Archive for March, 2010

Purple “Beach Glass”

Monday, March 29th, 2010

Frosted Purple Desert Glass

Purple desert glass tumbled and drilled.

I have inserted into my wire wrapping web page some information about this purple “desert glass”. I have run it through the tumbler to give it more of the appearance of “beach glass”.

My first goal is to see if there is an interest in material like this. If there is sufficient interest, the material will be available for sale.

The glass has come from broken bottles found in the SW deserts of the USA. The sun over the years has turned the glass to a purple color. Some pieces are lighter in color but all have a shade of purple. The tumbler has smoothed any sharp edges of the glass and has given the glass a “sand ground texture” like pieces of glass picked up on beaches.

Drilled pieces could be used at pendants. Smaller pieces might be for earrings. Larger undrilled pieced could be set nicely by a wire wrapper.

The interest and use of this type of material would enlarge the creativity of many craft artisans.

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To Do List but Not All Done

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

Thunder eggs are always popular here in Portland. Today I finished polishing an order for a customer. I had previously cut them and he picked out the ones he wanted polished.

I also set a square cab I had cut for a customer’s pendant. This was a flat green jade cab. It went behind a Hebrew letter. Interesting pendant.

I was supposed to have taken pictures for my web site but that will be waiting for tomorrow.

I am going to try to make some purple “sea glass”. I will try to put just a small amount of 60 grit plus a fair amount of fair sized rocks – stones – and tumble them for a day or two to see what happens. I have a good supply of the broken glass turned purple. I test drilled a few pieces of the purple glass and will put these pieces in the tumbler to see if it will take off the sharp edges of the glass without breaking the glass at the holes.

OH, and I forgot, I did drill holes in some pieces of Florida coral (Tampa Bay) These I want to tumble polish and see if they will sell on my web site.

I should copy all this and put in for my blog on my web site: Maybe I will.

Have a good day, evening, weekend all.

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Goals and Planning

Friday, March 12th, 2010

A good foundation is necessary for accomplishing the goal.

Goals cannot be reached if there are no goals set.

Goals cannot be reached if there are no plans directed toward the intended goal.

Planning then, is necessary to reach a goal. Planning consists of all the necessary steps that would be needed to arrive at the desired objective. When necessary steps are left out, the plans are incomplete and the steps will not lead to the desired goal.

Goals should be set that match an individuals values, interests, and abilities.

A person’s values will help direct as well as limit individual goals. A value of honesty will not allow any steps of planning to permit dishonesty. If dishonesty was necessary to reach a chosen goal, that goal could not be chosen. Good values  like: honesty, trustworthiness, good work ethics, reliable,  and responsible will help direct not only the goal but the planning that will lead towards the reaching of the goal.

An individuals own interest should be the compass that directs the establishing of the goal. The abilities will be used in caring out the steps needed in the planning towards the goal. If certain individual abilities are lacking, then education to make up the difference is needed or ways to have others provide their expertise to fill in the gap.

What then is needed?  First, establish your life values to aid you in your goal setting.

Nest, examine closely you interest to see what you would like to set as a goal.

Then, establish a goal. This then, is the time for the planning stage to be entered into. Research may be needed to determine the sequence of steps necessary to reach the goal. When a goal has been determined start by writing out the goal as well as some of the known steps necessary to reach the goal. Your study may turn up other requirements or steps that need to be inserted at the proper time and place.

This phase of goal setting should be a time of excitement. It should produce a lasting drive well into the time of the step after step in following through with the plans.

One thought I want to insert her is the thought that it is okay to change goals. If your values change, you may have to change your goals. If your interest changes, you should change your goal. If your abilities in any way change you also may need to change your goal. This is life and what life is all about.

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Finding things to do is not the problem, Doing them is.

Monday, March 1st, 2010

Mushroom surrounded by grass.

A new month. Another new day.

Today is not the day to worry over things not done. Today is the day to begin getting the important things done.

Choosing the important things (projects or daily tasks)  first frees up time and energy to do more of the ordinary or even  the necessary things.

Being able to choose the important things rather than those urgent things brings us peace. Sometimes an important thing can become an urgent thing if we are not careful to use our time wisely. When an important thing becomes an urgent thing it may not be done in an efficient manner and therefore not done as well as it would have been done if it had been done while it was thought of as important.

Urgent matters cause haste and waste. The haste may cause the thing to be done hurriedly carelessly, and with waste. The waste may be in time, energy, money or pride in accomplishment.

Wisdom in knowing whether a project  is important or urgent is needed.  When important projects are not handled efficiently they may not become urgent. More thought can be given the important projects which will produce a better outcome.

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