A bejeweled adventure
Apr 19, 2017 | by Becky Oeltjenbruns
How excited I feel stepping out on my adventure!
Happy Wednesday readers! I’m going to start our journey together with a confession: you aren’t catching me at my best. My zen is disrupted. My buffer of calm waters feels more like a crazy torrent. The last few weeks walking the pups has been my sole escape from the home office. It’s a frazzled state of affairs over here. Some afternoons as I’m chatting with a neighbor my inner voice yells “did you even brush your teeth yet today?” Hey… no judgment. I told you – I’m frazzled!
Much like I’ve done for the past couple months, I found myself with a belly full of tasty dinner wondering what to write. I’ve never missed a publication deadline in the four years since Cause A Frockus went from an idea in my head to a reality. As long as my fingers still work I gotta commit pen to paper (or more precisely – characters to the internet). So I’d like to take this crazed moment to share with you what I’m up to – what I’m calling my bejeweled adventure. Why the adventure you might ask? If you’re having issues taking care of your teeth is an adventure really what you need right now? (Thank you for asking that – I know it comes from a place of friendly concern.) Let me share why the timing of this adventure is so important for me…
Since I’ve taken on my new role at work, I’d begun to feel like writing was more of a task than a joy. The wide-eyed author who felt like a lioness staring across the horizon was beginning to feel more like a cranky badger who did not want to be bothered. It’s funny how stress permeates all areas of your life. Then you add in a move to a new city and suddenly my go-to vintage haunts where gone. To be honest, it made me feel a little friendless. A little uninspired. A lot of meh.
You can see what’s inspiring my design work here.
Sure I was writing away like a devoted little soldier. After all I’m the kid who went for all the Girl Scout badges – who could not fall short. If I set a goal, gosh darnit, I was going to meet it. I was in desperate need of a creative renaissance. A rebirth – and I didn’t even know it until last month. Call me slow… or stubborn. Heck, I’m a bit of both.
Pretty in pink
Now I’ve never been great at relaxing (those Girl Scout badges don’t just magically appear on your sash after all!), so taking a moment to really sit and think – to dream – is not in my nature. But I started to do just that. I needed to create. To find a fun outlet for my love of vintage. I’m a little nervous to start talking about it, because now I’ve gotta make it happen! No excuses for this gal! All those hours of thinking and brainstorming led me to necklace design. Sketching fun pieces that are inspired by the quirky costume jewelry we all know and love has become my outlet. I don’t know about you, but the world has gotten too serious for my taste. It’s time for something fun, something light, something that makes you smile.
Tell me: how do you de-stress?
In the coming months you’ll start seeing posts from me that document my creative process and the end results. The Desert Botanical Gardens have become my favorite escape. It’s the only place I feel truly calm and detached from the realities of daily life. It feels like a vacation, but only a few minutes away. So naturally some of the pieces in the collection are inspired by my new arid surroundings. As I debut the pieces I’ll have links to purchase on the merch page so please stay tuned. Each design is unique and each necklace will be handmade by me. I’m equal parts terrified and excited. But I know that flexing my creative muscle is the only way to heal the rift I’ve let stress create in my life.
Thanks for joining me on this bejeweled adventure – there’s more to come!