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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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#7,880 ·
The Occasional Day Off

I had to kind of laugh to myself yesterday. While I didn't post a regular blog entry here, I decided to post a short statement on my Facebook Page to let people know that I was taking the day off and that everything was fine. Often when I miss a day posting, I get several emails from you all wondering if I was "OK" and concerned for my well-being. While it really feels nice to be missed, I didn't want people thinking anything was wrong, so I made a quick post saying that I wasn't going to blog. The part that I found amusing was that the post saying that I wasn't going to post got more "likes" than the actual post I did the day before. (Are you all trying to tell me something?) ;)

I find there is often that dilemma on Facebook. While they have a "like" button, there isn't a "dislike" button. There have been discussions floating around for ages regarding whether Facebook is going to add one in or not, and it is time like these that I think one would be appropriate. (At least I hope so!) There seems to be numerous times when I read the status of a friend that is about something not so good, and rather than comment on it, I would just like to show support. But it seems rather insensitive to "like" when someone broke their leg, ruined a project, or lost a pet or loved one. On the other hand, it is sometimes difficult to comment on this type of thing when you only know someone casually. While you may feel genuine compassion for their situation, you don't feel comfortable actually commenting on it. So you "like" their status, even though you actually don't "like" what occurred at all.

Communicating through a social network has an entirely unique language itself, it seems.

In any case, I mentioned that I was taking the day off from blogging and the "likes" piled up. I am going to shun my insecurities and allow myself to think that those likes are people who are showing their understanding of my need for an occasional day away and not think that they are cheering because they didn't have to read a post from me. That's my story and I am sticking to it.

As I approach my 1000th post in under three years, I find that there are times when I just feel I should skip a morning. It isn't that I am not busy and creating - in fact, I would say that the opposite was true. It is on those days when I feel the momentum going early on and I need to get to the creating process as soon as I awake in the morning. Or it may be when I wake up to several new emails that need addressing and I want to do so in my quiet morning hours here before the rest of the world awakes. It is rare (and probably hasn't happened yet) that I miss my blog because I am sleeping in or doing nothing. My life just isn't like that.

Lately I have been really focused on creating some new things. As our business grows, we find that there are more and more requests for a larger diversity of patterns. While we try to fill special requests, it is really impossible for us to do so. In order to do special order patterns, we would need to charge so much that people would think we are crazy. We do take into consideration though what people say they would like to see and we try to accommodate them in a general respect. We hope everyone understands that.

One good thing about networking is that there is no shortage of finding someone who does like doing special orders. If someone comes to me with a request, I can usually recommend someone who would be able to help them, or direct them to one of the forums that are filled with talented people looking for custom work. I like being able to help these other designers and it is very satisfying when I am able to direct a customer too. It creates one of those win/win situations that my former editor Robert used to talk about and everyone is happy and benefits from it. There are some great advantages to knowing so many people.

These next several days (or even weeks) I am going to concentrate on getting some new designs done. It seems that even though I have been working quite a bit, I need to fine tune my time a bit and work a little smarter and accomplish a bit more.

We still have some small piles of snow remaining on the ground, but I honestly feel that we are on the tail end of winter and soon the sun will be warming things and the beach and the outdoors will be calling. I want to try to have some projects on the go that I can take to the beach with me so that I can justify working in the warm sand and enjoying the beautiful Nova Scotia coast while I work. While I made it there a few times last year, I still didn't go nearly enough. With a little planning, I will be able to enjoy my time there and also accomplish something too. I can have the best of both worlds if I try.

But until those days arrive, I need to stay focused and disciplined and move forward from here. I have so many ideas for new projects and all that is stopping me from implementing them is my ability to manage my time. So I will try a couple of things so that I can make the best use of the time I have.

I love visiting with you all here each morning. That is something that I hope I never have to give up. But taking a day off here and there may be necessary for me to keep things moving in a good direction. It won't mean that anything is wrong. In fact, it will probably mean just the opposite. If I get too busy to write here for a day or so it probably means that I am on a creative roll and working in a good direction on projects. And that is a good thing.

I really appreciate all of you that read. Whether you comment or not, you all inspire me to do my best every day, and you help me reach my potential.

Who could ask for better friends?

Have a great Wednesday.

"Each friend represents a world in us, a world not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born."~ Anais Nin

Cat Sink Plumbing fixture Felidae Fluid


Coco and Richard as kittens

Cat Window Carnivore Felidae Comfort


Richard and Coco watching my aquarium screen saver.

Vertebrate Cat Carnivore Felidae Mammal


Pancakes and Richard

Cat Felidae Carnivore Comfort Textile


Richard and Pancakes
 

Attachments

#7,881 ·
The Occasional Day Off

I had to kind of laugh to myself yesterday. While I didn't post a regular blog entry here, I decided to post a short statement on my Facebook Page to let people know that I was taking the day off and that everything was fine. Often when I miss a day posting, I get several emails from you all wondering if I was "OK" and concerned for my well-being. While it really feels nice to be missed, I didn't want people thinking anything was wrong, so I made a quick post saying that I wasn't going to blog. The part that I found amusing was that the post saying that I wasn't going to post got more "likes" than the actual post I did the day before. (Are you all trying to tell me something?) ;)

I find there is often that dilemma on Facebook. While they have a "like" button, there isn't a "dislike" button. There have been discussions floating around for ages regarding whether Facebook is going to add one in or not, and it is time like these that I think one would be appropriate. (At least I hope so!) There seems to be numerous times when I read the status of a friend that is about something not so good, and rather than comment on it, I would just like to show support. But it seems rather insensitive to "like" when someone broke their leg, ruined a project, or lost a pet or loved one. On the other hand, it is sometimes difficult to comment on this type of thing when you only know someone casually. While you may feel genuine compassion for their situation, you don't feel comfortable actually commenting on it. So you "like" their status, even though you actually don't "like" what occurred at all.

Communicating through a social network has an entirely unique language itself, it seems.

In any case, I mentioned that I was taking the day off from blogging and the "likes" piled up. I am going to shun my insecurities and allow myself to think that those likes are people who are showing their understanding of my need for an occasional day away and not think that they are cheering because they didn't have to read a post from me. That's my story and I am sticking to it.

As I approach my 1000th post in under three years, I find that there are times when I just feel I should skip a morning. It isn't that I am not busy and creating - in fact, I would say that the opposite was true. It is on those days when I feel the momentum going early on and I need to get to the creating process as soon as I awake in the morning. Or it may be when I wake up to several new emails that need addressing and I want to do so in my quiet morning hours here before the rest of the world awakes. It is rare (and probably hasn't happened yet) that I miss my blog because I am sleeping in or doing nothing. My life just isn't like that.

Lately I have been really focused on creating some new things. As our business grows, we find that there are more and more requests for a larger diversity of patterns. While we try to fill special requests, it is really impossible for us to do so. In order to do special order patterns, we would need to charge so much that people would think we are crazy. We do take into consideration though what people say they would like to see and we try to accommodate them in a general respect. We hope everyone understands that.

One good thing about networking is that there is no shortage of finding someone who does like doing special orders. If someone comes to me with a request, I can usually recommend someone who would be able to help them, or direct them to one of the forums that are filled with talented people looking for custom work. I like being able to help these other designers and it is very satisfying when I am able to direct a customer too. It creates one of those win/win situations that my former editor Robert used to talk about and everyone is happy and benefits from it. There are some great advantages to knowing so many people.

These next several days (or even weeks) I am going to concentrate on getting some new designs done. It seems that even though I have been working quite a bit, I need to fine tune my time a bit and work a little smarter and accomplish a bit more.

We still have some small piles of snow remaining on the ground, but I honestly feel that we are on the tail end of winter and soon the sun will be warming things and the beach and the outdoors will be calling. I want to try to have some projects on the go that I can take to the beach with me so that I can justify working in the warm sand and enjoying the beautiful Nova Scotia coast while I work. While I made it there a few times last year, I still didn't go nearly enough. With a little planning, I will be able to enjoy my time there and also accomplish something too. I can have the best of both worlds if I try.

But until those days arrive, I need to stay focused and disciplined and move forward from here. I have so many ideas for new projects and all that is stopping me from implementing them is my ability to manage my time. So I will try a couple of things so that I can make the best use of the time I have.

I love visiting with you all here each morning. That is something that I hope I never have to give up. But taking a day off here and there may be necessary for me to keep things moving in a good direction. It won't mean that anything is wrong. In fact, it will probably mean just the opposite. If I get too busy to write here for a day or so it probably means that I am on a creative roll and working in a good direction on projects. And that is a good thing.

I really appreciate all of you that read. Whether you comment or not, you all inspire me to do my best every day, and you help me reach my potential.

Who could ask for better friends?

Have a great Wednesday.

"Each friend represents a world in us, a world not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born."~ Anais Nin

Cat Sink Plumbing fixture Felidae Fluid


Coco and Richard as kittens

Cat Window Carnivore Felidae Comfort


Richard and Coco watching my aquarium screen saver.

Vertebrate Cat Carnivore Felidae Mammal


Pancakes and Richard

Cat Felidae Carnivore Comfort Textile


Richard and Pancakes
Well spoken Sheila. I start every morning off, first, with coffee, next, checkin in here. You and others help get me motivated
 

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#7,887 ·
Back to Drawing . . .

The one thing that feels good about doing so many different aspects of a job is that you never really feel tired of doing one particular task. There always seems to be such a large variety of things that need to get done and before you have time to feel get sick of doing something, you are finished with it and on to something else.

I was never one for doing repetitious tasks for a long time. While I still don't mind doing stuff like production work for a couple of days at a time, I wouldn't want to do it all the time. I am glad that the business is multi-faceted and allows me to do so many different things. Some days I spend the bulk of the time doing office work and emails. Others I paint. And other times still I spend at the scroll saw, making the pieces that I dream up in my head come to life. It is always fun and I believe that is part of what keeps me fresh and excited about my job.

Yesterday I spent the bulk of the day drawing. I have several new ideas that I am working on and it felt really good to spend the time to convert my ideas to actual drawings. This part of the process is always one of my favorites, as usually it is while I am drawing that I am still thinking up more variations or different projects altogether. It is fun to see things come to life and work out all the logistics of the new designs. Sometimes they need a great deal of 'tweaking' from what I originally thought and other times it is as simple as copying things from my head to the computer. It certainly is a part of the job that I enjoy.

I find too that the more that I work with my computer programs, the more that I learn to do with them. Here the phrase 'necessity breeds invention' comes to mind, as I am always learning new ways to use the programs to accomplish what I come up with. We use all Adobe products to make our patterns (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign and Acrobat) and both Keith and I realize that the scope of what we know how to do in these programs is merely the tiny tip of the iceberg as far as their capabilities. When we come across something that we want to accomplish, there is usually a way to do it within the program.

Yesterday this happened to me and it sent me on an adventure of learning. The good thing about Adobe software is that there is plenty of online support and if you have a question about one of the programs or are looking to see if it is capable of what you need it to do, chances are that someone else has already tried it and figured out a way. I often "google" my question and find a variety of answers from countless forums that discuss the software. In the process I learn something new. There is nothing like practical application to teach ourselves how to do something, and for me at least, that is when I learn the most. I am often asked about the programs I use to create my patterns and I have the feeling that people think that they can just buy the software and 'make patterns.' While this is true to a point, sometimes people don't realize the huge learning curve that is involved in learning how to use computer programs such as this to our advantage. In short, there is no simple or quick way to do things - at least not for myself and nothing beats time and experience as a classroom.

Yesterday I learned some new things that were really cool. They will help me do things a bit faster in the future and they will pare down my drawing time significantly (at least the part that I applied this new lesson to) and in the long run make things a bit more efficient. While it took me a couple of hours to figure it out, in the long run it will save me some valuable drawing time. So it was a good day.

Even though I got side tracked with learning this new process, I made good progress on my pattern. While it isn't quite ready to cut today, I am sure it will be by tomorrow and I will be ready to go with it. Here is a sneak peek of what I was drawing:

Facial expression Mammal Organism Font Rectangle


I am going to leave you with that today. As you can see, it is some lovely fretwork that I am working on. That is all that I will show you today though, as it is still in the process of development.

I hope you all have a wonderful day today. While it is a bit overcast here, it does seem warmer and the rain has stopped. Hopefully it will be a nice day.

Enjoy your Thursday.
 

Attachments

#7,888 ·
Back to Drawing . . .

The one thing that feels good about doing so many different aspects of a job is that you never really feel tired of doing one particular task. There always seems to be such a large variety of things that need to get done and before you have time to feel get sick of doing something, you are finished with it and on to something else.

I was never one for doing repetitious tasks for a long time. While I still don't mind doing stuff like production work for a couple of days at a time, I wouldn't want to do it all the time. I am glad that the business is multi-faceted and allows me to do so many different things. Some days I spend the bulk of the time doing office work and emails. Others I paint. And other times still I spend at the scroll saw, making the pieces that I dream up in my head come to life. It is always fun and I believe that is part of what keeps me fresh and excited about my job.

Yesterday I spent the bulk of the day drawing. I have several new ideas that I am working on and it felt really good to spend the time to convert my ideas to actual drawings. This part of the process is always one of my favorites, as usually it is while I am drawing that I am still thinking up more variations or different projects altogether. It is fun to see things come to life and work out all the logistics of the new designs. Sometimes they need a great deal of 'tweaking' from what I originally thought and other times it is as simple as copying things from my head to the computer. It certainly is a part of the job that I enjoy.

I find too that the more that I work with my computer programs, the more that I learn to do with them. Here the phrase 'necessity breeds invention' comes to mind, as I am always learning new ways to use the programs to accomplish what I come up with. We use all Adobe products to make our patterns (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign and Acrobat) and both Keith and I realize that the scope of what we know how to do in these programs is merely the tiny tip of the iceberg as far as their capabilities. When we come across something that we want to accomplish, there is usually a way to do it within the program.

Yesterday this happened to me and it sent me on an adventure of learning. The good thing about Adobe software is that there is plenty of online support and if you have a question about one of the programs or are looking to see if it is capable of what you need it to do, chances are that someone else has already tried it and figured out a way. I often "google" my question and find a variety of answers from countless forums that discuss the software. In the process I learn something new. There is nothing like practical application to teach ourselves how to do something, and for me at least, that is when I learn the most. I am often asked about the programs I use to create my patterns and I have the feeling that people think that they can just buy the software and 'make patterns.' While this is true to a point, sometimes people don't realize the huge learning curve that is involved in learning how to use computer programs such as this to our advantage. In short, there is no simple or quick way to do things - at least not for myself and nothing beats time and experience as a classroom.

Yesterday I learned some new things that were really cool. They will help me do things a bit faster in the future and they will pare down my drawing time significantly (at least the part that I applied this new lesson to) and in the long run make things a bit more efficient. While it took me a couple of hours to figure it out, in the long run it will save me some valuable drawing time. So it was a good day.

Even though I got side tracked with learning this new process, I made good progress on my pattern. While it isn't quite ready to cut today, I am sure it will be by tomorrow and I will be ready to go with it. Here is a sneak peek of what I was drawing:

Facial expression Mammal Organism Font Rectangle


I am going to leave you with that today. As you can see, it is some lovely fretwork that I am working on. That is all that I will show you today though, as it is still in the process of development.

I hope you all have a wonderful day today. While it is a bit overcast here, it does seem warmer and the rain has stopped. Hopefully it will be a nice day.

Enjoy your Thursday.
Itsanother fine bit o scrolling/fretwork, etc. It'll be fantastic, whatever it is. :)
 

Attachments

#7,892 ·
Strike While the (Inspirational) Iron is Hot

As the saying goes - I'm on a roll.

It seems a long time since I drew fretwork, and I really missed it. While I like to do a lot of different types of designing from painting to cutting to building things, one of the things that I find to be most satisfying to draw and cut is fretwork.

So that's what I am gonna do!

Yesterday I hit a good rhythm and was able to not only finish up on the design I featured in the blog, but completely finish a second one:

Hair Hairstyle Facial expression Vertebrate Organ


. . . and do the majority of drawing on a third:

Head Plant Hand Hairstyle Arm


The good part is, I have several others in mind right at this moment. I really want to just keep on drawing at this point. So I think that is what I am going to do.

It is nice to be able to work like this and have trouble keeping up with my ideas. My notebook is full of new things to do after this series of designs is complete, so I want to keep on moving right along.

I am going to spend today doing as much drawing as I can, and perhaps by tomorrow I will be ready for for the scroll saw. I could probably get cutting right now, but I don't want to lose the flow of work that I have going now and get off track. Now is the time to follow through with the inspirations.

I am going to keep it short today and get right to things. I hope you enjoy my little sample pictures. Translated to wood they should look pretty cool.

Have a great Friday. For those of you off of work today (everything is closed around here) I hope you take some extra time to do something creative and fun.

Enjoy your day!
 

Attachments

#7,893 ·
Strike While the (Inspirational) Iron is Hot

As the saying goes - I'm on a roll.

It seems a long time since I drew fretwork, and I really missed it. While I like to do a lot of different types of designing from painting to cutting to building things, one of the things that I find to be most satisfying to draw and cut is fretwork.

So that's what I am gonna do!

Yesterday I hit a good rhythm and was able to not only finish up on the design I featured in the blog, but completely finish a second one:

Hair Hairstyle Facial expression Vertebrate Organ


. . . and do the majority of drawing on a third:

Head Plant Hand Hairstyle Arm


The good part is, I have several others in mind right at this moment. I really want to just keep on drawing at this point. So I think that is what I am going to do.

It is nice to be able to work like this and have trouble keeping up with my ideas. My notebook is full of new things to do after this series of designs is complete, so I want to keep on moving right along.

I am going to spend today doing as much drawing as I can, and perhaps by tomorrow I will be ready for for the scroll saw. I could probably get cutting right now, but I don't want to lose the flow of work that I have going now and get off track. Now is the time to follow through with the inspirations.

I am going to keep it short today and get right to things. I hope you enjoy my little sample pictures. Translated to wood they should look pretty cool.

Have a great Friday. For those of you off of work today (everything is closed around here) I hope you take some extra time to do something creative and fun.

Enjoy your day!
Sheila that top design looks sweet and it looks like what
I need for one of my projects,
Looking forward to seeing them in their final finish.
Enjoy your day drawing, keep the kettle on the boil and
the cats will enjoy chillin with you

Have a wonderful day
Jamie
 

Attachments

#7,897 ·
Still Rolling . . .

Yesterday was another great and productive day. I don't know why things happen this way sometimes, but I wish I could bottle up the formula so that on my unfocused and unproductive days I could take a dose of whatever it is that is driving me right now.

I am sure my fellow designers know the feeling. It is when you just can't seem to draw fast enough to get all the ideas out and you don't want to stop because you know this feeling may pass. I love when I feel like this and I want to take full advantage of this creative flow and keep going.

My designs to cut are piling up. In the past two days I have drawn up six complete designs - and they are all ready for the saw. I have one or two more in my mind right now and then I just have to stop drawing and begin cutting. The next deadline for the magazine is rapidly approaching and what I have planned for them takes some "building" time. I am going to take today to draw up that pattern and perhaps maybe one more scroll designs for myself. Then it is time to get to the saw.

I don't remember the last time I was able to do so many different things all at once. Perhaps I have finally learned to not think about things too much and "just do it!" Sometimes all the planning and thinking about new stuff slips into a form of procrastination and I wind up putting things off until something else comes along.

Wouldn't it be great to be able to continue on like this?? I think ti would be awesome.

So here are today's sneak previews for you to see . . .

One design is a fretwork one with overlay pieces:

Plant Petal Gesture Ear Font


Another has some pretty lettering:

Nose Hand Facial expression Vertebrate White


And still another one has some fun stand-up pieces:

Handwriting Facial expression Gesture Font Slope


Do I have your curiosity peaked? I hope so. Won't the next week be FUN to unveil these pieces one at a time!? I know for myself, seeing them come to be is going to be exciting.

And to think that what I have planned here for today is still another totally different type of project altogether!

I hope I have you all thinking and anticipating. The next couple of days will be pretty cool for me. I can't wait to get at the saw and start really creating these pieces and showing them all to you - one at a time.

So it is off I go to draw again. I hope you all have a great day today and I hope it is warm enough for you all to get out into your shops and do something creative. It really is exhilarating!

Happy Saturday!
 

Attachments

#7,898 ·
Still Rolling . . .

Yesterday was another great and productive day. I don't know why things happen this way sometimes, but I wish I could bottle up the formula so that on my unfocused and unproductive days I could take a dose of whatever it is that is driving me right now.

I am sure my fellow designers know the feeling. It is when you just can't seem to draw fast enough to get all the ideas out and you don't want to stop because you know this feeling may pass. I love when I feel like this and I want to take full advantage of this creative flow and keep going.

My designs to cut are piling up. In the past two days I have drawn up six complete designs - and they are all ready for the saw. I have one or two more in my mind right now and then I just have to stop drawing and begin cutting. The next deadline for the magazine is rapidly approaching and what I have planned for them takes some "building" time. I am going to take today to draw up that pattern and perhaps maybe one more scroll designs for myself. Then it is time to get to the saw.

I don't remember the last time I was able to do so many different things all at once. Perhaps I have finally learned to not think about things too much and "just do it!" Sometimes all the planning and thinking about new stuff slips into a form of procrastination and I wind up putting things off until something else comes along.

Wouldn't it be great to be able to continue on like this?? I think ti would be awesome.

So here are today's sneak previews for you to see . . .

One design is a fretwork one with overlay pieces:

Plant Petal Gesture Ear Font


Another has some pretty lettering:

Nose Hand Facial expression Vertebrate White


And still another one has some fun stand-up pieces:

Handwriting Facial expression Gesture Font Slope


Do I have your curiosity peaked? I hope so. Won't the next week be FUN to unveil these pieces one at a time!? I know for myself, seeing them come to be is going to be exciting.

And to think that what I have planned here for today is still another totally different type of project altogether!

I hope I have you all thinking and anticipating. The next couple of days will be pretty cool for me. I can't wait to get at the saw and start really creating these pieces and showing them all to you - one at a time.

So it is off I go to draw again. I hope you all have a great day today and I hope it is warm enough for you all to get out into your shops and do something creative. It really is exhilarating!

Happy Saturday!
They all look great. Can't wait to see. I, too, have a pile of things I would like to cut in the shop. Learned if I take the pattern out to the shop and attach it to some wood for some reason it will get done a little faster.

Have a great day and an awesome Easter Sunday
 

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#7,905 ·
Eight is Enough

These last three days I have been in what seems like a drawing frenzy. It was just one of those times when I have several detailed ideas of what I want to make and I can picture things in my mind so clearly that drawing the designs seems to come almost automatically. That is a good place for me to be.

Yesterday I finished up two more designs. One of them is something that is dimensional and took a bit more thought and time, but on paper at least, it appears that it will work out well. I am sure I will have a couple of adjustments when actually building it, but that is expected and I think that for the most part, it will work out fine. I can't wait to see it come to life.

With the addition of the two new designs, I now have a stack of no less than eight new projects that I have to cut and build. I don't think I can remember ever having that much of a 'backlog' of projects to work on. It is going to be a good week at the Excalibur scroll saw, and I am already picking out my playlists of music to listen to while I work. It's going to be a really fun week.

I will show you another quick peek at the line drawings for these next two projects. They are bot a bit simpler and of a 'country/primitive' them. The first sample is of the dimensional project:

Circle Font Pattern Drawing Symmetry


I think it is going to be rather cute. I think it is going to be my submission for my next magazine article, which is going to be for the August issue.

The next one is also a primitive design:

Gesture Font Slope Drawing Pattern


It will be something that will not be too difficult to cut, but hopefully also look nice.

One thing that I really love about using the scroll saw is that it allows a vast variety of projects to be created. You can use it to make extremely complex and delicate cuts and projects as well as some very basic and simple work, as well as everything in between.

There are few other tools in our shops that have the capabilities that the scroll saw has, which is why it is one of my favorites. Another great thing about it is that once you purchase a decent saw, the only other real "supplies" you need to work with it are blades and perhaps a drill press. Unlike a lathe, which needs additional chucks, chisels, gouges and tools to keep operating, the scroll saw is pretty much self-sufficient. I think for that reason it is an ideal 'starter tool' for anyone wanting to get involved in woodworking. It also can be used in conjunction with many other tools to easily add wonderful detail to just about any type of project. And with a little practice, you can master it very quickly.

It is hard for me to stop drawing when I have so many ideas. I think this current batch of projects has a great variety of styles and difficulties and hopefully there will be something here to suite everyone's taste. If not, I have several more things that I am thinking about that I will work on as soon as I finish these. And I am sure that by the time I am finished, there will be another list of additional things to make. My idea book keeps filling up, and I am sure that I am going to have a very, very busy summer.

I did want to show you all a couple of pictures of what my friend Anna from British Columbia did with some of our patterns. Anna is always a great support of Keith and I and I have gotten to know her through the blog here on Lumberjocks. I always love seeing what creative things people do with our patterns and I love sharing them so that it can be an inspiration to others, too.

What Anna does is when she cuts some beautiful intricate designs (like Kieth's SLDK199 Filigree Butterfly Ornaments) she stack cuts the designs with a couple of layers of nice card stock in between. You can find a huge variety of card stock at any place that sells scrap booking supplies or craft supplies. You could easily add several layers and not even notice the difference when you are sawing. The result is wonderful cutouts that you could use in a variety of ways. Anna uses hers to make greeting cards as shown here:

Pollinator Butterfly Insect Arthropod Human body


Pollinator Insect Butterfly Arthropod Rectangle


Brown Pollinator Insect Butterfly Arthropod


As you see, she then applies them to the cards and embellishes them with hot fix rhinestones. They are absolutely beautiful!

Anna sent Keith and I a card this past Christmas that featured his Filigree Angel as a cutout and it was simply lovely.

The other day I was in the store and I bought a nice but rather plain Easter card for someone and it cost me over five dollars. I had wished that I would have used Anna's idea and cut some extra pieces when I made my ornaments a couple of months ago and it would have been more personal and fun to make a card. I will certainly keep it in mind for next time!

I hope you all enjoy seeing these creative ideas. I certainly enjoy sharing them with you and seeing your take on our ideas. I always say I am very fortunate to be doing something that I love so much on a daily basis. It makes for a very good life.

So it is to the saw for me today, and probably for the next several days also. It should be a good week of blogging as I slowly reveal the full pictures of all of these new designs as they come to be reality. I truly look forward to the wonderful week ahead and sharing all of this with you.

I also want to wish all my Christian friends a very happy Easter. We are going to head out to Bernie's and Ellen's tomorrow for dinner and a nice overdue visit. We had a wonderful dinner at Keith's parents' house yesterday and today we will be here at home. It looks like it is turning out to be another nice and calm day here in our area. The days are definitely getting warmer.

Happy Sunday to you all!
 

Attachments

#7,906 ·
Eight is Enough

These last three days I have been in what seems like a drawing frenzy. It was just one of those times when I have several detailed ideas of what I want to make and I can picture things in my mind so clearly that drawing the designs seems to come almost automatically. That is a good place for me to be.

Yesterday I finished up two more designs. One of them is something that is dimensional and took a bit more thought and time, but on paper at least, it appears that it will work out well. I am sure I will have a couple of adjustments when actually building it, but that is expected and I think that for the most part, it will work out fine. I can't wait to see it come to life.

With the addition of the two new designs, I now have a stack of no less than eight new projects that I have to cut and build. I don't think I can remember ever having that much of a 'backlog' of projects to work on. It is going to be a good week at the Excalibur scroll saw, and I am already picking out my playlists of music to listen to while I work. It's going to be a really fun week.

I will show you another quick peek at the line drawings for these next two projects. They are bot a bit simpler and of a 'country/primitive' them. The first sample is of the dimensional project:

Circle Font Pattern Drawing Symmetry


I think it is going to be rather cute. I think it is going to be my submission for my next magazine article, which is going to be for the August issue.

The next one is also a primitive design:

Gesture Font Slope Drawing Pattern


It will be something that will not be too difficult to cut, but hopefully also look nice.

One thing that I really love about using the scroll saw is that it allows a vast variety of projects to be created. You can use it to make extremely complex and delicate cuts and projects as well as some very basic and simple work, as well as everything in between.

There are few other tools in our shops that have the capabilities that the scroll saw has, which is why it is one of my favorites. Another great thing about it is that once you purchase a decent saw, the only other real "supplies" you need to work with it are blades and perhaps a drill press. Unlike a lathe, which needs additional chucks, chisels, gouges and tools to keep operating, the scroll saw is pretty much self-sufficient. I think for that reason it is an ideal 'starter tool' for anyone wanting to get involved in woodworking. It also can be used in conjunction with many other tools to easily add wonderful detail to just about any type of project. And with a little practice, you can master it very quickly.

It is hard for me to stop drawing when I have so many ideas. I think this current batch of projects has a great variety of styles and difficulties and hopefully there will be something here to suite everyone's taste. If not, I have several more things that I am thinking about that I will work on as soon as I finish these. And I am sure that by the time I am finished, there will be another list of additional things to make. My idea book keeps filling up, and I am sure that I am going to have a very, very busy summer.

I did want to show you all a couple of pictures of what my friend Anna from British Columbia did with some of our patterns. Anna is always a great support of Keith and I and I have gotten to know her through the blog here on Lumberjocks. I always love seeing what creative things people do with our patterns and I love sharing them so that it can be an inspiration to others, too.

What Anna does is when she cuts some beautiful intricate designs (like Kieth's SLDK199 Filigree Butterfly Ornaments) she stack cuts the designs with a couple of layers of nice card stock in between. You can find a huge variety of card stock at any place that sells scrap booking supplies or craft supplies. You could easily add several layers and not even notice the difference when you are sawing. The result is wonderful cutouts that you could use in a variety of ways. Anna uses hers to make greeting cards as shown here:

Pollinator Butterfly Insect Arthropod Human body


Pollinator Insect Butterfly Arthropod Rectangle


Brown Pollinator Insect Butterfly Arthropod


As you see, she then applies them to the cards and embellishes them with hot fix rhinestones. They are absolutely beautiful!

Anna sent Keith and I a card this past Christmas that featured his Filigree Angel as a cutout and it was simply lovely.

The other day I was in the store and I bought a nice but rather plain Easter card for someone and it cost me over five dollars. I had wished that I would have used Anna's idea and cut some extra pieces when I made my ornaments a couple of months ago and it would have been more personal and fun to make a card. I will certainly keep it in mind for next time!

I hope you all enjoy seeing these creative ideas. I certainly enjoy sharing them with you and seeing your take on our ideas. I always say I am very fortunate to be doing something that I love so much on a daily basis. It makes for a very good life.

So it is to the saw for me today, and probably for the next several days also. It should be a good week of blogging as I slowly reveal the full pictures of all of these new designs as they come to be reality. I truly look forward to the wonderful week ahead and sharing all of this with you.

I also want to wish all my Christian friends a very happy Easter. We are going to head out to Bernie's and Ellen's tomorrow for dinner and a nice overdue visit. We had a wonderful dinner at Keith's parents' house yesterday and today we will be here at home. It looks like it is turning out to be another nice and calm day here in our area. The days are definitely getting warmer.

Happy Sunday to you all!
Love it Sheila a great one of the 12Ă—12 challenge :)

Sunny with Snow Lying on the Banks o the Doon
Jamie
 

Attachments

#7,916 ·
Progress Report

What an extremely productive weekend I had! It isn't always that I can claim that so I am pretty darn proud of all that I accomplished over the last couple of days. It feels good to work hard and actually see some physical results of that work right in front of you. That isn't always the case. There are many times when I seem to work hard and even though every minute of the day is spent 'doing something' there is little to show for it. But this week, it will be a boost to see these projects that I have been drawing come to life. Besides that, making them is the best part.

I spent the day getting most of the new things set up and I actually got to begin cutting them. It is amazing how much time I spent just picking out the wood that I wanted to use for each individual piece. While having a good variety of different species here to choose from, sometimes I find that having too many choices can slow me down a bit because it is difficult to pick what I want to use for each. I wanted to show things in a nice variety, and some are going to be oiled and others stained or painted so I wanted to also take that into consideration when choosing.

I did well though and got all seven of the candle trays set up for cutting. The bulk of my drawing these past few days was of additional candle trays because it has been a while since I made some new designs for them and people are requesting additional designs. Besides - I love doing them because they really a fun to cut and there are so many ways you can make them look cool. Most of the first designs were one simple layer, but in the future I am going to be doing more dimensional trays with stand up pieces, as well as overlays that will give a better variety. As always, I will offer several ideas for completing them in many different ways. I love doing versatile designs like that.

I spent the better part of the morning getting all the pattern pieces applied to the respective wood pieces. This time around, I used the 8.5Ă—11 inch label sheets, as each design took up about a sheet and it was very quick and efficient to print out the patterns right onto the sheets.

The first one off the bat is something that I call "Classic Fretwork." It is probably my favorite type of scrolling as it is a little challenging, but fun and relaxing to cut. I used a piece of wood that I think is brown maple. It almost looks like cherry though and I still can't really figure out which one it is. I am leaning toward the brown maple because the usual grain pattern of cherry isn't present. I will be able to tell more after I oil it.

Below is a picture of the finished cut piece:

Tableware Dishware Body jewelry Serveware Plate


I didn't sand it or finish it at all yet. It is just the dry, raw wood at this point. Whatever wood it is, it is pretty hard and dense. Even with the label on it, it wanted to burn a bit. I only discovered this after I drilled all the holes and started cutting. This also made me think it was cherry, as I have had cherry burn in the same way. The only option that I had was to place packaging tape over the tray after drilling, which meant that I had to poke the blade through the tape each time I changed holes. This didn't cause too much issue, as I used a very tiny 2/0 blade to cut. I started out with a #2, but I didn't get the sharpness of the corners that I liked so I switched almost immediately to the 2/0. It was a little slower going, but I'll swap speed for precision any day. The final tray came out pretty nice:

Wood Font Art Circle Pattern


I call this one a "Filigree Candle Tray" as I feel it is the epitome of what filigree scroll would should be. Flowing curves and curls give this a 'Victorian' look that people generally think of when they hear 'scroll work.' I plan on simply oiling and using lacquer on the tray and leaving it at that. Keith had asked if I planned on making any ornaments or charms to accompany it, but I truly don't think it is necessary. I think the design stands on its own and should be left as it is.

I will have final pictures of it tomorrow, if I am able to have time to finish it today.

We are going to Digby to spend the afternoon/evening with our dear friends and having dinner. It will be nice to see Bernie and Ellen and take some time away - even for a little bit. We did go to Keith's parents on Saturday night and had a wonderful evening and dinner there. It was good to get away a little and visit and have a change of scenery.

Keith's mom liked the Mud Bunnies that I had made last week, so I put some of them on a little wreath and gave it to her for Spring. It was easy to do and came out nice:

Font Art Jewellery Electric blue Illustration


I like making ornaments because there are so many ways you can use them to decorate. For the wreath, I just got some wired ribbon, and a couple of spring sprigs to add color and a simple vine wreath. The little sprigs added a splash of color on the dark wreath and were easy to just poke in place. I used thin wire to keep the bunnies in place, as I didn't want to drill any holes in them. The bows on their necks hid the wire for the most part and the little rhinestones gave them a bit of a shimmer:

Creative arts Art Twig Bag Fictional character


It was simple to do and came out pretty nice and was a nice way to brighten things up for the spring.

I like showing you all these ways to use your projects. As with the beautifully cut paper butterflies that Anna made, this is yet another way to incorporate your painting and woodworking into fun projects. There are so many ways beyond the instructions in your pattern packets that you can use things to make fun and creative items.

I cut another tray yesterday, too, but it is also unfinished and I have to cut some of the overlay pieces to complete it. I think I will wait to show you that one so I have something to show you all tomorrow. I don't want to overload you all at once, and with me being away for most of the day today it will give me something to share tomorrow.

It is Monday already and pouring rain. Quite a difference from yesterdays' warm and sunny day. But I suppose it is typical of spring.

I hope you all had a great weekend and wish you all a fun and creative week.

Happy Monday!
 

Attachments

#7,917 ·
Progress Report

What an extremely productive weekend I had! It isn't always that I can claim that so I am pretty darn proud of all that I accomplished over the last couple of days. It feels good to work hard and actually see some physical results of that work right in front of you. That isn't always the case. There are many times when I seem to work hard and even though every minute of the day is spent 'doing something' there is little to show for it. But this week, it will be a boost to see these projects that I have been drawing come to life. Besides that, making them is the best part.

I spent the day getting most of the new things set up and I actually got to begin cutting them. It is amazing how much time I spent just picking out the wood that I wanted to use for each individual piece. While having a good variety of different species here to choose from, sometimes I find that having too many choices can slow me down a bit because it is difficult to pick what I want to use for each. I wanted to show things in a nice variety, and some are going to be oiled and others stained or painted so I wanted to also take that into consideration when choosing.

I did well though and got all seven of the candle trays set up for cutting. The bulk of my drawing these past few days was of additional candle trays because it has been a while since I made some new designs for them and people are requesting additional designs. Besides - I love doing them because they really a fun to cut and there are so many ways you can make them look cool. Most of the first designs were one simple layer, but in the future I am going to be doing more dimensional trays with stand up pieces, as well as overlays that will give a better variety. As always, I will offer several ideas for completing them in many different ways. I love doing versatile designs like that.

I spent the better part of the morning getting all the pattern pieces applied to the respective wood pieces. This time around, I used the 8.5Ă—11 inch label sheets, as each design took up about a sheet and it was very quick and efficient to print out the patterns right onto the sheets.

The first one off the bat is something that I call "Classic Fretwork." It is probably my favorite type of scrolling as it is a little challenging, but fun and relaxing to cut. I used a piece of wood that I think is brown maple. It almost looks like cherry though and I still can't really figure out which one it is. I am leaning toward the brown maple because the usual grain pattern of cherry isn't present. I will be able to tell more after I oil it.

Below is a picture of the finished cut piece:

Tableware Dishware Body jewelry Serveware Plate


I didn't sand it or finish it at all yet. It is just the dry, raw wood at this point. Whatever wood it is, it is pretty hard and dense. Even with the label on it, it wanted to burn a bit. I only discovered this after I drilled all the holes and started cutting. This also made me think it was cherry, as I have had cherry burn in the same way. The only option that I had was to place packaging tape over the tray after drilling, which meant that I had to poke the blade through the tape each time I changed holes. This didn't cause too much issue, as I used a very tiny 2/0 blade to cut. I started out with a #2, but I didn't get the sharpness of the corners that I liked so I switched almost immediately to the 2/0. It was a little slower going, but I'll swap speed for precision any day. The final tray came out pretty nice:

Wood Font Art Circle Pattern


I call this one a "Filigree Candle Tray" as I feel it is the epitome of what filigree scroll would should be. Flowing curves and curls give this a 'Victorian' look that people generally think of when they hear 'scroll work.' I plan on simply oiling and using lacquer on the tray and leaving it at that. Keith had asked if I planned on making any ornaments or charms to accompany it, but I truly don't think it is necessary. I think the design stands on its own and should be left as it is.

I will have final pictures of it tomorrow, if I am able to have time to finish it today.

We are going to Digby to spend the afternoon/evening with our dear friends and having dinner. It will be nice to see Bernie and Ellen and take some time away - even for a little bit. We did go to Keith's parents on Saturday night and had a wonderful evening and dinner there. It was good to get away a little and visit and have a change of scenery.

Keith's mom liked the Mud Bunnies that I had made last week, so I put some of them on a little wreath and gave it to her for Spring. It was easy to do and came out nice:

Font Art Jewellery Electric blue Illustration


I like making ornaments because there are so many ways you can use them to decorate. For the wreath, I just got some wired ribbon, and a couple of spring sprigs to add color and a simple vine wreath. The little sprigs added a splash of color on the dark wreath and were easy to just poke in place. I used thin wire to keep the bunnies in place, as I didn't want to drill any holes in them. The bows on their necks hid the wire for the most part and the little rhinestones gave them a bit of a shimmer:

Creative arts Art Twig Bag Fictional character


It was simple to do and came out pretty nice and was a nice way to brighten things up for the spring.

I like showing you all these ways to use your projects. As with the beautifully cut paper butterflies that Anna made, this is yet another way to incorporate your painting and woodworking into fun projects. There are so many ways beyond the instructions in your pattern packets that you can use things to make fun and creative items.

I cut another tray yesterday, too, but it is also unfinished and I have to cut some of the overlay pieces to complete it. I think I will wait to show you that one so I have something to show you all tomorrow. I don't want to overload you all at once, and with me being away for most of the day today it will give me something to share tomorrow.

It is Monday already and pouring rain. Quite a difference from yesterdays' warm and sunny day. But I suppose it is typical of spring.

I hope you all had a great weekend and wish you all a fun and creative week.

Happy Monday!
Sheila they look great.
That is a great idea with the wreath could fit many occasions

Have a great day
Jamie
 

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#7,924 ·
Strawberry Fields Forever

As I said yesterday, it was our day to go to Digby to visit our dear friends Ellen and Bernie and their daughter Cindy and have a nice dinner. Cindy needed to work on Sunday, so our plans were postponed for a day and pushed into Monday. One of the great things about working for myself is that my schedule is flexible like that. Most of the time I am able to shift things around when something like that comes up and we don't miss out on anything.

The key there though is that we need to keep focused and disciplined on those days when nothing special is going on. I have an imaginary time bank and if I fill it with enough hours worked, I feel no guilt whatsoever taking a day off now and then. This is totally up to Keith and myself individually, and one reason we never have any problems if one or the other (or both) of us want to do something other than stay home and work is that we both have similar work ethics and know that our fate for the most part lies in our own hands and we are willing to take responsibility for ourselves.

Many people hear the word "self-employed" and immediately picture someone sitting on a beach sipping a cocktail while others are chained to their offices or desks or doing their daily jobs. They fail to understand that small businesses don't "just happen" and that usually it takes a great deal more time for a self-employed person to achieve success than it does someone who is punching a clock. The difference is (for me anyway) that we are doing something that we truly love and even though we are pretty much always on call and working, it doesn't seem like work because we love what we do.

I realize that this lifestyle is not for everyone, and for some it is not possible to live the way we do. But for myself, and I think for Keith too, this is the way that we choose to live and we both feel that we are very fortunate to be able to do so. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly the days pass. We are always busy and for the most part it is a really 'good' type of busy. I honestly look forward to getting up each morning and working on my business. And as those of you who read know, there are times when I am able to sneak away to the beach and have the best office in the world. I see more of that time coming this summer, and I am thinking now of ways to be able to accomplish some work and get some things done while I am away.

The rest of this week will be fun and exciting as I see my new projects come to life. While I didn't get much done yesterday, I was able to cut out the overlay pieces on my second design of the recent group that I drew. This candle tray is one I call "Strawberry Fields Forever", as it made me think of the Beatle's song of the same name.

It is one of the times I was proudly able to accomplish a truly "random" design and have it look balanced and natural. Usually when I attempt "random", I wind up doing what turns out to be "organized random" where the design starts to look like it repeats a bit. Somewhat like wallpaper. But this time it is truly a random design and I am very happy with the outcome.

The base of the tray is composed of the vines and the leaves. While this designs looks really intricate to cut, it is very forgiving and easy. I purposely made the tips of the leaves ever so slightly rounded so that it would be easy to make the turn while using a small 2/0 blade without having to make the sharp points. This cut down a significant amount of cutting time without compromising the design whatsoever. I also added the small blossoms in with the vine/leaf layer so that they would remain subtle and not take over the design.

The strawberries were made as overlay pieces. I chose to add eight of them - four larger and four smaller - but naturally you could add as many or few as you like.

Body jewelry Silver Natural material Creative arts Rectangle


The strawberries each have ten teardrop shaped seeds on them. I know I could have cheated and just drilled holes, but me being me wouldn't let that happen. I think that making the seeds tear drop shaped was critical to making these look really nice, and it was worth the extra time I took to scroll each seed out. (Besides - I did 'cheat' and cut the berries stacked two high. That meant only 40 additional cuts instead of 80. It sounds like a lot but it only added about 15 minutes of time on to the project. Time well spent I think!)

Textile Sleeve Wood Grey Creative arts


As with the first tray, this piece is fresh off the scroll saw. I didn't even get to finish sand the pieces or oil them or varnish and color them. That will come later on today. We didn't get home from our dinner until after 10pm and both of us were tired. If I learned anything, it is not to start something new when I am tired. So I will work on them today, as well as cut some more out.

I can see that I am going to be multi-tasking and working on several of these projects at once. The subsequent blogs this week will probably be a mixture of different stages for several of the projects. I have no idea how long it will take me to complete all eight of the designs that I drew up over the weekend, but I expect it to be a week or so.

I feel like I am at Disney World and don't know what ride to go on first!

As I look at all that is in front of me these next several days, it will be fun and exciting to see each one emerge from the pieces of wood that are now sitting on my table. It has been a while since I added new candle trays into my arsenal of patterns, and while the older designs are still very popular, it was time to introduce some new trays for the new season.

I plan on coloring this tray in with some acrylic stain, which will make the design look pretty cool I think. But I like showing the trays 'naked' too because they look pretty nice in natural wood too. (By the way - this tray is done in maple) I hope you stay tuned so you can see all the new trays I made. It is a fun journey and I am thoroughly enjoying it.

The sun is up now, and it is going to be a beautiful day. Unlike yesterdays grey rain, it is bright and beautiful and very pretty out. Perhaps I will be able to fit in a nice walk. It seems like ages since we have done that.

Have a great day today. Enjoy whatever life has to offer you!

Food Fruit Strawberry Tableware Ingredient
 

Attachments

#7,925 ·
Strawberry Fields Forever

As I said yesterday, it was our day to go to Digby to visit our dear friends Ellen and Bernie and their daughter Cindy and have a nice dinner. Cindy needed to work on Sunday, so our plans were postponed for a day and pushed into Monday. One of the great things about working for myself is that my schedule is flexible like that. Most of the time I am able to shift things around when something like that comes up and we don't miss out on anything.

The key there though is that we need to keep focused and disciplined on those days when nothing special is going on. I have an imaginary time bank and if I fill it with enough hours worked, I feel no guilt whatsoever taking a day off now and then. This is totally up to Keith and myself individually, and one reason we never have any problems if one or the other (or both) of us want to do something other than stay home and work is that we both have similar work ethics and know that our fate for the most part lies in our own hands and we are willing to take responsibility for ourselves.

Many people hear the word "self-employed" and immediately picture someone sitting on a beach sipping a cocktail while others are chained to their offices or desks or doing their daily jobs. They fail to understand that small businesses don't "just happen" and that usually it takes a great deal more time for a self-employed person to achieve success than it does someone who is punching a clock. The difference is (for me anyway) that we are doing something that we truly love and even though we are pretty much always on call and working, it doesn't seem like work because we love what we do.

I realize that this lifestyle is not for everyone, and for some it is not possible to live the way we do. But for myself, and I think for Keith too, this is the way that we choose to live and we both feel that we are very fortunate to be able to do so. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly the days pass. We are always busy and for the most part it is a really 'good' type of busy. I honestly look forward to getting up each morning and working on my business. And as those of you who read know, there are times when I am able to sneak away to the beach and have the best office in the world. I see more of that time coming this summer, and I am thinking now of ways to be able to accomplish some work and get some things done while I am away.

The rest of this week will be fun and exciting as I see my new projects come to life. While I didn't get much done yesterday, I was able to cut out the overlay pieces on my second design of the recent group that I drew. This candle tray is one I call "Strawberry Fields Forever", as it made me think of the Beatle's song of the same name.

It is one of the times I was proudly able to accomplish a truly "random" design and have it look balanced and natural. Usually when I attempt "random", I wind up doing what turns out to be "organized random" where the design starts to look like it repeats a bit. Somewhat like wallpaper. But this time it is truly a random design and I am very happy with the outcome.

The base of the tray is composed of the vines and the leaves. While this designs looks really intricate to cut, it is very forgiving and easy. I purposely made the tips of the leaves ever so slightly rounded so that it would be easy to make the turn while using a small 2/0 blade without having to make the sharp points. This cut down a significant amount of cutting time without compromising the design whatsoever. I also added the small blossoms in with the vine/leaf layer so that they would remain subtle and not take over the design.

The strawberries were made as overlay pieces. I chose to add eight of them - four larger and four smaller - but naturally you could add as many or few as you like.

Body jewelry Silver Natural material Creative arts Rectangle


The strawberries each have ten teardrop shaped seeds on them. I know I could have cheated and just drilled holes, but me being me wouldn't let that happen. I think that making the seeds tear drop shaped was critical to making these look really nice, and it was worth the extra time I took to scroll each seed out. (Besides - I did 'cheat' and cut the berries stacked two high. That meant only 40 additional cuts instead of 80. It sounds like a lot but it only added about 15 minutes of time on to the project. Time well spent I think!)

Textile Sleeve Wood Grey Creative arts


As with the first tray, this piece is fresh off the scroll saw. I didn't even get to finish sand the pieces or oil them or varnish and color them. That will come later on today. We didn't get home from our dinner until after 10pm and both of us were tired. If I learned anything, it is not to start something new when I am tired. So I will work on them today, as well as cut some more out.

I can see that I am going to be multi-tasking and working on several of these projects at once. The subsequent blogs this week will probably be a mixture of different stages for several of the projects. I have no idea how long it will take me to complete all eight of the designs that I drew up over the weekend, but I expect it to be a week or so.

I feel like I am at Disney World and don't know what ride to go on first!

As I look at all that is in front of me these next several days, it will be fun and exciting to see each one emerge from the pieces of wood that are now sitting on my table. It has been a while since I added new candle trays into my arsenal of patterns, and while the older designs are still very popular, it was time to introduce some new trays for the new season.

I plan on coloring this tray in with some acrylic stain, which will make the design look pretty cool I think. But I like showing the trays 'naked' too because they look pretty nice in natural wood too. (By the way - this tray is done in maple) I hope you stay tuned so you can see all the new trays I made. It is a fun journey and I am thoroughly enjoying it.

The sun is up now, and it is going to be a beautiful day. Unlike yesterdays grey rain, it is bright and beautiful and very pretty out. Perhaps I will be able to fit in a nice walk. It seems like ages since we have done that.

Have a great day today. Enjoy whatever life has to offer you!

Food Fruit Strawberry Tableware Ingredient
This is way kool, Sheila. I like the 3-d effect.
 

Attachments

#7,934 ·
Is It Really 1000??

So how does one begin their 1000th blog post in a series?

Most of you who know me and read regularly know that I am not a 'numbers' girl. I tend to look at numbers as a necessary evil, be it when they are referring to things like age, number of friends we have, or even net worth. While I realize the importance of how numbering something helps us organize things in this crazy world we live in, I can't help but think that numbers on their own can be cold and desensitizing. Looking at someone or something based solely on statistics and numbers only gives us a very small part of the picture, and hopefully people look beyond those initial figures and consider everything that is involved. For while using numbers is an efficient way to benchmark something, it is rarely enough to give us a complete understanding of any given subject or event. We need to teach ourselves to look further.

But as I sit here this morning and begin writing my 1000th post, being aware of that number, it causes me to look back and reflect on my life over the past three years. I joined Lumberjocks.com nearly three years ago, at the end of May in the year 2010. The site here was referred to me by Steve Good - a scroll sawyer who writes a daily blog of his own at his site Scrollsaw Workshop. He thought that I would enjoy it here and perhaps use the site to network and market my own site. Little did I know how much impact joining here would have on my life.

I had recently gone through some major life changes. I was just coming out of a time when things in my life were not so good. I had made some poor decisions in the past that had really affected me both mentally and physically. For a designer, this is a huge disaster. After a long battle of receiving my paperwork to live here in Canada (I was originally from the Chicago area) I felt worn out and deflated. My business was struggling because for the past several years my attention was elsewhere, and I was barely surviving financially. I had hit the proverbial 'bottom' and I realized that it was sink or swim for me and I would have to give the business a full blown effort, or give it up completely and seek employment elsewhere.

But I finally did have my paperwork and I lived in a beautiful small town that was peaceful and quiet. I didn't want to give that up after fighting so hard to be here. The problem was (and is) that there are few jobs available in our area, and certainly none that required any amount of creativity. As I recovered from the battle that I had just fought, my need to be creative grew, and I knew that I would only be happy doing what I feel I was meant to do - be creative and teach others to find their own creativity within themselves. So it was with much trepidation that I began this blog.

In the week prior to me beginning my daily writings here, I had two separate calls from customers who were both amazed that I answered my own phone. At that time I had been a contributing editor for Creative Woodworks and Crafts magazine for nearly 12 years already, and with that position, people naturally thought that I was highly successful and thought that I employed a full staff. I found that almost laughable, as the truth was that my finances were quite a disaster, and the business was not only not self-sustaining, but probably costing me money in the long run. My life was very much the opposite of what they pictured.

So when I joined Lumberjocks and saw that as a member we each got our own blog page, I thought it would be a good place to tell my story. After all, there are many woodworkers here that are aspiring to have their own businesses and many of them are going through many of the same things that I was regarding business. I thought it would be a great place to talk about these inside things and not only learn from them, but also hopefully help them avoid some of the pitfalls that I encountered. So I started writing.

I never intended this to be a daily practice. I thought that I would check in once a week or so and just write occasionally. But as soon as I began, I met some very inspirational people that I now consider 'friends.' I had felt silly writing that first post. After all - who wanted to read about someone who had a struggling business. I certainly wasn't a role model for anyone, and I still didn't know if I would even be able to continue what I was doing for much longer. But I did feel that I had learned some things over the years and I wanted to share that information with others and also learn from those who have had experiences that they were willing to share.

It is because of you, my readers that I keep writing. You have all embraced me as not only a designer and colleague, but also as a friend. I can't even begin to count the great number of friends that I have gained from writing here every morning. You live in all corners of the world, yet come by to 'visit' me and share your lives with me, as I do mine with you. You have supported me and inspired me and not only shared in my triumphs, but helped me on some of my most difficult days.

In the beginning, when more days were a struggle than not, you all gave me a reason to keep moving ahead. I found myself doing things because I didn't want to disappoint you all and once I started writing on a daily basis, it gave me a purpose to keep working hard and make a good example of myself and keep coming back.

There were days when I would just not feel like working, but I pushed myself to do so in order to have something to show for the day in the next mornings' blog. And when I did present my accomplishments, the positive comments and encouragement that I received from you all got me through some times when I doubted myself and felt so unsure that I was doing the right thing. You were all like cheerleaders to me, and I didn't want to let you all down.

As a result, I am now in the habit of having a good work ethic again. I always try to do the absolute best that I can because not only do I know that you all expect that of me, but I also expect that from myself. This is all the result of the positive support and reinforcement that you have given me. I don't know how I can ever thank you enough for that.

When I began this blog, I had just emerged from a very abusive relationship. My self esteem was in the basement. I had lost all confidence in my abilities and I didn't trust any of my own decisions. I look back on these three years and I realize that it is not only because of my being fortunate enough to find a wonderful partner, but also because of all of you - my friends - that helped turn things around for me. You have all contributed to the person I am today - honestly happy and comfortable with my life. And that is the source of my creativity.

I realize that this post is a bit personal, but from the first time I posted, I warned you that it may be the case from time to time. You cannot separate creativity from personal feelings. While I do speak personally on occasion, I have prided myself that in 1000 posts I don't discuss politics, religion or other beliefs of that manner, or try to force my opinions on you. The only opinions that I wish to promote are kindness, compassion and creativity. (Oh - and an occasional cat picture!)

I apologize for the length of this post, but these are things in my heart that I want to say.

Thank you to Martin and those of you who maintain this site. You have enriched the lives of so many through your efforts.

Thank you to Steve Good for sending me here. You are a mentor to so many and I truly admire your dedication to woodworking and scroll sawing in particular.

And thank you to all of my friends that I have met through this blog. Old and new, there are just too many of you to thank individually, yet every single one of you holds a special place in my heart. You are all the inspiration that gave me new life as a designer and a person.

But most of all, thank you to Keith, my partner, for putting up with my daily antics and believing in me when I didn't believe in myself. We have seen our little business growing together, and I know this is just the beginning for us.

I had thought of 'retiring' from writing after my 1000th post. After all, how much can I say? But as new people come into the woodworking field, I feel that I still can offer something to them here each morning, as we watch our business grow. Besides - there is no way that I want to lose touch with those of you who stop by to say 'hi'. For some it is our only time to communicate, and I would miss that terribly.

So on we go to the next 1000. I have no idea how far the road will lead. As long as you want to put up with the cat pictures and the quotes and my silliness, I will keep writing.

I did do some cutting yesterday, and I had some pictures to show you. But this has gotten too long already and I will post them tomorrow. While I was cutting though, as usual I had my music on. This time it was some old Elton John stuff - really old from when I was a teenager (I adored him back then - and maybe still do!) I heard a great song that I probably haven't heard in 20 years and I found it on YouTube. Just something nice to start your day:



I hope you enjoy it. We'll see you tomorrow! :)

Cat Vertebrate Felidae Carnivore Iris
 

Attachments

#7,935 ·
Is It Really 1000??

So how does one begin their 1000th blog post in a series?

Most of you who know me and read regularly know that I am not a 'numbers' girl. I tend to look at numbers as a necessary evil, be it when they are referring to things like age, number of friends we have, or even net worth. While I realize the importance of how numbering something helps us organize things in this crazy world we live in, I can't help but think that numbers on their own can be cold and desensitizing. Looking at someone or something based solely on statistics and numbers only gives us a very small part of the picture, and hopefully people look beyond those initial figures and consider everything that is involved. For while using numbers is an efficient way to benchmark something, it is rarely enough to give us a complete understanding of any given subject or event. We need to teach ourselves to look further.

But as I sit here this morning and begin writing my 1000th post, being aware of that number, it causes me to look back and reflect on my life over the past three years. I joined Lumberjocks.com nearly three years ago, at the end of May in the year 2010. The site here was referred to me by Steve Good - a scroll sawyer who writes a daily blog of his own at his site Scrollsaw Workshop. He thought that I would enjoy it here and perhaps use the site to network and market my own site. Little did I know how much impact joining here would have on my life.

I had recently gone through some major life changes. I was just coming out of a time when things in my life were not so good. I had made some poor decisions in the past that had really affected me both mentally and physically. For a designer, this is a huge disaster. After a long battle of receiving my paperwork to live here in Canada (I was originally from the Chicago area) I felt worn out and deflated. My business was struggling because for the past several years my attention was elsewhere, and I was barely surviving financially. I had hit the proverbial 'bottom' and I realized that it was sink or swim for me and I would have to give the business a full blown effort, or give it up completely and seek employment elsewhere.

But I finally did have my paperwork and I lived in a beautiful small town that was peaceful and quiet. I didn't want to give that up after fighting so hard to be here. The problem was (and is) that there are few jobs available in our area, and certainly none that required any amount of creativity. As I recovered from the battle that I had just fought, my need to be creative grew, and I knew that I would only be happy doing what I feel I was meant to do - be creative and teach others to find their own creativity within themselves. So it was with much trepidation that I began this blog.

In the week prior to me beginning my daily writings here, I had two separate calls from customers who were both amazed that I answered my own phone. At that time I had been a contributing editor for Creative Woodworks and Crafts magazine for nearly 12 years already, and with that position, people naturally thought that I was highly successful and thought that I employed a full staff. I found that almost laughable, as the truth was that my finances were quite a disaster, and the business was not only not self-sustaining, but probably costing me money in the long run. My life was very much the opposite of what they pictured.

So when I joined Lumberjocks and saw that as a member we each got our own blog page, I thought it would be a good place to tell my story. After all, there are many woodworkers here that are aspiring to have their own businesses and many of them are going through many of the same things that I was regarding business. I thought it would be a great place to talk about these inside things and not only learn from them, but also hopefully help them avoid some of the pitfalls that I encountered. So I started writing.

I never intended this to be a daily practice. I thought that I would check in once a week or so and just write occasionally. But as soon as I began, I met some very inspirational people that I now consider 'friends.' I had felt silly writing that first post. After all - who wanted to read about someone who had a struggling business. I certainly wasn't a role model for anyone, and I still didn't know if I would even be able to continue what I was doing for much longer. But I did feel that I had learned some things over the years and I wanted to share that information with others and also learn from those who have had experiences that they were willing to share.

It is because of you, my readers that I keep writing. You have all embraced me as not only a designer and colleague, but also as a friend. I can't even begin to count the great number of friends that I have gained from writing here every morning. You live in all corners of the world, yet come by to 'visit' me and share your lives with me, as I do mine with you. You have supported me and inspired me and not only shared in my triumphs, but helped me on some of my most difficult days.

In the beginning, when more days were a struggle than not, you all gave me a reason to keep moving ahead. I found myself doing things because I didn't want to disappoint you all and once I started writing on a daily basis, it gave me a purpose to keep working hard and make a good example of myself and keep coming back.

There were days when I would just not feel like working, but I pushed myself to do so in order to have something to show for the day in the next mornings' blog. And when I did present my accomplishments, the positive comments and encouragement that I received from you all got me through some times when I doubted myself and felt so unsure that I was doing the right thing. You were all like cheerleaders to me, and I didn't want to let you all down.

As a result, I am now in the habit of having a good work ethic again. I always try to do the absolute best that I can because not only do I know that you all expect that of me, but I also expect that from myself. This is all the result of the positive support and reinforcement that you have given me. I don't know how I can ever thank you enough for that.

When I began this blog, I had just emerged from a very abusive relationship. My self esteem was in the basement. I had lost all confidence in my abilities and I didn't trust any of my own decisions. I look back on these three years and I realize that it is not only because of my being fortunate enough to find a wonderful partner, but also because of all of you - my friends - that helped turn things around for me. You have all contributed to the person I am today - honestly happy and comfortable with my life. And that is the source of my creativity.

I realize that this post is a bit personal, but from the first time I posted, I warned you that it may be the case from time to time. You cannot separate creativity from personal feelings. While I do speak personally on occasion, I have prided myself that in 1000 posts I don't discuss politics, religion or other beliefs of that manner, or try to force my opinions on you. The only opinions that I wish to promote are kindness, compassion and creativity. (Oh - and an occasional cat picture!)

I apologize for the length of this post, but these are things in my heart that I want to say.

Thank you to Martin and those of you who maintain this site. You have enriched the lives of so many through your efforts.

Thank you to Steve Good for sending me here. You are a mentor to so many and I truly admire your dedication to woodworking and scroll sawing in particular.

And thank you to all of my friends that I have met through this blog. Old and new, there are just too many of you to thank individually, yet every single one of you holds a special place in my heart. You are all the inspiration that gave me new life as a designer and a person.

But most of all, thank you to Keith, my partner, for putting up with my daily antics and believing in me when I didn't believe in myself. We have seen our little business growing together, and I know this is just the beginning for us.

I had thought of 'retiring' from writing after my 1000th post. After all, how much can I say? But as new people come into the woodworking field, I feel that I still can offer something to them here each morning, as we watch our business grow. Besides - there is no way that I want to lose touch with those of you who stop by to say 'hi'. For some it is our only time to communicate, and I would miss that terribly.

So on we go to the next 1000. I have no idea how far the road will lead. As long as you want to put up with the cat pictures and the quotes and my silliness, I will keep writing.

I did do some cutting yesterday, and I had some pictures to show you. But this has gotten too long already and I will post them tomorrow. While I was cutting though, as usual I had my music on. This time it was some old Elton John stuff - really old from when I was a teenager (I adored him back then - and maybe still do!) I heard a great song that I probably haven't heard in 20 years and I found it on YouTube. Just something nice to start your day:



I hope you enjoy it. We'll see you tomorrow! :)

Cat Vertebrate Felidae Carnivore Iris
You are welcome, in all senses of the word. Fly high, range widely.
 

Attachments

#7,955 ·
Back to Business

Well, now that the fanfare of yesterdays' big milestone is over, it is back to business here for me. I am looking forward to the next thousand or so entries and enjoying all the wonderful things we can learn together and share.

Here at my place, I am in the midst of putting together no less than eight projects. It is truly a woodworkers'/painters' dream come true, as each one is just a bit different and will require some different techniques to bring it to the finish line.

The next several days will be a mixture of showing the different projects in their respective different stages of development. You can imagine what my kitchen looks like with these pieces all adorning the table! The funny thing is that while I am getting through finishing these, my mind is already on what I will be making next, when these eight pieces are completed. (And who said blondes can't multi-task??)

I spoke to my editor yesterday from Creative Woodworks and Crafts magazine and told her of the project that I proposed doing for the August issue. She seemed to really like it and now that I know it is a 'go', I can get started on that one today. It is not a candle tray, but something fun and cute and I think that you all will like it. I will wait until I have something to show you on it though (probably in the next day or so) rather than explain it right now. Besides, I have plenty of pictures to show you, as I have been busy.

I also committed to doing an additional article for that issue. The article is going to be on the many different ways you can complete the same basic pattern. I had told Debbie about my little bunnies, (and masks for that matter) and how I was able to take the same pattern and produce several completely different versions of a design. We both thought that showing this in the magazine would be a nice way to spark people's creativity and it would appeal to the adventure in our readers and hopefully get them to try something new. So I will do a nice article on it and hopefully everyone will like that. (I think I am turning into a 'writer!')

All the while when we were talking, Keith was sitting across the room teasing me because he says that I take on too much. (Has he no faith? LOL) After over four years together, he should know that I am able to kick things into a higher gear when challenged. In fact, I thrive on it. ;) Everything should be done in the next week, and by then I should be sitting here with my feet up, sipping tea out of my kitty cups with a plate of cookies and a cat on my lap. "Easy-peasy!"

But for today, I have lots to show you so let's get to it . . .

The first candle tray (which I call the SLD422 Filigree Candle Tray) is finished. If you remember, I couldn't figure out if the wood was brown maple or cherry. I was leaning toward cherry because of the way it wanted to burn and the tone and grain, and I think that I was correct. After oiling it and giving it a coat of spray lacquer, I am pretty sure that it is cherry. It looks absolutely amazing! It was the perfect choice for this project, as I never intended to put any type of color on it whatsoever. I think it looks great as is and the warm color of the cherry gives this tray a classic look which is just what I intended.

Dishware Tableware Serveware Wood Body jewelry


And here it is with a candle:

Candle Wax Candle holder Gas Event


I am really happy with the results.

The next two trays that I am going to show you are what I cut out yesterday. These are both not even sanded yet and no finish has been applied.

The first one is going to get some overlay pieces on it. The designs is somewhat simple, but looks nice. It is cut of a light colored maple:

Font Circle Jewellery Gear Auto part


Since the overlay pieces will be floral, I wanted the design to resemble butterflies, without coming right out and drawing them. While this will look good with the overlays, I think it looks nice on its own, too.

Wood Art Font Material property Table


It is one of the few trays that I didn't route the edges on. I thought that the decorative edge looked better than putting a circle around it and while I was tempted to try to route it anyway, I didn't think it would look good because the bit wouldn't fit in the deep cuts and while in some instances that would give the piece a unique look that would be cool, I think it would have detracted from the design too much. So I am leaving it as it is.

The next piece I cut came out surprisingly beautiful. I say that because on paper it was nice, but not as impressive as I would have liked. For this tray, I will have stand-up pieces attached, thus the small holes you see drilled partially through. This is made of ash, and I will be staining it with the DecoArt Staining and Antiquing medium and acrylic paint. This was certainly the most difficult of the new designs to cut, as there are many areas that are a bit more delicate and where you really need to be spot-on with cutting.

Dishware Tableware Serveware Font Rim


Because of the way the design is, with more material gone than left and a definite flow to the pattern, if you do miss a cut or a lose a piece, it will be a bit more obvious than say the strawberry tray that I showed the other day. I also left pieces unattached to the edges when I could have clearly moved them over to touch the outer rim:

Natural material Wood Art Font Creative arts


I did this intentionally, as I thought that it made the design look more delicate and flowing, as it is. This is certainly the piece of this group with the highest level of difficulty. But everything can't be "easy-peasy", right? I think we all like a challenge every once in a while. It was still a pleasure to cut and I thoroughly enjoyed the process. Once cut, it is not as fragile as one would think. I am proud of that, as I think that one of the tricks of a good design is to look much more delicate than it actually is. Even with the open-grained ash it is strong and I never felt any danger of losing pieces. I certainly wouldn't recommend making it in pine or any soft wood, and perhaps I would shy away from oak too.

So that is where I am for today. I have two more of the trays to cut out, as well as the design for the magazine. After a snowy day yesterday (YES! SNOWY!) it is calm and the sun is out today. Nothing is left of the snow, so spring is trying really hard to finally arrive. We just need to be patient.

I plan to cut today, as well as perhaps finish up the strawberry tray and paint the star tray (I forgot if I showed you the star one, but you will see it soon anyway). It will be a full day again and I look forward to every minute of it.

I know it may be confusing to show all these projects, but I will have a final post on them and a summery later on so you can see them all finished. For now though, it is fun to go from one to the next, depending on which stage we are in.

I wish you all a great day today. It is Thursday already and another week is quickly passing. Make the best of your day!
 

Attachments

#7,956 ·
Back to Business

Well, now that the fanfare of yesterdays' big milestone is over, it is back to business here for me. I am looking forward to the next thousand or so entries and enjoying all the wonderful things we can learn together and share.

Here at my place, I am in the midst of putting together no less than eight projects. It is truly a woodworkers'/painters' dream come true, as each one is just a bit different and will require some different techniques to bring it to the finish line.

The next several days will be a mixture of showing the different projects in their respective different stages of development. You can imagine what my kitchen looks like with these pieces all adorning the table! The funny thing is that while I am getting through finishing these, my mind is already on what I will be making next, when these eight pieces are completed. (And who said blondes can't multi-task??)

I spoke to my editor yesterday from Creative Woodworks and Crafts magazine and told her of the project that I proposed doing for the August issue. She seemed to really like it and now that I know it is a 'go', I can get started on that one today. It is not a candle tray, but something fun and cute and I think that you all will like it. I will wait until I have something to show you on it though (probably in the next day or so) rather than explain it right now. Besides, I have plenty of pictures to show you, as I have been busy.

I also committed to doing an additional article for that issue. The article is going to be on the many different ways you can complete the same basic pattern. I had told Debbie about my little bunnies, (and masks for that matter) and how I was able to take the same pattern and produce several completely different versions of a design. We both thought that showing this in the magazine would be a nice way to spark people's creativity and it would appeal to the adventure in our readers and hopefully get them to try something new. So I will do a nice article on it and hopefully everyone will like that. (I think I am turning into a 'writer!')

All the while when we were talking, Keith was sitting across the room teasing me because he says that I take on too much. (Has he no faith? LOL) After over four years together, he should know that I am able to kick things into a higher gear when challenged. In fact, I thrive on it. ;) Everything should be done in the next week, and by then I should be sitting here with my feet up, sipping tea out of my kitty cups with a plate of cookies and a cat on my lap. "Easy-peasy!"

But for today, I have lots to show you so let's get to it . . .

The first candle tray (which I call the SLD422 Filigree Candle Tray) is finished. If you remember, I couldn't figure out if the wood was brown maple or cherry. I was leaning toward cherry because of the way it wanted to burn and the tone and grain, and I think that I was correct. After oiling it and giving it a coat of spray lacquer, I am pretty sure that it is cherry. It looks absolutely amazing! It was the perfect choice for this project, as I never intended to put any type of color on it whatsoever. I think it looks great as is and the warm color of the cherry gives this tray a classic look which is just what I intended.

Dishware Tableware Serveware Wood Body jewelry


And here it is with a candle:

Candle Wax Candle holder Gas Event


I am really happy with the results.

The next two trays that I am going to show you are what I cut out yesterday. These are both not even sanded yet and no finish has been applied.

The first one is going to get some overlay pieces on it. The designs is somewhat simple, but looks nice. It is cut of a light colored maple:

Font Circle Jewellery Gear Auto part


Since the overlay pieces will be floral, I wanted the design to resemble butterflies, without coming right out and drawing them. While this will look good with the overlays, I think it looks nice on its own, too.

Wood Art Font Material property Table


It is one of the few trays that I didn't route the edges on. I thought that the decorative edge looked better than putting a circle around it and while I was tempted to try to route it anyway, I didn't think it would look good because the bit wouldn't fit in the deep cuts and while in some instances that would give the piece a unique look that would be cool, I think it would have detracted from the design too much. So I am leaving it as it is.

The next piece I cut came out surprisingly beautiful. I say that because on paper it was nice, but not as impressive as I would have liked. For this tray, I will have stand-up pieces attached, thus the small holes you see drilled partially through. This is made of ash, and I will be staining it with the DecoArt Staining and Antiquing medium and acrylic paint. This was certainly the most difficult of the new designs to cut, as there are many areas that are a bit more delicate and where you really need to be spot-on with cutting.

Dishware Tableware Serveware Font Rim


Because of the way the design is, with more material gone than left and a definite flow to the pattern, if you do miss a cut or a lose a piece, it will be a bit more obvious than say the strawberry tray that I showed the other day. I also left pieces unattached to the edges when I could have clearly moved them over to touch the outer rim:

Natural material Wood Art Font Creative arts


I did this intentionally, as I thought that it made the design look more delicate and flowing, as it is. This is certainly the piece of this group with the highest level of difficulty. But everything can't be "easy-peasy", right? I think we all like a challenge every once in a while. It was still a pleasure to cut and I thoroughly enjoyed the process. Once cut, it is not as fragile as one would think. I am proud of that, as I think that one of the tricks of a good design is to look much more delicate than it actually is. Even with the open-grained ash it is strong and I never felt any danger of losing pieces. I certainly wouldn't recommend making it in pine or any soft wood, and perhaps I would shy away from oak too.

So that is where I am for today. I have two more of the trays to cut out, as well as the design for the magazine. After a snowy day yesterday (YES! SNOWY!) it is calm and the sun is out today. Nothing is left of the snow, so spring is trying really hard to finally arrive. We just need to be patient.

I plan to cut today, as well as perhaps finish up the strawberry tray and paint the star tray (I forgot if I showed you the star one, but you will see it soon anyway). It will be a full day again and I look forward to every minute of it.

I know it may be confusing to show all these projects, but I will have a final post on them and a summery later on so you can see them all finished. For now though, it is fun to go from one to the next, depending on which stage we are in.

I wish you all a great day today. It is Thursday already and another week is quickly passing. Make the best of your day!
Bee-u-tee-ful, Sheila. It's hard to believe just how fast the days/weeks are flying bye.
 

Attachments

#7,966 ·
Multi-tasking

This is such a busy time for me, as I have project going in many directions. The days just fly by and neither Keith or I can believe how quickly time is passing. It is Friday already and another week is coming to a close. While I did accomplish a great deal, I still have a bit more to do to button up these projects.

We also have a wholesale order to fill, as the Artist's Club accepted the painted version of the mask ornaments that I designed a couple of months ago (that seems like a LONG time ago!) and we want to get their initial order out by the beginning of the week. We have already printed up all the patterns, and the wood is prepped and Keith even spent much of the day packaging the patterns themselves while doing other things. I think today and tomorrow, as much as I would like to continue with what I am doing, I need to start the cutting on these kits. I would love to see the boxes go out Monday or Tuesday, just to insure that we meet their deadline.

And speaking of deadline - my deadline for my next magazine project is quickly approaching. I did get the pieces cut out yesterday, with some modifications necessary, so that took up a good part of my day. Here is part or the result:

Wood Gesture Creative arts Petal Art


This is a really fun project! It is a little different than what I have been working on here, and as I said, some of the pieces of it needed to be adjusted and re-cut. What I am showing you is only part of it though, and I am going to leave the other parts for later on so you have something to look forward to next week. I think it is going to be cute and a bit more whimsical than some of the other things I am working on at the moment. You will just have to check back in a couple days to see the progress . . .

I didn't finish the cutting on that project until well into the afternoon. I had hoped to finish cutting my last two trays, and I took some time to do a pretty good tidying up of things so I could take inventory and start with a clean work space. One thing about having a small area to work in is that it tends to get cluttered rather quickly and I think it is important that I stay on top of things. So I sorted, put things away, cleaned and vacuumed everything, and started off fresh.

By that time, I thought that I would only be able to complete the cutting on one of the two remaining trays, and I resigned myself to that. I cut the next tray relatively quickly though, and here are pictures from it below:

Font Handwriting Jewellery Symbol Circle


It is a rounded triangle and has the words "Love, Hope and Faith" along with some pretty embellishments. I thought it would be a really nice theme for a candle, and it can be used all year round.

Brown Wood Font Material property Wood stain


The wood I used for it was again ash, as I liked its clean and light color. I also thought that since the tray was done in a 'negative' style (where the design is removed from the wood rather than left behind) that it would show off the pretty grain nicely.

As you can see, the piece hasn't even been sanded yet. I had hoped to do that last night, but I finished early enough and I thought I would at least start cutting the last tray. But as I cut, I got caught up in things and just kept going. It then got to the point where I didn't want to stop because I was so close to the finish line. I continued on and did finish cutting the last of the seven new trays in the early evening.

Dishware Serveware Tableware Font Art


Leaf Wood Organism Font Tints and shades


This tray was simple to cut, but as you can see, there are a lot of holes in it. It didn't take much thought to cut this, but it did take a bit of time because of the great amount of switching you needed to do with the blade. Even with a great saw like the Excalibur that make re-threading the blade easy. I chose oak for this piece, and I think it came out nice. AS you can see, it is a pet theme and I can bet you will guess which kind of pet. But I will wait until I am further on with finishing to show you.

As with the previous plaque, this is only cut and not even sanded. I wanted to try to get them sanded and oiled last night, but it was already past nine and I was pretty tired. I still needed to lay out the pattern for the masks so that we would use our wood more efficiently and print out the patterns on label sheets. By the time I finished with everything it was after 10pm.

It was a long day, but a fun day. Today and the next several days will be very busy. It will be good to get the wholesale order out the door, and it will be a lot of fun to see both the project for the magazine, as well as the seven trays come to life. There are several of them that still need more small pieces, and I plan on offering colored versions of most of them too. Building the rest of the project for the magazine will be a fun adventure too.

It is all good. And it is all crazy/busy. I certainly am not going to get bored any time soon!

I hope you all like the new designs and the 'sneak peeks' that I show you. It is fun to share them along the way. I appreciate all of your kind comments and encouragement, too. Thank you very much!

I wish you all a great Friday! I hope you all have a good weekend too and that Mother Nature is kind to you.

Enjoy your day!
 

Attachments

#7,967 ·
Multi-tasking

This is such a busy time for me, as I have project going in many directions. The days just fly by and neither Keith or I can believe how quickly time is passing. It is Friday already and another week is coming to a close. While I did accomplish a great deal, I still have a bit more to do to button up these projects.

We also have a wholesale order to fill, as the Artist's Club accepted the painted version of the mask ornaments that I designed a couple of months ago (that seems like a LONG time ago!) and we want to get their initial order out by the beginning of the week. We have already printed up all the patterns, and the wood is prepped and Keith even spent much of the day packaging the patterns themselves while doing other things. I think today and tomorrow, as much as I would like to continue with what I am doing, I need to start the cutting on these kits. I would love to see the boxes go out Monday or Tuesday, just to insure that we meet their deadline.

And speaking of deadline - my deadline for my next magazine project is quickly approaching. I did get the pieces cut out yesterday, with some modifications necessary, so that took up a good part of my day. Here is part or the result:

Wood Gesture Creative arts Petal Art


This is a really fun project! It is a little different than what I have been working on here, and as I said, some of the pieces of it needed to be adjusted and re-cut. What I am showing you is only part of it though, and I am going to leave the other parts for later on so you have something to look forward to next week. I think it is going to be cute and a bit more whimsical than some of the other things I am working on at the moment. You will just have to check back in a couple days to see the progress . . .

I didn't finish the cutting on that project until well into the afternoon. I had hoped to finish cutting my last two trays, and I took some time to do a pretty good tidying up of things so I could take inventory and start with a clean work space. One thing about having a small area to work in is that it tends to get cluttered rather quickly and I think it is important that I stay on top of things. So I sorted, put things away, cleaned and vacuumed everything, and started off fresh.

By that time, I thought that I would only be able to complete the cutting on one of the two remaining trays, and I resigned myself to that. I cut the next tray relatively quickly though, and here are pictures from it below:

Font Handwriting Jewellery Symbol Circle


It is a rounded triangle and has the words "Love, Hope and Faith" along with some pretty embellishments. I thought it would be a really nice theme for a candle, and it can be used all year round.

Brown Wood Font Material property Wood stain


The wood I used for it was again ash, as I liked its clean and light color. I also thought that since the tray was done in a 'negative' style (where the design is removed from the wood rather than left behind) that it would show off the pretty grain nicely.

As you can see, the piece hasn't even been sanded yet. I had hoped to do that last night, but I finished early enough and I thought I would at least start cutting the last tray. But as I cut, I got caught up in things and just kept going. It then got to the point where I didn't want to stop because I was so close to the finish line. I continued on and did finish cutting the last of the seven new trays in the early evening.

Dishware Serveware Tableware Font Art


Leaf Wood Organism Font Tints and shades


This tray was simple to cut, but as you can see, there are a lot of holes in it. It didn't take much thought to cut this, but it did take a bit of time because of the great amount of switching you needed to do with the blade. Even with a great saw like the Excalibur that make re-threading the blade easy. I chose oak for this piece, and I think it came out nice. AS you can see, it is a pet theme and I can bet you will guess which kind of pet. But I will wait until I am further on with finishing to show you.

As with the previous plaque, this is only cut and not even sanded. I wanted to try to get them sanded and oiled last night, but it was already past nine and I was pretty tired. I still needed to lay out the pattern for the masks so that we would use our wood more efficiently and print out the patterns on label sheets. By the time I finished with everything it was after 10pm.

It was a long day, but a fun day. Today and the next several days will be very busy. It will be good to get the wholesale order out the door, and it will be a lot of fun to see both the project for the magazine, as well as the seven trays come to life. There are several of them that still need more small pieces, and I plan on offering colored versions of most of them too. Building the rest of the project for the magazine will be a fun adventure too.

It is all good. And it is all crazy/busy. I certainly am not going to get bored any time soon!

I hope you all like the new designs and the 'sneak peeks' that I show you. It is fun to share them along the way. I appreciate all of your kind comments and encouragement, too. Thank you very much!

I wish you all a great Friday! I hope you all have a good weekend too and that Mother Nature is kind to you.

Enjoy your day!
Wow Sheila you both have been really busy, time for a cuppa :)
That one reminds me of the pet Crow that we had call Crowley
He was great fun, he played with our cat all day long or the cat
might have said that he teased him.
Yesterday I could fully understand how Anna felt when she saw
the new designs. Just itching to get a hold of them to adapt to various
other designs.
That is what I did with your Sun Moon design, I adapted it to fit my
project. I still need to put it on the lathe and then I'll show it off. Then
I can deliver it to the customer, they already saw the design of the Sun
Moon on your web site. It was nice to pass on your web link and then let
the customer choose.
Sheila you are an inspiration.Oh! I love the Pet platter and the tri-plate.

Have a Sublime day a scone & a Cuppa
Jamie
 

Attachments

#7,975 ·
Production Cutting

Well, guys and girls - I can tell you already that this is going to be a short blog today. Every time I do something here on Lumberjocks (add a photo, comment or blog entry) it is taking me about five minutes for it to do so. I am happy that I don't have a lot of pictures to share today. There are days the site just gets like that, and today I have too much to do to wait for it to "wake up!" :)

Yesterday I switched gears and Keith and I did some of the 'production cutting' for our wholesale order. I am really happy to say that the Artist's Club took on my SLDP210 Haunted Masquerade Painting Pattern and will be selling my patterns and the accompanying wood pieces as kits:

Product Orange Font Body jewelry Pattern


I love making these kits because it gives Keith and I a chance to do some production cutting. While many places only take laser cut pieces, we are able to produce high quality cut pieces just as quickly, and at a pretty good cost to them. While some people wouldn't like to do this type of work (and frankly, I don't want to do it all the time!) it is a nice change of pace from what we are doing and we have figured out a pretty good system and enjoy it.

Our initial order was 150 kits and yesterday we were able to cut 80 dozen ornaments!

Wood Art Flooring Hardwood Table


That is about half the order and we have another 80 dozen to cut today. (We always cut some extras)

You would all probably laugh if you could see us at work. Cutting this took us about 6 hours (with a break for lunch) and we each had our own saw humming (Keith on the Excalibur and me on the DeWalt.) The music was playing and we really got things humming. I must say that I really thought it was fun!

We had done our errands early and it took a little time to set up initially, but once we got going we were really working fast. After we were finished, it was about half an hour to clean up and everything is back to 'normal' again. I had thoughts of oiling the two last trays, but to be honest, I was tired by the time I had dinner and I didn't want to do anything else. Besides - the picture above is of our kitchen table and as you can see, there was little place to work, so I called it a night. (That's my story and I am sticking to it!)

I hope to finish the cutting today, and then pack the order up tomorrow. Keith is going to drill the hanging holes, which will take a couple of hours and I will pack. I may not post tomorrow if that is all we get done, as there probably won't be much progress on the new patterns.

While it is hard to stop and change gears when I am anxious to finish the new things up, I am very happy for the production work. It helps us through these slower times and it really keeps my cutting up to par. It is SO different than the delicate cutting that I have been doing all week. And as I said - it is rather FUN!

So that's the plan for today. I am sorry that I don't have any further pictures on the new things. You just all need to be patient and they will certainly be coming together this week.

I hope you all have a great weekend. It is a bit overcast and windy today. But at least it 'feels' like spring. It is a good day to stay in and cut 80 dozen pieces!

Have a great weekend. Have fun and do something creative!
 

Attachments

#7,976 ·
Production Cutting

Well, guys and girls - I can tell you already that this is going to be a short blog today. Every time I do something here on Lumberjocks (add a photo, comment or blog entry) it is taking me about five minutes for it to do so. I am happy that I don't have a lot of pictures to share today. There are days the site just gets like that, and today I have too much to do to wait for it to "wake up!" :)

Yesterday I switched gears and Keith and I did some of the 'production cutting' for our wholesale order. I am really happy to say that the Artist's Club took on my SLDP210 Haunted Masquerade Painting Pattern and will be selling my patterns and the accompanying wood pieces as kits:

Product Orange Font Body jewelry Pattern


I love making these kits because it gives Keith and I a chance to do some production cutting. While many places only take laser cut pieces, we are able to produce high quality cut pieces just as quickly, and at a pretty good cost to them. While some people wouldn't like to do this type of work (and frankly, I don't want to do it all the time!) it is a nice change of pace from what we are doing and we have figured out a pretty good system and enjoy it.

Our initial order was 150 kits and yesterday we were able to cut 80 dozen ornaments!

Wood Art Flooring Hardwood Table


That is about half the order and we have another 80 dozen to cut today. (We always cut some extras)

You would all probably laugh if you could see us at work. Cutting this took us about 6 hours (with a break for lunch) and we each had our own saw humming (Keith on the Excalibur and me on the DeWalt.) The music was playing and we really got things humming. I must say that I really thought it was fun!

We had done our errands early and it took a little time to set up initially, but once we got going we were really working fast. After we were finished, it was about half an hour to clean up and everything is back to 'normal' again. I had thoughts of oiling the two last trays, but to be honest, I was tired by the time I had dinner and I didn't want to do anything else. Besides - the picture above is of our kitchen table and as you can see, there was little place to work, so I called it a night. (That's my story and I am sticking to it!)

I hope to finish the cutting today, and then pack the order up tomorrow. Keith is going to drill the hanging holes, which will take a couple of hours and I will pack. I may not post tomorrow if that is all we get done, as there probably won't be much progress on the new patterns.

While it is hard to stop and change gears when I am anxious to finish the new things up, I am very happy for the production work. It helps us through these slower times and it really keeps my cutting up to par. It is SO different than the delicate cutting that I have been doing all week. And as I said - it is rather FUN!

So that's the plan for today. I am sorry that I don't have any further pictures on the new things. You just all need to be patient and they will certainly be coming together this week.

I hope you all have a great weekend. It is a bit overcast and windy today. But at least it 'feels' like spring. It is a good day to stay in and cut 80 dozen pieces!

Have a great weekend. Have fun and do something creative!
Sheila I can fully appreciate the feeling that Keith and yourself get from
doing a big batch. As you know I do production work to earn my living
So we do batches of 108 of an item, gives me stock when the orders
come through. It can take a couple of weeks though, but when you see
the piles stack up you gotta smile.

Have a wonderful day and don't forget the tea breaks. :)
Jamie in Sunny Scotland with some snow still lying
 

Attachments

#7,984 ·
Onward we Go!

Is it Monday already? This past weekend just seemed to fly by even more quickly than usual. I didn't post yesterday because there was really nothing interesting or out of the ordinary that I had to talk about. The pile of pieces that I showed the other day was doubled and Keith and I finished cutting the 160 dozen ornaments. (That's almost 2000 for those who are counting - in two days!) What a great team we make! They are accurate, too, as both of us have the highest standards.

Someone had mentioned about if we 'mis-cut' going at that speed and I will tell you honestly - in the two days of cutting, I discarded two pieces. Since we were cutting the pieces stacked four high, that meant I lost eight pieces in total. But we allow for that, and that is why we cut 160 dozen when only 150 dozen were ordered. While the pieces that I rejected were probably "usable" and only off by about the width of a blade, knowing that we have those extras in the production run really helps me maintain the high standard that we have. Although we are cutting lots of kits, I try to look at each kit as an individual order and consider that they will be sold to individual people. I want every single piece to be the best I can make, and if there is even a small question as to whether the piece is good or not, I get rid of it. It is just the way I am. To Keith and I there is only one level of work - our best - and if we don't meet those standards, out it goes.

We finished right around dinner time Saturday night and spent the evening first doing a deep cleaning and then what was left of it relaxing. One thing good about cutting this way is that re really tidy everything up before and after we do things. Before we cut, we remove just about anything that is out on the counters, ect. You would swear we were moving! Fortunately we don't typically have lots of 'nick-knacks' and dust gathering pieces. The counters are pretty much bare and that makes it very easy to clean up after we are finished. I even threw an old sheet over my little tree just to keep it dust free, and we keep the vacuum right there and clean up between batches as we work. It really helps things a lot and it only takes us about half an hour to clean up everything when we are done. The nice thing is when we are finished, our place here is cleaner than when we started. :)

For this run, we decided to try using the stick on full sheet labels. I first printed the designs on the labels and they were very easy to just trim down, peel off and stick on the prepared boards. It was much faster and much less mess (and more reliable) than the spray glue method we had been using in the past. We used 80 full sheet labels for this job, which cost us about $25 or so, which wasn't too bad considering that it would have taken probably two cans of spray glue in addition to a couple more hours of our time to apply them. I found that sticking them as we cut gave a good chance for me to walk around and stretch between each piece, and it was fast and easy.

One thing that I do need to mention about the labels was that the adhesive on the ones I used was pretty healthy and I needed to "de-stick" them a bit before applying them to ensure that they would remove quickly and easily. To do this, I simply stuck them on my leg after removing the backing and then peeled them off and stuck them on the wood. There was enough dust on my leg to tone them down just enough to come off easily. When I began, it took probably two or three times sticking on my leg and pulling it up, but that worked fine too. By applying them one at a time as needed, it gave my pants a little chance to get dusty enough that only one stick was necessary. I know this isn't really "high tech" but it worked well and beat the heck out of fighting with the spray glue. I really was happy with the results.

Yesterday we still had to drill and finish packaging the kits. Keith did the drilling and I did much of the packaging. We did have a dinner engagement, so it forced us to quit somewhere around five pm. We were somewhat slow starting yesterday and while Keith was finished with drilling, I still had about 2/3 of the packaging to do. But I found that by stopping, I really felt TIRED! Sometimes stopping and sitting after working so much does that to me. By the time we got home later in the evening, I was just too pooped to finish up and I was going to finish this morning. I went to bed before Keith and later on when I got up for a drink of water, I saw that he had finished packaging up the kits for me! What a guy! (I always said I have the BEST partner in the world!) So they are ready to go out the door this morning! (YAY!)

All in all we did a pretty good job of this order. We really do have it down to a science. It is amazing how much work we can accomplish when working together!

So now it is time to turn back to the eight projects I have been developing! I apologize for the interruption in them, but the other work just had to be done too. This week should be very exciting as I see each of the projects get finished up one by one.

But for today, there is just one more interruption. We received the call from our accountant in Yarmouth that our taxes are ready to pick up. That means that we need to take some time to head there to get them. We also have some errands that we need to do there so we want to get them all done at once. But I think the sooner we get that done the better. After all, there is only one week left to get my US taxes in and I want to have them done as soon as possible and behind me.

So it is one more day of running. Then I will be able to focus on the projects and completing them all. I am just as anxious as you all are to see them finished up. It will feel really nice to have them under my belt too.

With that said - I had better get at it. Since I don't have a good picture of my work, I'll leave you with this:

Triangle Slope Handwriting Font Parallel


Cat Organism Gesture Carnivore Felidae


Happy Monday! Be kind. Be creative.
 

Attachments

#7,985 ·
Onward we Go!

Is it Monday already? This past weekend just seemed to fly by even more quickly than usual. I didn't post yesterday because there was really nothing interesting or out of the ordinary that I had to talk about. The pile of pieces that I showed the other day was doubled and Keith and I finished cutting the 160 dozen ornaments. (That's almost 2000 for those who are counting - in two days!) What a great team we make! They are accurate, too, as both of us have the highest standards.

Someone had mentioned about if we 'mis-cut' going at that speed and I will tell you honestly - in the two days of cutting, I discarded two pieces. Since we were cutting the pieces stacked four high, that meant I lost eight pieces in total. But we allow for that, and that is why we cut 160 dozen when only 150 dozen were ordered. While the pieces that I rejected were probably "usable" and only off by about the width of a blade, knowing that we have those extras in the production run really helps me maintain the high standard that we have. Although we are cutting lots of kits, I try to look at each kit as an individual order and consider that they will be sold to individual people. I want every single piece to be the best I can make, and if there is even a small question as to whether the piece is good or not, I get rid of it. It is just the way I am. To Keith and I there is only one level of work - our best - and if we don't meet those standards, out it goes.

We finished right around dinner time Saturday night and spent the evening first doing a deep cleaning and then what was left of it relaxing. One thing good about cutting this way is that re really tidy everything up before and after we do things. Before we cut, we remove just about anything that is out on the counters, ect. You would swear we were moving! Fortunately we don't typically have lots of 'nick-knacks' and dust gathering pieces. The counters are pretty much bare and that makes it very easy to clean up after we are finished. I even threw an old sheet over my little tree just to keep it dust free, and we keep the vacuum right there and clean up between batches as we work. It really helps things a lot and it only takes us about half an hour to clean up everything when we are done. The nice thing is when we are finished, our place here is cleaner than when we started. :)

For this run, we decided to try using the stick on full sheet labels. I first printed the designs on the labels and they were very easy to just trim down, peel off and stick on the prepared boards. It was much faster and much less mess (and more reliable) than the spray glue method we had been using in the past. We used 80 full sheet labels for this job, which cost us about $25 or so, which wasn't too bad considering that it would have taken probably two cans of spray glue in addition to a couple more hours of our time to apply them. I found that sticking them as we cut gave a good chance for me to walk around and stretch between each piece, and it was fast and easy.

One thing that I do need to mention about the labels was that the adhesive on the ones I used was pretty healthy and I needed to "de-stick" them a bit before applying them to ensure that they would remove quickly and easily. To do this, I simply stuck them on my leg after removing the backing and then peeled them off and stuck them on the wood. There was enough dust on my leg to tone them down just enough to come off easily. When I began, it took probably two or three times sticking on my leg and pulling it up, but that worked fine too. By applying them one at a time as needed, it gave my pants a little chance to get dusty enough that only one stick was necessary. I know this isn't really "high tech" but it worked well and beat the heck out of fighting with the spray glue. I really was happy with the results.

Yesterday we still had to drill and finish packaging the kits. Keith did the drilling and I did much of the packaging. We did have a dinner engagement, so it forced us to quit somewhere around five pm. We were somewhat slow starting yesterday and while Keith was finished with drilling, I still had about 2/3 of the packaging to do. But I found that by stopping, I really felt TIRED! Sometimes stopping and sitting after working so much does that to me. By the time we got home later in the evening, I was just too pooped to finish up and I was going to finish this morning. I went to bed before Keith and later on when I got up for a drink of water, I saw that he had finished packaging up the kits for me! What a guy! (I always said I have the BEST partner in the world!) So they are ready to go out the door this morning! (YAY!)

All in all we did a pretty good job of this order. We really do have it down to a science. It is amazing how much work we can accomplish when working together!

So now it is time to turn back to the eight projects I have been developing! I apologize for the interruption in them, but the other work just had to be done too. This week should be very exciting as I see each of the projects get finished up one by one.

But for today, there is just one more interruption. We received the call from our accountant in Yarmouth that our taxes are ready to pick up. That means that we need to take some time to head there to get them. We also have some errands that we need to do there so we want to get them all done at once. But I think the sooner we get that done the better. After all, there is only one week left to get my US taxes in and I want to have them done as soon as possible and behind me.

So it is one more day of running. Then I will be able to focus on the projects and completing them all. I am just as anxious as you all are to see them finished up. It will feel really nice to have them under my belt too.

With that said - I had better get at it. Since I don't have a good picture of my work, I'll leave you with this:

Triangle Slope Handwriting Font Parallel


Cat Organism Gesture Carnivore Felidae


Happy Monday! Be kind. Be creative.
Congad on finishing your order and have a great day.
 

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#7,992 ·
Time to Finish Some Things Up

My goals for today are to really make a lot of progress on the new designs.

It is funny how I can work so much in between designing, and still feel sometimes that I am slacking or not doing enough. As I look at my pile of eight projects that I was going full steam on last week, even though Keith and I produced 160 kits in a couple of days, I feel like I have been neglecting things. Now that those kits are out the door, all that remains is the box of partially finished projects that I need to focus on and I want them to be finished. There is so much that I need to do!

Between sending out the kits and going to pick up our taxes, yesterday was pretty much shot. We got a late start, as we had to wait here until the parcels were picked up, and then we didn't return home until supper time. By the time we ate and I answered all the emails that were waiting for me in my inbox, it was nearly time for bed. I had thoughts of taking some photos of projects that I need to do at this point, but I was really too tired to drag everything out and start at nearly nine at night. So we called it an early night and went to bed.

Today I am determined to make some significant progress on things. Most of the work at the saw is done and what remains is just a small amount of cutting as well as finishing things in various ways.

This will really be the fun part though, as I will be able to see everything come together and be completed. I just need to tune out the world and get to it and focus.

It does feel good to have the tax thing done. Since I am a landed immigrant here in Canada, I do wind up paying two sets of income tax. That always seems to bring some anxiety in me, even though I know I have things under control. My estimations were pretty much spot on though, and I feel good seeing that it wasn't more than I expected. With that behind me, I feel good about things and can move ahead with things without worrying.

So today I will spend the day focusing on accomplishing as much as I can, and getting back on the track of the new designs. It will feel pretty good to finally see some of the new pieces finished. While I only drew them up a short time ago, it seems like quite a bit longer.

It is warm out today and they are calling for rain the rest of the week. It is only a little overcast today, and calm out now. There are new birds in the tree outside and they sound like cardinals. We don't see many of them here, but they are around. Overall, it is a nice morning and looks to be a good day. I hope I can accomplish a lot.

Cloud Cat Nature Carnivore Sky


Have a good one!
 

Attachments

#7,993 ·
Time to Finish Some Things Up

My goals for today are to really make a lot of progress on the new designs.

It is funny how I can work so much in between designing, and still feel sometimes that I am slacking or not doing enough. As I look at my pile of eight projects that I was going full steam on last week, even though Keith and I produced 160 kits in a couple of days, I feel like I have been neglecting things. Now that those kits are out the door, all that remains is the box of partially finished projects that I need to focus on and I want them to be finished. There is so much that I need to do!

Between sending out the kits and going to pick up our taxes, yesterday was pretty much shot. We got a late start, as we had to wait here until the parcels were picked up, and then we didn't return home until supper time. By the time we ate and I answered all the emails that were waiting for me in my inbox, it was nearly time for bed. I had thoughts of taking some photos of projects that I need to do at this point, but I was really too tired to drag everything out and start at nearly nine at night. So we called it an early night and went to bed.

Today I am determined to make some significant progress on things. Most of the work at the saw is done and what remains is just a small amount of cutting as well as finishing things in various ways.

This will really be the fun part though, as I will be able to see everything come together and be completed. I just need to tune out the world and get to it and focus.

It does feel good to have the tax thing done. Since I am a landed immigrant here in Canada, I do wind up paying two sets of income tax. That always seems to bring some anxiety in me, even though I know I have things under control. My estimations were pretty much spot on though, and I feel good seeing that it wasn't more than I expected. With that behind me, I feel good about things and can move ahead with things without worrying.

So today I will spend the day focusing on accomplishing as much as I can, and getting back on the track of the new designs. It will feel pretty good to finally see some of the new pieces finished. While I only drew them up a short time ago, it seems like quite a bit longer.

It is warm out today and they are calling for rain the rest of the week. It is only a little overcast today, and calm out now. There are new birds in the tree outside and they sound like cardinals. We don't see many of them here, but they are around. Overall, it is a nice morning and looks to be a good day. I hope I can accomplish a lot.

Cloud Cat Nature Carnivore Sky


Have a good one!
Sheila have a wonderful day
The tasks are done, have a nice cuppa as a famous "rotund person"
would say "coz my friend you have deserved it." (apologies for any similarities
to Stumpy)
I know how you chill best "Work" enjoy.

Jamie
 

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#7,999 ·
This and That and The Other Thing

Even though the majority of fretwork projects are pretty complex and elegant, I have always liked the charm of a more primitive style. There is something about the simplicity of primitive and country decorating that never fails to put a smile on my face. When I lived in the Chicago area, much of my house was decorated in a country style, and I thought that it had a warm and welcoming feeling to it.

One of the fun things about being a designer is that I am able to explore many different types of styles and themes through my designing. While some people tell me that they can pick out my "style" in my projects that are published in the magazine, I still feel like I offer a wide variety of types of projects for others to enjoy.

In this current group of projects, I chose to do some of the designs in the primitive style. As you saw in the previous posts, many of the designs were somewhat complex and would only be suitable for someone who has had a bit of experience at the scroll saw. What I like about making primitive projects is that while they may be a bit simpler to create, there is no way that they need to be boring or plain. My self-challenge was to create something that is both cute and appealing, yet simple enough to cut so that even new people will make the attempt to try it.

Primitive and country is really a popular theme now, as it seems that people may find comfort in its simplicity in our busy and overloaded world. I think that this project would be a great seller for those who like to sell their scroll work. It didn't take very long to cut and with a few simple embellishments, it will be something that will appeal to many.

Yesterday I spent the day working on several of the projects at once. I sanded, shaped, and finished cutting the accompanying pieces for some of the other trays. It was a lot of this and that and the other thing all at once, and it is fun and exciting to see all the projects slowly coming together.

In going through my previous blogs though, I realized that I never gave you a glimpse of my primitive style tray that I am working on. While I plan to add a bit more to this project, I thought that I would set it up and show you the basic design.

I chose a crow and star theme because for some reason I really like the crows. They are simple and cute and fun to make and as you saw last week, I am making another type of crow design in this batch too that you will see in a day or so. In any case, here is what I have for you today:

Wax Candle White Candle holder Natural material


The tray will have as you see, a base of funky little mis-shaped stars and have some cute and simple pumpkins and crows dancing around it:

Wood Creative arts Art Natural material Hardwood


I have some other little 'surprises' for it too, but that is where it is at today.

This was all done with the same piece of beautiful cherry that I cut the Filigree Candle Tray out of that I showed last week. I love the color and think it looks really nice with this project and gives it a warm and charming look.

I have a lot of photography to do today. Many of these new projects I am going to show in two versions - as I typically do. The first version will be shown in natural wood and the second one will be shown with some color and perhaps some additional embellishments added on them. I love giving choices and showing how one pattern can be finished to several different styles. I think it helps people become more creative, even if they don't believe that they are.

With that said, I will sign off for today. It will be another busy day of working on several different projects at once. While it is an extremely busy time for me, I am also having fun. It is great to see all these projects come together and it is probably the most exciting part of the process. I hope you stay tuned and watch them evolve with me.

Have a happy Wednesday!
 

Attachments

#8,000 ·
This and That and The Other Thing

Even though the majority of fretwork projects are pretty complex and elegant, I have always liked the charm of a more primitive style. There is something about the simplicity of primitive and country decorating that never fails to put a smile on my face. When I lived in the Chicago area, much of my house was decorated in a country style, and I thought that it had a warm and welcoming feeling to it.

One of the fun things about being a designer is that I am able to explore many different types of styles and themes through my designing. While some people tell me that they can pick out my "style" in my projects that are published in the magazine, I still feel like I offer a wide variety of types of projects for others to enjoy.

In this current group of projects, I chose to do some of the designs in the primitive style. As you saw in the previous posts, many of the designs were somewhat complex and would only be suitable for someone who has had a bit of experience at the scroll saw. What I like about making primitive projects is that while they may be a bit simpler to create, there is no way that they need to be boring or plain. My self-challenge was to create something that is both cute and appealing, yet simple enough to cut so that even new people will make the attempt to try it.

Primitive and country is really a popular theme now, as it seems that people may find comfort in its simplicity in our busy and overloaded world. I think that this project would be a great seller for those who like to sell their scroll work. It didn't take very long to cut and with a few simple embellishments, it will be something that will appeal to many.

Yesterday I spent the day working on several of the projects at once. I sanded, shaped, and finished cutting the accompanying pieces for some of the other trays. It was a lot of this and that and the other thing all at once, and it is fun and exciting to see all the projects slowly coming together.

In going through my previous blogs though, I realized that I never gave you a glimpse of my primitive style tray that I am working on. While I plan to add a bit more to this project, I thought that I would set it up and show you the basic design.

I chose a crow and star theme because for some reason I really like the crows. They are simple and cute and fun to make and as you saw last week, I am making another type of crow design in this batch too that you will see in a day or so. In any case, here is what I have for you today:

Wax Candle White Candle holder Natural material


The tray will have as you see, a base of funky little mis-shaped stars and have some cute and simple pumpkins and crows dancing around it:

Wood Creative arts Art Natural material Hardwood


I have some other little 'surprises' for it too, but that is where it is at today.

This was all done with the same piece of beautiful cherry that I cut the Filigree Candle Tray out of that I showed last week. I love the color and think it looks really nice with this project and gives it a warm and charming look.

I have a lot of photography to do today. Many of these new projects I am going to show in two versions - as I typically do. The first version will be shown in natural wood and the second one will be shown with some color and perhaps some additional embellishments added on them. I love giving choices and showing how one pattern can be finished to several different styles. I think it helps people become more creative, even if they don't believe that they are.

With that said, I will sign off for today. It will be another busy day of working on several different projects at once. While it is an extremely busy time for me, I am also having fun. It is great to see all these projects come together and it is probably the most exciting part of the process. I hope you stay tuned and watch them evolve with me.

Have a happy Wednesday!
This looks great Sheila. I love the tones of Cherry and would agree that country style woodwork is growing more interest for people that want to have in their homes. You hit the nail on the head with our overloaded world and I think this is why people want to reconnect with things that feel comfortable or from a more simple time. Funny how in a world of modern gadgets and fast pace results that we are finding ourselves more than ever searching in the past for slower times…lol.

Great looking work, and interesting blog.

Take care,

Joe

http://www.spoonscarver.com/
 

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#8,008 ·
Project Progress

The next several days, I am going to be posting a variety of pictures from the various new designs in their various stages of development. It may seem a bit mish-mosh, but I have so many things on the go here that I need to do it that way in order to keep up with everything. When all the projects are finished, I will do a recap of all the new designs in one post so everything will be all together.

This is really a fun time for me!

I spent the day yesterday working on several of the pieces. After the final sanding of most of them, I needed to oil four more of the trays, as well as some of the overlay pieces or add-on pieces for several designs. When I was done with that, I got to work on the two trays that were already oiled and ready for their next steps.

I am often asked why I oil the pieces that I add color before painting or staining them. By using a quick soak of mineral oil, I feel it brings out the richness of the color of the wood. I usually use a small, shallow pan (in this case, all the pieces fit in a 9" cake pan) and I pour about 1/4" of oil in and set the pieces into the pan. I have a 1" paint brush that is a bit stiff and it helps me work the oil into the fretwork areas.

After I am sure that everything is coated, I transfer the pieces to several layers of paper towels and blot the excess oil from the pieces, and than place them on a cookie cooling rack to allow the oil to absorb completely. I let this sit over night, and by morning the pieces are dry to the touch, but have a deeper and richer color, as the oil absorbs into the piece. I then apply stain or paint and finish with a quick spray of shellac. I find that shellac works better than a poly finish over the oil, as sometimes (especially if you don't leave the oil absorb long enough before continuing) the poly bubbles up a bit.

I use this method on much of my fretwork that I cut - especially pieces like this tray that aren't going to be handled often. I think that the light coat of shellac is enough to protect the piece from dust and while I wouldn't use this process on a table or anything that will be handled frequently and used daily, it has proven fine for pictures, frames and these candle trays and allows you to really get in the tiny cut areas completely.

I was excited to see how the Primitive Candle Tray would come out, so I worked on that first.

To dress up the tray, I obtained some "rusty wire" form the craft store. I drilled tiny holes in the beaks of the crows, as well as the tops of the pumpkins (I think I used a 1/32" bit) so I could thread the wire through. I had cut some tiny stars for the crows to hold and I thought that attaching them this way would look cool. I also made curly tendrils out of the wire coming out of the tops of the pumpkins. This looked really cool, I thought and dressed up the tray a lot:

Wood Sculpture Art Fawn Toy


I took a couple of additional pictures with some 'country' seed sprays around the tray:

Candle Wax Natural material Wood Event


I always try to take a couple of pictures with the candle both lit and not lit. Lighting the candle throws off the light quite a bit as you see and sometimes when you take the picture with the candle not lit, you get a truer color:

Insect Sports equipment Wood Sled Art


Then I decided to go all out and add some real cool country vines and rusty stars. I think it looks pretty, but for now, the actual figures get a bit lost in it. I may use it as a secondary picture, just to suggest how you can display the candle and tray, but for the photograph, I think it may hide the figures a bit because it looks busy. I have to remember that I am selling the plans for the tray, and that is what needs to be the focus of the photographs.

Candle Wax Gas Fire Event


But it does look pretty cool like that and it is a nice suggestion for display.

I am not done with this tray just yet, and tomorrow you will see the next version of it as it evolves. You need to stay tuned.

The next thing that I decided to work on was the Strawberry Candle Tray. I must say that it is one of my favorites. (I know - I say that about ALL of them!)

I had shown the natural version the other day, and while it looked really pretty like that, I wanted to stain it and offer instructions so that people could make it like that if they choose. I really love the results:

Candle Dishware Cup Ingredient Wax


I think it came out really nice. I only used four colors and decided to do the vines a darker shade of green than the leaves:

Dishware Ingredient Bag Cuisine Flowerpot


This really made them look nice, I thought. The strawberries themselves were all separate pieces, so adding some color to them was easy too:

Dishware Ingredient Tableware Cuisine Serveware


There is no shading whatsoever involved in coloring the pieces in like this. I simply used acrylic paints and DecoArt Staining and Antiquing Medium gel and the process was quick and looks great. As always, I don't paint the sides of the pieces, as this would be way too tedious with the intricate fretwork and I don't think it is at all necessary. I think that leaving the sides the natural wood color gives the pieces much more depth and interest and it still shows the beauty of the wood (this is maple.)

When I was finished, I really loved the piece, but being the way I am, I began wondering how it would look if I added a little sparkle to it. I didn't want to overdo it though, just add a hint of glimmer. So I brushed the tops of only the strawberries with the DecoArt Glamour Dust Ultra Fine Glitter Paint in red. That gave the strawberries a slight shimmer and they almost look wet. I then applied some 4mm yellow crystal rhinestones to the center of each of the white blossoms to give it a final sparkle. I love how it came out!

Pollinator Insect Creative arts Moths and butterflies Arthropod


I really am having a lot of fun this week finishing up these projects. Today I will be working on some of the other ones and I should have more pictures for you tomorrow. I hope to have everything posted on the site by the beginning of next week, as I still have to write the packets for these after I am finished creating them. It is both a busy time and a fun time for me.

That is all for today. I hope you enjoyed seeing the new pieces finished. There is lots more to come in the next few days.

I hope you all have a great Thursday! Have fun and do something creative!
 

Attachments

#8,009 ·
Project Progress

The next several days, I am going to be posting a variety of pictures from the various new designs in their various stages of development. It may seem a bit mish-mosh, but I have so many things on the go here that I need to do it that way in order to keep up with everything. When all the projects are finished, I will do a recap of all the new designs in one post so everything will be all together.

This is really a fun time for me!

I spent the day yesterday working on several of the pieces. After the final sanding of most of them, I needed to oil four more of the trays, as well as some of the overlay pieces or add-on pieces for several designs. When I was done with that, I got to work on the two trays that were already oiled and ready for their next steps.

I am often asked why I oil the pieces that I add color before painting or staining them. By using a quick soak of mineral oil, I feel it brings out the richness of the color of the wood. I usually use a small, shallow pan (in this case, all the pieces fit in a 9" cake pan) and I pour about 1/4" of oil in and set the pieces into the pan. I have a 1" paint brush that is a bit stiff and it helps me work the oil into the fretwork areas.

After I am sure that everything is coated, I transfer the pieces to several layers of paper towels and blot the excess oil from the pieces, and than place them on a cookie cooling rack to allow the oil to absorb completely. I let this sit over night, and by morning the pieces are dry to the touch, but have a deeper and richer color, as the oil absorbs into the piece. I then apply stain or paint and finish with a quick spray of shellac. I find that shellac works better than a poly finish over the oil, as sometimes (especially if you don't leave the oil absorb long enough before continuing) the poly bubbles up a bit.

I use this method on much of my fretwork that I cut - especially pieces like this tray that aren't going to be handled often. I think that the light coat of shellac is enough to protect the piece from dust and while I wouldn't use this process on a table or anything that will be handled frequently and used daily, it has proven fine for pictures, frames and these candle trays and allows you to really get in the tiny cut areas completely.

I was excited to see how the Primitive Candle Tray would come out, so I worked on that first.

To dress up the tray, I obtained some "rusty wire" form the craft store. I drilled tiny holes in the beaks of the crows, as well as the tops of the pumpkins (I think I used a 1/32" bit) so I could thread the wire through. I had cut some tiny stars for the crows to hold and I thought that attaching them this way would look cool. I also made curly tendrils out of the wire coming out of the tops of the pumpkins. This looked really cool, I thought and dressed up the tray a lot:

Wood Sculpture Art Fawn Toy


I took a couple of additional pictures with some 'country' seed sprays around the tray:

Candle Wax Natural material Wood Event


I always try to take a couple of pictures with the candle both lit and not lit. Lighting the candle throws off the light quite a bit as you see and sometimes when you take the picture with the candle not lit, you get a truer color:

Insect Sports equipment Wood Sled Art


Then I decided to go all out and add some real cool country vines and rusty stars. I think it looks pretty, but for now, the actual figures get a bit lost in it. I may use it as a secondary picture, just to suggest how you can display the candle and tray, but for the photograph, I think it may hide the figures a bit because it looks busy. I have to remember that I am selling the plans for the tray, and that is what needs to be the focus of the photographs.

Candle Wax Gas Fire Event


But it does look pretty cool like that and it is a nice suggestion for display.

I am not done with this tray just yet, and tomorrow you will see the next version of it as it evolves. You need to stay tuned.

The next thing that I decided to work on was the Strawberry Candle Tray. I must say that it is one of my favorites. (I know - I say that about ALL of them!)

I had shown the natural version the other day, and while it looked really pretty like that, I wanted to stain it and offer instructions so that people could make it like that if they choose. I really love the results:

Candle Dishware Cup Ingredient Wax


I think it came out really nice. I only used four colors and decided to do the vines a darker shade of green than the leaves:

Dishware Ingredient Bag Cuisine Flowerpot


This really made them look nice, I thought. The strawberries themselves were all separate pieces, so adding some color to them was easy too:

Dishware Ingredient Tableware Cuisine Serveware


There is no shading whatsoever involved in coloring the pieces in like this. I simply used acrylic paints and DecoArt Staining and Antiquing Medium gel and the process was quick and looks great. As always, I don't paint the sides of the pieces, as this would be way too tedious with the intricate fretwork and I don't think it is at all necessary. I think that leaving the sides the natural wood color gives the pieces much more depth and interest and it still shows the beauty of the wood (this is maple.)

When I was finished, I really loved the piece, but being the way I am, I began wondering how it would look if I added a little sparkle to it. I didn't want to overdo it though, just add a hint of glimmer. So I brushed the tops of only the strawberries with the DecoArt Glamour Dust Ultra Fine Glitter Paint in red. That gave the strawberries a slight shimmer and they almost look wet. I then applied some 4mm yellow crystal rhinestones to the center of each of the white blossoms to give it a final sparkle. I love how it came out!

Pollinator Insect Creative arts Moths and butterflies Arthropod


I really am having a lot of fun this week finishing up these projects. Today I will be working on some of the other ones and I should have more pictures for you tomorrow. I hope to have everything posted on the site by the beginning of next week, as I still have to write the packets for these after I am finished creating them. It is both a busy time and a fun time for me.

That is all for today. I hope you enjoyed seeing the new pieces finished. There is lots more to come in the next few days.

I hope you all have a great Thursday! Have fun and do something creative!
Just an idea, Sheila. The strawberry tray, inspired by the second shot, if you took out the middle and hinged (wooden ones of course) between each inner and adjacent outer corner of the hexagon this could be worn around the neck as a decorative ornament.
 

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#8,019 ·
Butterflies and Posies

Today I have more pictures than I will post. Little by little everything is coming together and I keep going from one project to the next to the next as things are drying. But things are beginning to come together now and I am seeing the finish line on most of the new things that I am creating. I don't want to overwhelm everyone, so I will only post pictures of two projects today.

The first project that I will show today will be the "Butterflies are Free" candle tray. I believe that I showed you the intricate base for this project, but not the butterflies themselves. The base consists of delicate vine work and was one of my favorite pieces to cut. While the skill level was a bit higher than the others, with a little time and patience, it is not difficult at all. (One cut at a time is my favorite motto!)

For this tray, I decided to have the butterflies perpendicular, as if they are flying around the base. In order to do this, I needed to create posts so that they would have some stability when glued on. For my sample, I used 1/16" dowel rods, but I think that for the instructions I may recommend either wire or a smaller diameter dowel (or even round toothpicks) as I don't want them to be really obtrusive. But for the most part, they look OK. The trick with posting pieces such as this is that you need to drill prior to scroll sawing. Then, once the piece is cut and glued to the dowel or post, it is stronger than ever.

In any case, here is how it turned out:

Candle Wax Candle holder Gas Natural material


I think it came out nice. Here is a pic without the candle in place:

Body jewelry Product Serveware Natural material Ornament


I love how delicate the butterflies look!

Drinkware Wood Ingredient Dishware Serveware


Cutting like this is really fun!

Brown Wood Creative arts Art Natural material


This piece was done in ash, which made a beautiful background for it. I am going to tint these pieces with some color, although I will go very lightly on them. I don't want them to look "painted" really, as I want the grain of the wood to show through. I was having a difficult time choosing the colors that I want to use, so I thought I would sleep on it and see what I came up with today. I certainly had enough other things to keep me busy!

The next try that I will show is what I call "A Pocket Full of Posies." I believe I showed you the beautiful ribbon design previously, but I never showed the small five petal flowers for overlay.

Candle Wax White Candle holder Gas


This pretty ribbon border is super-easy to cut. While it looks elegant and flowing, the actual lines are rather thick and the piece is sturdy and would be something that someone with not too much experience could accomplish with little problem.

For this design, I chose to do lots of small overlay flowers:

Wood Beige Pattern Fashion accessory Peach


I thought it really added to the piece a great deal and made it the perfect centerpiece for spring and summer. I am going to do a colored version of this tray too, but this time I have a pretty clear picture in my mind of what colors I plan to use. You will have to come back to see what I am thinking! ;)

Brown Flower Wood Beige Petal


I did a couple additional things, but I will save them for tomorrow. I really appreciate the nice comments and support you all have shown me on the other projects, and it makes me just want to do better.

Here it is Friday already and another week is coming to a close. While the sun is out here at the moment, they are calling for rain, sleet and another storm to move through our area in the next couple of days. It will be a good weekend to stay in and finish up these projects.

I hope you all have a wonderful day!

"Nothing,' wrote Tolstoy, 'can make our life, or the lives of other people, more beautiful than perpetual kindness."
 

Attachments

#8,020 ·
Butterflies and Posies

Today I have more pictures than I will post. Little by little everything is coming together and I keep going from one project to the next to the next as things are drying. But things are beginning to come together now and I am seeing the finish line on most of the new things that I am creating. I don't want to overwhelm everyone, so I will only post pictures of two projects today.

The first project that I will show today will be the "Butterflies are Free" candle tray. I believe that I showed you the intricate base for this project, but not the butterflies themselves. The base consists of delicate vine work and was one of my favorite pieces to cut. While the skill level was a bit higher than the others, with a little time and patience, it is not difficult at all. (One cut at a time is my favorite motto!)

For this tray, I decided to have the butterflies perpendicular, as if they are flying around the base. In order to do this, I needed to create posts so that they would have some stability when glued on. For my sample, I used 1/16" dowel rods, but I think that for the instructions I may recommend either wire or a smaller diameter dowel (or even round toothpicks) as I don't want them to be really obtrusive. But for the most part, they look OK. The trick with posting pieces such as this is that you need to drill prior to scroll sawing. Then, once the piece is cut and glued to the dowel or post, it is stronger than ever.

In any case, here is how it turned out:

Candle Wax Candle holder Gas Natural material


I think it came out nice. Here is a pic without the candle in place:

Body jewelry Product Serveware Natural material Ornament


I love how delicate the butterflies look!

Drinkware Wood Ingredient Dishware Serveware


Cutting like this is really fun!

Brown Wood Creative arts Art Natural material


This piece was done in ash, which made a beautiful background for it. I am going to tint these pieces with some color, although I will go very lightly on them. I don't want them to look "painted" really, as I want the grain of the wood to show through. I was having a difficult time choosing the colors that I want to use, so I thought I would sleep on it and see what I came up with today. I certainly had enough other things to keep me busy!

The next try that I will show is what I call "A Pocket Full of Posies." I believe I showed you the beautiful ribbon design previously, but I never showed the small five petal flowers for overlay.

Candle Wax White Candle holder Gas


This pretty ribbon border is super-easy to cut. While it looks elegant and flowing, the actual lines are rather thick and the piece is sturdy and would be something that someone with not too much experience could accomplish with little problem.

For this design, I chose to do lots of small overlay flowers:

Wood Beige Pattern Fashion accessory Peach


I thought it really added to the piece a great deal and made it the perfect centerpiece for spring and summer. I am going to do a colored version of this tray too, but this time I have a pretty clear picture in my mind of what colors I plan to use. You will have to come back to see what I am thinking! ;)

Brown Flower Wood Beige Petal


I did a couple additional things, but I will save them for tomorrow. I really appreciate the nice comments and support you all have shown me on the other projects, and it makes me just want to do better.

Here it is Friday already and another week is coming to a close. While the sun is out here at the moment, they are calling for rain, sleet and another storm to move through our area in the next couple of days. It will be a good weekend to stay in and finish up these projects.

I hope you all have a wonderful day!

"Nothing,' wrote Tolstoy, 'can make our life, or the lives of other people, more beautiful than perpetual kindness."
Like the flowers. Being small, the background still visible likewise the proportion matches. Clever arrangement using random position. Keep them going.
Have a productive day.
 

Attachments

#8,041 ·
Yesterday's Progress

Today I am just going to post a couple of pictures. I made good strides yesterday, and I can see the finish line in sight. Some of the pictures aren't the best, but after everything is finished, I will be sure to get the lighting as good as I can and take some really nice ones.

The first tray that I will show is the "Love, Hope and Faith" tray. I did this one in 1/2" ash and even though it is probably the simplest of this group of designs, I think it looks pretty nice. The stronger grain in the ash adds a lot to it, without overpowering it.

The finish is simply mineral oil followed by spray lacquer. It looks clean and nice and I think that it is a project that will appeal to many:

Wax Candle Candle holder Drink Cylinder


Wax Candle Dishware Candle holder Serveware


Candle Wax Dishware Serveware Candle holder


It just goes to show that you don't have to go crazy on every project to make something that looks nice.

The next project that I will show today is the stained version of the Primitive Crows candle tray. For this tray I used some basic colors and the DecoArt Staining and Antiquing Medium. I chose not to paint the sides of the pieces, as I liked the way the cherry edges made the piece look more "antiqued." Originally, I was going to sand the corners of the pieces to give it that rustic look, but I decided that the cherry edges were enough and it looked pretty good as I have it.

I added a small (3mm) gold rhinestone on the center of each of the tiny stars that the crow were carrying to give it just a touch of sparkle. (After all - crows like shiny things they say!) This made a nice contrast with the otherwise rustic piece and I thought gave it a finished look. I am pretty happy with the results:

Brown Luggage and bags Bag Natural material Wood


Shoe Vertebrate Mammal Wood Beak


Soy milk Eyewear Personal protective equipment Serveware Metal


I worked on three more projects yesterday and they are almost finished. One of them I am debating whether or not to re-do part of it, as I wasn't really one hundred percent pleased with the outcome. I need to move ahead though with the group and also spend today and tomorrow finishing up the larger crow that I showed earlier so I can mail it out to the magazine. So I am on a deadline with that. I haven't shown you anything on that since that first peek and I have been working on it all along, as it is probably the most complicated of the projects. I thought that I would just kind of surprise you at the end with that one.

So much to do!

I thank you all for the positive comments and encouragement that you have offered me. When working on my own here, it is nice to have feedback from outside sources and I feel really good about these projects and how they will be received. It is a lot easier to work hard on something when the response is so positive and it makes my days much brighter.

So that is all for now. Again - there will be more to show you tomorrow. We had a winter storm watch here yesterday and a bit of rain/sleet/snow fell, but it is calm this morning with no snow on the ground. I suppose it is trying to be spring anyway.

I hope you all have time to relax and do something creative!
 

Attachments

#8,042 ·
Yesterday's Progress

Today I am just going to post a couple of pictures. I made good strides yesterday, and I can see the finish line in sight. Some of the pictures aren't the best, but after everything is finished, I will be sure to get the lighting as good as I can and take some really nice ones.

The first tray that I will show is the "Love, Hope and Faith" tray. I did this one in 1/2" ash and even though it is probably the simplest of this group of designs, I think it looks pretty nice. The stronger grain in the ash adds a lot to it, without overpowering it.

The finish is simply mineral oil followed by spray lacquer. It looks clean and nice and I think that it is a project that will appeal to many:

Wax Candle Candle holder Drink Cylinder


Wax Candle Dishware Candle holder Serveware


Candle Wax Dishware Serveware Candle holder


It just goes to show that you don't have to go crazy on every project to make something that looks nice.

The next project that I will show today is the stained version of the Primitive Crows candle tray. For this tray I used some basic colors and the DecoArt Staining and Antiquing Medium. I chose not to paint the sides of the pieces, as I liked the way the cherry edges made the piece look more "antiqued." Originally, I was going to sand the corners of the pieces to give it that rustic look, but I decided that the cherry edges were enough and it looked pretty good as I have it.

I added a small (3mm) gold rhinestone on the center of each of the tiny stars that the crow were carrying to give it just a touch of sparkle. (After all - crows like shiny things they say!) This made a nice contrast with the otherwise rustic piece and I thought gave it a finished look. I am pretty happy with the results:

Brown Luggage and bags Bag Natural material Wood


Shoe Vertebrate Mammal Wood Beak


Soy milk Eyewear Personal protective equipment Serveware Metal


I worked on three more projects yesterday and they are almost finished. One of them I am debating whether or not to re-do part of it, as I wasn't really one hundred percent pleased with the outcome. I need to move ahead though with the group and also spend today and tomorrow finishing up the larger crow that I showed earlier so I can mail it out to the magazine. So I am on a deadline with that. I haven't shown you anything on that since that first peek and I have been working on it all along, as it is probably the most complicated of the projects. I thought that I would just kind of surprise you at the end with that one.

So much to do!

I thank you all for the positive comments and encouragement that you have offered me. When working on my own here, it is nice to have feedback from outside sources and I feel really good about these projects and how they will be received. It is a lot easier to work hard on something when the response is so positive and it makes my days much brighter.

So that is all for now. Again - there will be more to show you tomorrow. We had a winter storm watch here yesterday and a bit of rain/sleet/snow fell, but it is calm this morning with no snow on the ground. I suppose it is trying to be spring anyway.

I hope you all have time to relax and do something creative!
As said before, I love the Faith, Love, Hope tray. As soon as I see it on the site I will have one. THanks for posting and creating.
 

Attachments

#8,051 ·
Something to Crow About!

No job should be this much fun.

I know I have said it before, and that some of you may think that I am exaggerating, but I find if anything, I tone it down. This past week and a half should be proof of that.

In the last week and a half, I drew up seven new candle trays as well as a new project for the August issue of Creative Woodworks and Crafts magazine and pretty much got all the prototypes finished. I still have one more tray that I didn't even really show you yet, but I will wait for that until tomorrow. My deadline was to mail off this design by Monday (tomorrow) as well as write an additional article for the magazine, which I will be doing today. In between that, Keith and I printed and assembled 150 new painting kits which included cutting our 1800 ornaments between us, packaging them, and getting them out the door. (Oh - and we spent a day at Bernie and Ellen's during that time too!)

You can say I have been busy. :)

But busy is a good thing when you love what you do. And that truly applies to me. My only complaint is that there are only those 24 hours each day in which to accomplish all that I want to do and still have time to do the things that we need to do in our daily lives.

I must admit, I haven't cooked very much lately, although I have made some nice quick dinners. We have missed going to the gym a couple of times, too. But the ideas are here and I think that I have to take advantage of that and run with it while I can. (Besides - we were due for a rest week from the gym anyway) I just need to get these done and meet my deadlines and move forward. Our goal is to have the site updated by next weekend and have all the new patterns available, as there have been many asking. Writing them shouldn't take too long because most of the instructions are repetitious and the basic assembly is pretty straight forward. By blogging about them each morning, it helps me get the pictures done little by little, too. Although there are some final pictures to be taken, for the most part they are finished. So we are good.

Yesterday, I spent the bulk of the day finishing up the pattern for the magazine. I wanted to do something a little different, and since the project is for the August issue, I thought that a late summer/early fall item would be appropriate.

I love building things, and I had an idea of making another vignette on the line of my Pull Toys that I had done in the past. This time, I thought that I would do a cute crow pulling a cart with some pumpkins. The project would not only involve building the cart itself, but also the shaping of the crow and the pumpkins. I thought it would be a nice change from just scrolling a flat piece and I had a ball making it.

Since the piece is done in a Primitive style, it is very easy to both shape and to paint. No skill is really needed at all, as I wanted it to look kind of grungy and - well - Primitive.

When I told Kieth what I had in mind, he looked at me with skepticism. I had learned long ago that while I may be OK at making up these ideas, I don't always relay them verbally in a way that people can understand. I kind of just shut my mouth and let people see the finished product, and then they can judge.

I had shown the body of the crow earlier in the week, before it was shaped. I knew then that it would come out OK and I was excited to see it done. I was still working out a couple of things in my mind though and took my time so that by the time it came to when I had to actually DO things, I knew what to do. This has worked for me in the past and didn't fail me this time either.

So without any more jabbering, here are the pictures of the final piece . . .

The vignette includes a crow pulling a cart with two shaped pumpkins on it:

Luggage and bags Pumpkin Wood Headgear Wheel


The crow is about 7 inches long and maybe 5 inches tall. The crow and pumpkins are made of poplar, and the cart made of oak. I wanted the pieces that needed to be shaped to be made of a softer wood so it would be easier to do so. I suppose pine would be alright to use, but I didn't want any grain pattern to show really.

Vertebrate Wheel Working animal Wood Pumpkin


You can see that the crow has a couple of stars in his mouth. Crows are noted for liking shiny objects. Maybe he saw them on the ground along the way. His feet are also made of oak because I wanted them to be a bit denser and heavier than the poplar so that his center of gravity would be low. I was concerned that he would want to topple over when I saw the pattern on paper, but because of the length and position of his feet, it is very stable and it wasn't a problem at all.

Wood Art Metal Pest Terrestrial animal


I was unsure for quite a time as to how I would have him pull the cart. I didn't know whether to drill into his wings, but I thought that would interfere with the design. I thought that if I created a type of yoke to slip over his shoulders, that would work well, and it did. (you should have seen the look on Keith's face when I tried to explain that one to him!)

Working animal Fawn Snout Terrestrial animal Tail


Rather than glue the yoke in place, I just slip it over his head and he is good to go. It was really a very simple solution to the problem:

Bag Safety glove Chair Wood Thumb


The pumpkins themselves were fun and easy. I simply cut them into segments, shaped each segment and the stem using the sander and a rotary tool, and then painted and reassembled them. I thought the rusty wire curly-cues looked really cool, too!

Wheel Tire Pumpkin Wood Rolling


For the cart, I chose to do a checkerboard design on the sides. This followed along with the primitive/country theme. The wheel hubs were made in mis-shapen star shapes, too - and of course, I applied a single crystal rhinestone on the center of each of the stars as well as the stars that they crow is carrying in his beak. (I have to have a little sparkle in there somewhere!)

Wheel Tire Automotive tire Vehicle Wood


Attaching the rope to the cart was another thing that I thought a great deal about. I decided to just add on a simple tab on the front (complete with a star in the middle to match the theme) and I think it looks perfect. I even put a little bit of raffia on the bed of the cart for more interest.

Wheel Wood Basket Bag Storage basket


Here is a close up of one of the pumpkins so you can get an idea on the size. It is about 4" in diameter.

Brown Wood Finger Tints and shades Thumb


Overall, I just love this project. I can honestly say that I am going to feel bad about packing this one up and sending it on its way. I know it will be months before I see it again. Right now it is on my kitchen table as a centerpiece and it is one of those projects that I just can't stop looking at.

Wood Calabaza Pumpkin Plant Bird


I know that the Primitive style isn't something that everyone likes, but it is pretty popular and I can really see why. While I love doing those exacting and refined cuts on the scroll saw, there is something that is really cute, fun and charming about pieces like this that I just love. After making this, I just want to do more.

I thought of naming my crow "Russell", but that would be too obvious. I am still thinking of a catchy name for this project - or perhaps I will just give him a name that doesn't have to do with anything in particular.

Bottom line is that I love him and I am really happy with how he came out. When he was done last night and I was admiring him, even Keith was smiling when he saw him. I could tell that I surprised him and that he really liked it too. "I wonder what Debbie is thinking she is going to get?" he said to me (Debbie is my editor at the magazine.) Surely she must also think I am crazy when I tried to explain that my next project would be a "crow pulling a cart of pumpkins."

I hope she is pleasantly surprised!

Today is another busy day, as I need to work on the article that I am writing for her. I hope to get it all finished, as well as the accompanying pieces that I will be writing about. But I feel up for it and I know pretty much what I am doing, so hopefully it will all come together nicely.

I wish you all a wonderful and happy Sunday! I hope you take time to have fun and do something creative!
 

Attachments

#8,052 ·
Something to Crow About!

No job should be this much fun.

I know I have said it before, and that some of you may think that I am exaggerating, but I find if anything, I tone it down. This past week and a half should be proof of that.

In the last week and a half, I drew up seven new candle trays as well as a new project for the August issue of Creative Woodworks and Crafts magazine and pretty much got all the prototypes finished. I still have one more tray that I didn't even really show you yet, but I will wait for that until tomorrow. My deadline was to mail off this design by Monday (tomorrow) as well as write an additional article for the magazine, which I will be doing today. In between that, Keith and I printed and assembled 150 new painting kits which included cutting our 1800 ornaments between us, packaging them, and getting them out the door. (Oh - and we spent a day at Bernie and Ellen's during that time too!)

You can say I have been busy. :)

But busy is a good thing when you love what you do. And that truly applies to me. My only complaint is that there are only those 24 hours each day in which to accomplish all that I want to do and still have time to do the things that we need to do in our daily lives.

I must admit, I haven't cooked very much lately, although I have made some nice quick dinners. We have missed going to the gym a couple of times, too. But the ideas are here and I think that I have to take advantage of that and run with it while I can. (Besides - we were due for a rest week from the gym anyway) I just need to get these done and meet my deadlines and move forward. Our goal is to have the site updated by next weekend and have all the new patterns available, as there have been many asking. Writing them shouldn't take too long because most of the instructions are repetitious and the basic assembly is pretty straight forward. By blogging about them each morning, it helps me get the pictures done little by little, too. Although there are some final pictures to be taken, for the most part they are finished. So we are good.

Yesterday, I spent the bulk of the day finishing up the pattern for the magazine. I wanted to do something a little different, and since the project is for the August issue, I thought that a late summer/early fall item would be appropriate.

I love building things, and I had an idea of making another vignette on the line of my Pull Toys that I had done in the past. This time, I thought that I would do a cute crow pulling a cart with some pumpkins. The project would not only involve building the cart itself, but also the shaping of the crow and the pumpkins. I thought it would be a nice change from just scrolling a flat piece and I had a ball making it.

Since the piece is done in a Primitive style, it is very easy to both shape and to paint. No skill is really needed at all, as I wanted it to look kind of grungy and - well - Primitive.

When I told Kieth what I had in mind, he looked at me with skepticism. I had learned long ago that while I may be OK at making up these ideas, I don't always relay them verbally in a way that people can understand. I kind of just shut my mouth and let people see the finished product, and then they can judge.

I had shown the body of the crow earlier in the week, before it was shaped. I knew then that it would come out OK and I was excited to see it done. I was still working out a couple of things in my mind though and took my time so that by the time it came to when I had to actually DO things, I knew what to do. This has worked for me in the past and didn't fail me this time either.

So without any more jabbering, here are the pictures of the final piece . . .

The vignette includes a crow pulling a cart with two shaped pumpkins on it:

Luggage and bags Pumpkin Wood Headgear Wheel


The crow is about 7 inches long and maybe 5 inches tall. The crow and pumpkins are made of poplar, and the cart made of oak. I wanted the pieces that needed to be shaped to be made of a softer wood so it would be easier to do so. I suppose pine would be alright to use, but I didn't want any grain pattern to show really.

Vertebrate Wheel Working animal Wood Pumpkin


You can see that the crow has a couple of stars in his mouth. Crows are noted for liking shiny objects. Maybe he saw them on the ground along the way. His feet are also made of oak because I wanted them to be a bit denser and heavier than the poplar so that his center of gravity would be low. I was concerned that he would want to topple over when I saw the pattern on paper, but because of the length and position of his feet, it is very stable and it wasn't a problem at all.

Wood Art Metal Pest Terrestrial animal


I was unsure for quite a time as to how I would have him pull the cart. I didn't know whether to drill into his wings, but I thought that would interfere with the design. I thought that if I created a type of yoke to slip over his shoulders, that would work well, and it did. (you should have seen the look on Keith's face when I tried to explain that one to him!)

Working animal Fawn Snout Terrestrial animal Tail


Rather than glue the yoke in place, I just slip it over his head and he is good to go. It was really a very simple solution to the problem:

Bag Safety glove Chair Wood Thumb


The pumpkins themselves were fun and easy. I simply cut them into segments, shaped each segment and the stem using the sander and a rotary tool, and then painted and reassembled them. I thought the rusty wire curly-cues looked really cool, too!

Wheel Tire Pumpkin Wood Rolling


For the cart, I chose to do a checkerboard design on the sides. This followed along with the primitive/country theme. The wheel hubs were made in mis-shapen star shapes, too - and of course, I applied a single crystal rhinestone on the center of each of the stars as well as the stars that they crow is carrying in his beak. (I have to have a little sparkle in there somewhere!)

Wheel Tire Automotive tire Vehicle Wood


Attaching the rope to the cart was another thing that I thought a great deal about. I decided to just add on a simple tab on the front (complete with a star in the middle to match the theme) and I think it looks perfect. I even put a little bit of raffia on the bed of the cart for more interest.

Wheel Wood Basket Bag Storage basket


Here is a close up of one of the pumpkins so you can get an idea on the size. It is about 4" in diameter.

Brown Wood Finger Tints and shades Thumb


Overall, I just love this project. I can honestly say that I am going to feel bad about packing this one up and sending it on its way. I know it will be months before I see it again. Right now it is on my kitchen table as a centerpiece and it is one of those projects that I just can't stop looking at.

Wood Calabaza Pumpkin Plant Bird


I know that the Primitive style isn't something that everyone likes, but it is pretty popular and I can really see why. While I love doing those exacting and refined cuts on the scroll saw, there is something that is really cute, fun and charming about pieces like this that I just love. After making this, I just want to do more.

I thought of naming my crow "Russell", but that would be too obvious. I am still thinking of a catchy name for this project - or perhaps I will just give him a name that doesn't have to do with anything in particular.

Bottom line is that I love him and I am really happy with how he came out. When he was done last night and I was admiring him, even Keith was smiling when he saw him. I could tell that I surprised him and that he really liked it too. "I wonder what Debbie is thinking she is going to get?" he said to me (Debbie is my editor at the magazine.) Surely she must also think I am crazy when I tried to explain that my next project would be a "crow pulling a cart of pumpkins."

I hope she is pleasantly surprised!

Today is another busy day, as I need to work on the article that I am writing for her. I hope to get it all finished, as well as the accompanying pieces that I will be writing about. But I feel up for it and I know pretty much what I am doing, so hopefully it will all come together nicely.

I wish you all a wonderful and happy Sunday! I hope you take time to have fun and do something creative!
Wow! A 3d creation. The design alone is already amazing plus the construction makes it so attractive. Nice choice of the crow because the color black highlight contrast on the yoke. The kart gives a strong lift to the pumpkin while the wheels seem to be really fatigue. This separate you from others. Keep it going.
Have a nice weekend.
 

Attachments

#8,064 ·
Playful Kitties Tray

After two weeks of going full-steam just about every minute of the day, I am finding that I am coming down off of my adrenalin rush that I have been experiencing with all these new designs that I have created. It isn't that I am out of ideas, or even that I have completely finished with these that I have before me, but I found yesterday that I was just kind of running out of steam.

I spent the day working on the pieces for the article that I am doing for the magazine. The article is going to be on how you can take one pattern and come up with several very different looking finished projects. Those of you who are familiar with my work know that I am good at that, and more often than not my biggest problem when designing is just which path to take when developing a new design. I am sure that I would be able to output several times the amount of designs that I do if I would just stick to one type or style of pattern, but there is always something inside of me that won't allow that to happen. I like to think that if I offer one or two additional finishing options, it will perhaps encourage people to try something that perhaps they hadn't considered trying before. After all - if the instructions are right in front of them, it may entice them to give a new technique a go.

Perhaps it is the teacher inside of me.

So this article is a good fit for me I believe. Now the only problem is thinking where to stop as far as how many ways I can take a single, simple pattern and make it look different. I don't know if Debbie (my editor) knew what she was getting into when giving me a green light on this article. Or maybe she did after all . . .

In any case, I spent the day yesterday drawing, cutting and sanding the pieces. When they were all ready for their various finishes, I paused a minute to think about things and I looked up at the clock. It was already six in the evening and I was feeling a bit tired and not really much like starting something new. I decided to take Jamie's advice and have "a cuppa" and take the evening "off." (What the heck is that like???) There was no way that I would finish last night and why risk mucking things up by doing them when I was not at my best? Besides . . . I had just run a marathon of designing and I needed to take a breath.

I made some blueberry tea and curled up in my jammies with my trusty Pancakes and played some hidden object games for the evening. I admit that I enjoy my computer games (mostly hidden object and word or puzzle games) and it helps me relax at the end of the evening. Lately though, I have been too tired to even unwind at the end of the evening more than an couple of minutes and I find that I do miss it. Even though I do a job that I love to do, it sometimes feels good to do "nothing" but mindless searching for things or solving some puzzles.

It was light out when I got up this morning, and I realized that this wasn't just because spring is arriving, despite the temperatures that we are experiencing, and that I had slept a little longer than usual. But that is good, as I have learned in my older age that sometimes we just need to listen to our bodies and not push them too hard, for fear of repercussions in the form of colds and flu and other things that get hold of us when we are run down. (You all may have noticed that I rarely get sick. I think that part of that is because I have learned to pay attention to things and when I am tired, I stop and rest. It is a luxury that I can afford most of the time because I try to keep a good work ethic when I am feeling good.)

So today I feel good and I look forward to finishing up the pieces for the article. In the mean time, I have (yet another) candle tray that I didn't show you all of the group. This one I think I will call "Playful Kitties" for obvious reasons.

The base is cut from 1/2" oak, and I am leaving it a natural color. I oiled it and I then sprayed it with lacquer and the look is very rich and beautiful. While the oil/lacquer combination looks good on most pieces, I find that it really makes oak look quite stunning, as it gives it a warm glow and shows the grain off beautifully.

The kitty silhouettes are cut from 1/4" walnut. Their contrast with the oak works perfectly and the piece is both simple and fun.

Brown Shoe Vertebrate Product Dog


But don't let the simplicity fool you - there are a LOT of cuts in this design. Silly me when designing this knew that there were five inside cuts for each of the paw prints - yet I chose to put nearly 30 of them in the piece anyway. But it was relaxing to cut this out, and I had some wonderful music playing and got 'lost' in the process, as I often do.

Besides - I thought for the size of the piece, I added precisely the amount necessary to make it look good. And I threw in a couple fish and mice in the mix for fun.

Wood Headgear Jewellery Font Natural material


I think it came out nice. And yes - I know I need to make a dog one now. I find it is easier to make a generic cat than a generic dog pattern. I don't really want to get into making specific breeds, as that would probably take up a year of my time to satisfy everyone. So a generic puppy tray will be in the works in the near future.

Today will be a good day. I still have some other versions of the trays you had already seen to show you, but I will save that for tomorrow. I need to take my car in for some seasonal maintenance tomorrow morning so if I get a blog out tomorrow morning, it will be short.

A new week is beginning and I have the window cracked open and can hear the birds singing. The three cats are all sleeping nearby and it looks to be a wonderful day. I hope you all have a good day too.

Happy Monday!
 

Attachments

#8,065 ·
Playful Kitties Tray

After two weeks of going full-steam just about every minute of the day, I am finding that I am coming down off of my adrenalin rush that I have been experiencing with all these new designs that I have created. It isn't that I am out of ideas, or even that I have completely finished with these that I have before me, but I found yesterday that I was just kind of running out of steam.

I spent the day working on the pieces for the article that I am doing for the magazine. The article is going to be on how you can take one pattern and come up with several very different looking finished projects. Those of you who are familiar with my work know that I am good at that, and more often than not my biggest problem when designing is just which path to take when developing a new design. I am sure that I would be able to output several times the amount of designs that I do if I would just stick to one type or style of pattern, but there is always something inside of me that won't allow that to happen. I like to think that if I offer one or two additional finishing options, it will perhaps encourage people to try something that perhaps they hadn't considered trying before. After all - if the instructions are right in front of them, it may entice them to give a new technique a go.

Perhaps it is the teacher inside of me.

So this article is a good fit for me I believe. Now the only problem is thinking where to stop as far as how many ways I can take a single, simple pattern and make it look different. I don't know if Debbie (my editor) knew what she was getting into when giving me a green light on this article. Or maybe she did after all . . .

In any case, I spent the day yesterday drawing, cutting and sanding the pieces. When they were all ready for their various finishes, I paused a minute to think about things and I looked up at the clock. It was already six in the evening and I was feeling a bit tired and not really much like starting something new. I decided to take Jamie's advice and have "a cuppa" and take the evening "off." (What the heck is that like???) There was no way that I would finish last night and why risk mucking things up by doing them when I was not at my best? Besides . . . I had just run a marathon of designing and I needed to take a breath.

I made some blueberry tea and curled up in my jammies with my trusty Pancakes and played some hidden object games for the evening. I admit that I enjoy my computer games (mostly hidden object and word or puzzle games) and it helps me relax at the end of the evening. Lately though, I have been too tired to even unwind at the end of the evening more than an couple of minutes and I find that I do miss it. Even though I do a job that I love to do, it sometimes feels good to do "nothing" but mindless searching for things or solving some puzzles.

It was light out when I got up this morning, and I realized that this wasn't just because spring is arriving, despite the temperatures that we are experiencing, and that I had slept a little longer than usual. But that is good, as I have learned in my older age that sometimes we just need to listen to our bodies and not push them too hard, for fear of repercussions in the form of colds and flu and other things that get hold of us when we are run down. (You all may have noticed that I rarely get sick. I think that part of that is because I have learned to pay attention to things and when I am tired, I stop and rest. It is a luxury that I can afford most of the time because I try to keep a good work ethic when I am feeling good.)

So today I feel good and I look forward to finishing up the pieces for the article. In the mean time, I have (yet another) candle tray that I didn't show you all of the group. This one I think I will call "Playful Kitties" for obvious reasons.

The base is cut from 1/2" oak, and I am leaving it a natural color. I oiled it and I then sprayed it with lacquer and the look is very rich and beautiful. While the oil/lacquer combination looks good on most pieces, I find that it really makes oak look quite stunning, as it gives it a warm glow and shows the grain off beautifully.

The kitty silhouettes are cut from 1/4" walnut. Their contrast with the oak works perfectly and the piece is both simple and fun.

Brown Shoe Vertebrate Product Dog


But don't let the simplicity fool you - there are a LOT of cuts in this design. Silly me when designing this knew that there were five inside cuts for each of the paw prints - yet I chose to put nearly 30 of them in the piece anyway. But it was relaxing to cut this out, and I had some wonderful music playing and got 'lost' in the process, as I often do.

Besides - I thought for the size of the piece, I added precisely the amount necessary to make it look good. And I threw in a couple fish and mice in the mix for fun.

Wood Headgear Jewellery Font Natural material


I think it came out nice. And yes - I know I need to make a dog one now. I find it is easier to make a generic cat than a generic dog pattern. I don't really want to get into making specific breeds, as that would probably take up a year of my time to satisfy everyone. So a generic puppy tray will be in the works in the near future.

Today will be a good day. I still have some other versions of the trays you had already seen to show you, but I will save that for tomorrow. I need to take my car in for some seasonal maintenance tomorrow morning so if I get a blog out tomorrow morning, it will be short.

A new week is beginning and I have the window cracked open and can hear the birds singing. The three cats are all sleeping nearby and it looks to be a wonderful day. I hope you all have a good day too.

Happy Monday!
This cat one is great! I was telling my girlfriend about all of your work and I know she will love all of your designs visting your website. Great stuff as always, have a good day Sheila!

Joe

My cat Oreo also approves of this fine work…lol. This is as big as Oreo will ever get, she is the runt of a 13 cat liter!

901300_440874342668094_600043401_o
 

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#8,073 ·
Catching Up

I finally feel that I am getting caught up with things. My little crow and cart is all packed up and soon will be on its way to the offices of Creative Woodworks and Crafts magazine in New Jersey for the final photographs for the project article. I really hate to see him go, but I know that he will be back one day and I will feel just as excited about him as I did the other day when he was completed.

I spent the past two days working on the pieces for another article that I am doing for that same August issue. This one will show how easy it is to take a simple pattern and make small changes in it to create several variations of the same project. I want to show our readers that you don't always have to follow patterns to the letter, and depending on what supplies you have available, as well as what types of wood you have and what you enjoy doing, you can easily adapt many types of patterns to any of several different things.

Since the issue was coming out in August, I felt that a cute sunflower would be the perfect choice for the pattern. Here is one of the ways that I chose to make it:

Flower Plant Petal Body jewelry Jewellery


I turned it into a pretty garland.

For the article, I came up with eleven variances, and I could have kept right on going. There are so many cool finishing products that are available right now that it was rather hard to figure out where to stop. But I thought that this would at least get people on the right track and hopefully inspire some ideas. With all the ornaments and things that would be in the upcoming holiday issue, I thought it would be a good way to kick off their decorating and gift-giving plans.

I missed writing yesterday because I had an early appointment in Yarmouth to do some maintenance on my car. I haven't driven it since November, as I don't drive it in the bad weather at all. It turned nine years old this year and as it still looks pretty much like it did when it was brand new. There are naturally some small signs of aging though and as it gets older, I know it is more important than ever to take good care of it if I want to keep it (which I do!) The mileage is low (about 60,000 miles) for its age and I know if I keep up with things on it I can keep it a good long time.

Keith had given me a full stereo system this past Christmas and he has been in the process of installing it for the past couple of weeks, as the weather permits. It came with a pretty decent system, but as many of you may have seen from my shop pictures here on Lumberjocks, he likes to build sound systems (he built the system we have in our living room, as seen in the background, as well as the system in his own car)

Furniture Picture frame Table Wood Computer desk


(In looking up this picture to share, I realize that I need to do an update for my shop. We have made several changes to our area since I joined Lumberjocks almost three years ago and I need to change things here too. I now have the Excalibur scroll saw and we added some small storage cabinets over the saw area as well as some other things.)

Since the old system consisted of 10 speakers, it was quite a job to install the new one. Not only did he get me the Alpine player (which is really nice and can read music files off of a jump drive, among other things) but he also got several new speakers and a great amp to power everything. The fact that the car is also a convertible also complicates things, as the amp and subs are located in the trunk and there needs to be clearance for when the top is folded down, which is most of the time when we drive in the summer.

Although it has taken some time, he is doing a heck of a job with it and is nearly finished. All the wires are run (some which are as thick as your finger!) and the only thing that needs to be hooked up is the amp. Everything looks absolutely "normal" and he was able to build internal supports for the new speakers so that they would fit into the existing skins in the doors and no one would even know that anything was changed (except how they sound, of course!) In order to do that, he needed to take both the door skins off, as well as remove the seats, console and carpet to run the necessary wires. It was quite a job and I must say there were days I had my doubts, but it looks great and I can't wait to hear how it sounds. Not to mention that I will be able to have my entire music library on one small jump drive to have my music with me. It will be awesome.

But first, I needed to get some maintenance done so mechanically it is safe and sound. I should be able to pick it up tomorrow, and it will hopefully be good to go for our summer trips we enjoy so much (and trips to the BEACH!) It will feel really good to have it back after the long winter. :)

So the plan for today and the rest of the week is to write the patterns for the new trays. I am hoping to update the site by the weekend, and have all the new trays available, as well as a couple of new designs from Keith. I am excited about getting that done and feel a great deal of relief that I am getting on top of things.

It's mid-week already, and today the sun is already shining brightly. The days are warmer as each one passes and we are finally seeing signs that spring is here for good. I hope that is the case with you all too.

I wish you all a good and productive day. Have fun and do something that you love to do.
 

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#8,074 ·
Catching Up

I finally feel that I am getting caught up with things. My little crow and cart is all packed up and soon will be on its way to the offices of Creative Woodworks and Crafts magazine in New Jersey for the final photographs for the project article. I really hate to see him go, but I know that he will be back one day and I will feel just as excited about him as I did the other day when he was completed.

I spent the past two days working on the pieces for another article that I am doing for that same August issue. This one will show how easy it is to take a simple pattern and make small changes in it to create several variations of the same project. I want to show our readers that you don't always have to follow patterns to the letter, and depending on what supplies you have available, as well as what types of wood you have and what you enjoy doing, you can easily adapt many types of patterns to any of several different things.

Since the issue was coming out in August, I felt that a cute sunflower would be the perfect choice for the pattern. Here is one of the ways that I chose to make it:

Flower Plant Petal Body jewelry Jewellery


I turned it into a pretty garland.

For the article, I came up with eleven variances, and I could have kept right on going. There are so many cool finishing products that are available right now that it was rather hard to figure out where to stop. But I thought that this would at least get people on the right track and hopefully inspire some ideas. With all the ornaments and things that would be in the upcoming holiday issue, I thought it would be a good way to kick off their decorating and gift-giving plans.

I missed writing yesterday because I had an early appointment in Yarmouth to do some maintenance on my car. I haven't driven it since November, as I don't drive it in the bad weather at all. It turned nine years old this year and as it still looks pretty much like it did when it was brand new. There are naturally some small signs of aging though and as it gets older, I know it is more important than ever to take good care of it if I want to keep it (which I do!) The mileage is low (about 60,000 miles) for its age and I know if I keep up with things on it I can keep it a good long time.

Keith had given me a full stereo system this past Christmas and he has been in the process of installing it for the past couple of weeks, as the weather permits. It came with a pretty decent system, but as many of you may have seen from my shop pictures here on Lumberjocks, he likes to build sound systems (he built the system we have in our living room, as seen in the background, as well as the system in his own car)

Furniture Picture frame Table Wood Computer desk


(In looking up this picture to share, I realize that I need to do an update for my shop. We have made several changes to our area since I joined Lumberjocks almost three years ago and I need to change things here too. I now have the Excalibur scroll saw and we added some small storage cabinets over the saw area as well as some other things.)

Since the old system consisted of 10 speakers, it was quite a job to install the new one. Not only did he get me the Alpine player (which is really nice and can read music files off of a jump drive, among other things) but he also got several new speakers and a great amp to power everything. The fact that the car is also a convertible also complicates things, as the amp and subs are located in the trunk and there needs to be clearance for when the top is folded down, which is most of the time when we drive in the summer.

Although it has taken some time, he is doing a heck of a job with it and is nearly finished. All the wires are run (some which are as thick as your finger!) and the only thing that needs to be hooked up is the amp. Everything looks absolutely "normal" and he was able to build internal supports for the new speakers so that they would fit into the existing skins in the doors and no one would even know that anything was changed (except how they sound, of course!) In order to do that, he needed to take both the door skins off, as well as remove the seats, console and carpet to run the necessary wires. It was quite a job and I must say there were days I had my doubts, but it looks great and I can't wait to hear how it sounds. Not to mention that I will be able to have my entire music library on one small jump drive to have my music with me. It will be awesome.

But first, I needed to get some maintenance done so mechanically it is safe and sound. I should be able to pick it up tomorrow, and it will hopefully be good to go for our summer trips we enjoy so much (and trips to the BEACH!) It will feel really good to have it back after the long winter. :)

So the plan for today and the rest of the week is to write the patterns for the new trays. I am hoping to update the site by the weekend, and have all the new trays available, as well as a couple of new designs from Keith. I am excited about getting that done and feel a great deal of relief that I am getting on top of things.

It's mid-week already, and today the sun is already shining brightly. The days are warmer as each one passes and we are finally seeing signs that spring is here for good. I hope that is the case with you all too.

I wish you all a good and productive day. Have fun and do something that you love to do.
Sheila it is amazing to think of all that comes out of a wee shop
April showers here and strong winds, Spring did I miss it?

Have a great day
Jamie
 

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#8,079 ·
Float Like a Butterfly

I had a good day yesterday and I feel that I accomplished a great deal. My goal is to have all of the new patterns ready for the site update that we will do by the weekend. That gives me two more days of writing and editing photographs.

I finished up my photos though yesterday, and that takes a bit of time to do. We had a beautiful spring-like day and the afternoon lighting is optimal for getting nice, clear pictures that have the truest color. For smaller items, I usually use the photo box that Keith made, but it is a bit too small for the trays so I work with a combination of natural light and artificial light, as well as adjusting the settings on my camera.

I am still very happy with the Sony camera that we picked up last year. Both the still photographs and the videos are much improved over the previous Sony camera that I owned. It seems that every year these little inexpensive camera advance by leaps and bounds.

Among other things, I was able to take the pictures of the colorized butterfly candle tray. For those of you who may have missed, here are pictures of it in its natural color:

Candle Wax Candle holder Gas Natural material


Drinkware Wood Ingredient Dishware Serveware


Brown Wood Creative arts Art Natural material


While I feel that it is very nice done up in pretty ash, I like it even more stained lightly with some soft colored acrylic paints and the DecoArt staining and Antiquing Medium. I think the sheer color enhances the scroll work nicely, and it really looks good:

Tableware Drinkware Dishware Cup Ingredient


Pollinator Gold Insect Arthropod Body jewelry


Brown Wood Gold Font Natural material


I don't know if you noticed, but I couldn't help but add a couple of pretty crystal hot fix rhinestones to accent the grassy base. I use the peridot green stones from Rhinestone Canada and they really look beautiful. Being born in August, the peridot is my birthstone and I have never been very fond of it. But for some reason, I just love the light green color of these stones and I think they look both subtle and pretty on the base of the tray - like little drops of water. I also used a single Black Diamond colored stone on each of the heads of the butterflies. You can barely see them, but they add a bit of shine - especially in the candle light. The do make a nice and subtle difference.

I have one more tray to show you that I had colored in, but I will save that for tomorrow. Since I will be spending most of the day writing, it will give me some pictures to show you then.

It looks to be another beautiful day here in Nova Scotia. The sun is out and there isn't a cloud in the sky. While the blossoms are not yet apparent, I am noticing that most of the trees are beginning to bud. It seems late this year, but I believe that spring has finally arrived.

I hope you enjoy your day today.

"How lovely to think that no one need wait a moment. We can start now, start slowly, changing the world. How lovely that everyone, great and small, can make a contribution toward introducing justice straightaway. And you can always, always give something, even if it is only kindness!"- Anne Frank (1929-1945)
 

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#8,080 ·
Float Like a Butterfly

I had a good day yesterday and I feel that I accomplished a great deal. My goal is to have all of the new patterns ready for the site update that we will do by the weekend. That gives me two more days of writing and editing photographs.

I finished up my photos though yesterday, and that takes a bit of time to do. We had a beautiful spring-like day and the afternoon lighting is optimal for getting nice, clear pictures that have the truest color. For smaller items, I usually use the photo box that Keith made, but it is a bit too small for the trays so I work with a combination of natural light and artificial light, as well as adjusting the settings on my camera.

I am still very happy with the Sony camera that we picked up last year. Both the still photographs and the videos are much improved over the previous Sony camera that I owned. It seems that every year these little inexpensive camera advance by leaps and bounds.

Among other things, I was able to take the pictures of the colorized butterfly candle tray. For those of you who may have missed, here are pictures of it in its natural color:

Candle Wax Candle holder Gas Natural material


Drinkware Wood Ingredient Dishware Serveware


Brown Wood Creative arts Art Natural material


While I feel that it is very nice done up in pretty ash, I like it even more stained lightly with some soft colored acrylic paints and the DecoArt staining and Antiquing Medium. I think the sheer color enhances the scroll work nicely, and it really looks good:

Tableware Drinkware Dishware Cup Ingredient


Pollinator Gold Insect Arthropod Body jewelry


Brown Wood Gold Font Natural material


I don't know if you noticed, but I couldn't help but add a couple of pretty crystal hot fix rhinestones to accent the grassy base. I use the peridot green stones from Rhinestone Canada and they really look beautiful. Being born in August, the peridot is my birthstone and I have never been very fond of it. But for some reason, I just love the light green color of these stones and I think they look both subtle and pretty on the base of the tray - like little drops of water. I also used a single Black Diamond colored stone on each of the heads of the butterflies. You can barely see them, but they add a bit of shine - especially in the candle light. The do make a nice and subtle difference.

I have one more tray to show you that I had colored in, but I will save that for tomorrow. Since I will be spending most of the day writing, it will give me some pictures to show you then.

It looks to be another beautiful day here in Nova Scotia. The sun is out and there isn't a cloud in the sky. While the blossoms are not yet apparent, I am noticing that most of the trees are beginning to bud. It seems late this year, but I believe that spring has finally arrived.

I hope you enjoy your day today.

"How lovely to think that no one need wait a moment. We can start now, start slowly, changing the world. How lovely that everyone, great and small, can make a contribution toward introducing justice straightaway. And you can always, always give something, even if it is only kindness!"- Anne Frank (1929-1945)
Great additions using the stones Sheila, I think it really adds a nice pop visually to the whole theme!

Thanks for the post and your kind words on my video, always inspiring to see your ideas.

Have a great day,

Joe

http://www.spoonscarver.com/
 

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#8,088 ·
Pocket Full of Posies

This will be the final set of pictures of the new trays. When I showed this tray before, it was only oiled and had its natural maple color. While it was very pretty then, I wanted to add some color to it to brighten it up:

Candle Wax White Candle holder Gas


When drawing this piece up, I thought that the border resembled a ribbon. The one part especially looked like a bow and I thought it made a nice base for the simple flowers.

Flower Plant Headgear Petal Creative arts


While I could have chosen any color of the rainbow, I thought it would look nice in a pale blue. I knew I wanted to make the flowers white and I though that a light blue ribbon for the base would look good.

Flower White Petal Plant Flowering plant


I once again used small 4mm yellow crystal rhinestones for the flower centers. The added shimmer in the candle light really adds a nice touch when it is lit.

Hand Flower Petal Plant Finger


I am thinking that I may shade around the blue areas with a darker blue to give the tray more depth, but that is the painter inside of me wanting to do that. I know that if I make things look too complicated, people that are new to painting won't want to try it. I didn't glue down any of the flowers yet though, so I may do that just for myself and offer it as an option in the instructions, as well as add one more picture. That way it won't be too overwhelming.

I worked on the patterns for much of the day yesterday. I had to get some other things done though, so I didn't get as far as I would have liked. I am trying to make some general instructions on how to post the upright pieces such as the butterflies on yesterday's candle tray so that they are straight forward and simple. It really isn't difficult to do, but sometimes I have trouble explaining and I do realize that people will be using different thicknesses for the add-on figures and I want to have some general instructions that they can apply to whatever they have on hand to make the pieces with. It sounds easy, I know, but making things clear in writing is sometimes a challenge (for me it is anyway!)

I plan on spending the entire day on writing and getting these all finished and up on the site. Hopefully I will be at least close by the end of the day.

I can't believe that it is Friday already and that another week has passed us by. Time is going by so quickly. I guess I am having a lot of fun. :)

Have a good day and stay safe.
 

Attachments

#8,089 ·
Pocket Full of Posies

This will be the final set of pictures of the new trays. When I showed this tray before, it was only oiled and had its natural maple color. While it was very pretty then, I wanted to add some color to it to brighten it up:

Candle Wax White Candle holder Gas


When drawing this piece up, I thought that the border resembled a ribbon. The one part especially looked like a bow and I thought it made a nice base for the simple flowers.

Flower Plant Headgear Petal Creative arts


While I could have chosen any color of the rainbow, I thought it would look nice in a pale blue. I knew I wanted to make the flowers white and I though that a light blue ribbon for the base would look good.

Flower White Petal Plant Flowering plant


I once again used small 4mm yellow crystal rhinestones for the flower centers. The added shimmer in the candle light really adds a nice touch when it is lit.

Hand Flower Petal Plant Finger


I am thinking that I may shade around the blue areas with a darker blue to give the tray more depth, but that is the painter inside of me wanting to do that. I know that if I make things look too complicated, people that are new to painting won't want to try it. I didn't glue down any of the flowers yet though, so I may do that just for myself and offer it as an option in the instructions, as well as add one more picture. That way it won't be too overwhelming.

I worked on the patterns for much of the day yesterday. I had to get some other things done though, so I didn't get as far as I would have liked. I am trying to make some general instructions on how to post the upright pieces such as the butterflies on yesterday's candle tray so that they are straight forward and simple. It really isn't difficult to do, but sometimes I have trouble explaining and I do realize that people will be using different thicknesses for the add-on figures and I want to have some general instructions that they can apply to whatever they have on hand to make the pieces with. It sounds easy, I know, but making things clear in writing is sometimes a challenge (for me it is anyway!)

I plan on spending the entire day on writing and getting these all finished and up on the site. Hopefully I will be at least close by the end of the day.

I can't believe that it is Friday already and that another week has passed us by. Time is going by so quickly. I guess I am having a lot of fun. :)

Have a good day and stay safe.
Though I love the colors and feel of natural woods your use of color and the jewels was wonderful! What a difference in the first and second photos!
 

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#8,102 ·
One Last Tray (for now!)

It was a restless night. The wind was howling and gusting so loud that it was difficult to get a restful sleep. It is muggy out, but opening a window meant hearing the violent swirling of the wind through the trees as they complained with loud rustling and creaking. I would say that it is raining, but besides a sharp smattering here and there against the window between the blasts of wind, it does not appear to be so. The ground is only slightly wet and there are no large puddles. When the wind subsides, I can hear the birds chirping cheerfully. It is a bit unsettling.

Such is spring.

We unplugged all the computers and equipment last night, expecting to have the power out for at least a bit. So far though, that hasn't happened, and everything has been steady. But as the sun is coming up, I can see the tops of the tress across the road by the river violently swaying in the wind and I hear the blasts against the window from time to time and I know we aren't out of the woods yet.

To the west of us, others had very cold temperatures and snow yesterday. Usually that means that whatever weather system they experienced is heading in our direction, although many times by the time it reaches us here in the east it has changed quite a bit. Whether it intensifies or lessens remains to be seen. I have long ago learned that we just have to take it as it comes. "It is what it is" and there is little choice but to accept it.

While I do watch for the alerts that come across the internet in regards to weather, I have learned not to panic. More so than not we are advised to take precautionary measures, and as it turns out, what arrives is typically a great deal less than anticipated. It is good to be prepared though, and we have to guard ourselves against becoming complacent in regard to these warnings. We don't want to be caught with our guard down when a real storm hits. So we are watchful.

I think having no television is helpful in these matters. It seems that the media hype of things like this is so constant that the public becomes desensitized to the warnings. I am sure that one would think it odd that we don't have access to television, but rest assured, it is our choice and it is one that I don't regret. It is probably one of the reasons that I can be so productive. Besides . . . everything we need is accessible on the internet. Why spend over $100 per month for something that we feel we can do well without? We don't even stay caught up with the shows that we watch for free online, let alone flood ourselves with all the other things that cable TV has to offer. We do well as we are.

I feel as if I accomplished a great deal last week. Even though I am not quite finished, I am almost to the point that I need to be. I have the pattern packets made up for six of the eight new patterns and I plan to finish the other two this morning and get them available on the site today. I also plan to send a newsletter out to our subscribers, announcing the update.

Making this many new patterns in this amount of time was a lot. Keith has said that I probably should have made only a couple at a time, finishing them before continuing on, but I honestly didn't want to do things that way. It may have been easier in some ways, but I felt that I was on a roll and wanted to keep going. As I said when I finished drawing, I could have kept on, as I have many more ideas for the next batch.

In between doing my own new designs here we put out a sizable wholesale order and I also built the little crow and cart for the magazine as well as an article with eleven variations on one pattern. I think I did OK. Sometimes stopping in the middle of drawing and taking time to finish what I started breaks the rhythm that I am in and I somehow lose that inspiration. I don't know how, but it happens. So doing things the way I did was probably the best way for me to proceed.

I have one more design to show today, although I made it a couple of months ago. It was one that I created for the magazine that I will be able to now sell on my site, as the issue has been released. It is also a candle tray with some dimensional pieces. The subject for it is dragonflies, and I really like how it came out:

Drinkware Light Cup Serveware Dishware


As with many of the other trays, I also added some color to this piece:

Drinkware Dishware Cup Tableware Serveware


I think that the simple colors of the piece really makes these dragonflies look great:

Pollinator Insect Arthropod Gesture Finger


I am happy that so many of you who don't like seeing wood painted enjoy seeing these pieces colored. The Staining and Antiquing Medium from DecoArt is so easy to use, and it really does allow you to see through to the wood grain, which helps the paint look subtle and soft. It isn't as if I just painted solidly on the pieces. The character and figure of the wood is still visible, only enhanced. That is why I like this product so much. The best part is that you need little painting skill to achieve a good result - which is something that many woodworkers really like. I hope to encourage even the hard core woodworkers to give it a try.

Body jewelry Amber Creative arts Gold Art


So onward I go today. I hope to be able to accomplish all I set out to do and finish up the patterns and update the site. So many of you have been asking for the patterns for these new projects and I hate to put you all off. I really am working as hard as I can. But they need to be right, and they need to be complete, and making them the way I do takes a little bit of time. I truly appreciate your patience. I know it will be worth it though, as I am pretty proud of what I have accomplished so far.

I hope you all have a good weekend. It has been a rough week for many - especially in the USA. Between Boston and Texas and flooding in Chicago and storms in the Midwest and South it seems that many of my dear family and friends have had a heck of a time. I wish you all the best and I hope you are all safe.

Have a good Saturday. Remember the good things that you can be thankful for.
 

Attachments

#8,103 ·
One Last Tray (for now!)

It was a restless night. The wind was howling and gusting so loud that it was difficult to get a restful sleep. It is muggy out, but opening a window meant hearing the violent swirling of the wind through the trees as they complained with loud rustling and creaking. I would say that it is raining, but besides a sharp smattering here and there against the window between the blasts of wind, it does not appear to be so. The ground is only slightly wet and there are no large puddles. When the wind subsides, I can hear the birds chirping cheerfully. It is a bit unsettling.

Such is spring.

We unplugged all the computers and equipment last night, expecting to have the power out for at least a bit. So far though, that hasn't happened, and everything has been steady. But as the sun is coming up, I can see the tops of the tress across the road by the river violently swaying in the wind and I hear the blasts against the window from time to time and I know we aren't out of the woods yet.

To the west of us, others had very cold temperatures and snow yesterday. Usually that means that whatever weather system they experienced is heading in our direction, although many times by the time it reaches us here in the east it has changed quite a bit. Whether it intensifies or lessens remains to be seen. I have long ago learned that we just have to take it as it comes. "It is what it is" and there is little choice but to accept it.

While I do watch for the alerts that come across the internet in regards to weather, I have learned not to panic. More so than not we are advised to take precautionary measures, and as it turns out, what arrives is typically a great deal less than anticipated. It is good to be prepared though, and we have to guard ourselves against becoming complacent in regard to these warnings. We don't want to be caught with our guard down when a real storm hits. So we are watchful.

I think having no television is helpful in these matters. It seems that the media hype of things like this is so constant that the public becomes desensitized to the warnings. I am sure that one would think it odd that we don't have access to television, but rest assured, it is our choice and it is one that I don't regret. It is probably one of the reasons that I can be so productive. Besides . . . everything we need is accessible on the internet. Why spend over $100 per month for something that we feel we can do well without? We don't even stay caught up with the shows that we watch for free online, let alone flood ourselves with all the other things that cable TV has to offer. We do well as we are.

I feel as if I accomplished a great deal last week. Even though I am not quite finished, I am almost to the point that I need to be. I have the pattern packets made up for six of the eight new patterns and I plan to finish the other two this morning and get them available on the site today. I also plan to send a newsletter out to our subscribers, announcing the update.

Making this many new patterns in this amount of time was a lot. Keith has said that I probably should have made only a couple at a time, finishing them before continuing on, but I honestly didn't want to do things that way. It may have been easier in some ways, but I felt that I was on a roll and wanted to keep going. As I said when I finished drawing, I could have kept on, as I have many more ideas for the next batch.

In between doing my own new designs here we put out a sizable wholesale order and I also built the little crow and cart for the magazine as well as an article with eleven variations on one pattern. I think I did OK. Sometimes stopping in the middle of drawing and taking time to finish what I started breaks the rhythm that I am in and I somehow lose that inspiration. I don't know how, but it happens. So doing things the way I did was probably the best way for me to proceed.

I have one more design to show today, although I made it a couple of months ago. It was one that I created for the magazine that I will be able to now sell on my site, as the issue has been released. It is also a candle tray with some dimensional pieces. The subject for it is dragonflies, and I really like how it came out:

Drinkware Light Cup Serveware Dishware


As with many of the other trays, I also added some color to this piece:

Drinkware Dishware Cup Tableware Serveware


I think that the simple colors of the piece really makes these dragonflies look great:

Pollinator Insect Arthropod Gesture Finger


I am happy that so many of you who don't like seeing wood painted enjoy seeing these pieces colored. The Staining and Antiquing Medium from DecoArt is so easy to use, and it really does allow you to see through to the wood grain, which helps the paint look subtle and soft. It isn't as if I just painted solidly on the pieces. The character and figure of the wood is still visible, only enhanced. That is why I like this product so much. The best part is that you need little painting skill to achieve a good result - which is something that many woodworkers really like. I hope to encourage even the hard core woodworkers to give it a try.

Body jewelry Amber Creative arts Gold Art


So onward I go today. I hope to be able to accomplish all I set out to do and finish up the patterns and update the site. So many of you have been asking for the patterns for these new projects and I hate to put you all off. I really am working as hard as I can. But they need to be right, and they need to be complete, and making them the way I do takes a little bit of time. I truly appreciate your patience. I know it will be worth it though, as I am pretty proud of what I have accomplished so far.

I hope you all have a good weekend. It has been a rough week for many - especially in the USA. Between Boston and Texas and flooding in Chicago and storms in the Midwest and South it seems that many of my dear family and friends have had a heck of a time. I wish you all the best and I hope you are all safe.

Have a good Saturday. Remember the good things that you can be thankful for.
Sheila it is amazing how productive you can be with no TV
All we watch is the odd DVD, no news or weather forecasts
I think we get to read the seasons better and adjust to suit
Love the dragonflies you are on a roll
Hard Core. Does using a chainsaw on a wood lathe while sitting
in a wheelchair count, LoL

I love my job
Jamie
 

Attachments

#8,114 ·
Finished Updating our Website

I am going to keep things short today. I just wanted to make the announcement that we did get the site updated yesterday and all my new patterns are now there. I had quite a few inquiries as to when they would be available and I wanted to let you know that now they are.

I think I am going to take a day to catch up on things around the house. I still have to finish writing my article for the magazine and finish up the crow pull toy instructions but there are things around here that I need to do and I want to take a day. I have been working pretty much every day for the past several weeks and I think a breath is warranted and necessary.

In addition to posting the new items, we did make some new mix and match sets so our customers can make their own sales by choosing their favorites of certain patterns. We have had this in the past for other types of patterns and we find that people like that a lot.

Organism Art Wood Font Rectangle


Keith's Self-Framing Leaf Bordered Wildlife Set

It is a great way for our customers to choose the patterns that they like at a savings. We also made a mix and match set for any three candle tray patterns.

I hope you all have a great Sunday. Have a good day and take some time to do what you enjoy.
 

Attachments

#8,115 ·
Finished Updating our Website

I am going to keep things short today. I just wanted to make the announcement that we did get the site updated yesterday and all my new patterns are now there. I had quite a few inquiries as to when they would be available and I wanted to let you know that now they are.

I think I am going to take a day to catch up on things around the house. I still have to finish writing my article for the magazine and finish up the crow pull toy instructions but there are things around here that I need to do and I want to take a day. I have been working pretty much every day for the past several weeks and I think a breath is warranted and necessary.

In addition to posting the new items, we did make some new mix and match sets so our customers can make their own sales by choosing their favorites of certain patterns. We have had this in the past for other types of patterns and we find that people like that a lot.

Organism Art Wood Font Rectangle


Keith's Self-Framing Leaf Bordered Wildlife Set

It is a great way for our customers to choose the patterns that they like at a savings. We also made a mix and match set for any three candle tray patterns.

I hope you all have a great Sunday. Have a good day and take some time to do what you enjoy.
Hi Sheila,
The good thing when something is framed, details are magnified. I like the butterfly. More of these types will always be a top grosser. Challenging work makes it so demanding. It becomes a meaningful achievement when somebody successfully made it likewise the buyer of the cut pieces will notice how difficult it was done.
Thanks for sharing Keiths work… it adds to power we get from knowledge…

I end up my Sunday finishing the quadrilateral design. Additionally, i fitted the hinge for the cylinder. Finished today 3 projects. I will post later… varnish still wet to take photo. It was was a productive weekend.

Have a nice Sunday too.
 

Attachments

#8,119 ·
My 'Day Off'

I had intended to take the day yesterday 'off' and slow down a bit. After completing the eight new patterns, I thought it would be good to take a break. We had a beautiful day here in Nova Scotia, with mild temperatures, a gentle breeze and lots of sunshine. We were very fortunate compared to the weather that others are experiencing.

But as things had it, I wound up spending much of the day "Spring Cleaning" and doing a bit of organization. Keith was gone for much of the day and I had the house all to myself. One of the first things I wanted to do was tidy things up. From there it was a domino effect of chores that I have been putting off until later and began crossing off my list, one by one.

It started with me replacing the door screen. It had a small tear in it and we had it off since last fall. Since the weather was so mild, I wanted to allow as much fresh air in as possible so I used a screen kit we had purchased last year and did the repair. That led to me taking down all the front screens and cleaning them. Of course I needed to clean the window sills then. And the windows. (You all know how that happens . . .) Before I knew it I was even pulling out the refrigerator from the wall to vacuum under it (after all - we have three cats!)

I didn't mind though, as I had some good music in the background and our little place is nice and neat again. I still need to do some organizing of the closets, but I think I made great strides.

After Keith came home, he took me out for a bite to eat. I planned on making a nice roast for dinner, but he was hungry right then and there and invited me to go out with him. I jumped at the chance, leaving my things as is and we had a nice meal. When I returned though, I still had to finish up one of the largest jobs that I had decided to tackle - Sorting my many types of paint.

On Friday, I received my order from DecoArt that I had placed the week before. The Americana paints that I use so often had some new colors, and I was eager to get them and add them into my supply. They also had a new type of paint called "Americana Multi-Surface Satins" that I wanted to try, and they were included in that order.

Brown Liquid Plant Bottle Fluid


This is a new product offered by DecoArt that is supposed to be a great indoor/outdoor paint. It needs no primer or sealer, and it is suppose to have superior adherence to any surface, including glass and plastic. They say that it is a "do-it-all paint can be used on wood, metal, glass, terra cotta, ceramics, papier mâché, most plastics, fabric, and canvas."

As I often have many questions from people who are making outdoor items as to how to prep and finish them, and what types of paint they should use for them, this seems to be quite a promising product. I have used DecoArt products for many years and they are known for their high quality. I hope to try this paint on some things and see how it holds up, as I do plan on making more indoor/outdoor designs and yard art and I would love to have a product like this that works.

You can see more about the line of paint here: http://www.decoart.com/cgi-bin/Products.cgi?Americana_Multi-Surface_Satin

I will certainly keep you all posted as to how I feel these paints work on both indoor and outdoor projects.

Storing a whole new line of paint for me was a bit of a challenge. As many of you know, we have quite a small place here and I like to keep everything at hand and accessible. It did cause me to start sorting through all of my paints and I was able to incorporate the box into things without too much difficulty (after re-sorting everything else!)

Thus went my day.

I feel good though today and I hope to finish the write up on the Crow and Pumpkins Pull Toy for the magazine as well as the article on doing one pattern in several different ways. After that, I will be able to start the next new sets of designs and move forward.

Having the place organized is a good feeling. Since we are in a small place, it is very easy for things to get cluttered quickly. It is much easier to stay on top of things and tidy things up as we go rather than let things accumulate. I realize this takes a lot of discipline, and much has to be either thrown out or donated or given away elsewhere. It is very easy to accumulate things when we are constantly creating new things, and it just isn't worth the time and effort for us to try to sell them.

So I am starting out Monday with a fresh, clean palette. My 'day off' turned out to be nice after all, as I prepared my work area (which in this case is my home) for the next projects. In the long run, it will make everything much more pleasant and easier to find.

I hope you all had a good weekend too. And I hope you have a nice and productive week ahead. Monday is a good day to start a fresh new week. I hope I can accomplish a lot.

Have a great day!
 

Attachments

#8,120 ·
My 'Day Off'

I had intended to take the day yesterday 'off' and slow down a bit. After completing the eight new patterns, I thought it would be good to take a break. We had a beautiful day here in Nova Scotia, with mild temperatures, a gentle breeze and lots of sunshine. We were very fortunate compared to the weather that others are experiencing.

But as things had it, I wound up spending much of the day "Spring Cleaning" and doing a bit of organization. Keith was gone for much of the day and I had the house all to myself. One of the first things I wanted to do was tidy things up. From there it was a domino effect of chores that I have been putting off until later and began crossing off my list, one by one.

It started with me replacing the door screen. It had a small tear in it and we had it off since last fall. Since the weather was so mild, I wanted to allow as much fresh air in as possible so I used a screen kit we had purchased last year and did the repair. That led to me taking down all the front screens and cleaning them. Of course I needed to clean the window sills then. And the windows. (You all know how that happens . . .) Before I knew it I was even pulling out the refrigerator from the wall to vacuum under it (after all - we have three cats!)

I didn't mind though, as I had some good music in the background and our little place is nice and neat again. I still need to do some organizing of the closets, but I think I made great strides.

After Keith came home, he took me out for a bite to eat. I planned on making a nice roast for dinner, but he was hungry right then and there and invited me to go out with him. I jumped at the chance, leaving my things as is and we had a nice meal. When I returned though, I still had to finish up one of the largest jobs that I had decided to tackle - Sorting my many types of paint.

On Friday, I received my order from DecoArt that I had placed the week before. The Americana paints that I use so often had some new colors, and I was eager to get them and add them into my supply. They also had a new type of paint called "Americana Multi-Surface Satins" that I wanted to try, and they were included in that order.

Brown Liquid Plant Bottle Fluid


This is a new product offered by DecoArt that is supposed to be a great indoor/outdoor paint. It needs no primer or sealer, and it is suppose to have superior adherence to any surface, including glass and plastic. They say that it is a "do-it-all paint can be used on wood, metal, glass, terra cotta, ceramics, papier mâché, most plastics, fabric, and canvas."

As I often have many questions from people who are making outdoor items as to how to prep and finish them, and what types of paint they should use for them, this seems to be quite a promising product. I have used DecoArt products for many years and they are known for their high quality. I hope to try this paint on some things and see how it holds up, as I do plan on making more indoor/outdoor designs and yard art and I would love to have a product like this that works.

You can see more about the line of paint here: http://www.decoart.com/cgi-bin/Products.cgi?Americana_Multi-Surface_Satin

I will certainly keep you all posted as to how I feel these paints work on both indoor and outdoor projects.

Storing a whole new line of paint for me was a bit of a challenge. As many of you know, we have quite a small place here and I like to keep everything at hand and accessible. It did cause me to start sorting through all of my paints and I was able to incorporate the box into things without too much difficulty (after re-sorting everything else!)

Thus went my day.

I feel good though today and I hope to finish the write up on the Crow and Pumpkins Pull Toy for the magazine as well as the article on doing one pattern in several different ways. After that, I will be able to start the next new sets of designs and move forward.

Having the place organized is a good feeling. Since we are in a small place, it is very easy for things to get cluttered quickly. It is much easier to stay on top of things and tidy things up as we go rather than let things accumulate. I realize this takes a lot of discipline, and much has to be either thrown out or donated or given away elsewhere. It is very easy to accumulate things when we are constantly creating new things, and it just isn't worth the time and effort for us to try to sell them.

So I am starting out Monday with a fresh, clean palette. My 'day off' turned out to be nice after all, as I prepared my work area (which in this case is my home) for the next projects. In the long run, it will make everything much more pleasant and easier to find.

I hope you all had a good weekend too. And I hope you have a nice and productive week ahead. Monday is a good day to start a fresh new week. I hope I can accomplish a lot.

Have a great day!
Something tells me Sheila….you will definitely accomplish a lot..lol. You are right, Monday is always a nice way to begin again. You have been creating some awesome designs and I am sure there are many more ahead!

Have a great day,

Joe
 

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