The New And Improved Pouch!

So this is the new and improved pouch I have been working on. I decided to make it in the style of a messenger with an extra pocket in the front, and a zipper pocket and three other pockets inside. I love how it turned out. This one is a belated birthday present for a good friend of mine and I really hope she likes it. I put a key chain/clip on this one for a little added bonus and I think that is how I want to go with the rest of them. I think they come in handy. I am going to miss the lime green suede. I am down to the last few pieces now. So sad. Hopefully I will be getting my lovely green and yellow racer's jacket soon so I will have some bright kelly green to work with. That should liven things up a bit. I have decided to make my next pouch in teal and brown. I am adding an iridescent sheen to a piece of aqua suede I have and so far it looks marvelous! I am sure it will make a great pouch.

We had a lovely shopping day yesterday! I bought myself some new mineral make-up from HeavenlyNaturals and Ciaran and I picked out some lovely Halloween decorations. He went with the orange glow in the dark skeleton and I picked out a garland with all sorts of Halloween inspired characters for the inside. Next will be the pumpkin patch! I can't wait! I just have to remember to bring batteries for the camera this time.

Happy October!

Happy October everyone! I thought I would celebrate the start of one of my favorite months with a favorite picture of one of my Jack o' lanterns from a while back. I am sitting here waiting for paint to dry and watching a storm come in. We are supposed to have some rainy-ness over the next few days so it should make for productivity for me. As long as Ciaran can handle it, I am good to go! Hopefully I will have some new items for my shops by the weekend. I have a bunch ready to put together, I just need to get my butt in gear! It has been kind of tricky to balance child care, cleaning, taking care of a sick, elderly kitty, sewing, and soldering. I am managing to get it done somehow.................I have no idea how. I have procrastination in my blood, and I have gotten in trouble with it from time to time. When I started working and went off to school, I fought the procrastination bug and won. With all my time at home lately, it occasionally creeps back in, and if I am lucky enough to notice it early enough, I smack it around and send it packing. So far so good.

Oh My! It's October Tomorrow!!!!

It is October tomorrow and I have much to do! Now that I am done with my custom order computer bag, I will be doing a bit of celebrating one of my favorite months of the year.

First thing is to get some wild Halloween decorations to put up around here. I found a bright purple plastic skeleton to hang on our door so now I need some decorations to compliment it. I am thinking that blinking eyeball lights and fuzzy spiders would be lovely!

Then I need to start Ciaran's costume, he is going to be a little devil in bright red fleece! I found a great little hoodie/pants pattern to use, so the kiddo can wear his costume all winter long. I am also attempting to make him a pair of red booties out of wool and leather, I have cut out the soles of the booties, I just need to cut out and decorate the tops.

I will of course be working like crazy on my various projects to get them ready for our upcoming holiday season. I just found a whole bunch of ornaments to solder and put together that I made when I was pregnant with Ciaran. All new designs too! Those and the ones I made over the last few months should be enough for our two shows. Yay! I still have to solder the seams and make stone settings for them but if I can get back into the groove, I can do a bunch at a time and spend an evening or two setting all the stones. Lots of work ahead but I am feeling quite fearless and ready for anything. I am getting myself up early these days so I have a couple of extra hours for work. I get up and work with my old and frail fuzzy beast Humbug quietly purring away next to me. I am sure she would rather I just snuggle her, but she seems content to hang out and watch me work.

Sleepy Saturday

Indecision is killing me, I am finishing a custom order and I can't quite figure out the last part of the applique design I am using. I had planned out something I thought was fabulous and then Mark took a look at it and said that he thought that I didn't need to go so ornate. So now I am full of indecision about it. It is supposed to be a cross. I had designed the cross to fit the area of the bag that it will be appliqued on, which I still think is fine, but now I keep going back and forth about making it more simple. Oh well, I am going to go with my gut on this one and pray it will work for my customer.

So I am spending my sleepy Saturday working on my leather projects and hoping for a good ghost story on t.v. That or a good zombie flick. I need some creepiness and blood and guts to keep me going. Caffeine is simply not enough. A nap would be great but then I wouldn't get any of my work done. I remember when I used to nap all the time. It was one of my favorite hobbies. Now I can't bear to shut my eyes! I just keep thinking of all the stuff I could get done while the kiddo is sleeping. Today may be the exception though. I am fighting to keep my peepers open!

All Done!

All done and sooooo happy! I think this one has some Autumnal character going on. Now I need to think of a name. The inspiration for this piece was my Etsy avatar "Tripetta" so I guess she is a she, but what name do I give her that represents her as best as possible. I guess I could go with "Autumn" that would be sufficient but not personalized enough for me. Oh well, I will think on it and get back to you all when I figure it out.

So this was my first real opportunity to mold leather. I was really happy with how it turned out. I am thinking I would like to make a few more masks with metal and leather. I think the two go together very well. It was fun and kind of messy but I got good results. I also got to have fun with color and texture. The only thing I really hate is the scraped, dry, and sore hands that come after the work is done. Last night I got hot sauce in one of the many tiny cuts on my hand and I nearly cried it hurt so bad. Ciaran thought it was great because mommy was dancing and singing in the kitchen. I was dancing and ....um.......singing, with tears in eyes, but it was from pain, not happiness. It was really funny because he started dancing too. Twirling and doing the famous toddler sway. Too funny.

Whistle While You Work

So, I am working my butt off on various projects and so far......so good. I have a couple of these little wristlets cut out and ready to put together. I had so much fun doing the two custom pieces that I decided to make a few for my shop and my upcoming shows. I also want to try an oval shape, perhaps in a ladybug pattern, just for fun.

I have decided to look for clothing that would work well for lining my pieces. I keep finding shirts and skirts that would make great lining for my wallets, the trouble is finding something that isn't stretchy or slippery. I also ran across a piece of cotton that I dyed a while back that I will be using for my pieces. I was super excited about hitting the thrift stores today but once again my head is pounding with the change in weather. Sinus problems are so frustrating! I am researching some natural remedies for sinus problems other than snorting salt water which really just messed me up big time. It hurt like hell and I couldn't breath right for a couple of days afterward. So herbs, teas, etc. are the next road for me.

Bird Poop and Big Shows

So Ciaran and I are walking home from downtown and as we near the fire station I check out the wires to see if there are any birds hanging out up there. Of course every bird and his or her mama is hanging out on the wire cheerfully chattering away. Usually we walk around but since I had a lot of stuff and Ciaran was walking along side me I didn't want to cut into the street to get around them. When Mark and I take Ciaran for walks when the birdies are out we usually scream "CLOACA!" and dash into the street covering our heads. That way it scares the birds enough to fly the other way for a couple minutes so we can make it through the treacherous pass without being pooped on. No such luck, I decided to try and make it at a quick pace with stroller and Ciaran in hand and I managed to make it halfway through.....then...........PLOP!.........and there it was all over my shirt. A big purple bird splat right on the boob! Not only did the little jerk poop right on my nice blue shirt, but left a purple stain there as a reminder. All I have to say on the subject now is that my little son's first phrase is probably going to be "F'ing Birds!" and that, at this moment, is quite alright with me.

On a happier note, I got a phone call from my mom to let me know that we have gotten into the biggest holiday craft show in the area. It is called " The Humboldt Artisan's Holiday Arts and Music Festival" Finally! this is after three years of being turned down. It is the one craft show in the area that actually brings in a crowd! So I am excited and I really need to get my butt in gear, and get stuff done! Wish me luck! ( I sure hope that bird poop was a lucky one:)