New cabochon necklace captures dreams....

Inspired by Disney's Big Friendly Giant story.

Dreams do come true. Especially when we apply a little imagination and a lot of action.

This beautiful cabochon necklace came about when I fell in love with the cab itself. A glory of colors reminiscent of the Aurora Borealis, that magical light that comes from our Creative Source, no matter how we define it in scientific terms (for those, too, are certainly within the vast realms of our Source).

I am sorry I do not have the name of this cabochon's creator, but I do know that the artist worked in layers with fire and glass, which is composed of tiny bits of gemstone and elements of Earth herself. 

I thought I had my own ideas for its embellishment. 

My ideas, hm....

But as I've found over the years, the muse has other ideas and she doesn't hesitate to nudge my logical brain aside and sashay her way in with magnificence. How can I not listen and hear and act upon her urgings? At first, I looked with my logical brain at the colors in the cabochon, and rummaged through my sead beads, pulling colors that the cab might suggest, yes, lime green, a very special bronzy-gold, blues, purples, turquoise, and flashes of color we hardly never see here in our real world. But something wasn't sitting right about it. It just didn't want to come together. 

When I finally sat down to work on it, suddenly I noticed a bowl of jet-lined topaz seed beads that contain just about all the colors in the rainbow and shimmer in the light. They called to me, PICK US! Well, who am I to deny the muse? So I did. 

The peyote stitched border, in which I listened.

I sewed and sewed into the wee hours of the morning with these shimmery seed beads, and when it was time, I picked up the tiny bronzy-gold 15/0 beads to do the inside, which is what you have to do to make it tight so the beautiful cab will never fall out. Each stitch bedazzeled me, as I listened to old movies on the TV in my studio. And I did not sleep until the borders were done around the cab. They never tangled, which always tells me she's so happy to be made, and she looks forward to life with her new caretaker. In working with the initial border, I have to use a thread that's very, very long so it'll go around with no break, no knots, no new introduction of new thread. And tangles can happen, but when they don't, I know it's a bit of magic happening and I just LOVE that!

She had something to say about her necklace straps.

The next step was to choose the beads for the straps that would compose the necklace. I had a couple to choose from: some round ones that had the iridescent colors of beautiful hematite, or the rondelles, which you see here. She most certainly wanted the rondelles. They are not "pinchy" as flat heishi beads can sometimes be, they're smooth yet their shape blends beautifully with the cab, which is mostly horizontal. So another night passed with old movies and me sewing, sewing, sewing.

Up and back, up and back, pay attention!

To do the necklace straps, I use 6lb WildFire line, which has a final tensile strength of 24 lbs on each side, so it's strong, and it will last a long, long time, given proper care, after all, it's jewelry. Easy care means don't get it wet and give it some light attention with a soft cloth now and then. She has a gold-plated magnetic clasp, which makes for really easy on/off but is very strong so she will not come off until you're ready to take her off. I'm picky about that. She also has wire guards protecting the cording next to the clasp so it won't rub against the loops of the clasp. I go through four times, and yes, I have to pay great attention to every single needle insert to make sure I pick up all the seed beads and don't skip any (otherwise the thread will show, a total no-no) and don't pierce any thread that's already in there. I'm good at this now.

An indication of size with my liberty quarter.

She's not too big and not too small, just right. So the next step is to trim all the purple ultrasuede from around the cabochon and attach the backing so the threads and knotting won't show. I always do the necklace straps separately in case there might be changes needed later so I don't have to redo the whole piece, should changes be required. She called for tiny gold-plated accent beads to introduce the necklace straps and I just love them. 

Does she want fringe?

One of the last steps before I do the final backing and border is to listen and see if the cab wants fringe. Well you all know I'm a total fringe girl and would deck myself out in Western leather with fringe all over the place, plus Bohemian beading with fringe down to my navel, but I must listen and she was very discreet. "Just a bit," she said. So I did. And then I glued the final backing on and had to wait 72 hours for the glue to cure, because I found out the hard way that if I don't wait, I get glue brainy working on it and sniffing it so close to my face and my pupils dilate and I feel just awful. But after 72 hours it's all cured and no more fumes to escape. 

So finally the ultrasuede backing is on and I trim it with my special super sharp scissors, praying that I don't cut any of the border threads, which I keep close to the piece itself, and I can sew the shimmery beads around, going through them twice so they sit all aligned and beautiful. And voila! She's done! Just waiting for her adventures with you. She helps you to keep your dreams close and never give up on them XO

TA DA!! Here she is! In a bit of evening sunlight. 

Twilight time for this photo, and the cabochon that has captured a dream or more, inspired by The Big Friendly Giant....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1fZg0hhBX8

She will be available at Art a la Carte in Bellefonte in the next few days. Or contact me at dreamkeepercreations@gmail.com.

Happy Journeys Sweet Jess on Cupcake Day and Always XO

Sweet Jess herself, little minx XO!

Happy Celestial Birthday my beloved Starchild, Sweet Jess! Thank you so much for all the inspiration you gave me while you were here physically for 26 crazy wonderful years, and for all that you continue to share from your Heaven! What joy I had this past April as I had the chance to sponsor an exhibit of your stunning photos at State College Framing Company and Gallery for a couple of months. What an honor to be able to share your talents, and to be able to show people the world through your eyes. I've never had so much fun as I did working with John, Jeff, and Kevin, who helped in the various processes of mounting the show. I'm sure that at the party the first night you were there in spirit, enjoying it all with us. It is also a complete joy to have some of those beautifully framed photos hanging in our home. They shine color and nature and beauty, radiating your joy and peace and making our hearts sing. Thank you for capturing those gorgeous moments in time. I love to think of all the time you spent with your camera pursuing your passions.

The world through Jess's eyes...
(Click on the photos if you'd like to enlarge them.)

 

Jess's photo of Alder Lake, happy place!

Can you hear the song of the water?

My FAVORITE photo that Jess ever took!
We have it enlarged and it hangs in my bedroom.
Just makes my heart sing out loud every time I see it!

One of Jessie's road trips and the happy place of some
wonderful people she met along the way.
Look carefully, do you see the tipis?

In the beginning...
Jess and me when she was about 2 and 1/2 XO

Jess enjoyed teaching.
She used puppets and music and always had a captive audience.
She used her monkey puppet George in her studio later,
as a professional photographer and always got smiles from the kids.

She loved to write, and she loved beautiful nature,
and of course she loved talking on her phone with others ALL THE TIME!

She LOVED black olives
and we'd go through a whole can just between the two of us,
and just like that with our fingers! I still do it too, lol. XO

She loved poetry and liked to read it as well as write it.
Even had some published!

She loved humor and being silly. That's a pansy on her nose,
no hands, because she sniffed it and it stuck! XO lol

She loved candy and playing with her photos XO

She loved playing XO

And so many loved her. Auntie Min, my sis,
who is with her now XO

The family loved her XO

Joey Max loved her XO

Joey's with her in their Heavens now...

Tyler loved her; he's with her now....

Benjamin loved her, he's with her now too...
we've got lots of friends in Heaven indeed.

Rob loved her XO

And I love her XO!

Endlessly...

Always and always XOXO

Our embrace and release ceremony in the chiminea while she was home healing XO
Lots of orbs in this one, waiting to take her to True Home
sooner than we ever expected, only six months later.

My beauty. She says "You should see me now Momma!"
She loves her new light body.

We are with you XO

Thank you for being there this past September to greet my beloved sister, Melinda, as she went back to True Home. I'm sure you're both surrounded by so much love and so many of our loved ones as well. I love to think of all the sweet animals that have been part of our family over the years being there with you all, and of all our relatives and friends, adventuring with you as you please, in your beautiful Heavens. I sure do miss my two favorite girls down here, you both were such constants in my life and my heart feels all filled up remembering all that we shared together.

Happy Cupcake Day my beloved. I love you!

Thank you for your love, inspiration, and encouragement as we continue our adventures on Earth. I'll see you on the other side XO!

All my love always, forever and a day,

Momma XO!

Note: Yep, the lights flickered three times just now. She's blinking at me and sending her love so I know she's with me. Hope you feel your Lovies with you too XO

To read our story, check out Coming Alive After Death, and Letters from Celestial Jess. If you like them, please leave a review! My contact info is on the back cover of each, and I LOVE to hear from my readers. More lovely books in progress for children in the coming months XO! Stay tuned : )