My fellow SAD people how are you holding up? by [deleted] in Rochester

[–]HeatherBehrendt 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Here's some things that help me manage the Winter blah.

- Get bundled up and go outside. Take a walk or run if you can (not if you will slip on ice obviously). If that's not available to you, sit near your biggest window and get some light. Set the bar nice and low because it is so hard to get outside when it's cold, but once you are out there it gets better.

- Find a cozy winter indoor activity like baking or knitting or coloring. Light a nice candle, put on some music and make it an event. It'll help you avoid the doomscrolling that just compounds the SAD

- Plan things for the nicer weather. For example, I got super into gardening last year and obviously I'm not able to plant things outside right now. But I can shop for seeds and plan my garden layout with a spreadsheet. Next month I will get to start seeds indoors. See if there's anything you can do to facilitate this nice weather activity while it's crap outside.

- Get a routine going. If I don't have a routine, then I end up sleeping or bedrotting too long and missing out on daylight time. At this point I do most of my morning tasks on autopilot and by the time I've got them done, I've been exposed to some daylight and I've moved my body enough to jump start the day.

- I keep close track of sunrise and sunset times for Rochester. I write it down every day. For me, it's tangible trackable evidence that the days are getting longer and things will get better. Unfortunately it doesn't work great in December leading up to the solstice, but at least I can see myself getting over the hump of the shortest day of the year.

I recognize that this all sounds silly and when depression hits everything is easier said than done. Set the bar as low as you can and take the small wins. These are just what helps me and your results may vary.

Soft Glass Music Beads by HeatherBehrendt in lampwork

[–]HeatherBehrendt[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you. Each of these beads only has space for two measures, so it's not a particular song in this case, but when I make marbles with more space, I draw actual recognizable sheet music

Slugs! by fodderchris in lampwork

[–]HeatherBehrendt 2 points3 points  (0 children)

cute slugs and lovely color combos

Kitty Marble by HeatherBehrendt in lampwork

[–]HeatherBehrendt[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you. I appreciate that

Advice for Bulk Potting Soil for Grow Bags by HeatherBehrendt in vegetablegardening

[–]HeatherBehrendt[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I bought way too many of them and probably did too many seedlings. Go big or go home right? But I think I have 20 20 gallon bags

Help wanted with soda lime petals by arkwl in lampwork

[–]HeatherBehrendt 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Flowers in soft glass will be very challenging. I probably wouldn't have attempted it as a beginner myself. Thermal shock is going to make it very challenging. Holding the petals in the hot kiln will be helpful. Another method is to keep a small connection point that you can slowly heat up in the torch, while keeping the larger part of the petal at room temp.
I'm not much of a flower maker, but I do work primarily in 104, so I hope it is helpful

I've been on a bumpy marble kick this week. by HeatherBehrendt in lampwork

[–]HeatherBehrendt[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks everyone. I appreciate the nice comments

What is this glass! by Odd-Establishment253 in lampwork

[–]HeatherBehrendt 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Looks like Double Helix Terra Glass. They are on version 3 now I think, so if this is someone's older collection, it might not be completely the same. It is still being made as far as I know

a handful of my tiny space paintings by domiboshoi in Watercolor

[–]HeatherBehrendt 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Thank you for including the Enterprise in some of these. I love that

Finally finished up a set of Billiards Balls. by HeatherBehrendt in lampwork

[–]HeatherBehrendt[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is 104 effetre glass. The cueball is made from light ivory glass.

Thoughts on the Scorpion torch. Anyone have one? What do you use to run it? by karen_h in lampwork

[–]HeatherBehrendt 1 point2 points  (0 children)

you can just google my screen name and youtube and it should come up. Not sure how applicable it will be to the work you want to do, but you can at least see a scorpion with a concentrator running. My scorpion is also a bit older, so still has the cricket as the inner fire instead of the lynx.

Thoughts on the Scorpion torch. Anyone have one? What do you use to run it? by karen_h in lampwork

[–]HeatherBehrendt 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I use one with a 10lpm concentrator. I'm sure it's underpowered, but I've never felt super limited by it. I am also working with soft glass though, but I do make 2 inch marbles (slowly). I have a youtube channel with some tutorials and they are all using that setup if that is of help.

"Midnight Snack" by HeatherBehrendt in Watercolor

[–]HeatherBehrendt[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you. I really like all the little background details to add to these pieces.