Problem: Article: No matter what kind of beads, pendants, or discs you made, they must be finished with baking. This will set the clay so that the beads maintain the shapes and designs you've created. Always preheat your oven before baking, and follow the manufacturer's instructions regarding baking times and temperatures. To bake your beads, you can: Arrange them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place the beads on a length of firm, straight wire. Then, suspend the wire from an oven-safe baking dish and bake the beads like that. Once your baking time is up, remove the beads from the oven and allow them to cool completely before handling them. In case you chose not to poke holes in your beads before baking, now's the time to create the holes. Work with each bead individually. Hold a bead steady on a hard surface with your thumb and forefinger. With your other hand, use the drill to carefully drill a hole through the center of the bead.
Summary: Bake them. Drill holes.

Problem: Article: If your running water has a lead concentration of more than 15 g/L, you may want to get a point-of-use treatment solution. There are many different options, but a reverse osmosis device is usually the most effective point-of-use treatment solution. However, it is also relatively expensive to purchase and operate. Reverse osmosis devices are usually installed under the sink and use tiny membranes to screen out harmful materials like lead. They also tend to waste water while treating it, which raises their operating cost. If you have well above 15 g/L of lead in your water, you will definitely want to consider a reverse osmosis device despite its cost. The Water Quality Association is a reliable resource for finding effective treatment products. There are several different kinds of these products if you don't need or can't afford a reverse osmosis device. There are filters that fit right over your faucet for extremely convenient use. There are distillers that separate lead from your water over time and collect the clean water in a jug. And there are under-the-sink filters. Before purchasing a distiller, make sure it is one that is approved by the Water Quality Association to remove lead from water. A regular Brita filter may not be enough to remove lead. If you want the convenience of filtering your water as soon as it comes out of the faucet, purchase a faucet filter. If you don't want to take up space in your sink with a filter, purchase a distiller. Conveniently, many distillers also act as water dispensers. This will ensure that you are using your device properly and removing as much lead from your water as possible. Be sure to follow maintenance recommendations as well. For instance, the filters in reverse osmosis devices must be replaced periodically. Your instruction manual should tell you how often your model's filter needs to be changed. For filters that fit over your faucet, you will usually have to run cold water through the filter for 5 minutes the first time you use it.
Summary: Use a reverse osmosis device for best results. Use a distiller or filter for a more cost effective solution. Follow the device's instructions when setting it up and using it.

Problem: Article: Categorize your items in terms of use and separate them appropriately. For instance, you could place recreational gear like skateboards, roller blades and golf clubs in one area. You could then put your tools, power saws and blades in another. Once you have everything sorted out, you can decide the best way to arrange them for easy access. How you choose to organize will depend on what you have, but it's common to separate the tools and the sporting goods or other storage stuff. Some people's garages are sacred car spaces, while for others it's more of an attic run-off zone. Keep organized according to what you have. Put the stuff you don't use often toward the back, or the more difficult to reach spaces of the garage. If you hardly ever go golfing, you would want to place your clubs behind other things that you use more often, like the lawn mower or your socket wrenches. You may also want to make seasonal adjustments in your garage, so you can rotate summer and winter items accordingly. You probably won't need your snow blower during the heat of summer, so you can schedule yearly reorganizations to keep your space in the most optimum arrangement for the season. It doesn't need to take more than a few minutes. Finally, you can prevent a lot of frustration by properly labeling storage bins or anything that you have to open to access items. If you have small items like different sized screws and nails, you should put these into small containers and mark them accordingly. It may be a little more tedious at first, but should make your life easier later on.
Summary: Separate all the items according to their purpose. Consider storing items according to the most frequently used. Consider organizing items seasonally. Label everything clearly.

Problem: Article: Before you go into a situation where you'll need to talk with other people, give yourself a few minutes alone. Tell yourself that you have knowledge and skills to offer other people and that they can learn from you, if you'll let them. It might help to remind yourself of a few key accomplishments, such as winning an award or competition. Envision all of the positive things that could come from talking to other people. For example, you might make friends or could find information that is useful to you. Think about someone you know, or a celebrity, who has made their mark despite being an introvert. Whenever you get discouraged, remind yourself that being quiet isn't necessarily a bad thing, as quiet people often offer wise and thoughtful contributions to conversations. Whenever you are finished with one conversation, move on to the next. Resist the urge to stand in the corner at a party or spend the next few weeks in your head going over every statement that you made or didn't make. Give yourself the benefit of a clean state during each social opportunity. If you don't like small talk, make yourself go to parties where you'll be encouraged to make chit-chat with strangers. If you don't enjoy speaking up in professional settings, arrange it so that you can sit in on a few meetings at work. Putting yourself in challenging social environments will help you to move past your fears. However, feel free to take baby steps. Don't push yourself to go from shy to outgoing in the span of one or two meetings. It's possible that you are quiet in order to avoid getting into arguments with others. If this fits your personality, then make a point to listen closely as other people debate or argue around you. Watch how some arguments can produce positive outcomes, such as getting people to acknowledge other viewpoints. Make note of the words or phrases other people use in order to disagree civilly. For example, they might say, "I understand what you are saying, but" If you are quieter, some people might try to connect with you by offering their help or guidance on a project or task. Acknowledging their offer in an enthusiastic and positive way will most likely lead to a more in-depth conversations. In this case, showing your vulnerability will make you seem more confident to others. For example, if someone at a work party says, "I'd love to help you work on that case," you might respond, "Thank you. I'd be very interested to hear your ideas." This is a friendly, noncommittal way of advancing the conversation.
Summary:
Give yourself a pep talk beforehand. Identify a quiet role model. Stop rehashing conversations. Go beyond your conversation comfort zone. Don't shy away from disagreements. Accept offers of assistance.