October's Goddess and Fall in New England

Autumn is finally here, and I couldn't be happier! I adore this season, it has always been my absolute favorite. The leaves are starting to change (a little early), and the breeze is crisp and lovely. Time for gourds and pumpkins to make their yearly debut on the neighbors' porches, and for me to start making some pies, stews, and roasts.

I have been a busy busy beader! I just finished October's Goddess, and it is now on display at New Enland Beads in Keene, NH. I cannot tell you how happy I was to get this project finished, or how many times I had thrown it into a box of UFOs, completely disgusted with it... for some reason, I had the hardest time finding a way to complete the design, and was furiously rearranging components over and over and over...well, you get the idea! But I was in love with the colors, and the bead soup I had made. It was interesting, really, in that it seemed as if this necklace was pushing me to finish it (instead of me pushing myself), and it wouldn't leave me alone. No matter what project I was working on, it would keep popping into my head and whispering at me that it MUST BE MADE. It's been going on for months, and I was starting to wonder if I was suffering from multiple personalities! So the last time I took it out of the box of UFOs, I sat down and - you guessed it - started rearranging the components, and voila! This time, when I put them down, they seemed to fit. (Even though that same exact arrangement had looked completely horrible the last 20 times I had tried it.) I instantly began making connections, terrified that I would lose that 'right' feeling, and pretty soon it really started to come together. Then I added the strap bits and sat back... and began hating it immediately, finding connections that I felt just didn't work, etc. I decided that it must be shorter. I cut apart the straps and then put them back together. I still hated it. I made myself finish the clasp, and put the rest of it together, seething. Finally, having gotten it together at long last, I gave a huge sigh, slung it over a display and left the room. (Thinking as I left that I didn't HAVE to ever go back in there, lol.)

The next morning, I steeled myself and entered the room. I looked at it sternly... and was quite surprised that I actually liked it. Squinting at it from various angles, I found myself thinking that it wasn't as bad as I had thought it was. After twenty minutes of staring at it, I convinced myself that it was actually pretty. I put it on, to test weight and see how it felt around the neck, if anything dug in, etc - and ended up wearing it for three hours. The more I wore it, the less I disliked it, and the happier I felt with it. It was comfy! It didn't move so much that it ended with the focal up around your ear when you moved around yourself! It wasn't too heavy! The fringe wasn't too long!

So...here it is. Finally and at long last. And I love it:

I have now started on the cuff for my wonderful friend, Lynn Berry, who won my giveaway, and so far I really really like the design - oh please I didn't just jinx myself - and I have had my first sale at the Sharon Arts Gallery, which has me all in a dither. I've been invited into a new group of beaders - all of whom I love - and am thinking of opening a new shop, this time on Artfire (I would continue my Etsy shop as well). I even have two new ideas for beady things running around in my head... So I am still busy busy, and am having a grand time.

Autumn is awesome!!!!!