Following My Plan

It takes a great friend to point out when you are not doing what you should! Chrissy is that friend! There are days when I feel like the world is just not going right and then there she is! She is a very special person and since we are both glass artists she also gets that little bit of me that a lot of others don't understand.

Well you might remember that I developed a business game plan a couple of months ago in which I was going to stick with 2 signature styles, My Tesoro Collection and my Renaissance Garden Collection. Well I cheated the other day after feeling like my styles were not getting the recognition I would have liked by now (I know patience is a virtue) It was then that she sat me down in the Cyber chair and said "I am sorry but that is not showing your true potential!" I somehow knew she was going to say that..... deep down I know who I am as a glass artist although I struggle with this more than any other part of my life!

So she showed me picture after picture of the original Tesoro beads I had made and you know what? I could not believe they were my work!! I loved them and knew that I had been trying too hard to be someone I was not! So I started making them again! I had been so heck bent on the Renaissance Garden beads that I had forgotten them entirely! Well here is the latest edition of Tesoro- Coastal Wheat named after the murrini I used to accent these beads. Enjoy and let me know what you think!!

Say It With Words Fire Divas Challenge!!!

It is Challenge Time again with the Fire Divas! This challenge really made us all put our glass noses to the grindstone and test our skills! You know what you need to do! Head on over to the Fire Divas Blog and vote for your favorite bead then make sure to leave a comment on the blog below the blog post, and you could win a $50 Gift Certificate to Holly’s Shop! Voting ends at noon on Sunday, September 25th.  You can find the poll on the right hand side of the blog.

Entry 1

Entry 2

Entry 3

Entry 4

Entry 5

Entry 6

Entry 7

Lack Of Torching!

I am now officially on withdrawl! I was unable to torch this holiday weekend due a shoulder injury I sustained while attempting to be Super Woman! Now for my readers who don't know me personally I am all of 5 foot nothing and was operating a professional landscaping weed whacker above my head for a good half hour. Now I have been pretty fit my whole life and very flexible so muscle pain is "new" to me! As my Aunt said the 30's are the NEVER stage of life:

NEVER thought I would have back pain

NEVER thought I could tear a muscle

NEVER thought I needed aspirin and Ben-Gay

NEVER thought I would have heart burn

This list could go on and on!! But this was all news to me! I act like I am still 16 years old! I feel great I am getting back into shape (just joined the Y) but this injury threw me for a loop!!! I had pain in my neck, shoulder and back, I felt like a 90 year old (no offense intended to my Gran!!) well this is where my wise 30 something years of life experiences told me STOP! You are obviously not doing something right! 

I wasn't, for starters I never thought to warm up for doing yard work, then my wise younger sister said "Did you ice it?" NO, "Did you heat it or put an analgesic on it?" NO "Did you rest or do anything to help it?" NO NO NO okay! Well there was my answer, At 30 something you cannot do the same stupid  things you did at 16 and not expect your body to answer in protest to your imbecilic mentality that you are invincible!

Why am I sharing this? Well for starters maybe to prevent anyone who has not yet "felt their age" from feeling it the way I did! Second I need to rant- the result of this injury made it so it was virtually impossible to do the things that I both love and need to do- I could not torch, knit, fold laundry (no love lost there!), cook- I have a new respect for people who are truly disabled! 

I will be back at my torch tomorrow though and feel like it is well deserved I have learned a hard lesson! I also know that I need to trust more in my faith in God, I worried unnecessarily for days and finally spent an evening in prayer and laid my worries at God's feet! Me + Worry = STRESS, LAY IT AT GODS FEET= PEACE!! VERY simple equation and one which I am guilty of not always using to solve my life problems! I have to say that this has been miraculous to say the least, one day I was in tremendous pain the next I had almost full movement and only a dull ache in my neck! God really does work when we put our faith in him!

I wish I had some great photo of a bead to share but I don't so I will leave you with this devotional for this Sunday: 

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God- Philippians 4:6