I'm Giving Away a Ton of Jewelry

Well, maybe not quite a ton. Some fraction of a ton, definitely. The thing is, I'm a lousy photographer. I've got dozens of dichroic pendants that I refuse to list for sale because the photos are so bad. When I take photos, I take 8 or 10 shots of each piece and hope that at least one of them turns out well. Dichroic glass shifts color depending on your angle, and can look drastically different in different light, so it's a challenge to get photos that are truly representative of the actual piece. After I download the photos I often find that none of them are good enough to use, so I put the piece into the pile for my next photo session. After 6 or 8 sessions I usually give up, and the piece goes into my "special" drawer.

Now my "special" drawer is full so I've got to do something with all those pendants. I could sign up to sell at a couple of holiday craft shows and bazaars, but I'd really rather give them away. So here's the deal: place an order of $25 or more from either my Etsy shop or my eBay store, and I'll select a beautiful dichroic or irridized glass pendant for you and include it with your order. Just send me a message as your checking out that includes "$25 Blog Gift" in it, and you'll have a nice start on your holiday shopping. Or a lovely gift for yourself (I always love those!). This offer is good through the month of September or until my special drawer is empty, which ever comes first.

Lucky Number 13

I spent too much time waiting for a doctor's appointment this week. After leafing through the magazines from 2002, reading the medical posters on the wall, and checking out the chart of bone names, I was left with nothing to do but review the emergency exit map. This was a rather large practice with 19 patient exam rooms. Nope, make that 18 patient exam rooms--they skipped over room 13, sort of like a hotel with no thirteenth floor.

I never knew why the number 13 was supposed to bring bad luck. I've discovered that the Egyptians were the first to have a superstition about 13, but it was related to good luck. Ancient Egyptians believed there were 12 steps on the ladder to eternal life and knowledge and to take the thirteenth step meant walking into everlasting life.

According to their website, Colgate University was founded by "13 men with 13 dollars, 13 prayers, and 13 articles". (I'm not sure what sort of articles this refers to.) To this day, members of the Colgate community consider the number 13 a good omen.

So how do you feel about the number 13? Do you embrace it for its luck? Or go out of your way to avoid it?

Glueck, A Good Luck Charm

You know how some people have their lucky bowling shirt, or carry a lucky coin in their pocket? This little fellow has got to be the most unusual good luck charm I've seen. Named "Glueck," which means luck in German, he's about 5" tall and 5" wide. Handcrafted from polymer clay over a wire frame, you can get him at NothingLikeIt. That shop cracks me up, so have a good look around while you're there. Check out the NothingLikeIt blog, too--it's always good for a grin!

Wanna Get Lucky? Thoughts Become Things

I've posted before about the power of positive thinking and using daily affirmations to create a luck-filled life. One of my favorite resources is TUT, where I'm reminded "Thoughts Become Things . . . Choose the Good Ones." I get a (free) daily email with short, positive, and often humorous reminder of how lucky I truly am--it's a marvelous way to start the day!

Take a minute to visit TUT, you'll be glad you did!