Fortitudine Vincimus

2009-08-27T19:44:00.000-07:00

Drew this earlier this week, it was so hot and I needed something to keep my hands busy since it was also insufferably boring.

Lignum Vitae is freaking hard. I've been using a diamond saw tile cutter and let me tell you by the end of it that thing was not happy. I'll have to play with some ceramic and see if it was just a leverage issue since the wood piece was getting short.

Stocking up, there are three bracelets done, not including one for myself, three sets of runes, two antler and one beech, and two bracelets + one set of runes to finish. Then I should have a nice little consignment pack to go out with. If I'm lucky, they might not even make it to my Etsy!

I can't find an affordable Saint Columbanus medal for our motorcycle, so I think I might try making one out of wood since I have tons of it around and an ever-present dremel. It'll go nice with the sweet vintage Out Lady of the Miraculous Medal I bought for her.

And hey new peeps! Thanks for following me :]

2009-08-20T21:30:00.000-07:00

Almost a month, holy beans! Two rune sets in antler finished, three bracelets in spalted apple, kingwood and mahogany, and I've got a set of beech runes almost there Two bags to sew, and I think I'll be using some crushed gypsum to inlay the runes in set of black walnut. I've had the rocks around since I visited the strip mine several years ago, so I might as well make something pretty with them!

2009-07-27T12:08:00.000-07:00

New banner and business card! So happy to have these finished. Now I just need to see if I can print them as I want at home, but I don't expect much trouble. I have some lovely matte photo paper I can use to begin with! Business name is set, and I've got a slew of stuff to get ready for consignment/wholesale duty. I can have some stuff for the Christmas online rush and be 100% set for summer tourists next year(hopefully with a better economy, let's all knock on wood, folks!)

On the way are figured black walnut, aromatic cedar, beech and spalted apple. Also, some black anodized and super shiny aluminum jump rings. black will be used for my bracelets since it will be nice and understated with the fab chain I got, and match the patina on the toggles, and super shiny should be great for pendants.

2009-07-17T23:55:00.000-07:00

First package of wood blanks came today! Reclaimed African mahogany from 1948. I also picked up more sanding bands and the engraving tool I needed for my runemaking. I think I have one already, but the extra container of Dremel hardware has poofed off somewhere. I'll unearth that probably soon since I went out and bought spares.

It's a delicate little thing, so I should be able to easily do engraving on my wood jewellery too, and toggles.

I've got ideas about making larger purses out of the upholstery material I've been doing rune bags from, and I have leftover antler chunks from the T shaped sections, so there's some plans there too. I wish I could have gotten rolling in time for tourist season this year, but really now I don't have to worry so much about discouragement from the recession fallout, and I'll be all ready for the holidays. Glass half full!

2009-07-14T12:38:00.000-07:00

My red ochre came today! I can't wait to get into playing with it, but that'll have to wait until next week probably. I got down to cutting antler yesterday, and I think I might splurge and get myself a reciprocating saw(or EVEN a tabletop bandsaw, it's not much more and maybe it'll go on sale) next month. The hacksaw does the job, but it's a pain and a half.

This means my chain and toggles for Israel and various woods should be here soon too, squee! I'm glad, because I haven't been in much of a drawing mood the last couple weeks.

2009-07-09T05:44:00.000-07:00

I just had a fabulous start to my morning. I was brought SIX moose antlers, including one that someone already did all the rough work on. Some are new, some are antiquing finds, and there's also a ton of white tail antlers to play with. Best part, the person selling them is letting me pay in installments, so no driving 2 hours every paycheque for me! I can mail it, haha!

I also have some great chain and bails coming from an Etsy seller for some fantastic wooden charm type bracelets I'll be making. I haven't seen anything like them, and they're so simple I should be able to make them easily enough for consignment as well. I'm going to make around 25 of them before I list.

I think today calls for steak and eggs brekkie, and here's hoping the rest of the day goes well.

2009-07-03T20:06:00.001-07:00

After ages and ages of this just being a placeholder, I'm finally getting on the Blogger wagon. A lot of the stuff here will also be listed on my website blog, but also more chatty things. The website blog is more of a "laundry list" for me to keep track of what I've done to it over multiple updates. I've also joined Twitter! The link for that and my Etsy is widgeted somewhere on this page(I've been playing with templates all night, hah!).

Right now I've got some exciting things on the go. I've been having fun staining paper with different treatments, just got in a lovely, lovely split suede hide from another Etsy seller, which is going to hold some lovely recycled antler runes and jewellery! I'll also be offering plain cut discs for supplies for anyone who wants to play with them, since cutting antler can be tricky. All the antlers are either dropped sheds, or leftovers from sustenance hunting(Maritimers, as a rule, HATE to throw anything away until a use can be found for it somewhere. Some of these are older than I am!).

I also have a brand new coping saw and some genuine red ochre pigment from France on the way. I can't wait to get sawing. :D