When Louie Ruled the World

Everyone got a free white pick-up truck and it was legal to ride on top of it at high speeds(sticky toes help to hold on of course), and free bottomless banana smoothies with crickets on the side all day, every day!  Rawr!!!!

Busy Little Bee

I am working on a lot of little things these days.  I am trying to get as many little copper/brass pendants made as possible AND I am cutting out and gluing things at the same time.  I had such great momentum going until everything in our apartment broke at once.  Not to mention, all of us have been sick non-stop since Ciaran started school.  Now, things are almost calm and with the exception of a still broken oven, a leaky roof, and a shower and floor that need to be replaced.  I can actually concentrate on something else! 

I am actually going to try to do a spring show this year too!  I just need to buckle down and actually sew some of this leathery goodness up!  Hopefully, the kids will let me work here and there and the endless phone calls and visits from repairmen will calm down.

Leprechaun Trap!

Leprechaun Truck Trap by Ciaran

Ciaran and I were busy building a leprechaun trap last week for his class.  He wanted a truck so we made one out of cereal boxes, sticks, bobbins, a vitamin bottle, and tissue paper.  Ciaran made a sign to entice the leprechaun to jump in the back of the truck and into the trap full of gold!    I think it turned out pretty darn cool:) 


Happy St. Patrick's Day!

The First One is Listed!

Pendant Number 1

I finally finished my pendants into "neck pieces" this week.  I added leather lacing to each one and some rivets to make them look super awesome and now, the first one is up in my Etsy shop.  I am diggin' how they are coming out and hope to expand on the idea a bit.  I think the thing I like the most is watching them patina before my eyes.  Since the metal I am using is scrap from my mask making, it already has some texture and patina to it.  I am adding more texture to help each piece of metal fit into the whole piece but I am leaving the rest alone.  Each piece is polished with a brass brush and soap and water only.  I only sand down the rough spots here and there.  So they are all going to naturally patina over time.  My goal is to have a completely new idea look like it has been around for ages, just like my masks do.  I am having way too much fun with these, I hope you enjoy looking at them too:)

What I Did This Weekend

I went into the secret lab and came out with these!  None of them are completely finished but here you go:) 

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My goal was to finish up five of these so I could finish each one over the course of the week and list them by the weekend.  But, my hands are blistered and sore and I think it may take a couple of extra days to finish up.  I still need to attach the bails and decide if I want to add chain or cord to them AND some coordinating copper and brass charms at the end of the cords to make them super AWESOME! 

I read somewhere that this year was the year to work hard, and I'm trying to.  I'm trying to minimize the time I'm on the computer so I can get more done in the lab.  I hope this is a step in the right direction.  Right now I am so excited that I got to do some metal work that I don't even care if anything comes of it.  I missed my metal so.

Until we meet again............

Is Today The Day?

That I get to sew non-stop without interruption?  To catch up from my three week long dealings with the flu?  To make some cool stuff for my shop?  I hope so.  I'm not holding my breath but I cleaned off the work table, finished my last custom project for a while, and I plan to sew! 

Sick and Tired

I have been gone lately.  Sick and tired with the flu and all the fun that goes with it.  I'm hoping this will be the week I bounce back and get some stuff made.  I just need to wade my way through the tired part.  That always gets me, the tired that comes from recovering from something nasty.  I feel well enough to work but once I get up to the machine I poop out again.  Just from the effort.  Not nice!  This week you will probably find me lounging in front of the TV cutting out many billfolds and coin pouches complaining about how cold it is in the house.  Next week, hopefully you'll find me getting off my butt and over to the machine to stitch up some of these billfolds and such.  I"m keeping my fingers crossed:)