All Things Metal Clay
An Expert Guide

by Elaine Luther

Goal Free Living How to Have the Life You Want Now! by Stephen M. Shapiro

I picked this book up at the library because of the sheer audacity of the title. What? No goals? No lists? No “first steps to goal?” Shocking. Absolutely shocking.

But it turned out to be a good book.

I would call it a self-help book for people who don’t like self-help books.

If you feel like goal setting isn’t working for you, or you’d like another way of thinking about it, try this book.

It’s one of those books that can sound silly if you summarize it — you have to read it yourself.

As a dedicated goal setter myself, I was surprised that I really liked this book; I think you will too.

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You may have heard of the company that makes synthetic diamonds using “cremains,” that’s cremated remains. A new trend is lockets and such to hold the cremains.

Read about it here.

People seem to either love the idea or be creeped out by it.

Today the blog is exactly one year old!

Happy Birthday to the blog, Happy Birthday to the blog,
Happy Birthday to dear blog, Happy Birthday to the blog!

I’ve been thinking about updating my head shot. If you’re observant, you’ll notice its copyright date is 2004. I like that it’s black and white. I may do that again. The photographer who took my head shot, Greg Schreck, is known for his black and white work, and I liked the head shot he did for another local artist.

This time, I’m thinking of buying my own lights and having my husband, a gifted ametuer photographer, take the head shot.

Any excuse to buy more equipment, right?

Here are the lights I’m thinking of getting:

with the clip-on diffusers:

or perhaps the beefier kit with umbrellas:

For a backdrop, I’m looking at the ones at Set Shop. Part of the reason they have some that are amazingly affordable, is that they are small, certainly big enough for one person for a head shot.

Would you have thought you could set up a mini portrait studio for so little?

Like many jewelry artists, there’s a good chance you love rocks and gems. Maybe there’s a kid in your life who’s facinated by them too?

I just got the newest Kingsley North, Inc. catalog of lapidary supplies, and they have a terrific collection of books for aspiring rock hounds of any age.

They also sell rough stones and geodes by the pound.

Want just one geode? Try American Science and Surplus, where they carry not just geodes but also rock tumblers and more.

The terrific books at Kingsley North include:

the Roadside Geology Series for many states.

the Golden Guides series on fossils, rocks and minerals, dinosaurs and geology.

Is this an Agate? by Susan Robinson, an illustrated guide to Lake Superior beach stones in Michigan.

and the Gem Trails series, which covers actual sites and contact information for rock hounding in many states.

And if your niece, nephew, grandchild or child would like to take things a step further and try their hand at indentifying rocks they find, Acorn Naturalists carries the products they’ll want to help them, including scratch plates.