The Bead Journal Project
Robin Atkins has started a new project called the 2007 Bead Journal Project, and has invited beading enthusiasts from all over the world to participate. Modeled on the Quilt Journal Project, the blog homepage is being used for all participants to post about their journey. From the blog site:
About the 2007 Bead Journal Project
We are 239 women and 1 man who are dedicated and committed to creating 12 bead journal pages, one per month, for a year, starting June 1, 2007. We live in 13 different countries, including 37 states in the USA. Our primary goal during this process, is to stretch our creative and technical limits. The BJP is all about visual journaling using any media and techniques, as long as it includes beading. We are free to structure our bead journal pages any way we want, as long as all 12 are the same size.
I have chosen to do the names of the moon for each month. Researching this, I found that there were many alternate names for each month’s full moon, so I put together a list of the names I liked the best. I also decided to do the moon for the previous month each time. I’m not sure why…probably just because I really wanted to start with May, which is the “Flower Moon”. So here is my offering for June:
In July, I’ll be doing the “Strawberry Moon” for June!
Related Stories
POSTED IN: Art Communities, Bead Art & Jewelry, Bead Journal Project, Journals, Mixed Media, Other Art Sites
21 opinions for The Bead Journal Project
Jo Ann Patterson
Jun 28, 2007 at 12:34 pm
Your piece is quite lovely and I love your theme! I’m afraid I was not clever enough to come up with a specific theme for my bead pages. The only suggestion that I would make is that when you are using large design elements like the Shi Shi Glass one should do it in odd numbers. It’s more relaxing to the eye and balances the piece. It goes back to that old Fibonnaci Rule that the Greeks used in all of their designs from architecture to paintings. Some food for thought anyway. Congratulations on a great first page!
Hélène H
Jun 28, 2007 at 1:09 pm
I can understand why you decided to do the previous moon ; somehow it feels weird to bead a story which you don’t yet know.
Your piece is awesome, bravo !
Cyndi
Jun 28, 2007 at 2:20 pm
Thanks Jo Ann! I looked at it that there were three main design elements…the moon and the two shisha mirrors, which are to reflect the moon, metaphorically speaking. I like using the triangle in design :-)
Cyndi
Jun 28, 2007 at 2:23 pm
Exactly, Helene! I knew there was a logical explanation for doing what I wanted to do anyway LOL!!
Tally
Jun 28, 2007 at 2:54 pm
Your discussion let me think of the tarot card “The Moon”.
The moon on top, accompanied by 2 twowers and two wolves.
Interesting theme you have chosen.
Hello from Hamburg
:-Tally-:
t-tally.blogspot.com
Cyndi
Jun 28, 2007 at 4:45 pm
Well that’s very cool, Tally! I don’t know anything about tarot, so I wasn’t aware of that :-)
Linda Jones
Jun 28, 2007 at 5:28 pm
Wow! It’s beautiful. What a celebration.
Cyndi
Jun 28, 2007 at 5:42 pm
Thank you LJ! I appreciate that since I really admire your fearless approach to color :)
Angie
Jun 28, 2007 at 5:45 pm
I would agree with the 2 mirrors and the moon making up a group of 3, I think another one would have felt off. You did a wonderful job and it so reminds me of the joy of a full moon in May. Keep up the good work. Angie
Kathy V in NM
Jun 28, 2007 at 6:34 pm
What a terrific idea! And I bet there are no rules about which month to start with either. Looking forward to your next one.
Cyndi
Jun 28, 2007 at 7:33 pm
Thanks Angie! I didn’t mean to imply that I thought JoAnn was wrong though…I was just looking at it a slightly different way :-)
Cyndi
Jun 28, 2007 at 7:34 pm
Kathy, thanks! I sure hope not…I’d hate to get kicked out so early in the game LOL!!
Ruth
Jun 29, 2007 at 9:46 am
Cyndi, I love your piece! I had a big smile the moment I saw it. It really captures the flower theme. Could you tell me the size of it? I picked a size for June that was more than I could get done, and I like the size of your piece
Cyndi
Jun 29, 2007 at 10:07 am
Thank you Ruth! It’s postcard sized…6×4…very do-able in a month. I decided that I’d rather work small so that I didn’t end up falling behind during the busy months. No guarantee that it’ll work, of course LOL!
Lillian
Jun 29, 2007 at 2:19 pm
Hi Cyndi,
I love your project and theme! It’s yummy with all the colors, texture and layers :o) Can’t wait for the next months :o) I saw a small sampling of your other beadwork-amazing! Thanks for sharing,
Lillian in WA
Cyndi
Jun 29, 2007 at 4:06 pm
Hi Lillian! Thanks very much for your lovely note! I can’t wait for the other months either LOL!
Robin
Jul 1, 2007 at 11:07 am
Flower Moon ~ how lovely! I love your combination of fibers, thread and bead embroidery, and elements. And I love your theme.
Poetry is a powerful way to connect with our work. Here’s a possibility for you: make a little list of all the words that come to your mind when you think of flowers. The name of your poem would be “Flower Moon.” Use the words in your list to describe the moon.
freebird(Timaree)
Jul 1, 2007 at 11:55 pm
I like your moon idea and I like your first page. With a full moon there really seems to be a lot of reflection. Knowing what your theme is probably helps a lot. I only know that I am beading on felt circles to be joined into a table topper later. The subject matter of each circle will come when it comes. Hopefully sooner than later LOL.
In response to the conversation here, rules are meant to be broken in all directions. My sisters love order and I love chaos. They love classic colors and style; I love ALL colors( preferably at the same time) and have no sense of style. It takes all of us to make sense of our world. When I am overtaken by my disorderliness I run to their neatness and when they feel too constricted they can come to me. Mostly we are comfortable where we are. No one is wrong and we can certainly learn from each other. That’s one reason I love this project! We all get to grow this year.
Cyndi
Jul 2, 2007 at 8:25 am
LOL!!! Of course you have a sense of style!! It just isn’t…well, *stylish*! That’s ok, nobody has ever accused me of being stylish either ;)
Cyndi
Jul 2, 2007 at 1:10 pm
What a great idea Robin! I’m not much for writing poetry, so that might be a good stretching exercise for me :)
Bejeweled
Jul 2, 2007 at 2:56 pm
Love your theme! And your May Flower Moon is lovely! I love the combination of all the elements you’ve used and the colors! Can’t wait to see all the other moons :)
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: