Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Abalone Summer

Ah spring is here, summer is attempting to start early this year.  Daydreams of lazy summer days isn't complete without at trip to the beach (ok, in truth I would rather go to the mountains, lol.)  What trip to the beach would be complete without a piece of lovely abalone shell.

No trip that I remember from childhood, so maybe it's just me and not a tradition for everyone.  Could be time to start a new tradition for yourself?  The variety of designs in both the pieces and the shells is stunning in the lovely compilation of artisan's work.  It drew me in and I just had to share it...




Do you have a favorite memory of tradition from childhood?
Am I the only one who's beach trips always included a piece of abalone shell?

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Savings and Eye Strain; Noteworthy Blogs 5-16-13

Apparently May is savings month, as I have another fabulous tidbit to share in how to eliminate hidden fees in your monthly bills that you probably aren't aware of.  I know I wasn't and have been perusing my bills to see if I can find and eliminate them.  Have found some, still working on the elimination of them.

"Identify and Eliminate Hidden Fees From Your Bills" covers a few of the sneaky ways companies bilk up to an extra $300.00 per person each year.  Consumer fraud protections seems to be failing or a thing of the past, not sure which.  

One topic this article did not cover is your electric and water bills.  While in part I think it is a true error I have had entire months removed due to misreading or reading someone else's meter and placing it against mine.  Let's face it a family of 5 is going to use more utilities than a single person household. Learn to read your own meters, to ensure accuracy on your bills.

The other thing I have caught both utilities doing is just listing an average without sending someone out to read the meters. This was a huge issue in the area where I live a few years back. I agree with the article watch your bills, question every charge.  Especially if is out of the ordinary.


Eye Strain, it happens, especially as we spend more and more time on the computer.  In addition to the work I do online for Entwined Vines Jewelry, my corporate job is 40 plus hours a week starting at a computer screen.  Yes, it is safe to assume I am very aware and have learned to avoid and deal with eye strain.  So "How to Prevent Eye Strain without Ditching Your Computer", becomes a priority for someone like me.  Yet, can be helpful to almost anyone these days, unless they are living off grid.

I agreed with everything the article had to say, even found a few tweaks I could already do to my own regimen for avoiding eye strain.  What they did not cover and I will only touch on lightly is eye exercises.  Yep, I do them, have for years.  My suggestion is, if you are interested in learning more is talk to your eye doctor and/or medical doctor. Mine routine was designed specifically for my needs and as the eyes are sensitive and important, I won't even share what my regime is.  Each person has their own unique needs, yet I cannot stress the importance of how helpful they have been to me over the years.   I also can always tell when I have been neglecting them, they make that much of a difference.



Have you found that eye strain changes your computer habits?


Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Inspired Art

Inspired by Art is a lovely array of talented artisans, including ourselves.  I really like the variety in designs and the cool softness in the color theme.  Sometimes it is nice to view other artisans work and see the variety that is available for everyone.  That no matter how long humanity survives artistic creations will continue to expand and the visions reaching new heights.  Always inspiring to reach even greater achievements.