Tackle that stash - Beaded sunflower pendant

From the Jewelry Artisans Community "Our September challenge is in honor of the end of summer. Many of us are ready to say goodbye to the extreme summer heat and are looking forward to the cooler days of fall. But, summer isn't only about hot days; it brings us beautiful flowers, sweet juicy fruit and colorful vegetables. One of the ways I know that the end of summer is near is when the big, bold sunflowers make their appearance. In recognition of this, your challenge is to use this sunflower photo ..."

My first plan was to crochet a pendant with wire and seed beads. I had made a big yellow flower pendant before, now I wanted to make a smaller version of it. I'll make it short, it didn't turn out the way I would have liked it to. A flower, yes, a sunflower, no.

I had to think up a plan B, but maybe you know how it is, if something doesn't work out and you don't already have another plan up your sleeve, it's sometimes hard to find the motivation to go back to the project.
Instead I amused myself with this and that, and through one of those "thats" I found a mahogany obsidian cabochon in my stash. Wire was out of the question this time, but that meant ... that's where the project almost died a quick death right there and then ... a peyote bezel.
Fact is that I'm not a friend of peyote. Don't ask me why, don't try to convince me, some techniques stick, others don't. Peyote didn't. Time to give it another try? I'm not ashamed to say that the first attempt almost drove me up the walls. Peyote and I didn't suddenly become best buddies, but we did our best the second time around ;-)
For the petals, however, I went back to brick stitch because I wanted them to be stiffer and sturdier.
I need a break now, but who knows maybe peyote will be back? I still have those rivolis that a friend sent me ........