New Year's necklace

So, it turns out, that without weekly challenges, I don't post near as often.

Part of that stems from my lack of creative mojo lately and part of that stems from my inability to finish projects (see lack of creative mojo).

Case in point:  I wanted to make a necklace to help me keep my word of the year in the forefront of my mind.

I asked Erin Prais-Hintz to make one of her story beads for me with this quote Henry David Thoreau:

"You must live in the present, 

launch yourself on every wave, 

find eternity in each moment."

That quote was a bit long, so we decided to leave out the middle part.

The bead turned out beautifully and I immediately started on a necklace to showcase it.

And then I started again ...

and again ..

and again.

I wanted this to be "perfect."  You know, drop dead gorgeous, I couldn't imagine anything better, perfect.  Unfortunately, it just wasn't happening.

So, I stopped trying for perfection and just started beading.

I wanted a multi strand necklace, so I made two twisted herringbone ropes.

I finished the necklace with the pendant hanging on the side.  The kiddo took one look  at it and looped it around her neck with the pendant hanging down in the middle.

The kiddo's design sense is usually spot on, so I re-worked a bit.  It turns out, she was right.  Before, it looked like I was trying too hard.  The pendant is also heavier than the beaded ropes, so it had a tendency to pull forward.

I wish I had snapped a "before" photo for you.  Instead, take my word that this is a better design.

The clasp ended up in the front and I like it there.  The pendant hangs nicely in the middle and I can twist it on the headpin to read the entire phrase.

If you haven't already, check out Erin's store.  You can custom order your very own story bead or one of Erin's simple truth pendants.