hours doing a stitch that I read about in a book written by another beader. I got pretty far but the cab was misbehaving and wanted to pop out of its setting. This beader didn't have the various rows stitched together, and recommended the wrong type of glue, so it was quite wobbly. Finally around 4 p.m., just before kitchen duty (dinner time) and after many hours of work, the cab POPPED out altogether and I just looked at it sort of blank faced, then had to laugh. I threw away the backing I'd been working on, very grateful that my tomorrows now belong to me so I could start over again the next day.

I closed the book and had a conversation with my own artist's muse and apologized for following someone else's directions. I think she forgave me since today, it took only 3 hours to do what it had taken 6 to try to bring about yesterday (epic fail). 

Today is GOOD!!!

I was reminded again to listen to the still, soft voice within, which was whispering to me the whole time I was "misworking" by following someone else's directions. Listen, listen. Our own small voice inside does not lead us astray. Great to get some tips, but if we listen first before applying, we may get much better results.

MUCH better stitching the second time!

Thank you to my muse, who is always invited to SHOUT when I forget to listen. 

I'll post more as we progress. This is one deadline that I am happy to meet - it's just me and my muse and we can take naps in-between and watch episodes of Miss Marple (two yesterday, what heaven, and a nap with the pups as well).

Dreamkeeper Creations is beginning to blossom, yaybers! Yes, I will do some of these for you!

Namaste!
Jen