Exposed

She dressed carefully, making sure that everything she wanted covered was hidden. Her makeup ritual was set in stone; she knew exactly what to use, and how to use it, in order to create her trademark flawlessly natural look.

Ditto for her clothes. The seemed to reveal all; but in the privacy of her dressing room, she was a very different creature. She was not above taping her anatomy into the contours her skin no longer assumed on their own; one did what one had to do at her age. Surgery could only go so far; there was a limit on how many times one could go under the knife without it becoming painfully obvious. She'd seen far too many horrible before-and-after photos of her contemporaries splashed across the pages of the tabloids to risk that.

They'd uncover her secrets someday; but she hoped she wouldn't live to see it.

© 2010 Cynthia Newcomer Daniel seed beads, bead-woven.

Darkness

"Never mix, never worry!" Melissa thought ruefully; if that old adage were true, she knew that right about now she should be very worried, indeed. She'd started with champagne; she always started with champagne. Champagne made her happy, and she liked being happy.

It was what came later that could be a problem.

To be honest, she wasn't really sure what came later. She remembered something sweet, cold, rimmed with sugar and garnished with mint; she suspected she'd had rather a lot of them, whatever they were. Actually she could use another one; or maybe it would be safer if she switched back to wine.

No matter. She was still standing, and, as long as she could stand, she could dance.

© 2010 Cynthia Newcomer Daniel

Seed beads, crystals, chain. Pattern available on ArtFire and Etsy.

Lotus

Ariana took a deep breath and handed over her credit card. It was too much; it would take her ages to pay it off, but she didn't care. She was willing to live on pinto beans for years in order to have it. She shuddered; she knew in her heart that she'd gladly have paid twice the amount asked.

But wasn't that what money was for? To buy the things that mattered?

Ariana signed the slip with a flourish and put her card back in her wallet. It would be a long time before she could take it out again. Although she had just spend more than she made in a month; Ariana did not take debt lightly. It would be paid off before she spent another cent.

That is the price of beauty.

© 2010 Cynthia Newcomer Daniel
Seed beads, crystals. Handmade, bead woven earrings. Pattern available in my Etsy Shop.

Crowning Glory

Anya brushed out her hair slowly and carefully; her dreams had not been kind to it last night. Not that she remembered them; she'd woken up as quietly and calmly as ever.

Only her hair gave witness to a restless night. She never remembered her dreams; she had no idea if they'd been bad or good. She only knew that they'd been active; she had the tangles to prove it.

Grasping the ends firmly, she wound her hair into a knot and secured it on top of her head. She never wore it down during the day; it got in her way and was hot on her back.

She always let it down at night.

© 2010 Cynthia Newcomer Daniel
Lampwork by Vanessa Hearn of Bead up a Storm, copper, seed beads, crystals and glass pearls. Bead woven.

Chain Lace

The past had a hold on her that she couldn't explain. All she had to do was see a piece of lace; touch an antique locket; pull on a yellowed pair of kidskin gloves and she was lost. Lost in a world of fantasy that felt more like memory; lost in a time where elegance and manners were everything.

Hannah lived in the 21st century, but not by choice. She had learned to sew as a small girl; her stitches were even and small and often mistaken for machine stitches. She stitched all of her own clothes, by hand, working quietly at night while the rest of the world slumbered.

Each stitch was a statement, a link to a living past.

© 2010 Cynthia Newcomer Daniel
Seed beads, crystals. Bead woven bracelet. A pattern for this design is available in my Etsy Shop.