Leather Sand Bag

Jamie bought this black leather face bandana for riding the Harley to work in the colder months, but ended up not using it because it fogged up his eyewear. I had mentioned I needed to pick up some leather scrap to make a sand bag to *dome* my sheet metal ~ shortly after, he handed me the bandana :) I stitched all but a 3" opening ~ turned it rightside out ~ used a funnel to fill 3/4 of the way with *Play Sand* I bought at Home Depot ~ closed the opening with a zigzag stitch until I was sure it wasn't going to leak. It works great! Using the soft leather bag, gives the metal more of an 'organic' look, which I like a lot.

Domed Copper - updated photo

These are the same size (1.5") as the brass pair below, with a slightly different texture and stamp design. I took more photos today using the light box, which worked OK. I have to take one in the mannequins ear tomorrow ~ will post in my shop once it's done.

Studio update

My daughter called tonight to inform me that June 6th is the date she wants her Q size bed, PC, and TV moved out of the spare room here, and into her dads house where she'll be living for about a year, while she gets settled back up in the northern part of the state. Finally, I will have a studio space where I may actually get some work done!

It'll be nice having her closer to home again. :)

Reflection

Fresh off my bench.

Meet Mika

We got her at a local shelter in the fall of 07 ~ she was around 9 months old at the time. When I first picked her up out of her cage, she flopped in my arms like a rag doll. We fell in love with her right off the bat ~ The shelter had named her Miko, which sounded like a boys name to me, so I changed it to Mika ~ which comes from the English origin ~ meaning gift from God. She has a very unique personality, which makes every day an interesting day to say the least.

Blue Patina

I made these a few weeks ago and liked them so much I kept them for myself, which I never do.
I haven't been able to get the patina to cooperate since! It's a tricky process that I need a lot more practice with.
The discs are copper, that I hand cut, oxidized, tumbled, and then added a few layers of the blue patina. Once the final coat of patina was dry, they were as smooth as glass (not powdery), and I'm still not sure *exactly* how I got this wonderful finish!

Memorial Day Weekend

Sunday May 24th, we decided to hop on the Harley and take part in the Annual **Vermont Thunder** motorcycle run ~ 100's of motorcyclists from all over New England gathered to honor our "fallen brothers & sisters, and bring attention to those still MIA/POW". This was similar to the one you probably heard about in Washington DC. ~ except we went through quite a few small towns. In between those towns, we were able to get our speed up ~ it was fun, and loud!

The ride began at the Vermont Vietnam Veterans Memorial Welcome Center in Sharon, where they had the wreath laying ceremony. Next, they left for the town of Richmond where we joined in on the ride to the final destination in Enosburg Falls.
We had police escorts in front & back, and at all major intersections along the way. Spectators lined up along the roads to wave and show their support. Truly an amazing day to say the least!
It was a gorgeous day for the ride (high 70's) ~ we traveled just over 100 miles.

I called my daughter to ask her if she by chance heard the "Thunder", which she did, and managed to take pictures with her camera as they passed by.
She had no clue that Jamie and me were joining the run. Something we will always remember ~ and look forward to doing again next year, and many years to come!

~ The local news reported approx 700 motorcycles joined in for the ride ~

After that we came home, cleaned up, and met with Jamie's son who was up from Boston with his GF for dinner ~ it was a great day!

I'm in

I never thought I would find the time to take part in the *blogging world*, but here I am!
I decided to make the time :)

I hope you'll enjoy reading my blog, and I welcome your comments!