Saturday, May 16, 2015

The Art of Awareness Bloghop


Lori Anderson And Heather Millican had this idea to ask artists to join together in creating a piece of art to help raise awareness to a personal cause.  And so it was born.  We were each asked to pick a word that meant something to us and a color that represented the cause.  Heather then made each of us our own personal bead to create with and stamped it with an awareness ribbon

This is my piece for The Art of Awareness Bloghop.  

The green is for Mental Health Awareness.  This issue is very close to my heart.  My family suffers from Mental Health Illnesses.  Many with mental illness suffer in quiet and do not get the help that is desperately needed.  My family is one of the fortunate ones.

I learned a very important lesson from a very wise therapist, Barbara Altman.  She told me when problems arise I often "swallow them" and hold my breath and stay silent.  It creates a sadness and desperation and so much more.  I was taught that when I encountered a problem to exhale and breathe in and exhale.  During this process I was to clear my head, think about the problem and learn to discuss it.

It seems like such a little thing and may come natural to others, but for me it was life changing.  I continue to remind myself to just breathe.  


This is based on a pattern from Liisa Turunen.  I loved the simplicity of the right angle weave finished off with a little peyote stitch. 



Swarovski crystals are my favorites to bead with.  I have always been attracted to sparkle, twinkle and shine!   


There is something so mesmerizing about a crystal.  They always make me stop and pause.  And now, breathe!


This is reversible!  The foil backs are just as pretty!

Enjoy and be well.  And never forget to breathe!



16 comments:

  1. Spectacular bead work. I love that the necklace looks just as good from the back as the front. Beautifully done: the necklace and your post.

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  2. Stunning necklace! Thanks for sharing the wisdom from your journey:)

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  3. I love your design and your word choice for your "word bean." It is very sage advice, and something that I know I could definitely heed more often. Thank you for sharing your story and beautiful design. ♥

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  4. Beautiful piece and beautiful thoughts - to stop and breathe is a good lesson for me too!

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  5. exquisite words, feelings and art . . . everything about this piece is soothing, peaceful and fresh . . . thanks for sharing your journey and your artistry!

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  6. You are so right. It is so easy to suffer in silence, and so hard to speak about your problems, fears and anxieties. Thank you for sharing your story and your pretty necklace

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  7. Your necklace is amazing. Beautiful work and design. I also need to breathe more often. What a beautiful way to remind yourself! Thank you for sharing your story with us.

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  8. Beautiful post and beautiful necklace!

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  9. Wow! A stunning piece of work. And truly great advice - simple, straight to the point and so, so true.

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  10. Truly beautiful and mesmerizing pieces. Thank you so much for sharing your story <3

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  11. Anonymous1:13 PM

    Gosh, what a gorgeous piece! I love it, the soothing colors surrounding that gentle reminder. The reminder to just "breathe" cannot be repeated often enough.

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  12. Stellar design! I LOVE that it can be worn reversed! Bravo, Gail :)

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  13. That is such a good tip. My own therapist told me something much similar, years ago. It's important to let the emotions out somehow. What a beautiul piece <3

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  14. I love it. I suffer from mental illness, as do a large number of my family. I'm not ashamed of it, but I wish it didn't exist. I have some extra green beads that I'll be making just for this cause.

    Thank you so much for doing this, and putting so much effort into your piece! <3

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  15. Beautiful beautiful necklace and an important tribute to something that also hits close to my home. Thank you for making this uplifting.

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  16. Absolutely stunning! Thank you for sharing. Mental illness can be debilitating and devastating - it nearly broke me. The reminder to breathe is so important.

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