Oh Snap

I'm probably going to go back, hack and make at least 10, 000 words worth of edits, but that is not the point.

Here's a Headline - More Leather Below

Sorry for the lame-o headline. I'm tired of writing headlines. I write them every day for work and I've already written three today, so I'm spent.

But there is more leather below.

First up a custom order for a guitar strap I'm working on. It's not completely finished yet, but I was psyched about the design, which turned out the way I wanted it to and (I hope) the way its new owner had in mind.

Below that is a leather seatbag for road racing, or whatever form of cycling you fancy. These will be available at Downtown Bike Hounds in Hamilton starting Tuesday December 8th.

A little farther down the page is a Christmas ornament of the dude from Log Driver's Waltz. Canada Vignettes anyone? No? Maybe this link will jog your memory.

Happy holidays hosers!

She Cried "More More More"

Upates, updates!

First up is a Christmas ornament - this little guy works as well hanging from a bough as he does diving from a present. Makes a flashy tag that you can keep. Moms love that stuff. I know mine does

On deck - a trio of simple change purses. Sweet design on the back, brass snap up front.

Third on the list is a guitar strap covered in Ontario Parks icons. I do these custom-styles too, if you're not as Canadian camp nerd as I am.

Feathers Everywhere

All right - here they are.

First up - I'm on a bit of a Christmas ornament kick in preparation for the Makers Market next weekend. Here's a hand-tooled leather feather to hang on the tree. I think I'm going to have to make these a little smaller. As is, this one is the same size as the cuff below, which is very nice, but its price will have to reflect the size.

I don't know if I would pay the same for a Christmas ornament as I would for a bracelet, but maybe I'm cheap? Or a Scrooge?

Next up is a design I've been thinking about for almost two months, but didn't get around to making until yesterday. A massive leather feather to wrap around your wrist.

More to come tomorrow. I'm just waiting for a few things to dry.

I'm All Talk

I do have a finished product to show, but it's after five and (thanks to winter) dark out now so I don't have a photo. I could just take one indoors, but I am done with godforesaken flashes starting now.

Check back tomorrow for a couple new things in the way of leather goods!

Can't Talk - Writing

36, 000 words. My math skills say that's 2, 000 words a day for the next seven days.

Busy Busy Busy

Holy cats I don't have time for anything today! Thank goodness I have a week of vacation to catch up.

Before I take off to do a hundred and one things this afternoon, I am going to post this single snapshot of my latest project - big bad feathers that are on their way to becoming leather cuffs.

I'm hoping to post some finished ones here, and to my Etsy store, this Monday.

Christmas Market Making

Here are a few pieces waiting to be turned into...? Unsure at this point.

I'll be honest - I only actually tooled the red leaves today (as part of a custom order). Everything else was tooled weeks ago. However, I did stain and finish and highlight everything else this very afternoon.
My unnaturally coloured fingertips are testament to that.

Fall = Acorns

See here.

I'm Just Afraid of Change...

Every so often, I think I would like a nice clean look to this page and I test ride a white background. Alack and alas - brown, yellow and orange are a triple threat I cannot resist.

Though Blogger has no ochre (my favourite shade of yellow), it does offer a shade of blue that matches my typewriter perfectly.

Behold! The new banner and another change of page colour.

Bourbon Decay

A few months ago, the very day I was working on a bunch of new flask designs (barley for scotch, corn for bourbon, cactus for tequila), I heard that BC's Carolyn Mark was playing Hamilton's Casbah Lounge.

Because I have loved her for years, and because I was stitching up a corn flask the moment I found out about the show, and because I suspect she truly is a fan of bourbon (and it's not just a catchy song lyric), I thought, hmmmmm, maybe I'll take this flask and give it to her...

...but I was too shy and worried that she wouldn't like it, so I left for the show with a flaskless hip pocket.

Deja vu when, about a month ago, she breezed back into town and I didn't hear about it until the day of the show. Hmmmmm, I thought to myself. Maybe I'll take this flask and give it to her...

Again, I dismissed the thought (the stitching on the only flask I had on hand was very wonky and not at all a good example of my flaskmanship) in favour of a glass of wine.

What do you know though? By the time I walked out the door, that wine had convinced me to slip a flask in my back pocket, just in case.

It turned out to be a smart move. After her excellent set, when I approached her and nervously, nerdily, gave her the flask, she told me she collects "corn things" (please let it have been "corn" and not "corny"). Would you believe it?

Despite her gratitude (she gave me a CD and the Terrible Hostess cookbook I had meant to buy), I still worried about her turning that flask over and seeing my sub-par stitch job. However, it turns out that no one is as picky as I am (or as harsh to me as I am in my own head) because I noticed her pouring a few shots worth of booze into it before she left the bar.

The Light Fantastic

Do you ever have so many ideas, so many sides on your plate, so many to-do's in your day planner, that you can practically feel your veins hum with intention? With purpose? With drive?

Like so many days this past year, I feel like lightning today!

Here's a thing - I'm going to make and upload a beauty of a new banner tomorrow. I'm also going to commit to updating this thing every single day, which means I'll have to create something new and show-off-worthy every single day. Happy new year! My 2010 resolutions start now. More on the way...

In Other News

This has nothing to do with my own art (unless you consider it related by virtue of the fact that music is one form of art I could never make. Musicians blow my mind), but Hamilton band Huron releases their long-awaited debut album at This Ain't Hollywood (or, as I wish it were called, The Saint Hollywood) on Friday night.

Rush out and pick it up! I'm not cool enough not to be excited about this, so I'll right out and ask you to please note that I am thanked in the liner notes, a thrill I know Rob Gordon understands.

Scribbling...

Whenever I'm painting or tooling, I feel like I should be writing. Never have I found myself writing and feeling like I should be painting or tooling.

With this in mind (and with the help of NaNoWriMo), I threw myself to writing this month and, while it's been so great to fully devote my time to that...I miss my sad silver tools, sitting lonely and cold in their mountain ash storage shed.

However, my head is filling up with ideas and, since I have next week off of work, I hope to find a few short hours to devote to making lovely leather things.

Noobs

My new banner and layout is crappy...I will fix it in the coming weeks, and also spill some exciting information!

Away We Go

I just signed up for this baby an hour ago. NaNoWriMo challenges you to write a 50, 000 word novel in 30 days. I'm not aiming for a publisher-ready manuscript, but I am shooting for the word count. Check the site out if you need a kick in the pants to get started on your would-be novel.