Coming in 2015

As 2014 is coming to a close I hope everyone's enjoying their holidays.  In addition to our traditional end of the year festivities I've been considering how I could improve this blog and my shop in the coming year.  I'm sure this will be a never ending process but I have a few ideas on what to do:

• Add a section describing the materials I most frequently use as well as providing photos of different staining and color choices.
• Overhaul the tags so they're a little more consistent.  I'll be adding tags for materials and stains so it will be easier to find examples in the blog.
• Retake several of the photos for the Etsy store that were taken before I had settled on my current setup.
• If there's time I'd like to get back to writing more in depth posts similar to the SCIENCE! posts I used to write.  I'd like to write some more in-depth descriptions of the materials or some of the history of the techniques.  It's possible I might also get a bit off-topic and write some blurbs on things like D&D, gaming, or sheer randomness.

My plan is to have the first three points finished by the end of February.  In January I'll be heading back home to San Antonio, TX for PAX South and I've been working on a gun belt and some new pouches for a little impromptu cosplay.  Meanwhile, I plan to continue adding 1-2 items to the store every month, time allowing.  2015 is shaping up to be an interesting and productive year!

Happy Holidays

Today happens to be the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year.  After today, the days will start getting longer, bit by bit.  Nearly every culture on earth has some sort of holiday or festival that at least began by observing this annual occasion.  However your culture chooses to celebrate the season I hope it finds you in good health and happiness.  Happy Holidays!

Tap + Bottle Belt Buckle

Things certainly have been hopping over here this holiday season.  I've been able to sell a few previously prepared items on the store and there hasn't been much want for commissions.  The latest has been this buckle.  The clients run a bar where one of the bartenders is known for wearing his large buckles.  They figured it'd be shiny if he had one with the bar's logo and I certainly agree.

Quote on a Guitar Strap

A young woman in Texas wanted to give her partner a gift this year of a guitar strap carved with a quote her partner had given her.  This order came in pretty much at the wire but I had -just- enough time to get it finished before the cut off for Christmas delivery.  I finished the guitar strap about an hour before the post office closed so I didn't really have time to set up any good shots with the finished product.  I did try something new this time around by stitching the strap while standing up.  This was markedly faster (probably ~25% so) but even so it's a bit tiring to stand by the workbench for 6 or 7 hours.

Riding Pouch, Mark II

The gentlemen who commissioned the first of these pouches had a few ideas for some improvements after using his first pouch in the field for awhile.  Namely he was looking for higher partitions, additional ports in the lid so that it was adjustable, and stitching the label to the keeper rather than the lid.  I was quite happy to make him another pouch and I'm sure he'll find these improvements pretty handy.

Handmade Holidays!

Last week I announced over twitter that I'm offering 10% all orders that use the offer code HANDMADEHOLIDAYS2014 during this Dec.  Today I'm upping the ante even further!  Any orders that use the offer code will also receive a complimentary christmas ornament with their order.

I'll also be offering the ornaments as a set of 3 in the store but you can get  one for free to mark your handmade holiday by using the offer code.  This is the last week where I can guarantee delivery by Christmas so be sure to get your order in quickly.

MJF Theater Key Fobs

The holiday season rolls along with an order for a number of commemorative key fobs for the local Michael J Fox Theater.  The client is expecting to retire after working there for over two decades and he wanted to marked the occasion by handing out some key fobs.

As it happens, the design is simple even for a fob so I've been able to crank these out quicker than I'd expected.  The trickiest part has been layering the finish to achieve a matte finish while the letters are still shiny.  Of course this effect is impossible to photograph and subtle enough in person but I'm pretty happy with it.

3 Piece Guitar Strap & Latigo Ruler Case

This was a pretty big order for woman in the UK who's partner happens to be a fan of gibson guitars.  She had a very clear idea of what she was looking for in a gift for said partner and once we'd settled on the details I set about trying to bring that idea into reality.  The pencil case is something I've made several times though never quite this long (31 cm, about a foot).  The construction was tried and true but any longer and I don't think the creases would hold.

The guitar strap was another matter.  This was my first time working with this pattern and it was certainly a learning experience.  I triple counted the stitches so I'm pretty sure the twist that developed in the center piece will work out over time.  It's an interesting design and when I get a chance I think I'd like to modify it into something I could add as a regular item for the store.  As it was I was hard pressed to get this order finished by the deadline to ship it.  By working through the weekend I managed to set the final stitch about 1.5 hours before the post office closed.  That didn't leave me too much time to set up any photos but hopefully they still get the notion across.