LumberJocks Woodworking Forum banner

My Journey As A Creative Designer - Woodworking and Beyond

Tags
acrylic paint americana angel article article birch articles arts and crafts ash aspen autumn baltic birch baltic birch plywood band saw basket basswood bedroom set beech beeswax bible birch birch ply birch plywood bird birds eye maple blade blades blood wood box brushes build burl business business designing business scroll saw ca glue cabinet camera candle card stock carving carving tool catalog cedar celtic chair cherry children christmas class cocobolo commission work compound cutting contemporary contest corian country crackle crafts creating creativity curly maple custom customer cutting cutting board damask de decorating decorations decoupage design designing dish dolls door drawing dremel drill drill bit drill press drilling easter ebony embellishing embellishment end grain exchange fall faux finishing finish finishing fish frame free fretwork furniture garden glue gothic grey elm halloween heart hickory holiday holly idea ideas inspiration instructions jatoba jewelry jewelry box jig kit kitchen koa lack ofproject progress laminate trimmer lamp lathe light luan plywood magazine mahogany mahogany sepele maple maple heart maple plywood mask masonite mdf military mineral oil finish modern napkin holder nature nautical new oak oil organization organizing ornament ornaments padauk paint painting painting gothic paper patriotic pattern patterns pau amarillo pen pens photography pine plan planer plaque plaques ply plywood poplar power carving presentation pricing primitive printing production project project progress project progress baltic birch project progress birch project progress maple project progress mdf project progress roasted birch projects publish purpleheart r refinishing religious repair review roasted birch romantic rosewood router routing rustic sander sanding sapele saw scroll scroll saw scroll saw blades scroll saw class scroll saw tape scroll sawing scroll work scroll working scrolling techniques scrolls saw scrollsaw scrollwork scrollworking season seasonal segmentation sell selling sellling sepele shaping shellac shop shop safety shop tour shop vac show shows silhouette skates skill sleigh snowflake snowman song spring spring box stain stain finish staining steampunk stenciling storage story studio submit summer table saw tape teach teaching thanksgiving tip tip aspen tool gloat tools toy traditional transfer pattern tray trick turning tutorial valentine veining victorian video vintage walnut wenge western whimsical wildlife winter wood wood shopping wood store trip wood working woodworking woodworking show word art work write yellow heart
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.
 
See less See more
#5,582 ·
Deadline Met :)

I feel accomplished today. After what feels like I ran a marathon, I reached the finish line last night and completed the next set of painted ornaments in time for the deadline (which is today!) While I was a bit tired, I still must say that I finished all that I had set out to do and never had a doubt that I would. It is a good feeling.

Cat Vertebrate Comfort Carnivore Mammal


I decided to call this next set of ornaments "Let's Wrap It Up." They are a dozen package shaped ornaments, painted in fun and bright Christmas colors and can be used for ornaments, magnets, wreaths and garlands, gift tags, or just about anything.

As with the previous holiday Christmas stocking set, I am submitting them for consideration to the Artist's Club for their holiday (September) catalog. The deadline for the submissions is today, and I hope they choose to take them.

Here are the finished pieces:

Product Textile Rectangle Font Art


Furniture Green Textile Rectangle Font


Once again there is a variety of levels of painting there. Some are maybe a bit more difficult than others, but they are all easily accomplished with a bit of patience.

Even if they are not accepted, I am happy that I got them done. Either way they will be a good addition to the painting patterns on my site. And besides, I do like them. :)

But they are certainly not completed yet. Both these and the stocking ornaments still need the patterns written. That would include repainting them and taking step-by-step pictures for the instructions. But most of the 'thinking work' is done, and the rest should come quite easily.

Today I need to switch gears completely. On Monday, we sent our Christmas items to the magazine for publication. My goals for today and tomorrow are to finish up all the instructions for those projects, as well as write an article for using the texture paste that I used on the bell ornaments. I will be happy to get those things under my belt too.

When all that is done, I will finally be able to go back to finishing up the new bird cage ornaments that I was working on last week. I can't wait to get them cut and see how they look in wood. It will be exciting to work on them and I am anxious to do that too.

I suppose you could say I am busy. :)

Things here with the computers are all back up and running. After spending much of the day yesterday troubleshooting, Keith discovered that it was his new power supply that was causing the low level hum in the speakers. He had to pack it up and send it back, and he tried ordering a different one. That probably won't arrive until at least Monday, so for now he has his old one in there, which is adequate. It is good to have backup components for times like this.

So for now, it is back to normal. I will be anxious to hear if the designs are accepted or not, and I hope they are. Either way though I did OK. It will be a good day and I will be happy to work at a more relaxed pace and be able to take my time and catch up on answering emails. I really don't mind deadlines though. I think they are good ways to push myself a little harder and keep me moving in a positive direction. And only good things will come of that.

On we go . . .
 

Attachments

#5,583 ·
Deadline Met :)

I feel accomplished today. After what feels like I ran a marathon, I reached the finish line last night and completed the next set of painted ornaments in time for the deadline (which is today!) While I was a bit tired, I still must say that I finished all that I had set out to do and never had a doubt that I would. It is a good feeling.

Cat Vertebrate Comfort Carnivore Mammal


I decided to call this next set of ornaments "Let's Wrap It Up." They are a dozen package shaped ornaments, painted in fun and bright Christmas colors and can be used for ornaments, magnets, wreaths and garlands, gift tags, or just about anything.

As with the previous holiday Christmas stocking set, I am submitting them for consideration to the Artist's Club for their holiday (September) catalog. The deadline for the submissions is today, and I hope they choose to take them.

Here are the finished pieces:

Product Textile Rectangle Font Art


Furniture Green Textile Rectangle Font


Once again there is a variety of levels of painting there. Some are maybe a bit more difficult than others, but they are all easily accomplished with a bit of patience.

Even if they are not accepted, I am happy that I got them done. Either way they will be a good addition to the painting patterns on my site. And besides, I do like them. :)

But they are certainly not completed yet. Both these and the stocking ornaments still need the patterns written. That would include repainting them and taking step-by-step pictures for the instructions. But most of the 'thinking work' is done, and the rest should come quite easily.

Today I need to switch gears completely. On Monday, we sent our Christmas items to the magazine for publication. My goals for today and tomorrow are to finish up all the instructions for those projects, as well as write an article for using the texture paste that I used on the bell ornaments. I will be happy to get those things under my belt too.

When all that is done, I will finally be able to go back to finishing up the new bird cage ornaments that I was working on last week. I can't wait to get them cut and see how they look in wood. It will be exciting to work on them and I am anxious to do that too.

I suppose you could say I am busy. :)

Things here with the computers are all back up and running. After spending much of the day yesterday troubleshooting, Keith discovered that it was his new power supply that was causing the low level hum in the speakers. He had to pack it up and send it back, and he tried ordering a different one. That probably won't arrive until at least Monday, so for now he has his old one in there, which is adequate. It is good to have backup components for times like this.

So for now, it is back to normal. I will be anxious to hear if the designs are accepted or not, and I hope they are. Either way though I did OK. It will be a good day and I will be happy to work at a more relaxed pace and be able to take my time and catch up on answering emails. I really don't mind deadlines though. I think they are good ways to push myself a little harder and keep me moving in a positive direction. And only good things will come of that.

On we go . . .
Good morning Sheila;

Those packges all look extremely good. So realistic looking.

So, after al that Keith went through, he had to send the new power unit back? I'm sure he's very dissapointed about that. I know I would be.

Lee
 

Attachments

#5,589 ·
Hard Work Can Bring Good Results

After the crazy pace that I had been working the past couple of weeks, I spent yesterday slowing things down a bit. While I still have plenty to do, I know that if I step back and take a breath, I would be in danger of feeling 'burned out' and over done.

I often receive emails from people who wonder how I avoid feeling overwhelmed and burned out. They see the amount of time that I put into my work and they warn me of not taking enough time out to enjoy life. I realize that to an outsider it may seem that I am working all the time, but what I like others to remember is how much I love what I do and how it doesn't feel like a burden to me at all. If I do get frustrated in regard to all I need to get done, all I have to do is think back to a couple of years ago when I wasn't doing as well and I had little ambition. For a while there, I was going through some personal things and I had a difficult time motivating myself to do just about anything. It was not a good time in my life, but I think it was necessary in some ways. I believe that feeling like there is not enough time in the day to do everything is far preferable to worrying about bills and money and wondering if I would have work to do at all, and not having the drive or the ambition to change things. Those bad days will never be far enough behind me to forget them, and I can honestly say that there isn't a day that goes by that I am not grateful for where I am now.

I spent much of the early part of the day reorganizing and doing a quick clean up. It is easy for things to get out of order in our small place, especially when we are busy. Taking the time to tidy things up and put everything where it belongs is a good feeling and before long we had a place that was neat and clean again.

The day started out with some cloud cover, but soon the sky cleared and it was a beautiful and warm day. I sat on the deck with Pancakes for a bit and thought how nice it would be to just go for a ride. One thing about being busy - it left little time for recreational driving and it was over three weeks since I had to put gas in the tank of my car and there was still a quarter of a tank left. The idea of a short 'road trip' came to mind and I was able to corrupt Keith into coming with me and taking the trip to Yarmouth.

We took the car for a quick wash before we left and put the top down and hit the road. It felt good to be driving with the sun shining on us and as soon as we got on the road, I knew that was just what I needed to recharge my battery. We hadn't left until after 1pm, and we had a late lunch at one of our favorite little cafe's in town. We then spent a couple of hours just poking around in town and picking through the stores. We didn't buy much, but it felt good to be out and in a different environment for even a couple of hours. By the time we headed back, it was after 7pm and we were both getting quite tired (at least I was!)

Upon arriving home, there were lots of emails to read. Among them was an email from my contact from the Artist's Club and she informed me that at their meeting they decided to accept BOTH of the new kits that I designed for the next catalog - The Christmas stocking ornament set AND the Christmas packages! I was very pleased and excited, and I was especially happy because the past couple days of pushing myself hard really paid off. I am very grateful for the opportunity to work with them again, and it will be wonderful for me to have a presence in their catalogs throughout the fall and holiday season.

So it is back to work for me today. I now need to get busy on the pattern packets for both of the projects, which will involve repainting the pieces so that I can take the step-by-step pictures and create the pattern packets. I also have the other things that I mentioned the other day that I need to accomplish, as well as develop my new patterns. Once again, the story of 'The Ant and the Grasshopper' comes to mind. It is going to be a very busy summer, and that will hopefully lead to a wonderfully successful fall and winter. I couldn't be happier.

Cat Carnivore Felidae Small to medium-sized cats Household supply


I wish you all a wonderful day! (Is it Friday already? And JUNE??)
 

Attachments

#5,590 ·
Hard Work Can Bring Good Results

After the crazy pace that I had been working the past couple of weeks, I spent yesterday slowing things down a bit. While I still have plenty to do, I know that if I step back and take a breath, I would be in danger of feeling 'burned out' and over done.

I often receive emails from people who wonder how I avoid feeling overwhelmed and burned out. They see the amount of time that I put into my work and they warn me of not taking enough time out to enjoy life. I realize that to an outsider it may seem that I am working all the time, but what I like others to remember is how much I love what I do and how it doesn't feel like a burden to me at all. If I do get frustrated in regard to all I need to get done, all I have to do is think back to a couple of years ago when I wasn't doing as well and I had little ambition. For a while there, I was going through some personal things and I had a difficult time motivating myself to do just about anything. It was not a good time in my life, but I think it was necessary in some ways. I believe that feeling like there is not enough time in the day to do everything is far preferable to worrying about bills and money and wondering if I would have work to do at all, and not having the drive or the ambition to change things. Those bad days will never be far enough behind me to forget them, and I can honestly say that there isn't a day that goes by that I am not grateful for where I am now.

I spent much of the early part of the day reorganizing and doing a quick clean up. It is easy for things to get out of order in our small place, especially when we are busy. Taking the time to tidy things up and put everything where it belongs is a good feeling and before long we had a place that was neat and clean again.

The day started out with some cloud cover, but soon the sky cleared and it was a beautiful and warm day. I sat on the deck with Pancakes for a bit and thought how nice it would be to just go for a ride. One thing about being busy - it left little time for recreational driving and it was over three weeks since I had to put gas in the tank of my car and there was still a quarter of a tank left. The idea of a short 'road trip' came to mind and I was able to corrupt Keith into coming with me and taking the trip to Yarmouth.

We took the car for a quick wash before we left and put the top down and hit the road. It felt good to be driving with the sun shining on us and as soon as we got on the road, I knew that was just what I needed to recharge my battery. We hadn't left until after 1pm, and we had a late lunch at one of our favorite little cafe's in town. We then spent a couple of hours just poking around in town and picking through the stores. We didn't buy much, but it felt good to be out and in a different environment for even a couple of hours. By the time we headed back, it was after 7pm and we were both getting quite tired (at least I was!)

Upon arriving home, there were lots of emails to read. Among them was an email from my contact from the Artist's Club and she informed me that at their meeting they decided to accept BOTH of the new kits that I designed for the next catalog - The Christmas stocking ornament set AND the Christmas packages! I was very pleased and excited, and I was especially happy because the past couple days of pushing myself hard really paid off. I am very grateful for the opportunity to work with them again, and it will be wonderful for me to have a presence in their catalogs throughout the fall and holiday season.

So it is back to work for me today. I now need to get busy on the pattern packets for both of the projects, which will involve repainting the pieces so that I can take the step-by-step pictures and create the pattern packets. I also have the other things that I mentioned the other day that I need to accomplish, as well as develop my new patterns. Once again, the story of 'The Ant and the Grasshopper' comes to mind. It is going to be a very busy summer, and that will hopefully lead to a wonderfully successful fall and winter. I couldn't be happier.

Cat Carnivore Felidae Small to medium-sized cats Household supply


I wish you all a wonderful day! (Is it Friday already? And JUNE??)
Ahhh. You are a gr8 story-teller Sheila. I feel like I was in the car with ya both. lol You're livin life, and that's what ya gotta do.
 

Attachments

#5,595 ·
Keeping Things in Balance

I must admit that I was a bit unfocused yesterday. I didn't have my usual drive and ambition and saw myself moving at a much slower pace than what I have become used to.

Is that a bad thing? I don't know. I don't really think it is anything permanent, but just perhaps the after effects of the last several weeks of working at full tilt.

While I know that this is only temporary, when I really thought about all the things I still have to do I realized that this slower and easier pace couldn't last long. The other things on my agenda just can't wait. But as I looked around me and saw things were a bit messy, I knew that I needed to take a breath and regroup and once again tidy thing up around the house before I could continue and move on to other things. It is just the way I am.

After the gym, we came home and I had intended to get right to work. But walking into the house, there was just a bit too much clutter for my liking. It wasn't terrible, but there was enough stuff here and there to make the place look messy, and it didn't feel right starting in a new direction without first giving the place a once over and putting things where they belong. That included my computer, as it sometimes amazes me how the desktop of my computer becomes disorganized in direct proportion to the rest of my environment. Even there things needed to be filed and put in their proper places and organized so that I would be able to find them.

I also needed to catch up on my emails, and am going to finish doing that this morning after I am done here. There are some correspondences that need attention, and while I got through many of them yesterday, there are still some letters that need a response. I try to keep up with them every day, but the past week or so I was only able to take care of those which were most pressing. As my inbox was filling up, I realized that I needed to take the time to attend to things there. Mainly I do so first thing in the morning or last thing at night, but I was working at such a pace that I wasn't able to keep to that schedule and things fell a bit behind.

I did accomplish a lot yesterday even though it was at a slower pace. I spent some time posting the many receipts that were piling up and I got my finances completely up to date. That feels great. Keith and I both have spread sheets on our computers and we have been very good at documenting all our expenses and income for the business. Usually, I do this for the first few months of the year, and then trail off and wind up doing it only when it comes time to prepare for paying my taxes. That turns it into a much larger task, and with the addition of Keith to my business, much more complicated. This is the first year that I have used a computer program to keep track of things and it is making it quite easy. I simply have a folder of unposted receipts and periodically (ideally every couple of weeks) I post them to the income and expense sheets. Once they are posted, they are put in an accordion file which is divided by month. Next April when the taxes are due, it will be very easy for me to run reports and all the back up documents will be in one place. This time that I am spending now will save me days of sorting and trying to remember things when I am preparing my taxes. I am glad that I am finally getting into the habit of doing things this way. I don't know why it took me so long to figure it out.

Today I will spend writing instructions for the two projects that will be in the holiday issue of Creative Woodworks and Crafts. I don't know if I will be able to finish them all, but I will try my best to get them at least close. I want to work on both the new bird cage ornament set as well as the instructions for the two ornament sets that I just painted as soon as I am done with the holiday projects. The box of projects arrived at the magazine yesterday and writing the instructions is quickly becoming a top priority. It will feel good to be able to finish those up.

So you see, there is quite a variety of things for me to do to keep busy. It was supposed to rain this weekend, but I woke up to a bright and sunny morning. I am not yet sure if that will be helpful or distracting for me. We will just have to see . . .

Sometimes, I feel that it is quite a balancing act to keep everything going. Most days I can handle it though, and it is only the odd time that it gets to be overwhelming for me. I only need to keep my focus, and I should be able to do fine.

Water Dog Carnivore Rectangle Stairs


I hope you all have a wonderful Saturday.
 

Attachments

#5,596 ·
Keeping Things in Balance

I must admit that I was a bit unfocused yesterday. I didn't have my usual drive and ambition and saw myself moving at a much slower pace than what I have become used to.

Is that a bad thing? I don't know. I don't really think it is anything permanent, but just perhaps the after effects of the last several weeks of working at full tilt.

While I know that this is only temporary, when I really thought about all the things I still have to do I realized that this slower and easier pace couldn't last long. The other things on my agenda just can't wait. But as I looked around me and saw things were a bit messy, I knew that I needed to take a breath and regroup and once again tidy thing up around the house before I could continue and move on to other things. It is just the way I am.

After the gym, we came home and I had intended to get right to work. But walking into the house, there was just a bit too much clutter for my liking. It wasn't terrible, but there was enough stuff here and there to make the place look messy, and it didn't feel right starting in a new direction without first giving the place a once over and putting things where they belong. That included my computer, as it sometimes amazes me how the desktop of my computer becomes disorganized in direct proportion to the rest of my environment. Even there things needed to be filed and put in their proper places and organized so that I would be able to find them.

I also needed to catch up on my emails, and am going to finish doing that this morning after I am done here. There are some correspondences that need attention, and while I got through many of them yesterday, there are still some letters that need a response. I try to keep up with them every day, but the past week or so I was only able to take care of those which were most pressing. As my inbox was filling up, I realized that I needed to take the time to attend to things there. Mainly I do so first thing in the morning or last thing at night, but I was working at such a pace that I wasn't able to keep to that schedule and things fell a bit behind.

I did accomplish a lot yesterday even though it was at a slower pace. I spent some time posting the many receipts that were piling up and I got my finances completely up to date. That feels great. Keith and I both have spread sheets on our computers and we have been very good at documenting all our expenses and income for the business. Usually, I do this for the first few months of the year, and then trail off and wind up doing it only when it comes time to prepare for paying my taxes. That turns it into a much larger task, and with the addition of Keith to my business, much more complicated. This is the first year that I have used a computer program to keep track of things and it is making it quite easy. I simply have a folder of unposted receipts and periodically (ideally every couple of weeks) I post them to the income and expense sheets. Once they are posted, they are put in an accordion file which is divided by month. Next April when the taxes are due, it will be very easy for me to run reports and all the back up documents will be in one place. This time that I am spending now will save me days of sorting and trying to remember things when I am preparing my taxes. I am glad that I am finally getting into the habit of doing things this way. I don't know why it took me so long to figure it out.

Today I will spend writing instructions for the two projects that will be in the holiday issue of Creative Woodworks and Crafts. I don't know if I will be able to finish them all, but I will try my best to get them at least close. I want to work on both the new bird cage ornament set as well as the instructions for the two ornament sets that I just painted as soon as I am done with the holiday projects. The box of projects arrived at the magazine yesterday and writing the instructions is quickly becoming a top priority. It will feel good to be able to finish those up.

So you see, there is quite a variety of things for me to do to keep busy. It was supposed to rain this weekend, but I woke up to a bright and sunny morning. I am not yet sure if that will be helpful or distracting for me. We will just have to see . . .

Sometimes, I feel that it is quite a balancing act to keep everything going. Most days I can handle it though, and it is only the odd time that it gets to be overwhelming for me. I only need to keep my focus, and I should be able to do fine.

Water Dog Carnivore Rectangle Stairs


I hope you all have a wonderful Saturday.
Hi Sheila;

When I was about 19 I had an eye injury, and of course I had no insurance. I figured at my current rate of pay it would take 10 years or more to pay for the surgery I needed, so I decided the best thing for me to do was to quit my job and start a business. (careful planning, huh?)

I asked advice from a previous employer, who was pretty successful. He told me running a business was a lot like riding an elephant. As long as you're riding him, things are ok. But when he starts riding you, you're in trouble.

Turns out to be a fairly accurate assessment, and I have the feet prints to prove it. Staying on top of all the details, like doing your books and clearing off your desktop, helps ensure you do the riding.

Well, I have to go clean up some elephant poop.

Have a good day.

Lee
 

Attachments

#5,599 ·
New Printers

All was quiet yesterday and all went well. I spent the majority of the day working on cleaning up the files on my computer as well as backing things up. It was the grand finale of my organization stage of the game and I feel pretty good that not only is everything in order, but duplicated on an external drive. It has been a while since I have done that and while I back up the main PDF pattern files much more frequently, I don't do the entire system very often.

One thing of note that may be of interest to everyone is that I am looking into a new printer. While my little Canon Pixma IP4700 is still doing a great job, it will only be a matter of time before I wear out the print head with the volume that I am doing for the pattern packets. It has had a couple of 'hiccups' in the past few days, and while it has served me well, I am afraid that it is nearing the end of its life and I want to be prepared when that happens and have a new one waiting in the wings.

I only paid about $75 CDN for the printer, and actually we went through a couple of them over the past three years. Between printing several hundred highly saturated color catalogs and thousands of sheets recently for these patterns that I am wholesaling, I feel I more than got my money's worth out of it. I currently use a bulk ink system for this printer which I found on Ebay several years ago. You can read about the system here:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/CAN-INK-SYSTEM-CISS-cis-Canon-IP4700-CLI-221-/150390285568?pt=BI_Toner&hash=item2303f5a500#ht_1912wt_1163

I have ordered from this gentleman several times and the service is great. He now offers free shipping on everything too, which makes things even cheaper. These ink systems are the way to go if you are printing with these little printer, and I can't recommend them enough. There are many, many different systems available for many types of printers and the cost of the initial system is less than ONE full set of cartridges. The refill ink cost little over one single cartridge and with one additional set of bottles, I have been able to print probably about 15,000 + full color pages of my painting patterns (complete with step by step photos.) That brings my cost of printing per pattern to literally pennies.

I know I sound like I am doing a commercial for these systems, and in essence I am. Lots of times people ask me what I use and especially in the past couple of months when I showed the piles of patterns for one order in the blog, people wondered how I could print so many copies so cheaply. I can't say enough good about these systems and while it does take a couple of minutes to set things up and get them working, once that is done, it is really as simple as refilling the ink storage chambers and carrying on.

Unfortunately, the IP4700 isn't available anymore. Like anything electronic, it has a relatively short life span. They make a model of something for a short period of time, and then discontinue it. I think they do this to keep us on our toes and buying new things all the time, as the newer models are not necessarily faster or last longer, they just need different cartridge sizes.

However, we found a new printer that is quite comparable to the IP 4700. It is again by Canon and is the Pixma IP 4920 model. It is almost identical to the IP 4700 in performance and features and is on sale at NCIX for only about $75.

Output device Kitchen appliance Gadget Office equipment Audio equipment


http://ncix.com/products/?sku=67739

It also has an ink system available from the place where I currently get my ink. I think I want to invest in it so I have one on hand when this one no longer works. To me, it is a small price to invest in something that I know I will eventually need.

Thinking ahead like this will be something that I will be grateful for in the future. Since the Artist's Club is going to take two more of the designs that I have done, it is inevitable that I will be doing lots of printing. My painting patterns average approximately 20 pages each, and up to this point (in the last month and a half) I have had nearly 1000 of these patterns ordered. Since the patterns ordered so far are of Halloween designs, they still have a long life ahead of them, as many people aren't even thinking of Halloween until the end of summer or beginning of fall. I can see doing quite a bit more of these in the next several months. Add to that the two new Christmas designs and it appears that the year will be filled with printing. It is just a good decision on my part to be prepared and have several printers on hand. It would even be nice to have two of them printing at once and getting that part of the job done that much sooner. I can't see how I could go wrong.

I am excited that the business is growing like it is. It is wonderful for me to be able to expand things in these difficult economic times. While doing this type of production work takes up more time than designing, I am very happy that I have that avenue to follow and I am happy for all the new customers it brings to my business.

Today I will be finishing up the written instructions for the holiday projects for the magazine. I want them waiting for my editor when she arrives at work tomorrow. Then I am clear to continue on with my other work.

I am looking forward to getting a lot done today. I hope you all have a fun one too. Do something wonderfully creative and have a great day!
 

Attachments

#5,601 ·
New Printers

All was quiet yesterday and all went well. I spent the majority of the day working on cleaning up the files on my computer as well as backing things up. It was the grand finale of my organization stage of the game and I feel pretty good that not only is everything in order, but duplicated on an external drive. It has been a while since I have done that and while I back up the main PDF pattern files much more frequently, I don't do the entire system very often.

One thing of note that may be of interest to everyone is that I am looking into a new printer. While my little Canon Pixma IP4700 is still doing a great job, it will only be a matter of time before I wear out the print head with the volume that I am doing for the pattern packets. It has had a couple of 'hiccups' in the past few days, and while it has served me well, I am afraid that it is nearing the end of its life and I want to be prepared when that happens and have a new one waiting in the wings.

I only paid about $75 CDN for the printer, and actually we went through a couple of them over the past three years. Between printing several hundred highly saturated color catalogs and thousands of sheets recently for these patterns that I am wholesaling, I feel I more than got my money's worth out of it. I currently use a bulk ink system for this printer which I found on Ebay several years ago. You can read about the system here:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/CAN-INK-SYSTEM-CISS-cis-Canon-IP4700-CLI-221-/150390285568?pt=BI_Toner&hash=item2303f5a500#ht_1912wt_1163

I have ordered from this gentleman several times and the service is great. He now offers free shipping on everything too, which makes things even cheaper. These ink systems are the way to go if you are printing with these little printer, and I can't recommend them enough. There are many, many different systems available for many types of printers and the cost of the initial system is less than ONE full set of cartridges. The refill ink cost little over one single cartridge and with one additional set of bottles, I have been able to print probably about 15,000 + full color pages of my painting patterns (complete with step by step photos.) That brings my cost of printing per pattern to literally pennies.

I know I sound like I am doing a commercial for these systems, and in essence I am. Lots of times people ask me what I use and especially in the past couple of months when I showed the piles of patterns for one order in the blog, people wondered how I could print so many copies so cheaply. I can't say enough good about these systems and while it does take a couple of minutes to set things up and get them working, once that is done, it is really as simple as refilling the ink storage chambers and carrying on.

Unfortunately, the IP4700 isn't available anymore. Like anything electronic, it has a relatively short life span. They make a model of something for a short period of time, and then discontinue it. I think they do this to keep us on our toes and buying new things all the time, as the newer models are not necessarily faster or last longer, they just need different cartridge sizes.

However, we found a new printer that is quite comparable to the IP 4700. It is again by Canon and is the Pixma IP 4920 model. It is almost identical to the IP 4700 in performance and features and is on sale at NCIX for only about $75.

Output device Kitchen appliance Gadget Office equipment Audio equipment


http://ncix.com/products/?sku=67739

It also has an ink system available from the place where I currently get my ink. I think I want to invest in it so I have one on hand when this one no longer works. To me, it is a small price to invest in something that I know I will eventually need.

Thinking ahead like this will be something that I will be grateful for in the future. Since the Artist's Club is going to take two more of the designs that I have done, it is inevitable that I will be doing lots of printing. My painting patterns average approximately 20 pages each, and up to this point (in the last month and a half) I have had nearly 1000 of these patterns ordered. Since the patterns ordered so far are of Halloween designs, they still have a long life ahead of them, as many people aren't even thinking of Halloween until the end of summer or beginning of fall. I can see doing quite a bit more of these in the next several months. Add to that the two new Christmas designs and it appears that the year will be filled with printing. It is just a good decision on my part to be prepared and have several printers on hand. It would even be nice to have two of them printing at once and getting that part of the job done that much sooner. I can't see how I could go wrong.

I am excited that the business is growing like it is. It is wonderful for me to be able to expand things in these difficult economic times. While doing this type of production work takes up more time than designing, I am very happy that I have that avenue to follow and I am happy for all the new customers it brings to my business.

Today I will be finishing up the written instructions for the holiday projects for the magazine. I want them waiting for my editor when she arrives at work tomorrow. Then I am clear to continue on with my other work.

I am looking forward to getting a lot done today. I hope you all have a fun one too. Do something wonderfully creative and have a great day!
Hello Sheila,

I'm glad you mentioned the replacement printer model. I bought an all in one printer about six months ago, and have printed about 4,000 pages on it. (I don't normally print that much in a short time span, but I needed to print out the entire email series from my patent attorney, in triplicate). Now it refuses to print my Ezee-Feed logo on my letterhead. It prints a solid block of black instead.

The model is an HP, Officejet 6500. Surprisingly, it only took 2 cartridges to print out all those pages. But it seems to me to be a rather short lifespan.

Have you given any thought as to what you will do as the business continues to grow. Sooner or later it might just out grow what you and Keith are able to handle? I'm not trying to start you on a panic, but it sounds as though you should be starting to come up with a plan while there is time to do it. Having to decide these things under the pressure of being in the middle of it is no fun at all. And usually extremely inefficient. (that's where some of those elephant footprints came from). Most small businesses go through at least one "too big to be small", but "too small to be big", phase. And they usually happen during the above growth spurt.

And in your business, YOU are a big part of everything. Can you trust someone else to create designs for you? As a business grow, some of the duties will take you away from the very thing you loved so much, and prompted you to go into business in the first place. For me, it was often a matter of passing through the shop, on my way to a meeting or jobsite. Never actually doing any woodworking. The stuff I love to do, I don't have time to do. Sometimes I think I should do woodworking on the side… kind of like a hobby. I have the tools for it. LOL

Marketing is another area I find to be difficult to control. I am always pushing to expand the business, but find myself holding back at the same time. What amounts to pushing and pulling at the same time. We all want to grow our business, but not so much that we won't be able to handle it, should you over do it. Very tricky.

Not trying to start a panic. More reviewing things in my own head.

Have a good day.

Lee
 

Attachments

#5,600 ·
New Printers

All was quiet yesterday and all went well. I spent the majority of the day working on cleaning up the files on my computer as well as backing things up. It was the grand finale of my organization stage of the game and I feel pretty good that not only is everything in order, but duplicated on an external drive. It has been a while since I have done that and while I back up the main PDF pattern files much more frequently, I don't do the entire system very often.

One thing of note that may be of interest to everyone is that I am looking into a new printer. While my little Canon Pixma IP4700 is still doing a great job, it will only be a matter of time before I wear out the print head with the volume that I am doing for the pattern packets. It has had a couple of 'hiccups' in the past few days, and while it has served me well, I am afraid that it is nearing the end of its life and I want to be prepared when that happens and have a new one waiting in the wings.

I only paid about $75 CDN for the printer, and actually we went through a couple of them over the past three years. Between printing several hundred highly saturated color catalogs and thousands of sheets recently for these patterns that I am wholesaling, I feel I more than got my money's worth out of it. I currently use a bulk ink system for this printer which I found on Ebay several years ago. You can read about the system here:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/CAN-INK-SYSTEM-CISS-cis-Canon-IP4700-CLI-221-/150390285568?pt=BI_Toner&hash=item2303f5a500#ht_1912wt_1163

I have ordered from this gentleman several times and the service is great. He now offers free shipping on everything too, which makes things even cheaper. These ink systems are the way to go if you are printing with these little printer, and I can't recommend them enough. There are many, many different systems available for many types of printers and the cost of the initial system is less than ONE full set of cartridges. The refill ink cost little over one single cartridge and with one additional set of bottles, I have been able to print probably about 15,000 + full color pages of my painting patterns (complete with step by step photos.) That brings my cost of printing per pattern to literally pennies.

I know I sound like I am doing a commercial for these systems, and in essence I am. Lots of times people ask me what I use and especially in the past couple of months when I showed the piles of patterns for one order in the blog, people wondered how I could print so many copies so cheaply. I can't say enough good about these systems and while it does take a couple of minutes to set things up and get them working, once that is done, it is really as simple as refilling the ink storage chambers and carrying on.

Unfortunately, the IP4700 isn't available anymore. Like anything electronic, it has a relatively short life span. They make a model of something for a short period of time, and then discontinue it. I think they do this to keep us on our toes and buying new things all the time, as the newer models are not necessarily faster or last longer, they just need different cartridge sizes.

However, we found a new printer that is quite comparable to the IP 4700. It is again by Canon and is the Pixma IP 4920 model. It is almost identical to the IP 4700 in performance and features and is on sale at NCIX for only about $75.

Output device Kitchen appliance Gadget Office equipment Audio equipment


http://ncix.com/products/?sku=67739

It also has an ink system available from the place where I currently get my ink. I think I want to invest in it so I have one on hand when this one no longer works. To me, it is a small price to invest in something that I know I will eventually need.

Thinking ahead like this will be something that I will be grateful for in the future. Since the Artist's Club is going to take two more of the designs that I have done, it is inevitable that I will be doing lots of printing. My painting patterns average approximately 20 pages each, and up to this point (in the last month and a half) I have had nearly 1000 of these patterns ordered. Since the patterns ordered so far are of Halloween designs, they still have a long life ahead of them, as many people aren't even thinking of Halloween until the end of summer or beginning of fall. I can see doing quite a bit more of these in the next several months. Add to that the two new Christmas designs and it appears that the year will be filled with printing. It is just a good decision on my part to be prepared and have several printers on hand. It would even be nice to have two of them printing at once and getting that part of the job done that much sooner. I can't see how I could go wrong.

I am excited that the business is growing like it is. It is wonderful for me to be able to expand things in these difficult economic times. While doing this type of production work takes up more time than designing, I am very happy that I have that avenue to follow and I am happy for all the new customers it brings to my business.

Today I will be finishing up the written instructions for the holiday projects for the magazine. I want them waiting for my editor when she arrives at work tomorrow. Then I am clear to continue on with my other work.

I am looking forward to getting a lot done today. I hope you all have a fun one too. Do something wonderfully creative and have a great day!
 

Attachments

#5,610 ·
New Printers

All was quiet yesterday and all went well. I spent the majority of the day working on cleaning up the files on my computer as well as backing things up. It was the grand finale of my organization stage of the game and I feel pretty good that not only is everything in order, but duplicated on an external drive. It has been a while since I have done that and while I back up the main PDF pattern files much more frequently, I don't do the entire system very often.

One thing of note that may be of interest to everyone is that I am looking into a new printer. While my little Canon Pixma IP4700 is still doing a great job, it will only be a matter of time before I wear out the print head with the volume that I am doing for the pattern packets. It has had a couple of 'hiccups' in the past few days, and while it has served me well, I am afraid that it is nearing the end of its life and I want to be prepared when that happens and have a new one waiting in the wings.

I only paid about $75 CDN for the printer, and actually we went through a couple of them over the past three years. Between printing several hundred highly saturated color catalogs and thousands of sheets recently for these patterns that I am wholesaling, I feel I more than got my money's worth out of it. I currently use a bulk ink system for this printer which I found on Ebay several years ago. You can read about the system here:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/CAN-INK-SYSTEM-CISS-cis-Canon-IP4700-CLI-221-/150390285568?pt=BI_Toner&hash=item2303f5a500#ht_1912wt_1163

I have ordered from this gentleman several times and the service is great. He now offers free shipping on everything too, which makes things even cheaper. These ink systems are the way to go if you are printing with these little printer, and I can't recommend them enough. There are many, many different systems available for many types of printers and the cost of the initial system is less than ONE full set of cartridges. The refill ink cost little over one single cartridge and with one additional set of bottles, I have been able to print probably about 15,000 + full color pages of my painting patterns (complete with step by step photos.) That brings my cost of printing per pattern to literally pennies.

I know I sound like I am doing a commercial for these systems, and in essence I am. Lots of times people ask me what I use and especially in the past couple of months when I showed the piles of patterns for one order in the blog, people wondered how I could print so many copies so cheaply. I can't say enough good about these systems and while it does take a couple of minutes to set things up and get them working, once that is done, it is really as simple as refilling the ink storage chambers and carrying on.

Unfortunately, the IP4700 isn't available anymore. Like anything electronic, it has a relatively short life span. They make a model of something for a short period of time, and then discontinue it. I think they do this to keep us on our toes and buying new things all the time, as the newer models are not necessarily faster or last longer, they just need different cartridge sizes.

However, we found a new printer that is quite comparable to the IP 4700. It is again by Canon and is the Pixma IP 4920 model. It is almost identical to the IP 4700 in performance and features and is on sale at NCIX for only about $75.

Output device Kitchen appliance Gadget Office equipment Audio equipment


http://ncix.com/products/?sku=67739

It also has an ink system available from the place where I currently get my ink. I think I want to invest in it so I have one on hand when this one no longer works. To me, it is a small price to invest in something that I know I will eventually need.

Thinking ahead like this will be something that I will be grateful for in the future. Since the Artist's Club is going to take two more of the designs that I have done, it is inevitable that I will be doing lots of printing. My painting patterns average approximately 20 pages each, and up to this point (in the last month and a half) I have had nearly 1000 of these patterns ordered. Since the patterns ordered so far are of Halloween designs, they still have a long life ahead of them, as many people aren't even thinking of Halloween until the end of summer or beginning of fall. I can see doing quite a bit more of these in the next several months. Add to that the two new Christmas designs and it appears that the year will be filled with printing. It is just a good decision on my part to be prepared and have several printers on hand. It would even be nice to have two of them printing at once and getting that part of the job done that much sooner. I can't see how I could go wrong.

I am excited that the business is growing like it is. It is wonderful for me to be able to expand things in these difficult economic times. While doing this type of production work takes up more time than designing, I am very happy that I have that avenue to follow and I am happy for all the new customers it brings to my business.

Today I will be finishing up the written instructions for the holiday projects for the magazine. I want them waiting for my editor when she arrives at work tomorrow. Then I am clear to continue on with my other work.

I am looking forward to getting a lot done today. I hope you all have a fun one too. Do something wonderfully creative and have a great day!
Sheila,

Nice to know you are "settling down" and getting back to the norm.

Have you guys ever thought about purchasing a laser printer? Unless you have looked lately, you probably think they are really expensive, huge and difficult to operate - they are just the opposite!

A month or so ago I purchased a Brother HL-2270DW Compact Laser printer from Amazon and WOW am I pleased with it!!!! It was less than a hundred dollars, is REALLY compact and being it's wireless I was able to put it anywhere I liked in my house and it prints flawlessly! You can get toner cartridges for it for around 20 dollars and they will print 4000+ pages each. As long as you are OK with black and white printing, this is the way to go - especially with the volume you print! :)

One other fantastic benefit is when you print patterns on an ink jet, they will smear and rub off onto your fingers at times. Not so with a laser printer! Bonus!

Don't get me wrong - we ALL have need for a color printer. I now use my color printer only once or twice a week though.

Something to think about, I guess.

Bob
 

Attachments

#5,613 ·
Catching Up with Things

I am going to keep things short today, as there is much I need to accomplish. I spent the day yesterday writing and working on the photographs that will accompany my patterns and articles for the magazine. That pretty much filled up the day for me, and I did little else. I was able to finish up for the most part however, and the files will be waiting on my editors desk this morning. I am relieved about that.

I still have one more article that I need to finish up, but first I need to talk about some things with my editor as to which direction we are heading with it. It is the article which explains the process of using the texture past that I used for decorating the bell ornaments, and I have over 30 photographs to accompany it. I want to explain the process clearly, and I recreated the designs and took many step by step pictures of the process. I don't know if there will be room for that many pictures in the magazine, so I need to find out before I proceed.

Wood Textile Grey Clock Creative arts


Either way, the groundwork has been laid and it is only a matter of assembling the information. I just don't want to do it and go in one direction when my editor is thinking in another. I thought it was best to check in first and make sure we are on the same page with things. That way time won't be wasted.

I did take the time to clean my printer thoroughly, including the print head, and it seems to have rectified the issue that I was having with it. I had to print out several color orders, and everything was fine. I am still planning on purchasing probably two back up printers though, as I want to have them in reserve if and when this one decides it is finished. I appreciate the comments posted yesterday regarding printers in general, and took the information to heart.

It is rainy and cold here today, and I am divided on which direction I need to work today. I want to finish the new set of ornaments and perhaps begin cutting them, but I also need to work on the step-by-step painting photographs for the new ornaments. Perhaps I will do a little of both.

With that said, I will keep to my intention of keeping this short today. I want to get an early start and see how much I can accomplish. I wish you all a happy Monday and hope your day goes well.
 

Attachments

#5,614 ·
Catching Up with Things

I am going to keep things short today, as there is much I need to accomplish. I spent the day yesterday writing and working on the photographs that will accompany my patterns and articles for the magazine. That pretty much filled up the day for me, and I did little else. I was able to finish up for the most part however, and the files will be waiting on my editors desk this morning. I am relieved about that.

I still have one more article that I need to finish up, but first I need to talk about some things with my editor as to which direction we are heading with it. It is the article which explains the process of using the texture past that I used for decorating the bell ornaments, and I have over 30 photographs to accompany it. I want to explain the process clearly, and I recreated the designs and took many step by step pictures of the process. I don't know if there will be room for that many pictures in the magazine, so I need to find out before I proceed.

Wood Textile Grey Clock Creative arts


Either way, the groundwork has been laid and it is only a matter of assembling the information. I just don't want to do it and go in one direction when my editor is thinking in another. I thought it was best to check in first and make sure we are on the same page with things. That way time won't be wasted.

I did take the time to clean my printer thoroughly, including the print head, and it seems to have rectified the issue that I was having with it. I had to print out several color orders, and everything was fine. I am still planning on purchasing probably two back up printers though, as I want to have them in reserve if and when this one decides it is finished. I appreciate the comments posted yesterday regarding printers in general, and took the information to heart.

It is rainy and cold here today, and I am divided on which direction I need to work today. I want to finish the new set of ornaments and perhaps begin cutting them, but I also need to work on the step-by-step painting photographs for the new ornaments. Perhaps I will do a little of both.

With that said, I will keep to my intention of keeping this short today. I want to get an early start and see how much I can accomplish. I wish you all a happy Monday and hope your day goes well.
good luck with the article and hope it works out for the good, have a great week yourself and enjoy the cool rainy weather…
 

Attachments

#5,616 ·
The Juggling Act

I can't remember the last time that I had so many good opportunities at one time and had such a strong purpose in my life. Each day when I wake up, there are several directions to head in, and each one is its own adventure. I am liking the way the business is heading. It is fun and satisfying and as I check each new thing off the list, I feel a good sense of accomplishment and I feel good that we are growing and expanding.

I worked on several different aspects of the business yesterday. It felt good to see progress being made in several directions at once. While some may view this juggling act as something of a negative, I think that it is a very positive thing. I have spent the past several months (years, actually!) networking and branching out in many different directions in hopes of building up the business and finding the right niche so that I will be able to make it viable. It appears that all this work is beginning to pay off, and it feels good to have these opportunities in front of me. While it can sometimes be tricky to keep everyone happy, in these difficult economic times it is somewhat necessary to have more than one interest, and I feel very fortunate for the opportunities.

I spoke to my editor from the magazine yesterday and clarified some things about my submissions for the holiday issue. I will have two projects, as well as an article in that issue. While I spent most of the weekend working on these things, there were still some questions I had regarding how she wanted things presented. I wanted to talk things over with her and make sure we are on the same page before I did the final polishing on the article and sent it in. I thought it was best to talk to her first before spending the time doing the work and possibly having to change it, and that was a good decision on my part. All the ground work is laid and now after talking to her, I have a clear direction of what she expects and I will be able to finish things up rather quickly.

Communication is very important. I think that holds true for so many aspects of what I do. I learned long ago that making guesses and not asking questions is not the best way to go. I have wasted many an hour by assuming something and continuing on without asking, only to find out that I was wrong. Had I only asked some simple questions and communicated better, it would have saved me a lot of time and energy, which could have been better spent in another direction. Asking questions is just smart business. I find no shame in picking up the phone or sending an email in order to clarify something that I am not sure of. It truly helps me make the best use of my time.

I find that as things get busier, I have to be a bit more disciplined about my online visiting. Sometimes there is quite a bit of grey area between networking for working and networking for social reasons. This is especially true in my own work because so many of the people that I work with are really also my friends. It is quite easy to be distracted into fun and non-work related things during an average day. I am learning to hold a firm(er) line for myself in this regard, and have made a mental note to myself to limit my social activities to certain times of the day. I still like to keep up with everyone, but I am trying to channel it better so that I am not distracted from getting things done. To some extent though, it is part of the job and it is also part of what makes it fun. But as with other things, it kept under control.

I made a good deal of progress on the new patterns that I am working on. At the present time, I have three major projects in the works - the two painting patterns for the ornaments that are going to Artist's Club and the new scroll saw pattern for my own site. Unlike when I am in the designing mode, writing the patterns requires much less creativity and is in a sense, much easier than coming up with the actual designs. The ideas are already there. It is just a matter of documenting the process of creating them and putting it to paper (technical writing vs. creative writing) and I find it much easier to switch back and forth than during the creative process. This is a pleasant surprise, because I am better able to move things along on several different projects at once, which makes me feel less like I am neglecting one aspect of the business or the other. By doing things this way, I can honestly feel that I am progressing on all fronts, and it is far less stressful for me than focusing all my efforts in one direction while the other things I have in the works remain in limbo. I suppose to me it feels like I am keeping each part happy.

So for now anyway, I will continue in these multiple directions until circumstances tell me to do otherwise. This is all new to me and the only thing that I am sure of is that before long things will change. I think a big part of what will make me successful or not will be my ability to be flexible and open to change. Just because something is working for me today, doesn't mean that tomorrow it will also work. We will just have to see.

To some, it may seem like quite a juggling act, and perhaps they are right. But that doesn't mean that it is something that I look at as negative. As long as I keep everything going, it can be quite a bit of fun.

Cat Felidae Carnivore Small to medium-sized cats Whiskers


One of my favorite sayings is "We follow where we focus." I am choosing to focus on all the good things that this means not only for my business, but for myself personally. I couldn't really ask for much more than that.

Have a great day today!
 

Attachments

#5,617 ·
The Juggling Act

I can't remember the last time that I had so many good opportunities at one time and had such a strong purpose in my life. Each day when I wake up, there are several directions to head in, and each one is its own adventure. I am liking the way the business is heading. It is fun and satisfying and as I check each new thing off the list, I feel a good sense of accomplishment and I feel good that we are growing and expanding.

I worked on several different aspects of the business yesterday. It felt good to see progress being made in several directions at once. While some may view this juggling act as something of a negative, I think that it is a very positive thing. I have spent the past several months (years, actually!) networking and branching out in many different directions in hopes of building up the business and finding the right niche so that I will be able to make it viable. It appears that all this work is beginning to pay off, and it feels good to have these opportunities in front of me. While it can sometimes be tricky to keep everyone happy, in these difficult economic times it is somewhat necessary to have more than one interest, and I feel very fortunate for the opportunities.

I spoke to my editor from the magazine yesterday and clarified some things about my submissions for the holiday issue. I will have two projects, as well as an article in that issue. While I spent most of the weekend working on these things, there were still some questions I had regarding how she wanted things presented. I wanted to talk things over with her and make sure we are on the same page before I did the final polishing on the article and sent it in. I thought it was best to talk to her first before spending the time doing the work and possibly having to change it, and that was a good decision on my part. All the ground work is laid and now after talking to her, I have a clear direction of what she expects and I will be able to finish things up rather quickly.

Communication is very important. I think that holds true for so many aspects of what I do. I learned long ago that making guesses and not asking questions is not the best way to go. I have wasted many an hour by assuming something and continuing on without asking, only to find out that I was wrong. Had I only asked some simple questions and communicated better, it would have saved me a lot of time and energy, which could have been better spent in another direction. Asking questions is just smart business. I find no shame in picking up the phone or sending an email in order to clarify something that I am not sure of. It truly helps me make the best use of my time.

I find that as things get busier, I have to be a bit more disciplined about my online visiting. Sometimes there is quite a bit of grey area between networking for working and networking for social reasons. This is especially true in my own work because so many of the people that I work with are really also my friends. It is quite easy to be distracted into fun and non-work related things during an average day. I am learning to hold a firm(er) line for myself in this regard, and have made a mental note to myself to limit my social activities to certain times of the day. I still like to keep up with everyone, but I am trying to channel it better so that I am not distracted from getting things done. To some extent though, it is part of the job and it is also part of what makes it fun. But as with other things, it kept under control.

I made a good deal of progress on the new patterns that I am working on. At the present time, I have three major projects in the works - the two painting patterns for the ornaments that are going to Artist's Club and the new scroll saw pattern for my own site. Unlike when I am in the designing mode, writing the patterns requires much less creativity and is in a sense, much easier than coming up with the actual designs. The ideas are already there. It is just a matter of documenting the process of creating them and putting it to paper (technical writing vs. creative writing) and I find it much easier to switch back and forth than during the creative process. This is a pleasant surprise, because I am better able to move things along on several different projects at once, which makes me feel less like I am neglecting one aspect of the business or the other. By doing things this way, I can honestly feel that I am progressing on all fronts, and it is far less stressful for me than focusing all my efforts in one direction while the other things I have in the works remain in limbo. I suppose to me it feels like I am keeping each part happy.

So for now anyway, I will continue in these multiple directions until circumstances tell me to do otherwise. This is all new to me and the only thing that I am sure of is that before long things will change. I think a big part of what will make me successful or not will be my ability to be flexible and open to change. Just because something is working for me today, doesn't mean that tomorrow it will also work. We will just have to see.

To some, it may seem like quite a juggling act, and perhaps they are right. But that doesn't mean that it is something that I look at as negative. As long as I keep everything going, it can be quite a bit of fun.

Cat Felidae Carnivore Small to medium-sized cats Whiskers


One of my favorite sayings is "We follow where we focus." I am choosing to focus on all the good things that this means not only for my business, but for myself personally. I couldn't really ask for much more than that.

Have a great day today!
Carry on, Sheila. Like Larry the cable guy said, "git-er-done"
 

Attachments

#5,621 ·
This and That

I was rather busy yesterday. And I accomplished quite a bit. I know I say that nearly every day but somehow yesterday it seems like I accomplished more than I usually do. I can't really tell if it is only that way in my mind or if it is in reality the case. Sometimes it is difficult to measure these things accurately.

I soemtimes watch myself evolving in this business as if I am looking in from the side lines or watching a movie. Writing here each morning forces me to think about things a little more and perhaps evaluate things a bit more deeply than if I did not. I think that is one of the good things about being here. (There are many)

How often is it that we take the time to take a step back from our lives and really try to look at ourselves? Up until I began writing this blog, I think the only time I did that was when something unacceptable was happening or I was in crisis. Usually by then it is too late. At that point, any wise thoughts that I may have had were usually considered damage control and while it may have helped the problem at hand, it may have been better to think things through before the problems even occurred and then I could perhaps have done what I could to avoid them.

If I were the type, I would now be thinking of all the disasters of my life that I could have avoided just by thinking ahead. But most of you know me better than that and know that I don't believe in dwelling on regretting the past, (including the mistakes and bad decisions we may have made). I choose to remember these things only so I can learn from them and hopefully not repeat the errors that I have made. It isn't always the case, but for the most part it helps.

I came to the realization recently that I have been blogging here for over two years now. Not being a 'numbers girl', my anniversary slipped right by me without a thought. While I type in the blog number every day, it is at a point where it fails to register and it is only a formality and part of the process. Long ago it seems to have lost its meaning to me as to how many days that I have been here. When I stop to think about it though and look back to many of the earlier entries, it is like a time capsule of my life and reading through the older entries reminds me of some of my own struggles that I have had with the business, and it is odd how quickly they have faded from my mind.

I am also reminded of the great friendships I have made since I began writing each morning. The help that I have received from others through this blog have been tremendous. Even if it is just a cheer or a pat on the back, it feels good to know that there are others in the world who understand and perhaps have gone through some of the things that I have gone through in my business and my life, and that helps a great deal.

Last week I helped a customer out. He had written to me to ask me if I knew where to find a certain pattern. I received his email while I was in the midst of meeting some important deadlines, and while I wanted to help him out, I just didn't have the time to drop everything and do so immediately. In his email he stated that there was 'no hurry', but it is against my nature to leave things sit without attending to them right away. More often than not, people will say 'no hurry' and then when you don't get things done right away for them, they tend to get upset. As I get busier, I learn to take things at face value and if someone tells me 'no hurry', then by God I won't. Sometimes there just aren't enough hours in the day to do everything, and something has to give.

So I finished what I had to and met my deadlines. When I was done with that, I went back and took care of all the things that needed to be done, including the request from this man to look for the pattern. I asked Keith if he was familiar with it, and he vaguely was, and he began to help me search.

It didn't take long before we found it. It was a pattern that was published in my own magazine in 2005. I immediately compiled the information and gave the gentleman the option of purchasing the back issue of the magazine or contacting the designer directly. I sent the email to him, figuring that I probably wouldn't hear from him again. I was pleased that I was able to solve the mystery.

Within a very short time, I received a wonderfully kind email back from him. He was so grateful and kind and happy that I was able to help him. In it he said that he was so grateful for the help and he even offered to pay me for helping him out. I couldn't help but smile from his enthusiasm and I was so happy that something so small that I did made someone so happy. To me, that was payment enough.

I often feel that way about things here. Over the past two years, many of you have come to my assistance and offered advice, support and friendship. Whether you comment often or not, it doesn't matter to me. I know you are out there reading, and you all give me a reason to write each day. Every once in a while, I receive a message or email which starts "I haven't commented on your blog until now, but I read it every day . . . " It reminds me that there are many people that look forward to my nonsense and silly cat pictures and wandering thoughts and also perhaps learn something about what it is like to run a designing business in these difficult economic times. I am sure that not only my own accounts of the day are helpful at times, but also the wonderful advice I receive from others that are in the form of comments here.

Things have been going pretty well here. The days are filled with working and creating and things are as they should be. While that doesn't make very exciting reading all the time, it shows that things are working. And that in itself is rather exciting (to me anyway!)

I almost skipped writing this morning. There was nothing of note for me to talk about. I finished one of the articles yesterday and I began the job of creating the patterns for the new designs for Artist's Club. I made great headway on everything and I am on schedule. There is nothing really out of the ordinary that I could tell you about.

But then I thought about 'not writing' and things didn't seem right. I would have felt as if something very important was missing in my day. So I sat down here this morning and look what came of it.

I thank you all for reading. Whether you read every day or just once in a while. Whether you comment often or have never commented at all. Whether you are on Lumberjocks, Facebook or my own site. I appreciate your support and friendship very much.

I have made great strides in the past two years, in both my business and my personal life. I realize that a large part of that is because of the great support system I have around me. Without all of you I know that I wouldn't be in the place that I am today. And it is a good place. And I am very grateful.

Have a wonderful Wednesday.

Vertebrate Carnivore Mammal Organism Art


"I'll get by with a little help from my friends" - The Beatles
 

Attachments

#5,622 ·
This and That

I was rather busy yesterday. And I accomplished quite a bit. I know I say that nearly every day but somehow yesterday it seems like I accomplished more than I usually do. I can't really tell if it is only that way in my mind or if it is in reality the case. Sometimes it is difficult to measure these things accurately.

I soemtimes watch myself evolving in this business as if I am looking in from the side lines or watching a movie. Writing here each morning forces me to think about things a little more and perhaps evaluate things a bit more deeply than if I did not. I think that is one of the good things about being here. (There are many)

How often is it that we take the time to take a step back from our lives and really try to look at ourselves? Up until I began writing this blog, I think the only time I did that was when something unacceptable was happening or I was in crisis. Usually by then it is too late. At that point, any wise thoughts that I may have had were usually considered damage control and while it may have helped the problem at hand, it may have been better to think things through before the problems even occurred and then I could perhaps have done what I could to avoid them.

If I were the type, I would now be thinking of all the disasters of my life that I could have avoided just by thinking ahead. But most of you know me better than that and know that I don't believe in dwelling on regretting the past, (including the mistakes and bad decisions we may have made). I choose to remember these things only so I can learn from them and hopefully not repeat the errors that I have made. It isn't always the case, but for the most part it helps.

I came to the realization recently that I have been blogging here for over two years now. Not being a 'numbers girl', my anniversary slipped right by me without a thought. While I type in the blog number every day, it is at a point where it fails to register and it is only a formality and part of the process. Long ago it seems to have lost its meaning to me as to how many days that I have been here. When I stop to think about it though and look back to many of the earlier entries, it is like a time capsule of my life and reading through the older entries reminds me of some of my own struggles that I have had with the business, and it is odd how quickly they have faded from my mind.

I am also reminded of the great friendships I have made since I began writing each morning. The help that I have received from others through this blog have been tremendous. Even if it is just a cheer or a pat on the back, it feels good to know that there are others in the world who understand and perhaps have gone through some of the things that I have gone through in my business and my life, and that helps a great deal.

Last week I helped a customer out. He had written to me to ask me if I knew where to find a certain pattern. I received his email while I was in the midst of meeting some important deadlines, and while I wanted to help him out, I just didn't have the time to drop everything and do so immediately. In his email he stated that there was 'no hurry', but it is against my nature to leave things sit without attending to them right away. More often than not, people will say 'no hurry' and then when you don't get things done right away for them, they tend to get upset. As I get busier, I learn to take things at face value and if someone tells me 'no hurry', then by God I won't. Sometimes there just aren't enough hours in the day to do everything, and something has to give.

So I finished what I had to and met my deadlines. When I was done with that, I went back and took care of all the things that needed to be done, including the request from this man to look for the pattern. I asked Keith if he was familiar with it, and he vaguely was, and he began to help me search.

It didn't take long before we found it. It was a pattern that was published in my own magazine in 2005. I immediately compiled the information and gave the gentleman the option of purchasing the back issue of the magazine or contacting the designer directly. I sent the email to him, figuring that I probably wouldn't hear from him again. I was pleased that I was able to solve the mystery.

Within a very short time, I received a wonderfully kind email back from him. He was so grateful and kind and happy that I was able to help him. In it he said that he was so grateful for the help and he even offered to pay me for helping him out. I couldn't help but smile from his enthusiasm and I was so happy that something so small that I did made someone so happy. To me, that was payment enough.

I often feel that way about things here. Over the past two years, many of you have come to my assistance and offered advice, support and friendship. Whether you comment often or not, it doesn't matter to me. I know you are out there reading, and you all give me a reason to write each day. Every once in a while, I receive a message or email which starts "I haven't commented on your blog until now, but I read it every day . . . " It reminds me that there are many people that look forward to my nonsense and silly cat pictures and wandering thoughts and also perhaps learn something about what it is like to run a designing business in these difficult economic times. I am sure that not only my own accounts of the day are helpful at times, but also the wonderful advice I receive from others that are in the form of comments here.

Things have been going pretty well here. The days are filled with working and creating and things are as they should be. While that doesn't make very exciting reading all the time, it shows that things are working. And that in itself is rather exciting (to me anyway!)

I almost skipped writing this morning. There was nothing of note for me to talk about. I finished one of the articles yesterday and I began the job of creating the patterns for the new designs for Artist's Club. I made great headway on everything and I am on schedule. There is nothing really out of the ordinary that I could tell you about.

But then I thought about 'not writing' and things didn't seem right. I would have felt as if something very important was missing in my day. So I sat down here this morning and look what came of it.

I thank you all for reading. Whether you read every day or just once in a while. Whether you comment often or have never commented at all. Whether you are on Lumberjocks, Facebook or my own site. I appreciate your support and friendship very much.

I have made great strides in the past two years, in both my business and my personal life. I realize that a large part of that is because of the great support system I have around me. Without all of you I know that I wouldn't be in the place that I am today. And it is a good place. And I am very grateful.

Have a wonderful Wednesday.

Vertebrate Carnivore Mammal Organism Art


"I'll get by with a little help from my friends" - The Beatles
Absolutely right Sheila. And, yea!! for the Beatles. There will never ever be anyone who'll take their place. Life is good, just like all the gr8 folks on these pages. I've said it before, I'll say it again, I appreciate everyones input and output.
 

Attachments

#5,626 ·
This and That

I was rather busy yesterday. And I accomplished quite a bit. I know I say that nearly every day but somehow yesterday it seems like I accomplished more than I usually do. I can't really tell if it is only that way in my mind or if it is in reality the case. Sometimes it is difficult to measure these things accurately.

I soemtimes watch myself evolving in this business as if I am looking in from the side lines or watching a movie. Writing here each morning forces me to think about things a little more and perhaps evaluate things a bit more deeply than if I did not. I think that is one of the good things about being here. (There are many)

How often is it that we take the time to take a step back from our lives and really try to look at ourselves? Up until I began writing this blog, I think the only time I did that was when something unacceptable was happening or I was in crisis. Usually by then it is too late. At that point, any wise thoughts that I may have had were usually considered damage control and while it may have helped the problem at hand, it may have been better to think things through before the problems even occurred and then I could perhaps have done what I could to avoid them.

If I were the type, I would now be thinking of all the disasters of my life that I could have avoided just by thinking ahead. But most of you know me better than that and know that I don't believe in dwelling on regretting the past, (including the mistakes and bad decisions we may have made). I choose to remember these things only so I can learn from them and hopefully not repeat the errors that I have made. It isn't always the case, but for the most part it helps.

I came to the realization recently that I have been blogging here for over two years now. Not being a 'numbers girl', my anniversary slipped right by me without a thought. While I type in the blog number every day, it is at a point where it fails to register and it is only a formality and part of the process. Long ago it seems to have lost its meaning to me as to how many days that I have been here. When I stop to think about it though and look back to many of the earlier entries, it is like a time capsule of my life and reading through the older entries reminds me of some of my own struggles that I have had with the business, and it is odd how quickly they have faded from my mind.

I am also reminded of the great friendships I have made since I began writing each morning. The help that I have received from others through this blog have been tremendous. Even if it is just a cheer or a pat on the back, it feels good to know that there are others in the world who understand and perhaps have gone through some of the things that I have gone through in my business and my life, and that helps a great deal.

Last week I helped a customer out. He had written to me to ask me if I knew where to find a certain pattern. I received his email while I was in the midst of meeting some important deadlines, and while I wanted to help him out, I just didn't have the time to drop everything and do so immediately. In his email he stated that there was 'no hurry', but it is against my nature to leave things sit without attending to them right away. More often than not, people will say 'no hurry' and then when you don't get things done right away for them, they tend to get upset. As I get busier, I learn to take things at face value and if someone tells me 'no hurry', then by God I won't. Sometimes there just aren't enough hours in the day to do everything, and something has to give.

So I finished what I had to and met my deadlines. When I was done with that, I went back and took care of all the things that needed to be done, including the request from this man to look for the pattern. I asked Keith if he was familiar with it, and he vaguely was, and he began to help me search.

It didn't take long before we found it. It was a pattern that was published in my own magazine in 2005. I immediately compiled the information and gave the gentleman the option of purchasing the back issue of the magazine or contacting the designer directly. I sent the email to him, figuring that I probably wouldn't hear from him again. I was pleased that I was able to solve the mystery.

Within a very short time, I received a wonderfully kind email back from him. He was so grateful and kind and happy that I was able to help him. In it he said that he was so grateful for the help and he even offered to pay me for helping him out. I couldn't help but smile from his enthusiasm and I was so happy that something so small that I did made someone so happy. To me, that was payment enough.

I often feel that way about things here. Over the past two years, many of you have come to my assistance and offered advice, support and friendship. Whether you comment often or not, it doesn't matter to me. I know you are out there reading, and you all give me a reason to write each day. Every once in a while, I receive a message or email which starts "I haven't commented on your blog until now, but I read it every day . . . " It reminds me that there are many people that look forward to my nonsense and silly cat pictures and wandering thoughts and also perhaps learn something about what it is like to run a designing business in these difficult economic times. I am sure that not only my own accounts of the day are helpful at times, but also the wonderful advice I receive from others that are in the form of comments here.

Things have been going pretty well here. The days are filled with working and creating and things are as they should be. While that doesn't make very exciting reading all the time, it shows that things are working. And that in itself is rather exciting (to me anyway!)

I almost skipped writing this morning. There was nothing of note for me to talk about. I finished one of the articles yesterday and I began the job of creating the patterns for the new designs for Artist's Club. I made great headway on everything and I am on schedule. There is nothing really out of the ordinary that I could tell you about.

But then I thought about 'not writing' and things didn't seem right. I would have felt as if something very important was missing in my day. So I sat down here this morning and look what came of it.

I thank you all for reading. Whether you read every day or just once in a while. Whether you comment often or have never commented at all. Whether you are on Lumberjocks, Facebook or my own site. I appreciate your support and friendship very much.

I have made great strides in the past two years, in both my business and my personal life. I realize that a large part of that is because of the great support system I have around me. Without all of you I know that I wouldn't be in the place that I am today. And it is a good place. And I am very grateful.

Have a wonderful Wednesday.

Vertebrate Carnivore Mammal Organism Art


"I'll get by with a little help from my friends" - The Beatles
Working for the good of the whole. That's what life is all about.
Thanks for doing your blog.
 

Attachments

#5,630 ·
Printers, Patterns and Photoshop

I got a late start writing this morning. Even though I have been up a couple of hours, I have been busy doing some more research on printers and also working on some Photoshop things. Before I knew it the time got away from me.

The more I look into things, the more I think I will go with the Canon Pixma IP4920 computer. NCIX has it on sale for $75 and I did find the matching ink system that I need from the place I get it in Quebec. I had just purchased quite a good quantity of refill ink and I was waiting to hear if it is the same ink that is used with the IP4920 and it was. This means that I won't have to switch or waste any of the ink I just purchased. My IP4700 is still working quite well, and that means that I won't even need to open the boxes on the new printers until problems arise. So far, this printer has done all the large orders that I have recently filled, printing over 15,000 color sheets flawlessly. This printer is very similar in features and price to the IP4920, so I am expecting that I will be able to get at least that much printing out of the IP4920's. For $75 that is a very reasonable price.

I already put in an order for additional plywood, even though I have enough here for a couple hundred additional kits. With the additional Christmas kits being picked up, it is only a matter of time before the order is placed and I want to be ready to get things done. If I find I have extra time (ha!) I will even start to prepare the wood or cut the Christmas kits out ahead of the order, so I will be able to ship it off quickly.

I worked much of yesterday repainting the Christmas Stockings and taking step by step scans for the pattern packets. I found it was much easier and more relaxing to paint them a second time, as I was following my previous designs. I even think the second paintings look better than the first, as I am tweaking the designs slightly as I need to. I hope to have both sets (the stockings and the packages) repainted and the pattern packets for both of them done by Monday so I can ship them out. If I can accomplish that, I will be doing very well.

When I finally called it a night last night, it was nearly 10:30. At this time of year, it doesn't get dark until nearly 9pm, so it really didn't seem that late. I have noticed that for the past few weeks, I have typically been working until nine or later in the night. Things have just been that busy.

A few people have told me how "lucky" I am that work is going so well. While I feel very, very fortunate that my business is growing (especially in these difficult economic times) I do honestly feel that "luck" has very little to do with things. As I looked across the room at Keith cutting out his latest ornaments patterns at 9pm and me painting my latest patterns, I am beginning to realize that this is what we would call a 'typical' evening in our house. Grant it we do take time to go to the gym three days a week - something that we started in October and I am happy to say we have been able to maintain - but other than that or a trip to the post office or grocery store, we do spend very little down time lately. We just can't. There are too many opportunities in front of us and they won't be here for long. I am sure that there will be a time when things will slow down, and then we will be able to back off a bit. But for now, we are both enjoying the process of running a business and want to keep the momentum heading in the proper direction.

I am very happy that things are the way they are. Spending the amount of time on work that we do is very easy for us because we do love what we do. When I get tired, I just think back to how things were when things weren't going well and it is very strong motivation to keep going. I am also pleased with the quality of our work and I have high hopes for a very good autumn and winter. Keith's new designs are wonderful and I am sure they will be very popular.

So it is back to painting and back to Photoshop for me. I need to watch a couple of tutorials and brush up on my masking skills so that the pattern packets will be the best yet. I am happy and excited about things, and enjoying every second of the day. I hope you all have a good one!

Glasses Face Hair Head Cat
 

Attachments

#5,631 ·
Printers, Patterns and Photoshop

I got a late start writing this morning. Even though I have been up a couple of hours, I have been busy doing some more research on printers and also working on some Photoshop things. Before I knew it the time got away from me.

The more I look into things, the more I think I will go with the Canon Pixma IP4920 computer. NCIX has it on sale for $75 and I did find the matching ink system that I need from the place I get it in Quebec. I had just purchased quite a good quantity of refill ink and I was waiting to hear if it is the same ink that is used with the IP4920 and it was. This means that I won't have to switch or waste any of the ink I just purchased. My IP4700 is still working quite well, and that means that I won't even need to open the boxes on the new printers until problems arise. So far, this printer has done all the large orders that I have recently filled, printing over 15,000 color sheets flawlessly. This printer is very similar in features and price to the IP4920, so I am expecting that I will be able to get at least that much printing out of the IP4920's. For $75 that is a very reasonable price.

I already put in an order for additional plywood, even though I have enough here for a couple hundred additional kits. With the additional Christmas kits being picked up, it is only a matter of time before the order is placed and I want to be ready to get things done. If I find I have extra time (ha!) I will even start to prepare the wood or cut the Christmas kits out ahead of the order, so I will be able to ship it off quickly.

I worked much of yesterday repainting the Christmas Stockings and taking step by step scans for the pattern packets. I found it was much easier and more relaxing to paint them a second time, as I was following my previous designs. I even think the second paintings look better than the first, as I am tweaking the designs slightly as I need to. I hope to have both sets (the stockings and the packages) repainted and the pattern packets for both of them done by Monday so I can ship them out. If I can accomplish that, I will be doing very well.

When I finally called it a night last night, it was nearly 10:30. At this time of year, it doesn't get dark until nearly 9pm, so it really didn't seem that late. I have noticed that for the past few weeks, I have typically been working until nine or later in the night. Things have just been that busy.

A few people have told me how "lucky" I am that work is going so well. While I feel very, very fortunate that my business is growing (especially in these difficult economic times) I do honestly feel that "luck" has very little to do with things. As I looked across the room at Keith cutting out his latest ornaments patterns at 9pm and me painting my latest patterns, I am beginning to realize that this is what we would call a 'typical' evening in our house. Grant it we do take time to go to the gym three days a week - something that we started in October and I am happy to say we have been able to maintain - but other than that or a trip to the post office or grocery store, we do spend very little down time lately. We just can't. There are too many opportunities in front of us and they won't be here for long. I am sure that there will be a time when things will slow down, and then we will be able to back off a bit. But for now, we are both enjoying the process of running a business and want to keep the momentum heading in the proper direction.

I am very happy that things are the way they are. Spending the amount of time on work that we do is very easy for us because we do love what we do. When I get tired, I just think back to how things were when things weren't going well and it is very strong motivation to keep going. I am also pleased with the quality of our work and I have high hopes for a very good autumn and winter. Keith's new designs are wonderful and I am sure they will be very popular.

So it is back to painting and back to Photoshop for me. I need to watch a couple of tutorials and brush up on my masking skills so that the pattern packets will be the best yet. I am happy and excited about things, and enjoying every second of the day. I hope you all have a good one!

Glasses Face Hair Head Cat
Hi Sheila,

You mention how "lucky" you are. Yet, how many people are still happily working at 9:30 at night?

One of the clients in my general contracting business was president of a major bank. He made serious money.

One of my sub contractors made a comment to me about how everyone believed this fellow had it made. His next comment summed it up nicely. He said, he doesn't have it made, he's making it. This man would leave for work around 7:00 A.M., and get home around 10:00 P.M.

Most people want the best of everything, and they don't mind working for it, as long as they can be home by 5:00 and can spend the evening watching TV. Oh, and get weekends off.

Actually, now that I think about it, that's what I want too.

Have a lucky day;

Lee
 

Attachments

#5,635 ·
The Importance of a Good Presentation

While many of us do our crafts for pleasure, there seems to be an equal amount of people that sell our finished items on Etsy or Ebay or somewhere online. Even many of you who don't sell your items still like to show them off on the many forums that are online. That is part of what social networking is all about and a large part of why we are all here.

As a pattern designer, I also find that there is a great deal of importance on how my designs are presented in my patterns. After all, I could have the best design in the world and if I don't have a good clear pictures of it, it won't catch people's eye and I won't sell many. It took me a while to understand the importance of presenting good pictures of your projects and how much it can impact sales on both patterns and finished items. After all, if people can't clearly see what you are offering, why would they want to invest in it?

Because of this, a significant part of designing woodworking and painting patterns is learning at least basic photography skills and also learning at least one basic photography software program in which you can improve and enhance your photographs to give the best presentation of what you have to offer.

This week, I have been working on creating the pattern packets for the two new ornament sets that I recently designed. As with my scroll sawing patterns, I found that providing several step by step photographs in the patterns is extremely helpful in explaining the process. While some may have a lot of experience, there are always people who are new and trying to stretch their limits a bit and having patterns that thoroughly explain the process can be really important in helping them accomplish that. And let's face it - the more complete the pattern is, the easier it is to follow and the happier the customer will be.

When making painting pattern packets, I like to provide several step by step pictures for each piece. Painting projects usually consist of many layers of color, and while the final piece can appear to be very complex, when broken down layer by layer the process isn't so intimidating. In fact it is rather easy.

Part of the teaching process that I present in the patterns is to look at the parts of the project, not the whole. While many people can be put off by seeing the final piece, when they see it broken down into steps, it doesn't look so frightening and they feel like they can accomplish it.

Following is a link to one of the complex paintings that I made a couple of years ago. I don't offer a pattern for this painting, but I wanted to take step-by-step pictures along the way so that I would have a record of the process:

http://www.sheilalandrydesigns.com/painting-home/cheetah-painting

You can see that by showing these small steps, it helps people better understand how we got from point 'A' to point 'Z'. It is much easier when writing instructions to break down the process into smaller and easier to digest pieces of information, and taking several pictures certainly does help.

The trick with presenting a painting pattern in this manner is consistency. It is very important the steps have the same lighting, look and basic formula so that the progressions are easy to see. The problem with this is that if the pictures are taking with different lighting or from different distances or settings, it can change things up and make it difficult for others to follow along and really see the differences in the steps. That is where the scanner comes in handy.

Especially when I am doing smaller items like these ornaments. It makes a wonderful controlled environment that will take consistent images no matter what time of day or if it is sunny or cloudy or whatever. I find it is the best way to document the process for this type of pattern and makes the process of making the patterns go easiest.

My scanner isn't very fancy. It is a Canon MP480 all in one that I only use for the scanning option. I find that scanning anything over 300 dpi is overkill, as the higher the resolution, the larger the file. Since I am not outputting large poster sized pictures, the 300 dpi is more than adequate for showing detail and the images come up crystal clear. Here is an example of a progression for one of the ornaments:

First I base coated the colors in (blocked in the base colors)

Sleeve Gesture Jersey Headgear Chair


Then I added the shades:

Textile Finger Red Christmas decoration Font


Finally I added the details and line work and final highlights:

Hand Textile Wood Musical instrument Font


When seeing this broken down into these steps, it really helps clarify the process and helps people see that this is something that they can accomplish.

I realize that these are not always necessary for all patterns, but since I am gearing this line of patterns that I am making toward any level of painter, I think it helps even the very beginner to be successful in making the design. Once those basic skills are learned, they can be applied to other projects. Before they know it, it becomes second nature.

I suppose that I wanted to explain this part of my designing process because it naturally adds to the time it takes to create a pattern. When I started out, I only used to document the steps of the process for the projects that I created for the magazine. But I have long ago learned that when I am designing just about any new scroll sawing pattern, I take pictures all along the way whether I am designing for the magazine or not. While I do not use step by step pictures in every single new scroll saw pattern that I create, most of them do have photographs to assist me in explaining the process. Since many people are able to download patterns to view on their computer, it costs nothing to include extra pictures in the patterns, and if there aren't any, I do offer videos and free articles on the site which explain the processes clearly. It has proven to be a great asset and has also helped by bringing new people into the crafts - both painting and scroll sawing.

I hope this information was helpful to some of you. I have a lot of friends who are looking to design patterns and I think that this is an important part of the process that should be included in many instances in patterns. If there is interest, I can further explain some of the other things that I do with scanning and photography that make a better presentation for your patterns and also for your projects in general. Just let me know if you are interested.

I finished the first set of stocking ornaments yesterday and now I will be on to the packages. I hope to get these on the road by Monday or Tuesday the latest, and that not only includes painting the pieces, but also creating the packets and assembling the 35+ photographs that each pattern will contain. It may seem like a lot of work, but it will make the patterns something that I am really proud of.

For the first time this week the sun is shining and it is nice and warm out. Summer has returned. While it makes it for a nice day, it also makes me want to go outside more! It is easy to stay in and focus when it is cold an rainy out. But now the sun is calling . . . calling . . . calling . . .

Oh heck! I will have my beach time soon. Just not this weekend! I hope you all have a good day today. It's Friday already. I can smell the bar-b-que already! ;)

Have a great one!
 

Attachments

#5,636 ·
The Importance of a Good Presentation

While many of us do our crafts for pleasure, there seems to be an equal amount of people that sell our finished items on Etsy or Ebay or somewhere online. Even many of you who don't sell your items still like to show them off on the many forums that are online. That is part of what social networking is all about and a large part of why we are all here.

As a pattern designer, I also find that there is a great deal of importance on how my designs are presented in my patterns. After all, I could have the best design in the world and if I don't have a good clear pictures of it, it won't catch people's eye and I won't sell many. It took me a while to understand the importance of presenting good pictures of your projects and how much it can impact sales on both patterns and finished items. After all, if people can't clearly see what you are offering, why would they want to invest in it?

Because of this, a significant part of designing woodworking and painting patterns is learning at least basic photography skills and also learning at least one basic photography software program in which you can improve and enhance your photographs to give the best presentation of what you have to offer.

This week, I have been working on creating the pattern packets for the two new ornament sets that I recently designed. As with my scroll sawing patterns, I found that providing several step by step photographs in the patterns is extremely helpful in explaining the process. While some may have a lot of experience, there are always people who are new and trying to stretch their limits a bit and having patterns that thoroughly explain the process can be really important in helping them accomplish that. And let's face it - the more complete the pattern is, the easier it is to follow and the happier the customer will be.

When making painting pattern packets, I like to provide several step by step pictures for each piece. Painting projects usually consist of many layers of color, and while the final piece can appear to be very complex, when broken down layer by layer the process isn't so intimidating. In fact it is rather easy.

Part of the teaching process that I present in the patterns is to look at the parts of the project, not the whole. While many people can be put off by seeing the final piece, when they see it broken down into steps, it doesn't look so frightening and they feel like they can accomplish it.

Following is a link to one of the complex paintings that I made a couple of years ago. I don't offer a pattern for this painting, but I wanted to take step-by-step pictures along the way so that I would have a record of the process:

http://www.sheilalandrydesigns.com/painting-home/cheetah-painting

You can see that by showing these small steps, it helps people better understand how we got from point 'A' to point 'Z'. It is much easier when writing instructions to break down the process into smaller and easier to digest pieces of information, and taking several pictures certainly does help.

The trick with presenting a painting pattern in this manner is consistency. It is very important the steps have the same lighting, look and basic formula so that the progressions are easy to see. The problem with this is that if the pictures are taking with different lighting or from different distances or settings, it can change things up and make it difficult for others to follow along and really see the differences in the steps. That is where the scanner comes in handy.

Especially when I am doing smaller items like these ornaments. It makes a wonderful controlled environment that will take consistent images no matter what time of day or if it is sunny or cloudy or whatever. I find it is the best way to document the process for this type of pattern and makes the process of making the patterns go easiest.

My scanner isn't very fancy. It is a Canon MP480 all in one that I only use for the scanning option. I find that scanning anything over 300 dpi is overkill, as the higher the resolution, the larger the file. Since I am not outputting large poster sized pictures, the 300 dpi is more than adequate for showing detail and the images come up crystal clear. Here is an example of a progression for one of the ornaments:

First I base coated the colors in (blocked in the base colors)

Sleeve Gesture Jersey Headgear Chair


Then I added the shades:

Textile Finger Red Christmas decoration Font


Finally I added the details and line work and final highlights:

Hand Textile Wood Musical instrument Font


When seeing this broken down into these steps, it really helps clarify the process and helps people see that this is something that they can accomplish.

I realize that these are not always necessary for all patterns, but since I am gearing this line of patterns that I am making toward any level of painter, I think it helps even the very beginner to be successful in making the design. Once those basic skills are learned, they can be applied to other projects. Before they know it, it becomes second nature.

I suppose that I wanted to explain this part of my designing process because it naturally adds to the time it takes to create a pattern. When I started out, I only used to document the steps of the process for the projects that I created for the magazine. But I have long ago learned that when I am designing just about any new scroll sawing pattern, I take pictures all along the way whether I am designing for the magazine or not. While I do not use step by step pictures in every single new scroll saw pattern that I create, most of them do have photographs to assist me in explaining the process. Since many people are able to download patterns to view on their computer, it costs nothing to include extra pictures in the patterns, and if there aren't any, I do offer videos and free articles on the site which explain the processes clearly. It has proven to be a great asset and has also helped by bringing new people into the crafts - both painting and scroll sawing.

I hope this information was helpful to some of you. I have a lot of friends who are looking to design patterns and I think that this is an important part of the process that should be included in many instances in patterns. If there is interest, I can further explain some of the other things that I do with scanning and photography that make a better presentation for your patterns and also for your projects in general. Just let me know if you are interested.

I finished the first set of stocking ornaments yesterday and now I will be on to the packages. I hope to get these on the road by Monday or Tuesday the latest, and that not only includes painting the pieces, but also creating the packets and assembling the 35+ photographs that each pattern will contain. It may seem like a lot of work, but it will make the patterns something that I am really proud of.

For the first time this week the sun is shining and it is nice and warm out. Summer has returned. While it makes it for a nice day, it also makes me want to go outside more! It is easy to stay in and focus when it is cold an rainy out. But now the sun is calling . . . calling . . . calling . . .

Oh heck! I will have my beach time soon. Just not this weekend! I hope you all have a good day today. It's Friday already. I can smell the bar-b-que already! ;)

Have a great one!
One great blog. This is something I struggle on. As I cut a pattern I am in a hurry for the finished product. Sometimes I skip a step and it shows, atleast to me. I work on my projects in small steps trying to keep up with the rest of my responsibilities. Sometimes they are three to four hour time slots, sometimes much less. I need to learn to stay focus over the long term of each project.

A great scroller puts his (her) blade where others dare not to go.
 

Attachments

#5,643 ·
One Step at a Time

As I reread my post of yesterday this morning when responding to comments, I decided that perhaps I should try to take some of my own advice.

It is funny to me how it can be easier to advise others sometimes while not adhering to that same advice for yourself. It reminds me of that old 'can't see the forest through the trees' saying that we are all familiar with. Sometimes we are just too close to things to make a good decision.

Things have been busy lately. That is always a good thing and I do always appreciate the challenges that being busy brings, and the fact that if I am busy, business must be going well. All of that is true, but in the last couple of weeks, I feel a bit overwhelmed, as if I am swimming upstream and not really making any progress.

I know that isn't true, as I have things in front of me to show that I am. It is just that I think I am getting a bit tired of running at this speed and need a short break. I think working at this speed for the length of time that I have is getting to me.

I have one more big and really important deadline looming. Then (hopefully!) I can slow it down a bit and maybe take at least a day off where I don't feel quite so pressed. That deadline is probably Tuesday, which means if I can hold on for a couple more days, I will meet it and be good. Then I will be able to take a breath.

The funny thing was that last week (and the week or two that led up to it) I was pushing pretty hard to complete those two ornament patterns for the catalog submission. I met that goal, just under the wire. I was thrilled about it and I am still, as it is a great opportunity for me and will mean good things for me this fall and winter.

Within a day of meeting that goal, I found that both the designs I worked on so hard were accepted, and I am thrilled. All the hard work and time I put into them paid off. I am very grateful.

But with that acceptance, came another deadline and more responsibility. I need to get the finished pieces and pattern sent out and have it all the way on the other side of the country by the 18th. It seemed like plenty of time initially, but when I consider how long it sometimes takes to ship things (without costing an arm and a leg) it puts a bit of pressure on me to finish quickly. So I needed to jump right into the race again.

I want it to be clear that I am not complaining. I hope it doesn't seem that way. I just wish that there were more hours in the day to accomplish everything that I want to and need to and that I could get everything done.

I really don't feel that it is because I mismanage my time. I try to be efficient and do what I need to do. But lately, however, I have found that I have felt guilty for taking half an hour to eat my lunch. And as I looked at the huge clock we have on the wall last night and it was after ten and I still wasn't finished with what I was drawing, I felt kind of bad about calling it a night. Part of me thought I should 'buck up' and keep going, but I was really getting tired.

I am sure that all designers go through this feast or famine in their lives. While we all enjoy the feasts, there is only so much we can eat and we have to stop.

And then I reread my post yesterday about breaking things down into smaller, more palatable steps and it dawned on me that I should be doing this myself. After all, there is only one of me. While it is quite impractical for me to put a set time limit on working on things, I need to trust my judgment and give myself a little break. Sitting on the deck with Pancakes (my cat) and enjoying a half hour of sunshine while eating my lunch should have no guilt attached to it. It isn't going to make or break me if I take that time, and in all probability, it will do me good.

I have a long staircase to climb in this journey of mine. If I look at the entire road, I find myself both intimidated and exhausted before I even begin. I just need to take my own advice and take one step at a time, enjoying the journey as much as I will enjoy reaching the destination. As long as I know I am doing my best, I can feel good about things and be happy.

Cat Stairs Road surface Wood Carnivore


Good for the body is the work of the body, and good for the soul is the work of the soul, and good for either is the work of the other. - Henry David Thoreau

Have a wonderful Saturday. Remember to take time to enjoy your journey.
 

Attachments

#5,644 ·
One Step at a Time

As I reread my post of yesterday this morning when responding to comments, I decided that perhaps I should try to take some of my own advice.

It is funny to me how it can be easier to advise others sometimes while not adhering to that same advice for yourself. It reminds me of that old 'can't see the forest through the trees' saying that we are all familiar with. Sometimes we are just too close to things to make a good decision.

Things have been busy lately. That is always a good thing and I do always appreciate the challenges that being busy brings, and the fact that if I am busy, business must be going well. All of that is true, but in the last couple of weeks, I feel a bit overwhelmed, as if I am swimming upstream and not really making any progress.

I know that isn't true, as I have things in front of me to show that I am. It is just that I think I am getting a bit tired of running at this speed and need a short break. I think working at this speed for the length of time that I have is getting to me.

I have one more big and really important deadline looming. Then (hopefully!) I can slow it down a bit and maybe take at least a day off where I don't feel quite so pressed. That deadline is probably Tuesday, which means if I can hold on for a couple more days, I will meet it and be good. Then I will be able to take a breath.

The funny thing was that last week (and the week or two that led up to it) I was pushing pretty hard to complete those two ornament patterns for the catalog submission. I met that goal, just under the wire. I was thrilled about it and I am still, as it is a great opportunity for me and will mean good things for me this fall and winter.

Within a day of meeting that goal, I found that both the designs I worked on so hard were accepted, and I am thrilled. All the hard work and time I put into them paid off. I am very grateful.

But with that acceptance, came another deadline and more responsibility. I need to get the finished pieces and pattern sent out and have it all the way on the other side of the country by the 18th. It seemed like plenty of time initially, but when I consider how long it sometimes takes to ship things (without costing an arm and a leg) it puts a bit of pressure on me to finish quickly. So I needed to jump right into the race again.

I want it to be clear that I am not complaining. I hope it doesn't seem that way. I just wish that there were more hours in the day to accomplish everything that I want to and need to and that I could get everything done.

I really don't feel that it is because I mismanage my time. I try to be efficient and do what I need to do. But lately, however, I have found that I have felt guilty for taking half an hour to eat my lunch. And as I looked at the huge clock we have on the wall last night and it was after ten and I still wasn't finished with what I was drawing, I felt kind of bad about calling it a night. Part of me thought I should 'buck up' and keep going, but I was really getting tired.

I am sure that all designers go through this feast or famine in their lives. While we all enjoy the feasts, there is only so much we can eat and we have to stop.

And then I reread my post yesterday about breaking things down into smaller, more palatable steps and it dawned on me that I should be doing this myself. After all, there is only one of me. While it is quite impractical for me to put a set time limit on working on things, I need to trust my judgment and give myself a little break. Sitting on the deck with Pancakes (my cat) and enjoying a half hour of sunshine while eating my lunch should have no guilt attached to it. It isn't going to make or break me if I take that time, and in all probability, it will do me good.

I have a long staircase to climb in this journey of mine. If I look at the entire road, I find myself both intimidated and exhausted before I even begin. I just need to take my own advice and take one step at a time, enjoying the journey as much as I will enjoy reaching the destination. As long as I know I am doing my best, I can feel good about things and be happy.

Cat Stairs Road surface Wood Carnivore


Good for the body is the work of the body, and good for the soul is the work of the soul, and good for either is the work of the other. - Henry David Thoreau

Have a wonderful Saturday. Remember to take time to enjoy your journey.
something to think about, thanks for sharing Sheila! we all need a little pause in between, so we can boost the morale. hope you make your deadline with peace in mind :)
 

Attachments

#5,650 ·
Lollygagging

Today is going to be a self-test. I know what has to be done and I plan on doing it. It is time to adopt that 'no-nonsense' attitude and stay focused on the goal. I know it is not out of reach and there is no reason that I can't attain it.

These words that you are reading are coming from a semi-professional 'lolligagger'. The definition for the term lolligagging (Yes. It is a real word.) is as follows:

"Spend time aimlessly; idle: "lollygagging in the sun".
Dawdle: "we're just lollygagging along".

While perhaps I am being a bit hard on myself by branding myself a 'lolligagger', I am finding that as I am getting close to the finish on the tasks at hand, I have been a bit unfocused and somewhat easily distracted. I believe the reason for that is because I am in need of a short break.

With being self-employed, you usually get about one "weekend" day a month if you are lucky. If you are unlucky, you get about 25 a month because you don't have any work to do and in all liklihood you are starving. While ideally it would be nice to have something in between, we don't always have control over regulating our level of busy. Either the switch is 'on' (which is preferable) or it is 'off' (which is not) and there are many times that there is nothing in between.

Although I do find myself meandering form the tasks at hand when I am due for some 'me time.' After all, I am only human. Usually I can go on pretty long before this occurs though, and I only get like this a couple of times a year.

In my own defense, the past couple months have been rather full. I kind of feel like the bear that went over the mountain only to see another larger mountain ahead. After a while it kind of gets old, seeing mountain after mountain after mountain, with no break in between.

But this time, there really, really (really!) is a valley over these last mountains. In the valley there is a refreshing stream and a meadow filled with cool breezes and sunshine. A beautifully calm place where birds are singing and you can close your eyes and hear the water rushing over the rocks in the stream. It is a wonderful place to have a picnic and recharge my battery and I look forward to spending (just a little) time there. It will be my reward for a job well done and I won't need to spend a long time there before I am once again looking for adventure.

So no lolligagging!

My goal today is finishing up my painting of the new patterns. I know I can achieve it only if I stay focused. I then have the (small) task of finishing up my final article for the magazine on Monday, as well as assembling the pattern packets for these two sets of ornaments. I plan on finishing that by Tuesday.

That should be my last mountain that I need to climb. At least for the time being. What will come my way after that will come, but I only hope that whatever it is, I will have at least a day to enjoy the valley and the sunshine. But this will happen only if I stay focused these next couple of days.

With that said, it's time to pull out the paint brushes and get to work. The good thing is that I am really enjoying painting these ornaments. Since this is the second time around, I am refining them and making them look even better than the originals. I am proud of them and they are nice. That in itself is a great reward. And somehow that mountain doesn't look so bad to climb after all.

Sky Plant Natural landscape Bedrock Mountain


Have a wonderful Sunday!
 

Attachments

#5,651 ·
Lollygagging

Today is going to be a self-test. I know what has to be done and I plan on doing it. It is time to adopt that 'no-nonsense' attitude and stay focused on the goal. I know it is not out of reach and there is no reason that I can't attain it.

These words that you are reading are coming from a semi-professional 'lolligagger'. The definition for the term lolligagging (Yes. It is a real word.) is as follows:

"Spend time aimlessly; idle: "lollygagging in the sun".
Dawdle: "we're just lollygagging along".

While perhaps I am being a bit hard on myself by branding myself a 'lolligagger', I am finding that as I am getting close to the finish on the tasks at hand, I have been a bit unfocused and somewhat easily distracted. I believe the reason for that is because I am in need of a short break.

With being self-employed, you usually get about one "weekend" day a month if you are lucky. If you are unlucky, you get about 25 a month because you don't have any work to do and in all liklihood you are starving. While ideally it would be nice to have something in between, we don't always have control over regulating our level of busy. Either the switch is 'on' (which is preferable) or it is 'off' (which is not) and there are many times that there is nothing in between.

Although I do find myself meandering form the tasks at hand when I am due for some 'me time.' After all, I am only human. Usually I can go on pretty long before this occurs though, and I only get like this a couple of times a year.

In my own defense, the past couple months have been rather full. I kind of feel like the bear that went over the mountain only to see another larger mountain ahead. After a while it kind of gets old, seeing mountain after mountain after mountain, with no break in between.

But this time, there really, really (really!) is a valley over these last mountains. In the valley there is a refreshing stream and a meadow filled with cool breezes and sunshine. A beautifully calm place where birds are singing and you can close your eyes and hear the water rushing over the rocks in the stream. It is a wonderful place to have a picnic and recharge my battery and I look forward to spending (just a little) time there. It will be my reward for a job well done and I won't need to spend a long time there before I am once again looking for adventure.

So no lolligagging!

My goal today is finishing up my painting of the new patterns. I know I can achieve it only if I stay focused. I then have the (small) task of finishing up my final article for the magazine on Monday, as well as assembling the pattern packets for these two sets of ornaments. I plan on finishing that by Tuesday.

That should be my last mountain that I need to climb. At least for the time being. What will come my way after that will come, but I only hope that whatever it is, I will have at least a day to enjoy the valley and the sunshine. But this will happen only if I stay focused these next couple of days.

With that said, it's time to pull out the paint brushes and get to work. The good thing is that I am really enjoying painting these ornaments. Since this is the second time around, I am refining them and making them look even better than the originals. I am proud of them and they are nice. That in itself is a great reward. And somehow that mountain doesn't look so bad to climb after all.



Have a wonderful Sunday!
now that is a cool picture, is it real or photo shop…lol…...its funny you should use that word 'lolligagger', that was the name of my boat up in Alaska, and it bared that nem proudly, i took er out every weekend just about all summer, and when i wasn't fishing, i was proudly a 'lolligagger'..good good name…....i hope this day went well for you and you meet your goals, so you can truly relax , enjoy the valley, the cool stream, mountain meadow flowers…and a cool sip of water…its needed for the soul…i know your a worker, and that is good, but you need to stop and refresh those batteries, most humans need it on a weekly basis, were not all like this super women you tend to be…lol…...so take your cape off, and enjoy the sunshine, i hope you get some beach time and soon…grizz….oh, and i shall fix a similar breakfast in the morning…or possible tonight for dinner…;)
 

Attachments

#5,653 ·
I Didn't Quite Make It

While I would like to start of the week here doing a victory dance because I reached all the goals that I had set for myself yesterday, I am afraid that isn't the case. While I gave it a valiant effort, I didn't quite finish what I wanted to do and the ornaments that I am working on will have to ship out tomorrow instead of today.

In some ways, I am quite disappointed. I had set out to accomplish something and I failed to do so. Part of me dreaded having to write here today and admit my failure to everyone. It is a bit humiliating.

But when I began writing here daily, I made a promise to myself that I would not only share the good things that go on regarding my life as a designer, but everything - good and bad - that pertains to my work and designing. Part of why I began writing here was because so many people that I knew both as friends and as customers had aspirations of becoming a designing or making woodworking or designing their main source of income and after (at that time) almost 15 years of going through many ups and downs of working in the industry, I wanted to share the every day process with them so that they have a better understanding of what it involves.

Today is one of those days when I didn't meet the goal I had set out for myself. I suppose I am not 'super woman' after all.

I spent the entire day working on the ornaments. I had even made my breakfast the night before (a yummy sausage strata) that I only needed to pop into the over and eat. I wound up skipping through lunch altogether, as I just didn't think about it and we had some (actually really good) left over pizza from the night before that Keith put in the oven to heat for dinner. So no time was wasted there.

Besides painting the second set of 12 ornaments, I also am required to send two sets of wood blanks for each of the two patterns, along with copies of the patterns. With the other patterns, the blank pieces, along with a picture of the pattern were used in the picture for the catalog and website, so I imagine that this is why they need them. So finishing up the painting was only part of what would be necessary for me to get the shipment in the mail.

Around 4pm, my partner Keith offered to cut the additional pieces for me. At the time I was painting piece #7 of the 12 and I still had high hopes of completing things before the day was done. He made the trip to his parents' house where our wood was stored and cut the last of our stock into the 10" x 10" pieces that we would be using for cutting. This was a great relief and I was really thinking at this time that I would be able to meet my goal.

When he returned an hour or so later with the three foot plus high stack of boards, I was ever so grateful to him. He then offered to heat up dinner and all the while I painted on.

I only stopped a short time to eat, and then continued on with my task. But I was getting tired and as the clock seemed to be spinning on the wall, I started to begin to wonder if I would reach my goal.

At 10:20, when I was just about completing ornament #10, I came to accept that I would not be able to finish. It was a difficult decision to make, as I am not one to give up easily, but my body was aching and half an hour before I had made a small mistake that I had to correct. My battery was just running out.

I had at least two and a half more hours of painting ahead of me, and I also had to paint the backs of both sets (24 pieces) drill the holes in them, and create at least the covers of the pattern packets. I then had to box them up and get them ready to send on their way across the country. I just couldn't imagine myself staying up and continuing on. So I will finish up today.

While I was disappointed in myself on one level, as I looked at the pieces that were in front of me my disappointment began to fade. What I had done so far was quality, and I am quite proud of them. At one point, Keith suggested that I send the pieces that I had shown here on the blog last week (the ones I used for submissions) but as I repainted each piece, I also refined the designs on them and made them better than the first group. And I only wanted my best work to be sent.

I probably could have made it easy on myself and sent the original pieces, but something inside me wouldn't let me. Am I being sadistic? Or crazy?

As I compare the two versions side by side, in my own mind there is no comparison. The second versions of these pieces are superior and those are the ones that I need to have sent. While I am willing to compromise slightly on my own time schedule, I just can't do so on my designs.

So another day it is.

I slept until after seven today. I guess I was really tired. I no longer feel the urgency that I have been feeling the past several days and that is good. My disappointment has been replaced with a good feeling of calm because I know that I will take the day to finish these up properly. Tomorrow, when they go out the door, I will not be second-guessing myself as to if I gave it my best shot. I will truly know I have. There are just 24 hours in a day, and there is only so much that you are able to pack into those hours. I did my best to finish, but I just came up a bit short.

And it wasn't because I was lolligagging.

I feel that I learned a valuable lesson through all of this. We all have our limitations, and sometimes the limitations win. But that doesn't necessarily mean that we "lose", it only means we need to accept what we are and what we can accomplish in a given window of time and be happy with what we DID accomplish. If I would have cut some corners, I would have finished in my self-imposed time frame. But the victory would have been hollow because the quality would not have been there. To me it was more important to do things right than to meet a deadline that I made for myself.

The ornaments should still arrive in time for photography. My contact said there were two days that they had scheduled for shooting pictures for the catalog. I hope that when she sees them, she feels that they are worth it and she will schedule them into the second session if they aren't there in time for the first. I am going to contact her today and let her know where I am at with them. Hopefully, they will be willing to work with me on this.

If they cannot, then I have to be ready to accept that too. The worst thing that will happen will be that I have two new designs that are something that I am proud of. I have had many new people join my mailing list that have purchased the kits for the other ornaments and they are very pleased with them and looking for more designs. I will be putting these up on my site soon, so they will be available there no matter what. So I can't really lose.

All I can say is I really did my best. What will be will be. I will finish these up today and they will be on their way tomorrow. And I will be able to move on to other things too.

The sun is shining and it is another beautiful day here. We haven't had any real heat yet, but it has been pleasant and there have (thankfully!) been few bugs. It is a beautiful Monday, and I am going to enjoy it.

I hope you all have a great day too.

Tableware Cat Dishware Serveware Drinkware


(Random cat picture!)
 

Attachments

#5,654 ·
I Didn't Quite Make It

While I would like to start of the week here doing a victory dance because I reached all the goals that I had set for myself yesterday, I am afraid that isn't the case. While I gave it a valiant effort, I didn't quite finish what I wanted to do and the ornaments that I am working on will have to ship out tomorrow instead of today.

In some ways, I am quite disappointed. I had set out to accomplish something and I failed to do so. Part of me dreaded having to write here today and admit my failure to everyone. It is a bit humiliating.

But when I began writing here daily, I made a promise to myself that I would not only share the good things that go on regarding my life as a designer, but everything - good and bad - that pertains to my work and designing. Part of why I began writing here was because so many people that I knew both as friends and as customers had aspirations of becoming a designing or making woodworking or designing their main source of income and after (at that time) almost 15 years of going through many ups and downs of working in the industry, I wanted to share the every day process with them so that they have a better understanding of what it involves.

Today is one of those days when I didn't meet the goal I had set out for myself. I suppose I am not 'super woman' after all.

I spent the entire day working on the ornaments. I had even made my breakfast the night before (a yummy sausage strata) that I only needed to pop into the over and eat. I wound up skipping through lunch altogether, as I just didn't think about it and we had some (actually really good) left over pizza from the night before that Keith put in the oven to heat for dinner. So no time was wasted there.

Besides painting the second set of 12 ornaments, I also am required to send two sets of wood blanks for each of the two patterns, along with copies of the patterns. With the other patterns, the blank pieces, along with a picture of the pattern were used in the picture for the catalog and website, so I imagine that this is why they need them. So finishing up the painting was only part of what would be necessary for me to get the shipment in the mail.

Around 4pm, my partner Keith offered to cut the additional pieces for me. At the time I was painting piece #7 of the 12 and I still had high hopes of completing things before the day was done. He made the trip to his parents' house where our wood was stored and cut the last of our stock into the 10" x 10" pieces that we would be using for cutting. This was a great relief and I was really thinking at this time that I would be able to meet my goal.

When he returned an hour or so later with the three foot plus high stack of boards, I was ever so grateful to him. He then offered to heat up dinner and all the while I painted on.

I only stopped a short time to eat, and then continued on with my task. But I was getting tired and as the clock seemed to be spinning on the wall, I started to begin to wonder if I would reach my goal.

At 10:20, when I was just about completing ornament #10, I came to accept that I would not be able to finish. It was a difficult decision to make, as I am not one to give up easily, but my body was aching and half an hour before I had made a small mistake that I had to correct. My battery was just running out.

I had at least two and a half more hours of painting ahead of me, and I also had to paint the backs of both sets (24 pieces) drill the holes in them, and create at least the covers of the pattern packets. I then had to box them up and get them ready to send on their way across the country. I just couldn't imagine myself staying up and continuing on. So I will finish up today.

While I was disappointed in myself on one level, as I looked at the pieces that were in front of me my disappointment began to fade. What I had done so far was quality, and I am quite proud of them. At one point, Keith suggested that I send the pieces that I had shown here on the blog last week (the ones I used for submissions) but as I repainted each piece, I also refined the designs on them and made them better than the first group. And I only wanted my best work to be sent.

I probably could have made it easy on myself and sent the original pieces, but something inside me wouldn't let me. Am I being sadistic? Or crazy?

As I compare the two versions side by side, in my own mind there is no comparison. The second versions of these pieces are superior and those are the ones that I need to have sent. While I am willing to compromise slightly on my own time schedule, I just can't do so on my designs.

So another day it is.

I slept until after seven today. I guess I was really tired. I no longer feel the urgency that I have been feeling the past several days and that is good. My disappointment has been replaced with a good feeling of calm because I know that I will take the day to finish these up properly. Tomorrow, when they go out the door, I will not be second-guessing myself as to if I gave it my best shot. I will truly know I have. There are just 24 hours in a day, and there is only so much that you are able to pack into those hours. I did my best to finish, but I just came up a bit short.

And it wasn't because I was lolligagging.

I feel that I learned a valuable lesson through all of this. We all have our limitations, and sometimes the limitations win. But that doesn't necessarily mean that we "lose", it only means we need to accept what we are and what we can accomplish in a given window of time and be happy with what we DID accomplish. If I would have cut some corners, I would have finished in my self-imposed time frame. But the victory would have been hollow because the quality would not have been there. To me it was more important to do things right than to meet a deadline that I made for myself.

The ornaments should still arrive in time for photography. My contact said there were two days that they had scheduled for shooting pictures for the catalog. I hope that when she sees them, she feels that they are worth it and she will schedule them into the second session if they aren't there in time for the first. I am going to contact her today and let her know where I am at with them. Hopefully, they will be willing to work with me on this.

If they cannot, then I have to be ready to accept that too. The worst thing that will happen will be that I have two new designs that are something that I am proud of. I have had many new people join my mailing list that have purchased the kits for the other ornaments and they are very pleased with them and looking for more designs. I will be putting these up on my site soon, so they will be available there no matter what. So I can't really lose.

All I can say is I really did my best. What will be will be. I will finish these up today and they will be on their way tomorrow. And I will be able to move on to other things too.

The sun is shining and it is another beautiful day here. We haven't had any real heat yet, but it has been pleasant and there have (thankfully!) been few bugs. It is a beautiful Monday, and I am going to enjoy it.

I hope you all have a great day too.

Tableware Cat Dishware Serveware Drinkware


(Random cat picture!)
Hi Sheila;

It is those kind of goals and expectations that causes one to burn themselves out. Believe me I know.

You seem to have a tendency to push yourself to unreasonable limits, which could lead to resenting having to get things done. Sometimes you just need to chill out.

And pease don't take that the wrong way, but as someone who's "been there", i know what you are going through.

Lee
 

Attachments

#5,657 ·
Alleviating Fears by Communication

Yesterday turned out to be a really good day. While I began the day feeling tired and a bit overwhelmed, I was able to relieve much of my anxiety by simply communicating with others and talking things out.

I find that sometimes people feel that it is difficult to pick up the phone and talk things over - especially when they are in situations such as the one that I felt that I was in (where I felt I was running behind.) I think that in our minds we often fear the worst, and those fears seem to overcome us and have an overall debilitating effect on how we do things and work. Long ago I learned that facing my anxieties was the quickest and easiest way to overcome them. While it may seem difficult at the time, there are few times when I remember regret meeting things head on. More so than not, solutions are found quickly and many of the fears that I were experiencing were unfounded. By discussing the situation openly and honestly, it is always easier to come to viable solutions for all involved and I am then better to move ahead in a productive manner. This was very much the case yesterday.

One of my fears, of course was getting the pieces to the Artist's Club. I didn't want them to arrive late, but I also didn't want to have to take out a mortgage to ship them overnight. My deadline for the pieces to be on the west coast by the 18th, and shipping from Nova Scotia could take a bit. I wasn't sure if they would be there on time, and I didn't want to miss the date for the photo shoot that was scheduled for the next catalog.

I decided to call my contact there and make sure that she knew just where I was. After talking to her, I was assured that things should be fine if I shipped them today, as there were other opportunities available on their end that would work. She couldn't have been nicer, and after speaking to her I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of my head.

I can't say enough good about the Artist's Club and its people there. Not only from a customer's standpoint, but also from a contributor. They are fair, honest and straight forward in all aspects of business. When I order from them, their products are reasonably priced and everything they are said to be. It is always a good experience and I have been ordering from them since the mid-90's. I am very fortunate to be associated with such a good company such a wonderful reputation and I am proud to have my work distributed by them. I am sure that is why it is so important for me to do my absolute best work for them.

I finished the ornaments yesterday and they look really nice. After spraying them with clear coat, it really brought out the colors and I am really proud of them. I finished the covers for the two pattern packets that I will be sending them:

Font Chair Terrestrial plant Event Pattern


Font Pattern Event Cake decorating supply Rectangle


It may not look like much, but getting to this point was certainly a lot of work. I am happy with the results though, and look forward to seeing these in the catalog throughout the holiday season. I hope they do as well as the witch hats and boots. I have the call in for the pickup for the pieces and they should be on their way within a couple of hours. I am very relieved.

The other main concern was finishing the article I was doing for the holiday issue for the magazine. While I have the article mapped out, I still need to assemble it and do the writing. While it is more of a pictorial article than a verbal one (there are over 25 photographs) I have been putting it on the back burner until the ornaments above were finished. I was afraid that I was pushing over the line with my editor though and would possible be late with it for the issue.

I talked to her also yesterday and it appears I am fine. I had given her enough information, including a preview of the photographs and she was able to allot the required amount of space needed in the issue for the article. She assured me that she is still working on other aspects of the issue, and even if I have it to her by the end of the week or so it would be fine. What a huge relief that was for me!

After speaking to her, again I felt so much better. I didn't want to let her down after committing myself to this article and I have done a great deal of work on it so far and think it will be a good one. I feared that I would be late with the final material and I would let her down. But we were fine.

Today I plan on finishing the article up and getting her a copy by the end of the day. That way there will be plenty of time for changes in it if necessary and I will be able to relax. I hope to finish it completely, because it will be the final thing that is really pressing on me at the moment and I will be able to take a breath. I am hoping to take a day "off" tomorrow and perhaps get away for the day if the weather cooperates. I think it will do me good.

In closing today, I just want to stress the importance of communication. So many times, we fear the worst and those fears are unfounded and fueled by the unknown. The best (and quickest) way to alleviate those fears is to face them head on by communicating your concerns with the parties involved. More time than not, there are easy and viable solutions to the problems once each party knows where the other one is at. I found that it saves a lot of time worrying when I am straightforward and honest with others. After all, we are all working for the same goals.

I wish you all a wonderful day today. I know I will be working, but I will have a much more relaxed state of mind than I have had the past couple of days. And it will be very enjoyable.

Have a great one!

"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face." - Eleanor Roosevelt
 

Attachments

#5,658 ·
Alleviating Fears by Communication

Yesterday turned out to be a really good day. While I began the day feeling tired and a bit overwhelmed, I was able to relieve much of my anxiety by simply communicating with others and talking things out.

I find that sometimes people feel that it is difficult to pick up the phone and talk things over - especially when they are in situations such as the one that I felt that I was in (where I felt I was running behind.) I think that in our minds we often fear the worst, and those fears seem to overcome us and have an overall debilitating effect on how we do things and work. Long ago I learned that facing my anxieties was the quickest and easiest way to overcome them. While it may seem difficult at the time, there are few times when I remember regret meeting things head on. More so than not, solutions are found quickly and many of the fears that I were experiencing were unfounded. By discussing the situation openly and honestly, it is always easier to come to viable solutions for all involved and I am then better to move ahead in a productive manner. This was very much the case yesterday.

One of my fears, of course was getting the pieces to the Artist's Club. I didn't want them to arrive late, but I also didn't want to have to take out a mortgage to ship them overnight. My deadline for the pieces to be on the west coast by the 18th, and shipping from Nova Scotia could take a bit. I wasn't sure if they would be there on time, and I didn't want to miss the date for the photo shoot that was scheduled for the next catalog.

I decided to call my contact there and make sure that she knew just where I was. After talking to her, I was assured that things should be fine if I shipped them today, as there were other opportunities available on their end that would work. She couldn't have been nicer, and after speaking to her I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of my head.

I can't say enough good about the Artist's Club and its people there. Not only from a customer's standpoint, but also from a contributor. They are fair, honest and straight forward in all aspects of business. When I order from them, their products are reasonably priced and everything they are said to be. It is always a good experience and I have been ordering from them since the mid-90's. I am very fortunate to be associated with such a good company such a wonderful reputation and I am proud to have my work distributed by them. I am sure that is why it is so important for me to do my absolute best work for them.

I finished the ornaments yesterday and they look really nice. After spraying them with clear coat, it really brought out the colors and I am really proud of them. I finished the covers for the two pattern packets that I will be sending them:

Font Chair Terrestrial plant Event Pattern


Font Pattern Event Cake decorating supply Rectangle


It may not look like much, but getting to this point was certainly a lot of work. I am happy with the results though, and look forward to seeing these in the catalog throughout the holiday season. I hope they do as well as the witch hats and boots. I have the call in for the pickup for the pieces and they should be on their way within a couple of hours. I am very relieved.

The other main concern was finishing the article I was doing for the holiday issue for the magazine. While I have the article mapped out, I still need to assemble it and do the writing. While it is more of a pictorial article than a verbal one (there are over 25 photographs) I have been putting it on the back burner until the ornaments above were finished. I was afraid that I was pushing over the line with my editor though and would possible be late with it for the issue.

I talked to her also yesterday and it appears I am fine. I had given her enough information, including a preview of the photographs and she was able to allot the required amount of space needed in the issue for the article. She assured me that she is still working on other aspects of the issue, and even if I have it to her by the end of the week or so it would be fine. What a huge relief that was for me!

After speaking to her, again I felt so much better. I didn't want to let her down after committing myself to this article and I have done a great deal of work on it so far and think it will be a good one. I feared that I would be late with the final material and I would let her down. But we were fine.

Today I plan on finishing the article up and getting her a copy by the end of the day. That way there will be plenty of time for changes in it if necessary and I will be able to relax. I hope to finish it completely, because it will be the final thing that is really pressing on me at the moment and I will be able to take a breath. I am hoping to take a day "off" tomorrow and perhaps get away for the day if the weather cooperates. I think it will do me good.

In closing today, I just want to stress the importance of communication. So many times, we fear the worst and those fears are unfounded and fueled by the unknown. The best (and quickest) way to alleviate those fears is to face them head on by communicating your concerns with the parties involved. More time than not, there are easy and viable solutions to the problems once each party knows where the other one is at. I found that it saves a lot of time worrying when I am straightforward and honest with others. After all, we are all working for the same goals.

I wish you all a wonderful day today. I know I will be working, but I will have a much more relaxed state of mind than I have had the past couple of days. And it will be very enjoyable.

Have a great one!

"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face." - Eleanor Roosevelt
GREEAT work, as always, Shelia
 

Attachments

#5,660 ·
Taking the Day Off

Today will be my day off. Really it will. Even though I am sitting here writing this morning, when I am finished I am going to get ready to head out for the day. Already the sun is shining and it promises to be a warm and mostly sunny day today. It is the perfect time to get in the car, let the top down and take a ride along the coast and relax.

The last several weeks have been crazy/busy. Not 'bad crazy', but crazy in a way that was beginning to become a little overwhelming.

While I realize that crazy comes with being successful, I was feeling (just a little bit) that I was losing control of the situation and that my business was beginning to run ME. That is a very real danger we self-employed people come across. We put out feelers in many directions in hope of advancing our business. As things begin to start paying off, we are thrilled. Then another thing begins to pay off. And so on, and so on. If we aren't careful, we are finding ourselves pulled in several directions at once, and chaos ensues.

This doesn't happen overnight. Although sometimes the tide can shift quickly and one finds themselves going from looking for work to trying to figure out which job to do first (And second. And third. And so on.) How we handle things when this situation arises can dictate the future of our business. And the decisions need to be considered very carefully.

The problem that usually arises when we are at this point in our business is when we are in the midst of things, we aren't thinking as clearly as we normally do. We are excited about the successes that are finally finding us, but we are also a bit tired from working so hard to achieve them. Sometimes we have many things pulling at us at once and we begin to feel overwhelmed. Another factor is that the memories of struggling are still clear in our minds, and we don't want to refuse any type of work at all because we are afraid that one day we will once again be in that position and don't ever want to wind up there again. So we take on too much and make decisions that over the long run may not be in our best interest. That is why it is important to take a breath.

Yesterday was an incredible day. I spent the morning packing up the ornaments that I had labored over so diligently the past few weeks. They looked really good and I was very proud of them. While wrapping each one and packing them in the box, I couldn't help but think how happy I was with myself that I didn't cut corners or hurry them along. Even the backs of them looked neat and professional. I sent them away, knowing that I did my best work and no matter if they sold well or not, I was proud of them and felt they represented me well.

As the box went out the door, as always I felt a sense of relief. I could check one big thing off of my list to do and move on to other things. Those late nights were worth it, as I feel that not only did I accomplish the task at hand, but forged a path of success for the future of my business. I was happy.

I spent the next couple of hours tidying up a bit. I like to do that in between projects. I often receive messages and emails from people who are amazed at how we keep our little place here neat, and tidying up in between projects is certainly at the top of the list. After we cleaned the house, I sat down and ordered the ink system for the new printers that are in transit and should be arriving tomorrow. While my own printer here is still working fine, I have put many hours on it and want to be prepared when it finally spits out its last page. I ordered two of the Canon printers that I spoke of last week, and needed to order the matching ink system so that I would be able to continue to print the (hopefully) many patterns used in the kits that Artist's Club is selling for me. So far I had sold nearly 1000 kits, and the pattern are nearly 20 color pages each.

Just as I finished ordering, I received an email from Artist's Club. It was from their purchasing department and I was somewhat expecting an order, as they had accepted the two new designs and the catalog which they would be in was to ship sometime in July. After all, the pieces that I sent out just hours before still had to be photographed after their week long journey across the country and the catalogs then had to be created. I had a bit of time.

When I opened the email however, I was somewhat taken aback. Not only was there an initial order for the new kits (of which I still need to create the pattern packets) but there was also additional orders for the kits that they were carrying (again!) and the total kits ordered was 500! I couldn't believe my eyes. I immediately called Keith over to see if he were up for helping me work on these, and he was (thankfully!) as excited as I was to do so. The day before, he had already cut the wood we had on hand (enough for 200 kits) into the 10" x 10" squares we used for our kits and had half of it sanded. We were ready to roll!

I had ordered additional wood from Bernie the week before, and it was to be delivered today. I called him and he was able to double my order and have it included in the same shipment, which will be enough to fill this order and at least a couple hundred additional kits. I felt very happy and on top of things. And yes - PREPARED for this!

I spent the afternoon writing my article for the magazine, and I am also very pleased at how it came out. It is a detailed article about how to use the texture paste that I used for the bell ornaments to embellish not only ornaments, but other woodworking pieces. I finished around dinner time and felt really good about it.

With all this work coming in the door, you would think I would be in a panic. But I am not. I am calm and happy and I feel like we have things under control.

Yes. I am still taking the day off. We are riding up the coast to do some shopping and enjoy the beautiful weather. In our travels, we will pick up not only the cases of paper we need to print our order, but also stop at Bernie's on our way back to pick up the wood. That alone saves us at least half a day of travelling, so we are killing two birds with one stone.

It's all about planning. And about taking care of yourself too. I admit recently that I have felt a bit overwhelmed, and if this order had come in last week, I would have been "concerned". But with Keith helping me, it divides the time to put out this order in half. It also is a lot more fun to do it when you have someone in the trenches with you. We are both thrilled about the success of these kits. Between the two of us, they should take less than a week to cut - and that is if we work in 5 hour stretches. That will give me time for my scroll saw designs and it is a very reasonable time to get the order out the door. And the income that they will bring is pretty nice too. My car will need an exhaust system before the year is out and while I am not in NEED of anything right at the moment, there are a few things that I have been eyeing - one in particular - that I am going to treat myself to. I will certainly blog on that later, as it is really a cool thing. :)

So off I go today. I am going to have a wonderful relaxing day out and about. (oot and aboot as the Newfies say!) And when I get back, I will look forward to doing what I love to do most - creating!

Have a wonderful day!

Cat Window Felidae Carnivore Small to medium-sized cats
 

Attachments

#5,661 ·
Taking the Day Off

Today will be my day off. Really it will. Even though I am sitting here writing this morning, when I am finished I am going to get ready to head out for the day. Already the sun is shining and it promises to be a warm and mostly sunny day today. It is the perfect time to get in the car, let the top down and take a ride along the coast and relax.

The last several weeks have been crazy/busy. Not 'bad crazy', but crazy in a way that was beginning to become a little overwhelming.

While I realize that crazy comes with being successful, I was feeling (just a little bit) that I was losing control of the situation and that my business was beginning to run ME. That is a very real danger we self-employed people come across. We put out feelers in many directions in hope of advancing our business. As things begin to start paying off, we are thrilled. Then another thing begins to pay off. And so on, and so on. If we aren't careful, we are finding ourselves pulled in several directions at once, and chaos ensues.

This doesn't happen overnight. Although sometimes the tide can shift quickly and one finds themselves going from looking for work to trying to figure out which job to do first (And second. And third. And so on.) How we handle things when this situation arises can dictate the future of our business. And the decisions need to be considered very carefully.

The problem that usually arises when we are at this point in our business is when we are in the midst of things, we aren't thinking as clearly as we normally do. We are excited about the successes that are finally finding us, but we are also a bit tired from working so hard to achieve them. Sometimes we have many things pulling at us at once and we begin to feel overwhelmed. Another factor is that the memories of struggling are still clear in our minds, and we don't want to refuse any type of work at all because we are afraid that one day we will once again be in that position and don't ever want to wind up there again. So we take on too much and make decisions that over the long run may not be in our best interest. That is why it is important to take a breath.

Yesterday was an incredible day. I spent the morning packing up the ornaments that I had labored over so diligently the past few weeks. They looked really good and I was very proud of them. While wrapping each one and packing them in the box, I couldn't help but think how happy I was with myself that I didn't cut corners or hurry them along. Even the backs of them looked neat and professional. I sent them away, knowing that I did my best work and no matter if they sold well or not, I was proud of them and felt they represented me well.

As the box went out the door, as always I felt a sense of relief. I could check one big thing off of my list to do and move on to other things. Those late nights were worth it, as I feel that not only did I accomplish the task at hand, but forged a path of success for the future of my business. I was happy.

I spent the next couple of hours tidying up a bit. I like to do that in between projects. I often receive messages and emails from people who are amazed at how we keep our little place here neat, and tidying up in between projects is certainly at the top of the list. After we cleaned the house, I sat down and ordered the ink system for the new printers that are in transit and should be arriving tomorrow. While my own printer here is still working fine, I have put many hours on it and want to be prepared when it finally spits out its last page. I ordered two of the Canon printers that I spoke of last week, and needed to order the matching ink system so that I would be able to continue to print the (hopefully) many patterns used in the kits that Artist's Club is selling for me. So far I had sold nearly 1000 kits, and the pattern are nearly 20 color pages each.

Just as I finished ordering, I received an email from Artist's Club. It was from their purchasing department and I was somewhat expecting an order, as they had accepted the two new designs and the catalog which they would be in was to ship sometime in July. After all, the pieces that I sent out just hours before still had to be photographed after their week long journey across the country and the catalogs then had to be created. I had a bit of time.

When I opened the email however, I was somewhat taken aback. Not only was there an initial order for the new kits (of which I still need to create the pattern packets) but there was also additional orders for the kits that they were carrying (again!) and the total kits ordered was 500! I couldn't believe my eyes. I immediately called Keith over to see if he were up for helping me work on these, and he was (thankfully!) as excited as I was to do so. The day before, he had already cut the wood we had on hand (enough for 200 kits) into the 10" x 10" squares we used for our kits and had half of it sanded. We were ready to roll!

I had ordered additional wood from Bernie the week before, and it was to be delivered today. I called him and he was able to double my order and have it included in the same shipment, which will be enough to fill this order and at least a couple hundred additional kits. I felt very happy and on top of things. And yes - PREPARED for this!

I spent the afternoon writing my article for the magazine, and I am also very pleased at how it came out. It is a detailed article about how to use the texture paste that I used for the bell ornaments to embellish not only ornaments, but other woodworking pieces. I finished around dinner time and felt really good about it.

With all this work coming in the door, you would think I would be in a panic. But I am not. I am calm and happy and I feel like we have things under control.

Yes. I am still taking the day off. We are riding up the coast to do some shopping and enjoy the beautiful weather. In our travels, we will pick up not only the cases of paper we need to print our order, but also stop at Bernie's on our way back to pick up the wood. That alone saves us at least half a day of travelling, so we are killing two birds with one stone.

It's all about planning. And about taking care of yourself too. I admit recently that I have felt a bit overwhelmed, and if this order had come in last week, I would have been "concerned". But with Keith helping me, it divides the time to put out this order in half. It also is a lot more fun to do it when you have someone in the trenches with you. We are both thrilled about the success of these kits. Between the two of us, they should take less than a week to cut - and that is if we work in 5 hour stretches. That will give me time for my scroll saw designs and it is a very reasonable time to get the order out the door. And the income that they will bring is pretty nice too. My car will need an exhaust system before the year is out and while I am not in NEED of anything right at the moment, there are a few things that I have been eyeing - one in particular - that I am going to treat myself to. I will certainly blog on that later, as it is really a cool thing. :)

So off I go today. I am going to have a wonderful relaxing day out and about. (oot and aboot as the Newfies say!) And when I get back, I will look forward to doing what I love to do most - creating!

Have a wonderful day!

Cat Window Felidae Carnivore Small to medium-sized cats
Let the hair fly Sheila!
 

Attachments

#5,665 ·
The Much-Needed Day Trip

I suppose you know that you need a day off when you mention it and everyone you know is cheering you on! While a teensy-weensy part of me felt a bit guilty for leaving, I knew in my heart that if I didn't have a day off soon to recharge my battery, it wouldn't be a pretty sight.

It helped to label the road trip as a 'business trip', as we had to get some much needed supplies to keep things running here and I suppose it was easier for me to justify taking the day "off" if I hooked some work-related stuff into it. It was a real hardship having to look through the tool and craft departments of Home Depot, Michaels, and the other stores we visited (NOT!!!!) :)

We decided to take a drive up to New Minus and Kentville, which is about 2 hours up the coast from here. It was a beautiful day for driving - about 75 degrees with no humidity and sunny. Of course we had the top down and we drove on old Route 1 instead of the highway. It is far more picturesque than the highway and even though it took longer, we enjoyed the journey very much. Everything was green and pretty and there were thousands and thousands of lupins.

Lupins are wildflowers that are native here in Nova Scotia. Every spring they are everywhere, and truly paint the landscape in beautiful color. I had never seen or heard of them before I moved here, but I have come to associate them with warm weather and springtime and they are a favorite of mine. Here is a picture of what they look like:

Water Sky Flower Plant Cloud


To make a long story short(er), we arrived just about 1pm. We had a great lunch at my favorite Chinese restaurant, which I haven't been to since it had burned to the ground three years ago. It has since been rebuilt, but every time we have been in town, it was either a Monday when it was closed, or not a good time to eat, or Keith wanted to visit his favorite place - Burger King (UGH!). This time I planned in advance to go there and I finally was able to. Neither of us was disappointed, although I had to promise Keith that we would have whoppers for dinner before we left town.

Our first stop after lunch was Home Depot. While we all know how 'no frills' shopping there could be, I must say that I was quite impressed with the people that worked there. We were probably asked if we needed assistance no less than 10 times in our hour or so long stay. The people were helpful and really seemed to be focused on the customers, which was something that was certainly lacking in the past. Perhaps the slow economy made the management realize that better customer service was a necessary part of their survival. We found several good things there, including some storage boxes that I will talk about in a minute. We also got basic supplies such as spray glue, tape and other things we needed for our upcoming work. We even found a nice light fixture for our bedroom. All in all it was a pleasant shopping experience, and the store was neat and well stocked.

Our next stop was to Winners, which is an odd kind of store that has lots of designer stuff at discounted prices. This is a great place to find odds and ends fairly cheap. Most things are one of a kind and there are always surprises as to what shows up. I think it is overstock from other places.

While there, we found several cool boxes that look like books. Now those of you who have followed my blog for a while know what a 'box junkie' I really am. During the holidays, I have found countless wonderful boxes that I use for many of my gifts. Since much of what I give is hand made, these boxes are a real treat and present my gifts wonderfully (sometimes they are nicer than the things I make! :D ) They are sturdy and decorated very nicely and definitely something that you can keep around for years. These book shaped boxes had old world maps on them, which will go very nicely with our 'steampunk' theme that we are migrating to in our home. They will be wonderful to tuck away our work in progress in both the painting and scroll sawing parts of our jobs. They will also hold those loose papers that look so messy sitting on the side tables or counters. They are the perfect answer to keeping our place looking neat while we are being productive. The price of them ranged from $5.99 to $7.99 and for that money they were awesome. They even have a magnetic closure to keep them closed. Just perfect for us!

We also went into Michael's 'just to look' and maybe get some ideas. As always, we were appalled at the high prices they are asking for things. I honestly don't know how they stay in business. The selection on their items is incredible, but the prices are out of this world. Many items were marked down anywhere form 40 to 50%, and then it brought them to where we might consider buying something, but their regular prices even on the simplest stuff were disgusting.

We saw the same 1/8" birch plywood we use for our kits in 1 foot square pieces. These 12" x 12" pieces were priced at $6.50! We pay .75 per square foot when we purchase the plywood for the kits. I know that it is a different sales setting, but the difference in cost is unbelievable. We don't even make $6.50 for our kits on a wholesale basis!

Needless to say we didn't buy much there. We did see additional storage books such as we found across the street at Winners, and there was a huge selection of them. We purchased a couple of additional ones, as well as a cool suitcase that is the same type, but only because it was 60% off the marked price. But it was funny - the identical book that we purchased at Winners for $5.99 cost $17.99 at Michael's. (Terrible!)

We stopped at Wal-Mart to get a couple of cases of copy paper for printing the patterns. As you can imagine, the car was filling up quickly. In fact, we were kind of figuring that there was no way to pick up the 24 sheets of plywood from Bernie and would have to do it today. The trunk was filled with bags of miscellaneous things and the back seat was packed to the gills with the two cases of paper and also the storage boxes that we acquired.

We did stop at Bernie's and Ellens and visited for a couple of hours. It was nice to stop by and not be there just to use the shop and we really enjoyed the time we had.

By the time we got home, it was nearly 10pm. We brought our neighbor Lee a Whopper from Burger King and he was just thrilled. He helped us unload everything and by the time we got settled and unpacked it was nearly midnight. What a fun day though!

Here is a picture of our storage boxes:

Rectangle Wood Flooring Hardwood Machine


These are the cheaper of the units Keith found. They were two for $10 and they all stacked together. He got six of them:

Yellow Hood Rectangle Gas Composite material


They all lock together on the sides:

Gadget Yellow Publication Electronic instrument Engineering


And inside have these little divider things to customize them:

Rectangle Yellow Line Lego Flooring


The other type we got were also by Stanley, but they were more expensive. They were $20 each and we got three of them:

Yellow Engineering Bumper Machine Automotive tire


They also have handles, and stack together nicely, although they don't lock together (that is OK!)

Yellow Engineering Machine Metal Tool


What we liked about these (and why we spent more to get them) was that the compartments came out and you could take them to your project or where you were working:

Product Automotive tire Rectangle Wood Yellow


Then there were the storage books and suitcases:

Wood Rectangle Table Wood stain Hardwood


They looked pretty nice for the price. This small book was $5.99:

Wood Table Hardwood Flooring Wood stain


The inside was just as nice as the outside, and they had magnetic closures:

Brown Book Wood Amber Material property


The suitcase was larger, and would look nice on top of the large cabinet we built last year:

Wood Table Rectangle Coffee table Hardwood


As with the books, it was also nice inside. It has little brass overlays on the corners too to make it stronger. It cost about $20 at Michael's on sale:

Rectangle Wood Luggage and bags Bag Hardwood


Pancakes liked it a lot!

Cat Felidae Wood Carnivore Whiskers


Richard checked it out too! He loves boxes! :)

Cat Wood Felidae Carnivore Floor


All in all, it was a wonderful day! It was funny that most of what we bought was boxes and storage containers. I suppose that is what you get when you have a box junkie and a organization fiend shopping together. People are always amazed at how neat and organized our place is and we are kind of proud of it too. There are always cool ways to stay organized and it is fun to find these great things to help.

Keith is over at Bernie's today getting the wood. He is going to cut it into the 10" squares too and hopefully sand it so it is ready to cut. We went to the gym early so he could get going, and that is why the blog is a bit later, as I am writing afterword.

We came home to two printers left inside of our door by the Purolator guy. (I love him! He is so nice and helpful!) We usually leave the door open and he just puts the stuff inside if we aren't here. The new ink system should be in today or tomorrow, but I am starting to print the big order today.

My editor liked the article that I wrote a lot, so I only need to tweak it a bit and it is ready to go.

I am going to spend the bulk of the day writing the patterns for the Christmas stockings and the package ornaments so I can fill that order too.

It is all busy and all good! The day was spectacular and everything was wonderful. The weather was perfect. The food was yummy. The shopping was successful. And we even got a nice visit with our dear friends! I couldn't be happier or ask for more.

Thanks for all the cheering on that I got from everyone! It is nice to know that people appreciate that I (mostly!) work hard and are happy when I get a day off. I really feel like it did me a lot of good and I am now ready to tackle those patterns, my new scroll saw patterns, and the 6000 ornaments we need to cut in the next week or so! Life is so fun! :D

Have a great day everyone! Work hard and be happy!
 

Attachments

#5,666 ·
The Much-Needed Day Trip

I suppose you know that you need a day off when you mention it and everyone you know is cheering you on! While a teensy-weensy part of me felt a bit guilty for leaving, I knew in my heart that if I didn't have a day off soon to recharge my battery, it wouldn't be a pretty sight.

It helped to label the road trip as a 'business trip', as we had to get some much needed supplies to keep things running here and I suppose it was easier for me to justify taking the day "off" if I hooked some work-related stuff into it. It was a real hardship having to look through the tool and craft departments of Home Depot, Michaels, and the other stores we visited (NOT!!!!) :)

We decided to take a drive up to New Minus and Kentville, which is about 2 hours up the coast from here. It was a beautiful day for driving - about 75 degrees with no humidity and sunny. Of course we had the top down and we drove on old Route 1 instead of the highway. It is far more picturesque than the highway and even though it took longer, we enjoyed the journey very much. Everything was green and pretty and there were thousands and thousands of lupins.

Lupins are wildflowers that are native here in Nova Scotia. Every spring they are everywhere, and truly paint the landscape in beautiful color. I had never seen or heard of them before I moved here, but I have come to associate them with warm weather and springtime and they are a favorite of mine. Here is a picture of what they look like:

Water Sky Flower Plant Cloud


To make a long story short(er), we arrived just about 1pm. We had a great lunch at my favorite Chinese restaurant, which I haven't been to since it had burned to the ground three years ago. It has since been rebuilt, but every time we have been in town, it was either a Monday when it was closed, or not a good time to eat, or Keith wanted to visit his favorite place - Burger King (UGH!). This time I planned in advance to go there and I finally was able to. Neither of us was disappointed, although I had to promise Keith that we would have whoppers for dinner before we left town.

Our first stop after lunch was Home Depot. While we all know how 'no frills' shopping there could be, I must say that I was quite impressed with the people that worked there. We were probably asked if we needed assistance no less than 10 times in our hour or so long stay. The people were helpful and really seemed to be focused on the customers, which was something that was certainly lacking in the past. Perhaps the slow economy made the management realize that better customer service was a necessary part of their survival. We found several good things there, including some storage boxes that I will talk about in a minute. We also got basic supplies such as spray glue, tape and other things we needed for our upcoming work. We even found a nice light fixture for our bedroom. All in all it was a pleasant shopping experience, and the store was neat and well stocked.

Our next stop was to Winners, which is an odd kind of store that has lots of designer stuff at discounted prices. This is a great place to find odds and ends fairly cheap. Most things are one of a kind and there are always surprises as to what shows up. I think it is overstock from other places.

While there, we found several cool boxes that look like books. Now those of you who have followed my blog for a while know what a 'box junkie' I really am. During the holidays, I have found countless wonderful boxes that I use for many of my gifts. Since much of what I give is hand made, these boxes are a real treat and present my gifts wonderfully (sometimes they are nicer than the things I make! :D ) They are sturdy and decorated very nicely and definitely something that you can keep around for years. These book shaped boxes had old world maps on them, which will go very nicely with our 'steampunk' theme that we are migrating to in our home. They will be wonderful to tuck away our work in progress in both the painting and scroll sawing parts of our jobs. They will also hold those loose papers that look so messy sitting on the side tables or counters. They are the perfect answer to keeping our place looking neat while we are being productive. The price of them ranged from $5.99 to $7.99 and for that money they were awesome. They even have a magnetic closure to keep them closed. Just perfect for us!

We also went into Michael's 'just to look' and maybe get some ideas. As always, we were appalled at the high prices they are asking for things. I honestly don't know how they stay in business. The selection on their items is incredible, but the prices are out of this world. Many items were marked down anywhere form 40 to 50%, and then it brought them to where we might consider buying something, but their regular prices even on the simplest stuff were disgusting.

We saw the same 1/8" birch plywood we use for our kits in 1 foot square pieces. These 12" x 12" pieces were priced at $6.50! We pay .75 per square foot when we purchase the plywood for the kits. I know that it is a different sales setting, but the difference in cost is unbelievable. We don't even make $6.50 for our kits on a wholesale basis!

Needless to say we didn't buy much there. We did see additional storage books such as we found across the street at Winners, and there was a huge selection of them. We purchased a couple of additional ones, as well as a cool suitcase that is the same type, but only because it was 60% off the marked price. But it was funny - the identical book that we purchased at Winners for $5.99 cost $17.99 at Michael's. (Terrible!)

We stopped at Wal-Mart to get a couple of cases of copy paper for printing the patterns. As you can imagine, the car was filling up quickly. In fact, we were kind of figuring that there was no way to pick up the 24 sheets of plywood from Bernie and would have to do it today. The trunk was filled with bags of miscellaneous things and the back seat was packed to the gills with the two cases of paper and also the storage boxes that we acquired.

We did stop at Bernie's and Ellens and visited for a couple of hours. It was nice to stop by and not be there just to use the shop and we really enjoyed the time we had.

By the time we got home, it was nearly 10pm. We brought our neighbor Lee a Whopper from Burger King and he was just thrilled. He helped us unload everything and by the time we got settled and unpacked it was nearly midnight. What a fun day though!

Here is a picture of our storage boxes:

Rectangle Wood Flooring Hardwood Machine


These are the cheaper of the units Keith found. They were two for $10 and they all stacked together. He got six of them:

Yellow Hood Rectangle Gas Composite material


They all lock together on the sides:

Gadget Yellow Publication Electronic instrument Engineering


And inside have these little divider things to customize them:

Rectangle Yellow Line Lego Flooring


The other type we got were also by Stanley, but they were more expensive. They were $20 each and we got three of them:

Yellow Engineering Bumper Machine Automotive tire


They also have handles, and stack together nicely, although they don't lock together (that is OK!)

Yellow Engineering Machine Metal Tool


What we liked about these (and why we spent more to get them) was that the compartments came out and you could take them to your project or where you were working:

Product Automotive tire Rectangle Wood Yellow


Then there were the storage books and suitcases:

Wood Rectangle Table Wood stain Hardwood


They looked pretty nice for the price. This small book was $5.99:

Wood Table Hardwood Flooring Wood stain


The inside was just as nice as the outside, and they had magnetic closures:

Brown Book Wood Amber Material property


The suitcase was larger, and would look nice on top of the large cabinet we built last year:

Wood Table Rectangle Coffee table Hardwood


As with the books, it was also nice inside. It has little brass overlays on the corners too to make it stronger. It cost about $20 at Michael's on sale:

Rectangle Wood Luggage and bags Bag Hardwood


Pancakes liked it a lot!

Cat Felidae Wood Carnivore Whiskers


Richard checked it out too! He loves boxes! :)

Cat Wood Felidae Carnivore Floor


All in all, it was a wonderful day! It was funny that most of what we bought was boxes and storage containers. I suppose that is what you get when you have a box junkie and a organization fiend shopping together. People are always amazed at how neat and organized our place is and we are kind of proud of it too. There are always cool ways to stay organized and it is fun to find these great things to help.

Keith is over at Bernie's today getting the wood. He is going to cut it into the 10" squares too and hopefully sand it so it is ready to cut. We went to the gym early so he could get going, and that is why the blog is a bit later, as I am writing afterword.

We came home to two printers left inside of our door by the Purolator guy. (I love him! He is so nice and helpful!) We usually leave the door open and he just puts the stuff inside if we aren't here. The new ink system should be in today or tomorrow, but I am starting to print the big order today.

My editor liked the article that I wrote a lot, so I only need to tweak it a bit and it is ready to go.

I am going to spend the bulk of the day writing the patterns for the Christmas stockings and the package ornaments so I can fill that order too.

It is all busy and all good! The day was spectacular and everything was wonderful. The weather was perfect. The food was yummy. The shopping was successful. And we even got a nice visit with our dear friends! I couldn't be happier or ask for more.

Thanks for all the cheering on that I got from everyone! It is nice to know that people appreciate that I (mostly!) work hard and are happy when I get a day off. I really feel like it did me a lot of good and I am now ready to tackle those patterns, my new scroll saw patterns, and the 6000 ornaments we need to cut in the next week or so! Life is so fun! :D

Have a great day everyone! Work hard and be happy!
When you didn't post early like you usually do, I do a double take and wonder if you are OK? I have gotten into the habit of saying "Good Morning Sheila" everyday when I check my messages and see your post. When it isn't there I "worry" a bit. By reading your blog daily, you have woven yourself into my heart and became a good friend! I am pretty sure that happens to a lot of us faithful readers!

Everything you bought looks good and I know you will put them to good use. I have never seen the box with the little trays that come out! I'll have to look for some.

The flowers are beautiful!
 

Attachments

#5,672 ·
Another Organization Day

With all the new storage boxes that we acquired the other day shopping, it was inevitable that what would follow would be an organizational session. Many people comment on how we are able to keep so organized running a business from our small place. Even Ellen (who is notorious for being neat) said something to me when we stopped there on our way home. She had said that her and Cindy (her daughter) were talking about us the other day and were both amazed that we are able to keep things so clean and neat while doing (of all things) woodworking in our home.

As our neighbor Lee was helping us unload our stuff from the car, he also made a comment as to how it always seemed to him that we are bringing stuff in here, yet it never looks cluttered. I told him that when we do finally choose to move from here, it will in all probability be like a clown car at a circus, where we will be bringing box after box after box of things out. We probably will have enough to fill up three full sized moving vans.

Dog supply Pet supply Dog crate Carnivore Dog breed


But in all seriousness, the key to keeping things in order and organized is keeping a check on what you really need to hang on to and letting go of what you don't. What people don't see is the large amount of things that we do discard of when we don't need them (or give them away to people who will use them). Fortunately, we live in a place where there are three families in residence. Little do our neighbors know that our landlord is here very little, so her garbage is minimal and that Lee takes most of his garbage to the dock where he works to dispose of. On those garbage days when the curb is full, it is a pretty safe bet to say that about 90% of what is out there is ours.

I knew that a huge cleaning session was in store for me yesterday. Keith went to Bernie's early and by the time he arrived there Bernie had already cut about half of the wood into the 10" x 10" squares we needed for scroll sawing. Much to my surprise, he was home before lunch, and he decided to begin using his new storage boxes and reorganizing all of the tools, fasteners and related things that we have here. This included cleaning out closets and cabinets and filling up those little trays and getting rid of things that we don't need or use.

I knew that I wouldn't be exempt from this project. If I didn't participate with him, there were chances that some of the stuff that I needed would be moved or discarded. While Keith isn't what I would call 'callous' about throwing stuff out, he is far more eager to do so than I am, and if I didn't keep a careful watch, I would find myself in the future looking for an item that was long gone.

With most men, they say that the way to their heart is by cooking. With Keith, I have discovered that the way to make him really happy is by using four little words - "Let's throw this out."

Keith is always in a good mood when cleaning. As I watched him sort screws, parts and pieces, he looked bright and chipper and happy. It is kind of fun to watch. All that new storage space and the chance to consolidate everything into neat little packages or containers! The sun was shining and his world was filled with joy!

Now, I tease, but I truly am happy that he is like that. It is much better to live in a clean environment than one that is full of clutter. I have never been a hoarder, but I have from time to time hung onto some things that in all probability I would never use. Having Keith around has made me more aware of what I am keeping and what I need to let go of and I do think that the overall results is great.

I must admit that I do get somewhat annoyed sometimes when his zest for cleaning creeps too far into my territory. After all, we both have things we feel are important to us and sometimes we don't understand why something that seems so mundane to one person is so important to the other. Over the years though, we have come to know better and are gentle and respectful when approaching the other with the possibility of discarding something that belongs to the other. It is a fine tightrope we walk with each other though and there are still time when one or the other of us will teeter and nearly fall into the abyss of being labeled as insensitive to the other. Usually though, we have learned the dance enough to know how to approach the other when requesting removal of a particular item and we are able to make our feelings known without upsetting the other. It is all part of the process.

By late afternoon, several of the containers were filled up. As expected, several were also left empty, leaving room for future acquisitions and supplies without having to repeat the entire process. In the end, we were able to move some stuff out, put some things into storage and give some things away. It was a good day.

I have a few pictures of where we decided to put the storage book boxes. The first couple went under Keith's computer monitor.

Output device Wood Home theater system Couch Comfort


Prior to this, he had some loose papers setting there, as well as the remote from his TV and an extra mouse he used for games. While it wasn't really an eyesore, it looks much neater with the book boxes there instead.

Another place where we put several of them was in the corner of the kitchen counter:

Wood Wood stain Art Picture frame Rectangle


This was a real improvement, as it seemed to be our favorite place for our 'work in progress' projects and the ones that we were waiting to ship to the magazine or photograph ourselves for the patterns. It had become a constant small pile of clutter and besides collecting dust, it just looked messy. Now we are able to store these little loose items inside the book boxes and we are also able to keep them clean and orderly. We feel it is a good improvement.

The final picture today is of the suitcase box that we acquired. We decided to put it on the top of the large cabinet we built last year:

Wood Audio equipment Curtain Gas Clock


It is a good use of empty space and I think it will be a great place to keep some packaging supplies that I will be using for my kits. I recently purchased several hundred ziploc bags to package the pattern kits in and that would be the perfect place to store them. They will be handy, but out of the way and won't take up valuable real estate in the closet where we would prefer to keep things that we use less.

All in all it was a good day. I caught up on my email too and I worked on doing some changes on my article and also on the pattern packets. It feels great to have all the new things settled into the place, and now there are several EMPTY shelves in our closets that we can put things in the future. I will take more photographs as we finish things up.

So it is time to get to work for me. I had written this blog once and was about half way through and somehow it got lost in cyberspace. You may get two posts if you are subscribing and I apologize for that. It was quite irritating to lose it, but Keith looked in his email and had not received it so hopefully it will not double post. I suppose that is expected sometimes with so many people here on Lumberjocks. In any case, it put me a bit behind and I had to try to remember what I wrote and do it over.

Have a great day today. It is Friday already and another beautiful day here in Canada. I hope it is good in your part of the world, too.

Have fun and do something creative!
 

Attachments

#5,673 ·
Another Organization Day

With all the new storage boxes that we acquired the other day shopping, it was inevitable that what would follow would be an organizational session. Many people comment on how we are able to keep so organized running a business from our small place. Even Ellen (who is notorious for being neat) said something to me when we stopped there on our way home. She had said that her and Cindy (her daughter) were talking about us the other day and were both amazed that we are able to keep things so clean and neat while doing (of all things) woodworking in our home.

As our neighbor Lee was helping us unload our stuff from the car, he also made a comment as to how it always seemed to him that we are bringing stuff in here, yet it never looks cluttered. I told him that when we do finally choose to move from here, it will in all probability be like a clown car at a circus, where we will be bringing box after box after box of things out. We probably will have enough to fill up three full sized moving vans.

Dog supply Pet supply Dog crate Carnivore Dog breed


But in all seriousness, the key to keeping things in order and organized is keeping a check on what you really need to hang on to and letting go of what you don't. What people don't see is the large amount of things that we do discard of when we don't need them (or give them away to people who will use them). Fortunately, we live in a place where there are three families in residence. Little do our neighbors know that our landlord is here very little, so her garbage is minimal and that Lee takes most of his garbage to the dock where he works to dispose of. On those garbage days when the curb is full, it is a pretty safe bet to say that about 90% of what is out there is ours.

I knew that a huge cleaning session was in store for me yesterday. Keith went to Bernie's early and by the time he arrived there Bernie had already cut about half of the wood into the 10" x 10" squares we needed for scroll sawing. Much to my surprise, he was home before lunch, and he decided to begin using his new storage boxes and reorganizing all of the tools, fasteners and related things that we have here. This included cleaning out closets and cabinets and filling up those little trays and getting rid of things that we don't need or use.

I knew that I wouldn't be exempt from this project. If I didn't participate with him, there were chances that some of the stuff that I needed would be moved or discarded. While Keith isn't what I would call 'callous' about throwing stuff out, he is far more eager to do so than I am, and if I didn't keep a careful watch, I would find myself in the future looking for an item that was long gone.

With most men, they say that the way to their heart is by cooking. With Keith, I have discovered that the way to make him really happy is by using four little words - "Let's throw this out."

Keith is always in a good mood when cleaning. As I watched him sort screws, parts and pieces, he looked bright and chipper and happy. It is kind of fun to watch. All that new storage space and the chance to consolidate everything into neat little packages or containers! The sun was shining and his world was filled with joy!

Now, I tease, but I truly am happy that he is like that. It is much better to live in a clean environment than one that is full of clutter. I have never been a hoarder, but I have from time to time hung onto some things that in all probability I would never use. Having Keith around has made me more aware of what I am keeping and what I need to let go of and I do think that the overall results is great.

I must admit that I do get somewhat annoyed sometimes when his zest for cleaning creeps too far into my territory. After all, we both have things we feel are important to us and sometimes we don't understand why something that seems so mundane to one person is so important to the other. Over the years though, we have come to know better and are gentle and respectful when approaching the other with the possibility of discarding something that belongs to the other. It is a fine tightrope we walk with each other though and there are still time when one or the other of us will teeter and nearly fall into the abyss of being labeled as insensitive to the other. Usually though, we have learned the dance enough to know how to approach the other when requesting removal of a particular item and we are able to make our feelings known without upsetting the other. It is all part of the process.

By late afternoon, several of the containers were filled up. As expected, several were also left empty, leaving room for future acquisitions and supplies without having to repeat the entire process. In the end, we were able to move some stuff out, put some things into storage and give some things away. It was a good day.

I have a few pictures of where we decided to put the storage book boxes. The first couple went under Keith's computer monitor.

Output device Wood Home theater system Couch Comfort


Prior to this, he had some loose papers setting there, as well as the remote from his TV and an extra mouse he used for games. While it wasn't really an eyesore, it looks much neater with the book boxes there instead.

Another place where we put several of them was in the corner of the kitchen counter:

Wood Wood stain Art Picture frame Rectangle


This was a real improvement, as it seemed to be our favorite place for our 'work in progress' projects and the ones that we were waiting to ship to the magazine or photograph ourselves for the patterns. It had become a constant small pile of clutter and besides collecting dust, it just looked messy. Now we are able to store these little loose items inside the book boxes and we are also able to keep them clean and orderly. We feel it is a good improvement.

The final picture today is of the suitcase box that we acquired. We decided to put it on the top of the large cabinet we built last year:

Wood Audio equipment Curtain Gas Clock


It is a good use of empty space and I think it will be a great place to keep some packaging supplies that I will be using for my kits. I recently purchased several hundred ziploc bags to package the pattern kits in and that would be the perfect place to store them. They will be handy, but out of the way and won't take up valuable real estate in the closet where we would prefer to keep things that we use less.

All in all it was a good day. I caught up on my email too and I worked on doing some changes on my article and also on the pattern packets. It feels great to have all the new things settled into the place, and now there are several EMPTY shelves in our closets that we can put things in the future. I will take more photographs as we finish things up.

So it is time to get to work for me. I had written this blog once and was about half way through and somehow it got lost in cyberspace. You may get two posts if you are subscribing and I apologize for that. It was quite irritating to lose it, but Keith looked in his email and had not received it so hopefully it will not double post. I suppose that is expected sometimes with so many people here on Lumberjocks. In any case, it put me a bit behind and I had to try to remember what I wrote and do it over.

Have a great day today. It is Friday already and another beautiful day here in Canada. I hope it is good in your part of the world, too.

Have fun and do something creative!
Organize, then re-organize…. It's a never ending battle. It doesn't seem fun until you get everything where you want it, then, you can say, whew!! Wow, that's a lotta stuff. So much of it, you will need for something sooner or later. Then later down the road, you/I/we will all be re-organizin again.. yup.
 

Attachments

#5,680 ·
Much to Do Today

I want to get an early start today. The printer is already up and running and is busy spitting out the 500 patterns that are needed. I remain impressed at the quantity and quality of the printing from this Canon printer. It is a small one from the Canon IP series and cost under $100.

Prior to Canon, I was a big Epson fan. Several years ago I took a Photoshop class at a local college and the instructor swore by them. At the time I had an Epson, and wasn't too thrilled with it. It seemed that if you didn't print for a few days, the print heads started drying out and you needed to repeatedly clean it in order for it to function properly. That was a time too when I was paying about $20 for each cartridge of ink and the cleaning process too several cycles to correct the problem. Even after it was better, it wouldn't last for a significant number of copies. Soon the qualities would decline and once again I would need to clean it.

I went through several lower end models of printers (under $300) before I finally gave up on Epson altogether. My last two models were over $250 each, with me thinking that paying a little more for a printer would get me one of better quality. By that time, the ink was up to almost $30 a cartridge and the results was no better. I never did printing in this quantity before either, and most of the time the printer was in use, it was going through the cleaning cycle. Finally, I got an error message that "the printer had reached its life expectancy" even though ironically at the time I got the message it was working fine. It just quit and that was the end of it. Needless to say it was the end of my relationship with Epson.

We went to Staples office and they happened to have a Canon Pixma IP4600 on sale for about $125. I thought I would try it and it worked very nicely. Then I found a continuous ink system for it for around $50 filled and I tried that too. The combination of the two worked well and after many, many thousands of beautiful color copies, we finally saw the print quality decline and got another. By then they were clearing them out at $75. Since we already had the continuous ink system, we got a couple of them and used them extensively to print our color catalogs for our show last year.

We are on our third now, and so far it has given us over 25,000 beautiful color copies. My decision to once again create painting patterns was directly related to the printer, as having such a system allowed me to economically produce the painting patterns. Unlike the woodworking and scroll sawing patterns, the painting patterns that I produce need to be in color. They all have step-by-step pictures and they need to print out so that those who buy them can clearly see the progressions. That wasn't possible with the Epson printers that I used. I usually spent more time fighting with them than actually printing patterns that were good enough to sell.

Canon is no longer making the Pixma IP4600 or 4700 (I have both because they use the same ink system and are very similar in functions). They now are producing the IP4900 series and I just recently purchased the Pixma IP4920. In fact, I got two of them and a continuous ink system to go with them.

For those of you who haven't seen a continuous ink system, here is a picture of one:

Liquid Fluid Cosmetics Solvent Drink


I found it on ebay and I have dealt with the store many times and have been very happy with him. The link to the store is here:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/170774998445?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649#ht_1769wt_1163

He has many different types of systems to fit a variety of printers and the ink refill is very inexpensive (about $25 for five bottles that are approximately 4oz each) You simply fill the chambers and it feeds the ink into your own printer through the thin hoses. It is clean, fast and very, very cheap and great for someone who does a lot of printing. The system filled cost less than ONE set of cartridges and lasts much, much longer.

I showed this in my blog about a year and a half ago, but here again is a link to my Picasa album where I show how it is attached. It may be something you would like to use, and even though the place I get mine from is here in Canada, I am sure if you search Ebay you will be able to find one in your own country, or one that ships to you.


On other things, I did the final changes on my article for the magazine yesterday. I am very pleased at how it came out and my editor liked it too. I really like writing articles and find that it is fun to do. I am happy that I was given so much space in the magazine to be able to present my information properly. It was a great thing to check off my list of things to do.

I am still writing the pattern packets for the two new kits we are getting together. It takes a bit of time because of the amount of photographs that I am including in them. The first pattern has approximately 40 photographs and the second one will be the same. I spent the majority of the day working on the photos for the first pattern and the packet should be finished today. I will then start the second tomorrow.

We are also going to start our cutting today. Keith spent the day yesterday sanding the 800+ sheets of 10" x 10" plywood to ready them for cutting. He got through the 500 we need right now and began hot gluing them together in layers of four pieces so we can stack cut them for the kits. He is almost through with that and then we will be able to begin cutting the wood for these kits. We plan on spending 4-5 hours each for the next several days for cutting and at that pace we should finished by the end of the week.

I will be spending the rest of the time finishing up and printing the packets. I will then take the weekend to pack up the kits and our goal for shipping the 500 kits out will be a week from Monday. That is a very reasonable amount of time we think.

So it will be busy, but not overwhelming and all is under control. It is a good place to be in our business and hopefully we will continue in this direction and be able to grow.

It is another beautiful day out today and the weather is warm, but not too hot. We couldn't ask for anything more.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Take some time to enjoy the season and your family, or spend some time in the shop creating. It is what summer is all about!
 

Attachments

#5,681 ·
Much to Do Today

I want to get an early start today. The printer is already up and running and is busy spitting out the 500 patterns that are needed. I remain impressed at the quantity and quality of the printing from this Canon printer. It is a small one from the Canon IP series and cost under $100.

Prior to Canon, I was a big Epson fan. Several years ago I took a Photoshop class at a local college and the instructor swore by them. At the time I had an Epson, and wasn't too thrilled with it. It seemed that if you didn't print for a few days, the print heads started drying out and you needed to repeatedly clean it in order for it to function properly. That was a time too when I was paying about $20 for each cartridge of ink and the cleaning process too several cycles to correct the problem. Even after it was better, it wouldn't last for a significant number of copies. Soon the qualities would decline and once again I would need to clean it.

I went through several lower end models of printers (under $300) before I finally gave up on Epson altogether. My last two models were over $250 each, with me thinking that paying a little more for a printer would get me one of better quality. By that time, the ink was up to almost $30 a cartridge and the results was no better. I never did printing in this quantity before either, and most of the time the printer was in use, it was going through the cleaning cycle. Finally, I got an error message that "the printer had reached its life expectancy" even though ironically at the time I got the message it was working fine. It just quit and that was the end of it. Needless to say it was the end of my relationship with Epson.

We went to Staples office and they happened to have a Canon Pixma IP4600 on sale for about $125. I thought I would try it and it worked very nicely. Then I found a continuous ink system for it for around $50 filled and I tried that too. The combination of the two worked well and after many, many thousands of beautiful color copies, we finally saw the print quality decline and got another. By then they were clearing them out at $75. Since we already had the continuous ink system, we got a couple of them and used them extensively to print our color catalogs for our show last year.

We are on our third now, and so far it has given us over 25,000 beautiful color copies. My decision to once again create painting patterns was directly related to the printer, as having such a system allowed me to economically produce the painting patterns. Unlike the woodworking and scroll sawing patterns, the painting patterns that I produce need to be in color. They all have step-by-step pictures and they need to print out so that those who buy them can clearly see the progressions. That wasn't possible with the Epson printers that I used. I usually spent more time fighting with them than actually printing patterns that were good enough to sell.

Canon is no longer making the Pixma IP4600 or 4700 (I have both because they use the same ink system and are very similar in functions). They now are producing the IP4900 series and I just recently purchased the Pixma IP4920. In fact, I got two of them and a continuous ink system to go with them.

For those of you who haven't seen a continuous ink system, here is a picture of one:

Liquid Fluid Cosmetics Solvent Drink


I found it on ebay and I have dealt with the store many times and have been very happy with him. The link to the store is here:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/170774998445?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649#ht_1769wt_1163

He has many different types of systems to fit a variety of printers and the ink refill is very inexpensive (about $25 for five bottles that are approximately 4oz each) You simply fill the chambers and it feeds the ink into your own printer through the thin hoses. It is clean, fast and very, very cheap and great for someone who does a lot of printing. The system filled cost less than ONE set of cartridges and lasts much, much longer.

I showed this in my blog about a year and a half ago, but here again is a link to my Picasa album where I show how it is attached. It may be something you would like to use, and even though the place I get mine from is here in Canada, I am sure if you search Ebay you will be able to find one in your own country, or one that ships to you.


On other things, I did the final changes on my article for the magazine yesterday. I am very pleased at how it came out and my editor liked it too. I really like writing articles and find that it is fun to do. I am happy that I was given so much space in the magazine to be able to present my information properly. It was a great thing to check off my list of things to do.

I am still writing the pattern packets for the two new kits we are getting together. It takes a bit of time because of the amount of photographs that I am including in them. The first pattern has approximately 40 photographs and the second one will be the same. I spent the majority of the day working on the photos for the first pattern and the packet should be finished today. I will then start the second tomorrow.

We are also going to start our cutting today. Keith spent the day yesterday sanding the 800+ sheets of 10" x 10" plywood to ready them for cutting. He got through the 500 we need right now and began hot gluing them together in layers of four pieces so we can stack cut them for the kits. He is almost through with that and then we will be able to begin cutting the wood for these kits. We plan on spending 4-5 hours each for the next several days for cutting and at that pace we should finished by the end of the week.

I will be spending the rest of the time finishing up and printing the packets. I will then take the weekend to pack up the kits and our goal for shipping the 500 kits out will be a week from Monday. That is a very reasonable amount of time we think.

So it will be busy, but not overwhelming and all is under control. It is a good place to be in our business and hopefully we will continue in this direction and be able to grow.

It is another beautiful day out today and the weather is warm, but not too hot. We couldn't ask for anything more.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Take some time to enjoy the season and your family, or spend some time in the shop creating. It is what summer is all about!
thanks sheila
i have the same problem with my printer
an HP model
when i go to use it
the ink cartriges are dry
and buying them over the months has turned into a hastle
i will check this out
and see if it works better

thanks for the links
i will favorite this

have a good weekend too
 

Attachments

#5,684 ·
An "ouchie"

Many of those who read work with power tools on a regular basis, myself included. Those of you who know me know that I do everything possible to keep my workplace clean and safe. One big part of that is organization. Removing the clutter that you have around you when working with power tools allows you to focus completely on what you are doing, not what is next to your work table and possible vibrating and falling onto the floor.

No matter how small the tool is, power tools are relentless and unforgiving. It only takes a split second for something dreadful to occur and I am certain that a high percentage of accidents happen when our concentration is broken for one reason or another.

Yesterday while cutting I had a small 'mishap.' I was zipping along cutting out some 1/8" ornaments for the kits I was making and I got bit by my scroll saw. It didn't happen when I was cutting, but when I was removing the pieces from the frame of wood around them.

I was stack cutting the pieces four layers thick, and some of the pieces had curls and turns that were sometimes a bit difficult to get to release from the outer frame of waste wood. I really don't think carelessness was a factor, because I am pretty good about staying focused when I am working on my saw. My mind may wander from time to time, but I do keep my attention on the piece in front of me.

What happened was just as the piece was falling out, the edge of the waste wood caught on the blade and jumped. I really couldn't tell you if I instinctively tried to grab it or not, but I do know the final results was my thumb going into the moving blade.

"Ouch!"

Human body Gesture Thumb Foot Nail


I jammed it in there pretty good, and the cut was at least 1/8" deep. Fortunately I was close to the sink and I was able to flush it immediately. It bled pretty good, which I am sure helped clean it out a bit. While I was running it under the water, Keith got me some antibiotic ointment and a band-aid.

I was using a small blade and the cut came out pretty clean, and I was able to close it up by using the band aid to stop the bleeding. It reminded me of a paper cut.

After I patched it up, I took a short break and continued cutting. While I was aware of it, it wasn't enough to stop me. I did, however slow down a little bit and take extra caution.

Just a week or so ago, a member from Steve Good's forum cut off his thumb with a miter saw. Unfortunately it was not able to be reattached, as it was damaged too much. I had felt so bad about it these past weeks, and ironically, his name on the forum was "Thumbs." He showed a great sense of humor about it though and was even back to scroll sawing after a couple of weeks. I admire him a lot.

While my little "ouchie" isn't nearly as severe, it does serve as a good warning that no matter how much you do something and how much of a seasoned veteran you are, you still need to have a great deal of respect for your tools.

Fortunately, the scroll saw is one of the more benign power tools. You would probably really have to work at it to cut off a finger. But it can bite pretty hard at times and it certainly is not fun. While my injury is small, it still throbbed throughout the night and is a bit sore today. It did close up though, and I should not suffer any lasting consequences from it.

It is however a good reminder to me to be careful and pay attention. I think it is important to take short breaks too when doing a long session of working with any power tool. It helps you keep focused and stay fresh.

Today, I think I will take a day off of cutting. I still have some computer work to do on the patterns for the kits and we are going to see Keith's dad for father's day today. It is a good reason to give my thumb an additional day of rest and let it heal a bit more before returning to the saw on Monday.

I wish all the dads out there a happy fathers day today. Enjoy the day and be safe. :)
 

Attachments

#5,685 ·
An "ouchie"

Many of those who read work with power tools on a regular basis, myself included. Those of you who know me know that I do everything possible to keep my workplace clean and safe. One big part of that is organization. Removing the clutter that you have around you when working with power tools allows you to focus completely on what you are doing, not what is next to your work table and possible vibrating and falling onto the floor.

No matter how small the tool is, power tools are relentless and unforgiving. It only takes a split second for something dreadful to occur and I am certain that a high percentage of accidents happen when our concentration is broken for one reason or another.

Yesterday while cutting I had a small 'mishap.' I was zipping along cutting out some 1/8" ornaments for the kits I was making and I got bit by my scroll saw. It didn't happen when I was cutting, but when I was removing the pieces from the frame of wood around them.

I was stack cutting the pieces four layers thick, and some of the pieces had curls and turns that were sometimes a bit difficult to get to release from the outer frame of waste wood. I really don't think carelessness was a factor, because I am pretty good about staying focused when I am working on my saw. My mind may wander from time to time, but I do keep my attention on the piece in front of me.

What happened was just as the piece was falling out, the edge of the waste wood caught on the blade and jumped. I really couldn't tell you if I instinctively tried to grab it or not, but I do know the final results was my thumb going into the moving blade.

"Ouch!"

Human body Gesture Thumb Foot Nail


I jammed it in there pretty good, and the cut was at least 1/8" deep. Fortunately I was close to the sink and I was able to flush it immediately. It bled pretty good, which I am sure helped clean it out a bit. While I was running it under the water, Keith got me some antibiotic ointment and a band-aid.

I was using a small blade and the cut came out pretty clean, and I was able to close it up by using the band aid to stop the bleeding. It reminded me of a paper cut.

After I patched it up, I took a short break and continued cutting. While I was aware of it, it wasn't enough to stop me. I did, however slow down a little bit and take extra caution.

Just a week or so ago, a member from Steve Good's forum cut off his thumb with a miter saw. Unfortunately it was not able to be reattached, as it was damaged too much. I had felt so bad about it these past weeks, and ironically, his name on the forum was "Thumbs." He showed a great sense of humor about it though and was even back to scroll sawing after a couple of weeks. I admire him a lot.

While my little "ouchie" isn't nearly as severe, it does serve as a good warning that no matter how much you do something and how much of a seasoned veteran you are, you still need to have a great deal of respect for your tools.

Fortunately, the scroll saw is one of the more benign power tools. You would probably really have to work at it to cut off a finger. But it can bite pretty hard at times and it certainly is not fun. While my injury is small, it still throbbed throughout the night and is a bit sore today. It did close up though, and I should not suffer any lasting consequences from it.

It is however a good reminder to me to be careful and pay attention. I think it is important to take short breaks too when doing a long session of working with any power tool. It helps you keep focused and stay fresh.

Today, I think I will take a day off of cutting. I still have some computer work to do on the patterns for the kits and we are going to see Keith's dad for father's day today. It is a good reason to give my thumb an additional day of rest and let it heal a bit more before returning to the saw on Monday.

I wish all the dads out there a happy fathers day today. Enjoy the day and be safe. :)
YES I have done that a few times and put a little notch in one of my fingernails. OUCH!!
 

Attachments

#5,697 ·
A Very Productive Sunday

It was a pretty decent day yesterday. The sun was shining and it was warm and not too hot out and we couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. I spent the early part of the day working on the pattern packet for one of the two new patterns. While it is not what I call difficult work, it does take a lot of time to migrate the photos, text and patterns into one place. The pattern is going to be another large one - approximately 15 pages, and it will have nearly 40 color photographs included.

I tried to make one that was not quite as large, bit it proved to be nearly impossible. I feel that painting patterns need step by step pictures so that the newcomers can understand completely what is going on. Just showing the final pieces would probably work fine for someone who is experienced, but I am afraid it would leave some of the people that are just starting out in the dark. Since I want this to be a project that can be enjoyed by everyone, I have geared the instructions to someone with very little experience, thus making the photos necessary.

Keith has challenged me to let him have the pattern when I am done and he proclaims that he will be able to shave off a page or two, without compromising the quality of the pattern. While I don't think that it is possible, I figure that I have nothing to lose so I am letting him take on the challenge. I found that being open to other ways of looking at things is many time beneficial to me and helps me to understand that there are several correct ways to do things. By considering what others are thinking, it helps to make the final product the absolute best it can be. That is a very good thing. So I am going to see what he comes up with and if it is indeed an improvement on my version of the pattern, then why not go with it? That way everyone will benefit.

I had a very uplifting email yesterday from a customer. She is from California and in the last couple of weeks she ordered several of the painting kits that I am offering. She was concerned because of the length of time it took for them to arrive at her place, but unfortunately that is out of my control. You have heard me speak of Canada Post before and it usually isn't very complimentary. They are expensive and take quite a while to get things to the destination. Once the US postal service joins in, it only adds to the mix. It is virtually impossible to track something once it is sent out, and even if I do pay the extra cost for tracking a package, as soon as it crosses the border, Canada Post washes their hands of it. Neither Canada Post or the USPS take responsibility for packages that are missing in action and if they don't blame each other, they can always put the blame on "customs."

It can be very frustrating when a customer orders a product and has to wait a long time to receive it. When I receive an order, it is usually on its way the same day or the latest the following day. I realize that - especially if it is leaving Canada - that reaching its destination could take up to two weeks. I do tell customers this, but many are used to the two to three day Priority Service in the US and don't see the reason for the delays. (Frankly, I don't either, but they are there.)

Anyway, I had sent the kits out immediately after ordering them. As we approached the two week mark and they still hadn't arrived, I was beginning to worry. Finally on Saturday, I received an email that they indeed did arrive and all was well. The second order wasn't there yet, but it was sent a couple of days later so I still have hope.

What really was nice that yesterday, the day after receiving the kit, the customer sent me a photograph of what she painted, along with a nice note stating how much she enjoyed the pattern and pieces. I was just thrilled:

Font Pattern Art Carmine Visual arts


It was such a great feeling to see others enjoying my patterns and having fun with my ideas. It really fueled me on to make my patterns the best I possibly could make them. I know that may sound corny, but it is really how I feel.

Today I will be finishing the first pattern and moving on to the second. I still have about half a day of printing the witch hats patterns, so the new ones will be ready just in time. I should be receiving my second ink system today (the one I ordered to go with the new printers) so if I were so inclined, I could even hook up two printers and have two going at once. For now though, I don't think I will do that. It is good enough for me to have the new printers fresh in the box for when the old one finally does give out. I had to stop it and clean the printer heads the other day, as one of the colors wasn't coming out right, but since then it has once again printed hundreds of flawless copies. I don't want to dispose of it before I need to, so as long as it is working, I will keep things as they are.

We are also ready to cut the second hundred kits today. Keith got a jump on them yesterday, and they all have the patterns applied and are ready to go. He already cut 16 of them while I was writing yesterday, so we only need 84 more to finish this set.

Working as a team really makes a good difference with big jobs like that. Nothing is nearly as intimidating when you have someone to share the load with you. I can realistically see getting these shipped out by next Monday. While it will be a busy week, it will be a very productive one, and that is good.

My thumb is feeling better today. It really did kind of ache yesterday and I think if I did cut, I would have aggravated it even more. I can put moderate pressure on it and not feel any pain, so I should be OK to cut. I may stop at the store and buy some rubber gloves so I can cut the end of the finger out and tape it on my thumb to protect it from the dust. While it is healed closed, it still wouldn't hurt to have a bit of protection over it. Better safe than sorry.

So it is going to be a full week ahead of us. But that isn't ever a problem. We had a nice dinner last night at Kieth's parents house for Father's Day and had a great relaxing evening. Keith's mom showed me yet another fun computer game that I could play at night to unwind. She always finds the best ones! It is hard to believe that she only began using the computer a year ago. Now she loves it and enjoys Skyp-ing with her sisters and playing games and lots of other stuff. It is good to see that she enjoys it so much. The only problem is that she shows me all the cool games that are available and gets me hooked on them. I do like them at night to unwind after a day's work. I could think of worse addictions.

Have a great Monday everyone. I hope you all feel refreshed after the weekend and have a wonderful week ahead.
 

Attachments

#5,698 ·
A Very Productive Sunday

It was a pretty decent day yesterday. The sun was shining and it was warm and not too hot out and we couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. I spent the early part of the day working on the pattern packet for one of the two new patterns. While it is not what I call difficult work, it does take a lot of time to migrate the photos, text and patterns into one place. The pattern is going to be another large one - approximately 15 pages, and it will have nearly 40 color photographs included.

I tried to make one that was not quite as large, bit it proved to be nearly impossible. I feel that painting patterns need step by step pictures so that the newcomers can understand completely what is going on. Just showing the final pieces would probably work fine for someone who is experienced, but I am afraid it would leave some of the people that are just starting out in the dark. Since I want this to be a project that can be enjoyed by everyone, I have geared the instructions to someone with very little experience, thus making the photos necessary.

Keith has challenged me to let him have the pattern when I am done and he proclaims that he will be able to shave off a page or two, without compromising the quality of the pattern. While I don't think that it is possible, I figure that I have nothing to lose so I am letting him take on the challenge. I found that being open to other ways of looking at things is many time beneficial to me and helps me to understand that there are several correct ways to do things. By considering what others are thinking, it helps to make the final product the absolute best it can be. That is a very good thing. So I am going to see what he comes up with and if it is indeed an improvement on my version of the pattern, then why not go with it? That way everyone will benefit.

I had a very uplifting email yesterday from a customer. She is from California and in the last couple of weeks she ordered several of the painting kits that I am offering. She was concerned because of the length of time it took for them to arrive at her place, but unfortunately that is out of my control. You have heard me speak of Canada Post before and it usually isn't very complimentary. They are expensive and take quite a while to get things to the destination. Once the US postal service joins in, it only adds to the mix. It is virtually impossible to track something once it is sent out, and even if I do pay the extra cost for tracking a package, as soon as it crosses the border, Canada Post washes their hands of it. Neither Canada Post or the USPS take responsibility for packages that are missing in action and if they don't blame each other, they can always put the blame on "customs."

It can be very frustrating when a customer orders a product and has to wait a long time to receive it. When I receive an order, it is usually on its way the same day or the latest the following day. I realize that - especially if it is leaving Canada - that reaching its destination could take up to two weeks. I do tell customers this, but many are used to the two to three day Priority Service in the US and don't see the reason for the delays. (Frankly, I don't either, but they are there.)

Anyway, I had sent the kits out immediately after ordering them. As we approached the two week mark and they still hadn't arrived, I was beginning to worry. Finally on Saturday, I received an email that they indeed did arrive and all was well. The second order wasn't there yet, but it was sent a couple of days later so I still have hope.

What really was nice that yesterday, the day after receiving the kit, the customer sent me a photograph of what she painted, along with a nice note stating how much she enjoyed the pattern and pieces. I was just thrilled:

Font Pattern Art Carmine Visual arts


It was such a great feeling to see others enjoying my patterns and having fun with my ideas. It really fueled me on to make my patterns the best I possibly could make them. I know that may sound corny, but it is really how I feel.

Today I will be finishing the first pattern and moving on to the second. I still have about half a day of printing the witch hats patterns, so the new ones will be ready just in time. I should be receiving my second ink system today (the one I ordered to go with the new printers) so if I were so inclined, I could even hook up two printers and have two going at once. For now though, I don't think I will do that. It is good enough for me to have the new printers fresh in the box for when the old one finally does give out. I had to stop it and clean the printer heads the other day, as one of the colors wasn't coming out right, but since then it has once again printed hundreds of flawless copies. I don't want to dispose of it before I need to, so as long as it is working, I will keep things as they are.

We are also ready to cut the second hundred kits today. Keith got a jump on them yesterday, and they all have the patterns applied and are ready to go. He already cut 16 of them while I was writing yesterday, so we only need 84 more to finish this set.

Working as a team really makes a good difference with big jobs like that. Nothing is nearly as intimidating when you have someone to share the load with you. I can realistically see getting these shipped out by next Monday. While it will be a busy week, it will be a very productive one, and that is good.

My thumb is feeling better today. It really did kind of ache yesterday and I think if I did cut, I would have aggravated it even more. I can put moderate pressure on it and not feel any pain, so I should be OK to cut. I may stop at the store and buy some rubber gloves so I can cut the end of the finger out and tape it on my thumb to protect it from the dust. While it is healed closed, it still wouldn't hurt to have a bit of protection over it. Better safe than sorry.

So it is going to be a full week ahead of us. But that isn't ever a problem. We had a nice dinner last night at Kieth's parents house for Father's Day and had a great relaxing evening. Keith's mom showed me yet another fun computer game that I could play at night to unwind. She always finds the best ones! It is hard to believe that she only began using the computer a year ago. Now she loves it and enjoys Skyp-ing with her sisters and playing games and lots of other stuff. It is good to see that she enjoys it so much. The only problem is that she shows me all the cool games that are available and gets me hooked on them. I do like them at night to unwind after a day's work. I could think of worse addictions.

Have a great Monday everyone. I hope you all feel refreshed after the weekend and have a wonderful week ahead.
Hi Sheila;

You sound much better than you did a week or so ago. And that's with the near fatal wound on your thumb!

Have a great day.

Lee
 

Attachments

#5,702 ·
Teamwork

Things are moving right along today and we are well on our way to getting our large order filled. It is amazing how much work can be accomplished when two people work together as a team.

I look back to a couple of short months ago when I was taking on this project by myself. It seemed like a huge task and even though I was able to complete it in a reasonable amount of time, it seemed like it took much longer than it is taking now to do twice of what I did then.

Perhaps in part it is because the process is being ironed out and the work is being done more efficiently. But I think that the more likely reason is that I have someone helping me here and we are working together toward a common goal.

I tease about the friendly rivalry that Keith and I have - both of us always wanting to outdo the other - and I realize that this healthy competition is something that is beneficial to both of us. We both strive to do our best and there is no animosity whatsoever between us. We are both the type of people that like to push ourselves to our limit. Not for the sake of recognition or rewards, but more so for our own sense of accomplishment, which is not measured or seen by anyone other than ourselves.

Therefore, there are no losers. Everyone wins as we strive to reach this higher level. The customer wins because they get the best we have to offer. The company wins because we are setting a standard that shows ourselves to be reliable, honest and provide quality products. But most importantly, we ourselves win because we feel a great sense of accomplishment knowing that we are doing our absolute best. What could be better?

We finished cutting the wood for the second hundred kits yesterday. We also finished printing the second group of patterns. Everything was right on pace for what we set as our goals.

I also completed writing one of the two remaining patterns that I need to do. I am going to proof it today so that I can begin printing copies of it while we cut. The final pattern should go rather quickly, as it will be formatted much like the one that was just completed. I already did the editing work on the almost 40 photographs that it will contain so it is mostly a matter of assembling them into the packet.

The ink system for the new printer arrived yesterday, too. So we are all set with our backups. We haven't even opened the boxes for the new printers, as I don't see a need to until this printer is finished. Whether it lasts another week or month, when it does finally spit out its last copy, we will be ready with that back up and should not miss a beat. It is like having an insurance policy and I am happy that we are thinking ahead. Planning ahead does wonders for offering peace of mind.

My thumb is healing, but by the end of the day was a bit sore. Keith had brought me these little rubber finger cots that you roll over your finger to protect it.

Body jewelry Jewellery Thumb Terrestrial plant Nail


I had never known that they existed before and they were a great help to my healing thumb. It kept it clean and I was able to keep a small bandage in place with some antibiotic ointment on it all day long. It didn't interfere with my cutting either, and most of the time I forgot it was even there. How did I get by for 50 years without knowing about these?

For the next four days, we will be cutting 75 kits each day. On that schedule, we will reach our goal of 500 kits by the end of the day Friday. That will allow us the weekend to package things up and get them ready to ship on Monday. Not a bad week's work I would say.

We are going to get an early start today so that we can do some other things this afternoon. I hope to finish today's cutting session by mid afternoon so that I am not too tired to write. Hopefully, the world will cooperate and all will go as planned.

I am very grateful to have someone to share this with. While it is hard work, it is also something that is good, and something that both Keith and I have worked very hard to achieve. Not only is it satisfying to finally complete the orders we have, but it is also wonderful to sit back when those jobs are finished and have a partner to share that sense of accomplishment with. And while we each have our own personal goals that we work on individually, it is nice when occasionally our paths cross and we are able to do something as a team. It helps make our business strong.

I saw a poem on Facebook this morning that seemed to be appropriate for where we are now.

Go about your own path.
I will go about mine.

Should we meet and agree,
it will be beautiful.

If we do not, then it too,
will be beautiful.

For your path has its own beauty
and wondrous sights as does mine.

The greatest beauty will be for us to
share our experiences and be made
richer by our differences.

I was unable to find out who the author is, but I feel that it is a nice reflection of what having a good partner is, and I thought you would enjoy it.

Have a wonderful day!
 

Attachments

#5,703 ·
Teamwork

Things are moving right along today and we are well on our way to getting our large order filled. It is amazing how much work can be accomplished when two people work together as a team.

I look back to a couple of short months ago when I was taking on this project by myself. It seemed like a huge task and even though I was able to complete it in a reasonable amount of time, it seemed like it took much longer than it is taking now to do twice of what I did then.

Perhaps in part it is because the process is being ironed out and the work is being done more efficiently. But I think that the more likely reason is that I have someone helping me here and we are working together toward a common goal.

I tease about the friendly rivalry that Keith and I have - both of us always wanting to outdo the other - and I realize that this healthy competition is something that is beneficial to both of us. We both strive to do our best and there is no animosity whatsoever between us. We are both the type of people that like to push ourselves to our limit. Not for the sake of recognition or rewards, but more so for our own sense of accomplishment, which is not measured or seen by anyone other than ourselves.

Therefore, there are no losers. Everyone wins as we strive to reach this higher level. The customer wins because they get the best we have to offer. The company wins because we are setting a standard that shows ourselves to be reliable, honest and provide quality products. But most importantly, we ourselves win because we feel a great sense of accomplishment knowing that we are doing our absolute best. What could be better?

We finished cutting the wood for the second hundred kits yesterday. We also finished printing the second group of patterns. Everything was right on pace for what we set as our goals.

I also completed writing one of the two remaining patterns that I need to do. I am going to proof it today so that I can begin printing copies of it while we cut. The final pattern should go rather quickly, as it will be formatted much like the one that was just completed. I already did the editing work on the almost 40 photographs that it will contain so it is mostly a matter of assembling them into the packet.

The ink system for the new printer arrived yesterday, too. So we are all set with our backups. We haven't even opened the boxes for the new printers, as I don't see a need to until this printer is finished. Whether it lasts another week or month, when it does finally spit out its last copy, we will be ready with that back up and should not miss a beat. It is like having an insurance policy and I am happy that we are thinking ahead. Planning ahead does wonders for offering peace of mind.

My thumb is healing, but by the end of the day was a bit sore. Keith had brought me these little rubber finger cots that you roll over your finger to protect it.

Body jewelry Jewellery Thumb Terrestrial plant Nail


I had never known that they existed before and they were a great help to my healing thumb. It kept it clean and I was able to keep a small bandage in place with some antibiotic ointment on it all day long. It didn't interfere with my cutting either, and most of the time I forgot it was even there. How did I get by for 50 years without knowing about these?

For the next four days, we will be cutting 75 kits each day. On that schedule, we will reach our goal of 500 kits by the end of the day Friday. That will allow us the weekend to package things up and get them ready to ship on Monday. Not a bad week's work I would say.

We are going to get an early start today so that we can do some other things this afternoon. I hope to finish today's cutting session by mid afternoon so that I am not too tired to write. Hopefully, the world will cooperate and all will go as planned.

I am very grateful to have someone to share this with. While it is hard work, it is also something that is good, and something that both Keith and I have worked very hard to achieve. Not only is it satisfying to finally complete the orders we have, but it is also wonderful to sit back when those jobs are finished and have a partner to share that sense of accomplishment with. And while we each have our own personal goals that we work on individually, it is nice when occasionally our paths cross and we are able to do something as a team. It helps make our business strong.

I saw a poem on Facebook this morning that seemed to be appropriate for where we are now.

Go about your own path.
I will go about mine.

Should we meet and agree,
it will be beautiful.

If we do not, then it too,
will be beautiful.

For your path has its own beauty
and wondrous sights as does mine.

The greatest beauty will be for us to
share our experiences and be made
richer by our differences.

I was unable to find out who the author is, but I feel that it is a nice reflection of what having a good partner is, and I thought you would enjoy it.

Have a wonderful day!
Good Morning Sheila,

I slept in so I got to read you in real time as it were. I am glad the orders are going out the door. I hope that the volumn doesn't grow so large that it discourages you or tempts you into sacrificing the quality for meeting a deadline. We got the new patio door installed and the difference between the new one and the old one is astonishing. I guess I am getting old and crotchety, but the old door was 25 years old and the bottom had rotted out from a poor installation. The advances in energy conservation and thermal transmissibility (sp?) are just astonishing. When the hot afternoon sun was beating on the old door you could stand next to it and feel the temp rising. Yesterday, it was 94 F in the afternoon and I stood by the new door at 5:00pm and could barely feel any warmth at all. I hope it will be as efficient at keeping the heat in as well.
 

Attachments

#5,707 ·
Sticking To It (or Not!)

So far we are doing pretty good at knocking off this large order. We are now past the half way point in cutting the pieces, and I am pleased at the output rate. For the most part, things have gone pretty smoothly, but yesterday we had some trouble with a product that I have used for many years, and we are debating whether it is time to switch.

One of the fastest and most efficient ways to apply the pattern to the wood with this kind of scroll sawing is by using temporary spray adhesive. Since scroll sawing usually involves quite an intricate pattern with many lines to follow, tracing the pattern usually isn't a good option. You would need to be extremely accurate and the slightest shifting of the pattern you are tracing from could cause havoc when you try to cut your design.

With this order that we are working on, we are in the process of cutting out 6000 separate pieces. While the pieces are simple shapes, They do need to be accurate in order for the painting pattern to line up when people try to paint them. We are stack-cutting the pieces four layers high, meaning we are cutting through four 1/8" pieces of wood at a time, which allows for maximum productivity. It also means that we only need to actually cut 1500 pieces. You could see the advantages to that, I am sure.

But cutting 1500 pieces is still a challenge to say the least. In doing so, even the smallest thing can make a difference as to whether it is a pleasant experience or not.

Yesterday, we encountered a bit of a problem that we have to deal with. For years I have been using Elmer's Spray Adhesive to bond the pattern to whatever I was cutting. It was fairly simple to use and very effective. You simply spray the back of the pattern with a light mist (I placed it in a large pizza box first, to avoid making a mess with the over spray) allow it to tack up for a few seconds, and then apply the piece to your wood. The pattern would stick nicely to your wood while you were cutting, and then when you were finished, peel off easily.

Bottle Liquid Fluid Personal care Tints and shades


While using this process to apply patterns to the wood isn't difficult, it sometimes takes a bit of getting used to. If you applied too much spray, or didn't allow it to tack up enough, the pattern would be somewhat difficult to remove. If you didn't apply enough or allowed it to set too long before placing it on your wood, it wouldn't stick enough and the pattern would begin to come up while cutting, which could be quite annoying and somewhat dangerous. (Truth be told, that is what was happening when I cut myself the other day. The pattern started flapping and my attention was taken away from the blade and the piece caught and it resulted in me sticking my thumb into the blade!)

Both Keith and I have noticed that there seem to be problems with the Elmer's Spray of late. At first we thought it may have been a bad can. When we first started to use the spray when it was full, it would come out in clumps. As you can imagine, this didn't help when we were trying to remove the pattern, as some of the pieces required us to use mineral spirits to remove the extra adhesive and get the pattern off of the wood. While we may be able to work around this when doing a single plaque or small project, you could see the impracticality of having to fight to get the pattern off when cutting over 1000 pieces. It just wouldn't do.

After a certain time, the glue seemed to work and we thought it was just a fluke. But later on, we noticed that the patterns, while appearing to be applied properly, began falling off as we were cutting them. It was as if there was not enough glue to hold them into place. It was not a happy time for us.

You are probably thinking that we didn't shake the can enough, and that is something that certainly crossed our minds. Or perhaps we had a defective can - an odd lot that wasn't properly formulated. But when we went to the next can, the same thing happened, even though we took extra care to shake the can extensively to make sure the glue was not settled and properly mixed before it was dispensed.

We were wondering if Elmer's had changed their formula. I have used this brand for many years and never have I had such difficulty with it. I am very disappointed in the product at this time and I am going to have to see what else is available here in Canada that will work sufficiently and not cost a fortune (however, at this point I am not really thinking of the cost - I just want something that works!)

We were able to get things done, with the help of a tape dispenser close at hand. However, it did slow down progress tremendously. We reached our goal of cutting yesterday in a reasonable amount of time, but it would have been a lot quicker and less stressful had the glue behaved.

We are able to work around the issue, but it is something that we want to look into and find out why all of a sudden after years of it being a good product it would not preform to the same standards. We want to try to contact the makers and find out if indeed they changed the formula, or perhaps if we had purchased a bad batch of product. I really hope that is the case because I did like how it worked before.

With that said, I am going to get moving. There is lots to do today and I need to keep on schedule so that all the cutting is done by Friday. We will then spend the weekend packing things up.

If any of you have thoughts on this problem, or have experienced the same thing, I would love to hear from you. I will probably not be able to answer until tonight, however, as I plan to spend my day at the saw.

Have a great day!
 

Attachments

#5,708 ·
Sticking To It (or Not!)

So far we are doing pretty good at knocking off this large order. We are now past the half way point in cutting the pieces, and I am pleased at the output rate. For the most part, things have gone pretty smoothly, but yesterday we had some trouble with a product that I have used for many years, and we are debating whether it is time to switch.

One of the fastest and most efficient ways to apply the pattern to the wood with this kind of scroll sawing is by using temporary spray adhesive. Since scroll sawing usually involves quite an intricate pattern with many lines to follow, tracing the pattern usually isn't a good option. You would need to be extremely accurate and the slightest shifting of the pattern you are tracing from could cause havoc when you try to cut your design.

With this order that we are working on, we are in the process of cutting out 6000 separate pieces. While the pieces are simple shapes, They do need to be accurate in order for the painting pattern to line up when people try to paint them. We are stack-cutting the pieces four layers high, meaning we are cutting through four 1/8" pieces of wood at a time, which allows for maximum productivity. It also means that we only need to actually cut 1500 pieces. You could see the advantages to that, I am sure.

But cutting 1500 pieces is still a challenge to say the least. In doing so, even the smallest thing can make a difference as to whether it is a pleasant experience or not.

Yesterday, we encountered a bit of a problem that we have to deal with. For years I have been using Elmer's Spray Adhesive to bond the pattern to whatever I was cutting. It was fairly simple to use and very effective. You simply spray the back of the pattern with a light mist (I placed it in a large pizza box first, to avoid making a mess with the over spray) allow it to tack up for a few seconds, and then apply the piece to your wood. The pattern would stick nicely to your wood while you were cutting, and then when you were finished, peel off easily.

Bottle Liquid Fluid Personal care Tints and shades


While using this process to apply patterns to the wood isn't difficult, it sometimes takes a bit of getting used to. If you applied too much spray, or didn't allow it to tack up enough, the pattern would be somewhat difficult to remove. If you didn't apply enough or allowed it to set too long before placing it on your wood, it wouldn't stick enough and the pattern would begin to come up while cutting, which could be quite annoying and somewhat dangerous. (Truth be told, that is what was happening when I cut myself the other day. The pattern started flapping and my attention was taken away from the blade and the piece caught and it resulted in me sticking my thumb into the blade!)

Both Keith and I have noticed that there seem to be problems with the Elmer's Spray of late. At first we thought it may have been a bad can. When we first started to use the spray when it was full, it would come out in clumps. As you can imagine, this didn't help when we were trying to remove the pattern, as some of the pieces required us to use mineral spirits to remove the extra adhesive and get the pattern off of the wood. While we may be able to work around this when doing a single plaque or small project, you could see the impracticality of having to fight to get the pattern off when cutting over 1000 pieces. It just wouldn't do.

After a certain time, the glue seemed to work and we thought it was just a fluke. But later on, we noticed that the patterns, while appearing to be applied properly, began falling off as we were cutting them. It was as if there was not enough glue to hold them into place. It was not a happy time for us.

You are probably thinking that we didn't shake the can enough, and that is something that certainly crossed our minds. Or perhaps we had a defective can - an odd lot that wasn't properly formulated. But when we went to the next can, the same thing happened, even though we took extra care to shake the can extensively to make sure the glue was not settled and properly mixed before it was dispensed.

We were wondering if Elmer's had changed their formula. I have used this brand for many years and never have I had such difficulty with it. I am very disappointed in the product at this time and I am going to have to see what else is available here in Canada that will work sufficiently and not cost a fortune (however, at this point I am not really thinking of the cost - I just want something that works!)

We were able to get things done, with the help of a tape dispenser close at hand. However, it did slow down progress tremendously. We reached our goal of cutting yesterday in a reasonable amount of time, but it would have been a lot quicker and less stressful had the glue behaved.

We are able to work around the issue, but it is something that we want to look into and find out why all of a sudden after years of it being a good product it would not preform to the same standards. We want to try to contact the makers and find out if indeed they changed the formula, or perhaps if we had purchased a bad batch of product. I really hope that is the case because I did like how it worked before.

With that said, I am going to get moving. There is lots to do today and I need to keep on schedule so that all the cutting is done by Friday. We will then spend the weekend packing things up.

If any of you have thoughts on this problem, or have experienced the same thing, I would love to hear from you. I will probably not be able to answer until tonight, however, as I plan to spend my day at the saw.

Have a great day!
I am gald you posted this. I have been having the same problem of late but I thought it was me. Keep us posted.
 

Attachments

#5,715 ·
Watching the Pile Grow

There are some days when I just wake up happy. Now I am not delirious or (too) goofy or anything like that. I am just content and pleased with the way things are heading and look forward to the day that is ahead of me.

Is that a bad thing?

I don't think so. We are all looking for that ultimate happiness but I am afraid that many people just don't know what it looks like. Of course, happiness means something different to each person. We all set our own rules and have our own ideals and no two people that I know of anyway are looking for the same thing. I suppose that is what makes things interesting.

I don't think we realize how much power we have over our own happiness. As I go through this world, I see so many others hook their well-being to other people and things and naturally they are disappointed. After all, there is no way that another can be completely responsible for your own happiness and expecting that seems to me to just be setting yourself up for failure.

I am not pretending that I have all the answers and that this has never happened to me. Of course it has. I think that most of us have gone through it in some way or another at some times in our lives. But as I got older (and possibly wiser) I have realized that ultimately, it is up to me to make decisions and do things that make me feel good about things and happy. And that formula has worked well. And I am content.

I always told my daughter "If you can make yourself happy, everything else around you will be a bonus and your life will be good." Usually I said these words to her as I saw her heart breaking when she was growing up as a teen. It is funny how we see things in our children that we didn't always see in ourselves. Maybe we were too close to the situation and in observing our children we are able to take a step back and look at things with more practicality. My kids have taught me a lot.

But now I am rambling . . .

Yesterday was a wonderfully productive day. We zipped through the allotted group of ornaments in what seemed like record time. I am finding that this production cutting has a great residual effect on my scroll saw ability - my accuracy and speed is really improving. I never fancied myself to be a speed cutter. I like intricate details and never really felt the need to hurry through the process.

But with 6000 pieces on the table to cut, you can imagine that speed is a definite benefit. But it can't be at the cost of accuracy. Above all, the pieces have to be dead on accurate. That is where my painting experience comes in handy. I know how frustrating it can be to get wooden pieces that are "off" and don't line up with the pattern. I was especially aware of this last year when I cut my skaters for the pond - being certain that every skate blade was right on. The same is true for these pieces. The little bumps for the hat bands or the curls for the ribbons need to be where they should be in order to make the painting go smoothly.

The repetition cutting is a good way to work on improving these skills. The movements become almost rhythmical as you do more and more pieces and before you know it, you are done. I don't find it boring at all. With the right music in the background, it is actually quite relaxing.

In the midst of our cutting yesterday, our front door opened and in walked Ellen and Bernie. Ellen had been to the dentist nearby and they thought they would just "stop in" to see our new furniture and to say hi. They haven't been here since our sprint makeover and wanted to see our new couch, bedroom set and computer stuff.

Why is it that when the house is clean no one comes over and as soon as it is a mess, everyone decides to stop in? Ellen - as I said before - is very 'particular' about things. Her place is always neat as a pin and she is always cleaning one thing or another. One of my favorite quotes from her is "I don't know why Bernie likes to work in that messy shop! It's so DUSTY there!" Ha! :)

I could only imagine what she was thinking as she walked in. As I mentioned before, when we cut like this, we remove all the excess stuff so that when clean up time comes, everything is easy and fast. With two saws going full speed for several hours, we do indeed acquire a fine layer of dust that needs to be attended. But a quick going over everything with the shop vac "monster" brings everything back to clean very quickly. In fact, I think our place is probably cleaner than most because of the constant cleaning and the lack of clutter. But seeing poor Ellen come in with her black pants was kind of pitiful because I didn't even want to let her sit down.

She said she didn't mind the mess at all and said "you are working!" but I know inside she must have been cringing. They only stayed about 15 or 20 minutes and then were on their way. I am surprised they didn't leave skid marks in the driveway when leaving.

We finished up and got the place tidy in no time. Even Pancakes was helping.

Cat Wood Flooring Carnivore Whiskers


We are thinking of calling him "Inspector 23."

I am amazed at how he has grown up too. Only a couple of years ago, he would head for the hills at the sight of the vacuum. Now he just sits there and while sometimes he looks a bit annoyed, he doesn't feel that it is worth the effort to move. Yesterday as I was cutting, he curled up right next to me, completely fearless. He does however still have one nemesis to overcome - the compressor. While he is not quite as afraid of it as he used to be, he still leaves the room and sits on the top corner of the bed when we run it. He does walk rather than run though, and that is progress.

Well, it seems I am getting long winded here. (I know - that is nothing new!) There is work to be done and I need to get at it. It is great to see the pile of cut pieces growing. A couple of weeks ago I thought that 250 kits was a huge amount. I may have to take a picture of the 500 packed up just for comparison! :)

I will definitely have more information on the glue situation soon. I received a lot of feedback from the several places that this blog is posted and I am certainly going to follow up on it. It seems that we aren't the only ones having this problem and I want to pursue finding some answers to it after this order is complete.

It is raining out this morning, but I think we needed it. The river seemed quite low yesterday and it doesn't seem like we have had a lot of rain.

Happy Summer to you all! Have a wonderful day!
 

Attachments

#5,716 ·
Watching the Pile Grow

There are some days when I just wake up happy. Now I am not delirious or (too) goofy or anything like that. I am just content and pleased with the way things are heading and look forward to the day that is ahead of me.

Is that a bad thing?

I don't think so. We are all looking for that ultimate happiness but I am afraid that many people just don't know what it looks like. Of course, happiness means something different to each person. We all set our own rules and have our own ideals and no two people that I know of anyway are looking for the same thing. I suppose that is what makes things interesting.

I don't think we realize how much power we have over our own happiness. As I go through this world, I see so many others hook their well-being to other people and things and naturally they are disappointed. After all, there is no way that another can be completely responsible for your own happiness and expecting that seems to me to just be setting yourself up for failure.

I am not pretending that I have all the answers and that this has never happened to me. Of course it has. I think that most of us have gone through it in some way or another at some times in our lives. But as I got older (and possibly wiser) I have realized that ultimately, it is up to me to make decisions and do things that make me feel good about things and happy. And that formula has worked well. And I am content.

I always told my daughter "If you can make yourself happy, everything else around you will be a bonus and your life will be good." Usually I said these words to her as I saw her heart breaking when she was growing up as a teen. It is funny how we see things in our children that we didn't always see in ourselves. Maybe we were too close to the situation and in observing our children we are able to take a step back and look at things with more practicality. My kids have taught me a lot.

But now I am rambling . . .

Yesterday was a wonderfully productive day. We zipped through the allotted group of ornaments in what seemed like record time. I am finding that this production cutting has a great residual effect on my scroll saw ability - my accuracy and speed is really improving. I never fancied myself to be a speed cutter. I like intricate details and never really felt the need to hurry through the process.

But with 6000 pieces on the table to cut, you can imagine that speed is a definite benefit. But it can't be at the cost of accuracy. Above all, the pieces have to be dead on accurate. That is where my painting experience comes in handy. I know how frustrating it can be to get wooden pieces that are "off" and don't line up with the pattern. I was especially aware of this last year when I cut my skaters for the pond - being certain that every skate blade was right on. The same is true for these pieces. The little bumps for the hat bands or the curls for the ribbons need to be where they should be in order to make the painting go smoothly.

The repetition cutting is a good way to work on improving these skills. The movements become almost rhythmical as you do more and more pieces and before you know it, you are done. I don't find it boring at all. With the right music in the background, it is actually quite relaxing.

In the midst of our cutting yesterday, our front door opened and in walked Ellen and Bernie. Ellen had been to the dentist nearby and they thought they would just "stop in" to see our new furniture and to say hi. They haven't been here since our sprint makeover and wanted to see our new couch, bedroom set and computer stuff.

Why is it that when the house is clean no one comes over and as soon as it is a mess, everyone decides to stop in? Ellen - as I said before - is very 'particular' about things. Her place is always neat as a pin and she is always cleaning one thing or another. One of my favorite quotes from her is "I don't know why Bernie likes to work in that messy shop! It's so DUSTY there!" Ha! :)

I could only imagine what she was thinking as she walked in. As I mentioned before, when we cut like this, we remove all the excess stuff so that when clean up time comes, everything is easy and fast. With two saws going full speed for several hours, we do indeed acquire a fine layer of dust that needs to be attended. But a quick going over everything with the shop vac "monster" brings everything back to clean very quickly. In fact, I think our place is probably cleaner than most because of the constant cleaning and the lack of clutter. But seeing poor Ellen come in with her black pants was kind of pitiful because I didn't even want to let her sit down.

She said she didn't mind the mess at all and said "you are working!" but I know inside she must have been cringing. They only stayed about 15 or 20 minutes and then were on their way. I am surprised they didn't leave skid marks in the driveway when leaving.

We finished up and got the place tidy in no time. Even Pancakes was helping.

Cat Wood Flooring Carnivore Whiskers


We are thinking of calling him "Inspector 23."

I am amazed at how he has grown up too. Only a couple of years ago, he would head for the hills at the sight of the vacuum. Now he just sits there and while sometimes he looks a bit annoyed, he doesn't feel that it is worth the effort to move. Yesterday as I was cutting, he curled up right next to me, completely fearless. He does however still have one nemesis to overcome - the compressor. While he is not quite as afraid of it as he used to be, he still leaves the room and sits on the top corner of the bed when we run it. He does walk rather than run though, and that is progress.

Well, it seems I am getting long winded here. (I know - that is nothing new!) There is work to be done and I need to get at it. It is great to see the pile of cut pieces growing. A couple of weeks ago I thought that 250 kits was a huge amount. I may have to take a picture of the 500 packed up just for comparison! :)

I will definitely have more information on the glue situation soon. I received a lot of feedback from the several places that this blog is posted and I am certainly going to follow up on it. It seems that we aren't the only ones having this problem and I want to pursue finding some answers to it after this order is complete.

It is raining out this morning, but I think we needed it. The river seemed quite low yesterday and it doesn't seem like we have had a lot of rain.

Happy Summer to you all! Have a wonderful day!
Is the cat doing its claws? ;-))

People naturally think every one thinks and feels like they do in general; ie, they are the 'norm". The late, great Paul Harvey said very few people wake up in a good mood every day all week long. Until then, I never realized how lucky I am to wake up in a good mod every day year after year ;-) A girl I used to know told me she never saw me in a bad mood in 2 year. Guess I was just born lucky or I'm compensating for migraines ;-)
 

Attachments

#5,720 ·
More Glue Issues

We had a small change of plans yesterday, and we wound up taking the day off from cutting the final set of pieces for our kits. Keith was still having a lot of trouble with the spray glue, and he had to take a bit of time to chase around to find an alternative. While he was doing that, I spent the day working on writing the final pattern packet.

He returned home after an hour or so and was unsuccessful in finding a feasible alternative to the Elmer's spray glue. I suppose that is one of the drawbacks of living in a small town. There were only a couple of places that would possibly have anything similar and unfortunately none of them did. The spray glues that the two local hardware stores carried were both permanent bond types and wouldn't do for our purposes.

We then got a call that my car was ready to be picked up. When we were returning from our day trip last week, Keith noticed that the oil pressure gauge was registering that there was no pressure. The needle was quite erratic, jumping from zero to about three quarters of the way up. Naturally we had to take it right in to our mechanic, who wasn't able to look at it until this week. The problem turned out to be a faulty gauge, which was a bit of a relief but still left me without a car for the week. I am happy to have it back again.

By the time we returned from getting the car and the other errands, it was a bit late to start cutting. Besides, Keith still had to apply all the patterns to the remaining 48 or so sets of boards that need to be cut. It was very frustrating for him to fight with that spray, and we will only find out today if the patterns would even hold. We had two brand new cans of spray glue here and both of them were the same in that they either spat out strings of glue or they sprayed a mist, which seemed to have little or no adhesive in it at all. We are planning to take what is left in the cans and bring them back to the store with the receipt. I doubt it will do any good though.

I still plan on talking to someone regarding the glue next week when things settle down, but for now we have to keep things moving. I am hoping that the glue will be sufficient for this group of cutting. At least the designs are simple and don't require a lot of intricate cutting.

We plan on cutting half of the 150 kits that are left today and finishing up on the cutting tomorrow. After that, the messiest part of the job is done. We still have to drill the pieces and package the kits, which will certainly take a couple more days. Our target for shipping is at the beginning of the week sometime, and while it would have been nice to see everything go out the door Monday or Tuesday, we will just have to see what will be. We both know we are doing our best and that is the most important thing.

It is good to see this order being done so quickly. It will also be good when it is done to be able to get on to other things and work on them. I will be very happy to finish my ornaments that I started to make so long ago. I can't believe how the weeks and days are flying by. But it is all good and all productive and it means that the business is moving in a positive direction.

It's Friday already and the close of another week. With summer just beginning, I am looking forward to some good days to come. In any case, I expect it to be a busy season.

Have a great day.
 
#5,721 ·
ever since the 'environment friendly' (and the economy)
went into overdrive
i have noticed that almost all finishing products have been 'improved'

seems that all chemical companies have cut back or changed
their formulas to 'comply'
rendering them almost worthless

kind of like the new packaging
bigger wrapper more air less candy more money

i still use the old style contact cement
when i can find it
as the new water based ones just don't work worth a dammed

i use photo mount or 3m spray for some stuff
if applied to one side it can be removed withing a reasonable time
if repeatably sprayed to both surfaces
it is stuck for good (lacquer thinner will remove it)

hope you find what works for you
nothing like having a simple job
turn into a nightmare
 
#5,730 ·
Getting There . . .

We had a really good day cutting yesterday. One thing that I learned early on when doing a project was to do the most difficult parts of it first and save the easiest part for the end. That way, you tackle the most difficult parts when you are fresh and excited.

It wasn't as if cutting any of the pieces were difficult, but some of the shapes were certainly easier and quicker than others. Of the four different sets of pieces, the Christmas stockings were definitely the fastest ones to do, so we left them for last.

I also feel good about the way we divided our time on this project. We kept our cutting sessions to about five hours maximum per day (give or take.) That is a long time to be sitting in the same position at the scroll saw - especially several days in a row. While the cutting wasn't particularly difficult, it does require concentration no matter how simple and staying focused for any longer than that would have been pushing it.

I also liked the way we divided the cutting into 10" x 10" sheets. Each sheet had anywhere from 10 to 13 pieces on it and took between 12 and 20 minutes to cut, depending on the pieces. It was good to see each sheet completed and it gave me a sense of accomplishment every time I was done with one. Usually too I would stretch a bit then, get something to drink, run the shop vac over my work area, change the blade and have a fresh and clean working space before starting the next. Overall it kept things a bit neater and had a lot to do with my positive attitude throughout this project order.

Throughout most of the cutting, I used the Olson Size 3 Mach scroll saw blades. They were really great and zipped through the four layers of 1/8 birch plywood very quickly and cleanly. I changed the blade with each 10Ă—10 pack that I cut, because I wanted the job to get done as soon as possible and didn't want to fool around with burning or breaking blades. I probably could have pushed the blades longer but at $2.89 per dozen (the price from the Wooden Teddy Bear at http://www.woodenteddybearonline.com) I figured my time was worth more than the aggravation of trying to stretch the blades longer than necessary.

For this final group of cutting (the Christmas stockings) since there were no sharp corners or edges on the pieces, I decided to try the Olson #5 reverse tooth blades to see how they would fare. This blade is slightly bigger than the #3 Mach blades and I wanted to see if they would cut even faster. I tried both the skip reverse tooth and the double reverse tooth blades and I found that I preferred the skip reverse tooth because it left a slightly smoother cut for the speed and thickness that I was going. I was also able to cut two of the 10" x 10" packs (which had 20 pieces total on them) without noticing the blade dragging very much. By the 20th piece though, I did notice that I had to slow down a little bit and that there was a slight bit of burning on the corners at times. This was a clear indication that it was time for me to change blades.

Both the Precision Ground Skip Reverse Tooth and Precision Ground Double Reverse Tooth blades were priced slightly higher at $3.89 per dozen, but given the fact that they were able to cut TWO sheets as well as the Mach blades cut through ONE, they could have been the better choice.

Here is a diagram of a Precision Ground Skip Tooth Blade:

Tints and shades Sky Font Horizon Monochrome photography


And here is a diagram of a Precision Ground Double Tooth Blade:

Cloud Tints and shades Font Rectangle Monochrome photography


The differences in these blades is that the skip tooth blades are supposed to be a bit more aggressive so that you are able to cut faster while the double tooth blades are suppose to offer a bit more control. I did find the skip tooth to be a bit quicker and that is why I wound up sticking with them on this particular project.

However, the only reason I was able to use these blades was because the designs were much simpler and using a #5 was possible. The smallest size that either of these Precision Ground blades are available is a #5, which is too big for the other pieces that I was cutting. I didn't have a Mach blade in a #5 to make a comparison, but I suspect that it would have performed equally well. I find the #3 Machs are one of the best blades I have come across, and I will be purchasing some in the #5 size in the future. Fortunately the #3 Machs are precise enough to do the other pieces, even with the sharp turns and corners. I even used them to cut four layers of my littler skaters last year and they were able to cut the skate blades through four layers of 1/8" plywood cleanly and with great precision. I wish they came in a size 2 though, as the #3's are the smallest that they are available.

Even though I have been cutting for over fifteen years now, I am still learning new things with every project that I make. I think that is one of the great things about woodworking - there is always a new challenge ahead.

Today we will be finishing up cutting the last of the 6000 pieces for this order. I can honestly say that I have enjoyed every minute of this project. While some people would roll their eyes at the thought of taking on such a large order, it has really been a lot of fun to do and I know it has improved my cutting skills quite a bit.

Next week when I finally get to cut out my bird cage ornaments, it will be an entirely different experience. It will be interesting to see how it will feel to be cutting precision pieces again and a great contrast to this simpler speed cutting that we have been doing.

I am printing the last 150 patterns out today and tomorrow too. As soon as I am finished cutting, I will begin stapling them and packaging up the patterns. Keith will begin drilling the hang holes in the 6000 ornaments while I work on the packaging. I expect to see this order go out the door either on Tuesday or Wednesday.

I think we are doing pretty well on this. Besides cutting the pieces, I have been working on the other articles and patterns for the magazine and also for the two Christmas kits. Now that they are finished, I can move on to some scroll saw patterns that I have in the works.

Keith has been still rebuilding his entire computer. Since he got the new case and components a couple of weeks ago, he has also purchased a new motherboard, hard drives, video card and memory. What started with purchasing a new heat sink cooler for his CPU has turned into an entire overhaul of his system. I smile as I say this because I can't help but think that NCIX (the company he is getting the components from) certainly knew what they were doing when they put that heat sink at a great low price. They probably lost some money on that one piece, but it caused a domino effect and they sold LOTS more parts as a result of it.

I don't think I mentioned too that now I am upgrading my computer, as I am getting many of the "run-off" components of Keith's old computer and using them myself. I suppose that is part of living with a high tech guy! I am inheriting Keith's old motherboard, as well as some hard drives and other things. We are, in essence building an entirely new computer for me (thankfully, my own investment is only a couple hundred dollars!) and we will use the left over parts of both of our computers as a back up computer to have here "just in case." Not really a bad idea.

All this week, Keith has been fine tuning his own computer and building mine. He has already copied about 95% of my things onto the 'new' one and I only need to transfer my monitor and I will be pretty good to go. Those of you who work frequently with computers know how long it can take to transfer setting and so forth and reorganize things so that you know your way around a new computer. By doing it this way, I will be absolutely certain everything is in place and backed up and where I want it before I transfer over and only after I am working on it for a while will we reformat the computer I am on right now, leaving it fresh and clean as a 'spare' for us.

This is especially important for us having our business.

The good thing is that I actually understand most of what he is doing. The more questions I ask, the more I learn about the technical side of things and while I don't have a great grasp on things like overclocking and some of the other things that Keith does, I do have a good amount of knowledge on the system and network in general and each time I rebuild or upgrade, I have a cleaner and more efficient system. And you know how I love organization! :)

So it is off to the scroll saw for me! Hopefully, we will finish cutting early this afternoon and be able to start packing up this job to send it on its way. And then it is on to other things!

I wish you all a wonderful Saturday today! Remember to take some time out to have some fun and do things that you love to do. Having fun is what most of us work for. And if what you are working on is fun for you, you certainly have it made!
 

Attachments

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top