The Ott Light

Do you have one of these? If you are a beader, or working any craft that requires a well-lighted area, you ought to check these out. Heck, even if you just read a lot, you could probably use one of these (my assistant has one on his desk in cubicle land and swears by it).

The company calls it "high definition natural lighting"TM. They are a cool little light. For one thing, they are portable. I've seen people at beading classes who bring their own. The lampshade part folds down so it is rectangular shaped when closed and it has a little handle so you can pick it up and carry it about easily.

If you don't have one, I suggest you run, don't walk, to the nearest 24 hour Shoppers Drug Mart and pick yourself up one. Or three. Because they're on sale right now - $19.99, regularly $31.99. I say the 24 hour Shoppers version because apparently that's the only one that carries them. The smaller stores don't have them and if you ask the staff, they don't know what you're talking about and they look at you funny. I know this because I went to 3 different stores in a 5 km radius before I found any stock. But it was worth it, because I was able to get three of them, 2 white and 1 black in the reading lamp size - about 10 inches high. I gave the black one to my sister for her birthday because I knew she needed one. Don't know what I'll do with the other two but I'm not worried, I know I'll use them.

You can get other styles as well but shop around, because they can be quite pricey if you aren't careful. The regular size ones usually retail for about $100 - yikes! (although they are available in several pretty colours). I got my first ones on The Shopping Channel - they had a great deal, a table lamp and a stand up lamp set for about $70 for the pair. They aren't too special to look at but they have a bendable arm that adjusts easily.

My senior cat seems to enjoy sleeping under the light, which I can't quite understand because it doesn't give off much heat. For us beaders, they apparently reduce eye strain. Added bonus, they are energy efficient and are supposed to last for up to 10,000 hours. That's a lot of beading!! :)