Dharma Statement Necklaces - A Little Life-Purpose Collaboration

Making things by hand is always incredibly fulfilling. When you bring a bit of collaboration into a project, a bit of extra magic happens and the results can be full of even more depth than that which was created by one.

My friend, Cherie and I decided we wanted to collaborate on a project, even though we weren't immediately sure what that would look like. We wanted to end up with something that was full of meaning and personal expression and the project I share here is the result of our efforts. I desired something that would let me carry around with me something that defined who I am at the moment and Cherie wanted something that would support her in her current project of writing a novel. The Distilled Dharma statement that I had created for Cherie embodied her love of writing (in addition to other elements of her purpose) so I thought something that incorporated our individual statements into a piece of jewelry would be perfect.

Currently, Cherie has been into Zen Doodling and relaxing into the art of meditation illustration and I've been into beading. As editors, books are something we have in common, so the creation of these little books (whose text blocks were illustrated by Cherie), housing our Distilled Dharmas that then could be worn as empowering amulets came together naturally and easily.

Cherie wrote out our statements, each in a long strip on watercolor paper, illustrated them with her beautiful doodle designs and then sent them on to me to turn them into something we could wear. I began by adding some color to each of them. (I chose the warm colors of the element fire for Cherie's and the cool colors of water for my own; each of which to me felt authentic to our statements.)

After applying color, I cut the two statements apart and made them into individual accordion books with Plexiglas covers.

To create pendants that would hold the little books, I beaded little sheaths using peyote stitch in colors that coordinated with the books.

As a cord for the necklaces, I used a linen/wool blend yarn and made kumihimo braids.

 

Finally, I added a few beaded tube beads for interest and called the project done. I'm pretty pleased with how these came out and I think Cherie is, too. The necklaces make a great conversation starter and I love wearing something so charged with personal meaning. 

My Distilled Dharma statement

Cherie's Distilled Dharma statement

  

Comments

[Tonia]

Thanks, Cathy!

[cathy @ ma vie trouvee]

wandered in from CPS post on FB - this really caught my eye. so beautiful and I love the story behind it. It feels like Ethnic hill tribe fabric to me.