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My Journey As A Creative Designer - Woodworking and Beyond

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Everyone has a story.

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

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

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

I think I am going to like it here.
 
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#2,714 ·
Getting Back to Normal

Little by little I am beginning to feel a bit better. I felt better yesterday than Monday and I feel better today than yesterday. As long as I feel there is improvement, I am happy. I went to see my own doctor yesterday and she confirmed that there was swelling in my back. I got one more prescription to help with that so hopefully that will also help me get back to normal quickly. I was happy to hear from her that she thought I should move around and not just stay sitting or in bed. In the last few days I drew up three designs and I want to cut them out. I either stand at the scroll saw, or sit on a high stool. My scrollsaw is up a little higher than normal, so it is in a good position and I don't feel like I have to hunch over to work on it. I think if I use common sense and take frequent breaks I will be fine.

When I arrived home from the doctors' office, there was a package here for me. It was from Erwin and Edith (Bearpie here in Lumberjocks) and it contained one of those "Off" clip-on bug repellents as well as a beautiful carved scoop made of orange wood. I can't tell you how much it touched me!

Tableware Plant Kitchen utensil Wood Natural material


Plant Food Natural foods Staple food Fruit


I have never seen orange wood before. It is smooth and has an interesting grain. It was a lovely surprise for me and it just goes to show what great people we have here on LJ's. I want to thank Erwin and Edith for their kindness and for sending me these 'goodies'! They are truly special people.

I feel so fortunate to have met so many wonderful people through this site. Even though many of you are countries away, it is a great network of communication and people and I appreciate your friendship and support and inspiration. I am very grateful to have gotten to know you all. Your kind words and encouragement and advice have meant so much.

In other news, I understand that the newest issue of Creative Woodworks and Crafts magazine is out and it has the article which features my little "workshop". I have already received a couple of emails from people who say that it has inspired them and that they were quite surprised that I was able to do what I do in such a small space. I haven't received my copy of the magazine yet and can't wait to see it.

I had written that article last June and I truly have forgotten about it. Sometimes it seems so long from when I submit something and it is actually published that it is quite a surprise to me. This was, of course written prior to the updated cabinets we built in January, so I have directed people to the update in my Picasa Album. And now with the new lathe, my partner is in the process of designing another large cabinet to store it in and get it out of the way when he is not using it. I promise to have some more updates as we get the work done.

So today looks like it is going to be a good day. I am eager to see how my new tray designs will look cut out. All three are quite different in style and it will be interesting for me to see the final results on them. I have a little teaser picture of one of them that I started to work on yesterday:

Brown Art Wood Font Pattern


Of course that is just the initial cutting without any sanding or finishing. I just though it would be nice to show you a portion of the design.

Many thanks to you all again for the nice comments and messages. It was pretty difficult for me the last few days when I wasn't able to do anything really constructive. Just hearing from you all made it a lot better. I sincerely appreciate it very much.

Have a great Wednesday!
 

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#2,715 ·
Getting Back to Normal

Little by little I am beginning to feel a bit better. I felt better yesterday than Monday and I feel better today than yesterday. As long as I feel there is improvement, I am happy. I went to see my own doctor yesterday and she confirmed that there was swelling in my back. I got one more prescription to help with that so hopefully that will also help me get back to normal quickly. I was happy to hear from her that she thought I should move around and not just stay sitting or in bed. In the last few days I drew up three designs and I want to cut them out. I either stand at the scroll saw, or sit on a high stool. My scrollsaw is up a little higher than normal, so it is in a good position and I don't feel like I have to hunch over to work on it. I think if I use common sense and take frequent breaks I will be fine.

When I arrived home from the doctors' office, there was a package here for me. It was from Erwin and Edith (Bearpie here in Lumberjocks) and it contained one of those "Off" clip-on bug repellents as well as a beautiful carved scoop made of orange wood. I can't tell you how much it touched me!

Tableware Plant Kitchen utensil Wood Natural material


Plant Food Natural foods Staple food Fruit


I have never seen orange wood before. It is smooth and has an interesting grain. It was a lovely surprise for me and it just goes to show what great people we have here on LJ's. I want to thank Erwin and Edith for their kindness and for sending me these 'goodies'! They are truly special people.

I feel so fortunate to have met so many wonderful people through this site. Even though many of you are countries away, it is a great network of communication and people and I appreciate your friendship and support and inspiration. I am very grateful to have gotten to know you all. Your kind words and encouragement and advice have meant so much.

In other news, I understand that the newest issue of Creative Woodworks and Crafts magazine is out and it has the article which features my little "workshop". I have already received a couple of emails from people who say that it has inspired them and that they were quite surprised that I was able to do what I do in such a small space. I haven't received my copy of the magazine yet and can't wait to see it.

I had written that article last June and I truly have forgotten about it. Sometimes it seems so long from when I submit something and it is actually published that it is quite a surprise to me. This was, of course written prior to the updated cabinets we built in January, so I have directed people to the update in my Picasa Album. And now with the new lathe, my partner is in the process of designing another large cabinet to store it in and get it out of the way when he is not using it. I promise to have some more updates as we get the work done.

So today looks like it is going to be a good day. I am eager to see how my new tray designs will look cut out. All three are quite different in style and it will be interesting for me to see the final results on them. I have a little teaser picture of one of them that I started to work on yesterday:

Brown Art Wood Font Pattern


Of course that is just the initial cutting without any sanding or finishing. I just though it would be nice to show you a portion of the design.

Many thanks to you all again for the nice comments and messages. It was pretty difficult for me the last few days when I wasn't able to do anything really constructive. Just hearing from you all made it a lot better. I sincerely appreciate it very much.

Have a great Wednesday!
Glad to see you finally received our gifts(12 days in transit) and they told me when I took it there that it will take about a week. I guess the key word is "about"! I hope you put the coffee scoop to use and enjoy the morning brew.

I hope the clip on repellent works for you and that you can now thumb your noses at them! :) Enjoy your walks in freedom. I am not sure if you are able to find refills for it up there but I do hope so.

Enjoy your day and continue to recover!

Erwin, Jacksonville, FL

P.S. The b utterfly teaser is beautiful!
 

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#2,725 ·
Poopie Happens

I had a fairly good day yesterday. The past several days when I wasn't feeling so well, I was able to draw up three new candle tray patterns and they were all at the point where they were ready to be cut. In keeping with my own tradition, I like to tackle the most difficult/time consuming one first. I don't know why I like to work this way, but for me it always feels good to do the hardest thing when I feel the freshest.

I really liked the way the butterfly candle tray looked (at least on paper). I decided to do a negative type design for a change. By "negative" I mean that the design was removed from the wood rather than being what was left of the wood. This wispy type of drawing translates well to scroll working, I think. The appearance of the design is far more delicate than it actually is. Since you are removing only thin slices of wood, the overall strength is much more than if you removed the background. This allows me as a designer to make a beautifully flowing drawing without (much) fear of the piece being too fragile.

The choice of wood I used for this project was aspen. I had first used aspen when I lived in the States and I liked its light color and clean look. For those of you who haven't worked with it before, it is quite soft and feels much like pine, although it is not as sappy and the grain is tighter and more even. I have learned from this lesson that it probably wasn't the best choice of wood that I could have picked. I would have probably been much better off using maple. After I began cutting, I could feel the sponginess of the wood and it cut very easily - almost too much so - and I found that it was necessary to slow down the saw quite a bit so I would be able to control my cuts.

Cutting at less than top speed is good for designs like this. You need to have some resistance in order to stay on the lines. I used a very small blade in cutting this piece (a 2/0 reverse tooth blade) and it still went through the wood quite easily. Another problem you may have when cutting slower than normal is what we call "chatter". By running the saw slower, the teeth on the blade have the time to catch the wood and pull it up slightly, causing it to kind of rattle on the table. Usually when you get chatter it s caused by one of two things - the blade is too large or your saw is running too slow. Both problems are easily adjusted, and it usually only takes a couple of cuts to get the right feel and settings for cutting the piece.

One thing I found when designing things with this style is that it is very easy to wind up with LOTS of inside cuts. Even when I don't count the round drill holes that are part of the design, I believe this piece has over 160 cuts in it. That is quite a bit for a design that is only approximately 7.5" in diameter. However, it is what it is and on paper it looked pretty cool so I thought I would give it a try.

Everything went fairly well. This was the first time that I really got to use my new saw for a number of hours. I had made the two pull toy animals on it, but besides the little bit of fretwork on the wheels, I didn't really get the time to get the feel of things. This project allowed me to give the saw a real work out.

All was going well until about 2.5 hours into cutting. I don't know if I lost my concentration or what happened but before i knew it the saw grabbed the piece that I was cutting and I lost the tip of one of the butterfly wings:


As you can imagine, I was not happy. I was already more than half way through cutting and I didn't want to start over. I spent several minutes sifting through the sawdust and pile of waste pieces that had accumulated under my saw until I finally gave up. In looking at the proximity of where I had lost the piece, I decided to forge ahead and see if I could make a prosthesis for it when I was finished. I completed the cutting without incident.

When I was done, I evaluated the damaged part. In looking at the grain direction, I realized just what happened. The piece probably caught on the blade and just snapped off along the grain.


I fished a scrap piece from the garbage pile and cut a small pattern piece of the area that I would be replacing. I placed it on the scrap and proceeded to cut it out.


In order to make the piece fit properly, I needed to make a straight cut along the damaged edge. I had to be brave and just cut the piece straight off in order to have a good edge to glue the add-on piece to. After a couple of attempts, I carefully dry fit it onto place:


I then applied clear drying wood glue to both pieces and after allowing it to get a bit tacky, put the piece into place. I used a toothpick to scrape off the excess glue on the surface:


I then used the toothpick to apply pressure to the joint and hold it in place. After this step was the most difficult part - to leave it alone until the glue was thoroughly dry:


After several hours, I was able to gently sand the top of the piece, being sure to support it from the bottom as I did so. The repair is barely visible:


I am planning to sell many of my prototypes from now on, and it was pretty sad that this happened. I don't feel that I can expect to sell this one, or if I do, I will need to reduce the price on it and certainly let others know that it has been damaged. However, I think the repair is barely detectable and it is certainly good enough for the pattern pictures that I need to take of the finished tray.


I still need to finish sand this piece and then apply a finish of sorts to it. I wanted to wait until it was thoroughly dry to do so. I don't think I will be applying mineral oil as intended, as I think it may loosen up the glued joint. I think I will just spray it with clear polyurethane and call it a day.

I began cutting my next design, and I had some issues with how that was coming out too. I decided to modify it a bit and recut it so that it is workable for most people. I will have that done by today and should have pictures of for my blog tomorrow.

All in all it was a good day. Sure, I wasn't thrilled about the mistake, but I was happy that I was able to repair it to the point where it was barely visible. Mistakes like this happen to all of us and looking back, I think I wouldn't recommend using softer wood such as aspen for a project such as this. I don't believe this would have happened if i had used something harder like maple.

So I will leave you with a little saying that came to mind yesterday while I was doing the repair. I hope you keep it in mind too if (when) you are in a similar situation.

A man's errors are his portals of discovery. -James Joyce

I suppose it was my turn to discover. :D

Have a great day!
 
#2,726 ·
Hi Sheila;

We often joke in the shop; "cabinetmaking, the fine art of fixing boo boo's".

Mistakes and accidents do happen. A true master knows what to do to make the most of the situation, hopefully in the least amount of time.

I guess that makes you a true master, huh.

My guess is nobody but you will ever see the repair.

Have a good day.

Lee
 
#2,735 ·
Another Tray Finished

I had a very productive day yesterday. I was able to get the next candle tray cut out entirely, as well as sand and finish the butterfly tray and the new one. The more I work with my new saw the more I like it. I have never had a lamp that was attached to the saw like that before and it is a vast improvement over having my little task lamp and having to move it around so that I can turn my pieces when cutting. It is great that it is out of the way.

There are however a couple of things that I feel can be improved on in regards to the light. It is a round type of light with a magnifying lens in the middle. I find that the lens is placed rather loosely in the casing and therefore rattles when the saw is running. I suppose it is a simple fix, as I just rolled up a little piece of blue painter's tape and kind of shoved it in the space so that the lens is not able to move.

Light Gas Plumbing fixture Machine Toilet seat


I don't know if you can see it from the photo, but I also rolled a piece of tape so that when the top piece is closed (which is most of the time when I am using it) it stops the cover from rattling on the base of the lamp. That is also a bit annoying.

One other thing that I am not impressed about with the lamp is that the mounting bracket that screws to the saw has only one hole.

Tire Wheel Automotive tire Bicycle tire Bicycle


This causes you to almost have to over tighten the screw in order to hold the lamp steady. I think that there should have been at least two screws so that the lamp doesn't pivot under its own weight when the saw is in use. It works fine now, but I had to really tighten it a lot in order for it not to move while cutting.

Other than that, it is really nice to have the light right there for me.

The candle tray that I cut yesterday is a southwestern design of a Kokopelli and Gecko. I used ash for the tray and I embedded three little glass seed beads into the backs of each of the little geckos.


You can see them better in the detail picture:


I want to take more pictures later today, as I didn't take the pictures with the candles. I think for that one I may also add a few feathers to the ribbon that will go around the top of the jar for a bit more interest.

I also did the finishing on the butterfly candle tray that I cut the day before. Again, I used aspen for it, which cuts a lot like pine, but has less figure in it. When I applied the mineral oil finish to it, it took on a nice warm light tan color. The edges seemed to darken a bit and the design almost looked like I burned it in:


I didn't have any thin aspen for the charms, so I used a small piece of 1/8" holly that I had. The color almost matched exactly.

I did find that the little bread seemed to show up a bit more after the oil was applied. I suppose that would have been expected. However it didn't seem to loosen the bond at all so hopefully it will be OK.


I have one more design to cut out today, and I need to do final pictures of this and also my partner's latest work. I also need to make the packets for these designs so I can get them up on the site as soon as possible. I have a couple of other designs that I want to do fairly soon though before I forget them.

I am starting to organize the information that I will need for the scroll saw class that I will be teaching here on Lumberjocks. I don't have an exact date yet, but I suppose it will be in the next few weeks. I saw that Debbie put that we were going to make a candle tray in the newsletter, but I would rather do a series of small projects, such as ornaments, which will each highlight a different technique. I think that will be the most effective and practical way for us to all learn together. I will post more information on that as I know it.

I hope you all have a great day today. We are finally getting warmer weather here and for the first time of the year it is feeling like summer. I have yet to get out by the beach, but hopefully I will be doing so soon. Happy Friday to you all.
 

Attachments

#2,736 ·
Another Tray Finished

I had a very productive day yesterday. I was able to get the next candle tray cut out entirely, as well as sand and finish the butterfly tray and the new one. The more I work with my new saw the more I like it. I have never had a lamp that was attached to the saw like that before and it is a vast improvement over having my little task lamp and having to move it around so that I can turn my pieces when cutting. It is great that it is out of the way.

There are however a couple of things that I feel can be improved on in regards to the light. It is a round type of light with a magnifying lens in the middle. I find that the lens is placed rather loosely in the casing and therefore rattles when the saw is running. I suppose it is a simple fix, as I just rolled up a little piece of blue painter's tape and kind of shoved it in the space so that the lens is not able to move.

Light Gas Plumbing fixture Machine Toilet seat


I don't know if you can see it from the photo, but I also rolled a piece of tape so that when the top piece is closed (which is most of the time when I am using it) it stops the cover from rattling on the base of the lamp. That is also a bit annoying.

One other thing that I am not impressed about with the lamp is that the mounting bracket that screws to the saw has only one hole.

Tire Wheel Automotive tire Bicycle tire Bicycle


This causes you to almost have to over tighten the screw in order to hold the lamp steady. I think that there should have been at least two screws so that the lamp doesn't pivot under its own weight when the saw is in use. It works fine now, but I had to really tighten it a lot in order for it not to move while cutting.

Other than that, it is really nice to have the light right there for me.

The candle tray that I cut yesterday is a southwestern design of a Kokopelli and Gecko. I used ash for the tray and I embedded three little glass seed beads into the backs of each of the little geckos.


You can see them better in the detail picture:


I want to take more pictures later today, as I didn't take the pictures with the candles. I think for that one I may also add a few feathers to the ribbon that will go around the top of the jar for a bit more interest.

I also did the finishing on the butterfly candle tray that I cut the day before. Again, I used aspen for it, which cuts a lot like pine, but has less figure in it. When I applied the mineral oil finish to it, it took on a nice warm light tan color. The edges seemed to darken a bit and the design almost looked like I burned it in:


I didn't have any thin aspen for the charms, so I used a small piece of 1/8" holly that I had. The color almost matched exactly.

I did find that the little bread seemed to show up a bit more after the oil was applied. I suppose that would have been expected. However it didn't seem to loosen the bond at all so hopefully it will be OK.


I have one more design to cut out today, and I need to do final pictures of this and also my partner's latest work. I also need to make the packets for these designs so I can get them up on the site as soon as possible. I have a couple of other designs that I want to do fairly soon though before I forget them.

I am starting to organize the information that I will need for the scroll saw class that I will be teaching here on Lumberjocks. I don't have an exact date yet, but I suppose it will be in the next few weeks. I saw that Debbie put that we were going to make a candle tray in the newsletter, but I would rather do a series of small projects, such as ornaments, which will each highlight a different technique. I think that will be the most effective and practical way for us to all learn together. I will post more information on that as I know it.

I hope you all have a great day today. We are finally getting warmer weather here and for the first time of the year it is feeling like summer. I have yet to get out by the beach, but hopefully I will be doing so soon. Happy Friday to you all.
Nice review Sheila!

I tried a variety of lamps on my Dewalt and finally figured out what works the best for me. I installed a hanging light directly above my saw and use a florescent spotlight bulb. It hangs in the perfect spot and never vibrates!

If I ever need to use magnification, I have a jeweler's magnifier I wear like safety goggles.

The new patterns look great - love the Kokopelli and Gecko one - that's a "must get"! :)

-bob
 

Attachments

#2,749 ·
And Yet Another Tray

Will I ever get tired of seeing how walnut seems to come to life when it is finished with oil and spray shellac? I doubt it. Walnut is just one of my all time favorite woods. I think that I could make just about anything using walnut and as long as I take the time to finish it properly, it will look impressive.

I cut another candle tray out yesterday. The wood I used was (you guessed it!) walnut! This time I made a moose scene and it seemed to me that walnut was really the only choice I had. The deep chocolate brown of the walnut just naturally complimented the design that I had drawn up. I then used my old stand by of mineral oil finish followed by spray shellac and the result was really nice. Warm and satiny and rich looking. The design was simple, but it looked like a piece of fine art with the finish on.

Yippie! :D

Photographing things made of walnut has always been a challenge. Even my editors at the magazine tell me that they would prefer that I don't use it (too much) in my projects. They say it "sucks up the light" and it is very difficult to get it to look nice. But since this piece was not heading for the magazine I let caution to the wind and decided to use it anyway. I figure that I will learn something in the process of photographing it and will possibly be able to make it look (almost) as beautiful as it does to me as I hold it in my hand.

This morning I took a couple of pictures for this blog entry. I don't think that they came out all that bad. I am getting better and better with my Photoshop skills and I am learning to use many of the new tools that are offered in the program to correct even the bleakest pictures. Besides, I love a good challenge and I feel good and up for one today. I will be taking other pictures later on of the new stuff for the site and hopefully be able to make them look good.

So here are the preliminary shots of the new project:


And the detail view:


At least you can kind of see what is going on.

The grizzly bear candle tray has been very popular, as are most of the wildlife things that I do and I thought it was high time to make another wildlife scene themed holder. I also need to do a white tail deer in the immediate future and I also want to do several ducks and perhaps fish. A mallard duck comes to mind and I believe that he will be the next one up.

I have had a great amount of suggestions for trays, as well as the list of my own that I have been compiling and it seems that there is no end in sight. Since they are selling well, I see no reason whatsoever to stop creating them and hopefully I can also weave some other projects in between making them. I honestly can say that I have many more ideas than I have time on my hands to make them reality. I suppose that is a good place for a designer such as myself, and I realize that I just have to keep moving on and producing while the proverbial iron is hot.

Sawing again was pure pleasure. I truly find it relaxing and almost therapeutic. When I cut on the saw, I play a little game with myself to see how accurately I can stay on the lines. Once I get going and warm up, things just seem to kick in and I hit a kind of rhythm and cruise right along. Of course, I usually have some good music playing while I am cutting (yesterday's choice was Jackson Browne - a reminder of my high school days) and I find myself totally absorbed in the work and the songs and it seems like before I know it, I am done. I suppose this happens to most of you also when working on a project. It is almost like an addiction. I can't help but feel a bit of a let down when the sawing is completed.

But I am finding that finishing the project and bringing it to life can also be quite a bit of fun. I know many people don't like sanding and finishing, but I am finding it to be another layer of the creation process that can be very rewarding. In the beginning of my woodworking ventures, I used to just give the project a quick sand and spray it with poly and call it a day. The results as you can imagine were mediocre to average and I would photograph the item for the pattern and be done with it.

Now however, I have learned that taking a little bit of time to finish an item properly can bring an average project up to an entirely new level. My "magic formula" of spray shellac over mineral oil works well for the type of work I do, as most of what I make doesn't need a heavy duty finish - just something to protect the wood and bring out the color and grain pattern. These small steps can elevate a project from being average to something that is a lifetime keepsake. I now feel that a project is not completed until these steps are followed. After all, I spend all that time drawing and cutting. Why fall down at the finish line?

With that said, I did finish the tray and charm set yesterday. After that was done, I spent the evening working on the web site. We recently made a page so we can sell our one of a kind items and also I wanted a place to sell my note cards and prints of my paintings. Keith has made about a dozen beautiful pens in the past couple of weeks (although he didn't put all of them up for sale) and he has posted them there too. I am once again amazed at how quickly he is learning to work on the lathe and I enjoy seeing his new creations. He is very picky with what he makes and that is why they are not all on the site for sale. He doesn't want to put "sub-standard" items there and tarnish his reputation. I honestly can't see the errors in many of what he considers rejects, but I suppose that I am the same way with my own work. I can usually pick out ten errors that most people don't even see. In any case, it will be interesting to see how this new avenue will go for us. We desperately need an outlet for our prototypes and samples, as well as for his pens.

So today will be spent doing some more photography and also writing up some packets for the new items. If I have time I will hopefully get some drawing done, but I do need to back up my computer again and before I do that I want to do some organizational work. I suppose I will just have to see how much I have time for.

It looks like a busy day ahead. It is slightly overcast and that should be good for the picture taking. When it is too sunny and bright outside, the shadows that are cast are quite harsh. The softer light is far better.

I hope you all have a great Saturday and enjoy your weekend. Let the sawdust fly!
 
#2,750 ·
Glad t see that it looks like you're back in the swing of things.
I think we all have a favorite wood. Mine is mahogany. Once you have a favorite though, it seems like you will make anything and everything out of it and never tire of seeing it. That's a fascinating thing about wood though. You take one certain species. If you ever think you've seen all there is to see with that species, turn it over and look closely, or use a different finish. That familiar species will all of a sudden take on a whole new life and you're back again.
 
#2,759 ·
Photographing Your Projects

One thing that I like so much about my job is that there is such a great variety of steps that need to be done in order to keep everything running smoothly. The saying that "necessity breeds invention" comes to mind when I am in the midst of doing so many of these other tasks.

For someone such as myself, who is trying to make a living on my designing abilities, learning all the different aspects of what it takes to not only design patterns, but to produce and market them is a necessity. Even if I did have the resources to hire people to do these other parts of my job I don't think that I would, as I like being able to do things for myself and enjoy learning about each different step.

There are several reasons that I am like this. First of all, I am somewhat impatient. Many of you probably have seen that I move at a certain pace and I am not really fond of waiting for or depending on others. I believe this comes from many years of waiting for things to get done by others, only to be disappointed with the results. I learned a long time ago that people in general don't put the proper care and time into jobs that they should. In the end, I feel that I am better off doing things myself, even if there is a slight learning curve there and it takes a couple of tries for me to get things right. In the long run, it is better for me to know these things than sit here frustrated and upset because someone else is either taking too long or doesn't do the job properly.

I realize that this may sound a bit controlling, but I find it to be necessary to keep things running smoothly. It would probably be a bit different if I could afford top of the line services, but at this point in my life I simply can't. In all probability if I were to hire out for any of these things, I would have to go with the budget level of help and the skill level of the person who comes with that. In the long run I probably do better learning on my own than going that route.

A good case in point was last week when I received the new painting book from one of my favorite tole painting designers. I know her through some common channels and she was fortunate to have a new book come out. Even though I don't do much painting from others' designs, I have been a long time fan of hers and I have a sizable collection of books from my favorites. When I heard she had written a new book, I was one of the first in line to order it. I received it last week, and found it was very nice. However, along with it came a friendly note which in part stated that she wished the photography was a little better and clearer.

This thought struck me as being somewhat odd. Here I thought she would be excited and thrilled about the book and in the short note she seemed almost apologetic about the photography. Now this woman is not the timid type of person that so many artists are. She strikes me as very confident and enterprising and kind of an all over "take the bull by the horns" type of girl. Yet she must have felt somewhat disappointed with the photography of her book for her to even mention it to me. I felt it was a shame that it would put a damper on such an exciting event for her. (By the way, I thought the pictures looked really nice!) I suppose it just goes to show that we all have our own standards of what we feel is acceptable. I think it is rare to find someone to work with that meets, or better yet exceeds them.

So with that said, I continue to learn all the different parts of my job and what it entails in order to make it successful. I have been fortunate to find a partner in Keith, who is very talented in his own right and who has standards that rival my own. It has been a valuable lesson of growing for me these last couple of years and letting go of some of the responsibilities, but he has proven himself to do excellent work and having two of us filling in the gaps for each other has been a big part of the success of the business.

Yesterday I spent most of the day photographing the new projects. Besides my own new items, Keith also had several new things that needed to be shot. I am finally learning which lighting and settings do best with certain types of projects to make them look their best.

As I stated yesterday, the darker woods seem to be the most troublesome. I find that getting a good balance between the project itself and the background can be the biggest challenge. I have a nice, but inexpensive camera which I feel does a fine job. It is a Sony Cyber Shot 7.2 megapixil. It also has a video option which I feel does well for my purposes.

I have been working with Adobe Photoshop for over ten years now too, and although I know that I have barely scratched the surface of its capabilities, I know many of the basic functions that can make a dull, crummy picture into one that is quite acceptable. I find that there are many great free resources on the web with Photoshop tutorials and I love just playing around with the pictures and making them look nice. Contrary to what some may believe, there is a great deal of creativity involved in taking and presenting a good picture. I find myself wondering how I ever had decent pictures before digital cameras came along (Oh - I forgot - they kind of sucked!)

Here is one example of what I can do in Photoshop to make my pictures look a little better. This is the original raw image that I took:

Elephant Working animal Indian elephant Art Terrestrial animal


And here is the image after I finished working on it and adjusting it:

Elephant Art Body jewelry Jewellery Working animal


It may not be as good as a professional photographer, but it is far better than if I had left it as is. The wenge was particularly difficult to shoot because of its dark color and also because the spray shellac gave it a bit of a shine. In the initial photograph, all the character was lost and the grain was not even visible. However, I have learned that the camera "sees" more than our eye does and if you use the right adjustments, you can do wonders with the picture. It is quite satisfying to see it come to ife.

There are so many cool and easy adjustments that you could make on the computer to make your projects look nicer. I think if any of you are trying to sell your work, it is well worth your time to look into what photo-editing software you use so you can make the best presentation possible. I really doesn't take much to make some major improvements.

So now that the photography is done, I am on to making packets for the four projects that I finished up last week. Hopefully I will be able to get them done today so I can get them up on the site within the next couple of days. I have already started drawing my next designs and I feel that I am on a good roll. I don't want to stop the momentum that I have going for me right now.

I wish you all a happy and creative Sunday! Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
 

Attachments

#2,760 ·
Photographing Your Projects

One thing that I like so much about my job is that there is such a great variety of steps that need to be done in order to keep everything running smoothly. The saying that "necessity breeds invention" comes to mind when I am in the midst of doing so many of these other tasks.

For someone such as myself, who is trying to make a living on my designing abilities, learning all the different aspects of what it takes to not only design patterns, but to produce and market them is a necessity. Even if I did have the resources to hire people to do these other parts of my job I don't think that I would, as I like being able to do things for myself and enjoy learning about each different step.

There are several reasons that I am like this. First of all, I am somewhat impatient. Many of you probably have seen that I move at a certain pace and I am not really fond of waiting for or depending on others. I believe this comes from many years of waiting for things to get done by others, only to be disappointed with the results. I learned a long time ago that people in general don't put the proper care and time into jobs that they should. In the end, I feel that I am better off doing things myself, even if there is a slight learning curve there and it takes a couple of tries for me to get things right. In the long run, it is better for me to know these things than sit here frustrated and upset because someone else is either taking too long or doesn't do the job properly.

I realize that this may sound a bit controlling, but I find it to be necessary to keep things running smoothly. It would probably be a bit different if I could afford top of the line services, but at this point in my life I simply can't. In all probability if I were to hire out for any of these things, I would have to go with the budget level of help and the skill level of the person who comes with that. In the long run I probably do better learning on my own than going that route.

A good case in point was last week when I received the new painting book from one of my favorite tole painting designers. I know her through some common channels and she was fortunate to have a new book come out. Even though I don't do much painting from others' designs, I have been a long time fan of hers and I have a sizable collection of books from my favorites. When I heard she had written a new book, I was one of the first in line to order it. I received it last week, and found it was very nice. However, along with it came a friendly note which in part stated that she wished the photography was a little better and clearer.

This thought struck me as being somewhat odd. Here I thought she would be excited and thrilled about the book and in the short note she seemed almost apologetic about the photography. Now this woman is not the timid type of person that so many artists are. She strikes me as very confident and enterprising and kind of an all over "take the bull by the horns" type of girl. Yet she must have felt somewhat disappointed with the photography of her book for her to even mention it to me. I felt it was a shame that it would put a damper on such an exciting event for her. (By the way, I thought the pictures looked really nice!) I suppose it just goes to show that we all have our own standards of what we feel is acceptable. I think it is rare to find someone to work with that meets, or better yet exceeds them.

So with that said, I continue to learn all the different parts of my job and what it entails in order to make it successful. I have been fortunate to find a partner in Keith, who is very talented in his own right and who has standards that rival my own. It has been a valuable lesson of growing for me these last couple of years and letting go of some of the responsibilities, but he has proven himself to do excellent work and having two of us filling in the gaps for each other has been a big part of the success of the business.

Yesterday I spent most of the day photographing the new projects. Besides my own new items, Keith also had several new things that needed to be shot. I am finally learning which lighting and settings do best with certain types of projects to make them look their best.

As I stated yesterday, the darker woods seem to be the most troublesome. I find that getting a good balance between the project itself and the background can be the biggest challenge. I have a nice, but inexpensive camera which I feel does a fine job. It is a Sony Cyber Shot 7.2 megapixil. It also has a video option which I feel does well for my purposes.

I have been working with Adobe Photoshop for over ten years now too, and although I know that I have barely scratched the surface of its capabilities, I know many of the basic functions that can make a dull, crummy picture into one that is quite acceptable. I find that there are many great free resources on the web with Photoshop tutorials and I love just playing around with the pictures and making them look nice. Contrary to what some may believe, there is a great deal of creativity involved in taking and presenting a good picture. I find myself wondering how I ever had decent pictures before digital cameras came along (Oh - I forgot - they kind of sucked!)

Here is one example of what I can do in Photoshop to make my pictures look a little better. This is the original raw image that I took:

Elephant Working animal Indian elephant Art Terrestrial animal


And here is the image after I finished working on it and adjusting it:

Elephant Art Body jewelry Jewellery Working animal


It may not be as good as a professional photographer, but it is far better than if I had left it as is. The wenge was particularly difficult to shoot because of its dark color and also because the spray shellac gave it a bit of a shine. In the initial photograph, all the character was lost and the grain was not even visible. However, I have learned that the camera "sees" more than our eye does and if you use the right adjustments, you can do wonders with the picture. It is quite satisfying to see it come to ife.

There are so many cool and easy adjustments that you could make on the computer to make your projects look nicer. I think if any of you are trying to sell your work, it is well worth your time to look into what photo-editing software you use so you can make the best presentation possible. I really doesn't take much to make some major improvements.

So now that the photography is done, I am on to making packets for the four projects that I finished up last week. Hopefully I will be able to get them done today so I can get them up on the site within the next couple of days. I have already started drawing my next designs and I feel that I am on a good roll. I don't want to stop the momentum that I have going for me right now.

I wish you all a happy and creative Sunday! Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
Interesting column, Sheila! I struggle with my photography, and don't have a PhotoShop program, but try to adjust things in IPhoto. I once 'corrected' a bowl photo and thought the color gradation was vastly improved, then realized I'd made a beautiful photo but the color of the wood was not truly representative of the project! I have to be really careful to keep it within bounds and not 'change' it for the better too much. So much to learn!
 

Attachments

#2,775 ·
Writing Pattern Packets

Here we are at Monday again already. It is hard to believe that another weekend has come and gone again. I spent the majority of the day yesterday working on the pattern packet for the Grizzly Pull Toy and I do believe that it is finished. I only need to have it proof read and it will be ready to go.

I wound up putting 19 step-by-step photos in the pattern and that is what seemed to take much of the time for me. I realize that it may be a bit of overkill, but after talking to lots of people here and in person, it seems that they like to have as much instruction as possible on projects such as these.

The more I talk with people, the more I see a need for clear and comprehensive instructions. I would rather err on the side of providing too much information rather than not providing enough. I have had a few customers ask me in the past why I repeat the basic steps over and over again in each of the patterns that I make. I defend myself on that practice because I want all levels of woodworkers to be able to completely understand the instructions and be successful at building the project.

One of the (many) good things that interacting with other woodworkers has shown me is not to assume what others may or may not know. I found that someone could be a master in one area of woodworking and still have only minimal knowledge in another. This was most evident when I was at the show in Saratoga Springs. I think it was a great benefit for me to talk with others regarding scroll sawing because it showed me that some of the things that now came to me as second nature were not common knowledge to many. It really opened my eyes and made me understand that I do have something to offer in the way of teaching.

I look at each pattern packet as a mini-lesson in scroll sawing. While it is easy for me to fall into a routine when stating instructions, talking with others reminded me just how much people depend on me to show them how to make a successful project. I find that after the last several months of talking with others and teaching at the show that I am taking even more care to be thorough in making patterns. When others ask questions, it shows me that perhaps I wasn't quite as complete as I could have been in explaining a certain aspect of process.

I want those who purchase my patterns and make the projects that I design to have good and positive feelings about doing so. Nothing is more frustrating than having a set of instructions that is either vague or incomplete. I think we have all had that experience one time or another and it certainly didn't encourage us to buy more patterns from the same company or designer. It certainly didn't help us want to continue with the hobby. I hope that those who purchase my patterns find them easy to follow and that creating the project is fun and pleasurable. After all, that is what having a hobby is all about.

I don't know if I mentioned that I was asked by MsDebbie to conduct an online class here to teach scroll sawing. I am very excited about this chance to introduce this type of woodworking to those who want to learn. I am sure that there will be all levels of woodworking that will be following the class and I hope that by the time I am finished, I will have helped everyone see how enjoyable using their scroll saw can be.

I think that the best way to teach this type of class is to start at the very beginning with the basics. I have already had several requests for me to do so. The woodworkers here who do have some experience with scroll sawing may not find that they will learn much from the class initially, but hopefully throughout the process they may pick up a tip or two that they had not known about. At the very least, I think that their input for the class will be valuable to everyone.

I have always felt that I learn each time I teach. I find that in scroll sawing, like most everything, there is more than one correct way to accomplish things. Learning several options and doing what you are most comfortable with make the hobby fun and exciting. I am looking forward to not only introducing scroll sawing to some, but also to helping those of you who only tried it a couple of times to advance your knowledge and skill and even to learn a few new things myself. This will be a wonderful experience for me too. I hope that many of you decide to participate.

With that said, I will spend the rest of today finishing up the patterns for the three new candle trays. It is almost time for another update to the site, as both Keith and I have several new patterns to put up there. Keith has also been making some beautiful pens (some which he has posted here on LJ's) which he is putting up for sale on the new "Items for Sale" page. Hopefully he will find a good market for them so he can continue to make more of them.

It looks like it will be a busy day, but seeing things progress is both encouraging and satisfying. I hope you all have a good productive day too.
 
#2,782 ·
New Goals and Challenges

There are times when I plan to accomplish things and everything just seems to fall into place. I make a time table and I actually stick to it and achieve everything that I put on my list. Things are on schedule.

One would think that I would be happy when this occurs. I suppose I am, but it also makes me a bit uneasy.

Did I miss anything? Did I do enough? Maybe I am not pushing myself hard enough? Perhaps I should go and look in the mirror and see if it is really ME looking back at myself. Or is it some stranger that had invaded my skin?

It is funny (odd) that actually reaching a goal would make me feel that way. I used to tease my children and tell them "if you reach your goals, you are setting them too low." How's that for a self-defeating attitude? (By the way - I was sure that they knew it was said it jest!) I just wonder sometimes why I feel so weird when everything goes as planned and I am on top of things.

I suppose that I am just a 'goal-oriented' person. I live from deadline to deadline of one sort or another and I have learned to make it work for me in a positive way. It seems the only time I really seem to get overwhelmed is when I don't have a list of things to do in front of me and I don't have a clear direction of what I need to do in order to keep on top of things and feel as if I am producing.

I realize that living like this isn't for everyone. There are people that don't do as well with pressure and others like me who thrive on it. I think I am one of the "thrivers" myself (is that even a word?), as I need to be accountable to someone - even if it is only to myself. Actually I believe that our "self" should be the most important one we should be accountable to.

With that said, I am taking a breath today and reorganizing. Yesterday I not only finished putting together all of the new pattern packets, but also we got them all posted on the site. I would have thought that we would have needed another couple of days for that or at least one more, but it all went smoothly and fell into place. I am very happy to be in this position, especially after being down a bit last week. Could it be that I am actually figuring all this stuff out? That would be incredible.

I had better shut up before I invite some new unforeseen disaster to fall upon me. Perhaps I am superstitious that way. If I begin to gloat or get a large head about being on top of things, it must anger the powers above because it is usually without fail that soon afterward something is bound to happen to knock me off the pedestal from which I was basking. It is as if the universe is saying "take that!"

So today I will humbly forge on with new tasks and create new goals to strive for and once again get back up to speed. I had my moment of glory these few minutes while sipping my cinnamon-laced coffee and watching the sun rise up, knowing that I was "on track."

But that moment has passed and I lingered in it long enough. There are patterns to be made and classes to be mapped out and errands to run and a whole new exciting list of things that await me. I thoroughly enjoyed the break, but now it is time for me to continue on and once again set my sights for even better things.

Thank you for sharing the moment with me.

"We choose to go…not because [it is] easy, but because [it is] hard, because that goal will serve to measure and organize the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win." - John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Have a great Tuesday!
 
#2,783 ·
Goals are a funny thing. While your saying about reaching your goals means you set them too low actually makes perfect sense. I have to agree with that because it is almost verbatum to what my grandmother used to tell me (I was raised by my grandmother and uncle). I've told my own kids the same.
The thing is though, that while this simple little saying we tell our kids may be true, there is more to it than that. No you are not setting them too low. The other part of the story is something we have to learn after we've done something long enough. It gets to a point where, from setting them goals high and scratching and clawing just to get close to them, that we surpass those same goals with ease because we've became good enough at something that we can.
When you reach that point, it is not time to ponder if we set our goals too low. No, instead it is a time to bask in the knowledge of knowing that we have honed our craft to a point that we can do that and still have time to sit back, relax, and enjoy that cup of coffee.
I understand also the feeling that maybe you need to do more since you are reaching your goals with ease. This is usually when I do a project that goes out of my comfort zone. I challenge myself. Do something new. Go into unchartered waters, if you will. I'm not telling you to do this. I'm only saying what I do.
 
#2,785 ·
Mid-week "Weekend"

I suppose that you could call yesterday my 'weekend'. As I said in my post, it was a time when I was on top of things and I went into town and did some errands, and I decided to get something that I had my eye on since before Christmas. I suppose it could be a small tool gloat if you want to look at it that way. It is a slick little set of four boxes that can store all that small hardware that we tend to accumulate. Lately, I have been also using several types of beads and jewelry finding and small pieces for embellishing and building my projects and I find that I have drawers filled with many little bags that I need to sift through in order to find the pieces I need. This would be ideal for keeping everything in one place and easy to get to.

It has a plastic case that holds four plastic drawers that slide out:

Wood Rectangle Hardwood Box Wood stain


Inside each drawer there are dividers that you can arrange to any size you need:

Rectangle Wood Ingredient Wood stain Tableware


And if you turn it on its side, it even has a nifty handle that you can use when transporting it:

Wood Rectangle Hardwood Wood stain Gadget


It cost only $25 so it didn't break the bank and I think it will fit on my closet shelf very nicely. I may even go back and get another one if I see the need, as you can stack them on top of each other.

I love finding stuff like that. As I said, I had seen it before Christmas and I had too much other stuff to get at the time so I put it off, but I have been meaning to go back and get it ever since. I can't wait to get rid of all those little bags of small stuff and have everything neatly in one place.

We spent pretty much of the day poking around the stores in Yarmouth. We were looking at some of the gift shops and looking at the possibility of Keith selling some of his pens through them. He hasn't come to any decisions yet on that, as the mark up for them that selling them that way would probably be prohibitive. He feels that there is no hurry though, and he doesn't want to jump into anything without thinking it through completely.

Even though the weather was windy, cool and foggy/rainy, it felt good to get away for the day. It had been a while since we had a day out and I thought the change of pace was needed.

I got home around dinner time and I actually got just about an entire pattern drawn up in the evening. In evaluating my situation with the wholesalers, the magazine and selling my own work, I realized that it was time to do another couple of projects for the magazine. The wholesalers are good for a month or so and I just finished five projects to sell on my own site, but the magazine only has stuff for the next issue and then will be out of stuff of mine. I don't want that to happen so it was high time I do something for them. It seems that I do their stuff last because I know once it is done, I won't see it for many months. For example the article that I wrote on my shop is in their current issue, which I haven't even received yet. I had a couple of readers already contact me about it and my editor also said he has received some positive feedback on it also. I remember that I wrote that article sometime last summer (July, I think) and I forgot completely about it. I can't wait to see how it was presented.

So today I am going to work on the new project for them. As I said, I did all of the drawings last night and I am kind of anxious to see it come to be today. I was thinking about it a lot yesterday during my travels and I refined the idea over and over in my mind. It will be a good day making it today.

Stepping back and taking a breath did me good, I believe. I still have some organizational stuff to do, but that will come in due time. Until then, I have plenty of good productive directions to focus my attention on and keep things moving in a positive way. It feels good to be where I am.

I wish you all a productive day also.
 

Attachments

#2,786 ·
Mid-week "Weekend"

I suppose that you could call yesterday my 'weekend'. As I said in my post, it was a time when I was on top of things and I went into town and did some errands, and I decided to get something that I had my eye on since before Christmas. I suppose it could be a small tool gloat if you want to look at it that way. It is a slick little set of four boxes that can store all that small hardware that we tend to accumulate. Lately, I have been also using several types of beads and jewelry finding and small pieces for embellishing and building my projects and I find that I have drawers filled with many little bags that I need to sift through in order to find the pieces I need. This would be ideal for keeping everything in one place and easy to get to.

It has a plastic case that holds four plastic drawers that slide out:

Wood Rectangle Hardwood Box Wood stain


Inside each drawer there are dividers that you can arrange to any size you need:

Rectangle Wood Ingredient Wood stain Tableware


And if you turn it on its side, it even has a nifty handle that you can use when transporting it:

Wood Rectangle Hardwood Wood stain Gadget


It cost only $25 so it didn't break the bank and I think it will fit on my closet shelf very nicely. I may even go back and get another one if I see the need, as you can stack them on top of each other.

I love finding stuff like that. As I said, I had seen it before Christmas and I had too much other stuff to get at the time so I put it off, but I have been meaning to go back and get it ever since. I can't wait to get rid of all those little bags of small stuff and have everything neatly in one place.

We spent pretty much of the day poking around the stores in Yarmouth. We were looking at some of the gift shops and looking at the possibility of Keith selling some of his pens through them. He hasn't come to any decisions yet on that, as the mark up for them that selling them that way would probably be prohibitive. He feels that there is no hurry though, and he doesn't want to jump into anything without thinking it through completely.

Even though the weather was windy, cool and foggy/rainy, it felt good to get away for the day. It had been a while since we had a day out and I thought the change of pace was needed.

I got home around dinner time and I actually got just about an entire pattern drawn up in the evening. In evaluating my situation with the wholesalers, the magazine and selling my own work, I realized that it was time to do another couple of projects for the magazine. The wholesalers are good for a month or so and I just finished five projects to sell on my own site, but the magazine only has stuff for the next issue and then will be out of stuff of mine. I don't want that to happen so it was high time I do something for them. It seems that I do their stuff last because I know once it is done, I won't see it for many months. For example the article that I wrote on my shop is in their current issue, which I haven't even received yet. I had a couple of readers already contact me about it and my editor also said he has received some positive feedback on it also. I remember that I wrote that article sometime last summer (July, I think) and I forgot completely about it. I can't wait to see how it was presented.

So today I am going to work on the new project for them. As I said, I did all of the drawings last night and I am kind of anxious to see it come to be today. I was thinking about it a lot yesterday during my travels and I refined the idea over and over in my mind. It will be a good day making it today.

Stepping back and taking a breath did me good, I believe. I still have some organizational stuff to do, but that will come in due time. Until then, I have plenty of good productive directions to focus my attention on and keep things moving in a positive way. It feels good to be where I am.

I wish you all a productive day also.
I wondered a while back while fishing when the tackle box idea was going to merge with small item craft storage. It looks like it already has. I've kept my smallest craft supplies in an old Plano tackle box for a long time now. It is basically just an older version of what you bought.
It does a body good to take a break now and then for no other reason than, just to be taking a break.
Has Keith thought about selling his pens on Ebay or Etsy? I have looked at these two options for selling some of my projects. The problem is that the things I make are big enough that shipping costs make it hard to sell them on sites like that. Pens could be shipped easily though. With your photography skills, he could put some great photos up and maybe sell good.
Another thing to look at is local prices if anyone else sells them. I don't know about your area, but at crafts shows here, pens made on the lathe go for between fifty and a hundred bucks for the ones made out of exotic woods and other materials (deer antler is poplular here). Even the cheaper ones though made out of easily obtained local woods go for about twenty five.
 

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#2,800 ·
Sometimes Things Take More Than A Day

I am beginning to see that finishing stuff in one day isn't always possible.

That may sound like a simple and obvious statement, but somehow for me it is somewhat of a new revelation. I spoke the other day about setting goals and accomplishing and whether or not they are set high enough or on the other side of the scale, too high. There were several good thoughts that you posted in the comments that made me think about the process a bit more and come to some perhaps revised thoughts on the subject.

There are many things that we can use to judge our own successes and failures. What one person would view as a disappointment, another may look upon as a triumph. The amazing thing about people is that each one of us is a complex mixture of elements which consist of different strengths and weaknesses. While we may excel in several areas and be sub-par in others, our neighbor may shine in totally different skills, yet needs help in those that we find simple. I think it is good that that things are like that. It is what makes each of us unique and special in our own way.

We all have something to bring to the table. I see it every day here on the Lumberjocks site. I have built up a fairly good buddy list here and I love when I receive notifications of new posts by my friends. For some reason, yesterday it stood out to me the great diversity of skills that my friends possess. Some are experts in turning. Others are wonderful carvers. Some make incredible boxes. And still others are masters at scrolling. The list goes on and on as to the astounding amount of talent we see displayed here from everyone. I am sure this is no news to you. Anyone who stops by this site can see within the first few minutes the vast array of creativity and also the friendship among our members.

I feel that as a designer being involved with the others here and the incredible feedback has helped me tremendously in doing a better job. In looking back, I feel there is a great deal of difference in the way I design now and the way I had done so before being so involved in a group such as this. Prior to joining the site here, I was in somewhat of a vacuum. I did try to design with my customer in mind, but the feedback I would receive was limited and far less that what I experience here. After all, it was only the occasional customer that would contact me with a suggestion or on the chance that there was an error in a pattern. Other than that, there was very little communication.

Since I have been a member here, writing almost daily and showing most of my projects, I have received so many valuable suggestions and comments regarding my designs that I couldn't even begin to count them. You all have helped me see things from several other points of view, which previously was something that no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't accomplish by myself. It helps me consider things from a different scope of perspectives and I find myself going through a whole different thought process when I design. I believe it is a very positive thing and has helped me grow and become better at my job.

I began making up a new project yesterday. I would have thought it would be done in a day, as it is simple and similar to some of the other things I have recently done. But there were a few differences that I needed to consider and I wound up doing some of the steps over and over to make it work properly. It dawned on me as I revised and reworked the pattern that I would have never considered the design with such attention if I had not come to know you all and correspond with you on a regular basis. I don't believe that it was as if I was being sloppy before, but perhaps I was unaware of how others looked at the same thing that I was looking at that made me realize that I needed to do things in a different way. Although this may seem like a small thing, I think it is very important to me and ultimately my business.

I always say that I learn so much from teaching others. I think the key to teaching well is to listen to your students, as it allows you to better understand what they need to learn. I view every pattern I design as a mini-lesson. In essence, I am teaching someone how to build or make something. As I progress in my own career as a designer, I am continually refining the process in order to better explain the technique.

My partner Keith said to me the other day how he wished he could go back and change all the older patterns and revise them into how he writes them now. I also feel that way many times. It isn't that they are really wrong, it is just that we have evolved and have learned to better explain or illustrate the technique. I believe we all do that no matter which aspect of woodworking and projects we make. It seems that most of us look back on their earlier creations and have a laundry list of how they would do this or that better. It is a natural part of the learning process I believe and it indicates that we are evolving in our craft.

So with that said, I will spend today creating and hopefully finishing up the project that I am working on. I think it is coming along nicely and I am very anxious to see how it will look when it is finished. As always, I appreciate your comments, feedback and suggestions. It is because of you that I feel I am able to grow and progress as a designer.

I thank you again for your thoughts, comments, questions and most of all your friendship.

Have a great and productive day.
 
#2,801 ·
They do say that hindsight is 20/20. I, like you, have a desire to redo some of the past things I've done. Luckily for me, I can. My current project is a perfect example. The only reason I'm doing it is because I finally have the means to do it the way I originally intended to build it.
I don't fret over it though. Even in my situation, I can redo a project, but I can never go back and undo what is alreasy done. This may be an idea for you. Is it possible to redo some of the past packets? At which time you could discontinue the old packet for the same item? I understand that you are running a business though and this may not be economically feasible. It's an idea though.
 
#2,807 ·
Rambling and Some Pictures for Dennis

There is something about polar animals that enchant me. I don't know what it is. I have always looked at them as creatures of great beauty. It strikes me as odd because as a painter, I am quite fond of color. I love painting wildlife and big cats and playing with the shading and tones and making them look realistic. Most of the Arctic animals are various shades of white and grey. You would think that would bore me. However, I did once paint a snow leopard in greyscale and it was one of the most challenging paintings I did to date. It was fun though and I enjoyed the thought of giving the painting life and depth with such a limited palette. I one day aspire to do more paintings of Arctic animals. (Once again I am longing for those 48 hour days!)

But forgive me . . . I have to get back to woodworking . . .

As I said earlier in the week, it was time for me to submit something more to the magazine. My pool of projects with my editor at the magazine will be exhausted after the next issue they are working on (the Christmas issue no less! And I am proud to say that not only will I have two projects in it, but they are also going to run the shipping article that I wrote and submitted to them last year in that issue.) It is hard to believe that in the publishing world we are already looking at the January issue. And here the trees are just starting to blossom and the leaves are just now turning green again.

But my focus needs to be on those cold, dismal days of January when the hoopla of the Christmas season has passed and people are feeling the post-holiday let down and longing for warmer days. I wanted to do something that would perhaps bring a bit of cheer and fun to their lives and give them a positive thing to focus on during that bleak winter season.

Since I am one of those 'odd lots' that actually likes winter, I tried to think of what it is about the season that makes me so happy. The fact that there are no bugs is the foremost and most obvious reason. That goes without saying - especially after the bout I had with them so far this year. But beyond that, I enjoy the quiet serenity of the freshly fallen snow and also the beauty and grace of the many Arctic animals that I associate with winter. What would be better than to create a project which would focus on something so wonderful?

I have also lately been designing some simple nostalgic toy recreations. Although these are a far cry from my usual scroll work, they have been well-received, as they are something that tugs at our memories of days gone by and perhaps what we perceive as a simpler time in our lives. I have been thoroughly enjoying designing these things and I intend to do several more.

With all of that said, I think it was only natural that I would design a polar bear pull toy for submission to the magazine. It was, I thought, a natural choice considering where my thought process has been of late.

Although the bear is simple, making a workable design was somewhat of a challenge. When I create my designs, I try to do so using very limited tools. Many scroll sawyers have little more in their shop than a scroll saw and a drill press. This limits me severely as to how I construct things for my designs. While some of the pieces would be done very easily using a table saw, I realize that many who scroll saw don't have that piece of equipment at hand so I find the need to improvise on things in order to make it work for them. Now that isn't saying that someone can also revise my instructions and do things faster (and perhaps easier) using their own equipment, such as a table saw, but I want every project to be attainable using the least amount of tools possible.

Here is what I came up with:

Wheel Wood Toy Working animal Rolling


He and his cart are made entirely of ash. I like ash because I used the Antiquing and Staining medium on him with white acrylic paint and I knew that it would give him that antique whitewashed look. I wanted him to look like wood, not just painted solid and the grain from the ash is a perfect amount of variation that I was seeking.

The only 'real painting" that he requires is the dot for his eye and the black for his nose:

Elephant Sculpture Working animal Wood Creative arts


He is not quite finished yet, but very close. I choose to make snowflakes for the wheels to his cart. I thought that would be appropriate. I also need to attach the pull cord and perhaps have something around his neck, such as a blue bow. For the pull cord, instead of a bead, I may make another snowflake just to emphasize the winter theme, but as far as the bow or other ornamentation, I am not quite sure.

On the project that I posted last night (the grizzly bear) I had a collar of rusted bells around his neck. This seemed to fit in well with the nostalgic look of the toy. However, the more I look at Mr. Polar Bear, the more I like him just as he is. I toyed with the idea of hanging a single Swarovski crystal from his neck, and I may do so and post a picture of him like that for your opinion, but somehow I am leaning to having nothing at all around his neck and leaving him as is.

One of the things that makes these pull toy replicas so charming is their simplicity, I believe. I usually like to add a little bit of "bling" just for effect, but I am not sure if it will be overkill here or not. I am still debating on it. I will perhaps give it a try and post another picture in a bit.

I have found a great deal of pleasure in making these animals. I find that I thoroughly enjoy the simple shaping of the pieces with the Dremel. It is relaxing and easy and nice to think of how the animal will look when finished. Most scroll sawing doesn't involve a lot of 'building' stuff. Much of it is plaques and such. It is very enjoyable to actually build a toy such as this. I am seriously considering doing a series of circus animals in the same fashion, perhaps make a circus train with several animals in tow. I am not a huge fan of the circus, (clowns creep me out) but if done in a subtle fashion such as this, it could be quite palatable. Just thinking out loud . . . .

In any case, there he is. I don't know if my editor will even like him and accept him for the magazine. I suppose the important thing is that I like him. Once in a while, I like to make stuff with no one in mind by myself. Sometimes those are my best efforts. :)

Have a good day and thanks for letting me ramble.
 

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#2,808 ·
Rambling and Some Pictures for Dennis

There is something about polar animals that enchant me. I don't know what it is. I have always looked at them as creatures of great beauty. It strikes me as odd because as a painter, I am quite fond of color. I love painting wildlife and big cats and playing with the shading and tones and making them look realistic. Most of the Arctic animals are various shades of white and grey. You would think that would bore me. However, I did once paint a snow leopard in greyscale and it was one of the most challenging paintings I did to date. It was fun though and I enjoyed the thought of giving the painting life and depth with such a limited palette. I one day aspire to do more paintings of Arctic animals. (Once again I am longing for those 48 hour days!)

But forgive me . . . I have to get back to woodworking . . .

As I said earlier in the week, it was time for me to submit something more to the magazine. My pool of projects with my editor at the magazine will be exhausted after the next issue they are working on (the Christmas issue no less! And I am proud to say that not only will I have two projects in it, but they are also going to run the shipping article that I wrote and submitted to them last year in that issue.) It is hard to believe that in the publishing world we are already looking at the January issue. And here the trees are just starting to blossom and the leaves are just now turning green again.

But my focus needs to be on those cold, dismal days of January when the hoopla of the Christmas season has passed and people are feeling the post-holiday let down and longing for warmer days. I wanted to do something that would perhaps bring a bit of cheer and fun to their lives and give them a positive thing to focus on during that bleak winter season.

Since I am one of those 'odd lots' that actually likes winter, I tried to think of what it is about the season that makes me so happy. The fact that there are no bugs is the foremost and most obvious reason. That goes without saying - especially after the bout I had with them so far this year. But beyond that, I enjoy the quiet serenity of the freshly fallen snow and also the beauty and grace of the many Arctic animals that I associate with winter. What would be better than to create a project which would focus on something so wonderful?

I have also lately been designing some simple nostalgic toy recreations. Although these are a far cry from my usual scroll work, they have been well-received, as they are something that tugs at our memories of days gone by and perhaps what we perceive as a simpler time in our lives. I have been thoroughly enjoying designing these things and I intend to do several more.

With all of that said, I think it was only natural that I would design a polar bear pull toy for submission to the magazine. It was, I thought, a natural choice considering where my thought process has been of late.

Although the bear is simple, making a workable design was somewhat of a challenge. When I create my designs, I try to do so using very limited tools. Many scroll sawyers have little more in their shop than a scroll saw and a drill press. This limits me severely as to how I construct things for my designs. While some of the pieces would be done very easily using a table saw, I realize that many who scroll saw don't have that piece of equipment at hand so I find the need to improvise on things in order to make it work for them. Now that isn't saying that someone can also revise my instructions and do things faster (and perhaps easier) using their own equipment, such as a table saw, but I want every project to be attainable using the least amount of tools possible.

Here is what I came up with:

Wheel Wood Toy Working animal Rolling


He and his cart are made entirely of ash. I like ash because I used the Antiquing and Staining medium on him with white acrylic paint and I knew that it would give him that antique whitewashed look. I wanted him to look like wood, not just painted solid and the grain from the ash is a perfect amount of variation that I was seeking.

The only 'real painting" that he requires is the dot for his eye and the black for his nose:

Elephant Sculpture Working animal Wood Creative arts


He is not quite finished yet, but very close. I choose to make snowflakes for the wheels to his cart. I thought that would be appropriate. I also need to attach the pull cord and perhaps have something around his neck, such as a blue bow. For the pull cord, instead of a bead, I may make another snowflake just to emphasize the winter theme, but as far as the bow or other ornamentation, I am not quite sure.

On the project that I posted last night (the grizzly bear) I had a collar of rusted bells around his neck. This seemed to fit in well with the nostalgic look of the toy. However, the more I look at Mr. Polar Bear, the more I like him just as he is. I toyed with the idea of hanging a single Swarovski crystal from his neck, and I may do so and post a picture of him like that for your opinion, but somehow I am leaning to having nothing at all around his neck and leaving him as is.

One of the things that makes these pull toy replicas so charming is their simplicity, I believe. I usually like to add a little bit of "bling" just for effect, but I am not sure if it will be overkill here or not. I am still debating on it. I will perhaps give it a try and post another picture in a bit.

I have found a great deal of pleasure in making these animals. I find that I thoroughly enjoy the simple shaping of the pieces with the Dremel. It is relaxing and easy and nice to think of how the animal will look when finished. Most scroll sawing doesn't involve a lot of 'building' stuff. Much of it is plaques and such. It is very enjoyable to actually build a toy such as this. I am seriously considering doing a series of circus animals in the same fashion, perhaps make a circus train with several animals in tow. I am not a huge fan of the circus, (clowns creep me out) but if done in a subtle fashion such as this, it could be quite palatable. Just thinking out loud . . . .

In any case, there he is. I don't know if my editor will even like him and accept him for the magazine. I suppose the important thing is that I like him. Once in a while, I like to make stuff with no one in mind by myself. Sometimes those are my best efforts. :)

Have a good day and thanks for letting me ramble.
Tooo Cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuute!

Very neat design - you kept the wheels, but in a different way!

Love it

-bob
 

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#2,815 ·
Finishing Touches on the Polar Bear

Yesterday was one of those fun days of working. I spent most of the day putting the finishing touches on my Polar Bear Pull Toy. Sometimes, as with a project such as this, that is my favorite part of designing. All the gritty work is done and it is time to have fun and do all the little things that complete the project.

I went to my favorite little store where I get a lot of the craft and jewelry supplies that I use. Actually it isn't even a store in itself, it is a grocery store that has a section on the side that has craft supplies, giftware and fabrics. I am always amazed at how much nice stuff they have in such a small area. Everything is quite organized and there is one wall section that has hundreds and hundreds of little bags of jewelry making supplies and findings.

I have come to know the woman who works there fairly well over the couple of years since I moved here. Her name is Simone and she is very friendly and helpful and also very creative. The last time that I was in (when I was getting the rusty bells for the grizzly bear, I think) she had asked me what I was making and I was describing these fun little animals and she asked me to bring them in. I always feel funny bringing stuff in, but many times I am there and I see women with quilts and other crafts showing their creations to Simone and she really seems to enjoy seeing them. I suppose that I why she is so good at her job - she has a genuine interest in what others do.

So I brought the three little toys in and she made a big fuss over them. She called some of the other workers to show them and even called the owner over to look. I always feel uneasy at times like this. It just feels odd to me.

After a couple of minutes, I got down to business. I wanted to find the perfect adornment for my little bear. Being a polar bear and all, I felt that the natural choice would be to look for silver. At first I picked up some small silver bells, but since the grizzly bear had bells on it already, I wanted this one a bit different. Besides, you don't really see polar bears with bells on them anyway.

Simone showed me a length of sterling silver chain that was very small and delicate and I thought that would be a nice start. The price was not bad and besides, I only needed a couple of inches of it to go around the bear's neck. (I did get some extra to have on hand - you never know!) I then saw some beautiful swirl cut silver beads and bought a small package of that. I was beginning to picture what I wanted in my mind. Then, the final touch, some beautiful Swarovski crystal beads. They had several sizes and I took full advantage of that.

I made a necklace, with three of the silver beads and a single medium sized crystal. I wanted something that reminded me of a cascading icicle and I think that this did the trick:


I then used four small crystals and drilled small depression in the hubs of the wheels to add a subtle sparkle to the cart:


The largest of the crystals, I used to embed into the snowflake shaped pull. I think this tied everything together nicely:


I also finished painting him as Dave suggested yesterday. I painted little claws on his feet, as well as dry brushed a bit of black (very lightly) around his muzzle and in his ears. This gave him a nice, finished look:


I even found some small plastic snowflakes in the scrap book section and decided to use them to photograph him and give a nice, wintery effect. I was debating whether to use the jute again for the pull cord, but I had some beautiful white ribbon with silver edging on it that I thought looked perfect.


I really enjoyed this project. Especially finishing him up and making him look so special. These toys are so much fun to make! It is truly fun to see each one come to life.

I spent the rest of the afternoon taking the pictures and working on getting them to my editor to see if he wants the project for the magazine. By the time I sent them however, it was already around 4pm and I knew that I wouldn't hear from him until at least Tuesday (they have a long weekend in the States) Either way it will be good. If he chooses not to use the project for the magazine, I will be able to sell the pattern right away. It is one of those win/win situations that we all love.

So for today it is on to new things. I haven't decided what to do next. I have some ornament sets that I want to do and also more trays and of course more animal toys. The list is long and I am happy that I have so many choices. I still have to get the newsletter out too, but we are making some more adjustments to the site and we wanted to finish those up too.

I feel very fortunate that I am in the place that I am. I can honestly say that I look forward to every new day and what it brings. And for that I am truly blessed.

Have a great weekend.
 
#2,816 ·
Shelia , the chain and the icicle look crystal looks great ! I believe you added just the right amount of black to the ears an muzzle as being total black I think it would be to much. The wheels when I first looked in reminded me of the moon hub caps .
Great job Shelia I see no reason the should not except it
Have a lovely day and enjoy the rest of the weekend
David
 
#2,821 ·
My One Year Birthday Here on Lumberjocks!

I never was big on birthdays:


They always made me crabby and uneasy. I didn't like the attention that came with them and the fact that it was a kind of day where you were more or less expected to have fun.

But over the years, I have come to like birthdays. They are, in essence, celebrations of our lives and I feel I have a lot to celebrate. I find them a good excuse to have fun with your friends and enjoy the day:


Today is my one year birthday here on Lumberjocks. I just happened to notice the other day that it was coming and I didn't know if I was even going to mention it. But I thought about it and I thought how much being a member here has impacted my life and I couldn't let the day go without acknowledging it.

When I first came here to Lumberjocks, I didn't know if I would quite measure up:


After all, here I was just a scroll sawyer and you all were so talented. Everyone here was so willing to share information and help each other:


Even when I got myself into a mess:


You were all there for me and helped me figure things out.


With you all standing with me as my friends, I feel like I can do anything:


For no man (or woman) is an island.


We need each other to shore each other up sometimes:


So come on and help me celebrate my one year birthday here!


It's more fun than celebrating by yourself:


No one cares if you 'pig out'


Taking some time off everyone once in a while to indulge is good for you. Besides - it's Sunday!


I want to thank all of you here, my friends, who have made this year so special:


I am really glad I met you all and look forward to being friends for many years to come!


Have a wonderful day everyone!
 
#2,844 ·
What To Do Next? (And Other Random Thoughts)

Some days you can be busy from dawn to dusk and when the day is done, you just don't know why it went by so quickly. Yesterday was very much like that. There were many things that I had been neglecting around the house that needed attention and it seemed that I spent most of the day doing that. It was not unpleasant though, as getting things accomplished around the house always seems to bring me a sense of satisfaction. I like being organized and find that I get much more accomplished when things are in order. Although I did the basic scrubbing and cleaning, I have yet to attack the closets and go through the supplies that I want to load into my new case and reorganize things there. It seems that I am going to have to plan almost a full day for that, however, as the task is nothing that can be accomplished quickly.

I tend to put off those things, even though I know that they are quite functional and that once it is behind me I will wonder why I didn't get at it sooner. I don't quite know why I am like that. I suppose that when I prioritize things in my mind, it isn't really bad enough to come out on top of the list, so I make due with the way things are until I can't stand it anymore. The problem there is that I think about having to do it in the undefined near future and it is just another thing on "the list" to clutter things up.

Maybe I should do it today . . .

It's Monday and being an American/Canadian it is somewhat of a half holiday for me. I have been here in Canada seven years now and even though I feel that I have been welcomed warmly, I still feel homesick at times. I like the thought of dual-citizenship. It allows you to be a part of both countries without having to give up the other. After all, I do pay taxes in two countries, so I may as well be able to have the benefits of calling both of them my home. It eliminates that either/or mentality that would be an emotional struggle for just about anyone. After all, sometimes it is hard enough being in a different country on its own. If I were to have to add that I was no longer a citizen of my native home, I don't think I would be able to stand it. There is and always will be a part of me that belongs in America. My children are there as well as many, many memories and people that have defined me and made me who I am. I love to go back and visit and I never fail to feel a sense of pride and belonging each time I cross the border.

I suppose that when I most feel my 'newness' here are during some of the holidays. The two that are the most noticeable seem to be Independence Day and Thanksgiving. In Canada, we have "Canada Day" which is usually right around the first of July. It is celebrated much like Americas' fourth, with parades and picnics and parties. I have many fond memories of Independence Day from both my own childhood all the way through to my children's. We always had a bar-b-que and went swimming at the local park district where they had carnivals and music and bands and the evening was topped off with a huge fireworks show at the local high schools. I think of my friend Cari and pulling the kids in the wagons and sitting on blankets with snacks to watch the fireworks and they are some of the fondest memories I have.

But now things are so different. The kids are all grown up and on their own, and Cari is no longer with us and so many other things in life has changed that it would be impossible to have things the same. I find as I am writing this that I sound old. Looking back on these experiences and the many phases that my life has gone through make me realize how fortunate I have been (and still am) to have so many wonderful experiences and so many good friends and family. I don't look back on those busy times with any regret. I look back on them with happiness. To me it is like watching a favorite movie over and over again. Each time you see it, you find something else to appreciate about it. You don't seem to ever tire of it either.

Perhaps that is why I look at each day and experience the way I do. I try to appreciate every single one for what they are. Maybe it is a sign of maturity or maybe it is just a sign of getting older. I don't mind though because it is good to be aware of these things I feel.

Well, I don't know what got me off on that tangent! Too much thinking. I have been watching my friends and family on facebook and seeing pictures and hearing of their long weekend celebrations and I suppose it stirred up some things inside of me.

It's Monday and it is raining here. Pouring actually. It is much darker now than it was when I awoke an hour ago and the sky is just opening up. It's an in-between day for me where I am not driven by any particular project. It seems that those are sometimes the least productive days, and other times the most. I need to set a short term goal and have a cause to start moving toward. I have several choices of which direction to head. The new candle trays are selling well already so I should probably do more of them. The little antique animals are doing nicely too, so there is another choice. I need to really map out the scroll saw class that I will be doing online here too. And then the closet . . .

I am going to pour another cup of coffee and sit a bit and think. Perhaps in my mind I will come up with a good way to prioritize these things that makes sense. It is just a matter of deciding.

We all get days like this, and I am no exception. Just by writing things down, I am already leaning in a direction. The rain is letting up too. And it is once again beginning to get brighter out. Its odd how quickly the storm can pass. Although I don't quite know how, I am somehow certain it is going to be a good day. I hope you have a good one also.
 
#2,855 ·
Today Is Another Day!

Well it was good to get that out of my system. Sometimes it is best to take the plunge and just do what has to be done. I am not going to say there weren't some rough spots. There was a point in the mid-afternoon where there was lots of stuff all over and I was beginning to feel quite overwhelmed. But I forged on and sorted and actually threw out the stuff that was no good and no longer useful and it was just about dinner time when things were back in place (only a bit neater!) and I actually made a lot of headway. Even the sun was shining as I grilled my chicken breast for dinner. I had made a wonderful marinated olive salad too earlier in the day that was just yummy.

Perseverance paid off.

Now I am not saying that there isn't still work to be done. But I see enough improvement to at least feel like I accomplished something and have a good start. Keith is still in the process of designing and building a storage unit for the lathe and it will also have much more room for the other stuff. One step at a time.

Organization seems to me like it can be a full time job. It seems that no matter how organized you are, if you don't stay right on top of it, it is vary easy to slip back into a state of disarray. Judging on the words of encouragement that I hear from others, I am not alone in this train of thought. It seems most people are struggling to achieve that magical "organization utopia" where our house/shop looks and functions like the places we see on TV or in the movies. In thinking about it though, I know very few people who actually live like that. Most of us are fighting a daily combat of keeping the disorganization monster at bay, be it in our tool boxes, clothes closets or even our kitchen cupboards. Not to mention our computers and for us girls, our purses. It is a seemingly never ending battle that is always lurking in any place where we have the ability to put 'stuff'.

When we break it down simply, there are really only two choices. We can put our stuff in the right place or put it in the wrong place. After all, why would we consciously choose to put something where it doesn't belong when it has a place? That sounds almost too easy, doesn't it? I think that the underlying problem is that there is usually only one right place, whereas there are many, many more wrong places. In the "wrong" department, the world is our oyster. Let's face it too - when we are in the middle of something "important", the easy road is mighty appealing. John Madden (the coach of football's Oakland Raiders) had a famous quote - "The easy road goes through the sewer." I wonder if his closet looked like mine did when he thought that up?

So I have moved up at least a notch and a half on the organizational scale and that is enough for me for now. It is a sunny day out and I want to get back to work. I woke up this morning to a beautiful warm day and the hazy sunshine is streaming through the windows (and I am ignoring the light layer of dust that it shows on the furniture!) I am feeling like I am in the mood to do some drawing and I want to draw up a couple more candle trays. I know you are all probably getting a bit tired of seeing so many candle trays, but I have so many ideas for other ones, as well as suggestions by customers and they are selling, so I want to keep making them until I run out. (or at least until I do something else now and again).

I have made that mistake before. I had a series of what I called Forest Leaf Plaques which are many types of animals scroll sawn into leaf-shaped frames. I designed them about ten years ago and I started with about 15 and then it went to 20 and then 40 and then 60. I even did a smaller series (16 plaques) of Little Leaves which were three smaller leaves that had related animals in them (ie., three bears, deer or eagle poses, etc.) When I was in the process of designing the last fifteen or so of the leaves, I was truly tired of doing them. Even though they were doing extremely well in sales (actually, they took the scrolling world by surprise and I seriously couldn't print them fast enough. They were literally flying out the door and put me 'on the map' as a pattern designer), I had had enough of them and wanted to do other creative things. I remember my editor saying to me "why would you stop making them when they are still selling?" and I thought if I were sick of them, then others must be too. Besides, I wanted to stretch my 'artistic wings' and do other things. It didn't matter what, as long as it wasn't shaped like a leaf.

I am not sure if it qualifies as the biggest mistake that I have made in my lifetime, (I have had some whoppers!) but I certainly think it is in the top ten. Looking back, I think to myself "why the heck would I stop making something when people are buying them and asking for more?" (Oh - gee! That sounds like what my editor had asked me(!) Humm . . . .)

Do ya think I am figuring things out with this business??

Perhaps there is a glimmer of light deep in the back of that dark tunnel.

So trays it is! :D

Besides - I only have about 25 or so. I have a long way to go! AND I do have some nice ideas of cool things to make for them and ways to do them that are a little different. So why not?

So that's the plan for the day. Oh - and I have some errands to do too and (hopefully) will get a chance to take a walk on the beach. I haven't been to the shore yet this year and there are fewer bugs there so I think it is high time to take a half an hour or so and clear my head. I may even be really bad and treat myself to an ice cream cone too. After all, a little self-indulgence doesn't hurt, does it?

So all in all it looks like it will be a good and productive day today. I won't even think about if my editor will accept my polar bear or not and that I should hear from him today. :)

We will see what the day will bring, but I am planning on only good things. (We follow where we focus and all of that . .)

Have a great day yourselves! (And treat yourselves to some ice cream too!)
 
#2,856 ·
Organization , is a lovely thing , but then there are those day that mess it all up . You go shopping bring everthing in and sit then down sort them were they go then the bathroom calls so you sit it down on the catch all and forget about it or you are working away and you finish for the day and say I'll leave that there I'll need it later and there it sits long after the project is done.
What is worst is when someone else's mess it up and you go to look for something and it is not there they moved it some were else.
Have a great day
David
 
#2,858 ·
Inspiration

I must be excited about June being here because I got up so early this morning (just after 4!) It was one of those funny times when you are just lying there for half an hour or so in the dark and can't sleep. Nothing is troubling you or anything bad like that, you just are thinking about the upcoming day and can't wait to get started. After a while, I thought "what the heck" and got up. I think the cats think I am crazy. :)

Yesterday was a good day.

I will have to say that it was the nicest day of the year so far. It was sunny and warm, not hot and there was a breeze but it wasn't too windy. I spent the morning sorting through my clothes and getting my winter stuff ready to be put into storage - a sure sign that summer is nearly here. I always leave a couple of sweatshirts and long pants at hand just in case, but it always feels good to sort through things and get things (ahem) "organized" (there's that word again!)

While I was sorting, I got a couple of good messages on my computer. My editor accepted the polar bear for the magazine. (YAY!) So now I will be writing up the instructions and sending him off for his excursion to New Jersey. Good thing that I too nearly 80 pictures while I was making him. I should have plenty of material to make a nice instructional article.

I also had a message from my largest pattern wholesaler contact. I had written her to ask the cutoff date for the next catalog. This is the first big holiday catalog that comes out at the end of August when people are getting back into their shops and thinking about all the autumn craft shows and also the holiday gifts. It is traditionally one of the best selling times of the year for patterns. I was told that the date would be around July first, so that gives me a month to really get my butt into gear and get those fall and holiday designs done. I don't have to have really anything but the photographs for these new items by this date, but the instructions should all follow in the next couple of weeks after submitting them. This allows me to really stay focused and get some nice things out there.

I have always said that all I every ask for is opportunity. This, ladies and gentlemen, is it.

With the warm sun and the sand and the gentle ocean breeze calling to me, the future is now placed in my own hands.

Did you ever read the story of "The Ant and the Grasshopper?" It is funny how that childhood story comes to mind so often in what I do. People tend to think that being self-employed means staying in bed until ten in the morning if you wish and long, lazy afternoons at the pool or beach or on the golf course (if I golfed!) I love when people ask what I do and when I tell them say "Boy! You are lucky!" Luck has very little to do with it.

The longer I do this, the more I see that it is about discipline and balance. If I chose to sit on the beach every warm and sunny day, you could rest assured that I before too long I would probably have to buy a tent and sleep there too and learn to call it home, cats and all. Now that may not seem too bad during May or June, but come November and December when the weather changed, it would be pretty chilly.

That doesn't mean that I can't sneak away for an hour or so on a sunny afternoon and take a break. Most people get designated 'lunches'. But the key here is to manage my time and accomplish so that I am able to take those special breaks and keep them well - special. It is a delicate balance that is always changing with every new element that is introduced in my life. I don't think it is for everyone. But I like it and when it works, it is sweet.

In the afternoon I was ready to take my things to storage and retrieve my summer things and I had a list of errands that I needed to do. With living in the area I do, everything is pretty much in line on one highway that runs along the shore line. I simply started from the furthest point and worked my way back home.

The whole process took about two to three hours, and I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. I almost stopped at the car wash to do the car, as it is sadly in need of a rinse, but it wasn't really that bad and it was beginning to approach dinner time and it was time for me to head back. Perhaps another time. I arrived home and made supper on the grill and began doing some laundry and putting away my stuff and sorting receipts.

By the time I was done, it was nearly eight. I felt so rejuvenated though from accomplishing so much that I started a new drawing. Before I knew it, I was done. It only took a couple of hours to complete because I was thinking about it all the time I was driving along the coast. Many times if I think through things in my head first, when it comes time to put them on paper or the computer they go down pretty easily. This was one of those times.

Here is my typical 'teaser' for you all to see:

Gesture Font Circle Wing Pattern


It is what I will call the "Classic Fretwork Shell" tray. I wanted to do something that was full of fretwork for some reason. The graceful shell design reminded me of the scallops that we are famous for here in Nova Scotia. While I was laying in bed thinking this morning, I though that I might embed a pearl bead in each of the scallop shells. I have ovals drawn in now, but I will change them to circles to accommodate the beads. I think it will add just the right amount of interest to this classic design.

So was I 'goofing off' yesterday? I don't think so. Besides accomplishing the many errands I intended to do, I also got to enjoy the beautiful scenery and breath some fresh air and find inspiration for what I think will be a nice design. I can't wait until I can crank up that saw and get cutting today!

Some days (many, lately) I do feel that I have a very good life.

I wish you all a wonderful day too.
 

Attachments

#2,859 ·
Inspiration

I must be excited about June being here because I got up so early this morning (just after 4!) It was one of those funny times when you are just lying there for half an hour or so in the dark and can't sleep. Nothing is troubling you or anything bad like that, you just are thinking about the upcoming day and can't wait to get started. After a while, I thought "what the heck" and got up. I think the cats think I am crazy. :)

Yesterday was a good day.

I will have to say that it was the nicest day of the year so far. It was sunny and warm, not hot and there was a breeze but it wasn't too windy. I spent the morning sorting through my clothes and getting my winter stuff ready to be put into storage - a sure sign that summer is nearly here. I always leave a couple of sweatshirts and long pants at hand just in case, but it always feels good to sort through things and get things (ahem) "organized" (there's that word again!)

While I was sorting, I got a couple of good messages on my computer. My editor accepted the polar bear for the magazine. (YAY!) So now I will be writing up the instructions and sending him off for his excursion to New Jersey. Good thing that I too nearly 80 pictures while I was making him. I should have plenty of material to make a nice instructional article.

I also had a message from my largest pattern wholesaler contact. I had written her to ask the cutoff date for the next catalog. This is the first big holiday catalog that comes out at the end of August when people are getting back into their shops and thinking about all the autumn craft shows and also the holiday gifts. It is traditionally one of the best selling times of the year for patterns. I was told that the date would be around July first, so that gives me a month to really get my butt into gear and get those fall and holiday designs done. I don't have to have really anything but the photographs for these new items by this date, but the instructions should all follow in the next couple of weeks after submitting them. This allows me to really stay focused and get some nice things out there.

I have always said that all I every ask for is opportunity. This, ladies and gentlemen, is it.

With the warm sun and the sand and the gentle ocean breeze calling to me, the future is now placed in my own hands.

Did you ever read the story of "The Ant and the Grasshopper?" It is funny how that childhood story comes to mind so often in what I do. People tend to think that being self-employed means staying in bed until ten in the morning if you wish and long, lazy afternoons at the pool or beach or on the golf course (if I golfed!) I love when people ask what I do and when I tell them say "Boy! You are lucky!" Luck has very little to do with it.

The longer I do this, the more I see that it is about discipline and balance. If I chose to sit on the beach every warm and sunny day, you could rest assured that I before too long I would probably have to buy a tent and sleep there too and learn to call it home, cats and all. Now that may not seem too bad during May or June, but come November and December when the weather changed, it would be pretty chilly.

That doesn't mean that I can't sneak away for an hour or so on a sunny afternoon and take a break. Most people get designated 'lunches'. But the key here is to manage my time and accomplish so that I am able to take those special breaks and keep them well - special. It is a delicate balance that is always changing with every new element that is introduced in my life. I don't think it is for everyone. But I like it and when it works, it is sweet.

In the afternoon I was ready to take my things to storage and retrieve my summer things and I had a list of errands that I needed to do. With living in the area I do, everything is pretty much in line on one highway that runs along the shore line. I simply started from the furthest point and worked my way back home.

The whole process took about two to three hours, and I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. I almost stopped at the car wash to do the car, as it is sadly in need of a rinse, but it wasn't really that bad and it was beginning to approach dinner time and it was time for me to head back. Perhaps another time. I arrived home and made supper on the grill and began doing some laundry and putting away my stuff and sorting receipts.

By the time I was done, it was nearly eight. I felt so rejuvenated though from accomplishing so much that I started a new drawing. Before I knew it, I was done. It only took a couple of hours to complete because I was thinking about it all the time I was driving along the coast. Many times if I think through things in my head first, when it comes time to put them on paper or the computer they go down pretty easily. This was one of those times.

Here is my typical 'teaser' for you all to see:

Gesture Font Circle Wing Pattern


It is what I will call the "Classic Fretwork Shell" tray. I wanted to do something that was full of fretwork for some reason. The graceful shell design reminded me of the scallops that we are famous for here in Nova Scotia. While I was laying in bed thinking this morning, I though that I might embed a pearl bead in each of the scallop shells. I have ovals drawn in now, but I will change them to circles to accommodate the beads. I think it will add just the right amount of interest to this classic design.

So was I 'goofing off' yesterday? I don't think so. Besides accomplishing the many errands I intended to do, I also got to enjoy the beautiful scenery and breath some fresh air and find inspiration for what I think will be a nice design. I can't wait until I can crank up that saw and get cutting today!

Some days (many, lately) I do feel that I have a very good life.

I wish you all a wonderful day too.
That shell tray looks like it's going to be a very fancy, detailed piece. Good luck!

-bob
 

Attachments

#2,862 ·
Busy Times, Good Times

I am a little slow out of the gate today, but it wasn't without purpose. Yesterday was a very full day and I accomplished a lot. My early start paid off and although I thought that by the middle of the afternoon I would have a bit of a letdown and get tired, that didn't really happy. I didn't start cutting until late afternoon and finished up around ten. Even after that I was still excited about the project and got some of the general sanding done on it and the first coat of oil was applied. It was probably around midnight before I went to bed, but I was able to do so with a good sense of accomplishment. It was a really good day.

I spent most of the morning doing errands and paperwork. I still have to finish my end of month stuff from May, but I at least got a good start on it. I also had some emails and thing of that nature to take care of. In the process of doing that, I received an email from my editor that he wanted the polar bear pull toy for the magazine. I am very happy about that because I think it is somewhat of a different type of project than what the magazine usually offers. The only down side of that is that I won't be able to sell it for several months and I have to send him away. It is funny how I seem to grow attached to certain projects. I have kind of just let him sit around here out in the open since he was finished so that I could kind of admire him. But this will be good. And I am happy that he will be seen by so many people.

Another order of business was to contact the representative from the painting pattern company (The Artist's Club) that had shown interest in my little skating pond scene. My contact there said that they would be getting back to me in May about it and they were interested in putting all or part of it in their mailings that went out for the holiday season, but they wouldn't be ready until then. I had corresponded with her several weeks ago and she had said that since it was such a large project, they were leaning on smaller parts of it - at least to start off and see where it went. That was fine with me and I told her that, but I needed to know which pieces in particular they wanted because it would involve me rewriting the pattern to reflect only those pieces. After a couple of back and forth correspondences, communication ceased and I was kind of left wondering.

I was beginning to also wonder if the project was somehow cursed, as it seems that every step of the way there has been one type of obstacle or another. I was thinking about it as I was driving and doing my errands and part of me just wanted to let it die. After all, if it is this much work than something mustn't be right. It made a nice keepsake for my son, which was my first intention with it and that is what mattered most.

I had almost convinced myself to leave it alone when a thought came to me. If I let it go now, not only would I be losing the opportunity to get it the exposure that I did want it to have, but I would also be dropping the ball with a new company and outlet for my wood pieces and painting patterns. Although I am more focused on the scroll sawing right now, I wanted to keep that avenue open at least enough to possibly develop later on. There are so many of my customers as well as woodworkers that inquire about painting and finishing and are asking me to do more things and videos on the processes and also on how to add color to other scroll work. I am thinking that one of the only ways that I will be able to have that part of the business lucrative for me is to have a distributor such as Artists Club to reach that audience and let them know that I exist. I would be foolish if I didn't at least give it one more shot.

So when I returned home, I sent one more (and I thought final) email to my contact. In it I was very polite and thanked her very much for her consideration. I also let her know that my own schedule was filling up quite quickly and that I have many deadlines to meet and if she is at all interested in making things work on the skating pond set, that it would be desirable to settle things now so that I will be able to meet whatever criteria she would require of me. I also very politely told her that if they had chosen not to go with the set, that I still appreciated the consideration and asked her to let me know if she would be open to me submitting other projects in the future.

I understand that everyone is busy. With the economy the way it is and the craft industry as well as the woodworking industry struggling, perhaps they didn't feel that it was a good risk to take on something new like this. I just needed to know because I didn't want to be hit with things at a time when I was already fully committed. I tried to be as gracious as possible in letting her know that and not sound like I was giving her an ultimatum, but I did need her to understand that I had other commitments too. I realize that I have no name in the painting industry and I am probably a low priority on the list, but life needs to go on and I had to know what was what.

After I wrote the email, I was able to check it off my mental list and move on. If I didn't hear from her again, at least I knew I did the right thing and gave it my best shot. I was fully prepared to put it all to rest and let go and thought 'what will be will be'. (This is a very freeing attitude, by the way!)

I went on with my work and within the hour, I saw a response to my email pop up in my mailbox. To make a long story shorter, they are interested in using part of the set at least to start and we are working out the logistics of things later on today. She was very warm and apologetic about taking so long to talk to me and we are going to talk later on today and iron out the remaining details. Hopefully I will have some good news to talk about tomorrow.

With that under my belt, I was able to continue on with my shell candle tray with a clear head. I was a bit disappointed that I didn't have the appropriate thickness of some cherry, but I did find a nice piece of brown maple that has a good, warm color.

The tray took a bit over four hours to cut, but I truly think it is one of my favorites. It was pure pleasure cutting it out and I was actually sad at ten in the evening when I finished the final hole. Here are some preliminary pictures of it:


I decided to embed a small pearl bead in each of the scallop shells:


If the beads are not desired, I am offering an alternative pattern in which a tear drop shaped piercing would go in its place. I like the pearls though and I think they really look good and give the piece some interest.


I still need to do another couple of coats of oil and some more fine sanding on the piece. I had just set the beads into the depressions for now for the preliminary photographs. I also don't think that I will use that background color for the tray. I am going to experiment with other colors and see what I feel will bring out the color of the wood best.

Overall, I think that this may be my current favorite design to date. I suppose that must mean that I am not burned out on doing them yet. I think that as long as I can get excited about the new designs, that I will be OK.

There is so much to do and so much to be excited about. I did sleep in late today (until 7) because I just was tired. It was a long day yesterday, but a really, really good one. I hope to continue to accomplish a lot today. I think I am on a roll!

Have a good one!
 
#2,863 ·
Morning Shelia !
It is always nice to sleep in once in awhile . did some errand and picked up a used but new to me tool a elect. pole saw .
The candle tray looks good with the pearl it sets it off good .
Wish you luck with the Art store deal . I hate being held off and wondering is it a go or what .
You have a wonderful day and Stop and smell the roses
David
 
#2,871 ·
Patience

Did I ever mention three very important factors in being a designer? They are patience, patience and patience. I don't think it would hurt if you throw a little patience in there either.

It is amazing how you find yourself thinking thoughts like "it only six months" or "I'll see it in print by this Christmas!" (said in April). The funny part is that you are thinking these thoughts with no sarcasm or frustration whatsoever. You are really and truly excited.

I have said many times over how life as a designer is a time warp. Christmas in April. Fall and Halloween in June and Spring butterflies and robins done in September are pretty much the norm. Ask any designer. I have been doing design work for magazines for just over fifteen years now and I can honestly say that after the first few years pass, you don't even seem to notice anymore. I have many fond memories of painting Santas and Reindeer pool side in the sweltering heat, trying not to let the drops of sweat dripping from my head fall on the pieces I was working on. It sounds ridiculous, but it is the honest truth. If my Christmas items were not completed by July, then I had better start thinking of setting my sights on next year.

Now I can toss my website into the mix. I like the site because it brings me a little closer to reality. Christmas stuff can be added up until November and the "last minute" stuff can even be pushed into the first week or so of December. You only need to be slightly out of sync with the real seasons and by setting your own rules, it allows a little bit more flexibility.

Life is a perpetual holiday for a designer. Although there are some classic designs that are not holiday-related that sell well, if you are in the business of designing, holiday items are a sure bet. I can't say that I don't like it that way. After all, you get to live your life with plenty of good cheer in one form or another, whether it is by sending hugs and kisses on Valentine's day or welcoming in the autumn harvest in September. It is all fun to me.

Many of you may remember the little skating pond figure set that I was working on. I even did a separate little blog on it, highlighting the characters (which I didn't finish, mind you and plan complete introducing the characters to you all this year!). I designed the set almost a year an a half ago. The main purpose was to make a keepsake gift for my son and his wife and I also decided to make a set for my dear friends Bernie and Ellen. I submitted it to the Christmas Magazine and it was to be presented as a series in the magazine. Long story short, after nearly a year of waiting and things happening, it was finally presented in not quite the manner I wanted it to be last November.

Not to be beaten, I researched and found one of the most prominent tole painting pattern companies and submitted it to them to possibly represent the patterns for me. This would be a huge boost to me, as they are probably the largest company and best reach the targeted audience - tole painters - that I want to sell the instructions to making the set to. I was coming to them "cold" as you will, for even though I have been published for many years in the woodworking industry, it has been several years (about 8) since I have been published in a painting magazine. They didn't know me or my name at all. But they said they liked the pond - a lot - and they wanted to make the set work for them in some way. Their plans were to market it when the new Christmas and holiday stuff came out in late summer, but they were still deciding how to present it.

Now it is quite an extensive set as I have originally designed it. It has approximately 25 pieces, including trees, snowman, other characters walking near the pond and even a foot bridge. Marking the entire thing at once would be a huge undertaking, and somewhat daunting for me to prepare the pattern and pieces and be able to supply them. I was told last February that I would be contacted sometime in May as to what they were thinking. I still had hopes, over a year after creating the scene, that it would be seen by the proper audience and be a success for me.

Well, May came and went and I still hadn't heard final word on it. I spoke yesterday of my final attempt to contact them and how I had almost given up hope of seeing it marketed properly. Here May had passed and I was certain that I once again missed the deadlines for getting it in their catalog. Perhaps they were just too busy with their other stuff and had enough material from other designers who were more well-known than me. I had nearly thrown in the towel when I thought I would give it one last try. What did I have to lose, anyway?

I wrote one final letter, thanking them for their interest and I was told that I would hear back from them yesterday.

And I did. :)

What they have decided to do is to take five of the skaters and market them as a set, along with a smaller, more manageable version of the pond and the instructions. I would provide them with the entire package at a wholesale price to me and they would market it and feature it in their early September catalog to see how it goes, with the option of adding on to the set later if it is well-received.

I found this solution to be absolutely perfect! I couldn't have asked for a better plan. You may think that I would have been disappointed because they didn't accept the entire set, but I realize that because of the size and detail of the full set, it would not only be cost-prohibitive in these difficult economic times, but also quite overwhelming for many painters to tackle (as well as myself in getting it ready). I actually like the idea of marketing it in smaller increments, and I believe that I will also do this on my own site and see how it goes. People are very cautious about spending these days and I find that it is more likely that they will try something that is on a smaller scale than plunge into a project that will take a great deal of time and resources for them to make. Actually, I am almost embarrassed that I hadn't thought to market it this way myself. It is a simple notion and was right in front of me. I said yesterday that I am still learning and here is a clear example of it.

Another positive factor is that as those of you who read regularly know, I have a LOT on my plate right now. Many deadlines are approaching as well as the scroll saw class here on Lumberjocks (which I believe will be pushed into the beginning of July, as the turning class seems to be going on a bit longer than I expected and I don't want them to overlap)

It is said that things happen for a reason. I am learning as I go along that stepping back and allowing things to take their course is a much less stressful way to be, and frees me up to do so much more. Spending time worrying about what you can't change is a waste of energy and will suck the life out of you. "Forget about it!" (in your best Tony Soprano voice) and things will fall into place.

This means so much more for me than just selling this little set. Although the initial order is great (they will be wanting 72 sets to start out) the long-term relationship with this company is what will be most important. This is an entirely new clientele for me to be exposed to. It will help develop another leg of my business that is totally apart from scroll sawing and although there may be the occasional customer who overlaps to both aspects, most people will be either painters or scroll sawyers and the potential to grow is definitely there.

When I chose the name "Sheila Landry Designs" for my company, I had this vision in mind. I didn't want to be only a scroll saw pattern designer or only a painting pattern designer. I wanted to be a designer. There are so many wonderful media that we can be creative in, I didn't want my company name to restrict me to one aspect or another. And with the economy the way it is and so many of the creative industries struggling, I think the best best I have in being successful is to diversify and not put all my marbles in one bag. This will be a great opportunity for me to infiltrate an entirely different aspect of the industry.

So it is up to me now to show them who I am. I need to make some minor changes on the characters and repaint the five that they are requesting and create a new pattern packet to match the kit. The other day I was talking about how looking back at some things I felt I could do them better. We had some discussions about redoing pattern packets and such and how if I rewrote some of them I felt that I would do a better job. Well, here is opportunity knocking right at my door as far as this is concerned. After having them on the market from my site and hearing the questions or concerns that my customers had regarding them, it allows me to see how I could better fine tune the patterns to really be top notch.

And who said you don't get second chances?

This is a major victory for me and also a huge opportunity for potentially expanding my company. I am not only grateful, but I am very highly motivated to step up to the plate and show them what I am all about. I haven't been this excited about something in a long, long time.

And to think I almost gave up!

And so the quote of the day is about "patience"

"The keys to patience are acceptance and faith. Accept things as they are, and look realistically at the world around you. Have faith in yourself and in the direction you have chosen." Ralph Marston

Have a great day!
 
#2,872 ·
Patience? What's that? I have no patience. I guess that's why I could never be a designer.
You want to expand your website. I think that is a good idea for any business based website.
I have thought before of two things I think would be great.
I like sites where I can order patterns and blades from one source. This not only makes things easier on me, but also it cuts down on my shipping charges versus ordering from seperate sources. I know you like Olson blades. I don't know what the process is for becoming a seller of those, but it may be worth checking into. I also know that a lot of scrollers use Flying Dutchman blades (that's the brand I use). It may be worth checking with that company. I've been getting mine exclusively through Mike's Workshop. He's always been good to me and I stick with people who are good to me. I have worried often though. Mike is getting on in years and it has crossed my mind that if something, God forbid, were to happen to him, where is the best source for my blades?
Another avenue I really think is worth exploration is a combination of your scrolling and Keith's turning. I have seen many examples of a combination of these two skills popping up here and there. It's something new, different, and exciting. I think those such qualities is something that catches people's attentions these days. For example, the puzzle piece pen I linked on one of your blogs about a week ago. It was done with laser and turned, but I truly think the laser part could be done on a scroll saw.
Whatever you deicde to do, or what direction you decide to go, I think you'll succeed though. You know why? I think so because you are passionate about what you do. Passion for something is an important ingredient when you're trying to do something. It's that passion that drives you to give it all you've got and put yourself out there. It has been said that all successful people have a common trait. They put everything of themselves on the line. They give it their all, whether they succeed or fail, they leave it all on the table.
 
#2,878 ·
Wacom Tablet Review for Drawing Patterns

I have a good story about a company with GOOD customer service that I would like to share today. With all the bad things we hear, I think that it would be nice to talk about something good for a change. I suppose this will be a kind of product review, but I am not sure if it belongs in the review section or not because some may not see it directly relating to woodworking. but I know that I have seen many posts on "Sketchup" here so it tells me that there are lots of people that do some drawing and design and may be interested in this product and company.

The company I am referring to is Wacom Technologies and the product in particular that I am referring to is the Intuous4 tablet mouse. I have been a fan of Wacom since 1998, a year or so after I got my first computer. I had purchased what was then called a Pen Partner, which is a computer mouse that is actually a pen. It has a pressure sensitive tip on the pen and you tap and draw on the pad provided to preform the functions that you would normally do with a mouse. Here is a picture of the version I had:

Rectangle Font Electronic device Technology Electric blue


It had cost me somewhere around $80 US back then, which was a bit pricy for a mouse, but not really that far out of line for a good one. With me doing so much drawing on my computer, I found it much easier to use this pen device to draw than a regular mouse. With the pen you use fine motor control of your hand and fingers and with a traditional "brick mouse" you tend to use the gross motor control of your entire arm. You can probably understand why I preferred the pen.

Back in the day when I began using Wacom products, computers were not cross-platform-friendly as they are today. If you had a Mac, it was nearly impossible to use devices that were meant for PC's and vice versa. USB was not common yet and in its infancy in development and things like printers, scanners and cameras were "either/or" meaning they were made to work on one platform OR another - not both.

I was just beginning to design for the magazine and I had purchased a Mac G3 computer so that my patterns that I sent to them would be made on (their preferred) Mac format. Previously, they had converted some patterns of mine from PC to Mac for printing and the files were changed - which I didn't find out until I saw them in print. This was troubling and I felt it would be best to give them files that were in the platform that they needed rather than risk error again.

When I purchased my G3 - I naturally wanted to be able to draw on it and I also purchased a pen partner for it. Unfortunately, it was difficult for me to find Mac components and I had mistakenly bought the Pen Partner for the PC platform. When it wouldn't work on the Mac, I called the customer service number and was told that I needed to get a Mac compatible Pen Partner. The representative told me that they would send one out to me, and when I received it, there would be a shipping label so that I could send back the PC one directly to them.

I was shocked. This was a risk on their company to send me the new item without me sending the one I couldn't use back first. I was happy that they made things so easy though and things went according to schedule and all ended up well. That was over ten years ago.

Since then, I have always used a Wacom tablet for my mouse. Even though it came with the pen, it also had a cordless mouse that you could use on the pad too. That way if I was doing something where I didn't want or need the pen, I could just pick up the traditional mouse and be fine. I kept that original Pen partner until about three years ago when I got an Intous3 tablet for a gift. It was a nice upgrade, as it is USB and has several additional features in a small touch pad on the side of it:

Computer Peripheral Input device Output device Netbook


It is a fine product and I am very happy with it and use it everyday without incident.

The year before last, I decided to get my partner one for Christmas. He had tried mine and liked it and since he was designing and drawing more and more, I thought it would be a good gift for him. They no longer carried the Intous3, but were now on the Intuos4 version, which had many more features.

Peripheral Mouse Input device Material property Electronic device


Although he liked it, he is not as fond of the pen as I am. It does take some getting used to, and for myself, I can't live without it. He tends to go more to the mouse still, as his also came with the cordless mouse option. It is just a personal preference, I think.

A couple of weeks ago however, his mouse started 'acting up'. He would be drawing and it would double click when he wanted it to click and do other crazy stuff like that. He was beginning to be very frustrated, as it happened more and more. I was sad too, because it wasn't a cheap gift and it was only a year and a half old. He looked up online and it seemed that there were some problems with it doing the same thing that were reported.

We looked at getting a new mouse, but the cost for it was $70. There was a place in Ontario that would fix the problem for $15, but by the time we paid both shipping costs (there and back) we may as well get a new one.

I then had a thought. I called Wacom.

Keith kind of chuckled at me while I was dialing customer service, saying that they are going to sell me a new one. I just wanted to see what would happen. I waited until their office opened and called the customer service number that I saw online. I got through right away. I spoke with the rep and she asked my name and location and found me in the system from my own Intuous3 product (I had forgotten to register the Intuos4). I explained the problem and she said that she would send a new mouse out immediately after I emailed her a copy of the receipt and I would have 30 days to return the defective mouse. That was Tuesday.

Yesterday (Friday) there was a knock on my door and the Purolator courier handed me a box with the new mouse in it. We took it out and all was well. These mice and pens don't have any batteries, so they are good to go.

I am thoroughly impressed with both Wacom's products and their customer service. In this day of everyone cutting corners, it is nice to know that there are still companies that care about their customers and stand behind what they sell. They are not cheap, but I don't mind a bit spending a bit more when I company is willing to stand behind their items and take care of their customers.

In comparison, I also tried a Microsoft folding mouse, which retails for about $60 :

Peripheral Input device Mouse Font Electronic device


It was a piece of crap. It worked for about a month and then just never responded correctly. In order to get it repaired, I would have had to mail it back with all the receipts, etc. (it was a gift) and I didn't have them. It would have cost me more than purchasing a new one by the time I was finished. I have had trouble with other higher end Microsoft products and I am not a big fan.

I realize that the pen mice are not for everyone, but Wacom has lots of products and I would imagine that they stand by them all similarly. Just a thought for you if you are ever in the market.

As for today, I am continuing to paint my skating set to be sent to the catalog company. I test cut a set yesterday and timed myself and came up with a good and reasonable cost for the entire thing, including materials and time so that if I need to hire anyone else to do the cutting and production, I will still be doing OK and not undercut myself. Hopefully I will finish painting and rewriting the instructions by Monday so I can get them off in the mail. It will be wonderful to have it behind me.

I hope you all have a good day today too. I also hope that the information on the Wacom products was helpful for those of you who draw your own patterns, or are just looking for a good and reliable company for this type of product. I thought that it was news worth sharing.

Have a great day!
 

Attachments

#2,879 ·
Wacom Tablet Review for Drawing Patterns

I have a good story about a company with GOOD customer service that I would like to share today. With all the bad things we hear, I think that it would be nice to talk about something good for a change. I suppose this will be a kind of product review, but I am not sure if it belongs in the review section or not because some may not see it directly relating to woodworking. but I know that I have seen many posts on "Sketchup" here so it tells me that there are lots of people that do some drawing and design and may be interested in this product and company.

The company I am referring to is Wacom Technologies and the product in particular that I am referring to is the Intuous4 tablet mouse. I have been a fan of Wacom since 1998, a year or so after I got my first computer. I had purchased what was then called a Pen Partner, which is a computer mouse that is actually a pen. It has a pressure sensitive tip on the pen and you tap and draw on the pad provided to preform the functions that you would normally do with a mouse. Here is a picture of the version I had:

Rectangle Font Electronic device Technology Electric blue


It had cost me somewhere around $80 US back then, which was a bit pricy for a mouse, but not really that far out of line for a good one. With me doing so much drawing on my computer, I found it much easier to use this pen device to draw than a regular mouse. With the pen you use fine motor control of your hand and fingers and with a traditional "brick mouse" you tend to use the gross motor control of your entire arm. You can probably understand why I preferred the pen.

Back in the day when I began using Wacom products, computers were not cross-platform-friendly as they are today. If you had a Mac, it was nearly impossible to use devices that were meant for PC's and vice versa. USB was not common yet and in its infancy in development and things like printers, scanners and cameras were "either/or" meaning they were made to work on one platform OR another - not both.

I was just beginning to design for the magazine and I had purchased a Mac G3 computer so that my patterns that I sent to them would be made on (their preferred) Mac format. Previously, they had converted some patterns of mine from PC to Mac for printing and the files were changed - which I didn't find out until I saw them in print. This was troubling and I felt it would be best to give them files that were in the platform that they needed rather than risk error again.

When I purchased my G3 - I naturally wanted to be able to draw on it and I also purchased a pen partner for it. Unfortunately, it was difficult for me to find Mac components and I had mistakenly bought the Pen Partner for the PC platform. When it wouldn't work on the Mac, I called the customer service number and was told that I needed to get a Mac compatible Pen Partner. The representative told me that they would send one out to me, and when I received it, there would be a shipping label so that I could send back the PC one directly to them.

I was shocked. This was a risk on their company to send me the new item without me sending the one I couldn't use back first. I was happy that they made things so easy though and things went according to schedule and all ended up well. That was over ten years ago.

Since then, I have always used a Wacom tablet for my mouse. Even though it came with the pen, it also had a cordless mouse that you could use on the pad too. That way if I was doing something where I didn't want or need the pen, I could just pick up the traditional mouse and be fine. I kept that original Pen partner until about three years ago when I got an Intous3 tablet for a gift. It was a nice upgrade, as it is USB and has several additional features in a small touch pad on the side of it:

Computer Peripheral Input device Output device Netbook


It is a fine product and I am very happy with it and use it everyday without incident.

The year before last, I decided to get my partner one for Christmas. He had tried mine and liked it and since he was designing and drawing more and more, I thought it would be a good gift for him. They no longer carried the Intous3, but were now on the Intuos4 version, which had many more features.

Peripheral Mouse Input device Material property Electronic device


Although he liked it, he is not as fond of the pen as I am. It does take some getting used to, and for myself, I can't live without it. He tends to go more to the mouse still, as his also came with the cordless mouse option. It is just a personal preference, I think.

A couple of weeks ago however, his mouse started 'acting up'. He would be drawing and it would double click when he wanted it to click and do other crazy stuff like that. He was beginning to be very frustrated, as it happened more and more. I was sad too, because it wasn't a cheap gift and it was only a year and a half old. He looked up online and it seemed that there were some problems with it doing the same thing that were reported.

We looked at getting a new mouse, but the cost for it was $70. There was a place in Ontario that would fix the problem for $15, but by the time we paid both shipping costs (there and back) we may as well get a new one.

I then had a thought. I called Wacom.

Keith kind of chuckled at me while I was dialing customer service, saying that they are going to sell me a new one. I just wanted to see what would happen. I waited until their office opened and called the customer service number that I saw online. I got through right away. I spoke with the rep and she asked my name and location and found me in the system from my own Intuous3 product (I had forgotten to register the Intuos4). I explained the problem and she said that she would send a new mouse out immediately after I emailed her a copy of the receipt and I would have 30 days to return the defective mouse. That was Tuesday.

Yesterday (Friday) there was a knock on my door and the Purolator courier handed me a box with the new mouse in it. We took it out and all was well. These mice and pens don't have any batteries, so they are good to go.

I am thoroughly impressed with both Wacom's products and their customer service. In this day of everyone cutting corners, it is nice to know that there are still companies that care about their customers and stand behind what they sell. They are not cheap, but I don't mind a bit spending a bit more when I company is willing to stand behind their items and take care of their customers.

In comparison, I also tried a Microsoft folding mouse, which retails for about $60 :

Peripheral Input device Mouse Font Electronic device


It was a piece of crap. It worked for about a month and then just never responded correctly. In order to get it repaired, I would have had to mail it back with all the receipts, etc. (it was a gift) and I didn't have them. It would have cost me more than purchasing a new one by the time I was finished. I have had trouble with other higher end Microsoft products and I am not a big fan.

I realize that the pen mice are not for everyone, but Wacom has lots of products and I would imagine that they stand by them all similarly. Just a thought for you if you are ever in the market.

As for today, I am continuing to paint my skating set to be sent to the catalog company. I test cut a set yesterday and timed myself and came up with a good and reasonable cost for the entire thing, including materials and time so that if I need to hire anyone else to do the cutting and production, I will still be doing OK and not undercut myself. Hopefully I will finish painting and rewriting the instructions by Monday so I can get them off in the mail. It will be wonderful to have it behind me.

I hope you all have a good day today too. I also hope that the information on the Wacom products was helpful for those of you who draw your own patterns, or are just looking for a good and reliable company for this type of product. I thought that it was news worth sharing.

Have a great day!
thank´s for sharing , great to hear about good costummerservice
and you are right paying a little more can to start with can often be the best deal
for both in the end … the rewiew you just made on there costummerservice …. is priceless for them :)
and you are more than a satisefied custommer you are an ambassadeur for them and they know it
from the director to the floor that is only takes one angry costummer to loose severel month of profit
just sad so many cut corners now a days

take care
Dennis
 

Attachments

#2,887 ·
Sometimes the Best Challenges are From Within Yourself

Some days it seems that when I am getting the most accomplished, I have little to talk about. Calm is good though and I am working on some things that could be ultimately very important to my business and career.

Besides spending about half the day doing the usual mundane chores around the house, for the remainder of it I was working on the pieces from the pond set that I need to send to be photographed for the catalog. Even though I have painted the set several times before, I find that I am a bit nervous about it this time, and wondering if it will be up to their expectations.

I have horrible thoughts of them receiving the pieces and patterns and thinking "No. Perhaps we made a mistake" and returning them to me with a letter of apology.

Do those insecurities ever go away? What does it take to finally quell them? Or should I be grateful for them, as they push me to work at my highest standard and not become complacent in what I do?

It seems that the more we know and learn about what we do, the more we are able to find things wrong with our own attempts. As we add to our knowledge of our craft or a process within our crafting, we also advance our awareness of what is done properly and what is not. We find ourselves not only looking at others' work with a slightly more critical eye, but also our own.

The saying "we are our own worst enemy" comes to mind. Personally, I not only see it in myself, but I also see it in others as they point out miniscule features of their own projects that don't quite meet up with their own standards. I sometimes wonder what other deep, dark secrets haunt the artist regarding his latest creation? Certainly not something that the average person would notice. By I know within my self, I sometimes cringe when I see someone looking at a piece or a painting I created, wondering if they notice the things that I did on it that were "just not that perfect."

Fortunately, as we gain confidence as artists and craftsmen, we learn to let go of these fears to some extent. We learn to distinguish what really matters and what is inconsequential and not labor our thoughts to the minor flaws that we may perceive to be present. We teach ourselves to look at even our own creations for their beauty rather than their mistakes. And we learn to actually like our own work.

But for many, there is always the unspoken longing to do better. To push harder. To create more. This is what drives us to continue to reach for the next plateau. I believe it is part of a growing process that (hopefully) never ends. For when we are thoroughly and completely satisfied with ourselves, perhaps it is time to move on to something else.

So I will continue on today in my re-creation of my (now little) pond set. I hope to finish the painting today. Then I will begin the task of rewriting the manuscript of instructions. The original set of instructions for the full set is 25 pages with 50 photographs and had over 25 characters including the instructions how to build the foot bridge. This set will have only five characters, but the instructions for these pieces will be a bit more detailed. I definitely will enjoy refining this process and making the pattern what I consider better.

I like the challenges that my job brings me. It seems that there is always something ahead of me to conquer. It keeps me on my toes and doesn't allow me to be too comfortable in what I am doing. I believe that these challenges keep me fresh and motivated. And that is a good thing.

Happy Sunday everyone! I wish you all a good day!
 
#2,888 ·
Simply put, Sheila.

1. The insecurities never go away.
2. Most of them are wrongly founded.
3. What you produce is better than you think.

No. I can't deal with these things either. It is easy to be objective about other people's work but its impossible to be totally objective about something you have made or done, yourself.
 
#2,894 ·
The Weekend of a Thousand Excuses

There are so many things that can get us off track when we are doing something. It takes a certain amount of discipline to stay on course sometimes. Especially when we are not completely confident in ourselves.

Those of you who have come to know me through this series know that from time to time I get this way. I truly appreciate your wonderful support yesterday, and I did make progress, but unfortunately not the amount of progress that would have made me happy. It feel as if I have been running through the mud the past couple of days and it is time to take a breath and suck it up and get on with it.

I know this is a temporary thing that I am going through, as it has happened many times before. I over think and for some reason it slows my production of 'real work' down to the speed of molasses. I am still pushing the pile, but it is moving e-v-e-r s-o s-l-o-w! Time to rev it up and get back up to normal speed.

I am going to call this past weekend "the weekend of a thousand excuses" and leave it at that. I am not saying that some of the excuses were not legitimate excuses, but they did absolutely nothing to help get me out of the proverbial mud puddle I have found myself in.

So I have two choices here.

1 - I can sit here are philosophize about things and explore all the reasons that this current bout with distraction has occurred. We can discuss the possibilities and causes and delve into some underlying reasons and talk about my insecurities and how I can overcome them.

2 - I can get to work and finish the job I set out to do.

It's Monday - a day I always liked because of its implications of being a "new beginning" of the week. Fresh starts and all of that.

So with that said, I AM keeping this short and I am off to get to work. I wish you all a wonderful day full of fun and productivity!

Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task. ~William James
 
#2,900 ·
Progress

Yesterday turned out to be quite busy. I am pleased to say that I pushed the pile a bit, and also got some definitive answers on some things, however I still need to keep a good pace up and continue on. Yesterday I was reminded of a very important word - focus - and that is what I need to do.

I finished the base coat painting on the five figures. I also got to the post office and got the package off to return the mouse to Wacom. That was good to check off of the books. When I returned, I needed to photograph the figures for the pattern. I want pictures of them in progression so that even the new painters can follow the instructions easily.

Part of what made having only five pieces to this set good is that I could go into a bit more detail regarding the instructions without having the instructions read like War and Peace. I still want to keep them simple, but I also want to be sure to entice new painters into giving it a try. Everyone likes pictures. And having at least two per piece would make a nice pattern.

I set up things so that I didn't depend on natural light to photograph them. I wanted them to be consistent, so if in several months I were to put together a subsequent set, there would be some continuity in the photos. I decided to use a flash because I also needed the colors to come out as close to the real thing as possible. I took the pictures and brought them up on my computer for adjustment. So far so good.

I did my usual adjustments in Photoshop, getting rid of the background and getting the toning and everything else just right and ran my print of the picture, just to test. It came out good, but it needed a slight level adjustment. I did that and re-printed and much to my horror, it came out totally dark and discoloured. Now what? The tiny adjustment that I made didn't warrant that much of a change in the output. I couldn't understand what was happening.

I won't bore you all with the details, but after a couple of hours (yes- HOURS) of trying to figure what the heck was happening, including totally uninstalling Photoshop CS5 from my computer and reinstalling it (which is no small task and reset all my preferences to the program - which I need to deal with later) I was up and running again. I finished the first photograph several hours after I began working on it and went to the next. It only took me about fifteen minutes to adjust it to how I wanted it to the pattern. It was now after 8:30 pm, but I was on a roll. There were only three more photos to do and I would at least have that under my belt at the end of the day.

On the third photograph, I did my first set of adjustments and made a print. My heart sank when I saw that it went BACK to what it was originally doing several hours before, which was randomly spewing dark and unacceptable photos. This would not do. I converted the photos to PDF format and they were fine every time. I could also print them from the Windows7 picture viewer and they were fine too. So it was not the printer and it was Photoshop that was the problem.

I Googled it and and discovered that there was a conflict between Photoshop CS5 and Canon printer as far as which color profiles would be used for printing. In explaining that an easy way, I can say that you choose whether you want to use the printers' color profiles or let Photoshop manage them. It is very complicated and believe me, I don't know a heck of a lot about them besides the basics. But it appears that whether or not I check one or the other, Photoshop has a bug in it where it randomly changes it and does what it wants. It is very frustrating.

I wound up disabling the profile management in the printer settings and I did manage to get decent print outs of the final pictures. It works for now, but somehow I feel the battle isn't over yet.

I feel that it is so important - especially in printing color patterns for painting - that the colors on the paper match the actual colors closely. What you see on the screen is not usually the same as what comes out of the printer. Calibrating the two is quite a challenge. I don't have a three thousand dollar printer, and can not afford one. My Canon Pixma does an excellent job, and has done so for two years now, so I don't know why this glitch decided to rear its ugly head right at this moment.

My friends think I am pretty smart with computers. I think I know more than average, perhaps, but it is only because I have fought these battles for the last fifteen years and I am the type of person that not only wants to have the problem fixed, I want to know why it happens in the first place. My son (who is a programmer and networker) has taught me a lot. He fixes computers as a side line to being a police officer and he has done work for large companies and even his large department in Joliet. He is working toward getting off the street and being involved in the computer crime unit of his department (which is a great relief to me!) and his first job out of high school was to work on Michigan Avenue in Chicago as the computer administrator for a large doctor's office with many physicians.

He used to come to visit me wearing a T-shirt that said "I will not fix your computer". It was kind of a joke between us because so many people used to ask him for help wherever he went. I learned from him and he knows that when the problem is big enough for me to call him, it is usually a big one. I try not to bother him unless there is really a disaster. This didn't quite qualify.

So for now, I am back up and running. Although I am not one hundred percent sure what is going on with the program, it is (for now) working adequately and I need to move on and get the rest of the painting done today. The base coats are finished on the figures and now is time for the shading, highlighting and line work. Hopefully I can finish it today and then do another set of photographs. Then I will reconstruct the pattern packets and the items will be ready to send off.

I received the final OK from the company yesterday and they accepted my proposal as to how much I will make on each set. I also talked to my friend who will assist me in the cutting if the orders get to be too much (Hopefully!) My final safety net is to again send the line drawings to the laser cutting place I found in Ontario and get a price on them. I know that is thinking big, but it is best to have the base covered so that there are no surprises.

Knowing that things are pretty much cemented in has helped my motivation a lot. I think that until I got the final OK, there was part of me that was wondering in the back of my mind "what if I am doing all of this work and they back out at the last minute?" I have put a lot of time into this project and as you know, it has hit many bumps. I suppose I was thinking on the cautious side.

So that is the story for now. I hope to keep progressing in this way and button this up maybe even by tomorrow. If the box goes out by the end of the week, I will be happy.

Thank you all again for your support and positive thoughts.. It truly helps to motivate me, knowing that I have such good friends. I hope you all have a good day too.
 
#2,908 ·
Unstuck

I have made some good progress on my skating figures, and will be finishing them up today. I realize that I may have sounded like I was behind schedule in doing them, but actually, I am quite ahead of the deadline, which is the 27th of this month. In reading your responses and also the personal messages from you, I do see that perhaps I do drive myself a bit hard at times and should give myself a break. I looked at the calendar yesterday and saw that I had plenty of time to do a good job and get these to the company for photography. So what am I so worried about?

Sometimes I need to take a breath and re-evaluate things (mostly myself.) I tend to be hard on myself and have been that way for as long as I can remember. Even when I am successful at something, I recall the times when I wasn't and not wanting to rest on my laurels, I try to push myself more. This is a tough business I am in. Especially when gas is over $4 a gallon in the States and everything else is so expensive. People have little disposable income to spend on their hobbies and the entire craft industry is struggling.

I have been told many times that even if I am able to hold my head above water in times like this, I am doing really well. I look around at my fellow designers and there are very few who are able to sustain a living with only their designing. I want to be the exception to that. I don't think that it will be easy at any stage of the game, but it will always be interesting and fun.

I had some personal stuff that I needed to get done yesterday in Yarmouth. It probably could have waited a day or so until after this job was finished, but it was warm out and the sun was shining and it was an incredibly beautiful day. I had finished painting half of my figures and I thought it was a good time for a break. So I put the top down on the car and took the long way into town - through the back roads and in coming home, I drove along the ocean. It took me twice as long to get there as it would of had I taken the highway, but it was well worth the extra hour spent. My partner and I discussed his plans for marketing his beautiful pens he is creating and I suppose you could have called it a mobile business meeting.

After I returned home, which was around dinner time, I did the mail (there is always email) and caught up on some correspondences. By then it was nearly eleven and time for me to call it a night.

I feel good today and refreshed and motivated. Since I work pretty much every day of my life in one way or another, these impromptu breaks are important to me. I love my job, as you all know, but I also want to enjoy the rest of life just a little bit too. After all, isn't that what I am working for?

It seems funny that I have the need to justify these breaks, even in my own mind. I hear how people loathe their jobs on a daily basis and there is part of me that feels somewhat guilty because I like mine so much. Others work for the day they can retire, and in my own mind, retirement simply doesn't exists. I have built my life around teaching and creating and sharing what I create with others and I realize that I am very lucky to make it work for me.

I live a much simpler life than many of you would choose. I don't possess a lot of 'things'. But I am comfortable in where I am. Isn't that what it is all about anyway? Of course, I would love to have a bigger shop one day and loads of cool tools and not worry about whether or not my patterns would sell. But I suppose that is the price I need to pay for having things the way I have them now and being happy doing what I do. I believe that I am much better off than a lot of people with much bigger bank accounts than I have. And of course, I have my health too. How could I ask for more?

So I thank you my friends for helping me stay grounded and see what the most important things are in life. I tend to get too worked up about things sometimes and it begins to overwhelm me. It is a wonderful gift to be able to vent a bit here and in return have so many wonderful people to encourage me and sometimes bring me back to realty. I appreciate you all very much.

Today I will finish the painting on the figures and make the stands for them. The Creative Paperclay that I use for the stands is an air dry product and takes at least a full day to cure. While that is happening, I will begin to lay out the instructions and get the pattern packet into shape. I found a couple of minor errors on the original pattern and I want to be sure it is correct this time. I have a friend who is a painter that offered to review and proof read the pattern for me. I think I will take him up on it.

I feel calmer today and ready to take on most anything. The past few days I have felt a sense of anxiety, as you may have noticed. But I am ready to move ahead now and it seems that a ride in the country for a couple of hours did wonders for getting me out of the mud I was stuck in. Time to move onward.

Have a wonderfully productive day!
 
#2,909 ·
No need to feel guilty about or justify enjoying the fruits of your labor! You earned the money to pay for the gas and the time you took ENJOYING yourself. :)

I envy your job schedule and would love to be able to take a few hours to do simply enjoy life when I felt like it.

You have a good thing going - just make time for those "rides in the country" more often. :)

-bob
 
#2,915 ·
The Finish Line is In Sight

I can almost see the finish line. It is a good place to be. This job has been going so slowly it seems, but I have tried to be extra careful and take my time and get everything just right. It feels odd not to work at my usual pace. I fight the feeling that I am slacking, but there is a part of me that knows better and I am just being thorough so that I don't miss anything. This is important.

I watch the days tick off of the calendar and it is hard to believe that we are almost half way to Christmas. Where did the last six months go? It seems like only yesterday I was reading on my Facebook how everyone was complaining about how cold it was out and the snow. Now I am reading about how everyone is hot. My heart goes out to those who are enduring the heat and humidity. That is one thing I really don't miss at all about Chicago. The heat to me is more debilitating that the cold. My philosophy being that you can always put another layer of clothing on to warm up, but once you are down to nothing and still sweating, you are kind of stuck.

I feel bad for those who have shops with no cooling in them either. I remember the days when I lived in Oak Lawn and I was working in either Cari's garage or my own and the sawdust would stick to you as you cut. And the sweat would drip on your pieces. It was not a fun place to be.

I am fortunate here, as the weather is very moderate. It is nice and cool this morning, and although it rained last night, the clouds are now thinning and it is brightening up. I expect it will be another nice day.

I finished the painting on the figures last evening. They are all ready for their stands. I will be making them this morning, and they will need to probably dry overnight before I am able to paint and glue them. I want to take pictures of the process too, and I am debating how many I will use for the pattern. I want the instructions to be easy to follow.

I'll be making the smaller skating pond today, too. I am thinking that instead of the polyester batting around it for the 'snow', I will use the Sno-Tex product that I used on the bridge. I think that will look nice and be easy to explain.

I also need to check at my bag supplier and find appropriate sized bags for the set. I want them to be packaged nice so they look professional. The nice thing about working with this company is that they are all for self-promotion. Anything that I send to them can have my own contact information on it however I wish it to be. It is refreshing to work with a company that has no restrictions for a change. It increases my opportunity to bring new customers to my own site and expand my customer base.

So that is about all for today. If all goes well, I will be shipping the entire package out on Monday. My deadline for having it to them was the 27th of this month, so I will be a couple of weeks ahead of things. I will have the weekend to go over everything again and make any necessary changes before I ship it out. That will do fine.

Slowing down is good sometimes. All the while I am working on these projects, I am thinking of more ideas for scrolling. Kind of organizing my next steps. Once this is behind me, I will be able to hit the ground running and hopefully have several new things for the July deadline for the catalog. So I am multi-tasking after all.

After all, we are almost half way to Christmas. :)

I wish you all a nice and productive day.
 
#2,916 ·
It's a great world we live in Sheila, when those of us who cannot deal with the cold can choose to live in an area that never gets to cold. I live in Southern Calif and really could not live any where else. I have so much hardware in my back that even when the temps get down around 60 deg. I suffer. So for me the hotter it is the better. I have learned to adjust myself to the heat and it works great for me. I remember one of your earlier blogs talking about your winter and how much you enjoyed your walks and I was hurting just thinking about it. LOL I don't respond much on your blogs but I have to tell you the first place I go with my morning coffee is here to see what your up to. I throughly enjoy reading what your currently working on. It actually feels kinda wierd sometimes, I feel like I actually know you, like your an old friend who lives out of state and I havn't seen in sometime. As long as you keep blogging I know where I will be every morning. Have a great day. Thanks Ron
 
#2,920 ·
Still Finishing Up

Well, I am still finishing up some things on that skating pond pattern. I know, I know! You are probably all quite tired of hearing about it. Imagine what I am feeling with working on it so long!

I made the stands for the figures yesterday and did a final going over of all the paint. I did any necessary touch ups and applied several coats of clear matte spray over them. They do look nice.

I went to pick up the mail, and there in my mailbox was the current catalog from the Artists Club. In looking through it and all its cute and fun painting ideas, I couldn't help but think that in a couple of months I will see my own work in there. Why does it terrify me so?

I truly don't get it. I have been working with Creative Woodworks for about 15 years now. I have had hundreds of project published not only with them, but with a handful of other publications also. I am not understanding why this is so different.

In trying to think this through, I am thinking that it is a combination of things that make me feel this way. I don't think it is all because I lack self-confidence. I do like this project or I wouldn't have sought so hard to get it out there so people could see it. Perhaps it is because I look at all the names of the "famous" painting pattern designers who are represented in that catalog - many with whom I have learned to paint by using their patterns - and I am a bit star struck to be in their company. Another thing that may be contributing to the anxiety that I feel is all the prior obstacles that I have had with this project over the last year and a half. It has been a series of ups and downs and there is a small part inside of me that is a bit a afraid to get my hopes up about it. I suppose it is a defense mechanism on my part.

Part of me feels that if mistakes are made, it will ruin my chances to have future projects considered by this company. I really like this part of my work and want to continue in this direction too. Another part of me feels that I DID cover the bases and I am giving them a complete package that hopefully the public will enjoy. I can spend a month thinking of the pros and cons I suppose.

Yesterday when I was going over the final check of the pieces, I noticed that I didn't paint the side of the upper arm of one of the skaters. What the heck is that and how did I miss it? When you paint figures like this, you typically wrap the color around so that the sides match the front of the piece, and here I not only base coated the piece, but all the shading and finishing painting was done and the one area had raw wood looking out at me. YIKES! What's that all about?

It was easy enough to fix, mind you, but had I not been so paranoid and re-checked everything, it may have gotten by me. It made me go over everything once again and make sure everything was just so.

I then cut the smaller pond out and was ready to finish it, but in looking at it, I decided that it wasn't big enough. I initially wanted it to fit in an envelope that would fit a normal size piece of paper, but it just seemed too small and crowded. I wound up re-cutting it and it will be slightly bigger. Then I thought about it and wondered again why I was so set on that size. Envelopes come in all sizes and it shouldn't be a problem to find packaging that fits. I think I just have to relax.

The packet will be written and finished up by today. I want to take a final set of pictures too before I glue the pieces to the stands. At least making the stands went smoothly and without incident. :)

I apologize for going on about this project. As you can see, it has kind of consumed me for some strange reason. In many ways, it is one of the most difficult things that I have accomplished. I feel as if I have never been published before and it reminds me of when I just started out.

Perhaps it is a good thing to go through this. In order to grow as a designer and an artist, we all need to get out of our comfort zone and try something new. I am certainly out of my comfort zone here and it has reminded me of what the many others who are submitting for the first time must feel. It is quite a reality check.

But I am 'almost there'. The box WILL go out on Monday and I will get on with new and exciting designs and the world will be good again. Once it is on its way, it will be out of my hands and I will let what will happen, happen. It does anyway. Whether the project fails or succeeds, at least I will know in my heart that I gave it my best shot. And isn't that all that any of us could do? The rest will be up to fate.

Have a great day everyone.
 
#2,921 ·
ok sheila, listen close now…you need help…your in spaz overload…you need another vacation…go to the beach..take a bucket and little shovel..and make some castles…build a sand castle city….nope that wont work, you will want to make a wooden set out of it…yikes..i dont know if there is a cure…..LOL…you just might be stuck in that i want it to be perfect world….lol..you will be alright…the pond project is your big baby, and you probably wont have peace until it launches and you see what it will do…so us who love and support you will be along for this ride too…until then…lets have some hot chocolate and cookies…and maybe some pizza…and then some lasagna…lol…can you see where this is going…until then…have a great day…grizz
 
#2,924 ·
Done!

Well, I am really happy that one is finally under my belt. the good thing is that I actually had fun finishing up. In looking at the finished project, I don't know why it was so intimidating to me. Compared to the original set, it is quite pared down and simple. But I still think it has its charms and perhaps it won't be quite as overwhelming to others as it would be to do the entire set. It is actually kind of nice this size.

On the plus side, pretty much everything went without a hitch. Finishing up the stands was simple and everything fit together perfectly. They are stable and hold the figures nicely. I didn't even need to finish sand the bottom of them.

I needed to cut the pond piece twice, but that is only because I decided to make it slightly larger. I have a bag supplier here in Canada that has endless sizes of so many bags and packaging items that I am not limited to a certain size and I thought I would give the little skaters a bit of breathing room and a couple more square inches of pond space than I initially planned. The adjustment proved to be just the thing and I think that it will make a nice little vignette that could easily fit on a mantle, under the tree, or be used as a centerpiece on the table. How nice this would look too with a round pond set on a lazy susan. There are many different possibilities.

I took a picture last night of the finished smaller set. Although I will re-shoot it for the pattern packet with some better lighting, at least you will get the jest of it here:

Footwear Shoe Figure skate Cartoon Dance


In order to keep the set smaller and as simple as possible, I decided to place snow banks around the pond instead of using the polyester batting. I used the same Sno-Tex that I used for the little bridge and on the base of the figures to do this. It brushes on quite easily, and dries to a hard and durable finish. Since Sno-Tex is needed for the figures anyway, there isn't an additional cost for the customers, and it looks great.

I may add a light brush-on coating of fine shimmer here and there on the pond and snow. I think it will look more like ice that way. Other than that, it is just about ready to go.

Today's plan is to do the final write up on the instructions. I don't find that intimidating at all and think that it will go quickly. There were many minor improvements that I made in making this and I took notes along the was as to how I wanted to change things from the original. It is a chance to make things clearer and easier for people to follow.

I have guarded hopes for this little set to do well. As I said before, if it doesn't do well through this venue, it won't do well anywhere. The timing will be perfect too. The catalog which it will be in is due to be out the beginning of September, just as people are starting to think of the holidays and their autumn crafting.

This may sound odd, but I think that I am very happy that the set was pared down to this size. Whether the other pieces ever make it to market or not, I think this is a fine representation and a cute set. I think that if the entire set was offered, it would scare off too many people both with the price and also the amount of work involved in making it. Also, at a cost of approximately $20 for the kit (which is what I am told it will run at) it is much more economical for someone to get it to paint for someone special, or even keep for themselves.

As for me, I am happy that I have the full set. The few that I have made have found very well-deserving homes where hopefully they will be appreciated and cherished for many years to come. They will be even more special I hope.

All in all, it is a very happy ending to this chapter in my designing life. It is as if my job as a designer of this set is complete and now there is nothing to do but sit back and see how it is received. I may sound silly, but in a way, it reminds me of how a film maker or musician must feel when they finally finish a project. There comes a time when they relinquish it to marketing and it is no longer in their control and all they can do is step back and observe.

I have invested a lot of myself in this little set. The cherished memories of my grandparent's house and their tree and their own little skating pond set with the painted lead figures comes to mind whenever I see this. In a way, I did it for them. Perhaps that is why it was so important for me to have it be seen and be successful. My grandparents are both gone now, but I will always have these good memories of time spent with them on the holidays. Hopefully too, by creating this project for others to make, there will be others that will be able to make their own memories with their own children and grand children that are filled with as much love and happiness as mine are.

It isn't about the money. It is about bringing happiness and smiles and good feelings to others. (Remember Erwin and Edith's grand children?) I hope to create stories and memories like they had with their grand children a hundred times over. Nothing compares to that, as far as I am concerned. To me, that is what being a designer is all about.

Have a great day and create something wonderful!
 

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#2,925 ·
Done!

Well, I am really happy that one is finally under my belt. the good thing is that I actually had fun finishing up. In looking at the finished project, I don't know why it was so intimidating to me. Compared to the original set, it is quite pared down and simple. But I still think it has its charms and perhaps it won't be quite as overwhelming to others as it would be to do the entire set. It is actually kind of nice this size.

On the plus side, pretty much everything went without a hitch. Finishing up the stands was simple and everything fit together perfectly. They are stable and hold the figures nicely. I didn't even need to finish sand the bottom of them.

I needed to cut the pond piece twice, but that is only because I decided to make it slightly larger. I have a bag supplier here in Canada that has endless sizes of so many bags and packaging items that I am not limited to a certain size and I thought I would give the little skaters a bit of breathing room and a couple more square inches of pond space than I initially planned. The adjustment proved to be just the thing and I think that it will make a nice little vignette that could easily fit on a mantle, under the tree, or be used as a centerpiece on the table. How nice this would look too with a round pond set on a lazy susan. There are many different possibilities.

I took a picture last night of the finished smaller set. Although I will re-shoot it for the pattern packet with some better lighting, at least you will get the jest of it here:

Footwear Shoe Figure skate Cartoon Dance


In order to keep the set smaller and as simple as possible, I decided to place snow banks around the pond instead of using the polyester batting. I used the same Sno-Tex that I used for the little bridge and on the base of the figures to do this. It brushes on quite easily, and dries to a hard and durable finish. Since Sno-Tex is needed for the figures anyway, there isn't an additional cost for the customers, and it looks great.

I may add a light brush-on coating of fine shimmer here and there on the pond and snow. I think it will look more like ice that way. Other than that, it is just about ready to go.

Today's plan is to do the final write up on the instructions. I don't find that intimidating at all and think that it will go quickly. There were many minor improvements that I made in making this and I took notes along the was as to how I wanted to change things from the original. It is a chance to make things clearer and easier for people to follow.

I have guarded hopes for this little set to do well. As I said before, if it doesn't do well through this venue, it won't do well anywhere. The timing will be perfect too. The catalog which it will be in is due to be out the beginning of September, just as people are starting to think of the holidays and their autumn crafting.

This may sound odd, but I think that I am very happy that the set was pared down to this size. Whether the other pieces ever make it to market or not, I think this is a fine representation and a cute set. I think that if the entire set was offered, it would scare off too many people both with the price and also the amount of work involved in making it. Also, at a cost of approximately $20 for the kit (which is what I am told it will run at) it is much more economical for someone to get it to paint for someone special, or even keep for themselves.

As for me, I am happy that I have the full set. The few that I have made have found very well-deserving homes where hopefully they will be appreciated and cherished for many years to come. They will be even more special I hope.

All in all, it is a very happy ending to this chapter in my designing life. It is as if my job as a designer of this set is complete and now there is nothing to do but sit back and see how it is received. I may sound silly, but in a way, it reminds me of how a film maker or musician must feel when they finally finish a project. There comes a time when they relinquish it to marketing and it is no longer in their control and all they can do is step back and observe.

I have invested a lot of myself in this little set. The cherished memories of my grandparent's house and their tree and their own little skating pond set with the painted lead figures comes to mind whenever I see this. In a way, I did it for them. Perhaps that is why it was so important for me to have it be seen and be successful. My grandparents are both gone now, but I will always have these good memories of time spent with them on the holidays. Hopefully too, by creating this project for others to make, there will be others that will be able to make their own memories with their own children and grand children that are filled with as much love and happiness as mine are.

It isn't about the money. It is about bringing happiness and smiles and good feelings to others. (Remember Erwin and Edith's grand children?) I hope to create stories and memories like they had with their grand children a hundred times over. Nothing compares to that, as far as I am concerned. To me, that is what being a designer is all about.

Have a great day and create something wonderful!
Gosh, you nearly brought tears to my eyes when you mentioned my grand children and the flood of memories that came along with it. You are so right in that nothing compares to the good times and joys shared when you do simple things with your grand children. It doesn't feel like I contributed a lot to give memories to them but my daughter told me that they are still talking about it so it must have made a huge impression upon them! Thanks again!

The reduced pond scene is adorable and the painting is perfect for the set! I can find no faults!

Erwin, Jacksonville, FL
 

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