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My Journey As A Creative Designer - Woodworking and Beyond

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7M views 13K replies 477 participants last post by  teaklight12 
#1 ·
Beginning this Blog

I recently was referred to this site by Steve Good, who has a wonderful, comprehensive scroll saw forum and blog page. Although I have been doing woodworking for almost fifteen years, I have finally reached a point in my life where I am able to make it the main focus of my activities. Since my life revolves around my woodworking and business, I believe that this blog will reflect that very clearly, although it will also be somewhat personal. But I think that woodworking is very personal anyway.

It has been a long journey to get to this point. There have been many good times and some not-so-good ones, but I appreciate every single step because I think that if even one thing was different, I would not be where I am today or who I am inside. It isn't only the positive events in our lives that make us what we are. Many times it is the negative things that mold and shape us and teach us to look at things in a certain way. I try to remember that when things are tough and move ahead.

I have learned that there is only one thing we can be certain of in life: change. Whether things are good or bad, we need to hold on and appreciate the moment, as we can be certain that things will be different before long. This helps us to not only appreciate the good days and things we have now, but also hang on when things are not so good, as we know that they will be different soon. I like this philosophy.

I liked reading about the new contest offered by this site in the newsletter. Fluidity. It is a perfect theme for projects because our existence itself is fluid. I am anxious to see what interpretations are going to be, as I am sure everyone else is. It will be an adventure for all of us for sure.

So why am I starting this blog? The other day I received a call from a customer who had a question for me. He kept saying how surprised he was that I answered my own phone. I have worked as a Contributing Editor for Creative Woodworks and Crafts Magazine for the past 13+ years and I guess in the scroll saw community, many people have heard of me. It seemed so odd to me that he would think I would have a secretary or staff. We kind of laughed about it, but it really got me thinking about his interpretation of my life. We all tend to form opinions of others from very limited information. We see the outside of a person as they are presented to us and many times are very quick to categorize that person in our minds. I do it myself.

But in my years of talking with and dealing with many people from many different places, I have come to realize that people are like icebergs. We only see the tip of them and below the surface is a vast, complex side of them that is the basis of their actions and thinking.

Everyone has a story. Everyone has traveled a journey. No two people have traveled identical paths. Thus, we are all unique in our thoughts, actions and creative processes. I enjoy hearing others stories. I think that listening to others and hearing their experiences helps us to understand each other. With that understanding, we learn.

I have used the phrase "Knowledge Is Power" in my signature since I have been on the web. Once someone told me that they thought it was quite arrogant of me to say that. He thought that I was implying that I knew more than anyone else and he found that offensive. I told him he couldn't be more wrong. My interpretation of the phrase is that our QUEST for knowledge EMPOWERS us to make better decisions about things in our lives. We are never finished learning. I learn every single day from my friends, colleagues, fellow woodworkers and students. We never know when we will learn something new. Sometimes you can learn from even a seemingly insignificant event. I feel the key is that we need to be open to learning.

Everyone has a story.

So I will close today with those thoughts. I don't know how often I will post here, but I hope to make it a habit. I don't know if anyone will even read this, but somehow it doesn't matter. Writing is a key in self-awareness. By writing things down we categorize our actions and it helps (me anyway) to keep my life organized. Organization leads to peace as far as I am concerned.

I am quite overwhelmed with the scope of the site here. I am still getting my footings and lurking around. I think for the first several days or maybe even weeks I will be more of a passive observer while I find my comfortable position among the others here. I want to upload the new things I am working on here. Like everyone else, I am anxious to see the response they get. I love seeing others projects and could spend my days just looking.

Although it is quite intimidating, the forum looks like it is full of friendly, knowledgeable and wonderfully creative people.

I think I am going to like it here.
 
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#8,547 ·
12 Days and Counting . . .

As it turned out, I spent the bulk of yesterday finishing up and refining the 12 Days ornament set(s). What I thought would only take an hour or two, wound up taking until nearly 10pm in the evening. I say that without dismay or disappointment. Things just take time.

While the main parts of the pieces were completed, I still needed to do refinements on them as well as finish them. The edges of the ornaments weren't painted, and while the edges of the laser cut pieces that were provided by Artist's Club were dark, as laser pieces are, they still needed to be cleaned up and painted in the darker, shading colors of that I used on the faces of the ornaments. Doing this neatly took a bit of time.

I also needed to do something to highlight the metallic gold numerals on each piece. While the metallic gold showed up nicely on the deeper colors, it did not on some of the lighter colors such as the lighter gold and red. I decided to line around the numbers with a tiny brush and some of the shading color to make them stand out more. I was pleased with the result.

There also came the question of whether or not to add faces to the pieces. I really didn't want to add them because I wanted them to have a folk art charm to them. The actual faces were tiny (less than 1/4" in diameter) and while they looked quite large in the photograph that I showed yesterday, in actuality they were not. Even though the wood surfaces that I painted on were smooth, trying to fit eyes, nose and a mouth into such a tiny space would not only be a challenge for even the more experienced painter, but would be extremely difficult to do so with keeping the features in proportion to the rest of the piece.

I did play a bit and painted some simple features on my own set (NOT the one that goes to Artist's Club), but I am not sure that I like the result. However, I decided to leave it there so that those who really want faces can add them in. But both Keith and I agreed that they did look better without. (It was one of the rare times that we agreed on something artistic - mark your calendars! ;) )

Here is the result of the soldier with the face added on:

Hand Gesture Art Creative arts Nail


(Just a note - these pictures aren't the greatest. I need to do better 'presentation pictures' today)

It is OK, but not wonderful and it was very difficult for me to make look good. I used a tiny brush (18/0) which has about three hairs in it but I still felt awkward doing it. But at least the option is there if people want them to have faces. However, I don't recommend that for those who are newer to painting. Perhaps it was just me, but it was very hard.

Overall though, the set came out nice. Here is a pic of the full set on the Artist's Club surface:

Dishware Baked goods Cuisine Dish Font


And here is the second version done on my own ornaments:

Textile Dishware Font Circle Art


Again, the pictures aren't really awesome, but for this morning's blog they will do. I was too tired to take good ones last night and I just took quick snapshots this morning. At least you will get the idea.

Today will be spent creating the pattern packet for this set. I hope to have it done in a day or two and up on the site soon. There seems to be a good amount of interest in them and I want to make them available as soon as I can.

I really did enjoy doing this set. It has taken me nearly 2 weeks to do it, with a wholesale order thrown in between, but it has been something that I am proud of and I hope the pattern packet appeals to many.

I realize that I can't take nearly two weeks on every pattern that I create, but once in a while it is nice to make something that I feel is really special. The nice thing is that while I was working on these, I was thinking up many other new designs (AND writing down the ideas) for bot scrollsawing and painting. It seems that I will be busy for a while.

Thank you all for your kind words of encouragement along the way. It is good to have a cheering section when working on a project like this that takes so long. I realize that some of you who have commented aren't painters, but gave encouragement anyway. It means a lot.

The weekend is upon us once again and as I write, it is pouring down rain. It has been rainy all week but for one day, and it looks like our weekend will be the same. Not great beach weather.

I hope you have a good day today, and if you have plans for the holiday weekend here in North America, I hope your weather accommodates you. Most important - have fun and do something enjoyable. Life is short and you need to take ever opportunity to do something you love.

Happy Friday!
 

Attachments

#8,548 ·
12 Days and Counting . . .

As it turned out, I spent the bulk of yesterday finishing up and refining the 12 Days ornament set(s). What I thought would only take an hour or two, wound up taking until nearly 10pm in the evening. I say that without dismay or disappointment. Things just take time.

While the main parts of the pieces were completed, I still needed to do refinements on them as well as finish them. The edges of the ornaments weren't painted, and while the edges of the laser cut pieces that were provided by Artist's Club were dark, as laser pieces are, they still needed to be cleaned up and painted in the darker, shading colors of that I used on the faces of the ornaments. Doing this neatly took a bit of time.

I also needed to do something to highlight the metallic gold numerals on each piece. While the metallic gold showed up nicely on the deeper colors, it did not on some of the lighter colors such as the lighter gold and red. I decided to line around the numbers with a tiny brush and some of the shading color to make them stand out more. I was pleased with the result.

There also came the question of whether or not to add faces to the pieces. I really didn't want to add them because I wanted them to have a folk art charm to them. The actual faces were tiny (less than 1/4" in diameter) and while they looked quite large in the photograph that I showed yesterday, in actuality they were not. Even though the wood surfaces that I painted on were smooth, trying to fit eyes, nose and a mouth into such a tiny space would not only be a challenge for even the more experienced painter, but would be extremely difficult to do so with keeping the features in proportion to the rest of the piece.

I did play a bit and painted some simple features on my own set (NOT the one that goes to Artist's Club), but I am not sure that I like the result. However, I decided to leave it there so that those who really want faces can add them in. But both Keith and I agreed that they did look better without. (It was one of the rare times that we agreed on something artistic - mark your calendars! ;) )

Here is the result of the soldier with the face added on:

Hand Gesture Art Creative arts Nail


(Just a note - these pictures aren't the greatest. I need to do better 'presentation pictures' today)

It is OK, but not wonderful and it was very difficult for me to make look good. I used a tiny brush (18/0) which has about three hairs in it but I still felt awkward doing it. But at least the option is there if people want them to have faces. However, I don't recommend that for those who are newer to painting. Perhaps it was just me, but it was very hard.

Overall though, the set came out nice. Here is a pic of the full set on the Artist's Club surface:

Dishware Baked goods Cuisine Dish Font


And here is the second version done on my own ornaments:

Textile Dishware Font Circle Art


Again, the pictures aren't really awesome, but for this morning's blog they will do. I was too tired to take good ones last night and I just took quick snapshots this morning. At least you will get the idea.

Today will be spent creating the pattern packet for this set. I hope to have it done in a day or two and up on the site soon. There seems to be a good amount of interest in them and I want to make them available as soon as I can.

I really did enjoy doing this set. It has taken me nearly 2 weeks to do it, with a wholesale order thrown in between, but it has been something that I am proud of and I hope the pattern packet appeals to many.

I realize that I can't take nearly two weeks on every pattern that I create, but once in a while it is nice to make something that I feel is really special. The nice thing is that while I was working on these, I was thinking up many other new designs (AND writing down the ideas) for bot scrollsawing and painting. It seems that I will be busy for a while.

Thank you all for your kind words of encouragement along the way. It is good to have a cheering section when working on a project like this that takes so long. I realize that some of you who have commented aren't painters, but gave encouragement anyway. It means a lot.

The weekend is upon us once again and as I write, it is pouring down rain. It has been rainy all week but for one day, and it looks like our weekend will be the same. Not great beach weather.

I hope you have a good day today, and if you have plans for the holiday weekend here in North America, I hope your weather accommodates you. Most important - have fun and do something enjoyable. Life is short and you need to take ever opportunity to do something you love.

Happy Friday!
Sheila those are Wonderful they have that classic Victorian look
I hate ti disagree with you Sheila but they are "AWESOME"
If I had those skill and time…..............................LoL

Yours fae a wet n misty Scotland
Hae a great weekend, Hi to Keith n the felines
Jamie
 

Attachments

#8,555 ·
On to Writing Instructions

It was a great relief to finish the set of ornaments that I have been working on for almost two weeks. Having the pieces finished and in front of me was very satisfying. I liked how they came out, and I am very appreciative of the warm kind and encouraging comments that everyone has shown regarding them.

But painting the pieces is only part of the process. Now comes the work of photographing them for the pattern packet, as well as adjusting the step-by-step photos that I had taken along the way. I find that these photos are especially important to include in the instruction packet - especially for the painters.

Unlike woodworking patterns in which those who use it simply follow a line, when following a painting pattern, visuals and color are very important. One of the reasons that I left the one wholesaler was that I found that they were changing my patterns that I supplied to them not only by eliminating the color step-by-step photographs, but sometimes limiting color altogether. I can only imagine what the customer was receiving and how frustrating it must have been for them.

Several years ago when I began designing for the magazine, I also designed decorative painting patterns. However, I had found that reproducing the pattern in color was not only time consuming but also very costly, and for many years I chose to focus on woodworking patterns only.

But things have changed and with finding inexpensive ways to print in color as well as digital photography, it makes it much easier and much more economical to make color patterns. And that once again opens the avenue for me to create painting patterns.

Yesterday I showed you some pictures of the new pieces. However, they weren't color corrected and were not really of a quality that I would use for the pattern packet. I spent the majority of the day yesterday working on the photos for the packet and getting things just right. The final picture looks like this:

Dishware Cake decorating supply Cuisine Circle Button


The colors are far more natural and true. This will also make it easier for painters to follow the painting instructions that I offer them.

With that said, I will be working on the final writing part of things today. When painting a project such as this, I find that writing the instructions soon after the project is completed helps make things easier, as everything is fresh in my mind. I do write down the colors in a notebook as I go, but sometimes I miss something here or there and I like to document things and make the pattern as soon as I am finished so that I don't miss anything.

I hope to have the pattern up on the site this weekend, as there have been several people asking about it. We are planning another site update in the next couple of days and I plan to include it with that. We are also working on a new catalog, as there are many new patterns that both Keith and I have introduced since the last one. That alone is a large task and Keith will be doing that while I am working on my pattern.

We have a holiday weekend here in Canada, and unfortunately it looks like it will be raining throughout. I hope that it does clear up somewhat so others can enjoy outdoor activities. Summer seems to be very stubborn and slow in arriving this year.

I wish you all a good weekend no matter where you are from. I hope you take some time to enjoy yourselves and relax and have fun.

Have a happy and creative Saturday!
 

Attachments

#8,556 ·
On to Writing Instructions

It was a great relief to finish the set of ornaments that I have been working on for almost two weeks. Having the pieces finished and in front of me was very satisfying. I liked how they came out, and I am very appreciative of the warm kind and encouraging comments that everyone has shown regarding them.

But painting the pieces is only part of the process. Now comes the work of photographing them for the pattern packet, as well as adjusting the step-by-step photos that I had taken along the way. I find that these photos are especially important to include in the instruction packet - especially for the painters.

Unlike woodworking patterns in which those who use it simply follow a line, when following a painting pattern, visuals and color are very important. One of the reasons that I left the one wholesaler was that I found that they were changing my patterns that I supplied to them not only by eliminating the color step-by-step photographs, but sometimes limiting color altogether. I can only imagine what the customer was receiving and how frustrating it must have been for them.

Several years ago when I began designing for the magazine, I also designed decorative painting patterns. However, I had found that reproducing the pattern in color was not only time consuming but also very costly, and for many years I chose to focus on woodworking patterns only.

But things have changed and with finding inexpensive ways to print in color as well as digital photography, it makes it much easier and much more economical to make color patterns. And that once again opens the avenue for me to create painting patterns.

Yesterday I showed you some pictures of the new pieces. However, they weren't color corrected and were not really of a quality that I would use for the pattern packet. I spent the majority of the day yesterday working on the photos for the packet and getting things just right. The final picture looks like this:

Dishware Cake decorating supply Cuisine Circle Button


The colors are far more natural and true. This will also make it easier for painters to follow the painting instructions that I offer them.

With that said, I will be working on the final writing part of things today. When painting a project such as this, I find that writing the instructions soon after the project is completed helps make things easier, as everything is fresh in my mind. I do write down the colors in a notebook as I go, but sometimes I miss something here or there and I like to document things and make the pattern as soon as I am finished so that I don't miss anything.

I hope to have the pattern up on the site this weekend, as there have been several people asking about it. We are planning another site update in the next couple of days and I plan to include it with that. We are also working on a new catalog, as there are many new patterns that both Keith and I have introduced since the last one. That alone is a large task and Keith will be doing that while I am working on my pattern.

We have a holiday weekend here in Canada, and unfortunately it looks like it will be raining throughout. I hope that it does clear up somewhat so others can enjoy outdoor activities. Summer seems to be very stubborn and slow in arriving this year.

I wish you all a good weekend no matter where you are from. I hope you take some time to enjoy yourselves and relax and have fun.

Have a happy and creative Saturday!
I just love these ornaments! I enrolled in the Christmas painting class. I'm really looking forward to learning how to paint! Maybe one day I'll be able to paint these pretty ornaments. Sure hope so.
 

Attachments

#8,561 ·
New Catalog Available at Sheila Landry Designs!

Wow! Some mornings it really is getting to be a pill to post a blog here. You all know I am not a complainer (well - not really!) but lately it has been a real pain to get a post put up here in the mornings here on Lumberjocks (where I write my original blog post) Today just clicking on the 'add new blog entry' tab resulted in watching the spinning circle for nearly five minutes. That is way too long for my patience. Adding pictures is another thing that has really hung me up in the morning.

Don't get me wrong - I love the site and I realize that it is huge and free and all of that, but there are just some days when I am - well, busy - and need to keep things moving along. I admit though that some of the reason in these recent days when I haven't posted a blog was because I was just too darn busy to wait. There is just too much I need to accomplish and have to keep things moving.

That being said, I will get on with the post for today.

Last night I finally finished the new pattern for the "SLDP215 12 Days of Christmas Ornaments!" That was a big milestone for me, as it seemed like it took me quite a while. It wound up being 20 pages long with 26 color photos and I am very pleased with it. I still have a final proof reading to do this morning as soon as I am done here, but for the most part, it should be good to go. I was just too tired last night when I finished to do a proper proof reading and I know that if there are any errors, they should be small. So that is good news.

I wound up retouching the pictures a couple of times, which is where much of the time creating the pattern went. The one thing about painting patterns is that getting the color accurate can be somewhat of a challenge. Seeing something on my computer screen doesn't mean that it will come out looking the same from my printer and since I am not a publishing house, I don't have the luxury of working with high end equipment that costs thousands of dollars. So I do the best that I can with what I have and so far it has worked well for me. It just takes a bit of time initially to get things right.

Keith helps with that too because he has such a 'techie' mind that he is able to set my camera so that it takes optimal pictures to start with. That means less adjustments on the computer. Here is a copy of the cover picture for the pattern:

Cake decorating supply Font Circle Button Sharing


SLDP215 - 12 Days of Christmas Ornament Pattern

The colors are accurate and true and it looks crisp and clean. I am happy with it. After today it will be good to be able to put this pattern behind me and move on to other things. :)

While I was completing that, Keith was working on creating a new and updated catalog of our designs. It had been a couple of months since we updated the catalog, as we only do so a couple of times per year because we are also so busy. This time there were over 60 new designs added into the catalog, and adding them in is no small task. But he did a beautiful job with it, and it looks amazing!

World Poster Font Art Illustration


If you want to obtain a free download of it or see it in its entirety, you can go here to do so:

http://www.sheilalandrydesigns.com/product/CAT0310

It is always nice to be able to see everything we do in one place. It is hard to believe that we actually make all that stuff! We are really proud of what we do and the quality of the work that we have to offer.

Today I will be writing and sending out a newsletter. For all of you who are on our mailing list, you should be expecting one some time later on today. If you want to sign up for our mailing list, just follow the link here to do so: http://www.sheilalandrydesigns.com/mailing-list

As always, I never share emails with anyone and we only put out one to two newsletters per month which tell of our new designs, new sales, and general information as to what we are up to. Just be sure if you join to put my email address on your 'safe senders' list so that it doesn't get thrown into your spam folder.

We had a weekend full of a foggy, misty, light rain and it appears that it will continue to be that way for the next several days. The temperatures are cool and it feels more like autumn than summer. I am beginning to wonder if I will ever see the sun again!

We plan to take a couple of days to head to the city, and we may do so tomorrow. We haven't been there since last fall and we are really due for an outing. I will report more as to what we decide to do when the time comes.

I also wanted to let you all know that Lee Valley Tools has FREE SHIPPING until July 8th on orders of $40 or more:

http://www.leevalley.com/US/home/Announcement.aspx

(and who can shop there without spending $40, really??)

I always use this time to stock up on the things that I want from them. I like using their Rare Earth magnets and they have the Glue Bot glue bottle that I reviewed a couple of months ago and some other nice things. If you are thinking of ordering from them, now would be the time to do so.

Well, that is about all for today. It is Canada Day here in Canada and everything is closed for the celebration. I wish all those wonderfully friendly people here in my host country a fabulous day today! Thank you for making me feel so welcome in such a beautiful place!

I wish everyone a great Monday too! I hope summer has found its way to you and you are enjoying all that it has to bring. As for myself - I will enjoy the day rain or shine.

Water Liquid Black Window Fluid


If I run out of things to do, I can always count the raindrops! :D

Have a great day!
 

Attachments

#8,562 ·
New Catalog Available at Sheila Landry Designs!

Wow! Some mornings it really is getting to be a pill to post a blog here. You all know I am not a complainer (well - not really!) but lately it has been a real pain to get a post put up here in the mornings here on Lumberjocks (where I write my original blog post) Today just clicking on the 'add new blog entry' tab resulted in watching the spinning circle for nearly five minutes. That is way too long for my patience. Adding pictures is another thing that has really hung me up in the morning.

Don't get me wrong - I love the site and I realize that it is huge and free and all of that, but there are just some days when I am - well, busy - and need to keep things moving along. I admit though that some of the reason in these recent days when I haven't posted a blog was because I was just too darn busy to wait. There is just too much I need to accomplish and have to keep things moving.

That being said, I will get on with the post for today.

Last night I finally finished the new pattern for the "SLDP215 12 Days of Christmas Ornaments!" That was a big milestone for me, as it seemed like it took me quite a while. It wound up being 20 pages long with 26 color photos and I am very pleased with it. I still have a final proof reading to do this morning as soon as I am done here, but for the most part, it should be good to go. I was just too tired last night when I finished to do a proper proof reading and I know that if there are any errors, they should be small. So that is good news.

I wound up retouching the pictures a couple of times, which is where much of the time creating the pattern went. The one thing about painting patterns is that getting the color accurate can be somewhat of a challenge. Seeing something on my computer screen doesn't mean that it will come out looking the same from my printer and since I am not a publishing house, I don't have the luxury of working with high end equipment that costs thousands of dollars. So I do the best that I can with what I have and so far it has worked well for me. It just takes a bit of time initially to get things right.

Keith helps with that too because he has such a 'techie' mind that he is able to set my camera so that it takes optimal pictures to start with. That means less adjustments on the computer. Here is a copy of the cover picture for the pattern:

Cake decorating supply Font Circle Button Sharing


SLDP215 - 12 Days of Christmas Ornament Pattern

The colors are accurate and true and it looks crisp and clean. I am happy with it. After today it will be good to be able to put this pattern behind me and move on to other things. :)

While I was completing that, Keith was working on creating a new and updated catalog of our designs. It had been a couple of months since we updated the catalog, as we only do so a couple of times per year because we are also so busy. This time there were over 60 new designs added into the catalog, and adding them in is no small task. But he did a beautiful job with it, and it looks amazing!

World Poster Font Art Illustration


If you want to obtain a free download of it or see it in its entirety, you can go here to do so:

http://www.sheilalandrydesigns.com/product/CAT0310

It is always nice to be able to see everything we do in one place. It is hard to believe that we actually make all that stuff! We are really proud of what we do and the quality of the work that we have to offer.

Today I will be writing and sending out a newsletter. For all of you who are on our mailing list, you should be expecting one some time later on today. If you want to sign up for our mailing list, just follow the link here to do so: http://www.sheilalandrydesigns.com/mailing-list

As always, I never share emails with anyone and we only put out one to two newsletters per month which tell of our new designs, new sales, and general information as to what we are up to. Just be sure if you join to put my email address on your 'safe senders' list so that it doesn't get thrown into your spam folder.

We had a weekend full of a foggy, misty, light rain and it appears that it will continue to be that way for the next several days. The temperatures are cool and it feels more like autumn than summer. I am beginning to wonder if I will ever see the sun again!

We plan to take a couple of days to head to the city, and we may do so tomorrow. We haven't been there since last fall and we are really due for an outing. I will report more as to what we decide to do when the time comes.

I also wanted to let you all know that Lee Valley Tools has FREE SHIPPING until July 8th on orders of $40 or more:

http://www.leevalley.com/US/home/Announcement.aspx

(and who can shop there without spending $40, really??)

I always use this time to stock up on the things that I want from them. I like using their Rare Earth magnets and they have the Glue Bot glue bottle that I reviewed a couple of months ago and some other nice things. If you are thinking of ordering from them, now would be the time to do so.

Well, that is about all for today. It is Canada Day here in Canada and everything is closed for the celebration. I wish all those wonderfully friendly people here in my host country a fabulous day today! Thank you for making me feel so welcome in such a beautiful place!

I wish everyone a great Monday too! I hope summer has found its way to you and you are enjoying all that it has to bring. As for myself - I will enjoy the day rain or shine.

Water Liquid Black Window Fluid


If I run out of things to do, I can always count the raindrops! :D

Have a great day!
Happy Canada Day to you and Keith.
Rick
 

Attachments

#8,571 ·
Road Trip

I just wanted to put a quick post up to let you all know that we'll be gone today. We decided to take a quick road trip and go to the Valley for some shopping and to get away for the day.

We haven't done this since last year. We were waiting for better weather, but it looks like rain for the next several days and we figured that if we didn't take the opportunity now, when we had a short break between projects, who knows when we would get the chance.

I must admit, I could use a day away. It has been many months since I have taken a day off and I think I could use it.

Initially, we were planning to go all the way to Halifax and spend the evening, but since it is still dreary and raining, we chose to go to New Minus and just make it a day trip. That will be nice enough for now. Then in a few weeks when the weather is cooperating, we will go for the overnighter.

I hope you all have a great day today.I'll be back tomorrow and I'll be ready to start working on some new things.

Have a great Tuesday!

Cat Felidae Carnivore Small to medium-sized cats Whiskers
 

Attachments

#8,572 ·
Road Trip

I just wanted to put a quick post up to let you all know that we'll be gone today. We decided to take a quick road trip and go to the Valley for some shopping and to get away for the day.

We haven't done this since last year. We were waiting for better weather, but it looks like rain for the next several days and we figured that if we didn't take the opportunity now, when we had a short break between projects, who knows when we would get the chance.

I must admit, I could use a day away. It has been many months since I have taken a day off and I think I could use it.

Initially, we were planning to go all the way to Halifax and spend the evening, but since it is still dreary and raining, we chose to go to New Minus and just make it a day trip. That will be nice enough for now. Then in a few weeks when the weather is cooperating, we will go for the overnighter.

I hope you all have a great day today.I'll be back tomorrow and I'll be ready to start working on some new things.

Have a great Tuesday!

Cat Felidae Carnivore Small to medium-sized cats Whiskers
You 2 have a great time! See ya'll when you get back
 

Attachments

#8,575 ·
Will We Ever See the Sun Again?

This is getting kind of ridiculous. Here it is already July and it has been wet and rainy for what seems like months. I am forgetting what the sun even looks like here in Nova Scotia, and it is starting to get depressing.

We did go on our day trip yesterday, but it certainly wasn't one of those lovely "top down on the convertible" days. It was dark and dreary and rainy - much like it has been for the past several weeks - and I must admit it is starting to take its toll on me.

It is funny to see the stores closing out all the summer clothes and things before we even started our summer here. Last week Keith finally brought up my summer clothing from the basement where they are stored, but I haven't even really went through them and exchanged them with my warm sweaters and outfits that I keep here in winter because I am still using most of the warm clothes on a daily basis. It's crazy.

While driving we also noticed that most of the fields that would usually be lush with crops at this time of the year were nearly barren, or the plants were just beginning to sprout. It is hard to not feel bad for the farmers and who depend on the weather for their livelihoods. The same for the businesses that depend on tourism, as besides the lack of people due to the tight economy, the addition of the poor weather can't be helping. It doesn't look good.

But I am trying not to be a downer about these things. Many of the stores that we were in were pretty crowded. Perhaps the rain brought people inside rather than them spending the day at the beach. So maybe it is only from my view that things aren't that good.

Keith and I did have a nice day, but we wound up keeping it shorter than usual when we left. Most of the driving was done in moderate rain, and we didn't go all the way to Halifax as we would have liked to do. We will wait until a couple of more weeks have passed to do a longer trip such as that, and then we can enjoy things a little more. That is something we will look forward to.

So there is nothing new to report on the creative front today. We didn't get to our favorite wood place in Halifax and even though we walked through Michael's and took our time, we actually came out empty handed. I believe it may be one of the first times in history that I didn't buy anything after going through that store. ;)

I'll be positive and say that it is perhaps because I have "enough" in my life and really don't need anything. I did buy a new pair of shoes for the gym, which I desperately needed, and we got some supplies like paper and cat food from Wal-Mart. But other than that it was a quiet trip and we spent much of the day dodging rain drops.

Today as I look out, it is foggy and a light rain is still falling. I don't really mind though because I have taken my breath and that is all I needed to recharge my battery. In my mind I was planning my next project for the magazine and I plan to begin working on it today. Then after that, I will be able to move ahead with some new scroll saw patterns for the site. So all is good.

I wish you all a great day today. I feel good after my break and ready to move ahead. Now if only the sun would come out and summer would appear, things would be perfect. But either way, I will make it a good day!

Cat Felidae Carnivore Small to medium-sized cats Art paint


(Black Cat ACEO Blue Umbrella Print By I Garmashova)

I wish you all a great Wednesday! :)
 

Attachments

#8,576 ·
Will We Ever See the Sun Again?

This is getting kind of ridiculous. Here it is already July and it has been wet and rainy for what seems like months. I am forgetting what the sun even looks like here in Nova Scotia, and it is starting to get depressing.

We did go on our day trip yesterday, but it certainly wasn't one of those lovely "top down on the convertible" days. It was dark and dreary and rainy - much like it has been for the past several weeks - and I must admit it is starting to take its toll on me.

It is funny to see the stores closing out all the summer clothes and things before we even started our summer here. Last week Keith finally brought up my summer clothing from the basement where they are stored, but I haven't even really went through them and exchanged them with my warm sweaters and outfits that I keep here in winter because I am still using most of the warm clothes on a daily basis. It's crazy.

While driving we also noticed that most of the fields that would usually be lush with crops at this time of the year were nearly barren, or the plants were just beginning to sprout. It is hard to not feel bad for the farmers and who depend on the weather for their livelihoods. The same for the businesses that depend on tourism, as besides the lack of people due to the tight economy, the addition of the poor weather can't be helping. It doesn't look good.

But I am trying not to be a downer about these things. Many of the stores that we were in were pretty crowded. Perhaps the rain brought people inside rather than them spending the day at the beach. So maybe it is only from my view that things aren't that good.

Keith and I did have a nice day, but we wound up keeping it shorter than usual when we left. Most of the driving was done in moderate rain, and we didn't go all the way to Halifax as we would have liked to do. We will wait until a couple of more weeks have passed to do a longer trip such as that, and then we can enjoy things a little more. That is something we will look forward to.

So there is nothing new to report on the creative front today. We didn't get to our favorite wood place in Halifax and even though we walked through Michael's and took our time, we actually came out empty handed. I believe it may be one of the first times in history that I didn't buy anything after going through that store. ;)

I'll be positive and say that it is perhaps because I have "enough" in my life and really don't need anything. I did buy a new pair of shoes for the gym, which I desperately needed, and we got some supplies like paper and cat food from Wal-Mart. But other than that it was a quiet trip and we spent much of the day dodging rain drops.

Today as I look out, it is foggy and a light rain is still falling. I don't really mind though because I have taken my breath and that is all I needed to recharge my battery. In my mind I was planning my next project for the magazine and I plan to begin working on it today. Then after that, I will be able to move ahead with some new scroll saw patterns for the site. So all is good.

I wish you all a great day today. I feel good after my break and ready to move ahead. Now if only the sun would come out and summer would appear, things would be perfect. But either way, I will make it a good day!

Cat Felidae Carnivore Small to medium-sized cats Art paint


(Black Cat ACEO Blue Umbrella Print By I Garmashova)

I wish you all a great Wednesday! :)
I certainly can agree with the changing weather. Everyday here in good ole New Jeyyyyyysey…lol, it is extremely humid so much that with the sun out you would rather have it not be. Then each day there is some sort of bizarre thunder storm, followed by more humidity..lol. Our climate on this part of the map is changing, it is a time in my life I do not ever recall experiencing and things seem more weather related than before.

As you say though it is good to keep being creative, positive, and hopefully all things will even out.

Interesting blog Sheila. I hope your day is good and creative. I will not say "productive" hahahaha…because you are a sure bet on that.

Take care and be well,

Joe
 

Attachments

#8,586 ·
Learning New Things

I am going to be drawing for most of the day today. I needed to spend yesterday as somewhat of an organizational day and had to get everything in order after the last couple of weeks of working. I find things go in waves that way, and with having a small place here, it is really important to stay on top of the clutter and take the time (often) to put everything back in its place. The time spent doing that now saves time for hunting around for things later on - and also makes our daily environment much more pleasant.

While I do this, I am often thinking ahead on my next design. I have one more deadline coming up for the magazine and have a project in mind as well as an accompanying article. I want to try some new finishing techniques and products on this one and it is taking some thought.

I love trying new products and techniques (you may have noticed that!) I like 'playing' with different finishes and colors and showing new ways that we can all personalize our projects and make them stand out from the average. Sometimes it only takes a little change to do something that will make people notice our pieces and choose them over others. I think with all the different supplies available it really makes creating fun.

I have also been thinking about taking a little bit of time for myself each week to work on making some things for myself. I know I have talked about doing this before, and lately it just hasn't come to be. But since I have been painting again, I have had the itch to do some paintings like those that are in my Gallery and further my knowledge in that area.

We are never too old to learn new things, and usually when we learn something new, it transfers to our every day life in many other ways.

Recently, I have found myself feeling a bit of pressure because our little business is growing and it is sometimes difficult to juggle everything to fit into the day. Getting away the other day was nice, but in some ways it seemed like I could have better used the time to do something that I really loved to do. I more or less just got away for the sake of going and for a change of pace. That is fine and good, but I think doing some things that I really have been wanting to do would suffice in fulfilling those needs for something 'different' and relaxing.

Keith can't sometimes see how painting could be a "change" and a way for me to relax. However, as I told him, there is nothing that I would rather do, and painting in the way that I want to do will certainly be different than the painting that I do for my work or to create patterns. Unlike most people, I honestly do love my job so I don't have the need to run away from it to find pleasure. Sometimes just shifting the motives and taking the pressure off of myself is a great way to turn pushing a paint brush or cutting wood from a task to a privilege. I hope I explained that right.

I have found a wonderful site that offers some amazing online classes that I can take at my own pace. I actually found the site a couple of years ago, and in the back of my mind I keep telling myself "one day I will do that" but to this point have not come any closer than that. There was always something that "had" to be done that had priority.

But I have pretty much made up my mind that I am going to take a day a week to expand my knowledge of art and learn some new skills. I am going to start small and be kind to myself, and see if I can make it happen. I am sure that I will post updates along the way.

With all that said, it is time for me to get going. There is much to do today and I can't wait to get at it. For all my friends in the USA today - I wish you all a safe and happy Independence Day. I wish everyone else a great day too!

Cat Felidae Carnivore Small to medium-sized cats Whiskers


Happy Thursday!
 

Attachments

#8,587 ·
Learning New Things

I am going to be drawing for most of the day today. I needed to spend yesterday as somewhat of an organizational day and had to get everything in order after the last couple of weeks of working. I find things go in waves that way, and with having a small place here, it is really important to stay on top of the clutter and take the time (often) to put everything back in its place. The time spent doing that now saves time for hunting around for things later on - and also makes our daily environment much more pleasant.

While I do this, I am often thinking ahead on my next design. I have one more deadline coming up for the magazine and have a project in mind as well as an accompanying article. I want to try some new finishing techniques and products on this one and it is taking some thought.

I love trying new products and techniques (you may have noticed that!) I like 'playing' with different finishes and colors and showing new ways that we can all personalize our projects and make them stand out from the average. Sometimes it only takes a little change to do something that will make people notice our pieces and choose them over others. I think with all the different supplies available it really makes creating fun.

I have also been thinking about taking a little bit of time for myself each week to work on making some things for myself. I know I have talked about doing this before, and lately it just hasn't come to be. But since I have been painting again, I have had the itch to do some paintings like those that are in my Gallery and further my knowledge in that area.

We are never too old to learn new things, and usually when we learn something new, it transfers to our every day life in many other ways.

Recently, I have found myself feeling a bit of pressure because our little business is growing and it is sometimes difficult to juggle everything to fit into the day. Getting away the other day was nice, but in some ways it seemed like I could have better used the time to do something that I really loved to do. I more or less just got away for the sake of going and for a change of pace. That is fine and good, but I think doing some things that I really have been wanting to do would suffice in fulfilling those needs for something 'different' and relaxing.

Keith can't sometimes see how painting could be a "change" and a way for me to relax. However, as I told him, there is nothing that I would rather do, and painting in the way that I want to do will certainly be different than the painting that I do for my work or to create patterns. Unlike most people, I honestly do love my job so I don't have the need to run away from it to find pleasure. Sometimes just shifting the motives and taking the pressure off of myself is a great way to turn pushing a paint brush or cutting wood from a task to a privilege. I hope I explained that right.

I have found a wonderful site that offers some amazing online classes that I can take at my own pace. I actually found the site a couple of years ago, and in the back of my mind I keep telling myself "one day I will do that" but to this point have not come any closer than that. There was always something that "had" to be done that had priority.

But I have pretty much made up my mind that I am going to take a day a week to expand my knowledge of art and learn some new skills. I am going to start small and be kind to myself, and see if I can make it happen. I am sure that I will post updates along the way.

With all that said, it is time for me to get going. There is much to do today and I can't wait to get at it. For all my friends in the USA today - I wish you all a safe and happy Independence Day. I wish everyone else a great day too!

Cat Felidae Carnivore Small to medium-sized cats Whiskers


Happy Thursday!
We are told that the Creator of the universe rested on day seven…good choice.
DanK
 

Attachments

#8,594 ·
The Power of "No"

Sometimes when I miss a day or so blogging, it is because I need a little break and some time off. Other times it is because I am in the midst of a project and there is really nothing interesting to report. Some projects are like that and the progress can be slow - like watching a pot of water boil! And still other times, I miss because there is simply too much to do and I need to catch up on things in the quiet hours of the morning.

The third example is where I seem to have been lately.

Things have been just crazier than usual around here for me. I know that much of it is brought on myself, as occasionally my ambitions far exceed my time frames. But I don't think that necessarily is a bad thing.

You all may have figured out already that I am a 'goal orientated' person. I have learned to live my life from goal to goal and project to project. Without clear goals in front of me, I find that I accomplish very little. I tend to muddle around with this and that and don't move forward very quickly.

But that doesn't seem to be the problem lately. Recently, I have had an explosion of ideas in so many different aspects of art and creating that I am finding my biggest 'problem' (if you could even call it that!) is deciding which one to do first and where to invest my time. This is a constantly changing balancing act for me and I need to stay on top of things or I may be in danger of overwhelming myself.

But also lately (and fortunately for me) I have felt up to the task. I find myself being able to sort through things pretty well and keep things moving in a good direction, and not feeling anxious or over-burdened. I wasn't always like that, but part of what has kept me sane and functioning is that I have developed the ability to say "no" sometimes and not only do so, but do so without guilt or regret. That is a HUGE step in my own contentment.

It wasn't always that way. I enjoy making others happy, as most of us do. My problem was that I would make others happy at the sacrifice of my own happiness or comfort. I know many others like that, too. We want to do well and want to help when we can, but it gets to be such a habit that we sometimes sacrifice our own families and our own selves for the sake of others. In the end, we wind up feeling exhausted and overwhelmed and yes - sometimes bitter - because we short changed the things that were really important to us for others that at times, didn't even appreciate it. It has taken me many years and many instances to recognize this process. But once I did, it was as if the light went on and I was able to look at things in a whole new way. It was very empowering.

I think most artists and crafts people are 'pleasers' by nature. They love to create and look for acceptance through their art. While some of them may feel a bit guilty for enjoying themselves so much doing what they love to do, the acceptance and praise from others helps to alleviate that guilt and encourages them to continue. I think that is a great thing, as support from others really makes us feel as if our time is well-spent. But all too often I have seen many of my creative friends being taken advantage of by others in seeking that acceptance. I have done it myself many, many times.

Either we take on projects that we charge way too little (or nothing at all!) or we take on much more than we can handle. We do this in part because we are longing for that acceptance and we want to make others happy, which is a fine and noble cause, but we fail to see how detrimental it is for our own self esteem to have to work so hard for low wages and little in return. To me, instead of raising our self-esteem by doing this, we are in fact training ourselves to accept the fact that we aren't worth our true value and that our time and talent is unworthy of fair compensation. A pat on the back or verbal praise is wonderful, but it does little to put a roof over our heads or food on the table. Without actual compensation for our efforts, we find ourselves sliding backwards instead of forward and our self-esteem usually goes along with it.

Now you can probably guess that I am mainly referring to those who want to use their art as part of their income for their living. Those who are fortunate enough to create for pleasure or simply as a hobby are not what I am talking about. Those individuals are really creating for different reasons altogether.

But did you notice . . . ?

Those who create purely for pleasure are so much more relaxed. And rightfully so. There is nothing for them to prove, and they don't feel they have to justify either their time or their investment in their creating. They do it only for the joy of making something wonderful and it often shows in both their attitude and their work. If you ask a crafter who is crafting purely for his own pleasure to make - say 50 items at a low cost - and he doesn't feel that he wants to do them, he will not hesitate to tell you so. The words come out easily and in most cases, I don't think the person asking would be cross or upset with them.

Conversely, if you put the same question to someone who is beginning a business, or trying to make a living or supplement their own living with their crafting, and there is a myriad of thoughts that they struggle with.

Do they want to do that many?
Are they really making enough money for their time?
Do they want to refuse a "job" and risk the customer not coming back?

These are all serious considerations if you are trying to establish a business. Unfortunately, many times people will take on these low-paying projects just because they don't want to say "no." They don't want to put off possible future sales, and as a result, they agree to sub standard wages and get themselves in a pickle because now they feel stuck with the job. As a result, their self-esteem plummets and besides feeling like crap the whole time they are working on the project, they are setting precedent for future sales and developing their own reputation as one who undersells themselves. Thus begins the spiral.

In any case, I realize that I am getting quite lengthy here. I suppose even though I miss a day or so posting doesn't mean I am not thinking about things! I have recently seen some friends that are very talented and creative struggle with some of these issues and I thought they were worth mentioning.

One thing that I found that was great to help keep myself on the right track is networking with other fellow artists and designers and craftspeople. Whether it is on social media sites, in clubs, or among friends, it is a great way to keep yourself on track. Your friends and peers will always help you be more objective about yourself and your art, and sometimes all we need is to hear someone we look up to and admire confirm our decisions to make us feel that we are doing the right thing. Soon we are able to break away from that low self-esteem spiral and think in a more productive and positive way about our crafts and ourselves.

I recently came across a page on Facebook called Queen of Your Own Life. I love this page and I can honestly say that whether you are a "Queen" or a "King" the daily thoughts could apply to you. I enjoy reading the daily "Queenisms" and I am surprised how well they can apply to my life. My favorite so far is this one:

Facial expression Flower Eyelash Happy Plant


The "practiced saying "no" as often as saying "yes"" was the part that really hooked me in. It got me thinking about things and how GOOD it felt to say "no" sometimes. And how often I had been afraid to do so in the past. It doesn't mean you need to be unkind or cruel, but it helps you establish your own self-worth and importance. And if we don't view ourselves as important, how can we expect others to as well?

So with all that said, I wish you all a great weekend. I am truly excited today because I am working on finishing up a wonderfully fun project for the magazine! I got all the pieces cut out yesterday and today I get to play with colors and my new metallic waxes and I am going to have a blast! Here is a quick peek for you of the project -

Facial expression White Black Bone Font


This time it is peeking back at you!

What fun today will be! (Did I tell you lately that I LOVE my job?!)

I hope you take some time to check out the "Queenisms" page. Remember it is for "Kings" too. We all need to take care of ourselves both physically and emotionally in order to be truly happy. Sometimes it means saying "no" and not feeling guilty about it.

I wish you all a wonderful day. It is already bright and sunny here in Nova Scotia. The clouds moved out a couple of days ago and it promises to be another beautiful day. Enjoy it to the fullest!
 

Attachments

#8,595 ·
The Power of "No"

Sometimes when I miss a day or so blogging, it is because I need a little break and some time off. Other times it is because I am in the midst of a project and there is really nothing interesting to report. Some projects are like that and the progress can be slow - like watching a pot of water boil! And still other times, I miss because there is simply too much to do and I need to catch up on things in the quiet hours of the morning.

The third example is where I seem to have been lately.

Things have been just crazier than usual around here for me. I know that much of it is brought on myself, as occasionally my ambitions far exceed my time frames. But I don't think that necessarily is a bad thing.

You all may have figured out already that I am a 'goal orientated' person. I have learned to live my life from goal to goal and project to project. Without clear goals in front of me, I find that I accomplish very little. I tend to muddle around with this and that and don't move forward very quickly.

But that doesn't seem to be the problem lately. Recently, I have had an explosion of ideas in so many different aspects of art and creating that I am finding my biggest 'problem' (if you could even call it that!) is deciding which one to do first and where to invest my time. This is a constantly changing balancing act for me and I need to stay on top of things or I may be in danger of overwhelming myself.

But also lately (and fortunately for me) I have felt up to the task. I find myself being able to sort through things pretty well and keep things moving in a good direction, and not feeling anxious or over-burdened. I wasn't always like that, but part of what has kept me sane and functioning is that I have developed the ability to say "no" sometimes and not only do so, but do so without guilt or regret. That is a HUGE step in my own contentment.

It wasn't always that way. I enjoy making others happy, as most of us do. My problem was that I would make others happy at the sacrifice of my own happiness or comfort. I know many others like that, too. We want to do well and want to help when we can, but it gets to be such a habit that we sometimes sacrifice our own families and our own selves for the sake of others. In the end, we wind up feeling exhausted and overwhelmed and yes - sometimes bitter - because we short changed the things that were really important to us for others that at times, didn't even appreciate it. It has taken me many years and many instances to recognize this process. But once I did, it was as if the light went on and I was able to look at things in a whole new way. It was very empowering.

I think most artists and crafts people are 'pleasers' by nature. They love to create and look for acceptance through their art. While some of them may feel a bit guilty for enjoying themselves so much doing what they love to do, the acceptance and praise from others helps to alleviate that guilt and encourages them to continue. I think that is a great thing, as support from others really makes us feel as if our time is well-spent. But all too often I have seen many of my creative friends being taken advantage of by others in seeking that acceptance. I have done it myself many, many times.

Either we take on projects that we charge way too little (or nothing at all!) or we take on much more than we can handle. We do this in part because we are longing for that acceptance and we want to make others happy, which is a fine and noble cause, but we fail to see how detrimental it is for our own self esteem to have to work so hard for low wages and little in return. To me, instead of raising our self-esteem by doing this, we are in fact training ourselves to accept the fact that we aren't worth our true value and that our time and talent is unworthy of fair compensation. A pat on the back or verbal praise is wonderful, but it does little to put a roof over our heads or food on the table. Without actual compensation for our efforts, we find ourselves sliding backwards instead of forward and our self-esteem usually goes along with it.

Now you can probably guess that I am mainly referring to those who want to use their art as part of their income for their living. Those who are fortunate enough to create for pleasure or simply as a hobby are not what I am talking about. Those individuals are really creating for different reasons altogether.

But did you notice . . . ?

Those who create purely for pleasure are so much more relaxed. And rightfully so. There is nothing for them to prove, and they don't feel they have to justify either their time or their investment in their creating. They do it only for the joy of making something wonderful and it often shows in both their attitude and their work. If you ask a crafter who is crafting purely for his own pleasure to make - say 50 items at a low cost - and he doesn't feel that he wants to do them, he will not hesitate to tell you so. The words come out easily and in most cases, I don't think the person asking would be cross or upset with them.

Conversely, if you put the same question to someone who is beginning a business, or trying to make a living or supplement their own living with their crafting, and there is a myriad of thoughts that they struggle with.

Do they want to do that many?
Are they really making enough money for their time?
Do they want to refuse a "job" and risk the customer not coming back?

These are all serious considerations if you are trying to establish a business. Unfortunately, many times people will take on these low-paying projects just because they don't want to say "no." They don't want to put off possible future sales, and as a result, they agree to sub standard wages and get themselves in a pickle because now they feel stuck with the job. As a result, their self-esteem plummets and besides feeling like crap the whole time they are working on the project, they are setting precedent for future sales and developing their own reputation as one who undersells themselves. Thus begins the spiral.

In any case, I realize that I am getting quite lengthy here. I suppose even though I miss a day or so posting doesn't mean I am not thinking about things! I have recently seen some friends that are very talented and creative struggle with some of these issues and I thought they were worth mentioning.

One thing that I found that was great to help keep myself on the right track is networking with other fellow artists and designers and craftspeople. Whether it is on social media sites, in clubs, or among friends, it is a great way to keep yourself on track. Your friends and peers will always help you be more objective about yourself and your art, and sometimes all we need is to hear someone we look up to and admire confirm our decisions to make us feel that we are doing the right thing. Soon we are able to break away from that low self-esteem spiral and think in a more productive and positive way about our crafts and ourselves.

I recently came across a page on Facebook called Queen of Your Own Life. I love this page and I can honestly say that whether you are a "Queen" or a "King" the daily thoughts could apply to you. I enjoy reading the daily "Queenisms" and I am surprised how well they can apply to my life. My favorite so far is this one:

Facial expression Flower Eyelash Happy Plant


The "practiced saying "no" as often as saying "yes"" was the part that really hooked me in. It got me thinking about things and how GOOD it felt to say "no" sometimes. And how often I had been afraid to do so in the past. It doesn't mean you need to be unkind or cruel, but it helps you establish your own self-worth and importance. And if we don't view ourselves as important, how can we expect others to as well?

So with all that said, I wish you all a great weekend. I am truly excited today because I am working on finishing up a wonderfully fun project for the magazine! I got all the pieces cut out yesterday and today I get to play with colors and my new metallic waxes and I am going to have a blast! Here is a quick peek for you of the project -

Facial expression White Black Bone Font


This time it is peeking back at you!

What fun today will be! (Did I tell you lately that I LOVE my job?!)

I hope you take some time to check out the "Queenisms" page. Remember it is for "Kings" too. We all need to take care of ourselves both physically and emotionally in order to be truly happy. Sometimes it means saying "no" and not feeling guilty about it.

I wish you all a wonderful day. It is already bright and sunny here in Nova Scotia. The clouds moved out a couple of days ago and it promises to be another beautiful day. Enjoy it to the fullest!
Oh yea! I'm likin the skulls
 

Attachments

#8,610 ·
"Electric" Skeletons - Work in Progress

For the past several weeks I have been working on Christmas ornaments, now I need to finish some Halloween projects. Do you ever wonder why I don't know what time of year it is?

I really don't mind though, as I just seem to displace the holidays and celebrate any of them at any given time. It doesn't bother me in the least.

The magazines work are funny that way. While I projects for the holiday issue were due several weeks ago, the issue following the holiday one will be focusing on autumn and Halloween. I suppose the scariest part of that is that I am actually beginning to understand why it happens that way. (EEEEk!)

The magazines are geared to people who make things as projects for certain holidays. Most of us can look at ourselves in the mirror and see someone who may at one time or another (cough! cough!) has procrastinated on doing projects for the upcoming holidays. (Me??? NEVER! wink wink!) Add to that the many craft shows that lots of us participate in and you can start to see the need for having these magazines come out with their patterns quite a bit earlier than the actual events.

After all - I think we would be pretty disappointed if say the Christmas ornament issue came out in at the first of December. How the heck would anyone have the time to complete the projects that they would like to do in that short of time frame? And at that busy time of year?

So having a Christmas holiday issue come out in August seems to make perfect sense. Doesn't it? It gives people time to not only make things for the upcoming holidays, but also for the fall craft shows that so many crafters like to attend. And following that logic, it is perfectly understandable that Halloween projects would be presented in September. Which means that things have to get to the publisher in July.

It all is perfectly logical. ;)

With all that said, as you could probably figure out yesterday, I am working on a Halloween project for the magazine. I already have my Crow and Pumpkin Pull Toy project slated for that issue, and I have had the opportunity to do a Halloween project also.

Wood Calabaza Pumpkin Plant Bird


I really wanted to do a project that involved a little more scroll sawing, so I decided to make a scroll sawn skeleton. That would have been cool enough, and people may wind up just cutting and assembling it in different varieties of wood and be done with it there.

But you know me . . .

I am one to think of a single project in many different ways. With all the wonderful (AND inexpensive!) products that I have access to from DecoArt - my head was (once again!) spinning with ideas. After all - anyone can make a skeleton, right? But I decided to put some "Sheila Landry Finesse" into the project and make it really FUN and special. And so far, I am thrilled with how it is coming out.

I actually cut 8 skeletons out - four of them being larger and four smaller ones. Of course people can make them any size they wish, but I wanted to be sure that the smaller pieces were possible to cut and I am happy to say they passed the test with flying colors.

Speaking of color . . .

Here is what I did with the first set (the smaller set) of skeletons:

Head Toy Skull Gesture Headgear


These are painted solidly in DecoArt's Neon colors. They actually have six Neon colors, but you will see tomorrow why I chose these four.

I think they really came out amazing (so far!) and there is part of me that actually wants to leave them just like this. But I have other plans for them and this is just the beginning. ;)

It's funny - Keith thought I was crazy for cutting out 8 full sets of skeletons, and now I wish I had more so I could leave these just as they are now. (OR - paint them with a coat of matching Neon Glamour Dust Fine Glitter Paint - which would bring it up another notch, or even some Glow In the Dark paint!)

But I have other plans for these little guys. And you will just have to wait and see!

I could have literally cut dozens of these fun little skeletons out and finished them all differently. While I understand that there are some who would just like them "plain" I like to take things further so that people can choose what they want to do with their own pieces. I look at it as a 'smorgasbord of creating.' I offer the options and people don't have to choose everything, they can just choose what appeals to them and perhaps do their own twist on my ideas. That is what makes designing fun!

With that said, I have LOTS to do today to continue on with this project! I'll give you another progress report tomorrow, and you will better be able to see what I am thinking. In the mean time, I hope you all enjoy your Sunday and have some fun today. I know I will have a great day again. The sun is shining and the weather here is just beautiful and it will be great fun to see these little guys finished up. Stay tuned.

Have a great day!
 

Attachments

#8,611 ·
"Electric" Skeletons - Work in Progress

For the past several weeks I have been working on Christmas ornaments, now I need to finish some Halloween projects. Do you ever wonder why I don't know what time of year it is?

I really don't mind though, as I just seem to displace the holidays and celebrate any of them at any given time. It doesn't bother me in the least.

The magazines work are funny that way. While I projects for the holiday issue were due several weeks ago, the issue following the holiday one will be focusing on autumn and Halloween. I suppose the scariest part of that is that I am actually beginning to understand why it happens that way. (EEEEk!)

The magazines are geared to people who make things as projects for certain holidays. Most of us can look at ourselves in the mirror and see someone who may at one time or another (cough! cough!) has procrastinated on doing projects for the upcoming holidays. (Me??? NEVER! wink wink!) Add to that the many craft shows that lots of us participate in and you can start to see the need for having these magazines come out with their patterns quite a bit earlier than the actual events.

After all - I think we would be pretty disappointed if say the Christmas ornament issue came out in at the first of December. How the heck would anyone have the time to complete the projects that they would like to do in that short of time frame? And at that busy time of year?

So having a Christmas holiday issue come out in August seems to make perfect sense. Doesn't it? It gives people time to not only make things for the upcoming holidays, but also for the fall craft shows that so many crafters like to attend. And following that logic, it is perfectly understandable that Halloween projects would be presented in September. Which means that things have to get to the publisher in July.

It all is perfectly logical. ;)

With all that said, as you could probably figure out yesterday, I am working on a Halloween project for the magazine. I already have my Crow and Pumpkin Pull Toy project slated for that issue, and I have had the opportunity to do a Halloween project also.

Wood Calabaza Pumpkin Plant Bird


I really wanted to do a project that involved a little more scroll sawing, so I decided to make a scroll sawn skeleton. That would have been cool enough, and people may wind up just cutting and assembling it in different varieties of wood and be done with it there.

But you know me . . .

I am one to think of a single project in many different ways. With all the wonderful (AND inexpensive!) products that I have access to from DecoArt - my head was (once again!) spinning with ideas. After all - anyone can make a skeleton, right? But I decided to put some "Sheila Landry Finesse" into the project and make it really FUN and special. And so far, I am thrilled with how it is coming out.

I actually cut 8 skeletons out - four of them being larger and four smaller ones. Of course people can make them any size they wish, but I wanted to be sure that the smaller pieces were possible to cut and I am happy to say they passed the test with flying colors.

Speaking of color . . .

Here is what I did with the first set (the smaller set) of skeletons:

Head Toy Skull Gesture Headgear


These are painted solidly in DecoArt's Neon colors. They actually have six Neon colors, but you will see tomorrow why I chose these four.

I think they really came out amazing (so far!) and there is part of me that actually wants to leave them just like this. But I have other plans for them and this is just the beginning. ;)

It's funny - Keith thought I was crazy for cutting out 8 full sets of skeletons, and now I wish I had more so I could leave these just as they are now. (OR - paint them with a coat of matching Neon Glamour Dust Fine Glitter Paint - which would bring it up another notch, or even some Glow In the Dark paint!)

But I have other plans for these little guys. And you will just have to wait and see!

I could have literally cut dozens of these fun little skeletons out and finished them all differently. While I understand that there are some who would just like them "plain" I like to take things further so that people can choose what they want to do with their own pieces. I look at it as a 'smorgasbord of creating.' I offer the options and people don't have to choose everything, they can just choose what appeals to them and perhaps do their own twist on my ideas. That is what makes designing fun!

With that said, I have LOTS to do today to continue on with this project! I'll give you another progress report tomorrow, and you will better be able to see what I am thinking. In the mean time, I hope you all enjoy your Sunday and have some fun today. I know I will have a great day again. The sun is shining and the weather here is just beautiful and it will be great fun to see these little guys finished up. Stay tuned.

Have a great day!
Cool colors, Sheila. They look great.

Lee
 

Attachments

#8,623 ·
Body Parts

While I worked on my project most of the day, I still have another day to go before it is (hopefully) completed. I don't really mind though, as it is coming out nicely and I also am learning how to use some new products and figuring out new techniques in applying them.

I always like to look at each pattern as a lesson. Besides just the basic line work and construction of the project, I like to think that those who use my patterns are not only putting together the pieces, but learning techniques that they can apply to their other woodworking, painting and crafting in general. I also like to teach others how to use new products and experiment with their different applications.

I spent pretty much of the day painting body parts. I don't think i mentioned it before, but the skeleton heads that I showed you all the last couple of days belong to eight full skeleton bodies.

I decided to do four of the smaller skeletons using fluorescent colors as a base coat, and four slightly larger skeletons using neutral colors as a base. The smaller skeletons were to be 12" tall and the larger 18" tall, but somehow the little guys look taller. Either I miscalculated or they grew in the process. I will get a final measurement when all is said and done.

As of yesterday morning, I had finished painting the four smaller fluorescent bodies and yesterday I spent a good part of the day painting the neutrals.

White Organ Black Organism Mammal


As you can see, it was a LOT of body parts. I used the regular DecoArt Americana Hot Shots for the fluorescent colors, but I decided to try DecoArt's new Americana Multi-Surface Satin paint on the neutrals. I had received the full line of colors of this paint about a month ago and I couldn't wait to try it on a project. The colors are bright and beautiful, and this is different from the regular Americana paint in that it is made to be used indoors and outdoors and it is supposed to have better adhesion so it won't chip or fade. It needs no primer or top coat sealer and is supposed to dry to a satin finish. So all in all, it is a one-step paint for items that have heavier use (such as table tops or trays) and can be used on items that are used outdoors (like plaques, garden decorations, etc.) Best of all, it is water based and odorless. And like all of DecoArt's other products - it carries a very reasonable price tag.

Needless to say, I am pretty excited about the possibilities this opens up.

The first thing I tried it on was last week when I had my paint caddy out on the table. I had originally spray painted it with Krylon paint (after sanding it of course) and had applied several coats of varnish on it. However, since it was made of pine, it still had that "furry" feel to it and it turned out to be quite a dust trap, which made it ugly. I was in between steps of the project I was working on and decided to try the new Multi-Surface Satin paint on it. I lightly sanded it and gave it a single coat. When it dried, I couldn't believe the difference and look of it! I had used the Black paint, and it looked simply beautiful. The finish was a low sheen satin finish and is hard and durable. It went on very nicely and looked clean and beautiful. And now it wipes down with a damp rag and looks as good as new. I was very impressed!

So I used this paint on the skeletons and found that it also went on lovely. Since the pieces are going to have crackle paint over them, I didn't feel the need for a second coat, but if I were leaving them solid colors, I would have added one. I could tell that the adhesion properties of this paint were very different from the beginning, as if bits of it got on my hands, it took quite a bit more work to remove it (although soap and water did the trick, along with a small brush I use for cleaning my hands when I paint.) The colors were beautiful and I am very happy with the finish, as it doesn't look streaky or uneven in the least. It does however have that 'feel' of being finished, as if I used a clear coat over it. I think this paint will work wonderfully on any outdoor project that it is used on.

After the base coats, I started applying the Weathered Wood and crackle coat. Since eight skeletons have a LOT of pieces, I only got as far as finishing the fluorescent pieces to this point.

Head Human body Bone Headgear Skull


You can see the beautiful color showing through the crackled surface, and since I only put the creme colored paint on the top of the pieces, and omitted the sides and back, the underlying color really does show through nicely.

But I am not done yet . . .

There is still an additional layer that I am going to add to these pieces to make them look even better! You will just have to come back tomorrow and see what I have in mind! :)

As usual, I try to show lots of options and you can pick which one suits your taste. While some people may like the skeletons painted in the solid, bright colors, others may prefer to take it a step or two further. Keith always teases me that I make extra work for myself when doing designs such as this and showing several versions. But I look at it as a way to trigger my readers to think of the many options available, and hopefully I give them some ideas that they can carry on to other projects. I could have easily shown one or even two versions of the skeletons and that would have been sufficient. But you all have to admit that seeing them all together and all differently colored really makes them much more appealing. Doesn't it? And when they are done, they will even offer you more options and hopefully give you more ideas.

So it is worth the extra amount of work for me to show things this way. And in the process, I hope I teach you all to envision many different possibilities and even have some ideas of your own.

It's Monday already and the weekend just flew by. It seems that our rain clouds have left us for a while at least and as the sun came up this morning, it looks to be another beautiful day here in Nova Scotia. I hope you all had a great weekend and I wish you all a wonderful week.

Thanks for stopping by to read.

"Don't dare to be different, dare to be yourself - if that doesn't make you different then something is wrong."
― Laura Baker
 

Attachments

#8,624 ·
Body Parts

While I worked on my project most of the day, I still have another day to go before it is (hopefully) completed. I don't really mind though, as it is coming out nicely and I also am learning how to use some new products and figuring out new techniques in applying them.

I always like to look at each pattern as a lesson. Besides just the basic line work and construction of the project, I like to think that those who use my patterns are not only putting together the pieces, but learning techniques that they can apply to their other woodworking, painting and crafting in general. I also like to teach others how to use new products and experiment with their different applications.

I spent pretty much of the day painting body parts. I don't think i mentioned it before, but the skeleton heads that I showed you all the last couple of days belong to eight full skeleton bodies.

I decided to do four of the smaller skeletons using fluorescent colors as a base coat, and four slightly larger skeletons using neutral colors as a base. The smaller skeletons were to be 12" tall and the larger 18" tall, but somehow the little guys look taller. Either I miscalculated or they grew in the process. I will get a final measurement when all is said and done.

As of yesterday morning, I had finished painting the four smaller fluorescent bodies and yesterday I spent a good part of the day painting the neutrals.

White Organ Black Organism Mammal


As you can see, it was a LOT of body parts. I used the regular DecoArt Americana Hot Shots for the fluorescent colors, but I decided to try DecoArt's new Americana Multi-Surface Satin paint on the neutrals. I had received the full line of colors of this paint about a month ago and I couldn't wait to try it on a project. The colors are bright and beautiful, and this is different from the regular Americana paint in that it is made to be used indoors and outdoors and it is supposed to have better adhesion so it won't chip or fade. It needs no primer or top coat sealer and is supposed to dry to a satin finish. So all in all, it is a one-step paint for items that have heavier use (such as table tops or trays) and can be used on items that are used outdoors (like plaques, garden decorations, etc.) Best of all, it is water based and odorless. And like all of DecoArt's other products - it carries a very reasonable price tag.

Needless to say, I am pretty excited about the possibilities this opens up.

The first thing I tried it on was last week when I had my paint caddy out on the table. I had originally spray painted it with Krylon paint (after sanding it of course) and had applied several coats of varnish on it. However, since it was made of pine, it still had that "furry" feel to it and it turned out to be quite a dust trap, which made it ugly. I was in between steps of the project I was working on and decided to try the new Multi-Surface Satin paint on it. I lightly sanded it and gave it a single coat. When it dried, I couldn't believe the difference and look of it! I had used the Black paint, and it looked simply beautiful. The finish was a low sheen satin finish and is hard and durable. It went on very nicely and looked clean and beautiful. And now it wipes down with a damp rag and looks as good as new. I was very impressed!

So I used this paint on the skeletons and found that it also went on lovely. Since the pieces are going to have crackle paint over them, I didn't feel the need for a second coat, but if I were leaving them solid colors, I would have added one. I could tell that the adhesion properties of this paint were very different from the beginning, as if bits of it got on my hands, it took quite a bit more work to remove it (although soap and water did the trick, along with a small brush I use for cleaning my hands when I paint.) The colors were beautiful and I am very happy with the finish, as it doesn't look streaky or uneven in the least. It does however have that 'feel' of being finished, as if I used a clear coat over it. I think this paint will work wonderfully on any outdoor project that it is used on.

After the base coats, I started applying the Weathered Wood and crackle coat. Since eight skeletons have a LOT of pieces, I only got as far as finishing the fluorescent pieces to this point.

Head Human body Bone Headgear Skull


You can see the beautiful color showing through the crackled surface, and since I only put the creme colored paint on the top of the pieces, and omitted the sides and back, the underlying color really does show through nicely.

But I am not done yet . . .

There is still an additional layer that I am going to add to these pieces to make them look even better! You will just have to come back tomorrow and see what I have in mind! :)

As usual, I try to show lots of options and you can pick which one suits your taste. While some people may like the skeletons painted in the solid, bright colors, others may prefer to take it a step or two further. Keith always teases me that I make extra work for myself when doing designs such as this and showing several versions. But I look at it as a way to trigger my readers to think of the many options available, and hopefully I give them some ideas that they can carry on to other projects. I could have easily shown one or even two versions of the skeletons and that would have been sufficient. But you all have to admit that seeing them all together and all differently colored really makes them much more appealing. Doesn't it? And when they are done, they will even offer you more options and hopefully give you more ideas.

So it is worth the extra amount of work for me to show things this way. And in the process, I hope I teach you all to envision many different possibilities and even have some ideas of your own.

It's Monday already and the weekend just flew by. It seems that our rain clouds have left us for a while at least and as the sun came up this morning, it looks to be another beautiful day here in Nova Scotia. I hope you all had a great weekend and I wish you all a wonderful week.

Thanks for stopping by to read.

"Don't dare to be different, dare to be yourself - if that doesn't make you different then something is wrong."
― Laura Baker
The toe bone's connected to the….......foot bone, and the foot bone's connected to the….........leg bone…. etc… :) You've created a zombie skull in the process. Super kool
 

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#8,638 ·
Organized Chaos before Order

It's still early in the morning and I have already been at work getting things organized and attending to 'desk work.' I am almost caught up though and I feel a bit better about things and like it will be a productive day. Sometimes it is hard to keep up with all the paperwork and stuff - especially when there are other deadlines due. Not to mention keeping the house in order and doing the regular chores like laundry and cooking and cleaning. There are times when I wish I didn't have to sleep.

But I realize that I am not the only one who goes through this, and at least I do enjoy what I do. In my eyes that makes me way ahead of the game. If my biggest complaint is having more ideas than time, I think I am doing pretty well.

I spent the early part of the day yesterday doing errands and filling some orders and doing some other things that needed to be done. By the time I sat down to finish my painting, it was just after 3pm. (Where did the day go?!) so I buckled in and got pretty far on my pieces.

I have been thinking that I want to do a video showing both the crackling process and also applying the DecoArt Metallic Lustre metallic wax paint.

Hair Eye Human body Camera accessory Lens


DecoArt Metallic Lustre Wax Paint

This was my first time really using the Metallic Lustre and I needed to take the time to 'play' with it on some scraps of wood first and decide how I wanted to apply it to get the effect that I desired.

I think this product has wonderful potential in both the woodworking area and also the painting area. Because the paint is in a paste/wax form, it give a great deal of control when applying it, unlike liquid metallic paint. It is water soluble, which means that not only can you 'thin' it with water, but it also cleans up very nicely. It also means that it dries very quickly so you need to apply it and get it where you want it without too much messing around. I found this to be the part that needed the most adjustment on my side. It wasn't like a typical paste wax in the sense that you couldn't take your time buffing it out. You had to do smaller sections at a time. But the control was there, and I liked that.

I found that I used very little product to achieve the effect that I wanted for the skeletons. I used the small cosmetic sponges that are wedged shaped and wet them and squeezed them out. I then worked just a small bit (half the size of a pea) of the wax on the palette into the sponge. I then very lightly wiped the shimmering colors on the skeletons to give their bones a beautiful shimmer. I wanted very thin coverage that wouldn't cover up the tiny cracks and this was the perfect method for me to accomplish this.

I used the "Champaign" color for all the neon skeletons, as it is a very light beige that just warmed the color of the bones up and made them shine.

For the neutral colors, I used Black Shimmer on the black based skeleton, Copper Kettle on the Rust skeleton and Silver Spark on the grey skeleton. I still have to do the brown based skeleton with Iced Espresso, but I saved that for making the video. So far the results is great. I warn you all though - the effect I was going for is "subtle" and I feel that is what I achieved.

I will certainly do a better and more in-depth account of things later on when I am finished with everything. But I am really happy with the results for the most part.

At this point, my table looks like this:

Automotive design Textile Art Table Desk


It is the storm before the calm where everything is in progress and it is somewhat like organized chaos. But that will change soon, and hopefully today I will get things finished up and you can see everything all assembled. AND I hope to have a video showing the process too.

So off I go today. There is much to do and I want to get an early start. i hope you enjoy seeing these come together.

Have a wonderful Tuesday!
 

Attachments

#8,639 ·
Organized Chaos before Order

It's still early in the morning and I have already been at work getting things organized and attending to 'desk work.' I am almost caught up though and I feel a bit better about things and like it will be a productive day. Sometimes it is hard to keep up with all the paperwork and stuff - especially when there are other deadlines due. Not to mention keeping the house in order and doing the regular chores like laundry and cooking and cleaning. There are times when I wish I didn't have to sleep.

But I realize that I am not the only one who goes through this, and at least I do enjoy what I do. In my eyes that makes me way ahead of the game. If my biggest complaint is having more ideas than time, I think I am doing pretty well.

I spent the early part of the day yesterday doing errands and filling some orders and doing some other things that needed to be done. By the time I sat down to finish my painting, it was just after 3pm. (Where did the day go?!) so I buckled in and got pretty far on my pieces.

I have been thinking that I want to do a video showing both the crackling process and also applying the DecoArt Metallic Lustre metallic wax paint.

Hair Eye Human body Camera accessory Lens


DecoArt Metallic Lustre Wax Paint

This was my first time really using the Metallic Lustre and I needed to take the time to 'play' with it on some scraps of wood first and decide how I wanted to apply it to get the effect that I desired.

I think this product has wonderful potential in both the woodworking area and also the painting area. Because the paint is in a paste/wax form, it give a great deal of control when applying it, unlike liquid metallic paint. It is water soluble, which means that not only can you 'thin' it with water, but it also cleans up very nicely. It also means that it dries very quickly so you need to apply it and get it where you want it without too much messing around. I found this to be the part that needed the most adjustment on my side. It wasn't like a typical paste wax in the sense that you couldn't take your time buffing it out. You had to do smaller sections at a time. But the control was there, and I liked that.

I found that I used very little product to achieve the effect that I wanted for the skeletons. I used the small cosmetic sponges that are wedged shaped and wet them and squeezed them out. I then worked just a small bit (half the size of a pea) of the wax on the palette into the sponge. I then very lightly wiped the shimmering colors on the skeletons to give their bones a beautiful shimmer. I wanted very thin coverage that wouldn't cover up the tiny cracks and this was the perfect method for me to accomplish this.

I used the "Champaign" color for all the neon skeletons, as it is a very light beige that just warmed the color of the bones up and made them shine.

For the neutral colors, I used Black Shimmer on the black based skeleton, Copper Kettle on the Rust skeleton and Silver Spark on the grey skeleton. I still have to do the brown based skeleton with Iced Espresso, but I saved that for making the video. So far the results is great. I warn you all though - the effect I was going for is "subtle" and I feel that is what I achieved.

I will certainly do a better and more in-depth account of things later on when I am finished with everything. But I am really happy with the results for the most part.

At this point, my table looks like this:

Automotive design Textile Art Table Desk


It is the storm before the calm where everything is in progress and it is somewhat like organized chaos. But that will change soon, and hopefully today I will get things finished up and you can see everything all assembled. AND I hope to have a video showing the process too.

So off I go today. There is much to do and I want to get an early start. i hope you enjoy seeing these come together.

Have a wonderful Tuesday!
Ahh, looks like a bone yard over thar… lol
 

Attachments

#8,646 ·
Making a Video (Or at least trying to do so!)

Let's just start off today by saying that I am not that great at making videos. I don't know why, but I get rather nervous when I try to make one. When I look back on what I did, I can usually pick it apart enough to shoot it over. (And over. and over) But that isn't always possible when I am showing techniques. Not unless I want to cut the pieces all over again. And sometimes there isn't time for that.

I had the idea yesterday that I would shoot a video showing both the process of adding the paint to crackle on the skeleton pieces, as well as adding the Metallic Lustre wax paste to make them shimmer. I realize that I already did a video of me applying the crackle to the "America!" pieces (you can watch it here - http://www.sheilalandrydesigns.com/painting-videos - it is at the top of the page) but applying the same thing to the skeleton pieces was somewhat different. The smaller and more detailed pieces would make it difficult to apply the creme colored paint - especially with a flat brush as I had shown on the other project. I wanted to demonstrate how easy it was to do using a "deerfoot stippler" brush (a WHAT, you ask?) and I thought that the easiest approach was to shoot a short video.

So I saved one set of skeleton pieces so that I could use them in the video. When painting (or even cutting for that matter) you kind of get only one take. If you flub the shoot, then you have to start all over which means cutting the pieces again and prepping them to the point that they were when you need them.

Keith had a couple of short errands that he needed to do, so I had to move quickly. For some reason I feel foolish shooting a video and talking to the camera when he is sitting across the room. It always makes me feel even more awkward then I do already, and it is hard for me to concentrate.

I had everything set up and ready. As soon as he drove away, I dove in and started. Within a few seconds, the phone rang. (Sheesh!) It was my daughter, and she wanted to chat. I love talking to her and try not to put her off because I know she is on a busy schedule with working and school and everything, but this time I did tell her I would call her back in a bit. I had to do something first.

She was agreeable and I sat down for take 2. First I had to wait for Pancakes to finish his snack, as he was loudly crunching at my feet. The other two cats were sleeping though so I thought it was best for me to let him finish and hopefully he would go back to napping, which he did.

I went through the motions of shooting the segment, and I was pretty pleased with it. I had shown how to apply the top coat to three pieces, and didn't mess up or forget anything. I brought my camera to the computer to look at the footage and I was happy as it was clear and the lighting was good. Then, as I started watching it, I noticed that the camera had slipped down and the field of vision was just BELOW where I was working. Most of the pertinent areas that I was referring to were cut off at the top of the screen.

Sheesh! :/

I was glad I only painted a few pieces, although I really wanted to demonstrate the rib cage because it had a lot of cuts in it. I fought between painting the back of this piece or cutting another piece, or just moving on and showing things on another piece. Since these skeletons need to be sent out to the magazine soon, cutting another piece would just take too much time. Then I would have to do all the prep work too which would bring me to that point again. And besides - I still had a pile of unpainted bones in front of me. I just wanted to move on.

I began another take and started filming again. Just as I picked up the paint to begin demonstrating, I heard the roar of a motor starting up. It seemed that our lawn service had arrived and that they were here to cut the grass! It is not a small property, and they have a large (fast) ride on mower and then another guy comes around with the week whipper to do the trimming. Both are extremely LOUD. There was no way to continue.

I decided to use the next half hour or so to talk to my daughter. There were times when she could barely hear me over the noise, even though I closed most of the windows and was trying to hide in the bathroom when they were near the house. Fortunately, they moved quickly so there was still hope that I would be done before Keith returned.

As soon as they finished, I excused myself from my call. Danielle certainly understood, and we did get a chance for a short visit after all. I was still waiting for the Purolator truck to come to pick up a shipment that had to go out though, and I hoped that it wouldn't arrive in the middle of filming.

I shot two short segments rather quickly and I thought they went well. I noticed that there were times when I could have held the pieces lower on the screen, but I still think that what I did was acceptable. I got the point across and that is what counts.

I finished just in time before Keith came home. I was actually watching what I shot for the first time as he walked in the door. Talk about under the wire! :) I spent the rest of the day finishing up the pieces and touching up the edges on all eight of them. By the time I finished, it was after 8pm and I was too tired to edit and post the video. I will do that today.

I am not unhappy with the outcome of the video, as it really helps demonstrate how easy the technique that I used is to do. That was my goal in shooting it. I will be able to tie the article to it for the magazine readers and that will help them understand things also. So it was time well-spent.

But it certainly doesn't come easy for me. It is sometimes so difficult for me to feel natural when I know the camera is rolling and I wish I could feel more at ease. I know that will come in time and I hope that the videos that I post do help people a little bit to better understand the process.

Hollywood has nothing to worry about.

I am going to do the edit and posting of it today, and I will link it here tomorrow. I was so tired last night that I went to bed (and fell asleep immediately) just after it got dark, around 9:30 pm. That is early even for me. But I did sleep through the night until nearly 6am this morning, so I know I needed it.

I am happy that I overcame the little obstacles that were thrown in my path yesterday. Little by little I will hopefully get better at shooting these videos. I just need more practice.

Cat Felidae Carnivore Small to medium-sized cats Shelf


I'll have the video up for you by tomorrow. I wish you all a wonderful day.
 

Attachments

#8,647 ·
Making a Video (Or at least trying to do so!)

Let's just start off today by saying that I am not that great at making videos. I don't know why, but I get rather nervous when I try to make one. When I look back on what I did, I can usually pick it apart enough to shoot it over. (And over. and over) But that isn't always possible when I am showing techniques. Not unless I want to cut the pieces all over again. And sometimes there isn't time for that.

I had the idea yesterday that I would shoot a video showing both the process of adding the paint to crackle on the skeleton pieces, as well as adding the Metallic Lustre wax paste to make them shimmer. I realize that I already did a video of me applying the crackle to the "America!" pieces (you can watch it here - http://www.sheilalandrydesigns.com/painting-videos - it is at the top of the page) but applying the same thing to the skeleton pieces was somewhat different. The smaller and more detailed pieces would make it difficult to apply the creme colored paint - especially with a flat brush as I had shown on the other project. I wanted to demonstrate how easy it was to do using a "deerfoot stippler" brush (a WHAT, you ask?) and I thought that the easiest approach was to shoot a short video.

So I saved one set of skeleton pieces so that I could use them in the video. When painting (or even cutting for that matter) you kind of get only one take. If you flub the shoot, then you have to start all over which means cutting the pieces again and prepping them to the point that they were when you need them.

Keith had a couple of short errands that he needed to do, so I had to move quickly. For some reason I feel foolish shooting a video and talking to the camera when he is sitting across the room. It always makes me feel even more awkward then I do already, and it is hard for me to concentrate.

I had everything set up and ready. As soon as he drove away, I dove in and started. Within a few seconds, the phone rang. (Sheesh!) It was my daughter, and she wanted to chat. I love talking to her and try not to put her off because I know she is on a busy schedule with working and school and everything, but this time I did tell her I would call her back in a bit. I had to do something first.

She was agreeable and I sat down for take 2. First I had to wait for Pancakes to finish his snack, as he was loudly crunching at my feet. The other two cats were sleeping though so I thought it was best for me to let him finish and hopefully he would go back to napping, which he did.

I went through the motions of shooting the segment, and I was pretty pleased with it. I had shown how to apply the top coat to three pieces, and didn't mess up or forget anything. I brought my camera to the computer to look at the footage and I was happy as it was clear and the lighting was good. Then, as I started watching it, I noticed that the camera had slipped down and the field of vision was just BELOW where I was working. Most of the pertinent areas that I was referring to were cut off at the top of the screen.

Sheesh! :/

I was glad I only painted a few pieces, although I really wanted to demonstrate the rib cage because it had a lot of cuts in it. I fought between painting the back of this piece or cutting another piece, or just moving on and showing things on another piece. Since these skeletons need to be sent out to the magazine soon, cutting another piece would just take too much time. Then I would have to do all the prep work too which would bring me to that point again. And besides - I still had a pile of unpainted bones in front of me. I just wanted to move on.

I began another take and started filming again. Just as I picked up the paint to begin demonstrating, I heard the roar of a motor starting up. It seemed that our lawn service had arrived and that they were here to cut the grass! It is not a small property, and they have a large (fast) ride on mower and then another guy comes around with the week whipper to do the trimming. Both are extremely LOUD. There was no way to continue.

I decided to use the next half hour or so to talk to my daughter. There were times when she could barely hear me over the noise, even though I closed most of the windows and was trying to hide in the bathroom when they were near the house. Fortunately, they moved quickly so there was still hope that I would be done before Keith returned.

As soon as they finished, I excused myself from my call. Danielle certainly understood, and we did get a chance for a short visit after all. I was still waiting for the Purolator truck to come to pick up a shipment that had to go out though, and I hoped that it wouldn't arrive in the middle of filming.

I shot two short segments rather quickly and I thought they went well. I noticed that there were times when I could have held the pieces lower on the screen, but I still think that what I did was acceptable. I got the point across and that is what counts.

I finished just in time before Keith came home. I was actually watching what I shot for the first time as he walked in the door. Talk about under the wire! :) I spent the rest of the day finishing up the pieces and touching up the edges on all eight of them. By the time I finished, it was after 8pm and I was too tired to edit and post the video. I will do that today.

I am not unhappy with the outcome of the video, as it really helps demonstrate how easy the technique that I used is to do. That was my goal in shooting it. I will be able to tie the article to it for the magazine readers and that will help them understand things also. So it was time well-spent.

But it certainly doesn't come easy for me. It is sometimes so difficult for me to feel natural when I know the camera is rolling and I wish I could feel more at ease. I know that will come in time and I hope that the videos that I post do help people a little bit to better understand the process.

Hollywood has nothing to worry about.

I am going to do the edit and posting of it today, and I will link it here tomorrow. I was so tired last night that I went to bed (and fell asleep immediately) just after it got dark, around 9:30 pm. That is early even for me. But I did sleep through the night until nearly 6am this morning, so I know I needed it.

I am happy that I overcame the little obstacles that were thrown in my path yesterday. Little by little I will hopefully get better at shooting these videos. I just need more practice.

Cat Felidae Carnivore Small to medium-sized cats Shelf


I'll have the video up for you by tomorrow. I wish you all a wonderful day.
Girl that was too funny! Looking forward to learning the techniques on painting the skeletons. Will this be the next issue of creative woodworks magazine?
 

Attachments

#8,653 ·
Now We're Ready to Dance!

OK. So I lied. I don't have the video ready for you all today. I got involved in finishing things up and once again, I just ran out of time. By the time everything was done, it was after 9pm and not the time to start editing (I am not a great video editor and need all of my faculties in order to do so! 9pm after a long day just wasn't the time to start!)

However . . .

I DID get all of my eight skeletons FINISHED and they are all jointed and ready to play with! And they really came out COOL (I think!) and I hope you all agree!

I started out by going to the store to get some maybe 1/2" or so jump rings. You know what those are - the little rings that they use for jewelry. I thought that would be the easiest and neatest way to connect these little guys and girls together.

So . . .

I get to the store near me and yes, they have them. But I look in the package and they want $2.69 for a package of TWO RINGS!!! (YIKES!!!) Since I needed 8 DOZEN of them for these eight fun creatures, it was simply out of the question!

On to "Plan B" . . .

I had some silver wire at home, but I thought it would be neater and easier to connect the joints using the links from some silver chain that they had there. That way most of the shaping would be done already and things would look nice and uniform. The chain wasn't cheap either though ($9.95 per meter) and I figured by the size of the links I would need about 2.25 meters to complete all eight skeletons. So I went with that and wound up paying just over $25 for the chain.

When I got home, I was excited to see how this would work. I got my wire cutters and pliers and went to work on them. Much to my dismay, in order for the links to work properly, they had to be straightened and reshaped any way. Since the chain was cut to size, there was no taking it back for a refund, so I forged ahead using it.

The important thing is that it DID work nicely, but my thoughts were that I could have simply used the roll of 18 gauge silver wire that I had sitting on my shelf - and saved myself the extra $25. I suppose that was the price of the lesson that I learned for the day. I used the chain links on seven of the eight skeletons, but just for my own peace of mind (as I am going to recommend the 18 gauge wire in the instructions) I used the wire on the final pieces, and it worked perfectly. It was even faster because I didn't have to straighten it out before bending it into shape as I did with the links. Another valuable lesson learned! (I get smarter every day!)

What counts though, is the final outcome. Are you ready??? Here are pictures of the group . . .

TA DA!!!!

May I present - "The Neutral Colored Skeletons!"

Joint Human body Human anatomy Bone Art


These guys and girls are 24" tall! They are made of neutral colors (Grey, Brown, Rust and Black) and I used the corresponding colors of Metallic Lustre paste on them. You probably can't see it in the pictures, but they have an amazing metallic shimmer in their corresponding colors. We are going for subtlety here folks - and I think that I have accomplished that!

Chin White Jaw Bone Skull


Here's a close up of "Ms. Silver and Mr. Brown." You can see that they have wonderful sparkly bows on them! (You know I had to get some sparkles in there! I love the idea of add-on bows, and I would think that they will even look cool if I chose to make some RHINESTONE covered bows! :)

These guys and girls just kind of hang loose, with all their limbs dangling! They would look great on a porch or hanging near a door way, where they can dance and sway in the wind! So many fun possibilities!!!

But . . .

I am not finished yet -

Next, we have the Neon group:

Art Wood Font Painting Cat


What I did for these guys and girls was add some Earth magnets to the backs of them so they could stick on anything metal (my refrigerator here) I showed the whole thing so that you can get an idea of their actual size, which is about 18" each.

These are great because you can pose them any way you like. They also have wonderfully sparkly bow ties and head bows. Here's Mr. Green:

Bone Skull Fashion accessory Symbol Visual arts


And Ms. Orange:

Orange Neck Jaw Bone Red


The neon group are all coated with Campaign colored Metallic Lustre wax. I loved the light and subtle shimmer that it gave the bones without filling in the cracks of the crackle. This, in addition to leaving the backs and sides of the pieces the base coat bright neon color allows the base colors to show through with a suggestion of color, while unifying the four pieces by using the same top crackle coat (off white) and shimmer. They look like they just go together nicely!

They are loads of fun to play with and pose! and since the limbs are loose, they can be folded up gently for storage. Now of course, if one doesn't want to joint them this way, they can always simply glue the pieces together. But I find this much more fun and dynamic.

Today's goal is to first of all edit and post that video. It should be here for you all to see tomorrow, although as I say - it isn't one of my academy award winning efforts. It does however teach the process, and that is what is important. I also need to write the instructions for this project, and unfortunately for me pack them up for their journey to New Jersey to be photographed for the magazine. After spending the last several days working on them, it is hard to let them go and send them on their way. I know that is part of the plan, but sometimes when I make things I just like to enjoy them for a little while before sending them off.

But they will meet up with my crow pulling the cart and then eventually they will all come back home to me here. It will be like Christmas having them back! :)

I hope you enjoy seeing these pieces. I also hope that they put a little smile on your face. I wanted them fun and enjoyable to make and I think I succeeded in that department. They were just as much fun to make as they are to look at! (The cats seem to enjoy them too!)

Did I go overboard here? I don't think so! If someone wanted a plain skeleton, what would they need me for? I think that offering options is something that I need to do and enjoy doing very much. Anyone can easily use just part of the instructions that I am going to provide and take these pieces as far as they want. Perhaps they just want them in neon colors. Or just simply painted white. That is OK too - because what is important to me is that everyone does something that will make THEMSELVES happy! I am just offering some suggestions that they can follow or not. I am sure that many of you have your own ideas, too!

It is all about being creative and all about fun. We only have one lifetime to enjoy ourselves and I think being creative is one of the best ways to do so. I hope you agree!

I wish you all an incredible day today. I hope you have fun and find ways to make yourself and others smile. You will be amazed at how great it will make you feel!

Happy Thursday

Joint Vertebrate Human Gesture Bone
 

Attachments

#8,654 ·
Now We're Ready to Dance!

OK. So I lied. I don't have the video ready for you all today. I got involved in finishing things up and once again, I just ran out of time. By the time everything was done, it was after 9pm and not the time to start editing (I am not a great video editor and need all of my faculties in order to do so! 9pm after a long day just wasn't the time to start!)

However . . .

I DID get all of my eight skeletons FINISHED and they are all jointed and ready to play with! And they really came out COOL (I think!) and I hope you all agree!

I started out by going to the store to get some maybe 1/2" or so jump rings. You know what those are - the little rings that they use for jewelry. I thought that would be the easiest and neatest way to connect these little guys and girls together.

So . . .

I get to the store near me and yes, they have them. But I look in the package and they want $2.69 for a package of TWO RINGS!!! (YIKES!!!) Since I needed 8 DOZEN of them for these eight fun creatures, it was simply out of the question!

On to "Plan B" . . .

I had some silver wire at home, but I thought it would be neater and easier to connect the joints using the links from some silver chain that they had there. That way most of the shaping would be done already and things would look nice and uniform. The chain wasn't cheap either though ($9.95 per meter) and I figured by the size of the links I would need about 2.25 meters to complete all eight skeletons. So I went with that and wound up paying just over $25 for the chain.

When I got home, I was excited to see how this would work. I got my wire cutters and pliers and went to work on them. Much to my dismay, in order for the links to work properly, they had to be straightened and reshaped any way. Since the chain was cut to size, there was no taking it back for a refund, so I forged ahead using it.

The important thing is that it DID work nicely, but my thoughts were that I could have simply used the roll of 18 gauge silver wire that I had sitting on my shelf - and saved myself the extra $25. I suppose that was the price of the lesson that I learned for the day. I used the chain links on seven of the eight skeletons, but just for my own peace of mind (as I am going to recommend the 18 gauge wire in the instructions) I used the wire on the final pieces, and it worked perfectly. It was even faster because I didn't have to straighten it out before bending it into shape as I did with the links. Another valuable lesson learned! (I get smarter every day!)

What counts though, is the final outcome. Are you ready??? Here are pictures of the group . . .

TA DA!!!!

May I present - "The Neutral Colored Skeletons!"

Joint Human body Human anatomy Bone Art


These guys and girls are 24" tall! They are made of neutral colors (Grey, Brown, Rust and Black) and I used the corresponding colors of Metallic Lustre paste on them. You probably can't see it in the pictures, but they have an amazing metallic shimmer in their corresponding colors. We are going for subtlety here folks - and I think that I have accomplished that!

Chin White Jaw Bone Skull


Here's a close up of "Ms. Silver and Mr. Brown." You can see that they have wonderful sparkly bows on them! (You know I had to get some sparkles in there! I love the idea of add-on bows, and I would think that they will even look cool if I chose to make some RHINESTONE covered bows! :)

These guys and girls just kind of hang loose, with all their limbs dangling! They would look great on a porch or hanging near a door way, where they can dance and sway in the wind! So many fun possibilities!!!

But . . .

I am not finished yet -

Next, we have the Neon group:

Art Wood Font Painting Cat


What I did for these guys and girls was add some Earth magnets to the backs of them so they could stick on anything metal (my refrigerator here) I showed the whole thing so that you can get an idea of their actual size, which is about 18" each.

These are great because you can pose them any way you like. They also have wonderfully sparkly bow ties and head bows. Here's Mr. Green:

Bone Skull Fashion accessory Symbol Visual arts


And Ms. Orange:

Orange Neck Jaw Bone Red


The neon group are all coated with Campaign colored Metallic Lustre wax. I loved the light and subtle shimmer that it gave the bones without filling in the cracks of the crackle. This, in addition to leaving the backs and sides of the pieces the base coat bright neon color allows the base colors to show through with a suggestion of color, while unifying the four pieces by using the same top crackle coat (off white) and shimmer. They look like they just go together nicely!

They are loads of fun to play with and pose! and since the limbs are loose, they can be folded up gently for storage. Now of course, if one doesn't want to joint them this way, they can always simply glue the pieces together. But I find this much more fun and dynamic.

Today's goal is to first of all edit and post that video. It should be here for you all to see tomorrow, although as I say - it isn't one of my academy award winning efforts. It does however teach the process, and that is what is important. I also need to write the instructions for this project, and unfortunately for me pack them up for their journey to New Jersey to be photographed for the magazine. After spending the last several days working on them, it is hard to let them go and send them on their way. I know that is part of the plan, but sometimes when I make things I just like to enjoy them for a little while before sending them off.

But they will meet up with my crow pulling the cart and then eventually they will all come back home to me here. It will be like Christmas having them back! :)

I hope you enjoy seeing these pieces. I also hope that they put a little smile on your face. I wanted them fun and enjoyable to make and I think I succeeded in that department. They were just as much fun to make as they are to look at! (The cats seem to enjoy them too!)

Did I go overboard here? I don't think so! If someone wanted a plain skeleton, what would they need me for? I think that offering options is something that I need to do and enjoy doing very much. Anyone can easily use just part of the instructions that I am going to provide and take these pieces as far as they want. Perhaps they just want them in neon colors. Or just simply painted white. That is OK too - because what is important to me is that everyone does something that will make THEMSELVES happy! I am just offering some suggestions that they can follow or not. I am sure that many of you have your own ideas, too!

It is all about being creative and all about fun. We only have one lifetime to enjoy ourselves and I think being creative is one of the best ways to do so. I hope you agree!

I wish you all an incredible day today. I hope you have fun and find ways to make yourself and others smile. You will be amazed at how great it will make you feel!

Happy Thursday

Joint Vertebrate Human Gesture Bone
Very kool Sheila. Bone dancing could be the next big thing.."moves like jagger"......... lol
 

Attachments

#8,668 ·
Skeleton Finishing Technique Video is Posted

Yesterday was a really productive day. I am happy to say that I did manage to get the video edited and posted up on YouTube. I will be adding it to my video page on my site also over the next couple of days. (The video section is down the page a little bit)

As I stated before, what I am doing here is not rocket science. What I try to focus on in my patterns and teach to others, is that you don't have to use complicated techniques to get some really cool results. Yes - there are sometimes a couple of different steps you need to take, but braking things down into steps is very easy to do and simplifies the process even further.

I love working with DecoArt products for many reasons. To start with, they have a large variety of products available. While some of you may only be familiar with their Americana line of tole paints, I want you to be aware that they are only the tip of a very large iceberg. The more I looked into them and saw the many, many different types of paints, mediums and specialty products, the more I enjoyed using them and the more ideas I had for other projects. It just never seems to end.

Also, I love the fact that DecoArt products are not expensive. Most of their paints and mediums are under $2 per bottle and the bottles of them go really far. That means you can 'play' a lot without breaking the bank. And since they opened up their online store, it means that no matter where you live you are able to order from their full line of products - no more chasing from store to store looking for colors or products! I find them to be a great company to deal with.

I can pretty much say that everyone loved the skeletons as they were just base coated in the bright neon colors. I received many positive comments from those of you who really loved their bright and cheerful look. But I have also had many comments from you since then in which you say that you like the finished project even better. And I think they look better too!

I like to look at my patterns as more than just line work. I am sure that if I wanted to only provide line work to people to cut on the scroll saw, I would probably be able to put out probably five times the number of patterns that I do each year.

But what fun would that be?

It would be much fun for me and I would think that it wouldn't be as much fun for you all to make. Not as much fun as trying something new and learning a new process.

I am often asked about what people should make to sell at craft fairs and sales. This occurs especially in the autumn, when there are many holiday shows and sales. People want items that will sell to the general public and they want something that will set their work apart from the other vendors at the shows.

While I find scroll work to be simply lovely, I also find that many people want a little bit more. As a woodworker, I truly appreciate items that are done in the wood's natural colors. But for ornaments and such, I think that people want something with a little color or sparkle to make them stand out on the tree. I find that the best selling pieces at many of the shows and craft fairs are things that are embellished one way or another.

Here is an example of one of my SLD365 - 8 Songbird Ornaments pattern:

Bird Hand Plant Gesture Beak


It looks nice, and makes a beautiful piece.

But . . .

With the addition of some light washes of color:

Bird Beak Sleeve Creative arts Art


It seems to come alive!

You don't have to have 'painting skill' either to be able to do this. Most of the lines are cut in the design all ready, and all you need to do is block in the shades. It makes a big difference, I think.

Another example I can give you is the SLD370 Holiday Ribbon Ornaments:

Font Material property Ornament Pattern Art


All I did here was paint the frame red and then sponge on some gold metallic paint. It was so simple and fast and really made a wonderful difference in the presentation of these ornaments.

My candle trays are another example. While some of them look beautiful done in hard wood, I realize that everyone can't afford to use exotic lumber for their projects and I try to give some options so that they can make their projects look special without a lot of extra expense.

My SLD415 Winter Wonderland Candle Tray uses just a couple of washes and some brush on glitter to really make this project shine:

Dishware Serveware Cup Drinkware Beige


It doesn't take much to turn something 'ordinary' into something special!

And finally - I love the addition of things like beads and feathers. They add so much to projects like these SLDAOSet1 Southwestern Arrowhead Ornaments -

Christmas ornament Branch Natural material Holiday ornament Ornament


I can't imagine these ornaments without the beads and feathers! And people report to me that these are always best sellers at shows and craft fairs!

So with that all said, I will continue to make patterns that stretch your imagination a little bit. I truly enjoy introducing others to these fun products and I love seeing how they use them in their own crafts and come up with their own ideas for them.

Anna - who frequently posts here on Lumberjocks.com sent me a picture last night of a bell ornament she cut from one of Keith's designs. While the bell was pretty in itself, Anna decided to use the Metallic Lustre on it, and then embellish it with rhinestones. Below is the results:

Cap Headgear Outdoor shoe Sneakers Sleeve


I think it looks wonderful!

In any case, I will continue to try different finishing techniques and add on's to my projects and try to show you all what is available. Things like crackle, metallics and rhinestones may not all be to your liking, but they will be there for you if you want to be adventurous and try something different.

I did get my video posted yesterday, as I said, and the link to it is below. It is simple and pretty much straight forward, and if anything, it just shows how EASY it was to bring these little skeletons from ordinary to really cool! I hope you enjoy it and I hope you consider trying some of the techniques that I present to you!

Have a wonderful Friday! :D

 

Attachments

#8,669 ·
Skeleton Finishing Technique Video is Posted

Yesterday was a really productive day. I am happy to say that I did manage to get the video edited and posted up on YouTube. I will be adding it to my video page on my site also over the next couple of days. (The video section is down the page a little bit)

As I stated before, what I am doing here is not rocket science. What I try to focus on in my patterns and teach to others, is that you don't have to use complicated techniques to get some really cool results. Yes - there are sometimes a couple of different steps you need to take, but braking things down into steps is very easy to do and simplifies the process even further.

I love working with DecoArt products for many reasons. To start with, they have a large variety of products available. While some of you may only be familiar with their Americana line of tole paints, I want you to be aware that they are only the tip of a very large iceberg. The more I looked into them and saw the many, many different types of paints, mediums and specialty products, the more I enjoyed using them and the more ideas I had for other projects. It just never seems to end.

Also, I love the fact that DecoArt products are not expensive. Most of their paints and mediums are under $2 per bottle and the bottles of them go really far. That means you can 'play' a lot without breaking the bank. And since they opened up their online store, it means that no matter where you live you are able to order from their full line of products - no more chasing from store to store looking for colors or products! I find them to be a great company to deal with.

I can pretty much say that everyone loved the skeletons as they were just base coated in the bright neon colors. I received many positive comments from those of you who really loved their bright and cheerful look. But I have also had many comments from you since then in which you say that you like the finished project even better. And I think they look better too!

I like to look at my patterns as more than just line work. I am sure that if I wanted to only provide line work to people to cut on the scroll saw, I would probably be able to put out probably five times the number of patterns that I do each year.

But what fun would that be?

It would be much fun for me and I would think that it wouldn't be as much fun for you all to make. Not as much fun as trying something new and learning a new process.

I am often asked about what people should make to sell at craft fairs and sales. This occurs especially in the autumn, when there are many holiday shows and sales. People want items that will sell to the general public and they want something that will set their work apart from the other vendors at the shows.

While I find scroll work to be simply lovely, I also find that many people want a little bit more. As a woodworker, I truly appreciate items that are done in the wood's natural colors. But for ornaments and such, I think that people want something with a little color or sparkle to make them stand out on the tree. I find that the best selling pieces at many of the shows and craft fairs are things that are embellished one way or another.

Here is an example of one of my SLD365 - 8 Songbird Ornaments pattern:

Bird Hand Plant Gesture Beak


It looks nice, and makes a beautiful piece.

But . . .

With the addition of some light washes of color:

Bird Beak Sleeve Creative arts Art


It seems to come alive!

You don't have to have 'painting skill' either to be able to do this. Most of the lines are cut in the design all ready, and all you need to do is block in the shades. It makes a big difference, I think.

Another example I can give you is the SLD370 Holiday Ribbon Ornaments:

Font Material property Ornament Pattern Art


All I did here was paint the frame red and then sponge on some gold metallic paint. It was so simple and fast and really made a wonderful difference in the presentation of these ornaments.

My candle trays are another example. While some of them look beautiful done in hard wood, I realize that everyone can't afford to use exotic lumber for their projects and I try to give some options so that they can make their projects look special without a lot of extra expense.

My SLD415 Winter Wonderland Candle Tray uses just a couple of washes and some brush on glitter to really make this project shine:

Dishware Serveware Cup Drinkware Beige


It doesn't take much to turn something 'ordinary' into something special!

And finally - I love the addition of things like beads and feathers. They add so much to projects like these SLDAOSet1 Southwestern Arrowhead Ornaments -

Christmas ornament Branch Natural material Holiday ornament Ornament


I can't imagine these ornaments without the beads and feathers! And people report to me that these are always best sellers at shows and craft fairs!

So with that all said, I will continue to make patterns that stretch your imagination a little bit. I truly enjoy introducing others to these fun products and I love seeing how they use them in their own crafts and come up with their own ideas for them.

Anna - who frequently posts here on Lumberjocks.com sent me a picture last night of a bell ornament she cut from one of Keith's designs. While the bell was pretty in itself, Anna decided to use the Metallic Lustre on it, and then embellish it with rhinestones. Below is the results:

Cap Headgear Outdoor shoe Sneakers Sleeve


I think it looks wonderful!

In any case, I will continue to try different finishing techniques and add on's to my projects and try to show you all what is available. Things like crackle, metallics and rhinestones may not all be to your liking, but they will be there for you if you want to be adventurous and try something different.

I did get my video posted yesterday, as I said, and the link to it is below. It is simple and pretty much straight forward, and if anything, it just shows how EASY it was to bring these little skeletons from ordinary to really cool! I hope you enjoy it and I hope you consider trying some of the techniques that I present to you!

Have a wonderful Friday! :D

Looking forward to making these!
 

Attachments

#8,678 ·
Writing

It's Saturday and another week is under our belts. As always, the time is just going by much too quickly, as we are halfway through the year already.

I am going to keep today's post short, because I am in the midst of writing instructions. Sometimes that is the hardest part of my job - as I tend to get easily distracted with questions and talking to others. But I am determined today to pretty much button up the instructions on the the skeleton project that I have worked on this week. The pieces are on their way to New Jersey (the magazine offices) to be photographed for publication and I would love to be able to have the instructions sitting on my editor's computer Monday morning.

I also need to finish writing and refine the instructions for the country crow pulling the cart of pumpkins project. While I created it and sent it to the offices a couple of months ago, it was bumped to the November issue (which we are working on now with these skeletons) and the materials are due on that also. Upon learning that it would be in a future issue, I immediately went on to other things and there it sat on back burner. But it is getting to be time to have things ready, so I really need to spend the day focusing on getting the work finished on both of these projects. No distractions allowed. ;)

With that said, I am happy to announce that summertime has finally arrived here in Nova Scotia. Yesterday was a beautiful warm and sunny day and the weekend looks as if it will be the same. Even though I don't have time to go out and enjoy it today (although I may sneak in a walk!) I am planning on spending some time tomorrow doing some clean up on my car. It sorely needs a good detailing and I do enjoy doing that so I will accomplish two things in the process. Who knows - there may be a ride to the beach involved later on.

But that is only as a reward if I can focus and work hard at getting these instructions done. It will be something nice to work toward.

I hope you all have a wonderful Saturday. I may skip writing tomorrow. I'll see how it goes. Either way I will be back on Monday to give a report on my progress and the weekend's activities.

Have a wonderful weekend yourselves. Hopefully you will have some nice weather. Either way, take the time to do something enjoyable and find a little bit of sunshine to call your own.

Cat Plant Flower Organism Gesture


Photo courtesy of Unique Nature Wallpapers

Never continue in a job you don't enjoy. If you're happy in what you're doing, you'll like yourself, you'll have inner peace. And if you have that, along with physical health, you will have had more success than you could possibly have imagined. -Johnny Carson

Happy Saturday!
 

Attachments

#8,679 ·
Writing

It's Saturday and another week is under our belts. As always, the time is just going by much too quickly, as we are halfway through the year already.

I am going to keep today's post short, because I am in the midst of writing instructions. Sometimes that is the hardest part of my job - as I tend to get easily distracted with questions and talking to others. But I am determined today to pretty much button up the instructions on the the skeleton project that I have worked on this week. The pieces are on their way to New Jersey (the magazine offices) to be photographed for publication and I would love to be able to have the instructions sitting on my editor's computer Monday morning.

I also need to finish writing and refine the instructions for the country crow pulling the cart of pumpkins project. While I created it and sent it to the offices a couple of months ago, it was bumped to the November issue (which we are working on now with these skeletons) and the materials are due on that also. Upon learning that it would be in a future issue, I immediately went on to other things and there it sat on back burner. But it is getting to be time to have things ready, so I really need to spend the day focusing on getting the work finished on both of these projects. No distractions allowed. ;)

With that said, I am happy to announce that summertime has finally arrived here in Nova Scotia. Yesterday was a beautiful warm and sunny day and the weekend looks as if it will be the same. Even though I don't have time to go out and enjoy it today (although I may sneak in a walk!) I am planning on spending some time tomorrow doing some clean up on my car. It sorely needs a good detailing and I do enjoy doing that so I will accomplish two things in the process. Who knows - there may be a ride to the beach involved later on.

But that is only as a reward if I can focus and work hard at getting these instructions done. It will be something nice to work toward.

I hope you all have a wonderful Saturday. I may skip writing tomorrow. I'll see how it goes. Either way I will be back on Monday to give a report on my progress and the weekend's activities.

Have a wonderful weekend yourselves. Hopefully you will have some nice weather. Either way, take the time to do something enjoyable and find a little bit of sunshine to call your own.

Cat Plant Flower Organism Gesture


Photo courtesy of Unique Nature Wallpapers

Never continue in a job you don't enjoy. If you're happy in what you're doing, you'll like yourself, you'll have inner peace. And if you have that, along with physical health, you will have had more success than you could possibly have imagined. -Johnny Carson

Happy Saturday!
Ahh, gr8 quote by Johnny. Have a good and safe weekend
 

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#8,685 ·
A Day Off

I spent the day Saturday writing instructions. Even though the skeletons were finished and on their way to the magazine for publication, I still had the job of explaining step-by-step how to recreate them. Sometimes that process takes longer than making the actual project.

I have learned along the way to take many pictures. Even if I am unsure as to which direction the project will head, I have never regretted having photos of the process that I used to build a certain item. Even if I don't use all the photos, it serves to document the process I used and makes writing logical instructions much easier.

Besides writing the instructions for the skeletons, I also needed to write them for the crow pulling the pumpkin cart project.

Vertebrate Wheel Working animal Wood Pumpkin


When that was bumped to a later issue, I moved on to what needed to be done at the time and I never finished up. I was not looking forward to this task, as I had built the project a couple of months ago, but once I began I was pleasantly surprised that I had taken a great deal of pictures of the process, and they were already edited and color corrected and it made everything much easier. I simply following the story board that I had created and it all went very easily.

(Score one for being organized!)

I finished everything up by Saturday afternoon and I decided that Sunday I would take a real day off. I say a 'real' day off because most of my days off are spent either running around somewhere or working on other things or cleaning. This would be a "really-truly-do-what-you-want-to-do-day-off." And I can't tell you how long it has been since I had one of those.

So what was I to do with that day?

Over the past several weeks, I have really been wanting to do some serious painting. Not the kind of painting for mass production or to recreate over and over again, but the kind of painting that you spend a good deal of time creating and make only one of. Kind of like 'fine art' painting as I call it. I love painting wild animals and things in nature and I had done so several years ago. You can see some of the paintings that I created on my Gallery page on my site.

While some of these were done with acrylic paints, several of them were done using Genesis heat-set paint. I had found out several years ago that I cannot use traditional oils because they make me ill. But I do like the Genesis paints. What makes them different is that they are made to stay 'wet' and workable until you heat set them with a heat gun or in your oven. They have no smell whatsoever and are workable forever if you don't heat them. I can testify to that because my set is about 15 years old and the palettes that I have of mixed colors work as if I mixed them yesterday. They are made by the same people who make FIMO polymer clay and the principle is pretty much the same. The good thing is that they work like oils and feel like oils too and you can apply all of the principles (color mixing, etc.) that apply to oil paints to them. (Except the mess and smell) I had forgotten how much I like them.

Last week I ordered a full set of paint from DecoArt called "Traditions". This is DecoArt's version of 'oil' paint. It is made of acrylic and performs much like oil paints and I had been debating on whether to try it for over two years now. Many of my painting friends on Facebook have talked about an online learning community called "Art Apprentice Online" which has many classes and studies on using this brand of paint. I have been watching it for quite a while and have wanted to join and take some classes, but I always talked myself out of it. Finally, I took the plunge and purchased some of their e-magazines which contain several video lessons and the bug bit me again. I really wanted to learn more about painting. While I did create some nice paintings in the past, I wanted to learn more about color and theory and line and composition and all of that other stuff. It is something that I have always been interested in and has always been a passion of mine.

So I took the plunge (with Keith's encouragement) and ordered up a good variety of supplies for my new hobby. It felt really good to do this and as I said, it renewed my interest in paint and art in general.

But while waiting last week for my new paints to arrive, I stumbled across another incredible painting site. This one is Kingslan.com and it is the site of Ann Kingslan and Mary Gibilisco, who are two of the best art teachers I know of. I have heard of them time and time again and once at a painting convention I had tried to take a class with them and it was full. I never knew that they had such a wonderful and extensive site. I immediately got lost in it and realized that they too had online lessons and classes. Their prices were very reasonable and I wound up buying a subscription to their video classroom for a month just to try, as well as purchasing some pattern packets. The cool part was that Ann and Mary teach exclusively using Genesis paint, and I was fortunate that I had everything I needed to give some things a try.

I literally dusted off my case of paints and brushes for Genesis and I spent the day yesterday in my version of heaven. I particularly liked a project called the Color Wheel Wreath which explored theory and mixing all the main values of the color wheel. Not only was the project pretty, but it taught all the major mixes and values of the spectrum. It would be the perfect starting point for me.

I decided however not to do a wreath, but to do each flower individually on a 5" x 5" tile. This way I could 'complete' a flower each day, and I thought I would have more uses for the tiles than a large wreath (I could make coasters, or a vignette of small paintings). Besides that, it wouldn't be so overwhelming to me.

So yesterday I got started, and not only did I mix my 28 color green palette for leaves, but I finished the first flower of the wreath - the Wild Rose, which covered the yellow values. Here is how it came out:

Flower Plant Petal Art Painting


I am pretty proud of it. I just scanned it in for this morning, but I may take a better picture using my light box later on today. It may not be perfect, but I feel that it is a good start. I learned so much just from this one flower and even though I started out in the morning feeling awkward and clumsy, I was starting to get the hang of things and feel like I learned quite a bit in the process. It was a great way to spend my day off.

I suppose that I am lucky that I have such a wonderful job that I do every day. I realized that what I choose to do for relaxation isn't very far off from the things that I do in my every day job. I love art and creating in general. Be it with painting or woodworking or any type of crafting at all. I don't know what drives me, but I have always been like this, and I am so very fortunate that my life is as it is, and it allows me to follow my passion.

I decided that I need to take at least one day a week to do this type of creating. While many of you may not see the difference in doing this than my every day work, I can tell you it is great. And in the long run, it will make me a better designer on many other levels too.

It is never too late to learn something new.

I wish you all a wonderful week ahead. Happy Monday!
 

Attachments

#8,686 ·
A Day Off

I spent the day Saturday writing instructions. Even though the skeletons were finished and on their way to the magazine for publication, I still had the job of explaining step-by-step how to recreate them. Sometimes that process takes longer than making the actual project.

I have learned along the way to take many pictures. Even if I am unsure as to which direction the project will head, I have never regretted having photos of the process that I used to build a certain item. Even if I don't use all the photos, it serves to document the process I used and makes writing logical instructions much easier.

Besides writing the instructions for the skeletons, I also needed to write them for the crow pulling the pumpkin cart project.

Vertebrate Wheel Working animal Wood Pumpkin


When that was bumped to a later issue, I moved on to what needed to be done at the time and I never finished up. I was not looking forward to this task, as I had built the project a couple of months ago, but once I began I was pleasantly surprised that I had taken a great deal of pictures of the process, and they were already edited and color corrected and it made everything much easier. I simply following the story board that I had created and it all went very easily.

(Score one for being organized!)

I finished everything up by Saturday afternoon and I decided that Sunday I would take a real day off. I say a 'real' day off because most of my days off are spent either running around somewhere or working on other things or cleaning. This would be a "really-truly-do-what-you-want-to-do-day-off." And I can't tell you how long it has been since I had one of those.

So what was I to do with that day?

Over the past several weeks, I have really been wanting to do some serious painting. Not the kind of painting for mass production or to recreate over and over again, but the kind of painting that you spend a good deal of time creating and make only one of. Kind of like 'fine art' painting as I call it. I love painting wild animals and things in nature and I had done so several years ago. You can see some of the paintings that I created on my Gallery page on my site.

While some of these were done with acrylic paints, several of them were done using Genesis heat-set paint. I had found out several years ago that I cannot use traditional oils because they make me ill. But I do like the Genesis paints. What makes them different is that they are made to stay 'wet' and workable until you heat set them with a heat gun or in your oven. They have no smell whatsoever and are workable forever if you don't heat them. I can testify to that because my set is about 15 years old and the palettes that I have of mixed colors work as if I mixed them yesterday. They are made by the same people who make FIMO polymer clay and the principle is pretty much the same. The good thing is that they work like oils and feel like oils too and you can apply all of the principles (color mixing, etc.) that apply to oil paints to them. (Except the mess and smell) I had forgotten how much I like them.

Last week I ordered a full set of paint from DecoArt called "Traditions". This is DecoArt's version of 'oil' paint. It is made of acrylic and performs much like oil paints and I had been debating on whether to try it for over two years now. Many of my painting friends on Facebook have talked about an online learning community called "Art Apprentice Online" which has many classes and studies on using this brand of paint. I have been watching it for quite a while and have wanted to join and take some classes, but I always talked myself out of it. Finally, I took the plunge and purchased some of their e-magazines which contain several video lessons and the bug bit me again. I really wanted to learn more about painting. While I did create some nice paintings in the past, I wanted to learn more about color and theory and line and composition and all of that other stuff. It is something that I have always been interested in and has always been a passion of mine.

So I took the plunge (with Keith's encouragement) and ordered up a good variety of supplies for my new hobby. It felt really good to do this and as I said, it renewed my interest in paint and art in general.

But while waiting last week for my new paints to arrive, I stumbled across another incredible painting site. This one is Kingslan.com and it is the site of Ann Kingslan and Mary Gibilisco, who are two of the best art teachers I know of. I have heard of them time and time again and once at a painting convention I had tried to take a class with them and it was full. I never knew that they had such a wonderful and extensive site. I immediately got lost in it and realized that they too had online lessons and classes. Their prices were very reasonable and I wound up buying a subscription to their video classroom for a month just to try, as well as purchasing some pattern packets. The cool part was that Ann and Mary teach exclusively using Genesis paint, and I was fortunate that I had everything I needed to give some things a try.

I literally dusted off my case of paints and brushes for Genesis and I spent the day yesterday in my version of heaven. I particularly liked a project called the Color Wheel Wreath which explored theory and mixing all the main values of the color wheel. Not only was the project pretty, but it taught all the major mixes and values of the spectrum. It would be the perfect starting point for me.

I decided however not to do a wreath, but to do each flower individually on a 5" x 5" tile. This way I could 'complete' a flower each day, and I thought I would have more uses for the tiles than a large wreath (I could make coasters, or a vignette of small paintings). Besides that, it wouldn't be so overwhelming to me.

So yesterday I got started, and not only did I mix my 28 color green palette for leaves, but I finished the first flower of the wreath - the Wild Rose, which covered the yellow values. Here is how it came out:

Flower Plant Petal Art Painting


I am pretty proud of it. I just scanned it in for this morning, but I may take a better picture using my light box later on today. It may not be perfect, but I feel that it is a good start. I learned so much just from this one flower and even though I started out in the morning feeling awkward and clumsy, I was starting to get the hang of things and feel like I learned quite a bit in the process. It was a great way to spend my day off.

I suppose that I am lucky that I have such a wonderful job that I do every day. I realized that what I choose to do for relaxation isn't very far off from the things that I do in my every day job. I love art and creating in general. Be it with painting or woodworking or any type of crafting at all. I don't know what drives me, but I have always been like this, and I am so very fortunate that my life is as it is, and it allows me to follow my passion.

I decided that I need to take at least one day a week to do this type of creating. While many of you may not see the difference in doing this than my every day work, I can tell you it is great. And in the long run, it will make me a better designer on many other levels too.

It is never too late to learn something new.

I wish you all a wonderful week ahead. Happy Monday!
Sheila I cant imagine you ever being disorganised :)
I LOVE that crow
Jamie
 

Attachments

#8,696 ·
More on the Metallic Lustre Water-based Wax

I am going to have to keep this short today. Some things came up and I have some things to do today. I just wanted to write so you all aren't concerned and have at least a little something to read with your coffee.

I worked on the article for the DecoArt Metallic Lustre yesterday and I will be doing the final revisions on it today. In writing the article, I experimented a bit with it and I must say that I am even more impressed with this product that I was before.

I love the fact that it is a paste wax, yet still a water based product. This means that while it feels like a typical paste wax, it can be thinned down with water to any consistency and applied in a variety of different ways for many different looks. While I won't share the entire article here, I did want to show you a couple of the key ways that I used it.

One thing that I am aware of is the many woodworkers that like to have the wood grain showing through. As a test, I took out one of my older projects the SLD360 Rocking Reindeer project to see how I could dress it up. I used a damp cosmetic sponge to apply a thin layer of wax on the top only of the rocker (I didn't want to get the metallic paste on the sides, as they were intricately scrolled and would have looked sloppy) and I just lightly tapped a little bit of the metallic past on it. The color I used was Copper Kettle and the shine was just amazing. It actually gave a deep, metallic finish to the runner, while still allowing the grain to show through. I think it made the project look even better:

Elk Dishware Table Wood Serveware


I did several other experiments, but one other that I will show you here was to take a basic black frame:

Rectangle Wood Circle Metal Automotive lighting


And some Silver Spark Metallic Lustre and this time I used a sea sponge to apply it to the frame.

Finger Wood Rectangle Pattern Electric blue


By simply sponging it into place, it turned this cheap $3 frame into a really beautiful piece in about 2 minutes. One quick coat of clear spray and it looked like an expensive frame that you would get from a photo shop. This would work great on frames that you may have that have some marks or scuffs on them. The marbled pattern really can hide a multitude of imperfections, and make a beautifully classy frame for your woodworking projects or photos.

Picture frame Rectangle Grey Mirror Serveware


And the best part - there are no nasty fumes and clean up is fast and easy.

I am really in love with this new product. With the upcoming holiday crafting, I can see many applications in my woodworking projects where I will be able to use this. It should be available in your local craft stores soon, but if you can't find it, you can order it directly from DecoArt at the link above. I think it will make a wonderful addition to many projects and make them just that much more special.

I hope you all have a great day today. It looks like it is going to be another warm one here. Whatever you choose to do, I hope you have and enjoyable time.

Have a great Tuesday!
 

Attachments

#8,697 ·
More on the Metallic Lustre Water-based Wax

I am going to have to keep this short today. Some things came up and I have some things to do today. I just wanted to write so you all aren't concerned and have at least a little something to read with your coffee.

I worked on the article for the DecoArt Metallic Lustre yesterday and I will be doing the final revisions on it today. In writing the article, I experimented a bit with it and I must say that I am even more impressed with this product that I was before.

I love the fact that it is a paste wax, yet still a water based product. This means that while it feels like a typical paste wax, it can be thinned down with water to any consistency and applied in a variety of different ways for many different looks. While I won't share the entire article here, I did want to show you a couple of the key ways that I used it.

One thing that I am aware of is the many woodworkers that like to have the wood grain showing through. As a test, I took out one of my older projects the SLD360 Rocking Reindeer project to see how I could dress it up. I used a damp cosmetic sponge to apply a thin layer of wax on the top only of the rocker (I didn't want to get the metallic paste on the sides, as they were intricately scrolled and would have looked sloppy) and I just lightly tapped a little bit of the metallic past on it. The color I used was Copper Kettle and the shine was just amazing. It actually gave a deep, metallic finish to the runner, while still allowing the grain to show through. I think it made the project look even better:

Elk Dishware Table Wood Serveware


I did several other experiments, but one other that I will show you here was to take a basic black frame:

Rectangle Wood Circle Metal Automotive lighting


And some Silver Spark Metallic Lustre and this time I used a sea sponge to apply it to the frame.

Finger Wood Rectangle Pattern Electric blue


By simply sponging it into place, it turned this cheap $3 frame into a really beautiful piece in about 2 minutes. One quick coat of clear spray and it looked like an expensive frame that you would get from a photo shop. This would work great on frames that you may have that have some marks or scuffs on them. The marbled pattern really can hide a multitude of imperfections, and make a beautifully classy frame for your woodworking projects or photos.

Picture frame Rectangle Grey Mirror Serveware


And the best part - there are no nasty fumes and clean up is fast and easy.

I am really in love with this new product. With the upcoming holiday crafting, I can see many applications in my woodworking projects where I will be able to use this. It should be available in your local craft stores soon, but if you can't find it, you can order it directly from DecoArt at the link above. I think it will make a wonderful addition to many projects and make them just that much more special.

I hope you all have a great day today. It looks like it is going to be another warm one here. Whatever you choose to do, I hope you have and enjoyable time.

Have a great Tuesday!
That reindeer really is rockin… Super nice. That paint looks simple and ez to transform anything.
 

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#8,702 ·
Catching Up

Today's post will be a bit short. Yesterday I spent most of the day away, as I needed to attend a funeral and by the time I returned home, I was rather tired. It was very warm out here in Nova Scotia - summer has definitely arrived. The afternoons have been hot and sunny and the best part of the day was the actual drive to and from Digby.

I returned home late in the afternoon and after changing and trying to cool off myself and the cats, I finished writing my article on the Metallic Lustres. I was happy to see the nice responses that I received in showing it yesterday. I do think this product has a good place in both the woodworking and painting fields.

I called it an early night and wound up sleeping a little later than usual. The warm and restless nights were taking their toll, I expect.

I have one more hurdle before I can move on to new things and I will accomplish that today. I need to make a version of the 12 Days of Christmas Ornaments pattern that shows the Artist's Club surface that they will be selling. This will only involve swapping out the photographs with those that show my own pieces.

I am already thinking in the direction of what to do next. I want to design some new projects for my own site, as Keith has several new designs again and it has been a little while since I have done that. There are many possibilities. And with the summer going by so quickly, I know before long that autumn and the holidays will be here.

So I will keep things short today. I'll leave you with today's "Queenism" from the "Queen of your own life" Facebook page:

"She decided that today she was in charge of how she would react to people, places and things. After all, it didn't matter whether others liked her or not as long as she loved herself." - Queenisms™

And a cat picture . . .

Cat Eye Felidae Carnivore Small to medium-sized cats


Enjoy your Wednesday!
 

Attachments

#8,703 ·
Catching Up

Today's post will be a bit short. Yesterday I spent most of the day away, as I needed to attend a funeral and by the time I returned home, I was rather tired. It was very warm out here in Nova Scotia - summer has definitely arrived. The afternoons have been hot and sunny and the best part of the day was the actual drive to and from Digby.

I returned home late in the afternoon and after changing and trying to cool off myself and the cats, I finished writing my article on the Metallic Lustres. I was happy to see the nice responses that I received in showing it yesterday. I do think this product has a good place in both the woodworking and painting fields.

I called it an early night and wound up sleeping a little later than usual. The warm and restless nights were taking their toll, I expect.

I have one more hurdle before I can move on to new things and I will accomplish that today. I need to make a version of the 12 Days of Christmas Ornaments pattern that shows the Artist's Club surface that they will be selling. This will only involve swapping out the photographs with those that show my own pieces.

I am already thinking in the direction of what to do next. I want to design some new projects for my own site, as Keith has several new designs again and it has been a little while since I have done that. There are many possibilities. And with the summer going by so quickly, I know before long that autumn and the holidays will be here.

So I will keep things short today. I'll leave you with today's "Queenism" from the "Queen of your own life" Facebook page:

"She decided that today she was in charge of how she would react to people, places and things. After all, it didn't matter whether others liked her or not as long as she loved herself." - Queenisms™

And a cat picture . . .

Cat Eye Felidae Carnivore Small to medium-sized cats


Enjoy your Wednesday!
My Linda and I always enjoy the cat picture, this is one of your best!
 

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#8,711 ·
Building a Foundation

So this is what it feels like to be 'done.'

I don't even remember the last time that I could say that. It has to be months.

While it is a good feeling to have everything that I need to do accomplished, it also leaves me feeling a bit uneasy. I am as you may have noticed a 'goal-driven' person. I have learned to make good use of my time, but only when there are clear goals in front of me. I love a challenge - and nothing kicks me into a higher gear than when someone doubts me or implies that I can accomplish something.

Vague goals don't count for much. While it is good to have long term and short term goals, I often find that if I push my deadlines too far into the future, I disregard them. I need to set hard and fast dates to achieve certain things, or I wind up looking at them as frivolous. And then nothing gets accomplished.

What I find as I get older is just how much control we have over our lives and what we accomplish. Many of us complain that there isn't enough time to do the things we would like, but in really looking at and analyzing things, more often than not things don't get done due to our own choices. That's not saying it is bad, as we are the only ones who can prioritize our objectives. If you ever noticed, the really important things are the things that we put at the top of the list. Those are the things that are attended first.

Most of this prioritizing is done sub-consciously, as we go through our daily lives. We tend to make mental lists of what we would like to accomplish for any particular day, week, month or even year. These lists are liquid in nature though and every day events affect the order continually, and we are revising it over and over again. Some things are more stable in their position than others - like going to our jobs or making enough money to pay our mortgage, etc. But many are very flexible and tend to float up and down the list of priorities depending on what else the day or days have served us. These include things like cleaning out the closet or painting a room or any of our leisure time activities. Usually these things aren't pressing as much as the life-sustaining things and are the first things we bump to the bottom - many times rightfully so.

So when I say that I am "done", I suppose that really isn't the case. There are things here that I want and need to do that have been neglected as I have accomplished my recent objectives. There is some general organizing and straightening that has to be done, as well as posting some receipts for the business. (Paperwork such as that frequently slides to the bottom of my list very easily!)

I know I need to design more things for myself and the web site. These past two months or so have filled my time completely with projects for the magazine and my wholesalers. While that will pay off more in the future, and is very necessary to keep my business going, it will feel good to be able to design something for my own site and customers that I will be able to release immediately. There is so much that I am thinking of that I can't wait to begin.

And finally there is my new 'hobby' of expanding my education in painting. My set of new paints arrived the other day and I am anxious to use them and get to know them. While I realize that I can't just drop off work and play all the time, I need to establish a pattern of allowing myself some down time on a regular basis in order to pursue some things that are important to me. We all need that and we tend to cheat ourselves out of our own pleasure and happiness by putting that priority on the bottom of the list.

But life is short. And I truly believe the key to contentment is to find a good balance in our lives. The other day - after I took the day for painting for myself - Keith mentioned to me that he "liked relaxed Sheila" and he saw a difference in my demeanor. I DID feel better, too. Not only did I feel good because I got to have some fun, but I also came back to work on Monday with a wonderfully positive attitude about my job. As a result, I finished off some nagging loose ends that I wasn't looking forward to doing very much. And I finished them off feeling good about them and I believe that I did a better job because of my positive attitude. I no longer felt as if I was depriving myself from my free time and the things I wanted to do for fun. No matter how much I love my work, I still need those moments to not be 'working' or 'available' as it can be exhausting and draining at times.

So today will be a general organizational day. I plan to do a little tidying up, post some receipts and think about some new goals to challenge myself. While I have some ideas of what I want to accomplish, they are vague and not really sharply defined, and I need to bring them into better focus so I can begin working on them.

While looking in it may seem that I am doing little today, in reality I am building a foundation for the next round of accomplishment. As with many foundations, they aren't always seen in the finished project. But they are definitely there and without them, the project wouldn't exist.

I wish you all a good day today. I hope you all remember to take time to look into yourselves and do not only what is important to others, but also to yourself. Build your own foundation strong so that you can take on the world!

Happy Thursday!

It is not the beauty of a building you should look at; its the construction of the foundation that will stand the test of time. - David Allan Coe

Cat Eye Felidae Carnivore Small to medium-sized cats


My cat 'Pancakes' - my eyeglass holder! Just because I needed a picture!
 

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#8,712 ·
Building a Foundation

So this is what it feels like to be 'done.'

I don't even remember the last time that I could say that. It has to be months.

While it is a good feeling to have everything that I need to do accomplished, it also leaves me feeling a bit uneasy. I am as you may have noticed a 'goal-driven' person. I have learned to make good use of my time, but only when there are clear goals in front of me. I love a challenge - and nothing kicks me into a higher gear than when someone doubts me or implies that I can accomplish something.

Vague goals don't count for much. While it is good to have long term and short term goals, I often find that if I push my deadlines too far into the future, I disregard them. I need to set hard and fast dates to achieve certain things, or I wind up looking at them as frivolous. And then nothing gets accomplished.

What I find as I get older is just how much control we have over our lives and what we accomplish. Many of us complain that there isn't enough time to do the things we would like, but in really looking at and analyzing things, more often than not things don't get done due to our own choices. That's not saying it is bad, as we are the only ones who can prioritize our objectives. If you ever noticed, the really important things are the things that we put at the top of the list. Those are the things that are attended first.

Most of this prioritizing is done sub-consciously, as we go through our daily lives. We tend to make mental lists of what we would like to accomplish for any particular day, week, month or even year. These lists are liquid in nature though and every day events affect the order continually, and we are revising it over and over again. Some things are more stable in their position than others - like going to our jobs or making enough money to pay our mortgage, etc. But many are very flexible and tend to float up and down the list of priorities depending on what else the day or days have served us. These include things like cleaning out the closet or painting a room or any of our leisure time activities. Usually these things aren't pressing as much as the life-sustaining things and are the first things we bump to the bottom - many times rightfully so.

So when I say that I am "done", I suppose that really isn't the case. There are things here that I want and need to do that have been neglected as I have accomplished my recent objectives. There is some general organizing and straightening that has to be done, as well as posting some receipts for the business. (Paperwork such as that frequently slides to the bottom of my list very easily!)

I know I need to design more things for myself and the web site. These past two months or so have filled my time completely with projects for the magazine and my wholesalers. While that will pay off more in the future, and is very necessary to keep my business going, it will feel good to be able to design something for my own site and customers that I will be able to release immediately. There is so much that I am thinking of that I can't wait to begin.

And finally there is my new 'hobby' of expanding my education in painting. My set of new paints arrived the other day and I am anxious to use them and get to know them. While I realize that I can't just drop off work and play all the time, I need to establish a pattern of allowing myself some down time on a regular basis in order to pursue some things that are important to me. We all need that and we tend to cheat ourselves out of our own pleasure and happiness by putting that priority on the bottom of the list.

But life is short. And I truly believe the key to contentment is to find a good balance in our lives. The other day - after I took the day for painting for myself - Keith mentioned to me that he "liked relaxed Sheila" and he saw a difference in my demeanor. I DID feel better, too. Not only did I feel good because I got to have some fun, but I also came back to work on Monday with a wonderfully positive attitude about my job. As a result, I finished off some nagging loose ends that I wasn't looking forward to doing very much. And I finished them off feeling good about them and I believe that I did a better job because of my positive attitude. I no longer felt as if I was depriving myself from my free time and the things I wanted to do for fun. No matter how much I love my work, I still need those moments to not be 'working' or 'available' as it can be exhausting and draining at times.

So today will be a general organizational day. I plan to do a little tidying up, post some receipts and think about some new goals to challenge myself. While I have some ideas of what I want to accomplish, they are vague and not really sharply defined, and I need to bring them into better focus so I can begin working on them.

While looking in it may seem that I am doing little today, in reality I am building a foundation for the next round of accomplishment. As with many foundations, they aren't always seen in the finished project. But they are definitely there and without them, the project wouldn't exist.

I wish you all a good day today. I hope you all remember to take time to look into yourselves and do not only what is important to others, but also to yourself. Build your own foundation strong so that you can take on the world!

Happy Thursday!

It is not the beauty of a building you should look at; its the construction of the foundation that will stand the test of time. - David Allan Coe

Cat Eye Felidae Carnivore Small to medium-sized cats


My cat 'Pancakes' - my eyeglass holder! Just because I needed a picture!
You remind of the time I told someone I didn't have time to something and was told that wasn't true but rather I chose to use the time for something else.
 

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#8,720 ·
Odds and Ends

Another short post today. I promise when I get rolling on the new designs I will take more time to do some more in-depth posts. Lately life is just getting in the way of things. I know that happens though and I am just rolling with it.

I did a lot of odds and ends yesterday. Chipping away. If I am anything, I am patient. I understand that everything in this world can't be instant. I think that is one of the things that cause anxiety in people sometimes. Things keep moving faster and faster and we are so used to having everything done immediately that we forget how to be patient and allow things to come in their own time. Then we wonder why things are so stressful.

I did a lot of small things yesterday that needed to be done. But none of that would be interesting to you. It was a full day and a hot day and before I knew it, it was supper time.

I had intended to spend some of the day painting and relaxing and working on the next flower of my color wheel wreath, but I didn't really even begin that until after supper. That was fine by me though, as I feel that I accomplished a lot over the course of the day. Many of the little odds and ends that I did had been nagging me for a while and it was good to put them behind me.

I only spent a couple of hours painting, but they felt good. I am finding that this class is great for teaching mixing, and I like the style of teaching that Mary presents. She lays down the procedure for us then turns us loose to do our own thing. Our finished pieces don't have to look like cookie cutter replicas of hers.

That's one thing I like about painting. The variables. It scares some people away, but to me, it allows each piece to be unique and each artist to have their own style. Woodworking is so much more exacting. You follow a line and build a project and they all look pretty much identical when they are done. The wood itself gives the variance and character. I am sure that is why some woodworkers refuse to paint their pieces. I respect that.

The second piece in the color wheel was the Day Lily. It was the Orange-Yellow flower that followed the Yellow Wild Rose. I was pleased in the end with how it came out, but I am not so happy with my leaves. I think I was getting tired because they look over-blended and muddy a bit. Not as nice as on the first piece for sure. After fighting with it for a while, I did the smart thing and put it down. I dried the piece and I will give myself some time and go back and correct it later. I am sure that I will feel better about it then.

Here is an example of the piece - bad leaves and all :

Flower Petal Terrestrial plant Flowering plant Art


It isn't hideous but it isn't beautiful either. Especially the leaves. The important thing is that I mixed the colors nicely and that was my main goal in taking this class - to get a good grasp on mixing the values correctly.

Today I have to do several things. Among them is to try to get my dear Pancakes to the vet. The other day he tore a nail on his foot. Last night I noticed it is not looking right. It doesn't look infected or anything like that but it is out of place and there is dried blood on his foot. He doesn't favor it at all or lick it even, but I think I should have it looked at just to be sure. I don't know if I will be able to get in the vet though, and that means a traumatic trip with him to Yarmouth. I wouldn't want it to get infected though and I don't know enough about it to decide if it is OK. That will take up much of the day.

I have other errands also, so it will be busy. Hopefully all will work out for the best.

It is Friday already and another week is under our belt. It is cooler and raining - but it is a nice, gentle rain and is preferable to the heat of the past few days.

I hope you all have a good day today. Stay cool and be creative!
 

Attachments

#8,721 ·
Odds and Ends

Another short post today. I promise when I get rolling on the new designs I will take more time to do some more in-depth posts. Lately life is just getting in the way of things. I know that happens though and I am just rolling with it.

I did a lot of odds and ends yesterday. Chipping away. If I am anything, I am patient. I understand that everything in this world can't be instant. I think that is one of the things that cause anxiety in people sometimes. Things keep moving faster and faster and we are so used to having everything done immediately that we forget how to be patient and allow things to come in their own time. Then we wonder why things are so stressful.

I did a lot of small things yesterday that needed to be done. But none of that would be interesting to you. It was a full day and a hot day and before I knew it, it was supper time.

I had intended to spend some of the day painting and relaxing and working on the next flower of my color wheel wreath, but I didn't really even begin that until after supper. That was fine by me though, as I feel that I accomplished a lot over the course of the day. Many of the little odds and ends that I did had been nagging me for a while and it was good to put them behind me.

I only spent a couple of hours painting, but they felt good. I am finding that this class is great for teaching mixing, and I like the style of teaching that Mary presents. She lays down the procedure for us then turns us loose to do our own thing. Our finished pieces don't have to look like cookie cutter replicas of hers.

That's one thing I like about painting. The variables. It scares some people away, but to me, it allows each piece to be unique and each artist to have their own style. Woodworking is so much more exacting. You follow a line and build a project and they all look pretty much identical when they are done. The wood itself gives the variance and character. I am sure that is why some woodworkers refuse to paint their pieces. I respect that.

The second piece in the color wheel was the Day Lily. It was the Orange-Yellow flower that followed the Yellow Wild Rose. I was pleased in the end with how it came out, but I am not so happy with my leaves. I think I was getting tired because they look over-blended and muddy a bit. Not as nice as on the first piece for sure. After fighting with it for a while, I did the smart thing and put it down. I dried the piece and I will give myself some time and go back and correct it later. I am sure that I will feel better about it then.

Here is an example of the piece - bad leaves and all :

Flower Petal Terrestrial plant Flowering plant Art


It isn't hideous but it isn't beautiful either. Especially the leaves. The important thing is that I mixed the colors nicely and that was my main goal in taking this class - to get a good grasp on mixing the values correctly.

Today I have to do several things. Among them is to try to get my dear Pancakes to the vet. The other day he tore a nail on his foot. Last night I noticed it is not looking right. It doesn't look infected or anything like that but it is out of place and there is dried blood on his foot. He doesn't favor it at all or lick it even, but I think I should have it looked at just to be sure. I don't know if I will be able to get in the vet though, and that means a traumatic trip with him to Yarmouth. I wouldn't want it to get infected though and I don't know enough about it to decide if it is OK. That will take up much of the day.

I have other errands also, so it will be busy. Hopefully all will work out for the best.

It is Friday already and another week is under our belt. It is cooler and raining - but it is a nice, gentle rain and is preferable to the heat of the past few days.

I hope you all have a good day today. Stay cool and be creative!
Sheila that is lovely
I wish you stayed closer
We are in a heatwave. :)

Be well
Jamie
 

Attachments

#8,725 ·
Those In-Between Times

This week has seemed strange. I have been tying up a lot of loose ends, organizing and finishing up many things that have been hanging for a while. All bits and pieces.

It seems that I have been really busy, but have little to talk about or to show here.

I suppose that happens though, as every day can't be remarkable. By definition, the term remarkable means worthy of notice, unusual or extraordinary. I can't really say that anything here has been that. Just busy day-to-day things.

I have been writing my blog here for three years now almost on a daily basis. What started as a way to help my business has evolved into so much more than that. From it I have gained support, advice and most importantly - many wonderful friends.

There are days occasionally when I miss writing and I do miss the interaction with you all, too. I admit it is nice when you miss me when I don't write. It makes me feel like I am contributing to your day in a good way when I post here each morning. You all add a great deal to my life.

Right now in my life there are a couple of things going on though that I need to look after and think about. Just some sorting, I suppose. Perhaps I just need to take some time to watch the trees grow and the river flow by - even if it is only for a little bit. I am not really going anywhere, but rather just taking time to 'be' - without expectations or commitments. Those of you who know me know that these lulls don't happen often in my life. It just seems that all the stars have lined up that way and that instead of pushing things, I need to stop and listen and allow things to take their course.

Caring for ourselves this way is probably the most important thing we can do. Not only for ourselves, but for all of those around us. For when we find our own inner peace is when we are able to be our best to others.

I don't think I will be gone long. I have things that I want to do and ideas that I want to share. I just need some time in between to take a breath and think. I know you will all understand. :)

I'll still be lurking around my computer and commenting and such -but perhaps not so formally or as often as I normally do. I hope to find some time to get to the beach - as it is already the latter part of July and I have yet to go. We'll have to just see.

I wish you all a wonderful weekend. I hope you have fun and take time to enjoy the days as they come. Yesterdays come much too quickly.

I'll be back soon.

Water Cat Carnivore Wood Felidae


This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it. - Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882)
 

Attachments

#8,726 ·
Those In-Between Times

This week has seemed strange. I have been tying up a lot of loose ends, organizing and finishing up many things that have been hanging for a while. All bits and pieces.

It seems that I have been really busy, but have little to talk about or to show here.

I suppose that happens though, as every day can't be remarkable. By definition, the term remarkable means worthy of notice, unusual or extraordinary. I can't really say that anything here has been that. Just busy day-to-day things.

I have been writing my blog here for three years now almost on a daily basis. What started as a way to help my business has evolved into so much more than that. From it I have gained support, advice and most importantly - many wonderful friends.

There are days occasionally when I miss writing and I do miss the interaction with you all, too. I admit it is nice when you miss me when I don't write. It makes me feel like I am contributing to your day in a good way when I post here each morning. You all add a great deal to my life.

Right now in my life there are a couple of things going on though that I need to look after and think about. Just some sorting, I suppose. Perhaps I just need to take some time to watch the trees grow and the river flow by - even if it is only for a little bit. I am not really going anywhere, but rather just taking time to 'be' - without expectations or commitments. Those of you who know me know that these lulls don't happen often in my life. It just seems that all the stars have lined up that way and that instead of pushing things, I need to stop and listen and allow things to take their course.

Caring for ourselves this way is probably the most important thing we can do. Not only for ourselves, but for all of those around us. For when we find our own inner peace is when we are able to be our best to others.

I don't think I will be gone long. I have things that I want to do and ideas that I want to share. I just need some time in between to take a breath and think. I know you will all understand. :)

I'll still be lurking around my computer and commenting and such -but perhaps not so formally or as often as I normally do. I hope to find some time to get to the beach - as it is already the latter part of July and I have yet to go. We'll have to just see.

I wish you all a wonderful weekend. I hope you have fun and take time to enjoy the days as they come. Yesterdays come much too quickly.

I'll be back soon.

Water Cat Carnivore Wood Felidae


This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it. - Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882)
As some one said, stop and smell the roses, whether they be flowers, thoughts or feelings, somethings just
need to be enjoyed properly. Thank you for sharing and enjoy your journey.
 

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#8,735 ·
Checking In

I thought it was about time that I check in with all of you. It has been a rough couple of weeks for several people that I care very much about, and while I myself am doing OK, seeing people that I love and care about so much in pain has been very difficult.

It began with the passing of my dear friend Ellen's brother. Ellen is my friend Bernie's wife and I consider them my Canadian parents. From the moment I met them, they have taken me under their wing and have been with me through many difficult times in my life and have shown me love and caring and made me one of their family. I have been through many ups and downs in the past several years and one thing I knew even on the worst of days was that they would be there for me for anything that I needed. We have spent just about every holiday together in the last nine years since I came here to Canada, and although most of them I haven't been able to spend with my own children, I have always had them there. They let me know that the word 'family' goes way beyond blood lines. It was hard to see someone I loved so much in pain.

Another thing that I found out was that an artist friend of mine that I met through a wonderful painting site lost her entire home to a fire last Monday. Over the past two years, we (her painting friends) have witnessed the huge amount of love and work that she and her husband had put into renovating a beautiful house in Cape Cod. She had painted amazing wall murals, created an incredible studio to work from, and restored and displayed many family treasures that were irreplaceable.

The fire hit in the wee hours of the night, and fortunately she was in the studio awake with her dog (she is a night owl and works at night, and her husband was away at work also) and was able to get out in time with only the dog and her phone to call the fire department. Her house was completely destroyed including every piece of clothing, and everything she owned and she had little that was able to be salvaged. While we are all grateful that she is unharmed, she is devastated and it will be nearly a year until she can even think of returning there. I had never 'known' anyone who had lost everything so quickly like this, and seeing her struggle to cope and rebuild is difficult. But seeing the support and outpouring from her friends - both those who she has met in person, and those she has not - has been a beacon of light and has shown the good in people. It shows me that even in this messed up and troubled state that the world is in, there are so many kind and good people who care about others, no matter how many miles are between them. I know my friend will recover from this painful and terrible event and in the end be even stronger. But watching her struggles still hurts. I wish I could do more to help.

And finally, our own little family here is going through some struggles ourselves. Keith's dad has been fighting cancer for over a year and he has had some very rough times. I am not going to detail anything here because I don't feel that it is appropriate to do so, but it has consumed my of my thinking these past weeks, and it is nothing I want to really discuss. Some things are best kept private.

I have known Keith for about four and a half years now. We met at a very troubled time in my life and we immediately became friends. Because of the troubles I was having, I was afraid that some people would look down on me, but Keith's mom and dad accepted me from the first day they met me. As they got to know me, they looked through the difficulties and bad decisions that I had made in my life and have always made me feel cared for and loved and like one of the family. Even at our first Christmas together, Keith's mom - who always gave each of the family members a stocking filled with goodies - had one there for me. Each stocking had the name embroidered on it, and I was surprised to see that she had made one for me so I fit in. It made me feel accepted and loved and like one of the family.

I love Keith's family very much. They are small, but very close-knit and they are always there for each other. His mom and dad are wonderfully supportive, kind and we always know that they are there for us if we need them. I have written many times of the wonderful visits and dinners we share with them. We never seem to run out of things to chat about and we find a great deal of pleasure just visiting with them. That is how a family should be. I never wonder why he is the way he is, and why I care so much for him. I just look at his family and the answer is right there.

My heart has been so heavy these past days that I haven't even wanted to write. I know that many look up to me to be positive and look for the good in things. I am the queen of the pink cloud. But sometimes it is more difficult to find pink clouds among the grey. And some days I am just worn out.

But I miss you all, and I miss hearing from you and about your days. I have spent the last week or so lying low as far as the computer was concerned and just trying to get my own thoughts sorted out. I do think that is necessary, but I also think that being that way is a temporary thing. For me, anyway.

In the midst of all of this, I have been working on some new designs. They have been slow-going, but they are progressing and I hope to have something good to show you all by tomorrow.

I have found that creating has helped make me feel better. I get so many beautiful notes and letters from customers who appreciate my designs and show me how they use them or tell me stories of how the recipients of things designed by me enjoy them and it makes me very happy. You all know that I love what I do and if I am able to do something that not only sustains my living, but also brings a bit of joy to others, than I am one fortunate lady. There are so many things in my life I am grateful for.

I am going to spend the day today working on my new patterns. I figure that I will ease myself back into daily blogging as time and creativity permits. I have many ideas that I want to implement and I think that working on them and creating something that will hopefully bring joy and smiles to others will bring me back to a good place.

There are pink clouds ahead. It is just some days that we have to look a bit harder to find them. Even in art, you need the dark colors to contrast with the light colors to make things more beautiful and interesting. I find that going through some dark times truly makes me appreciate the light days in my life even more. You just need to be patient.

We all walk in the dark and each of us must learn to turn on his or her own light. - Earl Nightingale

Cloud Sky Atmosphere Ecoregion Afterglow
 

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#8,736 ·
Checking In

I thought it was about time that I check in with all of you. It has been a rough couple of weeks for several people that I care very much about, and while I myself am doing OK, seeing people that I love and care about so much in pain has been very difficult.

It began with the passing of my dear friend Ellen's brother. Ellen is my friend Bernie's wife and I consider them my Canadian parents. From the moment I met them, they have taken me under their wing and have been with me through many difficult times in my life and have shown me love and caring and made me one of their family. I have been through many ups and downs in the past several years and one thing I knew even on the worst of days was that they would be there for me for anything that I needed. We have spent just about every holiday together in the last nine years since I came here to Canada, and although most of them I haven't been able to spend with my own children, I have always had them there. They let me know that the word 'family' goes way beyond blood lines. It was hard to see someone I loved so much in pain.

Another thing that I found out was that an artist friend of mine that I met through a wonderful painting site lost her entire home to a fire last Monday. Over the past two years, we (her painting friends) have witnessed the huge amount of love and work that she and her husband had put into renovating a beautiful house in Cape Cod. She had painted amazing wall murals, created an incredible studio to work from, and restored and displayed many family treasures that were irreplaceable.

The fire hit in the wee hours of the night, and fortunately she was in the studio awake with her dog (she is a night owl and works at night, and her husband was away at work also) and was able to get out in time with only the dog and her phone to call the fire department. Her house was completely destroyed including every piece of clothing, and everything she owned and she had little that was able to be salvaged. While we are all grateful that she is unharmed, she is devastated and it will be nearly a year until she can even think of returning there. I had never 'known' anyone who had lost everything so quickly like this, and seeing her struggle to cope and rebuild is difficult. But seeing the support and outpouring from her friends - both those who she has met in person, and those she has not - has been a beacon of light and has shown the good in people. It shows me that even in this messed up and troubled state that the world is in, there are so many kind and good people who care about others, no matter how many miles are between them. I know my friend will recover from this painful and terrible event and in the end be even stronger. But watching her struggles still hurts. I wish I could do more to help.

And finally, our own little family here is going through some struggles ourselves. Keith's dad has been fighting cancer for over a year and he has had some very rough times. I am not going to detail anything here because I don't feel that it is appropriate to do so, but it has consumed my of my thinking these past weeks, and it is nothing I want to really discuss. Some things are best kept private.

I have known Keith for about four and a half years now. We met at a very troubled time in my life and we immediately became friends. Because of the troubles I was having, I was afraid that some people would look down on me, but Keith's mom and dad accepted me from the first day they met me. As they got to know me, they looked through the difficulties and bad decisions that I had made in my life and have always made me feel cared for and loved and like one of the family. Even at our first Christmas together, Keith's mom - who always gave each of the family members a stocking filled with goodies - had one there for me. Each stocking had the name embroidered on it, and I was surprised to see that she had made one for me so I fit in. It made me feel accepted and loved and like one of the family.

I love Keith's family very much. They are small, but very close-knit and they are always there for each other. His mom and dad are wonderfully supportive, kind and we always know that they are there for us if we need them. I have written many times of the wonderful visits and dinners we share with them. We never seem to run out of things to chat about and we find a great deal of pleasure just visiting with them. That is how a family should be. I never wonder why he is the way he is, and why I care so much for him. I just look at his family and the answer is right there.

My heart has been so heavy these past days that I haven't even wanted to write. I know that many look up to me to be positive and look for the good in things. I am the queen of the pink cloud. But sometimes it is more difficult to find pink clouds among the grey. And some days I am just worn out.

But I miss you all, and I miss hearing from you and about your days. I have spent the last week or so lying low as far as the computer was concerned and just trying to get my own thoughts sorted out. I do think that is necessary, but I also think that being that way is a temporary thing. For me, anyway.

In the midst of all of this, I have been working on some new designs. They have been slow-going, but they are progressing and I hope to have something good to show you all by tomorrow.

I have found that creating has helped make me feel better. I get so many beautiful notes and letters from customers who appreciate my designs and show me how they use them or tell me stories of how the recipients of things designed by me enjoy them and it makes me very happy. You all know that I love what I do and if I am able to do something that not only sustains my living, but also brings a bit of joy to others, than I am one fortunate lady. There are so many things in my life I am grateful for.

I am going to spend the day today working on my new patterns. I figure that I will ease myself back into daily blogging as time and creativity permits. I have many ideas that I want to implement and I think that working on them and creating something that will hopefully bring joy and smiles to others will bring me back to a good place.

There are pink clouds ahead. It is just some days that we have to look a bit harder to find them. Even in art, you need the dark colors to contrast with the light colors to make things more beautiful and interesting. I find that going through some dark times truly makes me appreciate the light days in my life even more. You just need to be patient.

We all walk in the dark and each of us must learn to turn on his or her own light. - Earl Nightingale

Cloud Sky Atmosphere Ecoregion Afterglow
Glad to have you back Sheila. Mornings haven't been the same. I just finished moving the wood shop and now have to set everything back up and wired so I can start cutting again. Not looking forward to that but it must be done and being retired gives me the needed time. This year has been so stressful for me and I need to get back into the swing of things and cutting does take my mind off of things. Say hi to Keith for me.
Rick
 

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#8,750 ·
Drawing and Adventures with Richard the Cat

First off - I want to thank you all for the nice warm welcome back. It feels good to know that so many of you missed my daily postings and that I am not just babbling on here to myself each day when I write. Although, sometimes I don't think that would be terrible, as somehow writing things down really helps me sort my thoughts and make a plan of action. In any case, I missed talking with many of you each day and it is good to be back in the swing of things.

I did get some drawing time in yesterday. I am working on a couple of series of designs that I think will be pretty nice. They will all be related, but they will be sold in sets of three designs per pattern. As usual my mind thinks of too many variations to be practical. So I just had to draw the line and pick a number out of the air and go from there.

I spent the past week working on the line drawings. Even though I only spent an hour or so here or there, I think I have what I need to make thing work how I see them in my mind. Now comes the fun part of assembling the pieces, and of course cutting the designs themselves.

I am still not ready to let you know what the entire idea is yet, but I did make a teaser of a portion of the design:

Vertebrate White Botany Organism Mammal


As you can see, it is going to be a bit of fun cutting. I hope it will be just enough detail so that even those new to the scroll saw will be able to successfully make it. I am beginning to get excited about them as they come together, and I am looking forward to seeing them finished and ready.

As I was minding my own business drawing, I began to notice that my cat Richard was showing signs of discomfort. He had gone into his box several times and at times gave a little cry. Now he is pretty vocal to begin with, so at first I thought nothing of it, but after several times in and out it dawned on me that he was having issues. He was also licking in between his visits which was much more than the general clean-up that cats do.

I mentioned this to Keith who was getting ready go out for a bit and he agreed that something was up. Of course it was Saturday afternoon and we wondered if we did run into trouble what our options would be. I called our usual vet but wasn't optimistic that they would be able to see him. Last week when Pancakes (our other cat) tore a nail from his foot, they gave a date to see him to be sometime in August. I have been nursing that ouchie by bathing it in a mix of peroxide and water, as per their instructions and thankfully it seems to be healing nicely.

But bowel issues are another story. Anyone who has had trouble in this area knows the pain and discomfort that accompanies not being able to evacuate, and a cat is no different. I called the vet and there was a message on their machine that in an emergency another vet, a little farther from town, would be on call. I copied the number "just in case" things got worse. The message stated that it would be a minimum $100 charge for them to see a pet in an emergency and anything that is done would be additional. Apparently they didn't want people jumping the gun and bringing in non-emergent pets just because they were impatient.

As the afternoon went on, I continued drawing, but Rich seemed to get worse. He was very unsettled and as time went on, he seemed more and more distressed. Finally, at about 5pm, I called the emergency number, as I didn't want things to go to the evening hours with no help. I was amazed at how NICE the vet was - even though I had bothered him on a Saturday afternoon - and he spent a good 10 minutes talking to me about the problem and trying to give a decent diagnosis over the phone. When all was said and done, we decided to wait it out a bit longer, but he told me not to hesitate to call back if the problem escalated. In the mean time, I was to give him some Vitamin C and some "Laxatone" to help him move the bowel. (The Vitamin C was actually to ward off urinary crystals, which was the main concern the vet had, as it could be very dangerous to him)

I took a ride to both the area pharmacies, which unfortunately both closed at 5pm. It was just after and I wished I had called a bit earlier. I returned home, and my neighbor Lee had said that vaseline could be used to help (administered orally) which I had also read. But that meant that it would need to go through the whole plumbing system to be effective.

When Keith returned, he was going to take me for a bit to eat. Just as we were leaving, we looked in on Rich and he was listless and didn't look good. Both of us were rather shocked at how he looked, and while it is hard to describe, as cat parents, we just KNEW he was in distress. I immediately called the vet back and he agreed to meet us at the office just out of Yarmouth. By then it was nearly 7pm and it would take us nearly an hour to get there.

Long story short, the vet arrived shortly after we did. He had to open the office up just for us and fortunately he was able to help Richard get things moving. Apparently it was an impacted bowel after all, and thankfully not the crystallization of his urine. The vet said this was much easier to treat, and much less dangerous. Richard did however have a fever, as infection already had started.

I'm not trying to gross anyone out with all this kitty poop stuff, but it was quite traumatic for all of us and it happens frequently in older cats. I suppose with having three cats that are all nearly 10 years old, I need to expect an occasional trip to the vet as they age.

I must say that I absolutely loved this vet. He obvious has a deep love for animals, as at no time whatsoever did he make me feel as if I was bothering him. Even with the first lengthy phone conversation he was patient and genuinely concerned for Rich (and he wasn't getting paid for that) Out of this distressing episode, I think I found a new place to take the 'babies.' When I mentioned about the long wait to bring in Pancakes regarding his foot, this vet seemed shocked that they wouldn't see him right away. They are located only five minutes further and are a smaller office, so perhaps they would be a better place to go.

Living in the country is wonderful and peaceful and beautiful, but it does have some disadvantages. When I lived in Chicago, all night emergency clinics were common and although they were a bit more expensive than the regular vet, they were at least available. I can't tell you how grateful I am that this doctor was available.

Rich was the perfect patient. Although we had a carrier, he sat curled up in my lap the whole time in the car. We didn't even need to put him in it in the office, as we were the only ones there. Even through the painful procedure, all he did was cry out a bit and then when it was finished, you could actually see the relief on his little furry face. Poor thing!

I found myself very emotional with the whole thing. I am sure that the other events going on have to do with that too. I feel fragile lately and don't want to travel far out of my own little space here. Perhaps it is my way of wanting to keep the world at bay.

So all is well this Sunday morning and we are back on track. Rich is sleeping comfortably and I am sure that he understands the process of getting him to the vet to help. He was good as gold the entire time.

I hope to do some drawing today and finish up at least the first phase of these designs. It is a foggy morning and much calmer than it has been of late. Perhaps it can remain that way.

I wish you all a wonderful Sunday.

Cat Carnivore Felidae Small to medium-sized cats Whiskers
 

Attachments

#8,751 ·
Drawing and Adventures with Richard the Cat

First off - I want to thank you all for the nice warm welcome back. It feels good to know that so many of you missed my daily postings and that I am not just babbling on here to myself each day when I write. Although, sometimes I don't think that would be terrible, as somehow writing things down really helps me sort my thoughts and make a plan of action. In any case, I missed talking with many of you each day and it is good to be back in the swing of things.

I did get some drawing time in yesterday. I am working on a couple of series of designs that I think will be pretty nice. They will all be related, but they will be sold in sets of three designs per pattern. As usual my mind thinks of too many variations to be practical. So I just had to draw the line and pick a number out of the air and go from there.

I spent the past week working on the line drawings. Even though I only spent an hour or so here or there, I think I have what I need to make thing work how I see them in my mind. Now comes the fun part of assembling the pieces, and of course cutting the designs themselves.

I am still not ready to let you know what the entire idea is yet, but I did make a teaser of a portion of the design:

Vertebrate White Botany Organism Mammal


As you can see, it is going to be a bit of fun cutting. I hope it will be just enough detail so that even those new to the scroll saw will be able to successfully make it. I am beginning to get excited about them as they come together, and I am looking forward to seeing them finished and ready.

As I was minding my own business drawing, I began to notice that my cat Richard was showing signs of discomfort. He had gone into his box several times and at times gave a little cry. Now he is pretty vocal to begin with, so at first I thought nothing of it, but after several times in and out it dawned on me that he was having issues. He was also licking in between his visits which was much more than the general clean-up that cats do.

I mentioned this to Keith who was getting ready go out for a bit and he agreed that something was up. Of course it was Saturday afternoon and we wondered if we did run into trouble what our options would be. I called our usual vet but wasn't optimistic that they would be able to see him. Last week when Pancakes (our other cat) tore a nail from his foot, they gave a date to see him to be sometime in August. I have been nursing that ouchie by bathing it in a mix of peroxide and water, as per their instructions and thankfully it seems to be healing nicely.

But bowel issues are another story. Anyone who has had trouble in this area knows the pain and discomfort that accompanies not being able to evacuate, and a cat is no different. I called the vet and there was a message on their machine that in an emergency another vet, a little farther from town, would be on call. I copied the number "just in case" things got worse. The message stated that it would be a minimum $100 charge for them to see a pet in an emergency and anything that is done would be additional. Apparently they didn't want people jumping the gun and bringing in non-emergent pets just because they were impatient.

As the afternoon went on, I continued drawing, but Rich seemed to get worse. He was very unsettled and as time went on, he seemed more and more distressed. Finally, at about 5pm, I called the emergency number, as I didn't want things to go to the evening hours with no help. I was amazed at how NICE the vet was - even though I had bothered him on a Saturday afternoon - and he spent a good 10 minutes talking to me about the problem and trying to give a decent diagnosis over the phone. When all was said and done, we decided to wait it out a bit longer, but he told me not to hesitate to call back if the problem escalated. In the mean time, I was to give him some Vitamin C and some "Laxatone" to help him move the bowel. (The Vitamin C was actually to ward off urinary crystals, which was the main concern the vet had, as it could be very dangerous to him)

I took a ride to both the area pharmacies, which unfortunately both closed at 5pm. It was just after and I wished I had called a bit earlier. I returned home, and my neighbor Lee had said that vaseline could be used to help (administered orally) which I had also read. But that meant that it would need to go through the whole plumbing system to be effective.

When Keith returned, he was going to take me for a bit to eat. Just as we were leaving, we looked in on Rich and he was listless and didn't look good. Both of us were rather shocked at how he looked, and while it is hard to describe, as cat parents, we just KNEW he was in distress. I immediately called the vet back and he agreed to meet us at the office just out of Yarmouth. By then it was nearly 7pm and it would take us nearly an hour to get there.

Long story short, the vet arrived shortly after we did. He had to open the office up just for us and fortunately he was able to help Richard get things moving. Apparently it was an impacted bowel after all, and thankfully not the crystallization of his urine. The vet said this was much easier to treat, and much less dangerous. Richard did however have a fever, as infection already had started.

I'm not trying to gross anyone out with all this kitty poop stuff, but it was quite traumatic for all of us and it happens frequently in older cats. I suppose with having three cats that are all nearly 10 years old, I need to expect an occasional trip to the vet as they age.

I must say that I absolutely loved this vet. He obvious has a deep love for animals, as at no time whatsoever did he make me feel as if I was bothering him. Even with the first lengthy phone conversation he was patient and genuinely concerned for Rich (and he wasn't getting paid for that) Out of this distressing episode, I think I found a new place to take the 'babies.' When I mentioned about the long wait to bring in Pancakes regarding his foot, this vet seemed shocked that they wouldn't see him right away. They are located only five minutes further and are a smaller office, so perhaps they would be a better place to go.

Living in the country is wonderful and peaceful and beautiful, but it does have some disadvantages. When I lived in Chicago, all night emergency clinics were common and although they were a bit more expensive than the regular vet, they were at least available. I can't tell you how grateful I am that this doctor was available.

Rich was the perfect patient. Although we had a carrier, he sat curled up in my lap the whole time in the car. We didn't even need to put him in it in the office, as we were the only ones there. Even through the painful procedure, all he did was cry out a bit and then when it was finished, you could actually see the relief on his little furry face. Poor thing!

I found myself very emotional with the whole thing. I am sure that the other events going on have to do with that too. I feel fragile lately and don't want to travel far out of my own little space here. Perhaps it is my way of wanting to keep the world at bay.

So all is well this Sunday morning and we are back on track. Rich is sleeping comfortably and I am sure that he understands the process of getting him to the vet to help. He was good as gold the entire time.

I hope to do some drawing today and finish up at least the first phase of these designs. It is a foggy morning and much calmer than it has been of late. Perhaps it can remain that way.

I wish you all a wonderful Sunday.

Cat Carnivore Felidae Small to medium-sized cats Whiskers
I have a soft heart for our pets also. They are your kids when the 2-legged ones leave the nest. We give our boys laxatone everyday to help with the hairballs. With as much as they like it, I've thought of takin some myself… lol. Hope your Sunday is gr8 with the same for the week ahead. :)
 

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#8,759 ·
Getting Back on Track

I must admit that I didn't get all that I wanted to get done yesterday. (There's a shocker!)

I did however made good head way and get things back on track though. It is funny how just being out of your regular routine for only a few days can cause so much upheaval. Not that it was terrible, but if let go, things could have certainly gotten out of hand.

We have a small place. And while I find it very adequate in size for the two of us, one thing about having a small area is that it is very quick to become cluttered if we aren't careful. In a way that is good though because it forces us to keep things to a minimum and to stay on top of things. Keith would like to move up to a larger place. While he likes it here, I think he feels we would do better with more room. I do respect that, but we both know that what we have here is not typical and that it would be very difficult to find such a nice place in such a beautiful location at the price we pay for rent. We are just fortunate and it is as simple as that.

About a month ago, a friend of ours who is relocating to work up north for three years asked us if we would house sit. He and his wife had just purchased a fairly large house a couple of months before, and they didn't want to leave it vacant while they were gone. While it was a larger place, it was an older home and much of their stuff would be left behind. It would have been difficult for us to move all of our stuff into their place and keep it separate from their things, and it would have been tricky.

One thing that I didn't really like was the fact that if they didn't like it there, they would have every right to come back (after all - it was their house) and we would have to find another place to stay. It was doubtful that our place here would still be available, and I didn't want to risk losing it. It was very kind of them to offer, as they knew we would some day like a full shop and more room, but I didn't want to risk a friendship on moving and honestly, I couldn't fathom the thought of moving right now. Besides, I am happy here and I find that we do fine with our smaller space. Larger spaces mean more to clean and more clutter can accumulate. I don't want that.

So I spent much of the day yesterday catching up on the house. There was laundry to do and general cleaning that had been neglected in the past several days. I find it amazing how just having a tidy place can make you feel so much better. So I spent much of the day doing that.

Richard is feeling much better. Although he slept most of the day, as cats do, his demeanor was much more relaxed. He is still not eating a great deal, but he is not a big eater to begin with. I am sure his tummy may still be a bit raw from the ordeal and from the medication he is on. We are going slow.

I did manage to get some drawing in later in the afternoon. I didn't get to finish the first phase, but I am close. Hopefully I will get to do so today.

Things will come eventually. I still need to spend some time painting too. Somehow in the last couple of weeks, my painting got put on the back burner. I can't let that happen, as I really want to be able to take some time in that direction.

Little by little things will fall into place. I need to remember to take things as they come and make the best of every situation that is presented. Everything has a way of working out for the best. It always does.

It's Monday and a new week is beginning. It is cool here for July, and thankfully the high humidity of last week seems to have passed. At least for the time being.

I hope you all have a good start to your week. I really look forward to seeing my designs finished. Perhaps I can begin cutting out my pieces soon. That is always such a pleasure.

I't time for me to get to it! Happy Monday!

Wheel Rolling Recreation Machine Vehicle


(Just a random vintage kitty image to start your week!)
 

Attachments

#8,760 ·
Getting Back on Track

I must admit that I didn't get all that I wanted to get done yesterday. (There's a shocker!)

I did however made good head way and get things back on track though. It is funny how just being out of your regular routine for only a few days can cause so much upheaval. Not that it was terrible, but if let go, things could have certainly gotten out of hand.

We have a small place. And while I find it very adequate in size for the two of us, one thing about having a small area is that it is very quick to become cluttered if we aren't careful. In a way that is good though because it forces us to keep things to a minimum and to stay on top of things. Keith would like to move up to a larger place. While he likes it here, I think he feels we would do better with more room. I do respect that, but we both know that what we have here is not typical and that it would be very difficult to find such a nice place in such a beautiful location at the price we pay for rent. We are just fortunate and it is as simple as that.

About a month ago, a friend of ours who is relocating to work up north for three years asked us if we would house sit. He and his wife had just purchased a fairly large house a couple of months before, and they didn't want to leave it vacant while they were gone. While it was a larger place, it was an older home and much of their stuff would be left behind. It would have been difficult for us to move all of our stuff into their place and keep it separate from their things, and it would have been tricky.

One thing that I didn't really like was the fact that if they didn't like it there, they would have every right to come back (after all - it was their house) and we would have to find another place to stay. It was doubtful that our place here would still be available, and I didn't want to risk losing it. It was very kind of them to offer, as they knew we would some day like a full shop and more room, but I didn't want to risk a friendship on moving and honestly, I couldn't fathom the thought of moving right now. Besides, I am happy here and I find that we do fine with our smaller space. Larger spaces mean more to clean and more clutter can accumulate. I don't want that.

So I spent much of the day yesterday catching up on the house. There was laundry to do and general cleaning that had been neglected in the past several days. I find it amazing how just having a tidy place can make you feel so much better. So I spent much of the day doing that.

Richard is feeling much better. Although he slept most of the day, as cats do, his demeanor was much more relaxed. He is still not eating a great deal, but he is not a big eater to begin with. I am sure his tummy may still be a bit raw from the ordeal and from the medication he is on. We are going slow.

I did manage to get some drawing in later in the afternoon. I didn't get to finish the first phase, but I am close. Hopefully I will get to do so today.

Things will come eventually. I still need to spend some time painting too. Somehow in the last couple of weeks, my painting got put on the back burner. I can't let that happen, as I really want to be able to take some time in that direction.

Little by little things will fall into place. I need to remember to take things as they come and make the best of every situation that is presented. Everything has a way of working out for the best. It always does.

It's Monday and a new week is beginning. It is cool here for July, and thankfully the high humidity of last week seems to have passed. At least for the time being.

I hope you all have a good start to your week. I really look forward to seeing my designs finished. Perhaps I can begin cutting out my pieces soon. That is always such a pleasure.

I't time for me to get to it! Happy Monday!

Wheel Rolling Recreation Machine Vehicle


(Just a random vintage kitty image to start your week!)
Sheila, I, too, long for more space. And know, that if I had it , would just fill it with more STUFF! My husband cringes if I point out an organizer while we are out shopping, a magazine article even! I think he knows it will never happen but I keep trying. He has even threatened to eliminate all flat surfaces in the house so I can't put anything down 'just for a second'! Ha! I have an intarsia project, my first, I've been procrasting on I need to just stop fretting over and get to. Hope to post it soon. Have a great Monday and week.
Candy
 

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#8,766 ·
Better Late Than Never

Today's post will be really, really quick! I was just beginning to write and a big storm came through our area. It went from light to dark very quickly and the rain came down in buckets for a bit. Naturally, I shut things down and unplugged them, as it wasn't worth the risk to keep online.

In any case, all has passed and it has calmed down and I am going to write quickly and briefly (Yes - I can!) just to tell you a couple of things that I wanted to share with you.

First of all - I was very excited yesterday when my friend Leldon hooked me up with a site that sold what they call "Scroll Saw Stick and Release" tape. This is double sided tape that is 8.5" wide and comes in two lengths - five foot and twenty foot. This will work perfect for applying your pattern easily and securely without any muss and fuss.

So many of my customers have come to me asking where to find it in the United States, and I was sorry to hear that the Double-Sided Dropcloth Tape that I had been using was not distributed there. Although this company is located in Ontario, Canada, they do ship to the United States for a very reasonable cost. I am going to try to get some as soon as I can and do a review on it as soon as possible. In the meantime, the company that has it is called Workshop Supply Online. The link to the tape specifically is here:

http://store.workshopsupply.com/catalogue/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=scroll+tape&x=-643&y=-31

They also carry a variety of other nice woodworking products and some Judy Gale Roberts and Olson Blades which are both high quality for great prices. This may be a good blade source for those blades here in Canada, as we usually have to order the Olson's from the United States. I will certainly update everyone as soon as I find more. I am looking into trying to organize another contest in Creative Woodworks and Crafts with them. Stay tuned . . .

On another subject, I did finish drawing my new patterns up and I began preparing them for cutting. I really am excited about these too, because they are looking pretty nice so far. You all know that my cutting days are sometimes my favorites, and I can't wait to see how this set of three plaques turns out:

Brown Botany Rectangle Textile Branch


As you can see, I already cut the frames and did the bevel cutting and routing. Now all I need to do is the scroll work and finishing. I think they will look nice.

So with that all said, I am going to get to it. I hope you have a nice day today and get some creative work squeezed into your busy lives.

Take care and have a great Tuesday!
 

Attachments

#8,767 ·
Better Late Than Never

Today's post will be really, really quick! I was just beginning to write and a big storm came through our area. It went from light to dark very quickly and the rain came down in buckets for a bit. Naturally, I shut things down and unplugged them, as it wasn't worth the risk to keep online.

In any case, all has passed and it has calmed down and I am going to write quickly and briefly (Yes - I can!) just to tell you a couple of things that I wanted to share with you.

First of all - I was very excited yesterday when my friend Leldon hooked me up with a site that sold what they call "Scroll Saw Stick and Release" tape. This is double sided tape that is 8.5" wide and comes in two lengths - five foot and twenty foot. This will work perfect for applying your pattern easily and securely without any muss and fuss.

So many of my customers have come to me asking where to find it in the United States, and I was sorry to hear that the Double-Sided Dropcloth Tape that I had been using was not distributed there. Although this company is located in Ontario, Canada, they do ship to the United States for a very reasonable cost. I am going to try to get some as soon as I can and do a review on it as soon as possible. In the meantime, the company that has it is called Workshop Supply Online. The link to the tape specifically is here:

http://store.workshopsupply.com/catalogue/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=scroll+tape&x=-643&y=-31

They also carry a variety of other nice woodworking products and some Judy Gale Roberts and Olson Blades which are both high quality for great prices. This may be a good blade source for those blades here in Canada, as we usually have to order the Olson's from the United States. I will certainly update everyone as soon as I find more. I am looking into trying to organize another contest in Creative Woodworks and Crafts with them. Stay tuned . . .

On another subject, I did finish drawing my new patterns up and I began preparing them for cutting. I really am excited about these too, because they are looking pretty nice so far. You all know that my cutting days are sometimes my favorites, and I can't wait to see how this set of three plaques turns out:

Brown Botany Rectangle Textile Branch


As you can see, I already cut the frames and did the bevel cutting and routing. Now all I need to do is the scroll work and finishing. I think they will look nice.

So with that all said, I am going to get to it. I hope you have a nice day today and get some creative work squeezed into your busy lives.

Take care and have a great Tuesday!
Oooo Layers! I have so many projects going on right now and I said I wasn't going to start anything new until they were finished. I feel my resolve weakening… A quick search showed http://www.scrolleronline.com/product/Scroll_Saw_Tape/820
Has the tape you mentioned in the USofA. Unfortunately it is on backorder :-(
Interested in hearing your evaluation of the tape. I currently cover the wood with painter's tape and spray adhesive the pattern to that.
OK, I'm off to the shop to get stuff DONE! Thanks for sharing Sheila!
 

Attachments

#8,772 ·
Doing What I LOVE to do!

After what seemed like an eternity that I have been away from the scroll saw, I was finally able to get back at it and do some cutting yesterday. You would think that being a designer, I would spend several days a week at the saw. But reality isn't quite like that, as there are so many aspects to running the business that takes up time (not to mention - the drawing part!) that it is only occasionally that I get to do so. Actual cutting is only a small piece of the puzzle - and one of my favorite pieces.

I have decided that these patterns will be sold as a set of three. I think that the related plaques can be nice as stand-alone projects, but look outstanding in a group. I also try to give my customers the most value for their money when purchasing my patterns, and I think that it will be a good idea to include three similar, yet different subject views.

I have several similar sets such as this on my mind and I would love to make them available as quickly as I can. I just have to buckle under and really get to work.

Yesterday I got all three of my frames/backers cut. I absolutely LOVE how they look:

Brown Textile Font Beige Material property


I used 1/2" thick maple for these pieces - which is one of my favorites! I love the really hard and tight grain of the maple, as it holds up beautifully to the delicate scroll work:

Brown Wood Creative arts Art Font


The pictures today are at the point where they are sanded. As you probably noticed on yesterdays' pictures, the router bit that I had used was dull (I grabbed the wrong one from my supply!) and it burned the edges a bit. It took a little bit of extra work, but I was able to sand out the burn marks using my orbital sander. I used 320 grit paper so I wouldn't wind up reshaping the routed edges, and it took a bit longer, but the results was great.

Today I am going to cut the overlay pieces, which will only take a short time. Then the real fun begins as I am going to finish these up in (of course) a couple of different ways. I have so many visions of how I can do these and I want to try to show at least a couple of them.

This is the best part of my job! (Oh! I say that about EVERYTHING, don't I?)

I also wanted to mention today that Stumpy Nubs posted a video yesterday in which Mustache Mike talked about choosing different scroll saw blades. (You can see it here: http://lumberjocks.com/StumpyNubs/blog/37095 ) I thought that it was a good approach to give an overview of this VAST subject. Because of the scroll saw's versatility, the blade selection can be a bit confusing for people. There are so many types and sizes that it can be very easy to be overwhelmed. But I liked that Mike said how most scrollers tend to settle into about 5-6 blade sizes as their favorites. I say this all the time and find it to be true. If you visit my site, you can see that Keith and I do a pretty good variety of different types of projects. However, we tend to use only about 4 sizes of blades:

#2/0 reverse tooth
#2 reverse tooth
#3 Mach speed reverse tooth
#5 reverse tooth or #5 PGT reverse tooth

We ALWAYS use Olson blades and highly recommend them. (And no - I don't get paid to endorse them!) I find that in the smaller sized blades such as this, they can't be beat for performance and accuracy. Many of the other brands work well in the larger sizes, but neither Keith nor myself can get the control from those blades as we do from the Olsons. We have tried with open minds to use other brands and have always come back to our Olsons. I get mine from the Wooden Teddy Bear . I don't get paid to endorse them either, although they do carry my patterns. But they are a great company and honest and have wonderful prices on Olson blades and fast and friendly service and I do recommend them to those of you who are looking for them.

Some people say they have trouble controlling the smaller blades. I often wonder if it is because they are using other brands that we have tried where yes - the small blades were difficult to control. For my designs that I am highlighting here, I used 1/2" maple and #2 reverse tooth scroll saw blades. Any larger blades would not allow me to get the fine details that I get with these blades:

Wood Art Font Tints and shades Pattern


The Olson blades make clean, sharp cuts and last a decent amount of time. They are reasonably priced, have pinpoint control and leave the edges beautifully smooth. What more can one ask for?

Today's agenda includes oiling and finishing these pieces, as well as the overlay. I hope by tomorrow I will have the finished plaques to share with you all. I am rather proud of them. :)

It is a beautifully sunny day and the temperatures are perfect - cool but not too much so. I hope you all have a wonderful day and have fun doing something creative. I know I am looking forward to it.

Happy Wednesday!
 

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#8,773 ·
Doing What I LOVE to do!

After what seemed like an eternity that I have been away from the scroll saw, I was finally able to get back at it and do some cutting yesterday. You would think that being a designer, I would spend several days a week at the saw. But reality isn't quite like that, as there are so many aspects to running the business that takes up time (not to mention - the drawing part!) that it is only occasionally that I get to do so. Actual cutting is only a small piece of the puzzle - and one of my favorite pieces.

I have decided that these patterns will be sold as a set of three. I think that the related plaques can be nice as stand-alone projects, but look outstanding in a group. I also try to give my customers the most value for their money when purchasing my patterns, and I think that it will be a good idea to include three similar, yet different subject views.

I have several similar sets such as this on my mind and I would love to make them available as quickly as I can. I just have to buckle under and really get to work.

Yesterday I got all three of my frames/backers cut. I absolutely LOVE how they look:

Brown Textile Font Beige Material property


I used 1/2" thick maple for these pieces - which is one of my favorites! I love the really hard and tight grain of the maple, as it holds up beautifully to the delicate scroll work:

Brown Wood Creative arts Art Font


The pictures today are at the point where they are sanded. As you probably noticed on yesterdays' pictures, the router bit that I had used was dull (I grabbed the wrong one from my supply!) and it burned the edges a bit. It took a little bit of extra work, but I was able to sand out the burn marks using my orbital sander. I used 320 grit paper so I wouldn't wind up reshaping the routed edges, and it took a bit longer, but the results was great.

Today I am going to cut the overlay pieces, which will only take a short time. Then the real fun begins as I am going to finish these up in (of course) a couple of different ways. I have so many visions of how I can do these and I want to try to show at least a couple of them.

This is the best part of my job! (Oh! I say that about EVERYTHING, don't I?)

I also wanted to mention today that Stumpy Nubs posted a video yesterday in which Mustache Mike talked about choosing different scroll saw blades. (You can see it here: http://lumberjocks.com/StumpyNubs/blog/37095 ) I thought that it was a good approach to give an overview of this VAST subject. Because of the scroll saw's versatility, the blade selection can be a bit confusing for people. There are so many types and sizes that it can be very easy to be overwhelmed. But I liked that Mike said how most scrollers tend to settle into about 5-6 blade sizes as their favorites. I say this all the time and find it to be true. If you visit my site, you can see that Keith and I do a pretty good variety of different types of projects. However, we tend to use only about 4 sizes of blades:

#2/0 reverse tooth
#2 reverse tooth
#3 Mach speed reverse tooth
#5 reverse tooth or #5 PGT reverse tooth

We ALWAYS use Olson blades and highly recommend them. (And no - I don't get paid to endorse them!) I find that in the smaller sized blades such as this, they can't be beat for performance and accuracy. Many of the other brands work well in the larger sizes, but neither Keith nor myself can get the control from those blades as we do from the Olsons. We have tried with open minds to use other brands and have always come back to our Olsons. I get mine from the Wooden Teddy Bear . I don't get paid to endorse them either, although they do carry my patterns. But they are a great company and honest and have wonderful prices on Olson blades and fast and friendly service and I do recommend them to those of you who are looking for them.

Some people say they have trouble controlling the smaller blades. I often wonder if it is because they are using other brands that we have tried where yes - the small blades were difficult to control. For my designs that I am highlighting here, I used 1/2" maple and #2 reverse tooth scroll saw blades. Any larger blades would not allow me to get the fine details that I get with these blades:

Wood Art Font Tints and shades Pattern


The Olson blades make clean, sharp cuts and last a decent amount of time. They are reasonably priced, have pinpoint control and leave the edges beautifully smooth. What more can one ask for?

Today's agenda includes oiling and finishing these pieces, as well as the overlay. I hope by tomorrow I will have the finished plaques to share with you all. I am rather proud of them. :)

It is a beautifully sunny day and the temperatures are perfect - cool but not too much so. I hope you all have a wonderful day and have fun doing something creative. I know I am looking forward to it.

Happy Wednesday!
Sheila,

First and foremost, fantastic designs! I will most certainly be ordering a set of these - they would look fantastic as a grouping on a wall.

With that said, I have a suggestion for cutting on these. It sounds strange, but here is how I would cut these…...

I would start with a #1 spiral blade and cut everything down to just before the sharp corners. Then I would insert a #1 or #2 reverse blade and very quickly be able to do all the corners.

I know this sounds like twice the work, but you would be amazed at how much easier using a spiral blade for 95% of your cutting can be!

Try it one time and decide for yourself.

Oh yeah - two thumbs up on The Wooden Teddy Bear for blades! I order all of mine from there as well - never had an issue and the shipping is cheap and fast!

Cheers!

-bob
 

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