Bead Journal Project

One of my favorite Bead Artists is Robin Atkins.  Her blog is Bead Lust, one of the ones I follow.  In 2007 she started a bead journal project - make a project every month, all of the pieces about the same size.  There has to be a bead element in each project.  This year I decided to join it and journal about my past year.  I looked at past journal projects and assumed that I would make pieces about 3" x 3" so they were something I could really accomplish.  I experimented with my first piece and decided that I am not enough of a graphic designer (don't think that way, have a hard time letting a flat piece evolve) to make twelve projects in that format.  I briefly thought about beaded dolls but didn't really want to do that.  I settled on beaded necklaces.  With each necklace I will learn a new technique. 

I have started working on the first piece.  I know that since this is a bead journal about my experiences of this past year different issues with cancer and treatment  will be the focus.  January, though, had be about the pink.  Any woman diagnosed with breast cancer automatically becomes part of the community of pink whether they want to or not.  My reaction to that was "I hate pink."   There is also a lot of controversy within the community about the whole pink thing.  The current name of the first necklace is "Rethink the Pink."  That is subject to change. 

The technique I decided to learn was the St. Petersburg technique.  I had tried to learn it before but never quite nailed it.  The major component will be leaves but each leaf is different.  There will be a couple of leaves with the traditional "breast cancer pink"  but each of us are different so I think each leaf should be different and definitely all shades of pink/burgundy/purple.

I haven't decided if I am going to put any green in it.  Does that make it too trite?  I haven't decided yet.  I also have all kinds and shapes of pearls to incorporate.  Here is a close-up of the leaves and a very simplistic preview of the necklace.  I am not crazy about the shapes of all of the leaves so they may or may not make it into the necklace.