chris and i will be showing at the east austin studio tour this weekend and next…from our gallery/garage :O) the dates for the tour are november 14th – 15th and 21st – 22nd from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm each day.
we’re at stop #63/#64. swing on by for a visit. you can find us here.
it’s official….i am retiring the beaded tail detail on the clasp of my necklaces. my new neck pieces will have a completely new and different clasp. i have some ideas that i am experimenting with now and i’ll let you know the outcome as it reveals itself. i currently have a limited number of necklaces with beaded tails. so, if you love those little guys on the clasp then now is the time to scoop em up :O)
these are fun all collaged together…maybe they’ll have a new identity in their next lifetime.
i thought i would offer you all these “stay healthy” tips to ward off the nasty flu that seems to be lurking around every corner. these tips were just sent to us by our acupuncturist, Lisa Welden L.Ac. read below……
“There is a lot of hype around the flu season, vaccinations, and the typical doom and gloom that pervades the media. I’d like to sprinkle some good, old-fashioned (thousands of years old), tried and true ways for you to stay healthy and boost your immune system this year. If you suffer from seasonal allergies (Cedar Fever is just around the corner), make sure you are putting some of these ideas into action as well.
The best way to stay healthy is through prevention. Besides washing your hands often (don’t use anti-bacterial soap – it creates bacterial resistance) and staying away from sick people, here are some things you can do:
1) Acupuncture: acupuncture can be targeted to specifically boost your immune system. It also helps to reduce stress. Research shows a direct correlation between high stress levels and decreased immune function.
2) Diet: reduce sugar and dairy as much as possible from your diet. Dairy tends to “goop” up the system and create more phlegm and congestion. Sugar feeds bacteria that creates infection, and depresses your immune system.
3) Vitamin D: most of the U.S. population is clinically deficient in vitamin D. You get most of your vitamin D from the sun, and during fall and winter the sun is at its farthest point from us which equals less vitamin D available. Hence, cold and flu season! It’s a good idea to get a baseline of where your vitamin D levels are at, to see how much you need to supplement. This can be done with a simple blood test called vitamin D, 25-hydroxy. You can order it through our office or through your doctor’s office. If it’s low, you’ll supplement for a month and test again to make sure your dosage was enough for you. This is important as everyone builds up vitamin D levels at different rates. We have vitamin D available in liquid or tablet form.
4) Chinese Herbs: if you’ve got Gan Mao Ling in your medicine cabinet, you can take this preventatively if others around you are sick, or if you feel the slightest cold symptoms coming on to avert it altogether. This is an anti-viral and anti-bacterial formula. If I’m going to be exposed to re-circulated air for a period of time (i.e. theatre, grocery store, plane, office building, etc.) and feel a little tickle in my throat, I take Gan Mao Ling either before I go, or once I get home. You can get Gan Mao Ling or formulas appropriate for you in our office.
If you start to come down with something, call Rebecca (Rebecca is filling in for Lisa while she is on maternity leave) so you can shorten the duration or avert it altogether. Interesting tidbit – Chinese herbs were used effectively during the SARS outbreak to treat infected patients and keep healthcare workers healthy.
Lastly, keep the back of your neck covered up when it’s windy, or when you are coming in and out of A/C! This is where the nasty pathogens enter your body.”
Lisa is really great, compassionate and excellent at helping people rid what ails them. she has helped me numerous times when feeling ill with allergies, flu and sinus infection, and also, a badly injured knee….to the point that in the middle of my acupuncture session as i am relaxing with the needles in place i’m already feeling 70% better. the whole needles bit may sound freaky, but it’s not, and my pain tolerance is about a -5. by the time i leave the office i typically feel 80-90% better then after a day or two of being on the herbs she prescribes and i am feeling myself again :O) oh, i’ve also seen her fill in, Rebecca, and she is very good as well!
Lisa Welden, L.Ac.
8701 Shoal Creek, Ste. 302
Austin, TX 78757
image by here comes the sun
today, i turn 33. WOOT!! i will spend the day celebrating with a coffee, a little studio work, a trip to the gem and mineral show, dinner with chris and close friends (which chris is scheming on the phone in the garage about now). if i can squeeze in a yoga class + kombucha, watch a movie on the couch and a little nap that would complete a very happy birthday. yay!!
p.s.–i still have a crooked smile :O)
hApPY hAPpY!!!! my copy of the 500 plastic series: a groundbreaking survey of a modern material book arrived today…featuring two of my pieces. YaY, it was such a nice surprise to find that waiting for me at home when i arrived. the book will officially be released in book stores in september. there are so many amazing and inspiring pieces in the book…i am giddy-full-of-glee and honored to be placed aside such phenomenal pieces/artists. i have had polyurethane on my list of materials to experiment with for about a year now… this book is just the inspiration i need to buy some polyurethane and play!! i will list a few of my favorite pieces in the coming days. YipPy!!
this is a bowl of spinach and swiss chard that chris and i grew in our garden. the purity of these lovely, nutritious, greens and all other veggies and home grown organic goodness hangs in the balance.
save our organic farms. congress is trying to pass a bill to do away with the purity of our food and organic farming as we know it…..the more people that know the better, forward this on to everyone you know. the link for the petition and more information on “HR 875″ is below. this is an urgent matter…we only have two weeks to fight this.
GO TO THE LINK BELOW TO SIGN THE PETITION
here is the poster i am working for the upcoming handmade austin women show. at this point, the poster is still a little rough around the edges but it’s getting there. a few more hours and i should be ready to head to the printers. this has been a fun project and i have learned quite a few new tricks in photoshop along the way :O) up next, the bulk mail label printing…
a bit about handmade austin women….
“We organize our show to promote the profound benefits of sustaining women artists at work here in Texas. We support Austin’s cottage industry and the growing character of our local, independent economy.” Handmade Austin Women (HAW) is a collective of locally and nationally recognized women artists based in Austin. Dedicated to unique design and the highest quality in handmade work, HAW represents women in the business of art.
Handmade Austin Women has a facebook page. click the link and join facebook to become a fan.
happy 2009 my friends!! may this new year be challenging and fulfilling in all the right ways. xo
Home Remedies for Cough
Poppytalk: Sneak Peek: Real Living June Issue - photo: jean-marc wullschleger/living agency for real living
Potatoes!!!
