First Day of School

 Ciaran ready to go in his new school outfit that he picked out himself.

 On the way to school

 Stopping to watch the traffic

 Ed at the top of the hill

 Mr. Kindergartner, all ready to get to learning!

Edolie playing in the grass on the way home.

A very easy transition with no tears!  He has been ready for such a long time.  I'm not sure if I'm ready though.  I sure hope he loves his new school. 

I'm Still Here

I have been preoccupied with the pretty little being in the pictures above.  Her name is Nutella, and she's LOVELY!  She just came to us on Thursday so she is making herself comfortable in her quarantine enclosure(which I made myself!)  and getting used to the noise and craziness that comes with living with us.

Life has been a little nuts this summer with my two children who seem to have more energy than they know what to do with.  There is lots of wrestling, screaming, getting into things, and laughter.  I am also trying to keep my dad company, since he is completely alone now and is really feeling the absence of my mom.  So, my work in the laboratory has been in little teeny spurts here and there.  I am hoping that once my oldest starts school in a week, I will have a little extra time just to create.

I have been creating some new designs and playing a little bit with copper and brass too so that's been really nice.  I hope to keep it going and show you all something other than cute geckos in the near future!

Oh Darn it!

I meant to get a lot of sewing done this week but fell into a little bit of a hazy allergy and family issue filled week and weekend.  All is well, but I have once again automatically put myself in "catch up" mode.  I just really enjoy when I can sit down and work and just get stuff done!  It is so good for my mind right now.  I am crossing my fingers for a productive week this week, think good thoughts for me!

Step by Step

 The Beginning of Billfold Making- Sketching out the design on the leather.

 This big pile of leather is the billfold faces all cut up and ready to be glued.

 The billfold faces after they've been glued and interfaced.

The finished product.  All ready to go!

How it All Begins

This is what a stack of billfolds looks like before I start cutting and gluing.  Each appliqued area is hand drawn out and then cut out by ME!  Then it's all about finding pieces of leather and suede to glue on to compliment the design.  Then interfacing the whole lot of them,  then sewing the appliques, and then putting the whole thing together.  Seems like a lot of work but it goes relatively quickly.  This is how I will be spending my day while I wait for phone calls and such.

New!

 My Newest Creation, a mix of my itty bitty messenger bag and My large envelope wallet.  This is the first of the batch and I get to call it mine:)  Only so I can see if it's something that will work well for what I designed it for.

 A close-up of the applique design this time purple, orange and olive green suede!

 The contrasting front flap interior in purple suede(goes so nicely with this particular shade of teal

 The exterior of the bag

The interior featuring three card pockets, one zipper pocket and two large slide pockets all fully lined in a paisley cotton print.

And there it is:)  I feel so accomplished!  It's just one of many things on the table this week.  Including a stack of billfolds all ready for cutting, gluing, and sewing,  a wristlet that just needs a zipper and a button to feel complete, and, a cuff from the same teal suede that needs some stitching and a handmade button to make it happy(and wearable)  Here's hopin' that this week some work gets done.

I Did It Again

I changed my shopname again!  I am leathery things, formerly known as Oh! Nicaeli, formerly known as nicaeli designs, formerly known as just Nicael.  I just needed a change:)  I can be found at the same old etsy shop with the new name leatherythings.etsy.com.  Same ol' leathery goodness and such with the same ol' lady making all of it.   Now, I am off to the zoo for maintenance and then back to the sewing machine to finish up a few things.