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My Journey As A Creative Designer - Woodworking and Beyond

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Everyone has a story.

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

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

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

I think I am going to like it here.
 
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#700 ·
A Very Delicate Repair Done Successfully

It is a horrible feeling to break a piece that you have been working on for some time. After all the hours of drawing and planning, and then the additional hours of the actual cutting and seeing the piece come to a beautiful reality, one of the worst feelings is when you pick it up and hear it 'crack'. The only thing that can be worse is when you do it to someone else's piece. (Ahem - that would be me!)

My partner had been working on a piece for over a week now. He only gets limited time after his other job on the weekdays so it usually takes a few days at least to draw up and cut out a project, depending on the complexity. He was making an elf (or fairy, if you will) that would be an overlay piece and appear to be walking out of the frame. I thought this was quite a nice project and we were planning to submit it to my editor for consideration for the magazine.

After a couple of evenings of cutting, it was finally finished. He decided to use a mineral oil finish and spray shellac over it to seal it. It was a great choice of finishing because with all the intricate wing cutouts, he was able to submerge it in oil in a large, flat pan and not risk breaking anything by using a brush to get finish in between the numerous cutout areas.

Everything was going fine. Until I came along. The pieces were drying on the table on folded paper towels, and I didn't want them to get broken so I though I would set them out of the way. Without thinking I picked the fairy up by the wings and heard a little "crack." I immediately felt that roller coaster sickness in my stomach because I realized that the piece had broken. Keith was next to me and heard it too and we just looked at each other and I didn't know what to say. He isn't the type to get angry, and this was no exception. Very calmly we examined the damage and saw that one section of the wing had a small break in it.

Now the piece was to be glued onto the frame at the tips of the wings, and the break was in the middle so it wouldn't carry much, if any weight. I was more of a stability issue we were dealing with here. The problem was that we were in the process of submitting it to my editor for consideration for the magazine and if it were to be picked, it would not only have to travel to New Jersey, but also be photographed for the article. Now things have broken before both in transit to the magazine and also by their own hand and it is easy to hide the damages with the camera, but it was the principle of the thing that bothered me so much.

I felt terrible and Keith wound up consoling me and telling me it was fine. I offered to re-cut it for him, but both of us knew that it wouldn't be the same. This was HIS project and if I were to cut it, it would take something away from it. I know you can all understand that.

So I looked to you, my fellow LJ's and posted a question as to the best way to repair it. The problem was that it had just finished soaking in the oil and was still pretty moist. I needed to know what glue would adhere to such a piece.

We allowed it to dry an hour or so and then when it looked like it was drying out, he proceeded to give it a couple of light coats of spray shellac to seal in the oil. Fortunately, this looked good and it must have been dry enough to accept the shellac as a sealer. We decided to wait for our replies and leave it over night.

The overall consensus was to use CA glue. While he was at work yesterday, I thought I would attempt the repair. I wanted him to come home to the project being all repaired. I did take pictures to show you, hoping that I would be successful and being able to share the process with you so if you run into this problem you could maybe give it a go.

The first picture shows the fracture. It is small, and the opposite piece didn't break, so again the entire load wouldn't be on damaged section that broke. It would just be additional support:


I dried the piece off as well as I could. I knew there was probably oil in the mating ends of the fracture, but it would be too much of a risk to try to dry inside there, so I hoped that the oil had absorbed far enough into the wood to allow a good bond.

I used a small toothpick as a brace on the back side and I dripped a tiny amount of CA glue into the crack. I then pushed the grain together with my finger nail and held it for a couple of minutes so it could bond.


One of the best qualities of wood is that when it breaks, the grain causes it to do so like two puzzle pieces that fit exactly together. I knew that I had one good shot to make it look good, as if I would have had to reapply the glue, there would be glue from the first attempt in the crack and it would not allow the pieces to mesh back together perfectly. The key here was patience and not moving for at least a couple of minutes. I think I was pretty successful because when I finally did remove my finger and the toothpick, the bond held.


This next picture is a wider angle and I am pointing to just where the repair was located. You can see that there are two places where the bottom wing is held to the rest of the piece, but because of the angle, the grain is quite short along this area and it isn't very strong. When the tips are glued to the frame, strength isn't really the iconcern and as I said, it is more of a stability issue than anything but it is still important for it to be in tact.


And here is the final project in place. You can see where most of the weight load is carried by the larger wing tips of the top wings. Once glued in place onto the frame, all should be well again.


There will be a veneer backer of walnut which will be glued to the back of the frame. It will give a nice contrast and also enhance the shadow box effect of the piece. I was very grateful for all the advice and it was good to have you all to turn to in this little mini-crisis of mine. The bond seems to be good and should hold up fine. All is good with the world again.

I am sorry to say however, that my editor opted not to go with the project. He said they had just put out a fairy book and even though they liked the look of her coming out of the frame, it just wasn't a good time to publish it. It was one of those "good news/bad news" days. :(

I also had some major changes regarding the skating pond figures that I will talk about tomorrow, as I realize this is a longer post than I intended. It wasn't really what I would call positive, but again it isn't the end of the world. There are many avenues I can take with it and will be discussing them in tomorrow's blog.

You never know what the day will bring. Many people think that just because I have a long history with the magazine, everything I offer them will be taken. That certainly isn't the case. I have many, many items that I have presented and have not been used for publication. Some have done extremely well on my site and with the wholesalers, even after being rejected by the magazine. So it isn't the end of the world if they don't take something.

I believe I take rejection fairly well. It used to get to me more then it does now. I have come to realize that my editor and his assistant are also human, and we all have the right to like or dislike something. You can't argue opinions. (Well, you can argue them, but everyone has a right to have their own!) I'll put it this way - you can't tell people what they have to like. Sometimes another set of eyes is a great asset. I have never been a 'think with the masses' type of girl, and even though that is part of what sets me apart from others, it can also hurt me if I am looking for mass appeal. I have really learned in these many years on this job to respect people's taste and preferences and not feel personally offended if what I do does not appeal to everyone. That sounds like a small thing, but really it is quite huge. Just think how boring the world would be if we all thought the same and liked exactly the same thing! Individuality and diversity is really what makes this world a better place. Just look around here at LJ's!

So again I thank you all for your input on the repair. I think it was a resounding success and I hope that if you ever get in that type of situation you will remember this and it will help just a little. If not, you can always ask the great people here. There is always someone who is willing to help.

Friday already? Weekend approaching (along with Earl, I hear - for me anyway!) Have a great one!
 
#701 ·
Shelia, I know all too well that roller coaster of sickness you felt when you heard the crack. Unless you experience it, words cannot describe it. It is as though the piece you hae been working on for so long has been stolen. I am glad you were able to repair it. From looking at the pictures, you did an excellent job. As far as the fairy not being published. Don't worry, it'll be picked up at a later date and all the work will already have been done. "You gotta have a bad day to know what a good day is".
 
#713 ·
Time To Batten Down the Hatches

I am going to be typing fast today. I was awaken this morning, not by the distant call of the rooster, but by the persistent pounding of the wind and the rain announcing hurricane Earl at my door.

I had some great news to talk about, but I may save it for tomorrow. I want to keep things short today (If there is such a thing where I am concerned!).

The storm should be with us most of the day, and already the winds are picking up. It seems ironic because it was another night of stagnant heat and now that the air is cooler, it is difficult to keep the windows open without the rain blowing in. In the fifteen minutes or so since I got up I did notice that things were getting more intense. That is the reason that I don't want to get involved in talking about anything complex. It will be inevitable that we will lose power for a period of time. How long? I don't know.

Unlike living in town, when we lose power here, we don't have any water either, as we are on a pump. I found that out the hard way last July 4th when on a beautiful clear Saturday morning for no (apparent) reason whatsoever the power went out for over eight hours. It was a hot and sunny day and we took a hike to a lake in the woods where we knew this little cove was that wasn't inhabited by a camp or home and spent several hours swimming there (with soap and shampoo in tow). It was actually kind of fun.

The rain slowed down to a trickle now, but I am sure there is more to come. I am prepared this time, with extra water and candles and the whole lot. After all, there is only so much you can do. Usually by the time the storms reach us here, the are nothing dangerous. A few years ago in 2003, hurricane Juan did a lot of damage here. That was before my time here in Nova Scotia. For the most part, they really lose their punch by the time they are up our way. I don't know if it is the cold Atlantic water that sucks the energy out of it or what the cause is, but more so than not we get nothing more than a lot of rain and wind. Earl is already downgraded so I am not too concerned about much damage. I am as prepared as I can be.

Yesterday was a flurry of activity for me. It just didn't seem to stop. This show that I am attending and teaching the class at is much more significant than I had originally realized and my Editor from the magazine talked with the director and others from it and it seems that the magazine is going to have a large presence there. Robert gives me full credit for getting him involved. He is very excited about the entire event and will be there promoting three different magazines (their Carving one, their Turning one and of course ours - the Scrollsawing one) He talked with the director about having me work out of their booth and I guess they will have an area where I can demonstrate scroll sawing during the times I am not teaching. Although it would be nice to show that I could stand on my own, there is a great deal of comfort in having the shoulders of a major magazine to lean on. There have been several shows in the past when I lived in Chicago in which I joined in with them to demonstrate and help promote all of their 14 or so magazines and it is a lot of fun to interact with people and get to know that side of the business. At a painting convention in Indianapolis one year, they even left their booth with me and another painting designer that they knew because their main editors all had to get back to the offices and there were flight problems of some sort. She and I managed their entire booth on our own for the last day of the show and it was quite a fun experience. She was a nut and we had a great time together laughing and talking to customers and enjoying the excitement of the show. It was quite an experience.

It is incredible to me how success in one area can snowball into other successes, and this is a fine example of that. I am quickly finding out that this is one of the most significant woodworking shows of the year for the Eastern US and it is far more massive than I realized. I guess they only have four chosen 'teachers' and I am one of them. It is funny how that happened. My friend who I helped with the painting class for the show earlier this month is very involved with this organization (The Northeastern Woodworkers Association) who is putting on this show and recommended me to the board. They see that I am involved with the magazine, which gives me credibility (along with my work, I hope) and hire me on. My magazine editor learns about this event through me telling him and talks the director, using ME as a contact. And everyone is hooked up, happy and excited about this win/win/win situation.

If anything, I feel that Jean my friend should be the one I thank most for this. We have been friends since our days on the AOL chat forum on Tuesday nights back in 1997 when I first got involved with the magazine and scrolling. Although there were times when we didn't communicate for years at a time, we always remained friends, as I do with all from that group, and we recently connected earlier this year on Facebook, along with many of the others. Helping her with that class just seemed natural to me. It was nice to hook her up with the paint company and the brush company and make the patterns for it. It was my way of contributing to that show when I couldn't be there and even though I was busy, I felt there was time to give back to the people and industry that got me where I am now.

It just goes to show you (Geeze! I sound like Roseann Roseanna Danna from SNL! Remember? "if it isn't one thing it's another!) Seriously - it does go to show you that you can't lost by being kind and sharing with others. (Pink cloud alert!) I know there are those of you out there who are saying to yourselves 'yes, but I have been burned by giving to people who don't appreciate it!' and that may be true. It has happened to me too. But I truly believe in what some people call Karma. I look at the overall picture of how people live their lives every day, not just one day when they do something good OR bad. I think if we give to others of ourselves (not necessarily 'things' but even knowledge and advice) it will come back to us in so many ways. We never know from where. Perhaps it will not be from the same person, and that person may even burn you or take advantage of you, but it will come back in ways we can't even explain or understand. At the very least, giving and sharing as all of you do here will fill you hearts and souls with knowing that you made a positive contribution to someone's life and in some way made their day better and perhaps easier.

Now how can you not look at that as a huge payoff?

So I had better end it here. I will be lurking around today as much as I can. (Now watch - now that I am all prepared, we probably won't even lose power!) I have my paints ready to go if I lose all my electronic capabilities, so whatever the day brings I will be prepared. If Earl allows me, I did finish drawing up a new set of ornaments yesterday and I will be able to finally get at my saw and cut them with the beautiful piece of Pau Amarillo that I got last week. (How fun is THAT?!!)

So no matter what it is going to be a good day. And it looks like the air temperature behind the storm is quite a bit cooler, so you know I will be a happy camper. I will talk to you tomorrow when I am on the other side!

Have a great one!
 
#714 ·
Hmmm so its fill the bath with water, in case the power goes.

Find a good book.

Don't let the size of the upcoming show spook you. Its the attention you deserve.

Hope you have an uneventful day and that Earl soon passes.
 
#724 ·
After the Storm - Good Things on the Horizon

We didn't do too badly with the storm and all. Although there was a bit of rain and some wind, there was nothing frightening or horrible about it. It has been dry here this summer too, so the rain is probably welcome by most. A little after noon, we figured out that we needed milk and ventured out to the store because nothing is open in our area on Sunday and there is a holiday for Labor Day on Monday so things would be closed also. It wasn't even raining when we went out, although the ocean was quite churned up. It was good that there was no damage anywhere and it turned into just another day.

I spent the day cutting out a new set of 12 ornaments that I had finished drawing the night before. They really came out cool, I think. I get to spend today finishing them and sanding them and I plan to add some embellishments to them to make them sparkle. I got to use my Pau Amarillo wood from last week's haul and it was a joy to cut. I will post pictures of them in tomorrow's blog, as I want to present them properly. They already look cool, but they should be even better when finished.

I had some mixed news about the Skater's Pond figures the other day that I wanted to share with you. I had mentioned that I had designed them all in January and initially the editor of the sister magazine of Creative Woodworks and Crafts named "Christmas 365" had fallen in love with them and wanted them for several issues. Since there were 25 pieces, we were going to divide them up and offer them in four or five sequential issues as a project series. This was great, because not only did it mean that I got 4-5 paychecks, but it also meant that I was represented in their magazine for an entire year, as the magazine is a quarterly publication. I shipped a finished set to her in late February, but I have yet to write the instructions, as I have needed a final decision on how the figures would be divided up. Each time I asked her, I was told they were still figuring it out. I checked in every couple of months, and when I started repainting them and posting it here on the LJ's blog I asked again. I was told decisively that they were to be featured in their November issue.

Since I have been working with magazines for almost 15 years, as August came and went, I realized that also the deadline for that November issue did as well. Many people who have seen it are looking for the pattern, and as with my woodworking projects that go to the magazine, I needed to inform them that I am not at liberty to share the pattern until after publication in the magazine. I am a patient girl, but at this point I am starting to get pretty frustrated with the lack of communication and the several delays on using the set. I have been busy as you know, but this set was a tremendous amount of work besides the emotional attachment I had to it and I don't want it to have to wait on the shelf another year before I can even begin presenting it.

I wrote a letter which I felt was courteous and professional which would pin down the editor to a definite time line so I knew what to expect. I found out when I went on the site that the woman with whom I was dealing was no longer editor of that magazine and now was an assistant editor and there was a new editor in chief in charge. She told me that she was having a meeting with him soon and would let me know the status of the project.

I received an email the next day from her. It stated that they decided to use a couple of pieces of the set, and only in one issue. She said they figures would be spattered around the magazine on the borders of others' projects and the instructions would be in the back for the figures she used. She also wanted the instructions for all the pieces at once because then they could pick and choose at will what they wanted.

This was a bitter disappointment to me. After sitting on this project for over seven months, it was only going to be used piece meal. When I designed this, it was not my intention to have it as such. I know I am going to sound like a temperamental brat here but it was meant as a set and that is how I intended it to be shown.

I took a bit of time to think about it before I responded to her. I realize that projects with painting is another branch that I am just beginning to develop, but it made me rethink things and try to come to a decision that would not only be best for my company, but also portray the project as I wanted it portrayed - as a set.

A couple of days ago and in the past, people suggested that I should do some kind of book. Bearpie suggested this the other day to me and it got me thinking. After all, I do work for a publishing company. The 'competition' has many books that they produce featuring their regular designers. Although All American Crafts (the company that owns my magazine) doesn't have that many, they have been doing some quilting and painting books of late and perhaps I should approach them with the possibility of me doing a book with them. All they can say is "no" right?

So when I talked to my editor on Friday, I talked about the incident with the pond figures. I told him that the pattern for them would be pretty involved seeing that there were at least 25 pieces and maybe more to come. He asked me if it were feasible to run it in our magazine, even though it involved painting and I told him I didn't think that would work, as he also would just be able to present part of it in one issue. He asked me to send pictures of it to him and I did so, explaining that I intended to do a small booklet for the pattern, in full color and I also threw in a paragraph telling him that I intend to write a book on basic introduction and instruction to the scroll saw. There hasn't been a new book out there for years and the older ones, although good, are a bit outdated. With all the questions I receive every day, I see the need for a new one to be written and I figured why not be the one to do it.

To make a long story short, he jumped on both publishing the scroll saw book for me and also marketing and distributing, as well as printing the packet for the Skater Pond set. He loved it and we even talked about offering pieces for sale for the painters that don't cut wood. I will be looking at the possibility of finding someone perhaps with a CNC router to do the cutting of the pieces and offer a kit to be sold with the pattern book. He wants to put ads not only in Creative Woodworks, but also Paintworks and Quick and Easy Painting which are the two leading decorative painting magazines in the industry and even in the Christmas 365 that they were supposed to be in originally. I am extremely excited about this, as they will get a percentage for distributing the booklets and sets, and I will have everything advertised at no cost for me.

He also spoke of including my scroll saw instruction book as a premium when their customers renew their subscriptions, which will be a great amount of volume.

And throughout this entire process, I will retain the rights to all these books and patterns, allowing me to also market and do what I want with them. What more could I ask?

I wanted to share this with you all because I know many people have suggested that I go to the 'other' magazine to expand my horizons - especially when times were lean. I held to my beliefs though that I didn't want to butter both sides of my bread at the same time and that All American has been good to me from the get go and I felt that it would not be right to go to their competition. I know many others do it but that is them and I am me. I have said this before, but I would rather quit than do that. I feel very strongly about being loyal to others and whether it be the smartest business move or not, it is how I choose to live my life. I would rather fail at business and keep my integrity then be successful without it.

So chalk up one for the "pink cloud" way of thinking! I had better get busy that means! You will see a marked acceleration in the skating pond figures being presented, as I am writing the instructions as I repaint each piece so that they are fresh in my mind. I also want to get that scroll saw book finished by March when I do the show. In between, I will be doing my regular job and creating new patterns all the time. That should keep me out of trouble for a while anyway.

After dinner, we went to a place about ten minutes away to check out the ocean. It is a beautiful cove with cliffs and rocks and everything was still churned up from the storm. We climbed down the cliff until we were about 30-40 feet from the waves and sat on a ledge and took some pictures. We stayed there until the sun set. The ocean smelled so fresh and it was just a beautiful and clear evening. I remembered to take my camera and took some pictures. Although the waves were still crashing against the rocks, the sky was clear and there it was so beautiful and peaceful I wanted to remember the beautiful serenity and calmness that came after such a storm. I have more pictures in my Picasa album, but I wanted to share them here too.

The crashing waves from where we sat on the cliff:


The mouth of the cove. Notice the house on top. There is a cave just below it that is almost covered by the high tide.


A view from inside the cove on the edge. The entire beach is covered with water:


The sun falling into the sea. There are more pictures if you click on the name in my Picasa album. I hope you enjoyed them!


What a beautiful place the world can be, can't it?
 
#725 ·
Well. Sheila, it sounds like almost everything is going your way. I'm glad and I hope that you do get to write the book and that it all goes very well for you. BTW, where you live is a beautiful place and the pictures are great. I'm happy that the storm didn't do much damage.
 
#739 ·
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Stars

Finally. A Monday that people like. With the Labor Day holiday both here and in the United States, most everyone in these countries have the day off. However, with the Labor Day holiday comes the realization that summer is coming to a close and winter is not far off. I am certain that there will be plenty of grumblings about that on my facebook page. They already have started.

I am ready for fall and winter. The past week was enough summer for me. I guess I found something that I didn't like about the lovely little place I am in. The air doesn't seem to circulate and once it is warmed up in here, it is very difficult to get it cooled down again. Next spring I will be looking for a different fan. Probably a box one that fits well in the window. That way I can draw the cooler air in from the opposite side of the place and it should be more efficient than the small oscillating fan I have now. But that is a long way off and in the words of Scarlett O'Hara "I'll think about that another day".

I slept very well last night with the change in the weather. I hadn't done so in the past several days. I don't know if it was because it was so warm or all the ideas and things going around inside my head or a combination of both. I usually don't lose a lot of sleep over work anymore though. I have adopted an attitude of what will be will be and I have come to recognize that there are some things that are just out of my control and it isn't worth the time or effort to worry about them. Letting go of what we can't change is one of those important life lessons that I may have learned a little later in my life, but nonetheless finally have learned it. It is quite refreshing to just be able to walk away from things you cannot change and move on and focus on to something more productive things. It may sound like a simple thing, but I believe that it is one of the most basic building blocks for inner peace. And that is huge to a creative person.

I finished my newest set of ornaments yesterday. I finally got to use some of the new wood I got to make them. It is funny how just seeing a piece of wood can make an idea pop into your head. I don't know why, but when I saw this bright yellow Pau Amarillo (or as it was pointed out to me, it is also called Yellowheart) I just thought that it would make amazing star ornaments.

Now I liked the embellished snowflake ornaments I designed well enough, but if I were to make them again, I would probably use a lighter colored wood. The Walnut that I used for them was amazing, as it showed off the silver beads nicely, but I do realize that most trees are green and that the Walnut can sometimes get lost in them. I guess I allowed my desire to try something 'different' to win over my practicality in that matter and went ahead with designing the prototypes using the darker wood. I still want to make another set in Maple or something much lighter. Probably when I have some time, I will just to see.

But this bright yellow wood just seemed to beg me to make it into Christmas ornaments. It's unique coloring seemed to shout out "Pick me! Pick me!" from the large pile of wood that we purchased. I could only imagine how brilliant and handsome it would look when it was all oiled and wearing its sparkling crystals. It seemed a natural choice.

As I was planing it and peeling off its out layer of skin, what was revealed to me was a shimmery and slightly varied grain that would compliment the embellishments beautifully and certainly be an outstanding addition to my tree. So the Pau Amarillo it was.

Working with it was a dream. Its tight and even grain scroll sawed beautifully. The ornaments I made were approximately 3/16" thick. I only cut them in one layer because I needed to drill the depressions for the crystal embellishments prior to cutting out the design. The slightly thicker depth gave me a bit more resistance and better control than if I used a piece which was 1/8" thick.

I was really happy when I discovered that my 3mm Swarovski crystals fit perfectly into a 1/8" drilled depression. (Yes, another thing I finally learned is that it IS worth the time to make test cuts on scraps to insure fit and other things like that!) I used a brad point drill bit so that I was able to perfectly center each hole by very gently touching the tip of the bit to the pattern and lining it up perfectly before really pressing. I often wonder why any one else would use anything but brad point bits. I just love them.

I set the drill press depth so that I would only drill ever so slightly into the wood and then proceeded to drill all of the depressions:


I then continued on and drilled and cut the inner holes of the design with a 2/0 reverse tooth blade.


When designing these stars, I really did try to make them a beginner type of project. I am finding this sometimes difficult to do without consciously thinking about making it so, but even then I sometimes feel as if I am 'cheating' because it feels as if I am drawing too simply. I find that from posting both here and my other forum though that many people think that my designs are quite detailed (not only non-scrollers, but scroll sawyers too) and I don't want to gain a reputation of only putting out advanced level patterns. I want to have patterns for every level of sawing and some especially geared to those who may be trying for the first time. After all, I don't want to play the game 'stump the scroller' because I do want my designs to appeal to a large number of people - both veteran scroll sawyers and the newbies. Yet I want the finished projects to be appealing.

These stars that I drew encompass many of the basic elements of learning to saw, yet they are simple enough that just about anyone can do them. I have incorporated several basic design elements, such as swirls, corners with both rounded and sharp points and teardrops into these ornaments. There is also the straight edges that are not too long and great to practice straight runs for shorter distances. I purposely made most of them on a larger scale than normal, and left plenty of room in between cuts for slight errors. The elements also repeat several times, so that one can practice the technique over and over. They are fun, attractive and hopefully not too frightening to someone that is new to scroll sawing.

After they were sanded and oiled and sprayed with Lacquer, I allowed them to dry completely. I then used a toothpick to apply some clear silicone to the depressions where the crystals go. I like clear silicone for this purpose because unlike clear drying white glue, it will not get cloudy if it oozes out of the depression a bit when applying the crystal and is wiped from it. The white glue I find makes the crystal beads hazy when drying and they lose their shine.


I then apply the crystals using tweezers. This part is fun because you really see the design come to life.


After seating the crystal into the depression by pressing down with either a popsicle stick or the tweezers, I use a cotton swab to remove any silicone that may have seeped up. This comes off quite easily, as the ornament is already sealed with the spray lacquer.


The final results are sparkly beautiful little ornaments.


I made 12 in the set. Although the crystals don't show much in the picture, they really make these ornaments look beautiful as the light catches them. They also catch the lights of the tree too and almost look as if they are lit up themselves. I will be posting them in my gallery later on for you to see them all or again, you can click on the album name and it will take you to my Picasa album where there are pictures of all 12.

I also think that these would look great done up in Maple. I could use the gel staining medium and red and blue acrylic paint to stain some of them red and some blue for a nice patriotic look. They took me about 2-3 hours to cut and were relaxing and fun.

Today I will be working on my skating figures. I feel good now that I can justify working on them during the day when I should be doing 'real work'. I want to get them done as quickly as possible, as well as the pattern booklet which goes with them so that they will be ready for people to make for this year.

I hope you all have a great day and enjoy these final days of summer. For those of you who are off - enjoy your holiday!
 
#740 ·
While working in the shop Saturday and Sunday, I enjoyed taking a break on the patio next to my shop because the weather is showing signs of fall and also the butterflies are beginning to appear and I like to watch those. You're right about the fresh air on days like these because it's the only way to go. I think that those star ornaments are real pretty. Thanks for the post.
 
#752 ·
New Observation About My DeWalt Saw - Something to Think About

There are times when I really feel guilty because I like my job so much. Not really too guilty, but sort of. I guess a better way to put it is that I feel bad for the people who really don't like their own jobs. Maybe that is why I fight so hard to keep my business going and put so many hours in. The alternative seems very unpleasant to me. Although I have done many other jobs in the past, and I know if it comes down to it I will do what I have to in order to survive, I hope that I can keep things going in this direction for at least a little while.

I really had a good weekend. It was nothing out of the ordinary or special, but I made good progress on things and I am happy with the output. I had the chance to make some home made sticky buns yesterday that are absolutely incredible. I have even been good with taking the time to keep up with my daily walks for the most part. I really do like that quiet time to enjoy the beautiful surroundings near me. I think it has helped me keep a clear head and also is good for my body. The nagging hip has been much better and I barely notice it at all anymore. No drugs or pills, just that little bit of stretching and exercise seems to have helped a lot.

I know the key to my success will be to keep a balance and that alone is a full time job, it seems. The reasoning behind pursuing so many different aspects of designing is certainly not based on greed. I try to diversify my business in many directions because that way I am not counting on only one aspect of it to support me. If something goes wrong with the magazine, there are other alternatives. If something were to go wrong with one of the wholesalers I work with, I have other avenues of income. Etc. etc. I think that is one of the reasons I am one of a handful of designers that have survived these past several years when the economy has not been kind. It is not because I am sadistic and feel the need to work every waking hour. I have come to love the rush of challenging deadlines and actually meeting them and those few moments when I am all caught up with everyone, I tend to feel a bit bewildered and think "what now?" I think that all has to do with really liking what you chose to do as a profession. If I had no concern for money at all, I would probably be doing the exact same thing.

I have a funny story regarding my time at the saw this weekend. (More enlightening than funny, I guess.) I spent several hours on Saturday cutting the star ornaments out. At first I tried some new blades, but again I wasn't happy with them because they drifted to one side and they were extremely aggravating to work with. So I went back to my Olsen blades that I have come to love.

While cutting however, I have noticed of late (not just with this project, but all recent projects) that in order to obtain the proper tension on the blade, which I like very tight, I needed to really push down on the head of the saw to seat the blade before tightening the clamp and setting the tension. Now this is a little thing, but with the number of times that I do it in a scrolling session, it can be tedious. By the seventh or eighth star that I was cutting out, my shoulder started to hurt.

This made me sad because my saw is about 12 years old and I began wondering if it was nearing the end of its life. I don't use it like many who do production do, but it has had its fair amount of use and this problem has been gradually more and more noticeable and I am starting to wonder. I had sent a request to Delta to try their new saw several months ago as I mentioned here in my blog, but I haven't heard from them and with the economy the way it is, I really don't want to count those chickens right now. I really also don't have the means to put out the money it will cost to buy the new saw so I was hoping that it is something that can be fixed (I tend to want to fix things instead of dumping them and getting a new one anyway)

I finished my cutting but my shoulder was quite sore. It actually kept me awake Saturday night until I got up and took some Tylenol for it and I can still feel it is tender today. I was thinking that this can not continue and trying to figure out an alternative.

The next day (Sunday) my partner was cutting out one of his projects and noticed the same thing about the tension. He just couldn't get the head seated low enough into the blade holder to get a good tension on the blade. Although I was glad it wasn't just me that was having the problem, the reality hit me that there was probably something wrong with the saw. He is quite mechanical and tried several adjustments to see if anything would make a difference. He finally found the culprit.

I love the DeWalt saw. To me is is the best scroll saw on the market for many reasons. However, one of the things that I don't like about it is that the upper arm won't stay up on its own. You have to hold it up to un-thread your piece from the blade when you are going from hole to hole. There is an after market piece you can buy for about $25 called an "Easy Lift" which consists of a cast piece of metal and a spring. It attaches right to the saw and the spring helps to hold the arm up when you are changing holes. I purchased this arm after I already had the saw for about 7 years, as I didn't see holding the arm as a huge problem. But everyone said that it was so much better to use it, so I thought I would give it a go and splurged on the piece. All in all it has been working fine, but it seems that when Keith disconnected the spring from the arm, the weight of the head of the saw itself would seat it perfectly and the tension could again be adjusted accordingly. I don't know if I explained it clearly, but with the 'easy lift' in place, I had to dial the tension all the way up (to 5.5 on the scale) to get the proper tension and sometimes that wasn't enough and I had to try to reconnect the blade a second time. Now that the arm is disconnected, I obtain my desired tension when the scale reads 1.5-2. Quite a difference.

In thinking about it, I think that I was fighting against the spring that 'lifts' the arm up in order to get it to set into place. Perhaps that is why DeWalt designed the saw without the ability for the arm to self-lift. Perhaps it expected the full weight of the upper arm to contribute to the seating process. Maybe they knew what they were doing.

As I said, I was using the saw for seven years without the contraption and not missing a thing. Now it will be a bit of an adjustment to go back to not having the lift, but if it saves my shoulder from all this pain then it is certainly worth it. It is to me anyway. I want my fellow DeWalt owners to be aware of this because I know there are many, many of them that also use the easy lift arm and I feel they should know that it could possibly interfere with the tension adjustment.

Moral of the story: Sometimes it is best to leave things as they are.

Yesterday I spent the bulk of my day painting my skaters (when I wasn't making sticky buns!) I finished two more figures.

It seems that every now and then, we all take a little stumble in our lives. With that I present Edouard:


And when we do, it is always good to have a friend there to help us up. Meet Dora:


As I said, I am really going to spend more time on getting the entire scene done quickly. Although the two sets are completed, I am redoing them so that I am fresh and writing the full instructions as I go so that they will be ready to publish by the time I am finished here with them. I hope that will be by the end of September, as I am weaving my other work in between doing these.

With that said, I should close. I need to do the Photoshop work on a set of photographs for the next project which will go out to the magazine tomorrow and also I want to make the packet for the new star ornaments, as I have had order requests for them already. I also want to get more candle trays in the works as I have at least two new Halloween designs that I want to have ready by October 1st the latest. Here it is the seventh already.

Until tomorrow . . . enjoy your day!
 
#753 ·
I'm glad you found the problem with your saw Sheils. If you're anything like me, losing your favorite saw would be like losing your best freind. I have at time had up to eight saws. I buy them at yard sales and such. I get pretty good deals on them because people around here buy these saws thinking they are going to do a lot of scrolling only to find out later they don't enjoy it as much as they thought they would. Anyway, I alway go back to my Delta though as my go-to saw. Now the bad things is that they no longer make the particular model that I love so much. So, if anything ever happenes to it, I honestly think I'd cry. We'd have to hold a proper burial and all that for it.
Now, I know I got off topic there, and here for that matter, but thought it might interest you what I do with those saws when I find them. I find these saws sometimes dirt cheap at yard sales. I even bought a good running antique Craftsman one time for $5. I have three saws that I keep, my "go-to" Delta, a second Delta that I keep as a backup that is real similar to my other Delta, and a Craftsman direct drive that I cut my large stuff on. When I find these other saws dirt cheap, I buy them and take them back to my shop. I clean them up and make sure they are in good running order. I mount them somewhere out of my way in the shop so they can be used by someone if needed. Then, on the rare occasion that I can get someone new interested in scrolling, I'll give them a saw. The only stipulation when I give someone a saw is that if for some reason they see they don't want the saw, they are to bring it back to me in case someone else comes along wanting a saw. I've given away five saws now Sheila, and I've only been burned once. The guy I gave it to I found out later sold the saw without even trying to cut anymore. I felt used, but kept my head in it by going to visit the other four and seeing the work they have done. I'd buy another saw and give it away in a heartbeat. Four to one is a good ratio to me. It makes me feel good that I heled get those four into a great hobby.
If you're interested, PM me. There's a very interesting story behind one of those saws I gave.
 
#755 ·
A Very Exhilarating Day

I really don't like drama. I guess I have had enough of it in my life to last my entire lifetime. There are people who thrive on it I know, but I don't think I am one of them. I get really nervous and queasy when there is confrontation. I guess that is why I like writing so much. I can express myself without worrying about being bullied or cut off. In general, I think I am not an aggressive person. On paper, I am pretty good at standing up for myself and all but in real life I can be quite a marshmallow. Sometimes however, a little drama could be a good thing.

When owning and running your own business, I am finding out that there are times when you have to stand up for yourself and not let others take advantage of you. That may sound easy, but it can be quite difficult for a non-confrontational person such as myself. I have been doing this a long time though, and I believe after years of self-doubt and allowing others to take advantage of me because of my lack of confidence I have finally reached a point where I realize that in order to make my business successful I need to believe in myself enough to not allow that to happen. After all, if you don't believe in yourself and your own success, why should anyone else?

It isn't with arrogance or self-importance that I am saying this. It is more with self-respect. I find as I get older that there is a fine line between what people perceive as self-esteem and arrogance. Sometimes the same people who tell you that you need more self-confidence when you are struggling are the ones that think you are being arrogant when and if you finally do reach success. It can be very confusing.

With that said, I will get on with my story. Yesterday was a very significant day for me and my business. I will start off by saying that I never retracted a submission before. This was a first for me and a very difficult thing for me to do. I had mentioned the other day about how the other magazine had planned to divide up my skating pond set and that I just wasn't happy about it. They had it for seven months and didn't decide what to do with it. I think it will be a great project for scrollers and painters alike, and from the reaction I have received from both sectors, it will be a big seller.

I had also mentioned before that until something is published, I cannot sell or publish the pattern myself. Now since I designed this scene last January, I was certainly hoping that I would at least be able to sell part of it for this holiday season. If the magazine planned to present the pattern in several issues as originally promised, I planned to sell the pattern that way too. It would at least get people interested and started and I would sell it as four or five packets. But I was told the other day that with the new editors, they decided to spatter the pieces in the margins of the other featured projects in the magazine and all the instructions would be presented at once on the back end of the magazine.

I thought it deserved better than that. This project was too close to my heart to allow it to be shown that way, as an afterthought. As the months passed by and I hadn't heard from the magazine, I knew something was not right, so I already went to 'plan B' in my mind. I decided that I would publish it in one pattern, as a kind of small booklet. The price would be slightly more than my usual patterns, but they would get instructions for all 25 pieces and I would also offer corresponding kits of the pre-cut figures for the not woodworkers. This would make it accessible to both woodworkers and painters alike.

The other day I spoke with Robert, my editor (of the woodworking magazine) about it and he asked me to send photos of the finished scene for him to see. He love it and offered to promote it in both their painting magazines, their general craft magazine and also our woodworking magazine. Lately we have had some success with him wholesaling for me and I know he is trustworthy and I was thrilled he liked it so much to support it. He would put the ads in for no cost to me and he also would print and distribute the plans and kits and we would split the profit. How could I lose? Their two painting magazines are the top painting magazines in the industry and I think the painters would love a project like this.

So I wrote a letter to the editor of the other magazine, graciously withdrawing my submission. I felt I was gentle and professional. I didn't want her to feel guilty because after all, she lost her position as editor in chief and it had to be painful for her too. I explained that I understood that with change there are compromises, but I just didn't want my pieces to be compromised in that way and there were no hard feelings and I just wanted them back to do what I wanted to do with them. I figured that it didn't really matter to them much anyway because of how they intended on using them.

Boy, was I wrong!

I returned from the post office to a phone call from Robert, and he said all heck broke loose over there with the new editor. I guess he even talked to him himself and he was quite upset with me withdrawing the pieces. I guess the new editor is quite important in the design industry and he wanted to make this magazine (which is called Christmas 365 by the way) into a Martha Stewart-type decorating magazine for the holidays. Robert said he told the man that I could do just about anything in wood he wanted regarding wood and woodworking projects and how valuable an asset I was to his company and how he should consider me to work on every issue of their magazine. All he needed to do was to send me in a direction and I would be able to come up with something nice.

Robert told me that he told the new guy he would speak to me about allowing him to keep the designs for the issue. He said the issue hit the stands mid-November and I would still have some time to market the set for myself this year. I trust Robert with all my soul. We have worked together for over 13 years and he always is honest and works for a win/win/win philosophy where all parties benefit from the deals he makes. He said he would go back to the new editor if I wanted and be my 'agent' and I told him to go ahead. He even negotiated a much higher price for using the pieces than I would have imagined.

He said that the new guy really loved the set and was extremely upset (not at me, but in general) at the thought of me pulling it. Robert also thought (and I agreed) that it would be very smart of me business wise to compromise on this issue and it would put me in great favor with the new regime over there. So I agreed. :)

I really won't be losing anything at all but perhaps a little time. After November when the magazine is out, I can go along accordingly with my plans with Robert to market this set. It actually buys me some time to find someone to produce the pieces for me. I am finding I may need them to be laser cut, as I first thought that any CNC could do it. I feel that it is a set that will sell all year around, as there are a lot of pieces and it will take time to create. It will be represented in now five different magazines - one holiday, one general crafting, two painting and my own woodworking one - all at no cost to me. If it sells, we all make money. If not, no harm done. I am also able to market it on my site and to my wholesalers as I wish.

That is one of the spectacular things about Robert. He is willing to try something new out. If things don't do so well, he moves on. There is no bad feelings or negative repercussions. As a designer and an artist, I can't tell you how much that means to me. In this economy it is difficult at best to find someone willing to take chances. The way he looks at it though is if we don't try we don't know. To him it is worth the advertising space he is contributing to see. It is one of the many, many reasons I am so loyal to this one publishing company.

This was an incredible experience for me. I also have many bouts with lacking self-confidence, as you know. I don't think that is always a bad thing because it keeps me working at my very best, but it can cripple me at times when I know I should stand up for myself. But each time that I am successful when I do stand up for what I believe in and not let myself be a push over, it strengthens me for the next time. Diversifying myself also helps, as I said yesterday. If this were all I had going, I don't know if I would have been able to bring myself to risk losing it. But by having it just a piece of the entire picture, the risk to my overall business was lessened and I was able to do what I felt was right.

In speaking with Robert after all was said and done, I have come to the conclusion that I wasn't really mad about the project, I just felt hurt because something that I put so much importance in was (I felt) treated as an afterthought. Little did I know the turmoil that was going on at that magazine. It was much bigger than my little project. In the end, they showed me that it DID matter to them - very much - and knowing that it was very easy for me to make a compromise. After all, I am a reasonable girl. Being validated like that was probably the best payoff I could have received.

I hope all of you with your own businesses or those of you who are considering marketing your creations remember this story. You have to believe in yourself in order to expect others to do so. People will only give you the amount of respect you demand. "Demand" sounds like a strong word, but it doesn't have to be acted upon in a negative way. If you treat people with respect and ethically, the right people will recognize that and return the favor. The others don't matter anyway.

So for the next couple of days, I will be working to get the instructions for all these pieces together. I guess we switched gears again! I don't consider working like this a negative. It is quite exciting and keeps me fresh and on my toes and my work is never boring as you see. I will still keep on presenting the pond figures piece by piece in my other blog and here too, as I think it is fun t do it that way.

Again, I am grateful too for all the friends here on LJ's who encourage me and help give me the confidence I need to make these types of decisions. Your support is really as they say "priceless".

Thanks for reading and I hope you all make beautiful, wonderful creations today!
 
#756 ·
Good for you Sheila. I'm glad all turned out well. While I will take your lesson to heart, I've already had similar experiences. I've had times when I "went along to get along" with bad results. I thought I was doing the right thing by keeping my mouth shut, but in the end I just got dumped on and others took credit for my work and I got nothing. Then there have been times that I just said enough is enough and plainly said hell no. I stood up for myself and in the end, I came out not only with more repsect from others, but a whole lot more self respect too.
Another problem I have is this. I don't mind suggestions from anyone, about any part of my work. I have had the problem though, especially from close family and friends, who seem to think that it's ok to criticize my work too the point that they say I should just scrap a project that I'm proud of and start all over with ideas that they have. I've finally came up with an answer to that one too. I just tell them that if they'd like, I can order them a set of whatever patterns I'm using and they can do it themselves. I'll be glad to hold my version of the project back until they have a chance to create and start selling their's. I haven't had any takers on that yet.
I'm happy though that this new editor may be coming around. I don't know just how new he is, but I do know I've been seeing your work for a long time. You are definately NOT new to this game. One of the first sources of patterns I used when I started scrolling was Creative Woodworking and Crafts. It's funny though. I happened to be sitting here looking at my latest issues of that magazine one day when the mail came in. It came just as I had finished reading about you on the interrnet. It took me a minute to realize that you and the designer in that magazine were one and the same.
 
#760 ·
Trying Out Some Corian

After all the excitement of the previous day, yesterday brought with it a welcome calm. I took advantage of the general quite of the day and I did some major house cleaning and organizing. There is something about having neat and organized surroundings that provides comfort and peace in my life. I sent the next project off to the magazine. There are two projects there already there awaiting their publication along with a couple of articles, but the editors are already finished with them for the most part and they are awaiting the next project anxiously. I believe we are beginning to start having to work on the Spring themes already, and here Autumn has just arrived. I guess that thinking in such a time warp has just become a way of life with me.

I have a fun idea for a project that I think I will be offering to the magazine next. It involves the use of Corian. On out previous trip to Halifax, I stopped in a custom kitchen shop to see if they have any drop offs or small pieces of Corian that I could use. The gentleman was quite nice and offered up a couple of pieces that were in the back. He did tell me however that they seldom had even small pieces available and if I were to purchase pieces, they would run about 25 cents a square inch. I was very grateful he had the two pieces he gave me, and when I offered to pay for them, he wouldn't accept any money. How nice he was.

One of the pieces was a tan, marbled piece which I would have loved to incorporate into my project but it was just a bit too small for what I needed. The other piece was an off white piece that would also do nicely. I would just have to be careful not to screw it up, as I would only have one shot.

I have never worked with Corian before, but I have a friend in Tennessee who is not only an incredible wood turner but also works extensively with scrollsawing it Corian. I have not needed to ask her anything yet, but it is comforting to know that she is my 'go to' girl on this. She recently had a project featured in our magazine where she made a beautiful fretwork box using it.

Below is a picture of what she did with it:


She is quite an artist and I love to see the beautiful creations she comes up with. her turnings are also absolutely beautiful. I am sure if I have any trouble with things, I can ask her and she will help.

My intentions for using the Corian are much simpler than this however. I find that it will be best for me to just get my feet wet and test the water before I use it in more complex applications. It will just be a small accent piece on something of a larger scope.

I test cut a little corner of it using the recommended blade and it seemed to do fine. Although there was a bit more dust than I was used to, it seemed to behave fairly well and I was able to follow my line closely. I hear that the blade life will be much shorter and I will have to be aware of that and allow the saw itself to do the work and not force things. I believe that patience will be the key to getting this done properly.

I also understand that Corian routs like wood and I would like to try that process too in creating the project. It will be a fun learning experience for me as I see how this material performs for me. I will certainly keep everyone posted.

I will be working on the written instructions for my skating pond again today. I finished the instructions for the stars yesterday and they are with my proofreader so they should be ready to go soon. I also base-coated the next pieces of the pond figures so I will be getting those finished up today. I always feel that it is a special treat when I can spend at least part of the day painting.

So all in all it appears it will be a good day - "barring all disasters". (I love that saying and it makes me smile every time I use it because it seems to invite trouble!) Hopefully though, things will go according to plan. I hope you all have a great day too. (If any of you have had any experience with Corian, I would love to hear them.)

Take care
 
#767 ·
Memories of My Beginnings in Woodworking

Another week is coming to an end. It is amazing to me that during these busy times just how quickly that seems to happen. I read many posts on my facebook and all around about school beginning and mothers putting their children on the school bus to begin the new year at school. Those days are long past for me, as my children are both grown, but I have many fond memories of that time in my life.

The other day when I posted the picture of the fireplace mantle that my friend Cari and I built for my house made me start thinking of that time. Our young ones were toddlers and our older children were in elementary school and each morning in the autumn we would take the wagon or bikes or strollers for the little ones and walk the older boys to school together. It was usually cool in the morning and we needed to wear jackets and sweaters, even though we knew by noon it would be warm and sunny.

We would arrive home and go to either Cari's house or mine (we lived only a couple of houses down from each other) and one of us would always have a nice pot of coffee and some sort of sweets were an absolute necessity. After our morning snack and planning our day, the two young ones (her boy Steve and my Danielle) would play together while Cari and I would either scroll saw or paint or do some other type of woodworking.

We each had a small 'shop' in our garage. Cari had a side wing built onto hers for her shop, as she had a few more tools than I did. We did what most would call 'light woodworking' - mainly scroll sawing and routing with some use of a table saw. We didn't build intricate boxes or exquisite cutting boards, but we mainly cut out pins to paint and crafts and birdhouses and things that we could paint and sell to the other moms at the school or to the nurses at the local hospital.

Cari was also a cardiac nurse, and worked a couple of shifts a week. The other nurses sure loved the hand made stuff and were some of our best customers. Before I had even met Cari I had known many other nurses at the large hospital nearby and they were great customers from the get go. They actually made me decide to start a 'business' as I had made one thing for a friend to give to her sick sister and she brought it to the hospital to give her and a group of nurses saw it and they all wanted one. I guess you would call that the beginning of my 'career'.

Cari was creative too, and it was she and her father who introduced me to the scroll saw in the first place. Her dad was an engineer and very exacting. He believed in showing you how to do it and then letting you do things on your own. He remained available if you needed help, but like Bernie, he felt that the best teacher was experience. He loved to see us working and did all he could to support us and teach us many different skills.

Seeing that picture of that mantle we built brought back so many memories of those times in my life. Cari and I built that mantle in one day, with the kids playing underfoot. We had the miter saw on the driveway and there were kids buzzing back and forth and I remember checking and measuring over and over to make sure we got the cuts right. We used to kid and say "No man could do this". The one piece of oak crown molding we used cost over $70 I remember, and the fireplace was angled on the wall. We had one shot to make the cut right and if we messed it, it would mean the piece of wood would be useless to us. That was the last piece we cut for the day and I remember the sun was beginning to set and we were losing our light in the driveway. We contemplated waiting until the next day, but we were anxious to see the project finished. We cut the wood and it fit darn near perfectly. You could barely fit a piece of paper between the wood and the wall.

When the project was finished, you could place a marble on it and it wouldn't roll. It was a pretty good job for two women with kids winding. Even the men were impressed. I think for me it was the beginning of wanting to do bigger and better things. It was so fun and satisfying!

Our Mantle:


Cari and I remained close for over ten years. We watched our children grow up together, spent holidays together and spent almost every day together laughing, creating and even crying. Then there came a time when I had to move and we kind of lost touch and our lives went in different directions. I find that life is like that. I have learned to appreciate each good day for what it is because as I said in the beginning when I started writing this blog, the only thing you can be certain of in our lives is change. We remained friends although not on a daily basis, as I lived too far to see her every day. Little by little we drifted apart, as even good friends sometimes do.

About two years ago, Cari passed away from cancer. She had had a bout with it previously when I was still in her life, and she used to spend the weeks after her chemo in my little apartment with me to get away from things and recover. She had gone through both chemo and radiation when we were still close and after five years of being clear, was considered 'cancer free'. However, her husband told me that it had come back after I had moved here to Canada and it took her very quickly. I had seen her a couple of times when I returned there for visits, but she had never mentioned it to me. He said she wanted it that way.

I think about Cari a lot - especially in these fall days when I hear stories of kids and school and the air is cool in the morning as it is now. In retrieving that picture, it was in a box I have of hundreds of pictures from that time in my life that I spent with Cari. There are pictures of kids and parties we had and projects and I found myself sifting through it and smiling and remembering. I hope that some way and some how she knows that I have achieved some success in what started with what I learned from her and her dad. I also hope she knows that she does live on through me and my memories of our friendship and what we learned together. I hope she is proud.
 
#776 ·
Passing Another Milestone

Yesterday was a full day. It seemed that every minute I was busy but it was one of those days where at the end of it I looked at what I physically accomplished and it didn't seem that it should have been so hard to do. I think some projects are like that though. They take much more out of us then we realize.

My main accomplishment was getting the written instructions of the Skating Pond done and to the Assistant Editor (who is the woman who used to be the Editor) of the Christmas 365 magazine. We had communicated since the other day and she was very happy that I was keeping the project in the magazine, but she requested the written instructions as soon as possible. When I told her that I would have them by Friday, she was glad because she said she could work on them over the weekend. So it was time for me to stay focused and get them done.

When I paint a new project, I keep a little notebook to jot down the colors that I am using as I go. The brand of paint I use (DecoArt) has over 250 colors available and it is easy to go on a rampage and use 100 colors on a project. If I were doing one of my own paintings, like my Cheetah that is on my site, I wouldn't really be concerned with how many different paints I used. I love using acrylics and use them for many of my 'fine art' type of paintings because I am familiar with them and can get them to perform like oils without the odor or mess.

However, one thing that I don't like doing with them is mixing them to achieve a certain color. They dry very quickly and it is near impossible to achieve the identical color back to back when you are mixing. You are probably wondering why anyone with a palette of over 250 colors would want more colors, but you would be surprised how many times when doing delicate shading or highlighting that you feel you need a color that isn't there. All I can say is that it is like the question of "do we ever have enough wood?" You can replace it with " do we ever have enough colors?" and most artists will also answer with a resounding "no".

My DecoArt Palette:


These are all their Americana Acrylics. I keep them all in a bench in the living room for easy access. The missing colors are the ones I am using now, as they fill it up pretty much. It is easy to see how one could just keep grabbing colors at will, without regard as to how many different ones will be used.

When I design a project for a pattern packet or for the magazine, I try to remember that others may not have all the colors in the palette as I do and I do try to overlap colors when possible. Now keep in mind, that I don't compromise the design at all by doing this. It is just a matter of if I need a red and there are two or three reds that are close in color that would work, I would lean to the one I may have already used and continue with that instead of introducing a new and very similar color. To me it is just regarding the painter who may want to do the project.

I remember when I first started painting out of books, I would go to Michael's or sometimes several of the craft supply stores with my list of paints in hand to get the paint colors I needed for a particular project. Typically there would be one or two colors that the store didn't carry and it would initiate what I would call "A Quest" where I would hit every paint store in the south suburbs of Chicago looking for that color. More than a few times, after searching and finally finding the coveted color, I would go home and paint the design only to find that the elusive color would only be used to highlight a cheek or paint in a tiny button. How frustrating when I thought back on the hours of hunting for it!

For that reason, I also have taken to offering color swatches on my pattern packets. For the swatches, I smear a small drop of the color and name it right on the pattern so people can see what it looks like and the relation to the other colors (ie - if it is a slightly darker red than the previous base coat). This way if they already have something close, it will save them the time and money of trying to get a color that they don't have.

But for the magazine and doing an article such as this, I needed to be dead-on. After all, part of what makes the magazine work is the advertising from the paint and brush companies and they also will pay a small endorsement fee for published articles to us designers for using their products.

Many designers use several brands of both paint and brushes and switch back and forth from article to article. For those of you who know me well enough through this blog however, you can guess that I stick to one brand for each. I have my reasons and I will talk about that another time perhaps.

So the instructions came to ten written pages, without the corresponding pictures or the paint list. That was a lot of technical writing even for me. I was planning on painting last night, but I finally sat down to do so and it was already 9:30 pm. I was tired and just felt like reading for a bit and calling it a night. I curled up with one of my three favorite cats "Richard" and read through some new books I received on Wednesday until I fell asleep.

Here is a picture of Richard in his Happy Place:


I think for today and tomorrow I am going to take it a bit easy. I think I passed a good milestone yesterday. Writing the instructions for the skaters and all this commotion regarding them has made me want to finish my set even more. I don't, however want to start in on it late at night when I am already tired from the day's events. I think I will spend the weekend working on it "at leisure". I want to make some more sticky buns, as the last batch is gone and also I have a birthday party today for a good friend that will be a fun and social event. I haven't been with people in a bit and am looking forward to some face-to-face visiting.

Robert (my wood magazine editor) loved the star ornaments and I am going to be designing a set for him that will be done in light wood and tinted like I tinted the candle trays with red, white and blue coloring. This set of stars will be patriotic for those who haven't already guessed and will be great for our Spring or Summer issues of the magazine. But I will get to that Monday.

I also have new candle trays to do for Halloween that I need to get done by the end of September. But a break is in order for now. I want to do what I want to do and have some fun. :) Keeping that balance is what will keep me fresh and from burning out.

Have a wonderful day!
 
#785 ·
Seeing Others Blossom

Again, I want to thank you all for the nice comments and private messages regarding my 100th blog post yesterday. I do enjoy talking to you every morning and although every day isn't filled with making woodworking projects, sometimes it is really nice to share a good story or talk about something totally unrelated. I am happy you all like to read about the other things too.

Today I have a good story to tell. I think it is a good story anyway, and it made me feel very happy.

A couple of weeks ago, I had a call from a man here in Nova Scotia. He lives up in a town near Sydney, which is clear at the northern end of the province. He was a retired shop teacher who was preparing to go back to teaching high school woodworking this semester. He had seen my little See Creature Eyeglass Holders in the issue of Creative Woodworks and had some questions regarding them and how they were made. He asked me if I thought they would be suitable for students to make them and I told him I thought they would be great. They did not require much scroll saw skill (there was no fretwork involved) and just had some light routing and basic painting on them. I thought they would be nice for a starter project for kids.

We talked about some of the other particulars regarding the project and that was that. I was happy that he was considering some of my projects for teaching his students.

Yesterday, he called me back to give me an update. He told me that although the kids had only been back in school a week, they absolutely loved the See Creature projects he had chosen. He said that they were enthusiastic and excited and it looked like it would really be a winner. He said several times how things had changed over the years with kids and how difficult it was to get them involved in things and he was really happy at their response to this project. I could tell from his tone that he was also excited about the upcoming year of teaching.

We talked about a few other patterns that I have on my site and discussed which ones would be suitable to teach in the class and he said he was going to bring the kids to my site so they could help pick out projects themselves and see the other things that they could do with the scroll saw. Our conversation lasted about half an hour.

When I hung up the phone, I really felt great. I think I am as excited as he was that something that I designed got such a positive response. On one of the other forums that I read (Steve Good's) a man posted pictures of his young daughter sitting at the scroll saw and working on her first piece. She was about 12 years old and seemed to be doing a beautiful job. This was also a great thing to see.

With all the electronic games and other things around, it is not so common to see teens and young adults taking time to learn scroll sawing or woodworking in general. I think it is wonderful to see and hear about others who expose these young people to these new skills and share their time and knowledge with them. One of the best feelings I have is when I feel as if I inspire someone to try something new and creative.

I also woke up to a notice that Bearpie had posted some of his wife Edith's paintings on LJ's here for us to see. He said she used to paint and kind of lost interest, but started painting again after doing some of my candle trays. I was so touched and thrilled when I saw the absolutely beautiful painting that she does. She is truly an artist in so many ways and it is just wonderful to see the two of them compliment each other as they do.

That, my friends, is what designing is all about for me. It is not only making things. It is teaching others to make them too and guiding them so they can create things that otherwise they may not feel they could. I look at each pattern that I make as a mini-lesson. Nothing makes me feel better then putting someone's feet on the path and watching them run on their own. If in a small way I have helped someone discover their own creativity and bring some bit of joy and sense of accomplishment into their lives, then I have done my job well. These stories mean more to me than any paycheck ever could.

I truly believe that we all have a great deal of untapped creativity inside ourselves, waiting to be released. Sometimes it starts slowly and just trickles out, but before long the flood gates open and we find ourselves longing to create more and more. The sense of satisfaction we get when we complete our projects does much for our own self-esteem. We all have experienced that wonderful sense of pride we get from creating. It is no wonder that the more we do the greater our desire to continue.

Today I will spend the day painting my skating pond figures. I had a wonderful time at my friends yesterday and had wonderful food (rappie pie - an Acadian classic) and great company. It is beautiful and sunny and crisp out and I think a fine day to take a nice hike in the woods. I will try to remember my camera, as I always seem to forget.

Thank you again so very much for all of your stories and encouragement. The stories just make me want to do more and do better. I am very fortunate to be a part of this community.

Have a wonderful Sunday.
 
#786 ·
tank´s for the story about the children Sheila , it always bring smiles to hear a teacher have
succes with children not only in the teaching/learning mode but allso in the connection with them
just a shame that they often don´t get what they needed to learn children the best skills.
even here in Denmark where the state says that our childrens brain is the only resurce we have,
we don´t have anything in the underground, they just ceep on cutting down on schools.

and yes you better have to remember the camera :)

have a great day
Dennis
 
#789 ·
New Projects for the Week

It's Monday and I can't wait to start the week. That's a great feeling. I have several new things that I want to get working on and I am really excited about getting them going and seeing them come to life.

Last week I showed my editor the star ornaments that I finished. He liked them a lot and I told him I could make a totally different set out of maple or another light wood and I would be able to use the paints I used on the candle holders and tint them red, white and blue for the summer issues. These would be similar, but I will change the designs a bit so they could easily be added to the other set. I think it will be an easy project, but still a lot of fun. I want to get right on that this morning.

I still also have several ideas for Halloween candle trays that I want to get done. With time going by so quickly, I want to ge them ready by the end of this month so that people have time to make them and display them for the Halloween season. I have been dying to use some of the pretty wood that I have here too for them so it will be extra fun to see how then come out when they are finished. They have been 'living in my head' for some time now and I just need to fit them in and get them done. I think they will be 'spooktacular'! (Sorry!)

The other project I really want to see get done is something similar to the candle trays, but a bit more functional and also kind of cute and cool. That's the one I want to use the Corian with. I am going to offer it to the magazine, but if they don't take it, I wouldn't mind. I don't know if it will appeal to everyone, but it will be interesting to see if it will or not. I guess there are some projects that I like to do like that. More for myself than anything. Sometimes it is those that are the most fun.

I did get the next figures done for my skating pond scene yesterday. I had a nice day and took my time and relaxed and painted them. They are Anna and Jacqueline:


Since I started telling little stories to go with the pieces, I will continue to do so on the skating pond blog. It does give them a little more personality and it is fun to imagine their history and make up stories about them while painting them. I don't want to get too involved in the stories though, because I would love for people to adapt their pieces to their own stories. It is just fun for me to do my own little version though.

I loved seeing all the new projects here and corresponding with my friends here on LJ's this weekend. It was nice to take the time to read around the site a little more than usual and also learn more about my buddies. I don't always have time to do that and there is much to be said about taking some time off and slowing down for a day or two. After such a relaxing weekend I feel like I am raring to go today and can't wait to start.

Have a wonderful Monday everyone!
 
#792 ·
Change of Seasons

With the cooler weather arriving, it is a pleasure to see more and more people getting back to their shops and starting to work on projects again. As you regular readers know, summer is probably my least favorite season. I know that isn't a popular opinion, but I have never been one to go along with the masses so I guess it is somewhat expected that I am not really fond of summer. From what I hear from my friends and customers in the States, it was for the most part a really brutal summer for them. I think I fared much better then most here in NS, but those couple of weeks of above average temperatures were more than enough for me. I do like outings and day trips, and if I were able to spend the day at the beach or a lake each day I may like it more, but for day-to-day living, I find the heat can be as debilitating as the cold.

With that said, it is wonderful to feel ambitious and be able to spend the day working wearing a light sweater to keep off the chill. I just feel as if I have much more energy and am able to accomplish so much more. Although I have laid a fairly good foundation for the fall season with my wholesalers, I still have many ideas of new projects and can pretty much keep going at this pace for a long while to come.

Realistically, it is a time when I should be starting to think about the Spring projects and warm weather items, such as garden plaques and things of that nature. In working with the catalogs and magazines we are supposed to get used to the time warp that we live by and have to reprogram ourselves to think at least six months ahead. This is the time for me when professionally I need to be fast forwarding my thinking and planning past the Christmas and holiday seasons, just when everyone is getting aboard with autumn projects. It is sometimes unsettling to me. It doesn't help that the magazines also are on the stands well before their printed date. For instance their Holiday issue came out in August. I think November is next, and it becomes available in September. What happened to November being available in November?

I believe we are up to working on the March issue of the magazine right now that will come out probably sometime in late January or early February. So that means that they will have some winter projects in it still. Even I don't know and I have been doing this for 14 seasons now. Is it me being too simple, or would it be better if the March issue came out IN March and had some spring projects in it? There goes that pink cloud thinking again. It always gets the best of me.

I don't know what got me writing in this direction, but since autumn is my favorite season, I just want to enjoy it a bit. I am happy my website is doing a bit better this year. In the past several years it has been kind of an afterthought, and it showed by the meager sales I had there. Now, it is definitely a vital part of my business and it is a wonderful "real time" aspect of my business that keeps me in the proper season. I know that I can design something in October that is Autumn related and I can shoot it up on the site for people to see and they will have plenty of time to work on it. I love the instant gratification of the site. You hit the publish button and there it is for all to see. No waiting for months to see it out there in public.

I received my holiday catalog from my one large wholesaler the other day. It was the catalog in which I worked so hard to get the candle tray sets into. Besides the trays, there were all of my other new items I have made since the last cut off day a couple of months earlier. I had a very prolific summer it seems. It was strange to see how many new items I had featured in there and some I had simply forgotten that I did. Now will come the interesting part. Although I have had most of the items on my site from soon after they were designed, this will be the first time they were really 'out there' for the masses to see. As I had stated before, their customer data base is much larger than my own, and unlike the magazine projects where the items are not only seen, but the plans offered in the magazine, this time I will be able to see which items will really sell and appeal to people.

The catalog shipped the last few days of August and I am quite proud to say that about one quarter to one third of the patterns in it are from my company. Even my editor noticed what a presence I had in it. It think this is the most I have ever been represented in a catalog ever. I won't know the initial figures for over a month though, but hopefully the hard work will pay off and I will have a decent autumn and winter.

So much of my work is delayed gratification. I think that is why many are not able to do what I do. I can work my butt off on something and not see any return at all on it for six months or more. It takes a lot of thinking ahead and patience to stick with it year after year. And if something doesn't do so well, it takes that long to realize it also. It is quite a guessing game and I find that by keeping up the site and putting the tremendous amount of extra work to do that, it does help me to get an earlier indication as to what will be popular and what won't.

On the plus side, once the things are done they can produce for me for many, many years. I have that Forest Leaf series that I designed in 2002 and it still sells to some extent today. The Wooden Teddy carries all the patterns (although many are only on their website) but month after month there is still a small check from their sales. On my site, I still find that people purchase the patterns retail, as there are new scrollers coming into the hobby all the time and they still have appeal. I sold a decent sized set of them just the other day.

So it is like a snowball effect, if you will. I guess I will just keep building up the arsenal. At this point, I have over 400 patterns. They range from plaques to small boxes to ornaments and everything in between. I am in a really good place now because I have such a vast and stable foundation in which to build on. Now when I design, I don't worry that people will have 'nothing to choose from'. I can really concentrate on design and quality (not that I haven't in the past, but to a greater extent) and let the patterns out there work for me while I concentrate on new and better designs. That is the upside of what I do. The work I am doing now can pay off for ten or more years.

All in all, I am happy that I was able to stick with it. There were very adverse times in my business when others around me were telling me I was foolish for pursuing what I do and that I needed a more stable job. There may have been times when I thought they were right. But there was something inside of me that kept me going in this direction because I knew in my heart if I worked hard enough, it would be OK.

I read a blog this morning where someone was making a shop and had to kind of put it on hold because of the economy. I was glad to see that he didn't abandon his dream altogether, but he adapted his plans to work in the mean time until things got better. I think he will be successful because his decision to change with the circumstances was both necessary and practical. I think in the long run he will do OK because he reworked his thinking to go with the times. It is people like this I feel that will realize their dreams. I know I am cheering for him.

So on we go today. I am finishing up the next set of ornaments I am working on and half way through. They are taking a bit longer than I wanted, but there were distractions yesterday and that is OK. I like what I have so far and I know the drawing will be done today and I will be cutting by the latest tomorrow. I think they will look cool and Robert will be happy with them, as they are for the magazine. I will certainly show them here though so you all can have a sneak peek at them.

So it is back to drawing for today. It is cool and overcast and the perfect autumn day. I have a cinnamon roll calling me from the kitchen and I will be ready to go. (Twenty seconds in the microwave and they are as good as out of the oven!)

Have a good and productive day everyone. . . .Until tomorrow. :)
 
#793 ·
Although I realize it is an unpopular opinion, I whole heartedly agree with you. I absolutely hate summer.
I used to love summer when I was younger. Nowadays though, my body can't handle the heat. During the summer months if I want to do anything in the shop, I have to sleep in the day time and work at night. It's the onyl time the temperature goes down enough or me to get anything done. This year has been especially hard. There were times this year that even working at night I had to use extra precautions at night. If I leaned over my work without watching myself very carefully, sweat would drip onto my wood. We all know that sweat and finishes don't mix too well.
It is finally getting now that some days the temperature is down enough that I can work in the day light hours. The kids are visiting the shop while I'm working. That is a highlight of my day which I don't get to enjoy when I'm working in the middle of the night. My wife likes to come over when I'm working in the day and help sand things. That gives me time with her and helps me avoid one of my least favorite tasks.
Later in the year, winter sets in. I fire up the wood heater, and work away in the daytime. I have found that in the winter I can burn wood and put on clothes to keep warm. In the summer though, you can't take off enough clothes to stay cool.
 
#800 ·
Today I Get To Scroll Saw

It has been a quiet week so far, but it has also been productive. It seems as if things go through cycles like that. I am not really used to quiet so it is rather odd to be able to work at such a good pace without many interruptions. Yesterday I finished my drawings and I got to the point of cutting the new sets of stars. I found a nice and light piece of maple to cut them from and the patterns are attached and I even drilled everything out.

I often wish that they had blowers attached to the drill press like they do with the scroll saw. I am sure that I can fashion my own and probably will do so when I finally have a real shop. It just seems to me that it would be quite helpful when accurate drilling is needed.

When the pattern was just about finished, I received an email from the assistant editor from the magazine. She told me that they are going to start doing many of the appropriate patterns with a grayscale fill and asked our opinion on that. I had always thought that it would be helpful to have a light gray fill in the areas to be cut out - especially on the intricate patterns. It would just clarify things a bit more and be a bit easier on the eyes when cutting.

She explained that it would be used only on the patterns which it seemed appropriate, as it wouldn't make sense with others. I found that to be true and was happy that they were deciding on a pattern by pattern basis. It showed they were thinking. The pattern I was working on is for the magazine, so after reading the email, I went back and changed it so it was filled. It took a bit more time, but I did think it looked more professional and a bit better. I had wanted to do that originally with my patterns several years ago, but at that time the editors didn't feel that it was a good thing so I didn't bother, as it did require extra time. Apparently things do change. I flirted with the idea of going back and changing all of my appropriate patterns, but that would take quite a bit of time as I have over 400 of them and I really don't think it is necessary. So we will go from here.

By the time I finished the drilling and prep, it was late afternoon and I didn't really want to start at the saw. I changed gears and made a nice dinner and spent the night painting my next Ice Skating Pond figure. He is a young boy I will call Stephen:


It is good to have many directions to work in, as I do sometimes have the luxury of picking and choosing what I wanted to work on. I really felt good painting last evening and it was fun and relaxing. The highlight of my evening was seeing Jordan's carved war shirt which he just finished and posted. His patience and skill just amazes me, as I am sure it does all of you. It was wonderful also to see all the praises and support he got from his fellow LJ's here. Again, this is a great place for inspiration.

So today I will spend most of the day at the saw. I am excited because it is one of my favorite parts of designing. Although these stars are similar to the previous batch, I will be finishing them with a bit of color so I am anxious to see how they will turn out. I have at least another hour before I can begin cutting, but I have enough to do around here to keep me busy until then. I am looking forward to a great day doing what I love the most.

I hope you all have a good day too.
 
#801 ·
You have a good day as well, Sheila. I really like that pattern of the boy on the sled. That would make a nice Christmas tree decoration. I'm going to get around to playing with my scroll saw one of these days. I'm trying to hone up my traditional woodworking skills right at the moment. I used to like making toys so I figure that one day soon I might make some more toys with a combination of the lathe, the scroll saw and my other tools. My son use to call tools 'tootles' when he was a little boy. I don't know how I happened to think about that just now. Take care.
 
#804 ·
A Silver Lining After a Dismal Day

Well, yesterday turned out to be a day where things just don't go right. I know we have all had those days, and it was just my turn apparently. I wasn't any one thing in particular. Just a lot of little things that added up I guess.

I did get all my cutting done, and that was a good part of the day. But in between cutting there were several messages that weren't what I called positive. I can see my computer screen from where I cut, and I check in on messages every once in a while, as it keeps me moving around and helps me from getting achy when I am at the saw a long time.

The first message was from my new distributor. She had chosen some of my things for her catalog a month or so ago as she had discovered that she was short a page. She had picked some older items and also some of the newer ones such as a few of the See Creatures. I was happy because it was a good chance for me to reestablish myself with her, as I had done business with her company with the prior owner and although she moved away from taking patterns from outside designers, she said she would give me a try.

Her email said that there were a few of the patterns that I had sent her that were corrupted and I needed to resend them. That was no biggie, as I know that happens. She did go on however to say that things were starting out 'sluggish' and that she hoped they would pick up. That made me kind of sad.

Although I know we are far from out of the woods with the economy and all, it brought me back to reality. I didn't quite know what she meant. Was MY stuff slugglish or was it that way across the board? I was afraid to ask her. She is the one that isn't the great communicator and it is very difficult to get answers out of her anyway, so I didn't even approach it. I sent her the patterns and said that I hoped it got batter and that was that.

But sitting at the scroll saw and cutting is my thinking time and I was dwelling on it. It was good to have another source of selling and I was hoping it wouldn't be in jeopardy because of the slow start. I know she is all business and from a business point of view I felt at risk with her company. I wondered how long she would give me until she decided whether to keep me on as a supplier or not.

Then while I was thinking about all of that, I got the email with my August figures from my large company that wholesales my patterns. They have been struggling too as I have said and the numbers were not great. They weren't terrible, but they weren't anything that I could hang my hat on either.

I spent the next couple of hours convincing myself that it was going to be OK. After all, their new catalog where I had all the new stuff in had just mailed out the final week of August, which means those numbers won't even be counted until the September numbers come out. Also, it was still ungodly hot in most areas throughout August and people really don't start thinking about getting back into their shops until kids are back to school and the weather changes a bit. So I had to keep convincing myself it would be OK.

Later in the afternoon, my other company's August report came in and it was pretty much the same. Not horrible, but not what I had hoped for either.

Well, at least I got all the news at once and got it over with.

I continued on with my work, and tried to think things out. I think it hit me hard because my own site was doing better than it ever has done. If I were to look on the positive side, I would convince myself that if my site did this well in the slow times when even the large companies had dismal orders, it should really take off in the busy season. I just can't wrap my head around that yet. It would be nice if that were the case, but I am not sure and it is hard to tell.

I talked about living in a time warp and patience the other day. This is what I was referring to. The way I look at it there are two choices - find something else to do or work harder. I suppose that is why there aren't many designers making a living off of doing what I do. It is such a long road and some days seems endless.

When I told my partner of the news, he took it much better than I did. I had told you in the past that he was a 'black cloud' thinker and I was a 'pink cloud' thinker. I asked him if I could come over and visit on his black cloud awhile and he laughed and said that if I abandoned my pink cloud, what would he have to look forward to? It was odd that he was the one giving me the pep talk for a change. Usually I was the optimistic one.

Part of my disappointment was that I had seen him work so hard and had seen how beautiful his designs are and was sad that he wouldn't be compensated as much and I hoped for his efforts. I was used to it, but I didn't want to dampen his spirit and enthusiasm, as he is doing wonderful work. It surprised me that he was OK with things and turned to the role of encouraging me to keep trying. Maybe some of my pink cloud philosophy has rubbed off on him after all?

So I worked on my ornaments until after 9pm and finished them. Here is a picture of some of them. You can click on the title to see the rest or I will put them in my gallery later on:


These are going to the magazine and I used the gel stains that I used on the candle trays to color them. They took about 3-4 hours to cut - longer than I anticipated, but I think it was because of the many interruptions I had yesterday. I won't be able to sell these until they are published next Spring, but I can still sell the other ones done in the Pau Amarillo as they are different designs.

Today I am going to need to go to the bank and do my bookwork for August, but I hope to work on another candle tray and use some of the beautiful orange wood that I recently purchased. I am still waiting to hear from the host company about the "dreaded site update" and that should be coming up soon so I know I will have to deal with that.

As a silver lining on my day, I want to end on a positive note. I had a customer order some patterns Tuesday and she was from the UK. I emailed her the patterns and thought that was that. I received a message from her yesterday afternoon that although she had been charged, she never received confirmation or the patterns. I looked up her order and saw that everything should have been ok. I called her and talked to reconfirm her email and make sure that she didn't have any filters on her mail and I resent the patterns one at a time and gave her an additional, similar pattern for her trouble.

Just before I went to bed, I received the nicest email from her. She praised my customer service and said that she would tell everyone she knew what good service and care I took with my patterns and the order. She couldn't believe that I would phone her all the way in the UK to check and thanked me for the additional pattern.

It really made my day. It was a good and positive way to end it. It also reminded me why I do like doing what I do so much - the people. It just went to show me that if I take care of things and do the right thing, everything else will fall into place.

So that is what I will focus on. The positive things. The positive people. The great customers. And doing the best job I can.

I am not read to give up yet. :)
 
#805 ·
Hi Sheila.

Zig Ziglar has a saying that covers your way of servicing your customers. "And then a bit." If you do what is expected of you and then a bit more, you'll keep the clients happy and the repeat orders will come in.

If only all business people were as conscientious, it would be a much nicer world. Congratulations!

As for the economy, hang in there, girl. It'll get better, and the folks who purchase from you will appreciate that you stuck with them through the thin times, and hopefully will show their appreciation in the order department.

I'm sending you a private message on an idea I've got. Look forward to hearing your advice.
 
#814 ·
Facing Challenges

It is a cold, dark and rainy day so far today. I wonder if that is an indication of things to come? I have to go to the bank and the post office today and I really don't look forward to getting wet. It is raining pretty hard and the wind is coming off the ocean so it seems pretty nasty out. Perhaps it will let up by the time the bank opens.

I have a long laundry list of things to accomplish today. I don't like this many loose ends and it is time to take a full day to clean them up. I planned on doing that yesterday, but I was thrown quite a curve ball. I arrived home from my errands to an email from my son (who handles my banking and finances in the States) which included a letter from the IRS stating that my taxes were done incorrectly and I owe a bit of money to them. That was good for a couple of missed heartbeats. Needless to say I was not pleased.

I read the notice carefully and there was little explanation as to why they felt I owed the extra money. I have an accountant, but of course it is 'off-season' and they only have hours on Tuesday and Wednesdays now. The notice gave me a week to pay or it listed a host of horrors that they could impose on you - quite intimidating to say the least. There was a toll free number on the form and I opted to talk to them to find out what was what. I needed to know what happened and get a plan of action.

After waiting on hold for approximately 45 minutes, I did reach a person who was at first quite terse, but turned out to be very helpful. Apparently once she saw that I wasn't a raving maniac and that I was polite and considerate to her, she was far more personable. Long story short, after almost an hour of figuring out what happened, I found out that my accountant made an error and I owed the money. On to "Plan B".

I had just gone with a new accountant this year because now that I am landed here in Canada, I need to file taxes in both countries - the US and Canada. I had to find someone who knew both tax systems and with living in such a rural area, the pickin's are pretty slim. I am investigating the possibility of moving my business here to Canada, but early indications tell me that it wouldn't be prudent for me to do so, and I would still have to file in both countries anyway. It can be quite overwhelming. It is just another hat that have to wear and one that I prefer not to.

So we pick up and brush off and get back to work. I had some very positive comments and messages yesterday and I do appreciate the support and thoughts. I agree with you that if I continue to give good customer service and do my job well, in the end it will pay off. It is better for me when people come to me directly and I try to make them want to do so by being available to them and helping them as much as I can. It isn't difficult for me because it is genuine and as I said, I love to interact and hear their stories and get to know them.

The way I look at things, at least I was fortunate to have had four articles in that last issue of the magazine because the extra money really helped in this situation. If I hadn't had that many, I guess I don't know what I would have done. It isn't worth my time to think in that direction. I prefer to look at the glass as half full, not half empty.

The pieces are in place and I know I have done my best with the things that are in my control. That is all I can do. I am going to continue to do my best and see where it takes me. So far, it has been good and I realize that I am doing much better than most who are self-employed just by being able to hold on. Many others haven't even been able to do that.

A year ago or so this would have sunk me. But things have changed since then and I have changed too. If I want this bad enough, I need to fight for it. If it isn't worth fighting for, then I shouldn't do it. Right?

So it is with a positive and happy outlook that I start this day (in spite of the rain!) I have a renewed sense of purpose and I know in my heart that this isn't going to take me down or beat me either. I wanted to share this part of the business with you all too because it is part of normal life. I am not whining about it, but I am taking it in stride. There are so many people that think that successful people just fall into success. There are very few, if any successful people that I know of that have had it that way. It isn't all easy and it isn't always fun and there are so many challenges that we need to be up for in a business. I think that sometimes people go into self-employment with rose colored glasses. I kid about my "pink-cloud" philosophy all the time but I am intelligent enough to realize that the world really isn't that way. There is nothing wrong with hopes and dreams though. As long as you are also ready to face reality and deal with what is served to you. You need to take that bad with the good. You need to be resilient and not let the crummy things get the best of you. Those are the survivors and I think I am one of them.

So last night after all had settled down and I had a good dinner and caught up on some things, I sat down to paint. I wanted to end the day on something that was positive in my life and thinking about my skating pond and getting that finished and all the good prospects that go with it was a good choice, I believe.

Stephen was the little sledding boy I introduced last time. This is his mom, Carilynn:


She is pulling his sled for him because he has tired himself out. It is good to have someone to help you along when you run out of steam, isn't it? We all need someone like that from time to time.
 
#827 ·
Onword We Go!

I made tremendous progress yesterday in getting things organized. I was quite determined to get some things done, because I needed to get my head above water on several small tasks that have been hanging in the background. I like being organized and in order to be creative, I need to feel that things are in order. When I look at the calendar and see how time seems to be passing so quickly, it is sometimes difficult to understand how each day is consumed. My days are all so full and it really does amaze me how soon it turns from morning to night. I can't ever imagine being "bored".

I got my bank and tax business taken care of yesterday. I thank you all who sent me encouraging messages, both in the comment section and privately. It feels good to know that i have friends and people who care. I do realize that I am certainly not the only one this happens to. I just want to do the right thing and it is unfortunate that they give you so little time to rectify it and pay it back. In all fairness to the IRS, the woman did offer up a payment plan right away. I didn't take her up on it though, as I didn't want to prolong things. It completely drained me right now but I wanted to be able to put things behind me and move on with a clean slate. I have made due on less. Besides, the new catalogs are out and I am 'optimistic' that I will see their success by next month (See Grizzman - I AM getting back on that pink cloud again!) Besides, it will make me work harder. We always work harder when we are hungrier. :)

So on to other and better things . . .

I am finishing up the proofreading on my Skating Pond project this weekend. I received my instructions back from the editor of that magazine in their format so I could check them and do any final changes on them. I like seeing everything all laid out like this and I am getting excited about the whole project again. I had spent last weekend drafting the instructions which were almost 10 written pages. There are a lot of colors and directions for all those pieces. They are not talking the bridge, but I will include it in my own set later on. I will be building the bridge soon I think and present it on the other blog. I am a little behind with the other blog, as I do like adding in stories about each character. As I have been repainting each one, I think of a short story to go with them. It makes it personal and fun for me. I will probably catch up on that this weekend, as well as adding in my star projects to my gallery.

I am still awaiting my website update from the host. When I spoke to them last Saturday, the order was supposed to be submitted in an 'expedited' status. I was told that the normal time was within a week. I also know that they programmers don't work on weekends and they are the ones that are supposed to do this. So it isn't happening yet. It is like waiting for your turn to jump out of a plane as far as I am concerned (and not in a good way!) I wish they would just get it over and done so I can see what I a will have to do to get it to normal. There are things I want to add in and I need to change some things and I think it would be silly to do it and waste the time if the site will be wiped and started from scratch (so to speak) anyway. I am not looking forward to that at all and wish it would just be done.

On a good note, I received the new issue of Creative Woodworks yesterday. The project that was in it was my "Life Is Sweet . . . Bee Happy" plaque, as well as my "Making Turn Buttons on your Scroll Saw" article. I remember that I was just finished working on that project when I first joined Lumberjocks. So much water has gone under the bridge since then, it seems! I have only been here for about four months, and it seems like it has been much longer than that. Although it seems that sometimes I am spinning my wheels, I looked back and figured out that I did accomplish a lot in these last four months. I have also met some wonderful friends and I have learned so much about so many things. All in all, it has a been a great summer.

It is funny that I almost forgot about that plaque. I opened up the magazine and said to myself "oh, yah" when I saw it. I also can't help but think how appropriate the timing was. In the wake of all the chaos of the previous week, perhaps it was a sort of karma that was going on to remind me to stay grounded and appreciate what is around me. I think they are good words to live by.


Ya think?
 
#831 ·
Crossing More Things Off My List

Yesterday I accomplished a tremendous amount of important things. I don't have any pictures to show you, but sometimes the days when you get the behind the scenes things done are the most fulfilling. Accomplishments are not always measured with tangibles, you know.

So what did I do which deserves all this fanfare and pomp and circumstance? I proofread and/or assembled instructions for no less than four projects which will be heading out for the magazine tomorrow! Yay for me!

I kind of tease about it because it is one of the least fun parts of the job I do for the magazine, but one of the most necessary. Although they have editors and proofreaders at the magazine which do help things a lot, I pride myself on giving them near press-ready material so all they really have to do for the most part is drop it in and print it. I have been told for many years by them that I am "an easy edit" and in the days when I was tremendously insecure about getting my work published, I kicked my writing and grammar skills into high gear with the hopes that they would choose more of my projects not only for the projects, but also because it made their job easier.

Did it work? I guess I will never really know. But I do know that it never hurt me. What started out as survival and trying to impress them has over these almost 15 years become habit with me and has made me a much better writer. I also have to give some credit to Microsoft Word because I have learned a few things regarding spelling and grammar from that program also. Now don't get me wrong - I certainly don't consider it the bible of the English language. But it does help you when you are writing on the fly and need a quick check.

I suppose that it all comes down to the fact that I do really like writing (no kidding!) I had a technical writing class in my second year of University at Southern Illinois and I remember that class as if it were yesterday. I don't know why because I can't remember even who my teacher was, but I remember many of the rules and points that he tried to drum into our heads so we knew how to explain things in written form. I also remember thinking at the time how I would never, ever in my life find this information to be useful to me in any way. It just goes to show you.

So yesterday was spent writing, modifying and correcting photographs and proofreading. Sounds exciting, doesn't it?

Actually, it isn't too bad and I do like doing it somewhat. Getting started is the most difficult part. Once I am on the right path, things just seem to roll and fall into place. Correcting the photography is really satisfying because you would be amazed at the capabilities of what Photoshop can do. I am not talking about tricks and such, I am just referring to the common adjustments to pictures which make them unbelievably better. That program fascinates me and I realize I only utilize a small fraction of its power but it almost makes me feel guilty because it can make my pictures look so much better. I could spend another lifetime learning that program!

I was thinking yesterday about when I first started out with the magazine and they were just beginning to ask for my own step-by-step photography. I would struggle so hard to get decent pictures. I couldn't even get nice ones for the covers of my pattern packets without going through a great deal of trauma. I look back at my earliest patterns from 1998 and around there and I remember shooting picture after picture and waiting for the sun to be just right and then running to the one hour photo place and spending about $15 for the roll of film to be processed. That hour seemed so long to wait! More times than not, I would pick up the finished photographs only to find that most if not all of them were garbage. I had now knowledge of Photoshop or any photo adjusting software and it made it so tough to get a good shot.

Now it is so easy for me most of the time. I have a decent camera (Sony Cyber-shot with 7.2 megapixils) which cost me under $300 and I take anywhere from 30-70 or more pictures per project as I go along. Many times I take the same shot with several different settings by just flicking a switch, so it isn't like I am stopping every two seconds to shoot. All this in an instant. I usually have about five or six choices that I give myself per step and depending on the project, I offer them anywhere from ten to twenty pictures per project. I never really count, but they seem to use about eight to ten of them per publication. I like to give them choices though. I give them more than they need so they can show what they feel is important and I would rather err on the side of offering too many rather then too few shots.

They have complimented me recently on my photography. But I attribute that to my increasing knowledge of Photoshop as well as getting to know my camera better. I have had it over two years now and even though I realize that it is eons behind in what technology offers today, it is still easy for me and I understand it and feel it does a fine job. I find I can spend too much time trying to keep up with technology and I like to give myself a break now and then and do other things and leave the things that work for me alone for just a bit. I will catch up later.

So things are ready to be packed off and sent tomorrow. That is a big thing to check off the list. Once again the magazine should be good for a couple of issues at least, as they still have two articles of mine and I just sent them a project the previous week. That makes four for Creative Woodworks along with the articles and the other was the Skating Pond written instructions for Christmas 365.

As I said yesterday, I am getting quite excited about the Skating Pond again. I did spend a bit of time in the evening painting more pieces, but I didn't finish so I may have two new pieces for you all to see tomorrow. I plan to work on it a bit today, as I want to try to designate Sunday as my painting day again for the fall and holiday seasons. I like doing this and it bumps up Sunday to one of my favorite days of the week. When the weather changes and it is snowy and cold out, I sometimes like to declare what I call a "jammie day" where I stay in my favorite and most comfortable jammies all day and paint fun things and watch movies in the background. It is a wonderful way to spend a cold day and there is something wickedly defiant about not getting properly dressed that I love. I also find that jammie days lead to baking and making a nice Sunday roast and all of that other comforting stuff that I love so they are something that I regard as quite special.

But it is much too early in the season for that now. I only do that on certain occasions when the timing and atmosphere are just right. I don't want to water down the specialness of it. It will be something to look forward to though and I will do so with great anticipation.

Today looks like it will be a winner again. I woke up today, as yesterday, to a thick and dense fog. I couldn't even see across the street to the river practically. But it had lifted by mid-morning and turned out to be a beautiful and sunny day after all. I didn't take advantage of it because of the tasks at hand, but I did manage to go with my partner and get some ice cream after supper. We went to a place that I had never been before. We took this road down toward the water and there were no houses on it and it just kind of ended. We had the top down on the car, realizing that the days of doing that are numbered. As we approached the end of the road, there was nothing to stop you and you could drive all the way into the water if you wished. The tide was so high that the waves were crashing only two car lengths away from us and it appeared as if we were sitting right on the water. It was quite beautiful and I wish I had brought my camera. We sat there for about 20 minutes to half an hour and watched the orange and fiery sun fall into the water. Again I was amazed - as I always am - at how quickly that happens. One minute the sun is there and the next it seems to have slipped into the water on the horizon, leaving the sky a beautiful orange and pink and purple glow. It certainly knows how to go out in style.

I am going to take advantage of today though. I think I am due for a long walk in the woods. The tops of the trees are beginning to turn ever so slightly golden. If I take the time to notice, I can see more and more of it each day. Although it is still quite subtle, you can see the occasional anxious tree or bush boasting reds and oranges among the golden leaves. There always seem to be a few ahead of the crowd, aren't there?

It is time for me to make a few memories. I can remember and relive these thoughts of my walks when I am under several inches (or even feet) of snow this winter and relive the pleasures that will await me again. I don't need a camera for that.

I hope you all have a good day on this beautiful Sunday and take the time to fill your memory banks with some happy, peaceful or calm events that you can pull on sometime mid-week when things are getting to you. You would be amazed at how wonderfully it will fuel your soul.
 
#839 ·
Hitting the Ground Running

I did wind up taking advantage of the beautiful day yesterday and I played 'hookie'. It was a beautiful and warm day and it was just too tempting for me to resist spending some time outside. I am looking at all the things that I have to do today however and I am certainly going to pay the price for it. Not really, but there are things that I have to get done that I need to do today and the list is a bit longer than I wanted. I know today will go by fast.

We wound up going to an auto show in the area and that was nice. I love seeing all the tricked-out cars and it was fun to see all the owners who take such pride in them. Much like we love our woodworking, they love their cars and can spend quite a long while talking about them and showing people all of the modifications they did to them to make them special.

My neighbor Lee has his own prized Honda that he shows occasionally and we went there both to support him and also to take in all the other cool cars. (He is the one who rescues cats and has five of his own) Lee won second place in his category yesterday and came over later on to show us his plaque. I was really happy for him. Here is a pic of him and his car.


After the show, we went to the university near us and walked some of the many winding trails there. I had never been there before and I was surprised at the number of wooded paths that were hidden behind the university buildings. We walked through them for about an hour, not seeing a single soul the entire time and it was cool and quiet and quite beautiful. At one point the trail crossed behind the university and the path led along side the ocean to a small lighthouse. I had been at the lighthouse previously many years ago, but was unaware of the adjacent walking paths. I want to be sure to go back in a couple of weeks when the leaves are colorful and I promise again to have pictures. This time I did bring my camera, but foolishly left it in the car before I realized how scenic it was. I must get into the habit of taking it with me always.

When I got home, I did some housecleaning and then spent the rest of the day working on the Pond set. I finished the next figure, Phillipe, and started the next but didn't finish it yet. Here is a picture of Phillipe.


I really have to catch up on the Pond blog, as I just realized this morning that I haven't added in the last couple of pieces. I don't want too many things to get behind.

So for today, I have to get that package set up for pickup to go to the magazine with the three projects. I also have an order I need to finish cutting and some calls to make. I received an email yesterday from the web director of the big show in New York next March and they need a picture, a bio and some information on the presentation that I am going to be doing for the classes. It is good that they asked for these things now because it will get me moving in the planning stages of that event.

So with that said, I will get moving for today. I will start my week running and see how many of these things I can accomplish today. I hope you all have a great Monday too. :)
 
#840 ·
Sheila, as busy as you stay there is absolutely nothing wrong with having fun and just enjoying yourself once in a while. I don't think that the lost time will cost you a thing because it recharged your batteries so to speak and that will save you some time on your future work. Keep up the good work. It really sounds like you had a wonderful day and with all of those nice trails, the view of the ocean, and the good weather, I can see why you did. Take car.
 
#845 ·
Cutting Today!

I got all of the important things I needed to get done yesterday. That was a good thing. I still have a list of so many things that still need to be done too though, and I am continuing on today. I am however, going to get to the scroll saw and get some cutting done. I have been working on an order for something on the side and I am determined to finish cutting it today.

It's funny how little time I get to spend 'in the shop' or actually physically cutting. When I started this blog, I mentioned that it would be not only about my projects and woodworking, but also about the business of designing and my life in general (which as most of you who read often realize, revolves around my business.) I found that by writing things down and talking to you all about what my daily plans are, it not only organizes my day for me, but it also motivates me to finish things and accomplish things.

Although I don't sit here as often and scratch my head wondering where the time goes as I used to do, there are still days where I wonder. As the days bleed into weeks and those into months, I realize just how quickly time does go by. In a way it makes me more patient because if I am anxious in waiting for something to happen, the wait never seems so long no matter how far off in the future it is. However, on the other side, some days it just seems like I am living in the fast-forward mode and things happen just too quickly. It is at that time that I find I need to take a breath and stop and try to take it all in.

None of it is bad though. The older I get the more I learn to appreciate every moment for what it is. There is no way for instance, that I can consider my business successful if it wasn't as busy as it is now. I had years of very little customer correspondence and interaction with both customers and wholesalers and those were my most non-productive times in my life. Everything was stagnant and there was plenty of time to do other things and think about how slow everything was. Now though, a day doesn't go by without interaction with several customers and one of the several wholesalers I am dealing with or the magazine. There is always the reminder there that "yes, I have a business" and it is working.

I realize that sometimes several of these blogs in a row talk not about the days' cutting or project, but more of the behind the scenes events that are the business. I hope that doesn't disappoint you all because I know that this is a woodworking forum and you are all here looking for woodworking and projects and things of that nature. But I do believe - especially after talking to many of you and getting to know you - that you are interested in seeing this part of woodworking. I suppose that is why you keep coming back. :)

My package headed for the magazine was picked up by noon. (Purolator picks up packages for no additional charge - something I discovered after two years of driving in all kinds of goofy weather to send out a package! I do everything on the computer - fill out the request, pay and put in a pick-up order and they come to the door and get it. What a great thing!) I was then free to go and do my other mail and run my errands. I spent the rest of the afternoon doing customer responses and also setting up my cutting for today.

I had a scare from a customer who emailed me that she received one of my patterns and her and her husband felt I was missing an important line which separated the frame of the picture from the inner design. She had purchased the pattern from the wholesaler who recently started printing my patterns and shipping them from there. My heart immediately skipped a couple of beats as I checked my own copies and made sure the line was indeed there. It was. I almost jumped and contacted the wholesaler to see what happened, but I first asked her to email her phone number so I could call her. The pattern she bought was a good seller, so I spent the next half hour or so with my stomach in knots, thinking that everyone who purchased it would think I was an idiot and didn't know how to make a proper pattern. I felt my adrenaline level rising but tried to focus on other things. She did send me her number and I immediately called her and she was surprised at how quickly I responded. Little did she know of my anxiety over the matter.

In speaking with her, we figured out that she thought a shadow line on the photograph was to be cut and that there was supposed to be an additional line on the pattern that wasn't there. After I explained to her how the plaque was to be constructed, she did understand and everything was fine. She had misunderstood the number of pieces and everything on the pattern was as it should be. She was very kind and thankful for me calling her and did tell me that she would buy directly from me the next time. I was relieved, and also happy that I didn't jump the gun and write the wholesalers before gathering all my information. If I would have acted on impulse, I would have looked quite foolish to them.

It did bring to my attention that I am strung a little tight these days. (I say that half-smiling.) I was very happy that I had the control and patience to wait and see before acting. For several minutes there I was ready for a battle. Thank goodness I didn't react and do or say something stupid. It was a good lesson in patience and hopefully I won't forget it the next time something like that happens. I was quite proud of myself (and relieved!)

Cutting will be good for me today. I always enjoy it and it gives me time to mellow out and think. It may seem tedious to some of you, but it calms me quite a bit, as it takes my thoughts and concentration into another direction and doesn't allow room for other thoughts to creep in. It was like that when I would play the piano. I was so busy concentrating on what I was doing that I didn't have time to think about other things or worry. Perhaps that is why I found it so satisfying, as I do scroll sawing.

Its only Tuesday and already off to a good start. I was up early today, not because I am worried or full of anxiety, but because I am looking forward to what today will bring. I don't know why, but I feel it will be something positive.

Have a great one. :)
 
#846 ·
Those heart stopping moments.
I sell some items on eBay and when the "Item not as described" heading comes up my heart starts pounding.
On both occasion's the customer pressed the wrong button and it was a thank you.
I often look at your work area and the amazing work that you do. You are an inspiration. I then look at my shop and don't feel so bad about my space.
Thanks for your blog.
Jamie
 
#852 ·
A Woodworking "Beary Tale"

Once upon a time, there was a woodworker named Scrollgirl. She loved woodworking of all kinds and making patterns so others could join in her fun and make their own woodworking projects.

One day, one of her friends on Lumberjocks asked her if she could do him a favor and make some bears for her. She was happy to do it and went right to work. She picked a beautiful hickory board to create her bears, with a warm golden color. "This would be perfect" she thought as she sanded and prepped the wood.

She scrolled and scrolled all day long (that's why they call her Scrollgirl!) and while she was scrolling the final bear, she noticed that all the other bears gathered around the scroll saw to cheer her on.


"Go, Scrollgirl! Go!" they all cheered. And when she finished, they all danced and celebrated. It was a joyous time and everyone was happy.

"But now what are you going to do with us?" asked one little bear in a sweet voice.

"I am going to clean you up, and pack you up and send you to Apple Creek, Ohio." she told him.

"Why?" asked the little bear. "Don't you like us?"

There was a hush among the bears. Everyone looked to Scrollgirl and waited for an answer.

"Of course, I like you!" she said. "But I put my heart and soul into you and I am sending you out to bring happiness and joy to all who see you, wherever you go."

"Are you a witch?" asked one bear, looking a bit frightened.

Scrollgirl just smiled at the bear. "Of course not! I am a Lumberjock. ALL Lumberjocks love woodworking and they ALL put their hearts and souls into their woodworking. They love what they do and they make beautiful and wonderful things and send them all over the world. There are pen turners and box makers and carvers and even people who make beautiful cutting boards from hundreds of pieces of wood! Some Lumberjocks make furniture and toys for children that will be kept and cherished for over one hundred years."

"Oh, I see" said the little bear, quite relieved. "But I still don't know where Ohio is."

Scrollgirl took all the bears over to the globe. "Here it is" she said. "It is in the United States."


"Do they speak 'Canadian' in Ohio?" asked another bear. (These bears are full of questions)

"Well" said Scrollgirl "they speak English like we do. They just have a funny accent, but you will get used to it. You will fit in fine!"

There was a buzz of conversation among the bears. They were all excited and happy and talking about the travels that they were about to embark on.

Scrollgirl explained to the bears that they needed a Mineral Oil bath and got their bath ready. "Why do we have to do this?" asked one little bear.

"It is to protect you from dirt and grease and make you look your best" replied Scrollgirl. The bears were all very orderly and one by one, took their turns in the oil bath. Scrollgirl polished each one as he got out, making him look very smart and beautiful.


Suddenly, one little bear shouted out "I'm hungry!" and all the other bears joined in. Scrollgirl didn't want to feed them soup or chili or blueberry crumble, because it would make their feet all dirty. "I like pop-tarts!" shouted one bear from the back of the group.

"Well, then pop-tarts it is!" said Scrollgirl. Everyone marched to eat their supper. (HEY! What's Steven from the Skating Pond project doing there? He must be hungry too!)


The bears all ate all their pop-tarts and were very full and happy. "I'm sleepy!" said one of the bears, and all of the others chimed in that they were sleepy too. After all, they had a long trip ahead of them to travel all the way from Nova Scotia to Ohio. So Scrollgirl made a little box for them to sleep in and lined it with fun, sparkly paper so they would be happy.

"It will be like sleeping on a cloud!" they said, and they all climbed into the nice box.


As Scrollgirl was tucking in the last little bear into place, she noticed that one was crying. "What is wrong little bear?" Scrollgirl asked.

"I want to stay with YOU" said the bear. "I want to stay here and watch you make new things and remind you of all the other little bears and all the happiness they will bring the world and especially Apple Creek Ohio. I want to live here on the pink cloud with you and your cats."

Scrollgirl smiled. She was touched by the little bear's tenderness and sweetness and decided to keep him with her, to remind her of all the happiness that the other little bears will bring. Then on the days she was tired or overwhelmed, all she would need to do was to look at the little bear and she would remember that she was a Lumberjock and how she put her heart and soul into all that she made. It was a fine idea to keep just one little bear for herself!

"I will keep you!" she told the bear. "And I will call you Leldon!"

Scrollgirl and Leldon smiled at each other and they knew they would be happy always. They said good-bye to all the other little golden bears and lovingly packed them in their little traveling box and sent them on their way.

And they all lived happily ever after making wonderful woodworking projects like all of their other Lumberjock friends.

The end

(No bears were harmed while making this story!)
 
#865 ·
Back to Reality (In a good way!)

I thoroughly enjoyed writing yesterday's post and appreciate all the kind comments on it. It was fun and made the project so much more personal and meaningful to me. I like when my mind wanders like that. (and yes, it was substance-free!) and it feels good to be able to think of such enchanting existences. For me it was a mini-vacation and I thank you all for joining me.

Today it is time to return to the real world, however. Last night at 7:49pm I received an email message from the place that hosts my site letting me know that the migration is complete. I found that odd because at the moment, we were working on changing some of the things and adding on some new sales and hadn't noticed anything different. Certainly it would look and operate a bit differently after all the hoopla about changing over. Wouldn't it?

Be careful what you wish for.

I signed into it on my computer (the back end - not the part people see) and it asked me which version I wished to work with. Humm . . . this was new. So I picked the newer one and got to a page and all I can think of was "Holy Moley!" Everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) was completely and totally different.

I stumbled my way around the software, being ever so careful not to change a thing and sure enough - all of my basic information was there. Then I did what I should have done in the first place - I thoroughly read through the email that was send with instructions regarding the migration.

It explained that the migration was completed and that I would receive free hosting for the new site for six months. It dawned on me what actually happened. It seems that they leave the original site in tact and fully functional, but also added the new site and copied the information from one to the next so that you have two complete sites up at once. The only difference is that the new one is not "published" so that it is not the live one that the public sees and you don't do so until you tune it to how you want it to look and work.

That was cool. I wonder why I wasn't informed how it was going to be. It gives us time to get everything how we want before bringing it up where people can see it. That is good. In the mean time, it is business as usual on the old template so there is little or no down time at all. I did like this.

However (and there is always a 'however', isn't there?) In looking at the new template and software, all I can think of again was "Holey Moley!" If knowledge is power than I am completely powerless as far as this is concerned. I think that another hat just fell on my head as far as my business goes. It was something that I did not anticipate at all on this scope and being fairly competent with computers, I just assumed it would be "like falling off of a log".

Silly me.

But those of you who know me and are getting to know me through these writings will know that I love challenges and I feel that I am up for the task. In additional to learning to carve a shoe in the next several weeks, I will also hopefully be able to add programming my site under the new software to my resume.

In the short time last night that I peeked at the new software, it looked jam-packed with interactive features and it had so many things that it offered. It had blogs and videos and all kinds of things that you could customize the site with. My head was spinning! I found it funny though that before you could even attempt to touch any of those features, up popped a screen which in essence, released the company of any liability if you screw things up. It clearly stated that if you wanted your site to function in "self-customization mode" they would not give any free technical support whatsoever and anything that you needed help with would be billed under their "normal rates". Once you hit that little button, you are on your own buddy and you had better watch what you are doing. It reminds me of letting a monkey fly a jet plane (I am referring to myself in this instance!)

So I had better read up and do some thinkin' and a'figurin' BEFORE I start changing anything and working on it. There are online tutorials to be sure, although I just glanced at things last night. I think I just found another way to fill up those 42 extra seconds of my day (and then a few more too!)

Will I ever get to cut again?

Of course I will! :D My friend Cari and I noticed that it was always the moms with the most kids and who were the busiest that were the most help at the school and volunteered the most. Since that observation many years ago, I have noticed a pattern like that with many aspects of people and their lives. The ones that are doing the most are the ones that are always taking on more. I have always loved computers - they fascinate me - and I always love learning a new skill.

So this is a great thing and I am thrilled that they don't force you to learn it all at once. At least someone was thinking when they did this. Six months is a decent time frame and even though I know it will come up fast, the benefits of the new site will far outweigh the disadvantages. I am going from 500mb of space to 5 GB. That is HUGE! I look at it as a fun challenge which will help expand my business and make my site a great place for my customers to visit. Who knows? Maybe it will motivate me to make some instructional videos that I can offer there for both scroll sawing and painting. That would be FUN!!

So YAY! and YAY again!

Today I am going to update my customers with what is going on and then I AM going to do some drawing. If all goes well, I could be cutting new things out by the weekend.

I hope you all have a good and productive day too. It is already Thursday and the weekend is right around the corner!
 
#866 ·
well its looking like i get to be the first maybe to say congrats on the new web page coming to you,,,and that is great…6 month's to fine tune it and get it where you want….im a little afraid of the monkey…i hope she doesn't try to swing to far …lol…this is good news for you…congrats sheila…just as i read the upgrade part..i thought the same thing…instructional video's , boy this has some great potential…enjoy the journey….bob
 
#872 ·
Random Thoughts on Groups and Stuff

And so ends another week. . .

Is it me, or did this one really go by fast? It must mean that I was too busy to notice. I think back to Monday when I sent out that package with the projects for the magazine and it seems like weeks ago. I did accomplish a lot this week though and I am happy that for the most part things got done.

I had lunch with a couple of friends of mine that I used to see every week at the painting group I belonged to in Bear River. It was hard to believe that I haven't seen them for over a year and a half. We had a group of about 8 of us who used to meet every Tuesday and just paint. One girl did ceramic painting, a couple did country style, others painted from the popular tole painting magazines and books. Each one had their own specialty and we all helped each other and chimed in with help (sometimes it was solicited and other times not!)

I miss that time in my life. It seems like it was another lifetime and another person that lived it. We met like that for over five years, taking just a couple of months off in the summer when the kids were out of school and it was too hot to go on the second floor painting room at Fran's house where we met.

Sometimes it is sad that things have to change. But people's lives change every day and circumstances seem to force change. The group is pretty much dissolved now, although the friendships never will be. I remember when I first started attending, it amazed me that so many women could get along so well all the time. In reading that over, I know it sounds pretty bad, but I had just come from the Chicago area and some painting groups and I had swore off joining groups for good.

When I lived there, I joined an organization geared for decorative painting. It was tied in with the national organization and I thought it would be a good idea since I was just then beginning to be published in a couple of the painting magazines. I would learn a lot. At the time I was teaching some casual classes in painting at the Hobby Lobby nearby. I thought it was a great opportunity to get involved with others with similar interests.

I was involved with the club for about three years, until I moved here to Canada. If I hadn't moved, I probably wouldn't have lasted much longer anyway. What started out to be fun and a great opportunity to learn turned into too much of what I will call 'politics' for my taste. Believe it or not, I am pretty much a quiet person in a crowd. I am also a fairly easy going person and I don't like conflicts and try to avoid them at any cost. This was getting more and more difficult with this club I was in. It got to the point where they talked about each other (well- whoever wasn't there at the time) more than painting and it wasn't a positive or happy atmosphere for me. It just killed it.

I found the group here in Nova Scotia to be so different. It is a rare thing to have a group of such diversity get along so well. In all the time I was with them, not once was anything remotely hurtful or negative said about another member. We all were from different age groups and backgrounds and I did get teased about my "accent' from time to time, but there was never at all anything but kindness and caring among these women. We would bring 'snacks' for the day and soon we had to set another table out in the other room for the food because there was so much food on the table there was no room for paint! We would talk in our little sub groups and tell the latest jokes and laugh and sometimes it got so loud you couldn't hear yourself think. You would think there was a crowd of 30!

And when someone experienced sadness or was in need of comfort, there couldn't be any family that was closer than our group. We were, and are all true friends.

I am glad that I belonged to them. It renewed my faith in groups after my past experiences with them. I think perhaps that it is why I like it here so much. People are here to teach and support and help each other. Everyone has something to bring to the table here.

Lately I have been lurking around here in the evening reading the forum posts. That is something that I don't have a lot of time to do. I read about what the 'hard core' woodworkers are up to (I still feel like fluff here sometimes) and look at their blogs and see how they make their projects. I also see some bantering on some of the boards. It reminds me of those Chicago groups that I belonged to. I have some opinions about what they are talking about on most of them, but I choose to keep my mouth shut (or my fingers still, if you will) and move on to the many other positive posts that are here. There are so many good things to focus on here that it is easy to avoid the other things. When the choice of watching people argue or painting my skaters is presented to me in the evenings, it isn't difficult to choose.

So what is on the agenda today?

I have to get my "publicity materials" to the gentleman regarding the woodworking show in March. There's a scary thought. I need to write a "brief" bio and a description of the classes I will be offering, along with a picture. I got the pic done earlier this week, as you see (actually it has my trusty DeWalt saw with me - the full one is now on my site) which was a chore in itself, as I don't like pictures of me like most people. The bio will be OK I suppose, but it will be a little difficult for me to figure out what will be pertinent to this event. That will also be the case with the class description. I still don't have a clear idea of what they are looking for. I believe that they are looking for mainly beginner to intermediate skills to get people involved. It is important to bring new people into this venue to keep it growing. I will have to keep reminding myself that even though they are woodworkers, they may have never worked on a scroll saw before and it is my job to show them how. In any case, it will assist me in making a lesson plan and getting the ball rolling there.

That should fill up a good part of the day I suspect. I also have been looking into getting my skating pond set cut with a CNC so I can sell kits to the painters who don't have access to cutting. I want to be ready to market it as soon as I am cleared to do so in November. I also need to work on getting the other figures into my blog for it, which I have woefully neglected. I need to catch up big time there.

It is light outside now and it is a much longer post than I had anticipated. Sorry I rambled today, but some days are just like that. Talking here helps me to organize things in my mind and make a plan for the day. I hope you all have a good day also. I look forward to seeing all the new projects you are making too. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day!
 
#873 ·
Sheila,

You ARE one of the "hard core" woodworkers in my book.

After all, you actually earn a living creating wonderful wooden artifacts. There are not many on LJ who can put that in their profile. And you manage to blog daily as well, and that takes a good bit of time and effort to do as well as you do it.

'Nuff said.

Be Careful!

Herb
 
#874 ·
Looking Ahead

It is just another one of those days when I can't wait to get up. There are so many wonderful and exciting things to do that my head can't fall back asleep! It is quiet here and still quite dark out. I opened the window just a bit more and threw a light blanket over my lap so I can feel the cool air of the morning. You can barely smell that someone in the distance has a fire going, but it mostly smells like autumn. By that I mean it smells like the woods on a cool day. The scent of the fire mixed with the damp leaves is somewhat comforting. It is quiet here too. More times than not when I am writing this blog in the morning, it is with the soft notes of Mozart or Beethovan in the background. I save the more lively stuff for later in the day. When I opened the window, I could hear the trees gently blowing and I could barely hear the water rushing in the river across the road. I still can as if I listen carefully now, and the only other sound is the soft hum of the computer and my typing. Sometimes it is these quiet, peaceful moments that I cherish most.

I am sitting here this morning and glanced around. It is a bit messy by my standards (small places do tend to look messy a bit quicker, you know). It doesn't really matter though because if I take half an hour or so to put things back in their place, it will be fine. My cat Pancakes is sitting near me. Coco is sleeping on the other side of the room. Richard is looking out the now-opened window with great interest. I am sure he smells more than I do. (Richard is one of my cats in case I haven't mentioned it!) Everyone is happy and peaceful and it is a great time to think.

I finished getting my materials ready and sent for the show yesterday. As expected, it took some time. I looked at the website that the organization had set up and it quite overwhelmed me. Here is a copy of the link in case you are interested in seeing it:

Northeastern Woodworkers Association Fine Woodworking Show

It really looks incredible! To me it is like a live Lumberjocks site, with every aspect of woodworking that you can imagine. There is a short video there and I watched it and I was torn between feeling so darn excited about being invited to present a class there and absolutely terrified. In watching the video, I saw both of the men that I have talked to so far. They weren't three headed monsters or anything like that and looked quite personable and nice. As they spoke, they panned on the incredible projects which ranged from turning projects to furniture to carving and everything in between. They were positively incredible!

I don't know if I mentioned to you all before, but they also asked me to be a judge for the showcase. I told them that I had never done turning before or made major furniture. Ken my contact told me that they have a training session and kind of teach us what to look for. They choose judges from all areas of woodworking so that the playing field is fair. I may know more about one aspect and someone else may know more about another. It sounds good and makes sense to me, but in looking at the level of work and projects I am simply overwhelmed. My friend Jean who is involved heavily with the organization and first recommended me to the committee had told me that some of the projects that were on display have sold for over $100,000 and more! It is just incredible.

I suppose that I am glad that I wasn't aware of the scope or importance of this event before she asked me to participate. I may have shot myself in the foot and graciously declined out of sheer terror and missed what is looking like the opportunity of a lifetime. The numbers alone for this show are staggering, and they are predicting 4000 to 5000 people to attend. They have just moved the show to a new facility that is opening this fall. There was a link to it on the home page. It looked so beautiful and so cool and I just hope I fit in and do well. As I watched the video, they were interviewing the judges and getting their thoughts on things. I couldn't help but think that on next year's clip it may be ME that they are talking to! It is hard to believe that while I am sitting here in my little place with my little shop and my cats in a wooded quiet area of Nova Scotia. I am just trying to wrap my head around it all.

Now if I wanted to, I could probably work myself up to a pretty good panic by the end of March. But it is time for me to take advantage of the opportunities that have been laid at my feet. You may have remembered in my previous posts that I told you that I never prayed or hoped for actual 'things'. I always said that all I wanted was 'opportunity'. Then I can do with it what I would. I would be my own destiny. I was never one for hand outs, and always wanted to make my own way in this world. Well, if this isn't an opportunity to do so, then nothing is. I just need to keep a cool head and have a plan. Knowledge is power and all of that. (Are you seeing why I keep that in my signature line?)

So the best way to fend off the panic of being unprepared for this show is to - well - be prepared. Simple, isn't it? I have six months to do so and if I can't do it by then, I don't belong there anyway. I need to dig deep and show them just what I am made of. Right? In looking at the projects that they were judging and on display, there were some that I wouldn't know exactly what to look for in construction and proper joints and such, but there were many others that were scroll sawn, or carved or finished and colored that I DO have some knowledge and background of. I think that I CAN contribute to the process and the show in general.

Scroll sawing was a small percentage of the work done there, as it is here at LJ's, but that doesn't mean that there isn't an interest. My friend Jean told me that so many turners want to learn scroll sawing and are very much looking forward to what I have to say and teach them. I find that questions come to me every day from what I consider 'veteran woodworkers' looking for basic information on using this tool. Many of them have a scroll saw already in their shops and fail to utilize it due to lack of knowledge of its capabilities. I have watched several videos and read several posts where others are trying different procedures with other tools and I sit and think to myself "why don't they just use a scroll saw?"

So that will be my first and foremost job - to show them they CAN.

This post is really getting long (even for me) and I am going to continue it tomorrow and follow through with what my plans are going to be for my presentation. I will run it by all of you and as always, I will be open to your thoughts and ideas on things if you wish. I don't for a second think that I know what everyone wants and what everyone is thinking and over the next several months as I am preparing for this event I will be the one asking questions of you all if you don't mind. I could really use your support on this and hopefully it will help me make a better presentation and most of all encourage some fellow woodworkers to expand their abilities.

It is going to be a great ride and I hope you decide to come along!

Have a wonderful and FUN Saturday!
 
#875 ·
hello Sheila
Don´t be afraid of judging other peoples work just becourse the place is enormus compare to
your little one table in a corner workshop
you have already done it in a much bigger place many times now, if you havn´t gesst wich place
I talk about its right infront of your nose, thats right you looking at it now, the Lumber Jock site :)
I think this is the best place you can watch to prepare yourself to be a judge in woodworking,
there is about 37000 projects to look at , at the moment and still growing
some of the thing you proppely havn´t thought of to look at is some of all those blogs about
how to make the different joints , just so you have and idea of how they are made and shuold look like

I tink the best thing you can do is simply just consentrate on what and how you will talk about in the class
and then simply relax infront of the screen looking at some of the many projects here on this site a few
hours a copple of time in the weeks from now and until 2 weeks before the show, just like any other
that train for a big event , then I´m sure you will bee sharp on the show.

fun saturday to you as well
Dennis
 
#877 ·
The Plan

Yesterday I left you with me standing up in front of hoards of people and them looking to me to teach them about scroll sawing. The classes are to be about 45 minutes long (they are scheduled every hour) and each class can have about 40 students present. From what I understand, I will have a scroll saw there with me for quick demonstrations and I believe there will be some sort of screen so that everyone there will be able to see what I am doing. That will help a lot. Although I much prefer to teach by allowing the students to try things themselves, I do realize that in this atmosphere it isn't really possible. I will have to do with what the situation presents me.

I think my biggest fear is running out of things to talk about. Now I know all of you who are regular readers are all chuckling to yourselves thinking about the unlikeliness of that, but it will be a different atmosphere entirely and writing is so much different than talking in front of a room of people.

When I get nervous, I tend to talk fast. I have noticed that lately when I meet new people or see people that I haven't seen in a while. I notice it, but usually not until afterwords as I am walking away or driving home. I am sure that part of it is nerves, but one of my biggest fears is that I will spit everything that I know out in the first five minutes and then we would all have nothing to say.

I have never attended a class on scroll sawing. Or any type of woodworking for that matter. Everything I learned I pretty much learned from books or trial and error, or reading in forums like this. The only real class type setting I have been in later in life were the decorative painting classes that I went to when I belonged to the clubs. I even taught many of them, and some have up to 40 students. However, those were all classes where the students went along with the teacher and painted also. It wasn't a lecture type of setting. This will be very new to me.

So I figure the best way to do things is to have good, solid notes that are well thought out and organized. I am pretty good at that. After all, I write step-by-step project instructions all the time. This will be like one big overview of a project in some ways. I can also give different ways to do several different things such as stack cut and attach the pattern and so forth. As with anything, there is no one right way to do things. There are often several effective methods and people can choose what works best for them. I can give them choices and let them decide which way to do things.

Several weeks ago I mentioned that I was thinking of writing a book on introducing people to the scroll saw. In talking with people - both on the forums that I am a part of and also through my customers, I can see a need for a modern and updated book of this type.

When I began scroll sawing in 1996, Pat Speilman was the go to man in the scroll saw world. He was what I would call a pioneer in scroll sawing and was one of the main reasons that scroll sawing popularity was so high during that time. Mr. Speilman was passionate about scroll sawing and wrote many how to books and pattern books and promoted scroll sawing. I had the pleasure of meeting him at several shows, and even took a trip up to Fish Creek, Wisconsin where he lived (in Door County) where I visited him at his store and also his shop and home. He had a great passion for scroll sawing and woodworking in general and was a retired teacher and had written many school text books as well. Mr. Spielman passed away several years ago, but you can still find the pattern books and others that he had written. He was a great inspiration to me.

Times have changed a bit since then. People are different. The economy is different. Our reasons for woodworking are different too. Even the styles of the types of patterns and scroll saws are much different then when Mr. Spielman wrote his books. I think that I would like to write my own book which would introduce others to the methods of scroll sawing, as well as some of the other aspects of the different types of work that can be done with it. I want the book to be something that will both excite a new comer and encourage people to begin using the scroll saw, and also inspire others that have had some woodworking experience to expand their comfort zones and incorporate scroll sawing into some of their own work.

My friend Jean, who got me involved in the show in the first place is also a wonderful turner. She has both taught and participated in many clubs and classes and loves every aspect of woodworking you could think of. She has recently spoken to me about collaborating on some designs that would be geared to wood turners, but would also be embellished by incorporating scroll sawing into parts of the designs. She and I both are very excited about this, and although I have little experience on the lathe, I am sure by the time I get back in March I will have learned a lot. I can't wait to brainstorm with her in person and I am sure the trip will be a great learning experience for me also.

But Jean thinks a new book would be a goodidea. She thinks that if there were something for people out there that will get started on the scroll saw, they will jump at the chance.

So since I need to make an outline and lay everything out for the class anyway, I feel it is a good time to get going on this book and give it a go. I have already discussed it with my editor, and he seems to be quite on board with it. Although we are working out the particulars of things, he even mentioned the possibility of them giving it out when people subscribe or reinstate their subscriptions to the magazine. That would be really great if it comes to be.

In any case, I think that I will shoot in that direction. By writing well organized guide to working with the scroll saw, I will also be able to lay out a well organized and pleasing class for someone who is just getting started. Of course, I will have more information in the book than I will be able to cover in the time frame of the class, but it will give people an overview of things and hopefully light the fire inside so that they will want to continue to learn more.

Idealistically I will have things done by March. It doesn't give me a lot of time and I am prepared for that. But as I said, I will be preparing for the class anyway so it makes sense for me to do this now. We will just have to see how things work out.

I feel better because I at least have a plan now. I realize that plans change all the time, but at least it is a basis to start on and get moving in a good direction. Just by coming up with it, it alleviates much of the anxiety that I was feeling regarding things. I do believe I have some good information to offer and this is a great opportunity to present it. So that is the plan.

As for today, I am finishing the drawings on a new candle tray. It has been too long since I made one and people have been asking for more (and the ones I have available already have been selling!) I don't want to miss that opportunity and I want to get as many designs out there as possible before someone else starts making their own designs. Hopefully, I will be cutting some beautiful Padauk tomorrow and bringing this one to reality.

I also plan to spend the rest of the day painting on the Skating Pond. Even though all the needed materials are at the magazine for publication, I want to have my own set ready and also the pattern ready as soon as it is released. As I repaint each piece, I get more excited about that series and being able to offer it myself.

I hope you all have a great day today and get some shop time or time to be creative. Enjoy your day everyone!
 
#878 ·
good morning sheila…good blog this morning…you've got the brain a rollin with plenty of ideas and going through some thoughts that will help you when the time comes….take some time ans just practice talking into a pretend crowd…use your partner and have him ask you questions…and then you answer him…the more you actually say the words and go through the thought process of answering them…the more you will be prepared…take with you many of your projects that you have done…you can use it all in your presentation…you have literally years of work now to have as reference…its just organizing it all into a structured time frame…...your going to do well next spring…and once you have that under your belt…your confidence will grow…and you will become the featured speaker at other shows…and i wll be able to say…I KNEW HER WHEN….your going to do great…grizz
 
#886 ·
Finished Drawing - On To Cutting

It was a good day yesterday. Again I am excited today because I get to cut out a new project. I finished designing my next candle holder yesterday and I have an extremely beautiful piece of padauk just waiting for the scroll saw this morning. It is so pretty, with bright orange and dark brown streaks running through it. Unfortunately with cutting a scroll saw design into it, you tend to lose the pattern of the grain. It isn't like a box or something like that, but it is still a pretty background for the design I am working on.

I haven't cut padauk in a long time so I am sure I will have a report tomorrow on how I fare. I know it is quite hard, but I think with the right blade and set up it shouldn't pose any problems. Over the weekend, my partner cut some bloodwood with little difficulty, and that rates harder even than the padauk. Unfortunately, he was unable to use the bloodwood on the project he was creating. Although this piece was dense, it turned out to be quite fragile. The pieces he cut were at least 1/4" thick and no thinner than that and one piece still broke. We glued it together and it took quite a long while for the glue to dry. We even used alcohol to clean the area to be glued. But then while doing further hand-sanding, the piece broke into a couple more pieces. What a shame. He wound up using a brown maple instead and the project did come out beautiful.

There must be something quite different with that piece of wood. That same piece was the one which gummed up the saw blade at Bernie's when we were milling it (I had a picture of the blade up here on the blog). Perhaps it wasn't dry enough yet or perhaps it will never be dry enough for the delicate work I do. I don't know. I am really going to have to watch what I use it on. I can always use it for overlays or back board pieces though, so I am sure I will find something to do with it.

I had a fun and peaceful and productive weekend. As I said, I worked on the drawings and finished them up. They were quite picky but I made sure to make the lines thick enough so they wouldn't be too intimidating. I actually changed them twice, which took some time because I wanted to be sure they would be appropriate for someone new to the scroll saw. I have to train myself to rethink things and respect the skill level of others if I want to keep my sales going in the right direction. After all, these patterns are for selling.

I had a good weekend as far as the web site goes. It is good to see things improving despite the economy still having its struggles. I feel that if I can rebuild in this economic environment and make things a success, it will be a great thing. Even seeing marginal improvement is a great motivation to keep trying.

Today's post will be a bit shorter than what you are used to reading from me. I really have to jump in with both feet today and get moving if I want to get everything I want to accomplish done. Also I just saw a flea on my cat Pancakes when I was combing him this morning. I could only spot one, but with three cats I would be pretty foolish to think that that was it. Although my cats are indoor cats and never see the outside, Pancakes came from a farm in Michigan (my daughter brought him with her when he was 2 months old) and he had fleas. In reading about them and the process of eliminating them, unless you treat them for a full cycle, which can be over a year, there are chances that they will reappear, as the eggs can lie dormant internally for a year or more. With three cats, the cost of treating them was absolutely out of the question so I just get them as they come. The other two so far are clean, but I will treat them today anyway. Besides the extra trip to the vet for the drops, I also have to launder just about everything they touch so my day will be full. It is times like this when I am happy I live in such a small place with minimal clutter.

So that's the plan. Hopefully by tomorrow I will have another cool candle tray to show you. On paper it looks good and hopefully on the beautiful piece of padauk it will look even better.

I hope you all have a wonderful day!
 
#887 ·
yahh you will have the hands full if you have cats with fleas

about yesterdays talk about being affraid you will run out of words in the class
sorry I laugh a little , even if you talk like a mashine gun you wuoldn´t be able to
well if it was a modern Gatling from a airplane then maybee there is a chance….lol

have a great monday
Dennis
 
#889 ·
I'm glad that your work is still going well and that you had a good weekend. I hope that you get the cat's flea problem taken care of before the others get them; fleas are a nuisance for all of us pet owners and it is something that you have to stay on top of.

Have a nice day, Sheila.
 
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