I tried to do headstands for you...

Ok guys. Starting September 1st, I will be embarking on a 30 Day Yoga Challenge! That's yoga every day for 30 straight days! This is something I've been wanting to do for a while now so I've hooked up with my bestie, Amanda, over at Living for the Fun of It and we've decided to go for it! We've made the commitment together to make sure we keep at it and to encourage each other. And now I'm posting it here- making the commitment to all of you- to make doubly sure I don't wuss out!

Back in college, I was doing yoga on a regular basis. I was as fit and healthy as I'd ever been. I loved it! I loved the way it made me feel. The way it made me look physically. And the way it made me look at life. I have never been one with a lot of, shall we say, body confidence. Coordination? Not my strong suit. Through yoga's quiet, slow strength, I found the confidence to trust what my body could do. It is an amazing feeling to finally be able to move fully into a pose you've been working on for a while. I remember the absolute elation I felt when I finally felt the top of my head brush the floor in this pose:

 source (straddle forward bend, aka Prasarita Padottanasana)

I know it doesn't look like much-but you go ahead and try it! There's more to it than you'd think!

Another HUGE bonus to yoga workouts: less pain! I got in a car wreck several years ago and I've had back pain ever since. I also have flat feet... which leads to all sorts of joint problems from my ankles on up. But because of all the different ways you learn to move and stretch in yoga, you strengthen EVERY muscle you've got. And when you build up the muscles in the areas you're experiencing pain- you give your body some extra support. And voila! The pain all but disappears! At least in my experience. So that's what I'm shooting for!

I've also decided that if I'm to stick with it and really push myself, I'll have to have goals. So here we go:

1. I find the area I'm lacking most is upper body strength. So I'll be working on my arms and my core to strengthen and tone. Abs? I know they're in there somewhere...
2. Relax. One of the biggest parts of yoga is the exploration of the mind/body connection and the peace that can be found there. Its a GREAT stress reliever, and with this whole "I'm gonna start my own business" thing... Well, I figure that will be pretty helpful :)
3. I have always wanted to do a head stand. Always. Remember that whole thing about trusting my body... never got quite that far. So my biggest goal is to, by the end of the month, be able to do this:

source (headstand, aka Sirsasana)

Maybe, ya know, not in the soggy sand... but none the less. I don't care if in the end I'm still needing the wall for balance, I WILL kick my feet up and rock this pose!

SooooooooOOOOO YEAH! In approximately 2 days, the next phase of my adventure begins! I'll be done with my old job and ready to start my new life! Stay tuned! And remember:

source

Namaste Y'all

Lindsey :)

So hip to be...

...anything but round!

So my next semester of jewelry class starts tomorrow, and in honor of that I'd like to take a moment to revisit the last one! One of our projects was to create a ring with a stone in it. The catch? The ring couldn't be round. A ring that's not round? What?!? Turns out though that its not only possible, but pretty darn comfy as well!

I know I shared the final product of my square ring, but I thought you might be interested in how I made it! I took a few in process shots as I went along so we can do a kind of ring making how-to (slightly abridged)

First we start with the raw materials: Silver bezel wire, 18gague sheet of sterling silver, and the stone which was a rutilated quartz. I really designed the whole pice around this amazing stone. You cant see quite how amazing it is in this photo, but you will get the full effect later on. Essentially it is a quartz crystal with deposits of other minerals inside creating the striations you will see. Precious stones? I can take them or leave them. Its stones like this that really draw and fascinate me with their absolute uniqueness!

 Before I started, I made a model of the ring shank (the part that goes on your finger) first out of card stock, and then out of copper to make sure the size and fit worked out with my finger and the stone. Then based on the measurements and adjustments from the models, I began measuring and cutting the silver sheet

 More measuring, more cutting. I trimmed the sheet and then drew out the design for the ring. I then used small files to create the grooves where the sheet would fold to create the shank.

 No, this photo was not taken by accident. This happens to be a photo of my saw blade I was using to cut out the shank shape. That bit of white stuff half way down the blade? Yeah, that's my skin. I've still got the mark on the side of my finger where it bit me. Note to self: saw blades are sharp!

 After nearly chopping off my finger, This is what I'm left with after all my cutting and filing. Now for the folding! Yeah, turns out you can fold metal. Who knew!?!

 To get the metal to fold, I first had to go through a process called annealing. You heat the metal with a torch (YAY FIRE!) until it becomes softer and more pliable. I then folded the ring into the desired shape to create the shank and soldered the bottom closed. Its hard to hold the camera and the torch at the same time, so unfortunately I don't have any pictures of that. You'll just have to believe me when I tell you that its pretty much the most awesome thing ever. Pyro? Nah, not me.

 Now it even stands up on its own!!! :)

 Next step is to fit the bezel wire around the stone. This is what holds the stone in the ring. I took the longer strip of wire we saw in the first pic, shaped it around the stone, trimmed it, and then soldered it closed to create the bezel! It has to be super tight to keep the stone in place, so in the process of fitting it I maaaaaay have gotten the stone stuck a few times... oops. :)

 Sand and smooth all the scratches out of the shank to prepare for the next step!

 I used half round sterling silver wire (which is just wire that's flat on one side) to create the designs on the sides of the shank. I cut, filed, soldered, trimmed, and filed some more for each of the individual little lines you see above. Can we say tedious? Well, even if you can't, I can and it was. Totally worth it though.

  Ok, so between here and the last photo I got a little distracted and forgot the whole camera thing. I was so close to the finish I just powered through it, so you'll just have to be satisfied with the commentary. To get from the last pic to this, I soldered the empty bezel to the top of the ring creating a little cup the stone would sit in. From there, there were hours upon hours of sanding, filing and polishing... And by hours, I don't mean a couple. I can't even tell you how many I put in from start to finish. Its almost just uncountable. Then I set the stone in the bezel and pushed the sides of it in to hug the stone super snuggly :) TADA!!! Finished ring!

BLING! Perfect fit, if I do say so myself. Here you can really see all those wonderful gold striations that make this such an amazing stone. Every one is completely unique!

 Side view! Because that totally needed an explanation....

And here is my ring with a couple others from the class in the display case at school. See how wonderfully that stone GLOWS in the light? I'm still totally in love with it and wear it whenever I can find an excuse!

And that, my dears, is how you make a square ring.

Till next time, guys and gals!

-Lindsey :)

Don't. Stop. Belieeeeeeeeeeeeeeving!

 

 source

The answer: quit my job and start my own business creating and selling my art. I've pondered this for quite some time. Never seriously. Never out loud. Its always been more of a daydream. But after some soul searching and a long talk with the hubby... I've decided to go for it. 

source 

I've never been a satisfied "9-to-5er". I've had some jobs I've enjoyed more than others, but none that ever seemed to really be fulfilling. So I'm gonna make the jump. I'm gonna work for a boss I like, for hours that fit the life I want to have, and create beauty and send it out into the world. Another bonus? More time to spend with my husband while he's home. :)

source  

I will admit though, I'm definitely stepping out of my comfort zone on this one. Ok, straight up? I'm scared. What if no one likes my product? What if no one buys anything? What if I'm a complete and total failure at LIFE, THE UNIVERSE AND EVERYTHING??? Safe to say, I've got a pretty bad case of the what-if-itis. These motivational pics are as much an anchor to sanity as for your viewing pleasure. Pretty though, huh?

 source left                                                                                           source right

Really though, I am excited. I'm in the process of revamping my office to get ready. New paint, new desk. Just got a new computer. Just started this snazzy new blog. Gonna be awesome. So for all those interested in sharing this journey with me, stay tuned! And on that note, here's one more pretty pic :)

source 

cheers!

-Lindsey