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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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#2,927 ·
Switching Gears

After working on something that has consumed me so much for the past several days, it seems strange to finally have it completed. Even though the time I had spent on the previous project was really only about a week, it seems quite a bit longer because of the hard time I was having with it.

Someone said the other day how they like to just sit back and admire their finished projects for a bit after they are done, and I find myself kind of doing that. Even though I had completed a much larger set last year, I think I am training my mind to accept this newer and smaller version.

I did opt with putting a coat of fine glitter glaze on the pond and snow banks under the skaters yesterday. This isn't the kind of glitter that you used in kindergarten, it is a very finely ground breed that is suspended in a clear acrylic base. It gives a subtle iridescent shimmer that ice has and after brushing on a single coat of it, I was satisfied. I didn't re-take any of the pictures, as it is so subtle that you would not see the difference, but it was a nice final touch that brought the piece to completion.

The day was warm and sunny and pleasant yesterday. It was lower 80's F (about 26 C) and there was a gentle breeze. My partner's parents had an anniversary on Thursday and we went out on Friday night to celebrate it with a fine dinner. As a gift to them, we decided to detail their SUV, as they were looking for a place to have it done. We felt it was better than giving a gift of something that would sit around and gather dust.

They own a Ford Escape that is about four years old and they maintain it properly, but it needed a good cleaning and freshening up. Originally, we had planned to do it today, but the forecast was calling for showers and yesterday was just beautiful. It was one of those times to take advantage of the day.

We headed over there with our Rigid shop vac and bucket of cleaners and spent a couple of hours giving it a complete going over. It was kind of fun actually. They live on a hill across the main highway overlooking the ocean and it was fun to visit and it made us happy to see how much they enjoyed it. More then once they said how hard it would have been for them to climb into and around the vehicle to clean it. They are both getting a bit older and Keith's mom and dad both have knee problems. It was nice to do something for them that they really did appreciate. They spent almost the entire time we were cleaning sitting out with us and chatting, and I feel like they liked that part of the gift as much as the cleaning. I know I enjoyed it.

When we were finished, the car looked showroom new. It really made them happy. It was the perfect gift for them, as they have just about anything they want. After we were done with the explorer, I did a quick vacuum of my own car and cleaned it inside and out. I hadn't done a thorough job on it since before we went to the US.

All in all it was a great day of changing gears. We came home tired and got some sun, fresh air and exercise too. And we made some people very happy.

Getting away like that once in a while is good for the soul. You don't have to sit on a beach and drink iced tea to feel relaxed. There are many ways to clear your mind and refresh.

The next few weeks, I hopefully will kick into high gear with the last of my Christmas designing for the catalogs. Of course I will be making more holiday stuff for my own site, but the deadline for the big fall catalog that comes out the beginning of September is in a few weeks at the beginning of July. It will be my chance to get those patterns out that people can use for their craft fair projects and such, and is traditionally one of the most important catalogs of the year for me.

I am tying up loose ends on my patterns today. I still need to write the instructions for the shell candle tray I designed the week before last (it seems longer ago than that!) Then tomorrow I will send off this project once and for all to the Artist's Club.

It is overcast today, but still and calm out. I am happy that I took my day in the sun yesterday. Sometimes you just have to let nature dictate your schedule.

Have a wonderful Sunday!
 
#2,928 ·
Ever now and then you need a change and getting outside enjoying the weather is great . I think you gave Keith parents a great gift detailing there SUV is a chore . We have a Ford explore and know it is not a quick job your going to do it a few minutes.
Happy Anniversary to Keith's parents ! May they have plenty more joyful years .
Wishing you the best of luck with the Artist's Club.
It be overcast today here to today . That is ok I have several projects started in the garage. maybe I can get a few done and off the list .
Have a productive day , but have fun doing it .
 
#2,930 ·
Designing at a Variety of Levels

The day is just starting and already it looks to be a good one. Even though it is kind of gloomy out and raining, I feel good about it and I feel like I am going to accomplish a lot.

Sometimes when we do the most work, we don't seem to have much to show for it - at least on the surface. Planning something out and sorting out the details frequently takes longer than making the projects themselves. At least for me it does.

I have a busy month ahead of me. The next few weeks will be spent working on projects for the early September catalog. Traditionally, that is one of the biggest in terms of mailings. It is the first big introduction of all the new holiday items that people would want to make to sell at upcoming craft shows. Many are returning to their shops at this time of year after summer breaks when the weather is too warm to work and summers' activities take prescient over sawdust. It is definitely one of the biggest times of the year.

As I contemplate what I will be working on for these issues, I realize that the type of designing I do really depends on what time of year it is too. I am not speaking of the obvious holiday designs, but of the difficulty of the designs themselves.

As a designer, it is natural that I would want every item to be a masterpiece. When I first began submitting to magazines and working for wholesalers, I always pushed for a higher and higher level of design. That is fine and should be the way it is, but it comes to a point where there is a need to tone things down a bit so that what I design is more streamlined to make. There are levels of projects that are suitable for different applications and I need to be aware of that.

In thinking about it, I have broken it down to three levels basic levels of projects that are in demand.

First of all, there is a more basic level. These projects are those that are sought after by people who make them to resell. They need to be eye-catching and innovative, and stand out at craft fairs, but they shouldn't be something that is extremely difficult or takes hours to make. Many of them are holiday themed or used for decorations, so they can't be something that is needs to be sold for a great deal of money. The perfect project at this level is something that is quick to make, relatively inexpensive, and able to be produced in quantity.

The next level of project is one that will be made for gifts. This type of project can be a bit more involved, and also take a bit more time to create. Many of these are for personal gifts, so if completing one item took even a couple of days, that would be fine. I find that it is the hobbyist who does woodworking on the weekend and loves to give away their projects to friends and family. They don't mind spending a little extra money or time on making things, as the goal is not monetary, but rather the satisfaction of creating something themselves to offer as a present.

The third level of projects is for the woodworker who creates simply for the joy of creating. They have no intention of selling their what they make, and find the biggest satisfaction in the challenge itself. To those woodworkers, the more detailed and intricate the project, the better. They seek out projects that are beautifully designed and are in no hurry whatsoever to finish them.

Most woodworkers are a mix of two or more of these types, I believe, and there is no set boundaries which define them. And some projects can also fit comfortably into more than one category, depending on many different factors. However, being aware of what my customers will be using the patterns for will help tremendously in deciding just how detailed to make a particular design.

Yesterday my partner Keith made a couple of mini- candle tray designs. These are smaller versions of the trays that I make for the large jar candles and will accommodate both votive candles and tea lights. As I watched him draw, I thought to myself how simple the design was. In my mind, it was almost too simple and lacked a certain amount of detail.

However, I usually keep my thoughts to myself on his designs unless asked, and this time was no different. I went along with my business and did my own thing and he continued to finish the drawing and proceeded to the saw to cut them out.

In a matter of a couple of hours, he was finished, and I was pleasantly surprised at how attractive the two trays were. They were beautiful in their design and simplicity, and looked far better in reality then they did on paper. I am happy for him, because I feel in my heart that they will be good sellers. In my own mind, I admitted to myself that yes, I was wrong.

One of the best things that I found about having a partner is the added dimension that he brings to the business. Working with someone not only adds to the output of the business, but more importantly it adds to the dimension of the business. It allows us to look at things from another 's perspective first hand and inspires us in directions that we would not be able to explore on our own. Given the right formula, it is a wonderful thing for a company and an individual.

Keith's simple, yet beautiful designs got me thinking about the days ahead and which direction I want my own designs to be in. Being aware of your audience is imperative if you are to be successful in selling to them. You need to be able to fill their needs, not just your own need to create, in order to be able to offer them something that they desire. It could make a huge difference in your business.

I appreciate having a partner such as Keith who brings so much to the business. It has done wonders to have a fresh set of eyes and ideas and has helped both directly and indirectly in so many aspects. If anything, it shows me another point of view on many things that I may not have considered in the past, and helps me expand my own thinking.

So with that in mind, I will continue to work on my designs for the upcoming catalog. I am going to try to do things at a variety of levels so that I can have something that will appeal to each of the types of customers I have. It is also much more fun for me as a designer to mix things up and do different things. It keeps me fresh and excited about what I do. And that, I believe , is a good thing.

Have a great Monday!
 
#2,931 ·
great insight sheila

the hardest part for me in my work

as i live alone

is the amazing joy i feel
when something is revealed along the way

and there is no one to share it with
sure the finished product is shown

but it's the small visions and gifts
i receive that bring so much joy
 
#2,934 ·
On to Something New (finally!)

I woke up this morning and knew exactly what I wanted to do. I like when that happens. It is a good way to start the day. Especially at these "in between" times when I am finishing off one project and looking to start another.

Yesterday I did the final proof reading and packaged up the project to be shipped to Washington state for the catalog. You would have thought I had it all behind me, but I was still picking at it and making sure everything was all right. I also wanted to wait to take a couple more pictures of it finished before I let it go out the door.

I had the day to myself here yesterday and kept it quiet. Unfortunately it was also one of those days when I had a headache that wouldn't quit. I don't know what brought that on. It was annoying though and it interfered with me getting as much done as I wanted to.

I had made a run out early in the day. I needed to do errands and go to the bank and post office and stop for some milk. I left as soon as I knew things were open because I wanted to be back and make some headway. When I got to the bank, I realized that I left the two orders that needed to be mailed out on the kitchen table at home. Brilliant. It was going to be one of those days.

At least I had already emailed the customers the patterns they ordered over the weekend to get them started. We are having a "rolling postal strike" here in Canada so who knows when they would receive their orders. On a good day it takes forever. I always like to say that they strap the mail to the beaver and point him in the right direction and give him a shove. Sometimes he dallies along the way. This time he is mad about something but I don't want to get into that. You all know that I don't talk politics here which may be one of the reasons you keep coming back. :)

In any case, I felt quite foolish about leaving it when I had just spent the previous hour preparing the patterns and envelopes to ship out. Where was my head anyway?

Keith decided to take a run to Bernie's to plane some wood. He designed some outstanding ornaments over the weekend and needed some maple for them planed to a certain thickness. For the first time I really didn't want to go with him. I had other things on my agenda and needed them to be put behind me.

I needed to do the final proof reading of the pond set and get everything to be boxed up to ship. Is it me, or is this taking a million times longer than it should to get out the door? You are all probably so sick of reading about it. Maybe it is cursed after all.

I read through everything and packed everything up carefully so Mr. Beaver wouldn't do any damage. Actually, I chose to ship it with Purolator, as I find them reliable and fast (and many times they cost less than the Beaver!) Their set up is actually pretty slick. I do everything on line and schedule a pick up (at no additional charge) and they come right to my door and zap it with their magic wand and I can track it as it is rolling out of the driveway. Slick!

For someone like me who lives away from town and doesn't drive in the winter, it is quite a good service. I have never had them lose or damage a package either. And the cost, as I said is very competitive. Cheers to another good company that still does a decent job!

After once again going over the pattern with a fine tooth comb (or so I thought) I emailed it to my friend in England who paints and has generously offered to proof read it for me. Steve has been a wonderful help to me, as Leldon has been to me regarding my woodworking patterns. It is amazing how after reading something over and over, you allow your mind to just skim things and not absorb what you are reading or seeing.

I always feel quite stupid when I receive things back from them after proof reading for me. Especially when I am really trying to do it right. I suppose it takes a special amount of trust and humility to give your work to someone to proof read. I mean, I usually have a somewhat decent grasp of the English language, but somehow when I am reading something over and over like this, things just seem to get by me.

In writing this blog every day, I kind of just type off the top of my head. Many times it is even before the first drips of coffee reach my veins (egads!) and my eyes are still half-closed. Sometimes I go back later on and re-read what I put here if someone asks a question or something like that, but what you read here is pretty much a raw copy. I have noticed silly little things too, like I don't always hold down the shift key hard enough when typing the word "I". My eyes aren't what they used to be and I don't always catch it until later on in the day if I do by chance re-read things. I should probably make the print larger on the screen, but then I have to slide the page all the time and I am too lazy to do that (besides - then the cats will realize that I am old and think I am feeble too and try to get away with more than they already do!) So we will just struggle through my poor typing together.

When I received word back from Steve last night, he had found no less than seven errors in the pattern. Geeze! I felt like a dummy! I had even gone so far as to seal the box up with a copy of the pattern in it because I was so confident that it was "perfect" (I am smiling as I type this at my own foolishness!) By then, Keith was back and while correcting those errors, he and I went over, line by line, the entire pattern and made some more corrections and adjustments along the way.

I reprinted a good copy, cracked open the box and put the new and "more perfect" copy inside. Hopefully they won't find anything else wrong with it. But just to be sure, I am not printing the 72 copies until I hear from them that it is OK to do so.

I called for the pickup this morning and it should be out of my place here and on its way by noon. That is always a milestone for me - sending the packages on their way. It helps me 'let go' of the project emotionally. I have done what I can and did the best job I knew how and now it is out of my hands. We'll see . . .

So I woke up this morning and had a thought of what I needed to do today. Actually it was something that I thought of a few weeks ago when I did the shell candle tray, but it hadn't quite materialized in my mind. Today, it was sitting there, plain as day and I am going to jump in right away and start it.

It is a blessing because sometimes these in-between times are like dead air and switching gears from one design to another doesn't come easily. It isn't a difficult design, but as I said yesterday, it doesn't necessarily have to be to look nice and be a good one. I think it will be quite popular.

I am very grateful to Steve and Leldon for helping me proofread my work. They are both kind to help me out and don't make me feel (too) stupid. Both have made the finished products look infinitely better. I truly appreciate them.

Time for me to get to work. I am excited about the new things I will be working on and can't wait to get at them. It is a great place to be for me.

Have a great Tuesday!
 
#2,935 ·
We don't mind your "raw copies" that you post here. At least you post in an actual language we understand. Actually everyone here does. There are some site I frequent that I have to often go google little abbreviations to figure out what some people are talking about. That gets dangerous too. I have googled some phrases out of my own ignorance of the matter, and well, let's just say that some things can never be unseen. I much more prefer people who post blogs such as your in a language we all understand. It makes it feel more like a conversation.
You say you left that package on the table after all your careful preparations? I've done things like that. Actually, I do things like that more often than I care to admit. My wife calls them my brain farts.
I once drove all the way to Jackson, MS (30-40 miles away) to return an item to a store there. Can you imagine my surprise when I got there and the part I was returning was not in my truck? Wanna guess where it was?
 
#2,938 ·
New Designs and Challenges

Ahh, the smell of sawdust and the quiet sound of the Excalibur humming . . . It's going to be one of those days!

I love my work. (Yes - I know! I was a little whiny in getting that last project out the door! It passed though.) One of the best things about what I do is the great deal of variety that comes with the territory.

One of my greatest horrors would be to do a job that is the same every day, where you need to preform the same tasks over and over again and have no interaction with people. I know that some people like things like that, and that is OK. It's just not for me.

I suppose that is why I choose the job I have. There are so many hats that I need to wear and even when things are going smoothly, there is always another adventure just around the corner. Adventures make life exciting and fun. They let you know you are alive and give you purpose. They get you out of bed each morning wondering what the day will bring. And after years of juggling things around, I think I have learned to take life as it comes. "Expect the unexpected" and all that.

Some people tell me that they don't know how I stay motivated and disciplined. They tell me that they would never be able to be self-employed because of the uncertainty. I never argue with them. For by them just asking me indicates to me that it isn't for them.

Uncertainty is a great motivating factor. At least for me it is. Nothing lights a fire under me like wondering if something would 'fly' or not. I think I do some of my best work when I am unsure about things. For that is the time when I tend to stretch a little bit further and try a little bit harder to make things works.

Being certain about your success can sometimes bring on complacency. I think that complacency can be a real killer in any business. (I know this from experience) Several years ago I had a series of patterns that did phenomenal. It was one of those fluke things where they caught on like wildfire and everyone had to have them. The orders piled in so fast I could barely keep up with them. I had little time to design because it seemed all I did was print orders and go to the post office to mail them.

I suppose you couldn't call it "beginners luck" because I was already working on designing for a number of years, but it sure felt good when it did happen. Being younger and more naive about these things, I thought it would go on forever. It wasn't that I did nothing, but I will admit to you that I perhaps didn't really try hard to push myself to higher levels. There was the little arrogant part of me that thought in the back of my mind that whatever designs I produced from then on would be accepted and people would rush to buy them. I had "made it" and the struggle was over.

How foolish I was in thinking that way!

The next several years were those of learning for me. And the lessons were not easy. One of the most important lessons that I learned was that effort is directly related to success. (No effort = no success) Now I am the first to admit that I am not the swiftest when it comes to formulas, but even I can grasp that concept, and I can tell you first hand that it is the case more so than not. The effects don't always come immediately (in fact, usually they don't) but I think I am pretty safe in saying that there is a definite co-relation between how a business performs and what effort we put into it. I find this makes or breaks many a business.

Which brings me back to myself.

I have now learned that when I have done something successful, the proper reaction on my part should not be to slow down and rest on my laurels, but to work even harder. I have retrained myself to feed on the small successes I have achieved and to learn from them and to allow them to fuel me to want to do and create even more. Besides - slowing down is no fun anyway. It is to me, boring and unappealing.

Did you ever notice that the most successful people are the ones who are the most enthusiastic and work the hardest? That isn't by chance, my friends, that is a reason. How many times have we seen someone with lots of money and success and say to ourselves "Gee - if I had his/her money, I would be at the beach everyday" (or at the golf course, or whatever you want to fill in the blank with.) I believe that is just the reason why ththose people are not there, and probably never will be unless they have a rich uncle who leaves them the family fortune.

I love the fact that there are so many true artists here on this site. Nothing inspires me more then to see an amazing creation made by someone, only to see them try to top it in the next few weeks. We have all seen it here and know what I am talking about. We never seem to hear those passionate people complain about their lack of success. They do what they do for the love of doing it and for their own satisfaction first. And that is why they continue to stand above the rest of the crowd.

Now I know you can't pay the bills or eat satisfaction. It takes a certain mix of circumstances to make it work. There are many factors in life that contribute to the formula and it is only up to you as to whether you can find the right combination to make it work for you. It is a personal choice and one that you need to consider long and hard before making any decisions on. Like any job, it isn't for everyone.

With that said, I have a good day ahead of me. I spent yesterday drawing not one, but two new designs. It was one of those days where things were flowing and one design kind of led to another version which was similar, but distinctly different. In any case, I felt they both warranted completing. Thus, I created two separate patterns.

So today I will be happily cutting with my Excalibur and making sawdust. I also want to cut the little charms from the previous shell candle tray that I didn't complete and get that finished. Funny how I got side tracked with that one. I suppose that life just got busy.

I also want to mention that I didn't forget about the scroll saw class that I will be teaching here soon. I felt that I didn't want to overlap with some of the other classes that were going on, as I thought perhaps that it would overload others that were participating in them. But I talked to MsDebbie and she made the point that since everything would be in blog format and easy to retrieve and follow for any late comers, it would be fine to start. So be it.

I wish you all a wonderful day today and hope you find peace and happiness in creating.
 
#2,939 ·
Sounds like your on a roll 2 patterns and your off to the saw today .
Being self employed is not as easy as some may think. You have your good weeks and your bad weeks . Then there is weeks were you are so busy you don't know what end is up.
 
#2,941 ·
Two New Designs

Finally it is a day when I woke up to a clear sky and sunshine. It has been quite overcast and rainy for the past several days. I think the last time it was sunny out was Saturday when I washed the car. I have been waiting for a bright day so I can take some pictures of the latest projects with some natural light. Usually I use artificial light, but I like to experiment with both, as some things just look better with natural light. One day I will have to get some photography lights, but not right now. I can't believe that I went to the States and completely forgot to look into getting a light tent like many of you have shown me in previous blogs. I suppose I will have to put it on the list of "things to do" when the time comes. It just isn't now.

I had a fine day of cutting yesterday and once again really enjoyed my saw. What a difference having the right tool makes! I never knew how much I was struggling until I moved up to this saw. (Or maybe I am just getting better!)

I cut two new designs out yesterday. Again, I thoroughly enjoyed my time making sawdust. There is something so relaxing about working on the scroll saw that is hard to explain. When I cut, I look at it as removing one piece of material at a time. Little by little the finished design reveals itself. To me, it is like watching a butterfly emerge from its cocoon. It is funny how it never really looks the same on paper as it does when it is cut. It is quite surprising sometimes. I can't tell you how many times things look only mediocre on paper and once cut, take on an entire new personality.

I suppose that is why I like wood so much. You can take the same design and cut it from several different kinds of wood and achieve something that is completely different. Wood choice is important, and when designing I often have an idea in my mind as to which species I will be using.

I discovered that my own wood supply is deficient in some areas. While I have lots of some species, I need to replenish some others. I can see a trip to Halifax on the horizon in the not too distant future. That will be an entirely new adventure, as now Keith my partner is involved in turning pens. I am sure that our agenda will shift to finding some interesting things for him to use also.

I haven't had a go at the lathe as of yet. I know that many of you have cheered me on to giving it a try, and I do intend to do so one day. But for now with everything that is on my plate, I just don't feel that it is the right time to add another distraction/direction to my repertoire. I need to stay focused on what I have to do right now for my business before I can take on something else. I would rather do less things properly than spread myself too thin and make a mess of everything. The time will come and I will know when it is here, but it just isn't now.

Back to the trays . . .

I did two styles of trays with a horse/western theme. I have been wanting to do one with horses for some time now (as I said, the list of ideas is still long!) and I began by just drawing them up. I had gone through many pictures and photographs as I always do and in the process came up with several ideas for attractive trays.

The first one was a classic running pack of horses (they call them packs, don't they?) As I indicated the other day, I wanted to do a couple of simpler designs that one would be able to cut fairly quickly. I thought the silhouette of these animals was adequate and I choose not to adorn the edges of the trays with lots of extra cuts and designs. I wanted the horses themselves to be the stars of this project. Here is a section of the finished cutting:

Wood Table Creative arts Natural material Gold


I was somewhat disappointed when I went to fetch the walnut for this from my stash here, as I didn't have any. I did, however, come across this wood that I acquired which is called "roasted birch". Apparently they actually roast this wood to achieve the dark, rich colour. Last autumn when we were at the new place for wood, I saw it and thought I would get some and give it a try. I understand because of the roasting process, it is very stable and resisted warping. This has proven to be true, because the piece was dead-flat. On the down side, it is a bit brittle because of the dryness of it. However, with the tighter grain that is characteristic of birch, it still held together well.

I didn't like the smell however when cutting it, as it was quite strong and smelled as if it was burning as I was cutting it. I suppose that should be expected because of the process of roasting it, but I didn't care for that very much.

On the positive side however, the colour was dark and rich and even. It's just the look I wanted for this piece. It will be nice to see how it looks once oiled and finished. It promises to look even richer.

The second piece I did, I decided to use some sepele that I had. I am a fan of most mahogany and its derivative species. It is suitable for many projects that I make and I really like the warm, almost cinnamon color. It is a pleasure to work with too, as it cuts beautifully and is fairly sturdy with its tight, even grain. However, the piece I had was slightly warped which proved to be a slight challenge when spinning it around to cut the details of the piece.

Fortunately there were no disasters to report and everything went pretty much according to plan. Here is a small sample of the finished cutting for this piece:

Wood Sculpture Fawn Art Creative arts


Both these pieces need to be sanded and oiled today. I also need to make a couple of adjustments in my pattern drawings so that people are able to easily cut them. There were a few instances where I drew the legs too thin or other details too small and I needed to adjust while I was cutting so that the pieces would be strong. I now need to go back and redraw some of these changes on the pattern. I also need to cut the small charm pieces which will hang from the top of the candle jars. It seems that I tend to do these last.

It will be a busy day and it will be very satisfying to see these designs come to life. I am pleased with them so far, and it gives me confidence that I don't have to make a design with 300 cuts to be attractive. I look forward to seeing them finished.

Have a great day!Two
 

Attachments

#2,942 ·
Two New Designs

Finally it is a day when I woke up to a clear sky and sunshine. It has been quite overcast and rainy for the past several days. I think the last time it was sunny out was Saturday when I washed the car. I have been waiting for a bright day so I can take some pictures of the latest projects with some natural light. Usually I use artificial light, but I like to experiment with both, as some things just look better with natural light. One day I will have to get some photography lights, but not right now. I can't believe that I went to the States and completely forgot to look into getting a light tent like many of you have shown me in previous blogs. I suppose I will have to put it on the list of "things to do" when the time comes. It just isn't now.

I had a fine day of cutting yesterday and once again really enjoyed my saw. What a difference having the right tool makes! I never knew how much I was struggling until I moved up to this saw. (Or maybe I am just getting better!)

I cut two new designs out yesterday. Again, I thoroughly enjoyed my time making sawdust. There is something so relaxing about working on the scroll saw that is hard to explain. When I cut, I look at it as removing one piece of material at a time. Little by little the finished design reveals itself. To me, it is like watching a butterfly emerge from its cocoon. It is funny how it never really looks the same on paper as it does when it is cut. It is quite surprising sometimes. I can't tell you how many times things look only mediocre on paper and once cut, take on an entire new personality.

I suppose that is why I like wood so much. You can take the same design and cut it from several different kinds of wood and achieve something that is completely different. Wood choice is important, and when designing I often have an idea in my mind as to which species I will be using.

I discovered that my own wood supply is deficient in some areas. While I have lots of some species, I need to replenish some others. I can see a trip to Halifax on the horizon in the not too distant future. That will be an entirely new adventure, as now Keith my partner is involved in turning pens. I am sure that our agenda will shift to finding some interesting things for him to use also.

I haven't had a go at the lathe as of yet. I know that many of you have cheered me on to giving it a try, and I do intend to do so one day. But for now with everything that is on my plate, I just don't feel that it is the right time to add another distraction/direction to my repertoire. I need to stay focused on what I have to do right now for my business before I can take on something else. I would rather do less things properly than spread myself too thin and make a mess of everything. The time will come and I will know when it is here, but it just isn't now.

Back to the trays . . .

I did two styles of trays with a horse/western theme. I have been wanting to do one with horses for some time now (as I said, the list of ideas is still long!) and I began by just drawing them up. I had gone through many pictures and photographs as I always do and in the process came up with several ideas for attractive trays.

The first one was a classic running pack of horses (they call them packs, don't they?) As I indicated the other day, I wanted to do a couple of simpler designs that one would be able to cut fairly quickly. I thought the silhouette of these animals was adequate and I choose not to adorn the edges of the trays with lots of extra cuts and designs. I wanted the horses themselves to be the stars of this project. Here is a section of the finished cutting:

Wood Table Creative arts Natural material Gold


I was somewhat disappointed when I went to fetch the walnut for this from my stash here, as I didn't have any. I did, however, come across this wood that I acquired which is called "roasted birch". Apparently they actually roast this wood to achieve the dark, rich colour. Last autumn when we were at the new place for wood, I saw it and thought I would get some and give it a try. I understand because of the roasting process, it is very stable and resisted warping. This has proven to be true, because the piece was dead-flat. On the down side, it is a bit brittle because of the dryness of it. However, with the tighter grain that is characteristic of birch, it still held together well.

I didn't like the smell however when cutting it, as it was quite strong and smelled as if it was burning as I was cutting it. I suppose that should be expected because of the process of roasting it, but I didn't care for that very much.

On the positive side however, the colour was dark and rich and even. It's just the look I wanted for this piece. It will be nice to see how it looks once oiled and finished. It promises to look even richer.

The second piece I did, I decided to use some sepele that I had. I am a fan of most mahogany and its derivative species. It is suitable for many projects that I make and I really like the warm, almost cinnamon color. It is a pleasure to work with too, as it cuts beautifully and is fairly sturdy with its tight, even grain. However, the piece I had was slightly warped which proved to be a slight challenge when spinning it around to cut the details of the piece.

Fortunately there were no disasters to report and everything went pretty much according to plan. Here is a small sample of the finished cutting for this piece:

Wood Sculpture Fawn Art Creative arts


Both these pieces need to be sanded and oiled today. I also need to make a couple of adjustments in my pattern drawings so that people are able to easily cut them. There were a few instances where I drew the legs too thin or other details too small and I needed to adjust while I was cutting so that the pieces would be strong. I now need to go back and redraw some of these changes on the pattern. I also need to cut the small charm pieces which will hang from the top of the candle jars. It seems that I tend to do these last.

It will be a busy day and it will be very satisfying to see these designs come to life. I am pleased with them so far, and it gives me confidence that I don't have to make a design with 300 cuts to be attractive. I look forward to seeing them finished.

Have a great day!Two
these would fit right in here in Kentucky at the Derby
 

Attachments

#2,946 ·
"Roasted Birch" - a New Discovery for Me

I love when I am so excited about work that I can't wait to get out of bed to start the day. It may sound silly to some of you, but it does happen a lot lately. I was lying in bed thinking about the new projects and I couldn't wait to finish working on them today.

What has got me all worked up, you ask? It seems that I have stumbled upon a type of wood that I had never worked with before and used it out of necessity and now that the project is finished, I absolutely love it.

You may have heard of it before. It is called "roasted birch" and it is actually yellow birch that is heated to over 300 degrees which turns it a deep brown in color, as well as stabilizes it. In my latest project, I was hoping to use some walnut for the running horses tray, as I wanted a dark brown wood, but I was disappointed to find that I didn't have any pieces here that were suitable. In going through my stock, I came across this piece of roasted birch that I had purchased the last time we were in Halifax last autumn. I had obtained it from the new place we tried, Halifax Specialty Hardwoods and had totally forgotten about it. Their description about it is here.

It certainly looked like walnut, although I thought it felt a bit lighter (less density). It would certainly be a bit more fragile than walnut due to its dryness, but the design that I planned to make was not that intricate and I believed it would tolerate it well.

In cutting and working with it, I found it to be very easy. It was stable and had remained dead flat, which I am sure is due to the dryness from the roasting process. I must say though that when cutting it, it had the smell of - well - burnt wood. The saw dust was also very fine, which was also I am sure due to the dryness. It cut and routed beautifully though, with no surprises whatsoever.

When I took the teaser picture for yesterdays' post, I thought that the colour looks very close to that of the other tray that I had made, which was sepele mahogany. It was slightly darker, with a little less grain I thought and more of an even dark brown tone to it. I did crack the edge of the tray in one place, although I didn't break the piece all the way off. This does happen sometimes, and I thought it would be no biggie - I would just glue it and continue on.

When I applied the CA glue to the joint, the wood immediately darkened to almost black. I tend to be conservative on using glue and such, but I did need to use a little more, as I could see the wood was absorbing it like a sponge. No worry though, by being patient and holding it for a few minutes the joint held and caught. I went on to do other things for a bit before I continued.

I was a bit too hasty in making the tray, as I should have used my 1/3 sheet Makita orbital sander on the wood prior to cutting to get rid of the final planer marks and start off smooth. I usually do this, but it was raining that day and I suppose I was lazy. I find it isn't usually a problem for me to sand after scrolling, as long as I don't use a coarse grit sandpaper, which could catch on the delicate edges of more intricate fretwork. In this case I felt the wood would hold up well and I would be fine.

So I sanded this tray with 220 paper without incident. It sanded very quickly (again, due to the dryness) and it had an odd almost shimmer to it. I showed Keith how it almost looked iridescent, which I thought was strange. The spot where I had applied the glue had darkened the wood to almost black, and I hoped that it would blend in once oiled.

I chose to use my favorite finish - mineral oil and then spray shellac - to finish both of these trays. The sun was bright and it was beautifully warm out and I took my kitty Pancakes on the deck with me to work on the pieces. Unlike most people, I do like the finishing process, as it seems to unlock another level of beauty in the wood. It is a thrill to see the character and figure of the wood emerge as I apply the oil finish. This tray was no exception.

I use a shallow cake pan and first dip the piece in about 1/2" of oil. I then use a medium course paint brush to gently work the oil into the sides of the pieces. With fretwork such as this, it is imperative to take your time and tread lightly so not to snap off a piece. I then use 600 grit paper and work the oil into the surface of the piece by hand, again working slowly and gently. This gives it a warm and polished look and really works it into the pores.

I sat on the deck for maybe an hour working on these two pieces. The sepele tray came out beautiful too, but I couldn't help but be in awe of the fantastic color the roasted birch turned out to be. It was a deep, dark almost blackish brown that at first glance resembled ebony. Even when Keith walked by, he said "wow!" I suppose that the best way I could describe the look was that of piano keys. It had that soft and satiny blackness with a tight and even grain. I just loved it.

I noticed that as soon as I put additional oil on it, it sucked it in like a sponge. Again, I am sure it is from the drying and roasting process. I allow the two trays to sit for a couple of hours, and then sprayed them with several thin coats of shellac. The results was amazing.

Never mind the designs, but these were two of the prettiest trays I have made I think. I knew though that it would be a challenge to photograph them properly and by the time they were ready for it, the sun was already going down and the long, deep shadows of the late afternoon were upon me. I would need to wait until today to take my photographs.

However, I did go out on the deck this morning and at least get some quick pictures to show you. I don't think that they are too bad, but I know I can do better later.

First, here is the Running Horses roasted birch tray:

Tableware Dishware Automotive tire Serveware Rim


It seems the shellac put a bit more of a shine on it than usual. Perhaps it just shows that way because of the darkness of the wood. Here is a more detailed look at it:

Horse Hood Grey Wood Working animal


And finally, here is the tray sitting on top of the piece prior to finishing. I hope you can see how much darker it became when oiled and finished.

Wood Silver Rim Auto part Circle


It is hard to believe it is the same piece.

And here is a picture of the sepele tray:

Brown Wood Art Circle Metal


And its detail:

Brown Wood Fawn Creative arts Font


I have always liked the rich color of sepele, too. The shimmery grain is deep and rich and also looks quite attractive.

All in all it was a great day. I also finished up the little charms on the shell tray with the pearls. I am going to be taking final pictures of all of these projects today, as well as finishing the pattern packets for them all to get them on the site. I hope to have a site update done by the weekend with all of our new things.

The finishing process is something that I find to be so satisfying. It pains me to see nicely made things with poor finishes or sometimes even no finish. Unfortunately, I see lots of that in scroll sawing. A year or so ago, I may have just slapped on some polyurethane spray when I was done cutting and called it a day. But after joining here on the site and seeing the difference a good finish makes with projects, I have learned that taking a little time to finish things properly goes a long way to making them look professional. The oil/shellac combination I frequently use works so well with the intricate fretwork that I do and it is fairly quick and easy and brings the pieces up to a higher level.

I have enough of this roasted birch for one more tray and also a piece that is approximately 3/16" thick which will be nice for a box or ornaments or even jewelry. I plan to get more the next time we are in Halifax, as I think it is a wonderful alternative to something like ebony when dark wood is desired for a fraction of the cost.

I hope you enjoyed seeing it.
 

Attachments

#2,947 ·
"Roasted Birch" - a New Discovery for Me

I love when I am so excited about work that I can't wait to get out of bed to start the day. It may sound silly to some of you, but it does happen a lot lately. I was lying in bed thinking about the new projects and I couldn't wait to finish working on them today.

What has got me all worked up, you ask? It seems that I have stumbled upon a type of wood that I had never worked with before and used it out of necessity and now that the project is finished, I absolutely love it.

You may have heard of it before. It is called "roasted birch" and it is actually yellow birch that is heated to over 300 degrees which turns it a deep brown in color, as well as stabilizes it. In my latest project, I was hoping to use some walnut for the running horses tray, as I wanted a dark brown wood, but I was disappointed to find that I didn't have any pieces here that were suitable. In going through my stock, I came across this piece of roasted birch that I had purchased the last time we were in Halifax last autumn. I had obtained it from the new place we tried, Halifax Specialty Hardwoods and had totally forgotten about it. Their description about it is here.

It certainly looked like walnut, although I thought it felt a bit lighter (less density). It would certainly be a bit more fragile than walnut due to its dryness, but the design that I planned to make was not that intricate and I believed it would tolerate it well.

In cutting and working with it, I found it to be very easy. It was stable and had remained dead flat, which I am sure is due to the dryness from the roasting process. I must say though that when cutting it, it had the smell of - well - burnt wood. The saw dust was also very fine, which was also I am sure due to the dryness. It cut and routed beautifully though, with no surprises whatsoever.

When I took the teaser picture for yesterdays' post, I thought that the colour looks very close to that of the other tray that I had made, which was sepele mahogany. It was slightly darker, with a little less grain I thought and more of an even dark brown tone to it. I did crack the edge of the tray in one place, although I didn't break the piece all the way off. This does happen sometimes, and I thought it would be no biggie - I would just glue it and continue on.

When I applied the CA glue to the joint, the wood immediately darkened to almost black. I tend to be conservative on using glue and such, but I did need to use a little more, as I could see the wood was absorbing it like a sponge. No worry though, by being patient and holding it for a few minutes the joint held and caught. I went on to do other things for a bit before I continued.

I was a bit too hasty in making the tray, as I should have used my 1/3 sheet Makita orbital sander on the wood prior to cutting to get rid of the final planer marks and start off smooth. I usually do this, but it was raining that day and I suppose I was lazy. I find it isn't usually a problem for me to sand after scrolling, as long as I don't use a coarse grit sandpaper, which could catch on the delicate edges of more intricate fretwork. In this case I felt the wood would hold up well and I would be fine.

So I sanded this tray with 220 paper without incident. It sanded very quickly (again, due to the dryness) and it had an odd almost shimmer to it. I showed Keith how it almost looked iridescent, which I thought was strange. The spot where I had applied the glue had darkened the wood to almost black, and I hoped that it would blend in once oiled.

I chose to use my favorite finish - mineral oil and then spray shellac - to finish both of these trays. The sun was bright and it was beautifully warm out and I took my kitty Pancakes on the deck with me to work on the pieces. Unlike most people, I do like the finishing process, as it seems to unlock another level of beauty in the wood. It is a thrill to see the character and figure of the wood emerge as I apply the oil finish. This tray was no exception.

I use a shallow cake pan and first dip the piece in about 1/2" of oil. I then use a medium course paint brush to gently work the oil into the sides of the pieces. With fretwork such as this, it is imperative to take your time and tread lightly so not to snap off a piece. I then use 600 grit paper and work the oil into the surface of the piece by hand, again working slowly and gently. This gives it a warm and polished look and really works it into the pores.

I sat on the deck for maybe an hour working on these two pieces. The sepele tray came out beautiful too, but I couldn't help but be in awe of the fantastic color the roasted birch turned out to be. It was a deep, dark almost blackish brown that at first glance resembled ebony. Even when Keith walked by, he said "wow!" I suppose that the best way I could describe the look was that of piano keys. It had that soft and satiny blackness with a tight and even grain. I just loved it.

I noticed that as soon as I put additional oil on it, it sucked it in like a sponge. Again, I am sure it is from the drying and roasting process. I allow the two trays to sit for a couple of hours, and then sprayed them with several thin coats of shellac. The results was amazing.

Never mind the designs, but these were two of the prettiest trays I have made I think. I knew though that it would be a challenge to photograph them properly and by the time they were ready for it, the sun was already going down and the long, deep shadows of the late afternoon were upon me. I would need to wait until today to take my photographs.

However, I did go out on the deck this morning and at least get some quick pictures to show you. I don't think that they are too bad, but I know I can do better later.

First, here is the Running Horses roasted birch tray:

Tableware Dishware Automotive tire Serveware Rim


It seems the shellac put a bit more of a shine on it than usual. Perhaps it just shows that way because of the darkness of the wood. Here is a more detailed look at it:

Horse Hood Grey Wood Working animal


And finally, here is the tray sitting on top of the piece prior to finishing. I hope you can see how much darker it became when oiled and finished.

Wood Silver Rim Auto part Circle


It is hard to believe it is the same piece.

And here is a picture of the sepele tray:

Brown Wood Art Circle Metal


And its detail:

Brown Wood Fawn Creative arts Font


I have always liked the rich color of sepele, too. The shimmery grain is deep and rich and also looks quite attractive.

All in all it was a great day. I also finished up the little charms on the shell tray with the pearls. I am going to be taking final pictures of all of these projects today, as well as finishing the pattern packets for them all to get them on the site. I hope to have a site update done by the weekend with all of our new things.

The finishing process is something that I find to be so satisfying. It pains me to see nicely made things with poor finishes or sometimes even no finish. Unfortunately, I see lots of that in scroll sawing. A year or so ago, I may have just slapped on some polyurethane spray when I was done cutting and called it a day. But after joining here on the site and seeing the difference a good finish makes with projects, I have learned that taking a little time to finish things properly goes a long way to making them look professional. The oil/shellac combination I frequently use works so well with the intricate fretwork that I do and it is fairly quick and easy and brings the pieces up to a higher level.

I have enough of this roasted birch for one more tray and also a piece that is approximately 3/16" thick which will be nice for a box or ornaments or even jewelry. I plan to get more the next time we are in Halifax, as I think it is a wonderful alternative to something like ebony when dark wood is desired for a fraction of the cost.

I hope you enjoyed seeing it.
I like the roasted birch. I'd never heard of that before. As a matter of fact, I had to go back and do a double take on the post title today. I actually got a good night's sleep last night and haven't downed my first pot of coffee yet. I thought the title read, "roasted bird". Then in the third paragraph, I linked "roasted bird" with "latest project", and I, wait, WHAT THE HELL?
I'm sorry. I thought you may like to share in my eye opening awaking this morning. Normally the coffee does the trick. This morning it took the mental image of you trying to roast a bird to burned, charred, crisp, and trying to scroll a project with it. I have no idea where my mind was going with that one. I guess I thought you were making one of a kind compound cut chess pieces.
Hold one. I don't care if it's through dripping or not. I gotta have some coffee.
That's better.
I love the roasted birch. It looks like ebony from the photo I looked at above. Does heating it like that effect the way it cuts? After heating it, does the wood have a charcoal quality, that rubs off on your hands? These are the immediate questions I have on this one. Other than that, it is beautiful and possibly something I may want to try one day.
Nice job.
 

Attachments

#2,957 ·
My Turn for a Tool Gloat

Yesterday I had some errands to run. On the way home, we saw that our lumber yard and hardware place was having its annual yard sale this weekend. In the past, we have found some OK bargains there. Lots of what was on sale was stuff that we didn't find very useful, but once in a while there was something good there. In any case, we figured it was worth it to stop by and take a look.

They had a tent that had a variety of smaller tools on sale. There were a couple of drill presses - one floor model and a table top one - that were a bit better than the one I had now. It would have been nice with Keith's new found hobby of pen turning to have a much bigger one, but with the limited amount of space we have here, we talked it over and decided to pass on it. Besides, we had other ideas as far as drill presses were concerned.

What I did find was a great deal on a set of drill bits. Now I have a really good set of brad bits from Lee Valley that I have had for several years and use constantly and I also have a decent set of some high speed regular bits that has also served me well. I keep both sets in good shape and I am not missing any bits from either. So why, you may ask, did I purchase this set?

Because it really is quite cool!

It cost me only $55 and consisted of the following:

A sturdy carrying and storage case for everything. . .

Audio equipment Gadget Electronic instrument Gas Multimedia


In the top section, there are all kinds of masonry bits, spade bits, countersinks and some nail sets:

Gas Office equipment Machine Electronic device Home appliance


The middle section contains a large variety of titanium coated high speed bits and also a large variety of screw driver bits to use with our cordless drill.

Office equipment Gas Composite material Metal Rectangle


What I like about the drill bits is that instead of them all being different sizes, there are up to 3 or 4 of each size. This way if you lose or break one, or if it loses its edge, you still have spares. The variety of sizes is pretty much standard so you aren't getting a lot of odd sizes that aren't normally used. This makes more sense to me for my purposes.

The bottom section contains a huge selection of regular bits, and also a huge selection of brad point bits. Again, there are many of the same bits in standard sizes.

Gas Art Office equipment Metal Composite material


Overall, it is a candy store of bits and a great set. I realize that it probably isn't the absolute highest quality set you can buy, but for someone like me I think it is pretty cool. Since I am not a contractor and am pretty easy on my stuff, they should do a fine job for me. Considering a couple of weeks ago, I spent $25 on an EMPTY storage case of this size that isn't nearly as strong, and that my small bits cost me about $5 for two bits, I am certain I will get my $55 worth out of this set.

Those of you who read regularly know that I love being organized and it is really awesome for me to have everything I need for drilling in one compact case. I am just thrilled with my acquisition! (I suppose it doesn't take much to make me happy!)

We spent the rest of the day working on the new stuff and making plans for getting the drill press in order. We have some good ideas for working Keith's dad's drill press into our little shop area. His dad just retired a couple of months ago and we are thinking of swapping with him for our smaller press, as he won't be needing his heavier duty one anymore. But I will keep you up to date on that later.

I hope you liked seeing my silly tool gloat. It is a great find and I am sure I will have years of fun using it.
 

Attachments

#2,958 ·
My Turn for a Tool Gloat

Yesterday I had some errands to run. On the way home, we saw that our lumber yard and hardware place was having its annual yard sale this weekend. In the past, we have found some OK bargains there. Lots of what was on sale was stuff that we didn't find very useful, but once in a while there was something good there. In any case, we figured it was worth it to stop by and take a look.

They had a tent that had a variety of smaller tools on sale. There were a couple of drill presses - one floor model and a table top one - that were a bit better than the one I had now. It would have been nice with Keith's new found hobby of pen turning to have a much bigger one, but with the limited amount of space we have here, we talked it over and decided to pass on it. Besides, we had other ideas as far as drill presses were concerned.

What I did find was a great deal on a set of drill bits. Now I have a really good set of brad bits from Lee Valley that I have had for several years and use constantly and I also have a decent set of some high speed regular bits that has also served me well. I keep both sets in good shape and I am not missing any bits from either. So why, you may ask, did I purchase this set?

Because it really is quite cool!

It cost me only $55 and consisted of the following:

A sturdy carrying and storage case for everything. . .

Audio equipment Gadget Electronic instrument Gas Multimedia


In the top section, there are all kinds of masonry bits, spade bits, countersinks and some nail sets:

Gas Office equipment Machine Electronic device Home appliance


The middle section contains a large variety of titanium coated high speed bits and also a large variety of screw driver bits to use with our cordless drill.

Office equipment Gas Composite material Metal Rectangle


What I like about the drill bits is that instead of them all being different sizes, there are up to 3 or 4 of each size. This way if you lose or break one, or if it loses its edge, you still have spares. The variety of sizes is pretty much standard so you aren't getting a lot of odd sizes that aren't normally used. This makes more sense to me for my purposes.

The bottom section contains a huge selection of regular bits, and also a huge selection of brad point bits. Again, there are many of the same bits in standard sizes.

Gas Art Office equipment Metal Composite material


Overall, it is a candy store of bits and a great set. I realize that it probably isn't the absolute highest quality set you can buy, but for someone like me I think it is pretty cool. Since I am not a contractor and am pretty easy on my stuff, they should do a fine job for me. Considering a couple of weeks ago, I spent $25 on an EMPTY storage case of this size that isn't nearly as strong, and that my small bits cost me about $5 for two bits, I am certain I will get my $55 worth out of this set.

Those of you who read regularly know that I love being organized and it is really awesome for me to have everything I need for drilling in one compact case. I am just thrilled with my acquisition! (I suppose it doesn't take much to make me happy!)

We spent the rest of the day working on the new stuff and making plans for getting the drill press in order. We have some good ideas for working Keith's dad's drill press into our little shop area. His dad just retired a couple of months ago and we are thinking of swapping with him for our smaller press, as he won't be needing his heavier duty one anymore. But I will keep you up to date on that later.

I hope you liked seeing my silly tool gloat. It is a great find and I am sure I will have years of fun using it.
Nice find !
Though it may seem like an overkill of bits, there will be a day you need a particular one.
Like how often do you drill concrete ? Doesn't matter….if you ever need to you have the bit.
I think this set is going to come in handy for you, congratulations !

Lisa
 

Attachments

#2,967 ·
I'm Starting to Plan the Scroll Saw Class

As some of you may know, I have been asked to do a class on scroll sawing to present it here on Lumberjocks. I think that this will be a great way to introduce people to scroll sawing and get involved. Many of you that I have talked to already have a scroll saw sitting in the corner of your shop that is seldom used. I have had many requests as to instruction on how to use it properly, as well as blade choice, etc.

As with many things that I do, in thinking about the class it is sometimes difficult for me to keep things simple. Probably the biggest challenge that I will have will be to sort things through and put them in an order that everyone can understand and follow. It isn't that it is rocket science. It is simply that we need to learn to walk before we run and I want to be sure that I am not going to jump ahead too quickly and lose people.

With anything such as this, there will certainly be many different correct ways to accomplish things. I like to think that whatever feels comfortable for people (and is safe) is what is right for them. Just because it works for me doesn't necessarily mean that it will feel comfortable to someone else. Comfort is important because in order to relax and have fun, we need to feel comfortable.

Another thing that I have been thinking about is the use of videos in teaching. I think they will be very helpful and important in the learning process. However, I do need to respect that there are many people who are still on dial-up and have trouble accessing videos. I don't want to leave them out. This is probably the most difficult part to sort out in my mind regarding the classes. I want others to be able to jump in at any time (perhaps even years later) and still learn from what I am going to teach.

I also have some concerns as to how teach the preparation issues such as tensioning the saw blade. There are only two models of scroll saws that I have direct access to - the Dewalt and the Excalibur - and there are many other brands out there. One of the basics of being able to cut correctly on a saw is having the proper blade tension. The other main problem I hear from people is proper blade installation. Again, my resources are limited here so I will only be able to demonstrate on these two models.

I do have an idea about those issues, however. I have a friend in Iowa who owns literally hundreds of scroll saws (some people collect stamps, Rick collects scroll saws) and he has a wonderful, comprehensive site explaining a lot about many many of the scroll saws on the market, as well as older saws. I think I am going to ask him if I can refer people to his site if they have questions regarding their own saw. It may seem like I am passing the buck, but I find that has been one of the biggest mental blocks that I have and would definitely solve that problem.

Since there are so many different techniques and details that I want to show, I have decided that the best way to teach them is to do a random mix of several different ornaments. In essence, each ornament will be a little "mini-project" and will focus on a different technique. That way, people will be able to use small pieces of wood and scraps that for the most part will be laying around their shops. Also, if mistakes are made and the pieces don't come out just right, the risks and investment is rather low and people can just try again.

There are many other benefits to doing things this way too, as opposed to all of us making one big project. If someone is already competent in a particular skill, they can just skip that week's lesson and wait until the next. This is also true for anyone who doesn't really enjoy a particular type of cutting. We all have our favorite types of cutting and it will be easy to opt out of doing something that we aren't particularly fond of without having to leave the entire class. You will be able to jump right back in on the next lesson and not miss anything.

I always say that designing and creating is 99 percent organization and 1 percent execution. The same will be true for this class. I want to think it through properly and have a plan that will make sense for everyone to follow so we aren't just jumping all over the page and confusing everyone. Unlike with most woodworking where the cutting is quite straight forward and the trick is usually in the assembly, in scroll sawing it is quite the opposite. On many pieces made with the scroll saw, the cutting is the art itself.

I enjoy the scroll saw so much because it is such a versatile tool. There is much more that it can be used for besides making fretwork plaques. I hope that people can find it to be an indispensable tool in their shop and that working though these classes with me will inspire some wonderful ideas to enhance their every day wood working.

In teaching this class, I believe that I will also be inspired. I have been wanting to do some sort of book or set of instructional videos for quite a while now, and getting my thoughts organized in order to teach this class may be just the push I need to go ahead with those plans. I think it will be good for all of us.

So look forward to hearing more about it in the weeks to follow. I expect that I will officially begin another blog sometime in the first couple weeks of July. I have some heavy deadlines before then and I need to get them done so that I will be good for the autumn catalogs (remember the "Ant and the Grasshopper?")

I will also be looking forward to working with you all and hearing from you during these sessions. I think it will be a fun way to share some knowledge with each other and hopefully we will all come out of it learning something new.

Have a great Sunday! (Happy Father's Day to all you dads out there, too!)
 
#2,982 ·
Goin' To The City

I got the site updated with all the new stuff yesterday, and the weather looks to be good for the day so we are dropping the top on the Mustang and heading out to Halifax (to go WOOD SHOPPING!) and see what fun is in store for us! Our first trip of the season!

Actually, I am writing this yesterday so that you can read it tomorrow, which by now is today and I am long gone, as we are leaving at 5am. (How's that for something to go with your morning coffee and tea?)

Sorry for short changing you on today's blog, but the wood stores are calling and it'll do me good to get out for a day. To make up for it, I have attached a video here of a song that came to mind. I haven't thought of this song in probably over 20 years. I don't know why I did, but I did and it is in my head so I thought I would share it with you in lieu of a blog. You know for me everything has a story (my daughter says I am like an old lady with my stories) and this is no different.

This was from the first vinyl album that I ever bought. "Why Foghat?", you may ask. Who knows what my 13 year old mind was thinking back then! Besides the title track, this album also had their hit "Slow Ride" on it. I was going to play that one for you, but I thought that since the ride probably won't be that slow, the title track was more appropriate.

So here is a morning song to wake up your corn flakes - "Fool for the City" by Foghat:



Oh, and think of me shopping for wood while you are listening to it so that we can stay on topic here please!

Enjoy your morning and day! :D

(I'll take pictures if there is anything interesting!)
 
#2,986 ·
Wood Shopping Hangover

We left the house approximately 6am and didn't return until nearly 10pm. The sun was just sliding into the ocean as we were on the final leg of our trip on the (almost) longest day of the year. It was one of those beautiful pinkish-orange sunsets and the water was like a glass mirror, reflecting the soft light back to the purple hills of Digby Neck as we drove south on Rt 101 along the shore. It was a fine end to a very full and enjoyable day.

The next statement that I will make may get me banned from this site. I am going to say it anyway though, because admitting is the first step in recovery:

"I have enough wood now."

There. I have said it. You can shun me now and cross me off of your buddy list and shake your heads at me in shame that I would ever admit something so preposterous. But unless I decide to build a house or full scale replica of the Queen Mary other such structure, I have absolutely no business setting foot in the wood store or lumber yard for a long, long time.

It isn't that we got a lot yesterday. We really did fairly well. We purchased a piece of sepele mahogany, some cherry, some more roasted birch and some padauk and hickory. We also got some smaller pieces of bird's eye maple that had an amazing amount of figure to it and a piece of aromatic cedar for Keith to make pens with, as well as a small piece of thuya burl and chetekok that will make some beautiful pens. Oh, and I found a small piece of pau amarillo, which didn't have the usual bright yellow, but was softer in color and had a pinkish streaking throughout it. That piece was only about a foot long by 8" wide by an inch, but would make at least one nice tray or plaque. And finally, I picked up a piece of the whitest holly that I have seen to date. Again the piece was about 6" wide and a foot long and an inch deep, but for small things like jewelry and accents or ornaments, it would do fine.

I suppose we did get a bit after all.

On our way home, we stopped at Bernie's to unload. He wasn't there (probably at his camp) but we decided to take stock in what we had there and sort. That is when reality hit and we saw the huge variety of nice wood we had. These were all 1-2" boards that were all 8" or wider and anywhere from 3-4 feet long. Besides the addition of the wood above, we had in stock oak, walnut, maple, birch, grey elm, hickory and mahogany. That is in addition to what we have here that is all dressed and planed to various usable thicknesses. There was not enough room on the large shelf that Bernie has designated for our use. There were probably five boards left over and we will have to consult with him as to where to store them.

It was a good thing for us to take inventory and really see what we had. There were many species of wood that we had truly forgotten about. The bottom line is that there is enough there for a year's worth of project (if not several years) and if there isn't enough of one particular species, I think the best thing to do would be to pick something else. Everything we have is nice and it is time to use it instead of "collect" it.

The day was really fun. We stopped at our favorite diner in Weymouth to have a nice breakfast. They have good food at those "breakfast specials" prices and it was right on our way. It was a mostly sunny day, but cool. We needed jackets to have the top down on the car and actually didn't put it down until about half way there.

The "road kill" numbers were high though, and there were more than the usual casualties. It must have been the time of year because I don't remember ever seeing so many dead critters on one trip. It was sad, so I kind of decided to make an "I Spy" type of game of it to lighten the mood. At last count, there were 11.5 on the road and 10.5 on the shoulder and three shoes. There was a tennis shoe and later a child's shoe, which is kind of customary as far as shoes on the road go, but what struck me as odd was that there was one shiny-ish black business type shoe at one point. Those are a rare find and should qualify for extra points I think.

Once we were in the city though, it was bright and sunny and a beautiful day. We headed right to the two wood places - Halifax Hardwoods and East Coast Hardwoods and were done with both of them by about 11:30. After making a couple of trips there a year, I suppose that the trips get more streamlined, as we pretty much know what each place has to offer and we get our business done and get out of there relatively quickly.

We stopped at a place near East Coast and had a very poor lunch of the saltiest hamburgers we ever had. It was kind of a greasy looking diner but we thought it would be decent because it was quite busy but it proved to win our vote as the "worst hamburgers ever".

We then went to Michael's in Dartmouth to look for some casting resin for pens for Keith and were quite disappointed, not only at their lack of selection for that kind of material, but also for their high prices on everything else. No wonder people aren't doing crafting anymore. It used to be that it would cost less for people to make stuff themselves then to buy it. Now however, in order to buy the supplies to make something it seems to cost far more than if you were to purchase it already made. The Martha Stewart section was the most comical. It seems that Martha could find a way to package just about anything to look la-de-da and charge several times what it was worth. One example was the "Martha Stewart Colored Pencil" set which cost I think $39. It is funny that you could get the same size set of pencils at an art store for about half the cost. Everything with the Martha Stewart name on it was grossly overpriced. Oh, and we got to hear announcements over the PA system from Martha herself letting us know how "summer crafting was a good thing." I am sure for Martha it was. Someone had to pay for her lawyers. But I couldn't get out of there fast enough. (And no - I didn't buy a thing!)

We then went to the mall and walked through the entire thing - again not getting anything. I suppose I just don't "need" anything. I think it is good to be happy with what I have and not wanting all the time. I must be happy. Nothing at all appealed to me and we began to wonder why we were even there. We walked out again without spending a penny.

Our final stop in the Halifax/Dartmouth area was to Lee Valley Tools. Keith had wanted to get some things for his pens and try a couple of new kits. He did get some things there, but not really a lot. Again, there is nothing that I wanted or needed. We began to head home.

We went through New Minus on the way home, which is a good sized town with decent shopping and made a stop at the Home Depot there, just to look. I did buy some blue painter's tape there, but other than that we came up empty. Keith has been looking for letter and metric drill bits that don't cost an arm and a leg and they didn't have any metrics or lettered ones at all. I have been hunting for the Gorilla Glue Wood Glue to no avail. Not one store has it of all that I checked. Maybe they don't even have it in Canada yet.

I can honestly say I am all shopped out for quite a while. As I said earlier, we stopped at Bernie's on the way home to drop off the wood and headed home. I am sure that subsequent road trips this summer won't really involve any lumber places anytime soon. I just don't want to keep buying more and not use what I have. It goes against my "minimalist" lifestyle that I like so much.

It was good to get out and get it out of my system though. We tend to romanticize things like trips to the wood store and dream about them and such and in reality sometimes it is just too much. If I were being totally honest with you, I would say that I don't have any need to go back for at least a year. If not more. With the small stuff I make, there is plenty there for literally hundreds of projects. And that is no exaggeration.

Part of finding happiness I believe is knowing when to say when. I can't see how living in constant want of more could be a good thing for me. It is like leaving the table when you have had enough to eat, even though the meal is great. It is sometimes hard to do, but it is far better than feeling over fed and bloated.

Now comes the fun part - seeing the wood transformed into beautiful things. I find that will bring me the most joy and happiness and satisfaction. And hopefully some others will benefit from it too.

I hope you all have a great day today. I've got some drawing to do! :)
 
#2,987 ·
a funny and good mornin read Sheila. I can't even pronounce some o that wood you got. :) I know you will enjoy it all. Our eyes will also benefit when you get finished with it. have a good day
 
#2,992 ·
Sure. Wave a board of ebony or wenge in front of my nose and watch me jump! Laugh. Scoff. Say "I told you so!"

I realize that "misery loves company" and all of that, so I'll let you slide. :)

About the supplies - it is funny how people also like to compare the cheap crap that they can get at the dollar store - mostly from balsa or the other "wood products" that they have there to real wood stuff. I say let them knock themselves out and get it there then. Obviously that isn't they type of people you want as a customer. I hear a lot of it here on the site and it is sad that others don't appreciate the beautiful workmanship in what so many here make.

But if someone uses the "f" word (free) in regards to wood - I'll still come a'runnin'! Who needs furniture anyway??? :D

Sheila
 
#3,001 ·
Odds and Ends

Boy, I got a lot of little stuff out of the way yesterday. You know those days - where there are a ton of small things to do and it seems like they just get in the way of moving ahead. I like days like that because when all is said and done, it feels like you accomplished quite a bit. I even thought through the next project that I am going to be working on today.

I got a newsletter out. It was the second one that I sent in June, but it seemed that there was enough new stuff and people were asking when the new patterns would be ready so I thought it was warranted. I am getting a little better on using the software to make the newsletter. It was a bit tricky at first and one of the issues that I have with it is that I only usually write a newsletter once a month. This month was the first time there were two. With things that way, I don't really work on it until I need the next one and find myself kind of forgetting how to do stuff. But we have been on the new software since November and I am finally feeling more comfortable with using it and getting it to look like I want it to. It really gives the notices a nice and professional look too, so it is well worth it. I love technology.

Speaking of technology and stuff like that, Canada Post is still on strike. That is turning to the point of stupidity I think. They started off at the beginning of the month with a "rolling strike" which hit one area at a time and last week it turned into a full fledged strike where mail is stopped all over Canada.

I understand that they are making a point and I refuse to get into the politics here and discuss it, as you know I don't talk about stuff like that, but it just makes me very grateful for the internet and that most of my business is done via email.

From a business point of view, it must be devastating for many industries. Coming from the United States, I can feel pretty sure that things wouldn't have gotten this far. I can't imagine the entire USA mail system being shut down for two weeks. The funny thing is when I am reading about it, they are saying that workers may be back at work by next week (may!) and even though people aren't getting paychecks that are normally mailed, all their bills are still due on time. (OK)

Maybe for someone like me that would work fine, as companies are encouraging people to do online banking and pay things that way, but for many elderly people who don't have the knowledge or access to the internet or can even get out to the banks, it has to be incredibly stressful. I imagine that they feel frustrated and helpless and I think that they are the ones that are hurt the most by this.

Fortunately, for myself and my company, I have alternatives. I have had a couple of orders that requested "hard copies" to be sent in the mail, and I notified the customers and sent them the files electronically so that they didn't have to wait that long. When things are up and running, I will send out the patterns. I think though that this will further encourage people to buy electronic patterns from me and not depend on the mail as a means of delivery.

In reading about it, this strike has caused a huge rise in people signing up for electronic statements and banking and I think that the long term effects on the post office will be quite apparent. I can't help but think that they are kind of shooting themselves in the foot in regards to this, as they are losing customers not only over the period of the work stoppage, but perhaps for good.

I am very happy that I had the foresight to send my skating pond figures through Purolator last week and I find that when I need reliable postal service, I tend to go to private carriers more and more. Many times they are cheaper than Canada Post too, which is just icing on the cake. It is quite sad.

But for the sake of the others, I hope that things get back to normal soon and things get settled. I am sure there will be concessions on both sides and no one will come out of this completely happy, but there are people who depend on the mail system to survive and it is those who my sympathies are with.

As is mentioned earlier, I have the next project mapped out in my mind. I already began drawing and should be ready to start cutting it out today. It is a Halloween design (of all things!) and it will be pretty cool when I am done I think. I have a couple of weeks until the deadline for the catalog that comes out in early September and I wanted to be sure to have some Halloween designs represented in it. There seem to be so many people who love the season and I am among them. There are so many fun decorations and projects you can make and they are all good sellers.

So much to do! :)

I hope you all have a fine mid-week day. It looks like we are going to have a bright and sunny one here. That is great because it will be a good day to work on the deck.

Happy Wednesday to you all!
 
#3,002 ·
Interesting. I had not heard about Canada post on strike, but then the US news degraded to a reality soap opera, not much news on them anymore. If people knew what is going on here, they would revolt!

Electronic is great, as long as the Internet is working and no virus are attacking ;-)) My biz credit card bank quit accepting electronic payments from other institutions, so that was teh end of that. Easier to just go to a teller at a local branch when I'm in the area than fool around with it ;-))
 
#3,007 ·
Working and More Class Planning

I thought that I would have gotten a bit farther yesterday than I actually did, but I can't say it was a bad day at all. I suppose that sometimes things just take more time then we anticipate. I used to do that more then I do now, but I have been pretty realistic about mapping out and achieving my goals lately. I think writing things down here in the mornings helps me a lot with sticking to a plan. Even if I want to change things up in the middle of the day, at least I have a framework that I laid out that will be the basis that I can work from. It puts some order into the day.

Ideas never seem to be a problem. I have so many thoughts on stuff that I want to do that hopefully, I will never run dry. I haven't been as good at writing them down though, and I need to start disciplining myself to do so. Then on the days when I am not particularly creative I can look at the list and pick something that will get me moving again. I get many of my ideas while I am working on other projects. My mind wanders when I do my work and I usually can think up several variations of the designs. Sometimes I think of things that are altogether different. I am happy that people are enthusiastic about the new stuff that I show. I just updated things on the site and I have already received lots of positive feedback. It makes me feel that I am on the right track.

I spent yesterday drawing for just about the entire day. I had originally thought that I would have gotten to the cutting stage after lunch, but it took much longer to be completely satisfied with things and get them right. It isn't that it is a particularly difficult design - in fact it is quite the opposite, I think, but sometimes when making something that is simpler it is even more important to get things perfect so everything goes smoothly. In any case, I picked on it for quite a while and I finally feel that it is where I want it to be. That means cutting today, which I am looking forward to very much.

I am going to be working with the roasted birch again. I had the idea for this project last week when I was working with it on the running horses tray. Seeing how black it looked once oiled got me thinking to all the other things I could use it on and this project came to mind. It is going to be messy though, and I don't think I will be wearing white today. Not only do I need to cut it, but this project also calls for some routing and shaping as well as the usual hand sanding. It is a beautiful day out however, and I can do the majority of this outside. I have lived working on the small deck when the weather is nice like this. My cat Pancakes comes out with me and sometimes even my other cat Coco. Richard (my third cat) prefers to watch from the window.

The design I am working on is pretty much a Halloween design. Once again I am in my little time warp. But the catalog that is coming due will be mailed out at the beginning of September and I find that there are many people who like to do Halloween decorating. I must admit that I like doing them too. I love the colors and autumn is my favorite time of year. Not so much here in Canada, but when I was in the States, it seemed that my autumn designs sold just about as much as the Christmas ones. It is quite a big thing there. In any case, it is a good excuse to do something that I like to do anyway.

I am also working on the class stuff too. I noticed in yesterday's newsletter that it said that I was teaching a candle tray design. I am sorry for the error on that, as me and Debbie just got our signals crossed a little bit. Originally I probably planned to teach a tray, but after thinking about it, I feel that it would somewhat limit us in terms of techniques. It is difficult to find a project that focuses on all techniques at one time. Some focus on curves, some on straight runs, some on sharp corners, etc., etc. In order to find one single project that would encompass all of these techniques, it would have to be a huge one. I think that it would be impractical to try to teach something like that.

By teaching several unrelated separate ornaments, I will be able to cover many different techniques, styles and levels of difficulty so hopefully we can appeal to most of the different levels of people here. Also, that will help when you want to apply these techniques to something that you may be working on in the future.

I have already decided that I want to go at a nice slow and relaxed pace for several reasons. I realize that many of you have other jobs and do woodworking as a hobby. I want everyone to have time to really work on what each project was focusing on and get a good feel for it before moving on to the next. Although I know it would be impossible for everyone to keep up at exactly the same pace, I think it would be nice we all kind of sort of were at the same point. With all the different levels of experience here too, keeping us moving together is something that will help everyone the most. I plan to err on the side of moving too slow rather than too quickly, as I want to be sure that those who are just starting out will be comfortable. I hope the experienced people will understand this and be patient if our pace is a little slower than they would like. Besides, it is summer and everyone is busy with gardening and outdoor activities and families. And the veterans can always chime in and help with advice and ideas as to how they do things too. I have always said that there are many paths to the same destination and I don't for a second think that my way of doing things is the only way. That is what is so great about forums such as this. You learn so many good ways to do things that many times you have several different choices.

As I said earlier, I will probably start posting the first introduction blog after the Independence Day holiday. I use this as a starting point because I know it is a big weekend for all my American friends (and here in Canada, there is Canada Day) but also because I have some catalog deadlines that are around that time and I need to focus my efforts on finishing up my submissions for that. I want to have that behind me, especially when we are just starting, because there may be lots of questions and stuff and I will be better able to focus my time on the class. Besides, that will give us plenty of time to work on things this summer and be ready for the autumn and holiday crafting season. I hope it sounds like a good plan.

I look forward to interacting with you all and I am happy that I have already received some positive comments regarding this venture. I think it will be fun for us all.

So on to cutting today. I hope to have some pictures to show you tomorrow on the new project. It looks to be a busy, but fun day ahead for me. Have a great day yourselves.
 
#3,008 ·
my apologies on the Class information in the eMag. I had intended to update it from our original plan and then I just forgot (I'll blame it on my new grandson distraction) :)

The class sounds great!! Looking forward to it.
 
#3,012 ·
Progress

Yesterday seemed to fly by and before I knew it, it was ten o'clock. It was one of those days where you get so caught up in a project that you look up and it is already dark. I am not done with the project yet. I thought I would be by now but it was one of those times when I underestimated what I was doing and things took a bit longer than expected.

Now I am not saying that is bad. I have actually enjoyed making this project quite a bit. That is after all what it is all about, isn't it? For most people who don't do this for a living and make things as a hobby, the joy of creating and seeing something come together as a project is quite nice. I am no different. I find for myself that I have quite an arsenal of items that I offer so there really is no hurry to get a set number of new things done.

I also compiled a list to submit to my biggest wholesaler for their next catalog (this is the one where the deadline is coming up) and seeing how many new items that we have made in the past few months makes me realize how busy we have been. It is a good feeling, and the well is far from running dry.

My partner has been quite busy, too. In between creating new projects, he has been turning away and making some incredibly beautiful pens. Last night he tried to show me a flaw in one of his creations and even upon scrutinizing it closely, I couldn't see what he meant. I am quite picky myself on details and for the life of me I can't see anything wrong with it. He said it isn't a huge thing, but it bothered him. I do respect that because I find myself doing the same thing with my work - always seeing absolute perfection. But I can't believe how incredibly good he has gotten in a short two months (all the while he is making some awesome scrolling designs) Here is a picture of his latest:

Writing implement Office supplies Font Writing instrument accessory Pen


This is a burl and acrylic mix and is absolutely beautiful.

For those of you who are wondering, I haven't touched the lathe yet at all. I think with all that I have on my plate right now, it wouldn't be a good thing for me to spread myself thinner and start another entirely new aspect of woodworking. At least not now. I still need to do some chip carving and I want to go back and take a look at the quilt square class that was offered here on Lumberjocks when the time is right. There has just been too much to think about with the new scrolling things I am doing and also the painting supplier. I will know when the time is right for me to try these new things and I am looking forward to it very much.

I look back and I am thinking that this year is half over already (and where did it go?) I know the trip took up a chunk of it and I really enjoyed it a lot, but I don't know if I will be going next year or not. I suppose I will have to see what the days bring before deciding for sure.

Life seems to fast-forward sometimes. The days fall into months far too easily and before we know it, another year is under our belts. I have been trying to appreciate each day for what it is and live them to the fullest. I can honestly say that I don't feel that many days are 'wasted'. Whether it be spent working on projects or catching up on emails and friends, I think that I am satisfied with things. As I lay my head on my pillow each day, I try to think of all the good things that each day brings and I rarely come up empty. There are always people, projects, family, friends and colleagues that seem to add to the good side of my life. I certainly can't complain.

So I will be working on and possibly finishing up the Halloween project today. It is really taking shape and all of the elements are cut. I still need to do some shaping and sanding and then the assembly begins. It will be fun to see this one come to life. Right now all the pieces are in a box and I am in the process of sanding and shaping them. Here is a little sample of one of the trim pieces for it:

Hair Head Wood Font Wood stain


Everything on it has worked out OK so far. There are a couple of things I need to work out, but up to this point it has come together nicely. It will be fun to see it finished and interesting to see how close it will be to what I had originally pictured in my head.

I hope you all have a good day, too. It's Friday and people are usually a bit more chipper on Friday. Have a great day and have some fun!
 

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#3,013 ·
Progress

Yesterday seemed to fly by and before I knew it, it was ten o'clock. It was one of those days where you get so caught up in a project that you look up and it is already dark. I am not done with the project yet. I thought I would be by now but it was one of those times when I underestimated what I was doing and things took a bit longer than expected.

Now I am not saying that is bad. I have actually enjoyed making this project quite a bit. That is after all what it is all about, isn't it? For most people who don't do this for a living and make things as a hobby, the joy of creating and seeing something come together as a project is quite nice. I am no different. I find for myself that I have quite an arsenal of items that I offer so there really is no hurry to get a set number of new things done.

I also compiled a list to submit to my biggest wholesaler for their next catalog (this is the one where the deadline is coming up) and seeing how many new items that we have made in the past few months makes me realize how busy we have been. It is a good feeling, and the well is far from running dry.

My partner has been quite busy, too. In between creating new projects, he has been turning away and making some incredibly beautiful pens. Last night he tried to show me a flaw in one of his creations and even upon scrutinizing it closely, I couldn't see what he meant. I am quite picky myself on details and for the life of me I can't see anything wrong with it. He said it isn't a huge thing, but it bothered him. I do respect that because I find myself doing the same thing with my work - always seeing absolute perfection. But I can't believe how incredibly good he has gotten in a short two months (all the while he is making some awesome scrolling designs) Here is a picture of his latest:

Writing implement Office supplies Font Writing instrument accessory Pen


This is a burl and acrylic mix and is absolutely beautiful.

For those of you who are wondering, I haven't touched the lathe yet at all. I think with all that I have on my plate right now, it wouldn't be a good thing for me to spread myself thinner and start another entirely new aspect of woodworking. At least not now. I still need to do some chip carving and I want to go back and take a look at the quilt square class that was offered here on Lumberjocks when the time is right. There has just been too much to think about with the new scrolling things I am doing and also the painting supplier. I will know when the time is right for me to try these new things and I am looking forward to it very much.

I look back and I am thinking that this year is half over already (and where did it go?) I know the trip took up a chunk of it and I really enjoyed it a lot, but I don't know if I will be going next year or not. I suppose I will have to see what the days bring before deciding for sure.

Life seems to fast-forward sometimes. The days fall into months far too easily and before we know it, another year is under our belts. I have been trying to appreciate each day for what it is and live them to the fullest. I can honestly say that I don't feel that many days are 'wasted'. Whether it be spent working on projects or catching up on emails and friends, I think that I am satisfied with things. As I lay my head on my pillow each day, I try to think of all the good things that each day brings and I rarely come up empty. There are always people, projects, family, friends and colleagues that seem to add to the good side of my life. I certainly can't complain.

So I will be working on and possibly finishing up the Halloween project today. It is really taking shape and all of the elements are cut. I still need to do some shaping and sanding and then the assembly begins. It will be fun to see this one come to life. Right now all the pieces are in a box and I am in the process of sanding and shaping them. Here is a little sample of one of the trim pieces for it:

Hair Head Wood Font Wood stain


Everything on it has worked out OK so far. There are a couple of things I need to work out, but up to this point it has come together nicely. It will be fun to see it finished and interesting to see how close it will be to what I had originally pictured in my head.

I hope you all have a good day, too. It's Friday and people are usually a bit more chipper on Friday. Have a great day and have some fun!
The pen is beautiful.
I think we all can see the flaws in our own work that baffle others as to why we worry so much. I try not to worry too much about it. Just try to improve constantly. My wife tells me that nothing I ever build will be good enough to me anyway.
Tell Keith though that I check from time to time to see if he has posted more pens. Now I see one on your blog. He has to stop every now and then and let us see what he's making. He can find time to post it sometime. How is he at multi-tasking? I was going to suggest he has to go to the restroom sometimes. Tell him to get a laptop he can balance on his lap. Problem solved. _
I had to scroll back up to see what the bat theme was about. I see it's a halloween themed piece. I thought you were going to paint it black, add a yellow backer and call Batman. (I'm sorry. I'm going to mosy along now before I get into trouble. I'm joking around too much this morning)_
Nope.
Can't help myself today. I have to share the laughter.
Look at the very bottom of the photo of the pen. There is a word towards the middle of the photo, "Vestibulum". When I noticed it, "vestibule" came to mind, which I'm sure is an english translation of the word. Anyway, I'm weird. Sometimes something as simple as that brings things to my mind. Well, this word did just that. The "vestibule" brought to mind Sunday mornings from when I was a child in church. Any of you don't know what a vestibule is in church, I'm sorry, you may not get this because I don't have the space or the inclination to explain.
Anyway, here's a link to the song that the word made me think of for some odd reason. Only go listen if you're in the mood for some off beat humor.
Here's Pinkard & Bowden's "Shake A Snake".
 

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#3,021 ·
Taking My Time and Enjoying the Creation Process

I love to build things and play. From the time I was small, some of my favorite things were building sets and play sets. When I was young and we lived with my grand parents, they had this farm set that was really cool. The barn was metal and it had a green metal tractor with chipped paint that pulled a little plastic wagon. The plastic fence kind of hooked together but it never wanted to stand on the carpet, which was frustrating. There were these little flat strips of plastic material with holes in them which served as the planting ground and you would stick the plastic "crops" into them to make them grow. On the end of the barn, was a plastic pulley and a plastic hook held on by a string and you could hook things to it and pull them up to the top level of the barn.

It was simple and basic, but I know I spent hours and hours farming. Now days the metal barn would be banned probably. The sharp corners would be considered a hazard. The pieces were small too and probably wouldn't be acceptable. But it was a lot of fun and ran on imagination and it is one of my favorite toys.

When my kids were growing up, I loved to play with them too. What a cool job it was being a parent and playing. Of course, there were the many responsibilities that go with parenting, but the rewards were pretty good. When I had my son, we decided I would be a 'stay at home mom'. I didn't see the point of having children if we weren't there to raise them. This meant many sacrifices financially for us, as it was hard even then to survive on one paycheck, but we never once regretted doing things that way.

As my son grew up, I began making crafts to make a little extra money while he was napping or playing with his friends. It was fun to be creative and make cute things and decorations to sell. A group of nurses at the local hospital saw one of the items I made and soon they were calling asking what else I had. I never advertised back then, and just by word of mouth I was kept so busy that I could barely keep up with the orders for stuff. I made teddy bears and all kinds of holiday decorations and eventually it brought me to scroll sawing and wood working.

And here I am now.

I still enjoy making fun and cute things. There is something cool about actually building something that fits together properly and looks nice too. I think decorations and celebrating the different seasons help enhance our lives and make them more pleasant. It is wonderful to go somewhere that is decorated for the season. These items bring happiness and joy it seems wherever we see them. It is such a pleasure to see something so simple put a smile on someone's face.

As for myself, I don't really 'collect' a lot of different things. Those of you who read regularly know that I live in a small place and don't have much room for collections. I do, however, have a few prized pieces that trigger good feelings and memories of people and events that I wouldn't part with for anything. I like that when we see something from the past, we often associate it with the good memories of days past. It is our own way of holding on to those good feelings and reliving those moments in our hearts.

Lately I have been building some kind of cool replica toys. I don't know what really triggered me to do this, as I have never owned any similar items in my past. I suppose I liked the thought of them, as they represent what we perceive as a simpler time (although each era had its own turmoil for sure). We look upon these items and reminisce and day dream about a time and a place long ago and it seems we somehow find comfort in those thoughts. I do anyway.

I like to imagine the times and places when things were so different. I see a piece of art or ironwork or even a glass door knob and it can bring me back to another place in time. It is fun to imagine things as they were and it is like going on a mini-adventure.

My latest design that I have been working on is another little pull toy. This one is Halloween themed as I mentioned, and almost finished. I was going to show more pictures here today, but I still need to finish it up and I kind of don't want to spoil the surprise of it.

It has taken a bit longer than I expected it so, but not in a bad way at all. I had drawn up and cut out the wheels, and then yesterday decided that I didn't like them at all so I started over on them and redid them. I am happier with the new ones and glad for the decision. So it was a good delay.

I have also been figuring out several of the elements to make things go together easier, as well as the little details on it. Again - this is something that I don't regret spending the time on, as the results are more within my vision of what I want the piece to be like.

There are still a few more things that I will be ironing out today, but I am slowly seeing things come together and I am happy that I am taking the time and enjoying my journey.

Working as a designer for a living usually means that I need to rush to meet deadline after deadline. That is OK some of the time, but there are other times like these when I need to slow down and really take the time to be artistic and create.

In rebuilding my business these past few years, it was quite imperative that I build up an arsenal of patterns and designs so that my customers have choices. I will admit to you that I don't always like every design I do (I'll never tell which ones!) and that I only created some of them because they were requested or in demand and they were part of the 'job'. That didn't happen too often, but it did happen.

Now, however, I feel that I am in the position where I can be a bit more choosy as to what I do. I think that there is a difference that can be seen in the things that I create from my heart. Maybe that is only evident to me, as it is my own feelings that I am assessing. But I like these designs better, and I am more proud of them even if they are simpler than the others or not as popular.

I was never one to run with the masses anyway. :)

So I will be finishing up this project today, and I am looking forward to showing it to you by tomorrow. It may be a little slower than my normal pace, but I am thoroughly enjoying the process of creating it. And that is what counts.

Have a wonderfully creative day!
 
#3,022 ·
I remember them little farm sets when I was a kid . I can remember having it took away for awhile because my parents stepped on one of them little piece ouchhhhhh !
Come on Shelia ; you know your trying to relive your past , and you always wanted a pull toy but never had one so now you are making your own .
keep up the good work Shelia
 
#3,024 ·
Meet Fiona - The Halloween Witch (Pretty Scary!)

I had such a good time yesterday finishing up my latest project. Each step and addition I made to it made it look a little better. Building stuff like this is so much fun and I really get a lot of satisfaction out of making these little replicas. The hardest thing for me to do was to be patient and let the glue dry for each step. I knew if I didn't wait, I would have a mess on my hands. I forced myself to walk away after each piece or set of pieces was glued and try to get busy on other things. By the time everything was finished (just after dinner) I not only had the project done, but also the house was fairly picked up and I had done some housework too. All in all it made for a good day.

I decided to call the kittly "Fiona". I don't know why, but that name just came to me as a cool one. When I made mohair teddy bears, I had a baby name book at hand to help me with naming each bear I created. I tried to stay away of naming my toys with familiar names of people I know, as I didn't want to show favorites. Besides - what if they were insulted or didn't like the item?

So Fiona it is. I thought she came out pretty cool!


Fiona herself is made from naturally colored roasted birch. Again, I am thrilled with the blackness of this wood. It cuts beautifully and is very stable. In shaping her, I did use a laminate trimmer and an 1/8" round over router bit to get me on my way. With all the black dust that this wood kicked up, I wasn't looking forward to sitting there with a Dremel and rounding over all her body parts. The only parts that needed extra attention with the Dremel were her ears and the back of her neck. I purposely kept her curves gentle so that the router bit would be able to work well with her. Her whiskers are made from 22 gauge wire, but from the picture I can see the copper ends are showing. I will take a sharpie and get rid of that as soon as I am done here.

Her hat is of ash, and besides the stems of the pumpkins, it is the only wood on this piece that has been stained. I did have a piece of purple heart and was going to use that, but it was quite dark and I felt that there would not be enough contrast to look good. I used the Decoart Staining and Antiquing gel and Dioxazine Purple paint to achieve the beautiful purple wash and the ash proved to be a perfect vehicle to obtain the look I wanted to achieve. On her hat, I glued tiny star shaped yellow cat's-eye glass beads. On the end of the hat, I hung a cool crystal star which I found in the embroidery section of the craft store. It looks really beautiful in person.


The pumpkins are made from padauk. I shaped the pieces with the Dremel, which was really fun. I didn't quite know how to do the stems, so I just used small dowel rods and drilled holes into them. I cut the rods on an angle on the scroll saw and used Forest Green paint and Decoart Staining and Antiquing Medium to stain them green. I then had some small gauge green craft wire (I don't know the gauge) and drilled tiny holes into the pumpkins so I could stick the wire into them for tendrils. I used the small dowel to curl the wire around and make look funky. I really liked doing these pumpkins, but I am not thrilled with the stems. They look too clean and nice. Perhaps I should have just went outside and found a small twig to stick in each and it would have looked more natural. (Hindsight is 20/20!) Too late for mine, but I will suggest it for the pattern.


The actual pull for the cart is a roasted birch bat. I thought he would look cool with Swarovski crystal eyes. I used jute twine for the cord, as I liked the rustic look. I love mixing different colors and textures to make things look interesting. In the background of this picture, you can see the star shaped wheels of the cart I was talking about earlier. The original set of wheels had regular star shapes. I thought it looked too clean and a bit patriotic - a look that I was not going for. This, however, looks more mystical to me with the stars skewed and swirled. I also decided to place a small Swarovski crystal hub cap on each wheel to dress it up.


And finally, the cart itself. The base of the cart is made from 1/2" ash. The decorative scroll sawn skirt of the cart, as well as the wheels are made from yellow heart or pau amarillo. These are all in natural colors. The scroll work was fast and not difficult, yet I thought it was extremely effective. The total time to cut this project out was quite short in comparison to my usual projects. Building took up most of the time.

I finally figured out a great way to make and attach the wheel assembly so that the wheels turn freely and it goes together very easily. There were some simple adjustments I made from the other animals that I have presented that streamline the process. The base is solid and holds the pieces nicely and it isn't as fragile as previous versions of the animals. It is good to feel like I am getting a little better at something and progressing.


Although on my piece, 90% of it is in natural wood tones, I am going to include staining colors for my customers so that the piece could also be made entirely of a light wood - say maple - and still have a similar look. I will even suggest that if they want to make the piece more rustic looking, they could use pine and stain the pieces first and just buff off the corners of them with sandpaper for that worn-edge rustic look that is so popular. That will make things go much more quickly and will make the piece quite easy to produce multiples of. It seems that the majority of the time was spent sanding and shaping.

One last thing on it - I finished all the pieces with mineral oil and then sprayed them with shellac. This is quickly becoming my favorite form of finishing scroll work and pieces like this. The natural color of the wood really comes to life and the shellac offers a nice satiny finish which is neither dull or too shiny. It gives the wood a warm glow that lets people know it is finished and keeps the dust out of the pores.

So there you have it. I am not sure whether to call this a "pull toy replica" or a "vignette" or just a "decoration". It is one of those projects that I really loved creating though and I want to do many more similar ones. My head is spinning with all the different seasonal items that I will create. I hope that my customers like it too and will want to take the time to actually build one. It is quite different from the usual cutting of flat pieces on the scroll saw and then finishing and hanging them. I like the diversification that designs like this bring. It keeps things interesting and fun.

It may have taken a bit longer than I had originally anticipated, but I am very happy with the results. There aren't many times I say that about my work, as I am always finding something to pick on with it. But this is one of those things that I just need to keep looking at for a while and enjoying. I hope you enjoy it too.

Now the question is . . . what to do next???

Have a great Sunday!
 
#3,034 ·
Decisions, Decisions

It seems to be one of those days where I am a bit unsettled on which direction to go next. I have about a week left for the deadline on the catalog that gets mailed in early September and I am not quite certain what to do next for submissions. Traditionally, this edition of the catalog is the kick-off for new Christmas items for the upcoming holiday season, but it also introduces many Halloween items too.

Since it is probably the last of the large mailings to customers prior to Halloween, I am (for the first time) leaning toward doing something else on that line. Every year I tend to focus on Christmas for this issue, as it is also when the magazine holiday issue comes out, but for some reason this year I want to try something different.

Throughout the year, I find that there are many cute Halloween designs that I think of, but many never get done. Halloween is a very popular season as far as decorating goes. When I was selling craft items and going to the market and craft fairs, it seemed that those items sold out very quickly. In speaking from my own experience, my Halloween items sold almost as much as my Christmas items. I realize that this is true mainly in the United States and found that since moving to Canada there isn't quite as much interest as there was in the US, but I also notice that Canadians seem to be moving more toward Halloween decorating too and it has become more visible to me in the seven years I have been here. I need to remind myself that the majority of my customers are from the US, which means that even though the trend may not be a predominant where I am living, it is important for a large percentage of my customers.

My insides are telling me to go for the Halloween decorating designs - if for nothing else, just to see. I have always kind of marched to my own drummer. And although sometimes it came back to bite me, there were other times when it stood me away from the masses. That could be a good thing or a bad thing.

I am torn between taking the safe road of Christmas stuff or the adventure of doing Halloween items. As silly as it seems when I read that line back, it is a bit of a dilemma for me. Making such a decision could make the difference of having a great autumn season or a mediocre one.

On the plus side, however, I do have many newly introduced designs that people haven't yet tried, and I could look at them as a kind of safety net to fall back on. These summer months are typically the slow months for my business. I spoke to my editor just last week and he was mentioning the same thing. Things are always slow this time of year. People are spending their time with families and doing yard work and all kinds of other activities. I know there are a few that are die-hard woodworkers, but for the most part people are spending their free time doing other things.

Even though this time of year is typically slow, judging from the past I am doing pretty good this year. I think my "Ant and the Grasshopper" mentality of working hard for when times are slow does pay off and when the children are back at school and when people do get back into the shops my customers will have lots of catching up to do. I am amazed that the sales on items such as the snowflake candle tray and the nativity one are still strong. But if anything, it supports my theory that things will be OK.

So I am leaning toward following my own path and working on more Halloween stuff for this year. When I look at the scroll sawing projects available for Halloween, I find that the market is clearly lacking. In theory, I could corner that market by introducing some new fun and appealing items for people to choose from.

It will be a risk for sure, but one that I feel like taking at the moment. I feel the need inside to follow my own heart and not be channeled into doing things that I "should be" doing. I may regret it later on, but I really don't think so. I do believe that I have a solid enough foundation with my business right now that I can take a chance such as this and be OK whatever the outcome. At least I hope so.

It is decisions such as these that keep me from losing interest and getting bored with my job. In my life, I have been accused of many things, but I am fairly sure that "following the masses" has not been among them. I have grown to find that more so than not, following my own instincts would have proven to be the better path. I just need to have the confidence in myself to do so.

I had a busy day yesterday. I not only tidied up my real house, but also my computer and got things ready for a back up. I don't think I have backed things up onto a disk since I came back from my trip (although I have backed up to the other computers on the network). I spent the day doing that and taking photographs to submit to the catalogs and generally got things back in order. All the while I was thinking about my next direction.

Although these types of days don't make exciting reading here on my blog, they are essential to my business and are far more productive in the long term than they appear to be at the time. I often assimilate people to icebergs. We only see the very tip and there is so much more below the surface that drives us and influences us and makes up what we are. I believe the same is true with my business. People only observe the end result of our efforts and aren't able to see the intricate symphony of actions and decisions that bring us to where we are. On the outside it looks simple, but in reality it is very complex.

Thank you, as always for allowing me to air these thoughts here and many times discuss them with you. Just by writing them down many times helps me come to a decision at times such as this. Hearing your thoughts and point of view is also a great deal of help. Whether I agree with you or differ, I always appreciate your opinions and ideas.

So with that said, we will get on with our Monday. I hope you all have a wonderful and creative day and look within yourselves to follow your own passions.
 
#3,035 ·
I don't know which way to suggest you to go. You know the business much better than I. In my opinion though, it depends on what you feel is right. From a business standpoint, you always have to follow yourhead and leave your heart out of it. From a creative standpoint though, you have to follow your heart to keep creative juices flowing. You seem to live in a catch 22 though. You are in a business, but that business thrives on your creativity. So I say go for the creative and do Halloween or Christmas first. Either way, I think in the long run the one that your heart is most into will be the one to make the most money.
 
#3,040 ·
Rolling With the Changes

I suppose I kinda, sorta got "unstuck" yesterday. As usual, I find that being patient and staying on my own path proved to be the best solution. In the past, I have spent much time and energy trying to "fix things" that I had no control over. This left me with less of both to move ahead and continue on. It was a domino effect that greatly limited what I would accomplish.

As difficult as it is for me to do, I have learned to stop trying to fix everything. I am also learning that if I don't get immediate answers about things, it is best to fill the time with moving ahead on unrelated tasks instead of laboring over what cannot be forced. How many times do we find ourselves in that state? We wait to hear about one answer or event in our lives and it completely stifles us from doing anything else.

We all want resolution to the conflicts around us - especially when they deal with us directly, but I am learning more and more that when some of these things happen in our lives and there is nothing that we can do about them, the most productive way to deal with them is to focus on something else that we are doing that is positive. If we can't think of anything positive then why not create something that is? It is quite simple, yet very effective in dealing with the stress. At least we then feel that we are actively doing something to improve our lives and situation.

There is quite a bit of stress lately in the craft industry in general. We all know the state of the economy, no matter where you live in the world. Times are tough for everyone and let's face it, arts and crafts such as woodworking and painting aren't what one would consider as one of life's necessities. People are concerned about paying for more important things like food and housing and health care and general living expenses and there is far less expendable income than there used to be.

I heard from my magazine not too long ago that they are bumping a couple of our projects from the holiday issue to the next. Initially, my partner and I were to have four projects and an article in the holiday issue between us. But I was told the issue was quite full and that they were moving one project from each of us to the following issue. I wasn't that disappointed, but I think my partner was. The way I looked at it, it gives more people a chance to be in that special issue. It isn't like they aren't taking the things, only that they will be published a little later.

What it does affect most is the date that we will be able to include those items in the catalogs put out by the wholesalers. It kind of kills those projects for the entire holiday season, and severely limits the income they would bring for another year.

It used to be that we were able to sell our items as soon as the magazine was out, as per our "first rights" agreement. Now however, I am being told that we need to wait two full months from the newsstand publication date until those items included in that magazine can be included in the catalogs. Since much of the work that I submit is seasonal, this just about will take the project out of the market for the entire year.

From a marketing perspective I do understand their reasons for this. But from a designer's point of view, I am quite disappointed. Even though this "two month" time frame was only brought up to me yesterday (unless I missed something - and I don't think I would have missed something that important) it was presented to me as if it was the policy all along and it always was that way.

It makes me think I am going crazy.

I found myself questioning my own memory and going so far as to pull the old contracts to check and see if I missed something. As far as I could see, I did not. This apparently is one of those times when a deal was made between the magazine and the wholesaler and this was agreed upon between them and someone forgot to notify the designers of the changes.

In the past, I distinctly remember that the items that were in the holiday issue would also be included not only in the holiday catalogs of the wholesalers, but also the fall catalogs prior to that. The fall catalog ships at the beginning of September and the holiday issue is slated to be on the stand on August 16. It was a close call but it was acceptable.

The holiday wholesale catalog ships sometime in October, and the problem there is that all the photographs and materials are due to the wholesaler at the same time as the previous catalog (which is just about now, by the way) Also because of the dates, the projects that got bumped up will be completely out of the running.

I know it is just a couple of projects and yes, I can make more but it just brings to attention how far down on the totem pole that I, as the designer, sits. Little by little I see the tables turning and the demographics of the relationships between the magazines/wholesalers/designers changing. And since both the magazines and the wholesalers have far more resources, it frequently appears that they come out ahead. Instead of a "win/win/win" philosophy that used to make things work well together, it is more of a "win/win/still-in-the-game" philosophy that has caused many designers that I know of to get out of the business altogether.

(Et tu, Brutus?)

So knowing what I know, that the world is what it is and I can do little to change others, I realize that the only way to come out of this well is to change my own behavior. This is a matter of survival for everyone, myself included, and there are several things I can do to improve my own odds of succeeding. Diversification is one. I am already working on that with the painting aspect of my business. Another is focusing on my own website and customers. You all know that I have been working on that and I will continue to focus efforts there. Since I have direct contact with my customers in that forum, it is probably my favorite one to work on anyway.

I apologize for the length of this post, but these are some valid points for the many who read and ask me about what it entails to do this as a full time business. There is no magic formula, it seems. I just have to be resilient and able to diversify enough so that if one aspect changes, the business doesn't come falling down like a house of cards. It sometimes is a tricky game to play, but in the words of Monty Python "I ain't dead yet!"

I don't look at either the wholesalers or the magazines in a negative sense for any of these things. After all, they are also just trying to hang in there too. I probably wouldn't have much respect for either of them if they didn't try their best to make things work for them. However, it is a delicate balance between the three parties where each one needs the other two in order to survive. I only hope that they realize that too.

With all that said, I will leave you with this thought for the day:

It is not the strongest
of the species that survive,
nore the most intelligent,
but the one most responsive to change.
-Darwin
 
#3,041 ·
Sheila,

Would it be possible to have two "versions" of your work? One just a tiny bit different than the other that you could use for the magazine and the other would be for sale on your website?

That way, with very minimal effort, you could have your proverbial cake and eat it as well. :)

Very nice quote by Darwin! Here's another one by Darwin:

"To kill an error is as good a service as, and sometimes even better than, the establishing of a new truth or fact"

Take care and good luck!

-bob
 
#3,054 ·
Along Came a Spider . . .

I worked on another candle tray yesterday. I did decide to go with the Halloween them for the time being. Whether it is the right or wrong decision, only time will tell but I wanted to go with my gut this time just to see what would happen.

The design I came up with was pretty simple. In cutting it, I found that it was on of the easiest things I have made in a long time. (really) Simple isn't bad thougha (we talked about that before) and it will be very easy for a new scroll sawyer to accomplish this project. The lines are thick and the web design is very forgiving so if they go off here or there, who is to know? (Only the spider!) It is a good pattern for 'skill building' and there are only 60 inside cuts in the web so it shouldn't take very long at all.

It only took me an hour and a half or so and in between cutting it I was running out to the yard to tend to dinner on the bar-b-que. (I multi-task that way sometimes!)

The spider was a little tricky in that I wanted it to look a bit creepier than it came out. I wanted the legs skinnier and pointier, but I know that the wood wouldn't tolerate what I was thinking. I used oak for the web and roasted birch for the spider, as it will turn almost black when I oil it.

Here is a picture of how it is now prior to finishing it:

Brown Product Creative arts Wood Font


You can see how brown the spider looks now, and I did drill depressions for his eyes. I have some Swarovski crystals in red that will look really cool for eyes. They are 3mm in diameter though, so I needed to be sure that they would fit comfortably without the pieces blowing out when I drilled. (Of course, I drilled prior to scrolling the spider). The roasted birch is quite dry and brittle though and I am a little concerned about the legs breaking off, as it has very little strength. Once the spider is glued on the web though it should be fine.

For the charms that hang off of the candle, I am probably going to put a baby spider with shorter legs. I may also put a little corner web piece of thin oak just to mix it up - I haven't. quite decided yet. I want the baby to have red bead eyes too, but I will have to see if I can get my hands on some smaller beads. I have some glass seed beads that are common and easy to find that may do the job.

For the web, I used oak and although it could be left natural, I think I may want to use the DecoArt Antiquing and Staining Medium and a pearlized white stain to give it a cool shimmer. I also have some glow-in-the-dark acrylic that may be cool to use. Again - not decided.

I'll figure all this out today. I am also planning to do some photography of the other projects that I have to submit. I heard from my contact at the catalog and I have about a week to get new stuff to her for the next two issues. So it will be quite a push until then.

After that I am going to start the scroll saw class here. I have already been outlining it and getting organized for it and I think after the Independance Day holiday in the States and Canada Day here in Canada, it will be a good time to get moving on it. The more I think about it, the more I am looking forward to making it work for everyone. I know that working together we can accomplish a lot.

So that is where I am today. I hope you enjoy the design. Even though it isn't finished yet, it is coming out kind of cool and hopefully it will look good. I already know what I am making next so I can get drawing on that as soon as I finish these things. I like being ahead of the game like that. Now down time in between projects.

I hope you all have a great day today. Do something creative and most important - have some fun!!!
 

Attachments

#3,055 ·
Along Came a Spider . . .

I worked on another candle tray yesterday. I did decide to go with the Halloween them for the time being. Whether it is the right or wrong decision, only time will tell but I wanted to go with my gut this time just to see what would happen.

The design I came up with was pretty simple. In cutting it, I found that it was on of the easiest things I have made in a long time. (really) Simple isn't bad thougha (we talked about that before) and it will be very easy for a new scroll sawyer to accomplish this project. The lines are thick and the web design is very forgiving so if they go off here or there, who is to know? (Only the spider!) It is a good pattern for 'skill building' and there are only 60 inside cuts in the web so it shouldn't take very long at all.

It only took me an hour and a half or so and in between cutting it I was running out to the yard to tend to dinner on the bar-b-que. (I multi-task that way sometimes!)

The spider was a little tricky in that I wanted it to look a bit creepier than it came out. I wanted the legs skinnier and pointier, but I know that the wood wouldn't tolerate what I was thinking. I used oak for the web and roasted birch for the spider, as it will turn almost black when I oil it.

Here is a picture of how it is now prior to finishing it:

Brown Product Creative arts Wood Font


You can see how brown the spider looks now, and I did drill depressions for his eyes. I have some Swarovski crystals in red that will look really cool for eyes. They are 3mm in diameter though, so I needed to be sure that they would fit comfortably without the pieces blowing out when I drilled. (Of course, I drilled prior to scrolling the spider). The roasted birch is quite dry and brittle though and I am a little concerned about the legs breaking off, as it has very little strength. Once the spider is glued on the web though it should be fine.

For the charms that hang off of the candle, I am probably going to put a baby spider with shorter legs. I may also put a little corner web piece of thin oak just to mix it up - I haven't. quite decided yet. I want the baby to have red bead eyes too, but I will have to see if I can get my hands on some smaller beads. I have some glass seed beads that are common and easy to find that may do the job.

For the web, I used oak and although it could be left natural, I think I may want to use the DecoArt Antiquing and Staining Medium and a pearlized white stain to give it a cool shimmer. I also have some glow-in-the-dark acrylic that may be cool to use. Again - not decided.

I'll figure all this out today. I am also planning to do some photography of the other projects that I have to submit. I heard from my contact at the catalog and I have about a week to get new stuff to her for the next two issues. So it will be quite a push until then.

After that I am going to start the scroll saw class here. I have already been outlining it and getting organized for it and I think after the Independance Day holiday in the States and Canada Day here in Canada, it will be a good time to get moving on it. The more I think about it, the more I am looking forward to making it work for everyone. I know that working together we can accomplish a lot.

So that is where I am today. I hope you enjoy the design. Even though it isn't finished yet, it is coming out kind of cool and hopefully it will look good. I already know what I am making next so I can get drawing on that as soon as I finish these things. I like being ahead of the game like that. Now down time in between projects.

I hope you all have a great day today. Do something creative and most important - have some fun!!!
This is really awesome - I certainly wouldn't say it looks like an "easy" piece to cut. I really like this because it isn't symmetrical. You have different webs all around the edge - very cool.

The spider looks neat as well.

I would say it might be a tad less complex than your recent creations, but "easy"?

I don't know where you come up with all these designs, but am happy they are still flowing!

Keep up the great work and good luck with everything!

-bob
 

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#3,068 ·
Moving To Another Deadline

I am kind of working in several directions at once these days. That tends to happen when deadlines are coming up and we are in crunch time.

I worked on my spider web candle tray and got it sanded and oiled. I also picked on the little charm pieces and got them to where I wanted them. At first I did them and I think they were a bit large. I wanted them smaller than the larger spider that I showed yesterday, but they had to be big enough that the legs wouldn't be even more fragile and they would fall apart. I think I found the right size and with a few tries, I think it will work.

I didn't get to the scroll saw yesterday because my partner was cutting his next piece out. It was one of the few times that we had a "scroll saw traffic jam" with both of us sharing a saw. I guess days like that are to be expected with the two of us doing the same thing here, and I am kind of surprised that it hasn't happened more in the past. It wasn't a big deal for me though, as I had plenty of other things to do.

The Canada Post strike was settled earlier this week and I had three orders to get out. It's funny because I am always saying that probably 95% of our orders go out electronically, but in the last week when there was a postal strike, there were three. I think they call that "Murphy's Law". I did send the customers notice that they wouldn't see their orders anytime soon and explained to them that the beaver was upset and sent them the patterns electronically so that they could at least get started on them. They were all very appreciative and were happy that I took the time to do that. I hope it encourages them to order that way in the future, as I think some people are afraid to order electronic files. It really makes it easier though for all parties (and cheaper) and although I understand that some people may not have printers, I think it continue to be the way that most of my customers prefer their patterns.

I went ahead and did some more drawing and cleaning of files on my computer. I need to take more pictures of the new things, but I had heard from my contact at the wholesaler and she will be out of the office until after the Independence Day holiday and the pictures won't be necessary until Tuesday. Since there was a lot going on here in our little 'shop' and there was stuff all around, I thought it would be best to wait until we were ready and take the pictures of several projects at once. It would be far more efficient that way.

I had called one of the larger hardwood suppliers in the US because since showing my last two projects, I have had a couple of calls from customers in the US looking for roasted birch. I suppose that I didn't realize that it was such a white elephant and difficult to find. I Googled it and found a supplier in BC, Canada as well as my own supplier here in Halifax, but I failed to find anyone in the States.

When I called the place I was familiar with, they said that in the past week they also got a couple of phone calls with people looking for it and haven't heard of it before. They said that the people looking for it were scrollers. I wound up giving them the web addresses for both the sources in Canada to see the possibility of them supplying it for the US. I think however that both Canadian places are willing to ship to the States, but I am sure that it will be quite expensive. I am going to keep looking and I would also appreciate if any of you in the States finds a source for it to please let me know so that I can share it with others. I know I am going to be using more of it in my design work and I would like to be able to refer people to a source so that they can purchase it too.

I am going to keep this short today, as I have lots to do and want to get an early start. I want to really push hard the next few days and see how many new things I can get done for the catalog. Then I can take a breather and we will be ready to start the class. I should start that blog next week, and I am looking forward to doing so. Once we get rolling on it, it should be fun. At least I hope it will.

I wish you all a good day and hope you find the time to make something nice.
 
#3,069 ·
Now I know why I've never heard of Roasted Birch before. When I read your blog I just assumed it was another of those things that I never picked up on, or it was mainly used for scroll saw work and I haven't done any.
 
#3,075 ·
Why Am I So Unsettled?

I don't know guys and girls - I am just unsettled today. Nothing is really wrong, but it seems like I can't seem to stay focused on one thing enough to accomplish anything.

It isn't that I don't have ideas. Sometimes I think it may be that I have too many of them. It is really a bad time to be this way too (is there ever a good time?) I've got until mid-week to get what I have to the wholesaler and that stuff has to finish out the year with them.

That was quite discouraging, I will be honest. It was as if I was running a marathon and as I got to the 25th mile with only a bit to go and someone said "Oh! Our race will be 30 miles." I suppose that it shows me how important being mentally prepared for this stuff is to me. I usually think I am pretty good. Snowmen in August. Easter Bunnies in November. They are all part of the process and a life that I am used to. I was totally prepared to have the autumn and some holiday stuff ready for this cutoff date. I planned on weighing heavy on the autumn as I stated because it always seems that I rush through that and don't make half of what I want to. Then, I was going to follow up the next month or two with doing the holiday stuff that would come out with the November catalog in time for Christmas crafting.

But finding out earlier this week that everything that was due for the rest of the year was all going to be due the same time really took the wind out of my sales. It was as if my circuit just overloaded and it kind of shut me down. It's too much to think of right now and I just feel that I am being pulled in too many directions at once.

As we start the month of July, I also know that I have only a month to get my 72 skating pond figure sets to Ohio. They gave me a date of approximately August 8th that they want the sets in the warehouse. That means I need to get my butt going on them soon. When I sent the set to Washington State to be photographed for the catalog, I was riding high because they didn't need it until the middle of this week. I mailed it out nearly three weeks prior to the deadline and it took over two weeks to arrive. I can't blame Canada Post either because I tracked it and watched it and it got across the border fairly quickly (I went with Purolator, which is not affiliated with CP, but they were so overloaded because of the strike that they delivered stuff in Enterprise rental trucks because they had such a huge increase in volume of packages!) It seems that it sat in this state or that state for extra days and it finally arrived on my contact's desk on Monday - with only two days to spare. It made me see that August 8th is going to come pretty quickly and I had better not procrastinate about things very much.

And then the news of stuff being bumped further down the line from the magazine, which will disqualify it for this year's wholesale really was like the final blow. I know I am exaggerating, but it seems as if I went from having lots of new stuff to present, to having minimal.

I want to have more control over my own business. I know I have my site, and I have been looking into and trying to research how to make it more visible and work harder for me. I was given some very good links from some members here and have started to look at what other options I may have for promoting it, but again it is quite overwhelming to me at this point in things. Besides that, it is typically the slow season for scroll sawing and although business is much better than last year, it certainly isn't singing as it was in the fall and winter months. I suppose I get nervous.

In reading this back, I sound all over the place, don't I? My head keeps going in circles thinking about all these things and it is making it very difficult for me to be my usual efficient self and focus on one thing at a time and accomplish something.

Around 2pm yesterday, I took off for Yarmouth, as I needed to run some errands. Today is Canada Day here so everything is closed. I knew that if I didn't go yesterday, I would not be able to get what I needed for a couple of days. It was cool and overcast out and not one of those good driving days. It kind of fit the mood I was in, I think. I returned before supper, but I didn't get much done in the evening. Just overwhelmed I suppose.

Today is one of the first bright and sunny mornings of the week. We have had a lot of fog and cool weather here and even if it did get sunny in the afternoon, the days have began being quite dreary. Hopefully this will get me out of my indecisive move and I will be able to get moving on some things. We have been too busy to go for our daily walks lately, and maybe that has a hand in it. I like the walks because they allow me to clear my head and take a breath and enjoy the area where I live. Since there are no more black flies, I am no longer fearful of heading out. I have the repellent clip-on that Erwin sent me too and that helps a lot.

Sorry for such a poopie post. I wasn't going to post at all actually. But then you would have wondered what was wrong and I didn't want anyone to worry. It probably isn't as bad as I paint it here. It is just one of those things we all go through. As my grandmother used to tell me "this too shall pass."

I hope you all have a great day today. I plan on having one more cup of coffee and then doing something. I treated myself to real cream in my coffee as an extra perk. That is a great start to a hopefully good day.

Happy Canada Day to my friends here in Canada!
 
#3,076 ·
take a short break… go for that walk… reconnect with nature and refocus on your goals and your plan.
breathe in; breathe out; breathe in; breathe out

and smile :D
Good luck with the day and with your deadlines.
 
#3,085 ·
Know When It's Time to Make Changes

When things aren't going exactly how you want them to in your life, you have two choices. You can leave them the way they are or you can change them. Although I realize that we don't always have the ability to change each and every situation, more times than not we do and for some reason or another we choose not to.

Change often brings discomfort, as most people like the sense of familiarity and the security that goes along with keeping things as they are, even if they are hurting themselves. Fear of the unknown has stifled mankind for ages. Even though one may not be happy in their current situation (job, relationship, other aspects of their lives) they choose the comfort of familiarity over changing things and venturing out into the unknown. I have been guilty of it myself in many situations, and I find it amazing how it creeps up on you when you don't expect it.

I have also learned however, that once the changes are made and the risks are taken, the rewards can be great. How many times after we have made such decisions have things worked out for the better and we find ourselves saying "Now what took me so long to do that in the first place?"

Live and learn.

Lately, I have felt a bit of unrest with my business. Although it is growing and doing better than it was a year ago, there are still several little and not so little things about it that bother me. If you read my blog here daily, I have probably mentioned them here and there, but on their own, they are benign little annoyances and even you as an outsider don't recognize them as to being as harmful as they are.

However, as they all start to add up, they do begin to eat away at my creative soul and bother me. I think that is just what was happening to me.

It is somewhat of a tricky game here blogging to you every day. In the beginning when I started writing, the purpose of doing so was to journal my business and therefore my life and sort things out each morning and give me a clear direction for the day ahead. I never would have thought that I would have met so many wonderful people through my writings (I never even thought anyone would read it!) and I truly feel that I have made a great number of friends from all over the world and have benefited greatly from your friendship, advice, suggestions and feedback. I like to hear how my positive outlook inspires others to also look at things from the pink cloud side of life and somehow makes life more positive for them. too. It keeps me writing every day.

When I express my grievances, I try to be as diplomatic as possible. I tend to generalize and don't stoop to name calling and pointing fingers at specific people or companies. After all, I need to work with those companies and businesses in order to survive and it would be foolish to bite the proverbial hand that feeds. But sometimes things just need to be pointed out. I write this page daily so that those who aspire to do what I do can see some of the ups and downs of the business side of woodworking. It isn't just draw pictures and take the checks to the bank. If it were that easy, everyone would do it.

As I said yesterday, I decided I needed a change and went to the beach. I have been here in Nova Scotia for over seven years now and Mavelette Beach is about a ten minute drive from my home and I have not once spent any amount of time there. I walked on it a couple of times (mostly in winter actually) but I hadn't spent any quality time there enjoying it. I thought it was time.

I packed my travel bag with a small pillow, sunscreen, my notebook and pen, a diet Coke and some pretzels. My partner had other things to do so I decided to go myself. The day was warm and clear, with a cool breeze blowing.

Many people think that Canada is all polar bears and ice caps. Although we do have our cooler days and few really "hot" days, it can be quite pleasant and warm. I live a couple of kilometers from the ocean and it is amazing how driving even five minutes away from the sea the temperature is so much warmer. It was warm when I left, but I still brought a sweatshirt just in case.

I arrived at the beach just after noon. It was Canada Day so there were probably more people than usual there. However, growing up in Chicago where the beaches were always peppered with literally thousands of people, this was still quite private and pleasant. I found a spot near the dunes immediately and noticed that the tide was on its way out. When I initially sat down, the water was maybe fifty feet from me. Before long however, it was several hundred yards back.

(My new "office")


(Task at Hand)


I settled in and wanted to get to work at the task at hand. The goal I had set for myself was to map out the scroll sawing class that I am to do here with an outline of what I wanted to teach. It was the perfect setting of quiet and no interruptions that I needed to do so and within an hour or so I completed it. That was one huge weight lifted from me.

After I was finished, I didn't want to go home yet. The sun was warm and it was a good time to just think and sort things out. I watched, of all things, a young man actually surfing the small waves that were rolling in. Nova Scotia is not knows for its surfing, as the northern Atlantic waters are icy cold even in August. Only a few brave souls actually go in. But this guy was persistent and I found myself silently cheering for him as each time he paddled out and caught a wave, he successfully rode it into shore. Good for him.

(You can see him in the background)


While sitting there and watching him, I though of my own business and how (much like that surfer) I needed persistence and tenacity to be successful. There were several times when he fell, but it didn't daunt him at all. He just paddled back out and tried again - many times successful. I was happy for him when he had a good ride. I found myself smiling. It brought things into perspective to me that in order to be successful, we all need to not only be persistent, but we also need to fall sometimes. That is just the way. Falling is not failing. And the important thing is how we deal with the falls and how we change our behavior to avoid future falls. This is what will make or break our business.

Which brings me full circle to what I started this post saying. We have choices.

It strikes me odd that yesterday at this time I felt I had little to write about and was quite discouraged and right now I feel as I could write a book. I didn't even get into any specifics here as to what I have discovered about things, and I am already writing one of the longest posts to date. I have so much I want to share with you about things and what I have figured out. I also have some new directions that I decided to go in that will either make or break my business. I feel I am ready to take the risk.

It is no fun feeling like you are being taken advantage of. I am finding that there is nothing that will suck the creativity out of me faster. I found that little by little, I have allowed not one, but several of the companies that I work with do so. I don't think it is entirely my fault, as they are subtle in their actions. As I said, at times like this it isn't one huge thing that opens your eyes, it is the delicate, small things that eat away with you little by little until one day you wake up and wonder how you allowed yourself to be put in the position you find yourself.

But that is the time you need to ask yourself the difficult questions. Do I want things to remain like this (or get worse?) Or do I change my own behavior and reactions and put an end to it now? Without change things will remain the same. It is up to me to initiate the change. Only then will I be truly happy.

Who would have thought a trip to the beach would be so beneficial? Those couple of hours there by myself allowed me to clear my head and think things through and come to some good decisions. I am fortunate to have such a wonderful "office" so close to me. I think it is a good example of what can happen when we don't take the time for ourselves. We get stuck. These breaths of fresh air are essential to our well-being and emotional health, as well as our productivity.

I will leave you today with a final picture. You can always click on the title and go to my Picasa album to see all the pictures. There are many more that I uploaded there.


I apologize for the length of this post. There is so much more I want to share and I will do so in subsequent posts. I know so many of you who struggle through the same things that I do with your creativity and woodworking and life in general. I think sharing these experiences is very important to all of us.

Thanks for indulging me today. And thanks to all the supportive comments and PM's that I received yesterday. It was good to come home and know I have so many good friends in so many of you.

Have a great Saturday.
 
#3,086 ·
I'm only part way through the blog so will have to come back to it but I just have to say that you actually have three options
1. keep on doing what you are doing and grumbling about it
2. keep on doing what you are doing but change your attitude and perspective about it (ex. from, "I hate my job" to "I'm doing this to put food on the table and I am grateful for this job")
3. change what you are doing.

ok.. gotta run
back later!
 
#3,102 ·
Growing Pains

Usually I don't see myself as someone who complains and moans a lot. Some may disagree, of course, but I think for the most part, I let a lot of things go and try not to sweat the little stuff. There is something that makes me want to apologize for yesterdays' post being whiny and there is part of me feels really good because I am standing up for myself. Not that I have really done anything yet, but just drawing the line in my own head and knowing within myself that things are going to change makes a big difference.

Now, I am not going to go on any rampage or anything silly like that. As with most of you, even though I am self-employed, these people are my business colleagues and as I have said many times in the past, we need each other in order to function. I don't want to say or do anything (especially when my emotions are very high) that I would later regret.

The phrase "speak softly and carry a big stick" comes to mind, although with a bit of modified thinking.

As difficult as it is to admit, the only reason that I am in the position that I find myself in right now is because I allowed it to go this far.

"There are no victims - only volunteers" is another phrase that comes to mind (Oh - those Roosevelts were full of wisdom, weren't they?)

My grandmother taught me that one and it was one that stuck with me throughout my life.

How true those words are in so many cases. How many times do we put ourselves into situations that are not what you would say "beneficial" to us only to cry "victim"?

Not me and not now.

Whatever things are with my business, it is because of choices that I alone made. I can't blame anyone for holding a gun to my head and forcing me to do anything. I take full responsibility for where I am and also for the issues that I am encountering at the moment.

Although it feels comforting to know that many agree with me and feel my pain regarding the issues that I have talked about the past couple of days, I found that ultimately, I begin to feel like a victim. That is a hat I don't like wearing very much. I don't want it to appear to be the big bad companies against the long suffering designer. There is no pleasure for me being in that role.

I would much rather have my peers and customers and business associates look at me with admiration and respect. I want to pull myself out of this situation that is detrimental to my business and turn it into one that will not only make it grow, but also earn the respect of all of the above. After all, respect is something that is not given unless it is earned.

The way I am going to do this, is by being honest and fair and also by being realistic and starting to look out for myself and my company first and foremost. That doesn't mean that I am going to be unfair or harsh with others, but it means that in my future decision making, my first and foremost bottom line will be what is healthy for me.

There is nothing mean or unscrupulous about that. After all, if my business isn't healthy, how can theirs be? They depend on me as I do them and if I continued on the way I am it would only be a matter of time before I dropped off like so many have done before me and then they would have nothing. They are not designers. They need designers to be able to offer quality products to their customers. They could hire full time people, but I can't believe the quality of the work would be the same as mine and my other designer colleagues that also supply them with projects. We have passion and experience as well as love of designing under out belts. It would be difficult, if not impossible for them to find replacements for us with those qualities - at least not at the wages they would be wiling to pay.

So let the campaign begin.

I won't go back on any previous commitments that I made. After all, they are commitments. However, as new things arise, you can rest assured that things will be thought out and dealt with in a different way. No more bending over backwards for things that aren't beneficial to me and my company. No more selling out cheap. It is time to be a business woman and work on the business part of my job.

This shouldn't affect me very much, as I always try to hold myself to the highest of standards in regards to fairness and service to my customers and my wholesalers. I just need to learn to use the word "no" when others try to push the line with me. When put in those terms, it sounds easy, doesn't it?

I have come to the conclusion that if the catalogs don't want to take my designs, then it is their loss. I am not going to shelf this seasons things and hold back on them unless the companies want to pay me for exclusives. I had offered to do exclusives in the past for some of the companies and no one bit. Perhaps they didn't want to take the risk and invest the money. The ones that did buy exclusive designs from me in the past have grossly underpaid me for them. I took them up on it because I was desperate at the time. But as they say "that ship has sailed" and the offer is no longer on the table. I am seeing more and more that when I sell exclusive rights to others, I am only creating competition with myself. In today's market, which is not doing great, I can't afford to do that anymore.

So with all that said, I take a deep breath and prepare to move on. I feel much better about things though, as I no longer feel trapped. The word "no" allows us so much freedom. As difficult as it is to use sometimes, it is extremely empowering when we finally figures it out. I look at this time in my business-life as a new beginning. Perhaps these past weeks were just growing pains and a necessary part of moving toward success. I certainly hope so.

Have a great day and thank you all again for your encouragement and support.
 
#3,103 ·
something that I learned last year (was presented with the wisdom over and over again) was that we need to tell our stories.
It is through telling our stories that we develop a greater understanding of what is happening and where we are headed. And it is by hearing others' stories that we get a clearer understanding of life and we, hopefully, receive the wisdom to guide us along our own paths.

Your story, yesterday, made us, the readers, put ourselves in your shoes - not only to cheer you on through the assertiveness part, but to experience the integrity behind your choices and the efforts to not put others down etc. Lots of wisdom held within your words yesterday and today.

We are each here on this planet to contribute in some way. When we hide our light under a basket, and diminish what we do, then we aren't honouring ourselves or anyone else. Being true to "you" is being true to your contribution to the bigger picture and to the talents and gifts that you have been given, to share with others.

As you have stated, this is "your journey" and all choices are yours to make, given the circumstances that are presented.

You go girl!!!!!
We're behind you all the way :)
 
#3,112 ·
Lots of Little Things Accomplished

It's going to storm here today, it seems. It actually looks quite gloomy. That's OK though, as I have lots of indoor things to do today and being inside will help me stay on them and get them done. Although it is a holiday in the US, it is a pretty normal Monday here in Canada. I wonder if there will be any mail yet, as it is quite slow in getting back up and running.

I had a really good day yesterday. I cleaned up a lot of odds and ends and got things set up for the 72 skating pond sets that I need to cut. The setting up part is not my favorite. I have sheets of 30" x 30" 1/8" Baltic Birch plywood that I am using for the figures. I worked the pieces out on the computer so that I could fit 20 sets of figures on each piece. This leaves a 6" wide strip down the side for extras or to use later. I am going to be cutting the pond pieces stacked four high so I will actually be cutting four sets at once. By setting things up this way, I will come out of it with 80 sets, which gives me some extra either to start on the next batch when ordered or to fill in where pieces may not be perfect.

Setting up and the initial rip cutting of this was not what I call 'fun.' The sheets, as I said, are 30" square and the throat of my saw is only 21". This means that you have to cut in as far as you can, back out and cut from the other side. It isn't really that hard, but with going through four sheets of that size. it can be tricky. Especially if you need to maneuver around little arms and legs. But I just took my time and I am ready to go.

Now I have 20 little sections like this:

Sleeve Gesture Beige Font Art


With a thickness of this:

Finger Wood Material property Flooring Hardwood


It is far less intimidating to me to have things set up this way. Now, when I have an hour or so in between things I can just grab a piece and do some cutting and before I know it I will be done. I plan on getting these done by the end of next week and even though I realize that I will need to take a full day or so to complete the job, chipping away at it here and there will make it far less tedious and I am sure it will go quickly. In the mean time, I will begin printing out the written material to go with the pieces. I also need to order the bags to package the sets in today. They come from Ontario and usually get here in a couple of days, but with the mail still recovering from the strike, I don't want to take any chances and I want to get things moving on getting the bags here.

As far as my wholesalers go, my photographs are due to her tomorrow. She is going to get what I have done and that just has to be enough. I have two candle trays to write the instructions packets on and I will be doing that today also. And the instructions for the Halloween Kitty Pull Toy. After completing that, it will be time for another site update. This time I want to change the free pattern that I am offering, and I also need to change the sales page. I haven't decided what to offer there, but I will figure out something.

I am planning on posting the introduction to the class either tomorrow or Wednesday too. I have been working on how I am going to present things to everyone so that everyone can follow along. I am going to err on the side of going slower so that people can get on board and also so we don't lose anyone who is new to it, so the people with a bit of experience need to bear with me. Besides, everyone has jobs and families other projects they are working on and I want this to be something that everyone can make a little time per week from and really learn something. Some lessons will be more time-consuming than others naturally, but that is the great things about the way we are going to do things here. It will offer a great deal of flexibility and will be easy to jump in at any time. Also, everything will be there so if people do have other commitments or fall behind, it will be easy to catch up. I will be doing an entirely separate blog which will be just the class, so keep an eye out for it.

Well, that should be enough stuff to do to keep me out of trouble for the day I think. I also have a painting project that I am working on and want to spend a little time on. I have been meaning to get to it for a couple of days now.

I really had a good couple of days. Yesterday I was able to do most of the set up for the pond stuff on the deck. The sun was shining and it was breezy and not hot and beautiful out. We started walking again too, and I had forgotten how much I missed that. It is amazing how taking an hour to just walk can clear your head. MsDebbie - you were right. We can't forget to make time for that in our lives. I even sat on the deck with Pancakes for an hour and made some new kitty toys for 'the gang'. I hand sew simple little felt mice and stuff them with a bell and catnip. Their tails are of pipe cleaners that I bend in a spiral and they are the 'ultimate toys' for them. I made one for my three and one for Lee's bunch (my neighbor who has five cats) and one for my partner's parents' cat Lacie. I had given her one for Christmas a year and a half ago and she still has it and plays with it every day. It looks like it went through a meat grinder though. I have been meaning to make new toys for quite some time, but hadn't taken the time to do so. It felt good and made nine cats very happy. :)

Happy 4th to my American friends! And happy Monday to everyone! I hope you all have a fun and safe day.
 

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#3,113 ·
Lots of Little Things Accomplished

It's going to storm here today, it seems. It actually looks quite gloomy. That's OK though, as I have lots of indoor things to do today and being inside will help me stay on them and get them done. Although it is a holiday in the US, it is a pretty normal Monday here in Canada. I wonder if there will be any mail yet, as it is quite slow in getting back up and running.

I had a really good day yesterday. I cleaned up a lot of odds and ends and got things set up for the 72 skating pond sets that I need to cut. The setting up part is not my favorite. I have sheets of 30" x 30" 1/8" Baltic Birch plywood that I am using for the figures. I worked the pieces out on the computer so that I could fit 20 sets of figures on each piece. This leaves a 6" wide strip down the side for extras or to use later. I am going to be cutting the pond pieces stacked four high so I will actually be cutting four sets at once. By setting things up this way, I will come out of it with 80 sets, which gives me some extra either to start on the next batch when ordered or to fill in where pieces may not be perfect.

Setting up and the initial rip cutting of this was not what I call 'fun.' The sheets, as I said, are 30" square and the throat of my saw is only 21". This means that you have to cut in as far as you can, back out and cut from the other side. It isn't really that hard, but with going through four sheets of that size. it can be tricky. Especially if you need to maneuver around little arms and legs. But I just took my time and I am ready to go.

Now I have 20 little sections like this:

Sleeve Gesture Beige Font Art


With a thickness of this:

Finger Wood Material property Flooring Hardwood


It is far less intimidating to me to have things set up this way. Now, when I have an hour or so in between things I can just grab a piece and do some cutting and before I know it I will be done. I plan on getting these done by the end of next week and even though I realize that I will need to take a full day or so to complete the job, chipping away at it here and there will make it far less tedious and I am sure it will go quickly. In the mean time, I will begin printing out the written material to go with the pieces. I also need to order the bags to package the sets in today. They come from Ontario and usually get here in a couple of days, but with the mail still recovering from the strike, I don't want to take any chances and I want to get things moving on getting the bags here.

As far as my wholesalers go, my photographs are due to her tomorrow. She is going to get what I have done and that just has to be enough. I have two candle trays to write the instructions packets on and I will be doing that today also. And the instructions for the Halloween Kitty Pull Toy. After completing that, it will be time for another site update. This time I want to change the free pattern that I am offering, and I also need to change the sales page. I haven't decided what to offer there, but I will figure out something.

I am planning on posting the introduction to the class either tomorrow or Wednesday too. I have been working on how I am going to present things to everyone so that everyone can follow along. I am going to err on the side of going slower so that people can get on board and also so we don't lose anyone who is new to it, so the people with a bit of experience need to bear with me. Besides, everyone has jobs and families other projects they are working on and I want this to be something that everyone can make a little time per week from and really learn something. Some lessons will be more time-consuming than others naturally, but that is the great things about the way we are going to do things here. It will offer a great deal of flexibility and will be easy to jump in at any time. Also, everything will be there so if people do have other commitments or fall behind, it will be easy to catch up. I will be doing an entirely separate blog which will be just the class, so keep an eye out for it.

Well, that should be enough stuff to do to keep me out of trouble for the day I think. I also have a painting project that I am working on and want to spend a little time on. I have been meaning to get to it for a couple of days now.

I really had a good couple of days. Yesterday I was able to do most of the set up for the pond stuff on the deck. The sun was shining and it was breezy and not hot and beautiful out. We started walking again too, and I had forgotten how much I missed that. It is amazing how taking an hour to just walk can clear your head. MsDebbie - you were right. We can't forget to make time for that in our lives. I even sat on the deck with Pancakes for an hour and made some new kitty toys for 'the gang'. I hand sew simple little felt mice and stuff them with a bell and catnip. Their tails are of pipe cleaners that I bend in a spiral and they are the 'ultimate toys' for them. I made one for my three and one for Lee's bunch (my neighbor who has five cats) and one for my partner's parents' cat Lacie. I had given her one for Christmas a year and a half ago and she still has it and plays with it every day. It looks like it went through a meat grinder though. I have been meaning to make new toys for quite some time, but hadn't taken the time to do so. It felt good and made nine cats very happy. :)

Happy 4th to my American friends! And happy Monday to everyone! I hope you all have a fun and safe day.
Sheila,

I'm sure I missed something, but why in the world are you doing 72 sets of your skating pond sets?

Just curious….......

-bob
 

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#3,119 ·
Finishing Some Things and Starting Others

Well, everything that is going to be submitted for the catalogs this holiday is sent. Here it is only the middle of the year and I can't help but feel my retail fate is sealed.

That sounds ominous I realize, but it just seems kind of foolish to me. Even the magazines don't take five months to get their publications out. I suppose that I am not doing their job though, so who am I to say. I have resigned myself to the fact that things are that way and I don't want to waste my time worrying about what I can't change.

As far as yesterday went, I spent nearly the entire day doing the written instructions and photograph of the Halloween Cat Pull Toy pattern. I had taken pictures along the way, as I always do when making a project, and I wound up with over 15 photographs and five pages of text. It isn't that the patterns are that complicated, but it is that there are a lot of little details in making it. It seems that with building each of these little pull toy animals, I am finding better and easier ways to do so.

I am happy that I took a lot of pictures along the way, because it documents not only the steps that I took in building the project, but also the order I did things. It isn't always as cut and dry as you would think - especially when there are lots of pieces involved in the process. After going through things and really evaluating what I needed, I narrowed it down to about 18 pictures. I then put them in order and used them as a guideline while explaining the building process. In the end, I think I only used 15 and eliminated some that were redundant. After working on it for several hours uninterrupted, I finally finished the written text. Now I need to integrate the photos, graphics and text into one file to make the pattern.

I walked away from it around 6:30 because I just couldn't think anymore. My goal is to get these new pattern packets done by the end of the week when I update the site and I felt that it would be best to give it a day or so and then go back to it. After reading through some things so many times, I think my mind tends to block things out and I want to be sure that the process is correct. I made great headway and that is the important thing.

I look back to the first of the toys like this that I created (the Rocking Reindeer) and I know that there is a better way to do things. It isn't that the way I made them was incorrect, but I feel that I have a much better handle on the process after doing several of these. When I get the release on the pattern after it is published, I think I will remake it and modify the instructions a bit. It will be much easier for people to build I think.

Not too long ago, I spoke of modifying older patterns and making them more up to date with how I do things now. While it was not practical for me to change things that I created years ago, I think that this is one instance where it would be good to update it before it gets put on the market. It will involve rebuilding at least one of the pieces to get the proper photographs, but in the long run, I will just feel better about the pattern as a whole.

So what is on the agenda for today?

I am going to be writing the blog to introduce the scroll saw class and I should have it up by tonight or latest tomorrow. I am excited about it and want the announcement to be stated so that people will know that it is not my regular blog here and it will hopefully bring in some new people to give scroll sawing a try. I still haven't quite figured how to do sign up and roll call and all of that, and I also need to figure how to get the PDF files to everyone so they have patterns to follow along with, but that will be my homework for today. I realize that the class will not be conducted exactly like the other classes have been, but I do think that it can work well for all of us.

I am excited about the class, and I hope that those of you who want to participate are too. I want everyone to learn something, but most of all I want us all to have fun. Throughout the class, I look forward to your input and suggestions. Although I may not be able to implement them all, I will certainly consider them and hopefully they will help me address issues that I hadn't thought about and answer everyone's questions.

It is going to be an adventure for all of us.
 
#3,120 ·
Well there is a releaf the catalog is done.
Well with publishing not sure were they have them printed out . But I noticed that alot books on scrolling are printed in CHINA . Could be why they need all that time . I just have a hard time . Figuring how can a place have it printed in China or any other foriegn country . and it is Cheaper than having it printed in the country they have there business. With shipping and all.

Look forward to the classes

have a good day
 
#3,122 ·
Setting Boundaries

Those who know me well know that I am fairly easy going. I have had my share of turmoil in my life, and I am at the point where I just like things to go smoothly. If I get pushed a little bit, I tend not to be reactionary, but rather think things through and consider whether it warrants fighting back or letting it slide. Most of the time I let things go. After all, is it really worth a conflict?

I like being this way. I like the reputation of being even-tempered and cooperative. In my younger years, I couldn't always make that claim. While I wasn't what you would call confrontational, I definitely did have my own opinions and march to my own drummer, even if it meant not going along with the program. But throughout the years, it seems that I have mellowed out and really don't sweat the small stuff (and some of the larger stuff too!) I carefully weigh issues that I disagree with and decide whether they are worth arguing or not. Usually I pass.

The problem with having this attitude is that sometimes it gets to be a habit and one day you find that you are a bit more compliant then you want to be. In dealing with a particular party, you may have walked away from these small issues several times and all of a sudden you realize that they are growing into larger issues and you begin to feel taken advantage of. There comes a point where you need to draw a line and reestablish your boundaries or risk the position of not being respected. But after so many weeks (months, years) of being submissive, it is difficult to stand up for yourself without appearing to be harsh and unreasonable. After all, you are the one that set the pace in the first place. It can be very frustrating and difficult.

Those of you who read regularly saw this happen to me in the last week or so. It seemed that several small issues came to light and one after another were chipping away at me. At first I didn't even notice. But as time went on and the things kept piling up, small as they were they were taking their toll on me. Soon I began to feel unappreciated and taken advantage of and even though each incident in itself was minor, they all added up to quite a large bite to swallow. As a result, I began to feel deflated and frustrated and a bit angry and out of sorts. It showed in my work and my attitude and I wasn't my usual chipper self.

The funny thing was that I didn't even realize it until I took a step back. That couple of hours that I spent at the beach was worth far more to me than it would have appeared on the surface. It gave me time away from things and step back and evaluate my situation honestly. It also gave me the opportunity to weigh my options without interruption or distractions.

In doing so, I came to some conclusions.

-I am worth more than I was giving myself credit.
-I am reasonable in what I expect from most situations.

In looking at my business and how it performed in the past, I saw a lot of struggling and difficult times. I looked at the end product of what I produce and I can honestly say that I am proud of what I have to offer. I do my best work, I don't cut corners, I am there when my customers need me and I am fair. These are all good components that should make a business successful. Why, then has it been such a struggle?

In evaluating things, I realized that I haven't had enough confidence in myself to really stand up for myself and expect the respect that is due me. In the past, I was grateful for being published (I still am) and for wholesale companies accepting my products and so forth, to the point of practically bending over backwards to make these things work.

I see it every day in the 'newbies' that are being published for the first time. They are excited and thrilled and flattered and most of them would jump through just about any hoop that the publishers would hold for them in order to see it happen. That may be fine for someone who is doing this as a side line or hobby, but in order to make a living at a job such as this, it would be exhausting and unreasonable to have to do it all the time. Problem is that when we are just starting, we are all starry-eyed and probably give up a bit more than we are comfortable doing so but we are so intoxicated by the smell of success it doesn't matter. As a result we set a prescient that is difficult to change further down the line and find ourselves in a trap that we, ourselves created. At first we don't realize it, but as time goes on and the initial awe of our own success wears off, the fog lifts and we find ourselves in a position that isn't quite what we pictured and these small incidents begin to eat away at us.

So what to do now?

In sitting on the beach and contemplating my situation, I realized that if I were to allow things to continue the way they were heading, I would not be able to sustain my business. Having a partner is quite helpful at times such as these because it forces me to look out not only for my own good (something that I am not so good at) but also to look out for the good of others (something that I am better at.) My decisions no longer affect only myself, but someone else too. That alone causes me to think a little bit harder and consider the consequences a little deeper. It isn't that I haven't done so before, but I consider myself quite stoic and was willing to put myself on the line 'for the good of the business.' Was I willing to put my partner on the line too?

In order for the business to be successful, it needs to make a profit. If not, it will fail. That is plain and simple. With two of us depending on the business for a livelihood, there is no glossing over whether it is profitable or not. Either it is or it isn't. I can no longer make decisions based on 'hope' that things will turn around and work eventually. If the figures aren't there, I can't keep going.

Knowing this I feel is a great gift. It takes the stars out of my artist's eyes and forces me to be a business woman - something that I have never aspired to be. It makes me realize that the difference between standing up for myself and not could mean the total success or failure of my business. This is no longer something that I can gloss over with 'pink cloud ideals'. It is growing up and facing reality.

So why am I going on about this all?

Yesterday a situation was presented to me regarding something I was requested to do by someone that I worked with. I will not go into any details because that would not be right, but I will say that it was something I didn't want to do and felt was unnecessary. The person was a bit persistent in their request however, and I felt as if they were holding yet another hoop for me to jump through. Not complying with their wishes meant the risk of losing the business relationship with them, which is a very important one to me. However, I was tired of compromising my own principles and allowing my own actions to be dictated by fear.

I thought for a bit about it, and I knew that if I did what was asked, I would not have any self-respect. I would show them that they could push me around and perhaps they would be happy, but I would be miserable. I knew that if I allowed this, they would just push a little farther next time. In the end it would tear me apart.

It took everything within me to do what I did. I very politely and professionally told them "No."

I sent the message to them with a trembling hand. Was I committing business suicide? After all, I need this company to keep my business going. But I felt it was time that I had the respect for myself that I give to others and enough was enough.

After several hours with no response, I was certain that I burned a bridge. I was already formulating 'plan B' in my mind to figure out how my business could survive without them. But late in the day, I received an email response from them. Everything was fine and plans were discussed as if the matter was never approached in the first place. It was a major emotional victory for me and has empowered me greatly.

I don't know what they are thinking now, but I do know that I set a new boundary for myself that has commanded at least a bit of respect. Whether I have repercussions from my decision in the future or not remains to be seen, but for now the only repercussion I feel is that I have set some new limits and feel good about them. Those feelings are immeasurable.

Sometimes we need to say 'no' in order to allow ourselves certain freedoms. Being cooperative is fine, but not at the cost of your respect and integrity. Boundaries are very important for your own well-being and also that of your business.

I wish you all a wonderful day!
 
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