June 19, 2009
As promised, here is the first of the new items I will be adding. More to come next week as I get all of my photos together. I really love this necklace. My husband bought me a necklace with a beautiful green and black stone heart in Sedona, and I tried to imitate it in this pendant.
For sale here, if you are interested.
-Dione
www.inspiredglass.net
June 17, 2009
Hi everyone,
Yes, I realize it has been a very long time since I posted anything, but I wanted to check in and say that I’m still in business, and I’ll have a few more things in my store this week.
It feels like it’s been forever since I’ve been able to have my studio up and running. Normally I wouldn’t post such personal information, but there is a point to this story so please keep reading. In November of 2008, I woke up one morning with a horrible migraine. After 2 urgent care visits, a trip to the emergency room for a spinal tap, and 3 days in the hospital, I found out I had viral meningitis. Several weeks after that, I was still having horrible daily headaches, and the painkillers gave me an ulcer, which meant more trips to the doctor and more medication. On top of that, it turned out that the headaches were not caused by the meningitis, but that I had become severely anemic, which meant… more trips to the doctor and more pills. (This month should put me 2/3 of the way through treatment for the anemia, and everything else is gone!)
I had a lot of questions about how this happened since I try very hard to live a healthy lifestyle, and even my doctor said he had a hard time figuring out what was wrong with me because I am otherwise in very good health. I asked how this happened and how I could prevent it from happening again, and he said I couldn’t. It was completely random. I was exposed to a virus that could have been any virus, and my body for some reason, this one time, reacted the way it did.
Besides the obvious health concerns, the truly frightening thing was seeing the hospital bills. Luckily I have great health insurance, but if I hadn’t, this entire thing would have easily cost me $50,000. If I had known I didn’t have insurance, and how much it would have cost, I don’t know that I even would have gotten treatment for something potentially deadly. It was a huge wake up call to realize how quickly and randomly something can happen to your health that can financially devastate you. It’s very sobering to think how many people can’t afford to have health insurance, and can’t afford not to have it either. It’s not just the bills, either. I’m still amazed at how much of my life my illness has taken away for the past several months, and what a struggle it has been to get it back.
The point of my story is to bring attention to something that some wonderful friends are going through right now. They are uninsured and facing urgent dental issues that will cost tens of thousands of dollars. Their situation has been beautifully explained on the Friend of a Friend Healthcare Initiative website, so please visit and find out more. I can vouch for the fact that these are very real and beautiful people, and fully deserving of community support.
I have donated some and will continue to donate as I can. I want to encourage any of my friends who can donate even just a little to help out. Every little bit adds up, and it would mean so much to a very deserving family.
-Dione
www.inspiredglass.net
November 20, 2008
If you have a chance to stop by in the next couple of weeks, AGASC is having their annual juried show. Unfortunately, I had to drop out due to illness, so I won’t be entering anything, but I will still be attending the reception on November 22nd. There are many overwhelmingly talented artists that will be represented, so if you are interested in glass art, it’s definitely worth a stop by.
Good luck to everyone who entered! I can’t wait to see what you’ve come up with this year.
-Dione
www.inspiredglass.net
November 3, 2008
The Barnes&Noble in Santee, CA, has done a very nice thing for the Art Glass Association of Southern California, which I am a member of. In an effort to help support and promote local art, they have invited us in for two days to do a show and sale. In addition to letting us use their space to show off and sell our work, they are also donating a percentage of any sales throughout the store by our guests that have a voucher (including Starbucks) to AGASC. To download the voucher, click here.
I will have a table there with several pieces of jewelry and a selection of dishes. If you are around, please stop in and say hi and support both AGASC and Barnes&Noble. The sale is from 10 am. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, November 8th, and Sunday, November 9th. I will be there on Saturday from 2 p.m to 6 p.m., and again on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Starbucks will be hosting a reception for us from 1 to 3 on both afternoons.
Click here for a map and to look up directions.
Santee Trolley Square
9938 Mission Gorge Road
Santee, CA 92071
619-562-1755
-Dione
www.inspiredglass.net
October 26, 2008
It’s hard to believe that it’s already almost the end of October! As fast as the year has gone, I’m ready for some cool weather, pumpkin pie, hot soup, and holidays with the family. In that spirit, I’ve designed a new three strand necklace with antique gold leaf charms. It makes me think of driving to Julian, CA, to see the pretty fall trees, grab some apple cider, and do a little shopping!
-Dione
www.inspiredglass.net
Image courtesy of CAI.
