Digging Mandalas

Because Jeanne is writing a new book on Mandalas, "Stained Glass Mandalas For Success," I get to work on them with her. They begin to fill you mind, these circular designs that can help you focus and inspire us to achieve more in our lives.

We recently built one for ourselves, a repeating pattern with subtle, delicate colors. It's inspiring. Sometimes the center demands attention and at other times the border is what is interesting. It's pretty interesting, the way your focus shifts as you live with a mandala. You find that those images really do inspire and really do help you focus. All those meta-physical concepts are actually valid. Who Knew!?

Designing several projects

Sometimes, when we get caught up, the newsletter is done, most jobs are on track and the house payment has been made; it's tempting to relax. Put off the many, many designs that have been asked for. They don't represent immediate business. In fact, many times they feel like work. Because they represent a nebulous promise of work in the future. Sometimes, even when we've been asked to submit designs to someone who says they want them and they have the money so will you please design something for us...it's so easy to just keep sailing along...complacent and taking your time!

That's not happening at the moment! Thankfully. I have several designs that are begging to be done and Jeanne has sketched some out and now she's impatiently waiting for me to get them on AutoCad and get them done! And it's fun drawing them! It's just that there are so many options and great ideas..which way to go, should that element be round because it looks good or should it be oblong so it doesn't look like that other panel? Maybe I should draw both ideas and let the client decide..but you have to be careful because if you give them too many choices, they won't be able to decide on anything.

Design, it's so great and I'm having fun!

Stained Glass in a Headboard

Now this was an unusual project. We've never done a headboard before.

The friend who came to pick it up was afraid it might get broken in his pickup truck. So the clients called around. Top bid was $1800 by a moving company. They would build a wooden crate, pack it up in bubble wrap and ship it the 10 miles to their home.

Uhaul would rent a truck for $250 and sell them wrapping and packing materials for another $250.

While our client talked to me on the phone (she was a talker) I measured my trailer and discovered that it would fit (just barely) with a few modifications.

So I bought plywood, cut it to 6 feet, screwed it to the trailer and then layered 1" foam, the bed frame and more 1" foam and then used bungee cords to secure the load. I delivered it the next day. They were shocked that I showed up fifteen minutes after I called.

It got there safe and sound and looked great!

Don't Step On That!!!! No Really

The other day our daughter, Katherine, cut her foot on a piece of glass, in the living room! Now this is the first time this has ever happened to anyone, but it does serve to remind us that we are dealing with substances that can be hazardous. The little piece of glass was probably tracked in by getting stuck to someone's shoe. I'm not sure how we'll resolve this problem to keep it from happening again.

I'm more worried about the exposure that we might have to lead. This is because it can be happening and you don't even know it. We got a lead environmental tester to check our studio out last year and the only time he got a reading was when he put the tester on a roll of solder. So, we just need to be careful and follow the lead safety guidlines, which are don't eat, drink, smoke or chew gum while working with lead. Wash well after using lead and change your work clothes as soon as possible afterwards.

As far as I am aware, following sensible precautions are all you need to do to protect yourself, but you do need to be aware of the potential hazards around you.