Riversong Musings

Candy Cane Joey

2012-01-22T13:44:00.000-08:00

Look what just hopped in from across the pond! The model horse folks down at Maynard's Well in the outback of Australia are just the most generous and friendly group ever, rescuing abused and neglected horses as well as raising funds for brumby herds in their area. This little gift arrived in the mail last week.

And check out the Joey with the candy cane. Just adorable. :) This one's too good to get packed up with the rest of the Christmas ornaments (which I finally put away yesterday). This duo is hanging out with me all year on my desk. Too cute!

I listed a bunch of items to the MH$P - reins mostly. Had some extra couch time this morning. Reins get made when I watch movies or just need some thinking time. It's a very repetitive activity, kind of like knitting (something I've never mastered). I made up a few sets, then found a few others sitting around collecting dust. You can see them all here:

http://www.modelhorsesalespages.com/searchlist.asp?Accid=6999

With all the snow and cold weather, I thought today was as good a day as any to make chili. Beans were soaked overnight (pinto beans), and boiled over an hour until they were nice and tender. After that, they were drained and washed, then put back in the pot. In a saucepan, I put a cup of water and the chili seasoning mix, then added two Knorr beef boullion cubes - the soft kind. When this was all smooth and dissolved, I added a small container of leftover salsa, one can of tomato soup, and a handful of chopped cilantro. When it was all simmered together (maybe five minutes), I added it to the beans. I simmered everything together until it was hot, then ate the best pot of chili I've ever had in my life! This was one successful experiment. I will say that when I added the sauce to the chili seasoning mixture, it lost a little of the flavor so I added some taco seasoning. Apparently I added a bit too much, as it was a teensy bit more salty than I liked - oh and with a bit more kick too! I think I'll get some sour cream to add to the next bowl I have. That should do the trick ;). Yummy!

Finally, my biggest job today is to get my grading and lesson planning finished. *sigh*

Weekend Work

2012-01-21T14:06:00.000-08:00

I've added some new features to this youth gaming saddle set. It now comes with a matching tie-down. Why I didn't think of this when I made the set is beyond me. One of those duh moments, I guess. Anyways, if you're interested in it, do check out the MH$P as it's up for auction until Sunday night. Time payment conditions are in the ad.
http://www.modelhorsesalespages.com/view.asp?id=907051&p=g

The Christmas tree is finally down and put away. That was my job for this morning. Pandora's box of fun has been my nemesis lately. Seems like just when I finish one task, ten more pop up. Or when try to work on something, I find out the project is way more intricate than I thought. I was down to one lonely brain cell last week. But the end is near. Once I get through all my grading for the semester, I can start fresh with our new one.

I'm finishing up the "winter" issue of Model Horse Performance. I really have tried to get it done before the end of January, but with all the hours I've spent on overtime at work, it just hasn't happened. The mag will be tidied up in the next few days, then I'll send it off for editing. I suspect printing won't happen until the first of February. I'd like to start planning for the "spring" issue due out in April-ish. Any ideas for what folks would like to see? I'm looking for ideas ;). This amazing video for one is something I'd like to do a little more research on. This is one amazing horse! And in case you were wondering, the Lusitano is from Portugal.

Still Alive

2012-01-14T16:59:00.000-08:00

Just in case you were wondering, yes, I'm still alive. Life has thrown quite a few curve balls lately, with projects that were expected to be completed weeks ago, morphing into more detailed works than originally planned. Weekends have been full of work related things rather than my desired writing and tackmaking. Yet tomorrow holds some hope as many projects were finished in the last few days. Hopefully, things will settle in again to some kind of "normal" soon. Oh, did I mention that my Christmas tree is still up? *sigh*

Today I'm taking a little bit of a break. I started on a lady's native costume. The fringe for the saddlebags is all I really got done, but it's such a relaxing task when my brain is on overdrive. It will be a Nez Perce theme, complete with cradleboard, frame saddle, and travois.

Besides the magazine (tomorrow's the day to lay it all in), I'm working on two (possibly three) pleasure sets for traditional models and a friend (soon to be enemy *smirk*) just convinced me to make her a stablemate one. We have a show coming up in a few months for minis with a great performance class lineup. As much as I hate making small tack, for myself or special trades I'll do them. Maybe I'll finally get my mini paso set I've been promising myself all these years ;).

The photo above was taken by Tiffany Purdy who showed my Stone ooak thoroughbred in a western set I made for her last year. I just wanted him to get a few cards so I could do something on custom halter day at NAN, but apparently the judge loved him so much he took western champ! You can read about his other accomplishments on her blog at http://www.purdyhorsefarm.blogspot.com/ . She also has some delightful critters for sale over there too.

Welcome to a New Year

2012-01-02T18:23:00.000-08:00

Wow. It's crazy to think that yet another year has passed me by. It makes me pause for a moment and I wonder, did I meet all my objectives this year? How did I spend my time - doing good things, or wasting it on frivolous things that really have no value to me? This year, without a doubt, an amazing amount of work happened and in many areas, goals were met. Some things fell short of where I wanted them to be, but progress has been made nonetheless.

In the model horse realm, things didn't happen very fast for me. But it's not such a bad thing, as I made many professional strides this year, and met goals I never thought possible this side of February. The fiction writing department has unfortunately remained stagnant - a pitiful 10,000 words at best. But the MHP is still rolling out, somewhat on schedule, sort of, with many contributors now as well as a great list of subscribers. This next issue is a "winter" one, due to ship out towards the end of January. Much of the last two weeks was spent at a computer frantically typing out curriculum and course objectives for a school site visit, rather than creating edge-of-your-seat model horse related topics. *sigh* But next weekend will be model horse magazine mayhem, I assure you.

Lots of fun tack projects planned for the month. It's so good to have constructive, hands-on things to do when the brain just can't put words together anymore. Having a miniature world to retreat to is a blessing I do not take lightly!

Well, my dear blog readers, I pray that 2012 brings you many blessings and a whole new herd of plastic ponies!

How To Get What You REALLY Want For Christmas

2011-12-26T15:43:00.000-08:00

Step 1: Find out when Hawk Hill's next book comes out.

Step 2: Get on Hawk Hill Press's mailing list.

Step 3: Forward the Hawk Hill Press email announcement about the availability of Horses And Bridles to your parents. (Yes, they still love you and want to buy you horsie things long after you've graduated and been on your own. HAH!)

This is one book you do not want to miss if you are a lover of native American horse gear.

It showcases bridles and complete parade gear from most of the major tribes in north America and Canada.

This Mandan/Hidatsa bridle sports a very interesting bit.

This is the perfect companion to the masks book. Contact Hawk Hill Press for your copy! www.hawkhillpress.com

I love my SpongBob bath kit, Keurig coffee, and new electric can opener too, but they still don't come close to the 2012 Hawk Hill hot-off-the-press bridles book. SCORE!

Time for a color change on the blog here. Emily, I hope this is easier on your eyes ;). If not, do let me know! In other news, the next gaming set is started with a completion date of Saturday. In the meantime, there is much work to do for the next MHP magazine as well as get caught up on school work. *sigh* The teacher's life...

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T09:44:00.000-08:00

Here's wishing you a wonderful Christmas day and the best New Year! Today I thought I'd share a little about some of my favorite ornaments. I finally bought myself a decent sized tree that's easy enough to put up each Christmas, so I dragged out all my old ornaments that I collected through the years.

The Spongebob ornament has a special history behind it. The pink antlers really are the best part. There's an inside story behind that one involving Canadians and the Portland NAN of 2009. This next photo also involves my friends from the great North. I don't have a star yet to put atop my tree, so I thought this was the next best thing until I find one that I like. At least those who came to my Christmas party had a good chuckle over it.

These next two are a lovely gift from a hobby person last year. They are made from glass. Gorgeous!

One of my favorite artists when I lived in Europe painted these fun, whimsical characters. Not necessarily Christmasey, but they make great ornaments anyways.

And who can refuse the fun niece and nephew ornaments?! This one I will treasure forever ;).

Pink Party

2011-12-24T21:28:00.000-08:00

This is my all time favorite appaloosa remake. He's a Purdy horse, and is shown here sporting a brand new bridle with pink stripes and tiny studs. You can't see his spots, but they're super duper cool ;). I'm a little attached to him and his spudly star.

The browband, cheekpieces, and breastcollar of this set all have pink stripes to match the pink gaming saddle. Braided pink gaming reins complete this set. On the MH$P at: http://www.modelhorsesalespages.com/view.asp?id=901461&p=g

It's so nice to have time to work on tack! One thing I have learned in the last few weeks is that Edge Coat causes the work time to increase three fold. Straps and edge coat are a pain in the patootie. Natural leather sure looks great with that edge, but if you are a consumer, please realize that it truly takes three times the amount of time it normally would without. This bridle took ALL DAY to complete. Those of you interested in trying out Edge Coat, just realize that you will at some point make a mistake. It's a good rule of thumb to use a clear coat such as Super Shene over the top and edges first and let it dry before adding the edge coat. That way, if you go over the edge slightly, you can take a damp paper towel or finger over it to remove the excess. Who would have thought that silly black line would be so much work?! I had hoped to get more done on the eve of Chrismas day, but I'll consider this adequate! Besides, I watched a whole DVD of Bones episodes - twice! What could be better?

Lavender Love coming next...

Another Saddle For Sale!

2011-12-12T22:24:00.000-08:00

Currently for sale at: http://www.modelhorsesalespages.com/view_details.asp?id=899442

Here is one of my best used and favorite saddles ever. I have a new one that I'm using now, and there are a few bills coming due, so I'm not too heartbroken about selling it. It has served me quite well - um - when I actually cared about getting everything right in my scenes! Yeah, let's just say I've still got work to do. But this set is definitely a keeper and versatile enough to use in many events.

I'm running a bunch of tack sales - called the "Twelve Days Of Christmas" sale. Yeah, I know. How NOT original, right? But I thought it would be fun now that things have settled down a bit with the rest of my life to throw a bunch of fun tack items up for sale. Next up will be some reins, then hopefully another gaming set - lavender this time. Plum Passion hasn't been worked on much. That's for me anyways, so it's put away in a box temporarily.

Sister Three Finished!

2011-12-09T18:07:00.001-08:00

Sister 3 is complete and also ready for a youth rider doll. I didn't create a bridle and breastcollar with this one, leaving the choice open to the buyer. It comes with cinch and if desired, a wool felt fitted blanket. She is currently listed on the MH$P ( http://www.modelhorsesalespages.com/view.asp?id=898799&p=g ) along with the pleasure youth saddle. It feels good to finally have some "tacking time."

More Saddle Pics

2011-12-08T21:54:00.001-08:00

Here are some more youth pleasure saddle pics. This set is going from sale piece to auction piece. It ends Saturday, Dec. 17 at midnight! Starting bid: $225 ppd. Comes with your blanket color choice, romal or split reins (braided or leather), breast collar shown, and cinch. Riversong saddles have been helping to scoop up NAN top 10's and NAN cards. This saddle is TOP LSQ. Respond if you're interested using the inquiry button on the MH$P at: http://www.modelhorsesalespages.com/view.asp?id=898624

FYI, the dark spot at the bottom of the right fender is not what the photo shows it to be! I used a lot of filtering to get the carving to "PoP" in the photos, and it picked up that shadow.

Pink Pony Parties

2011-12-04T20:19:00.001-08:00

Sister 3 (Pink Pony Party) was calling out my name this weekend, so I decided to temporarily abandon Sister 1 and Sister 2. The pink seat turned out super salmon-ey up above, but it's really not that color. Hopefully, the next time you see it, my camera will be show it the way it actually is. I will say, though, that lighter pink strip does go well with the seat color. The fenders are ready to apply as are the jockeys. Hopefully it will get finished by Wednesday.

Current status of Sister 1 (a.k.a. Plum Passion). Ready for the seat, but all the rest of the pieces are yet to be cut out and worked on. *sigh*

Status of Sister 2. Not sure where this one's taking me. Possibly a two toned wonder with the floral carving on the bottom skirt a light or medium oil. My new pattern turned out to be longer than I had originally thought, so an upper skirt is necesary to fill in the space. Most single skirted gaming saddles are shorter than the double skirted ones. Because I have to stop and build a new pattern, (Britne, I know you're laughing right now - Pbttthhhhttttttt!!) I lost momentum. Hence the progress on Sister 3. Oh well. They'll all get done eventually. I'm not opposed to assembly lines either. It does help the work go faster.

Sister 4 is a blank slate so far. It's definitely looking like a light or medium oil contrast with natural, and maybe even rough out jockeys and fenders. Not sure what design themes will be on there either. Stars? Flowers? Hmmm...

Gaming Saddles

2011-12-03T08:05:00.001-08:00

Which one will it be? I just cannot make up my mind for sisters two, three, and four!

The scallops the one to the right are fun. The left has a fun seat, though.

These both are tricolored - natural with medium oil and a black seat. They have different shaped skirts and a little tooling on the jockeys and fenders. *sigh* CHOICES! CHOICES!

By tomorrow, I should have at least the basic shape of the next saddle mapped out. It would be fun to say that I'd have it completed by tomorrow, but there is just so much to do this weekend, that most of the project will take a back burner. But it's good to have goals, right?!

Western Pleasure for Kids

2011-11-27T19:34:00.001-08:00

DONE! Finally, this is one set I can say is off the workbench. For sale on the MH$P.

Attaching Moveable Fenders

2011-11-26T08:46:00.001-08:00

Did I mention this was for a youth doll? *grin* It's turning out absolutely adorable.

The first step in creating fenders that move is to round the top. If you are curious about how to create adjustable stirrups, see my tutorial here: http://riversongmusings.blogspot.com/search/label/adjustable%20stirrups

Next, punch a hole through about here. This is something I "eyeball" anymore, as I've done it so much. You may want to put a doll in the saddle, hold up the fender and make any adjustments. Also, I've pierced the leather of the fender already at this point, but if it's more helpful, you can do the fender and the skirt at the same time.

I put a pin in the hole. The cheapest drugstore varieties of straight pins work best. The bend wonderfully. Just be careful not to punch your top hole too wide or the fender will work itself over the pinhead.

Next, bend the pinhead with needle nosed pliers. This one bent a little farther out that I usually bend them. 1/8 of an inch is better. This looks almost like a quarter of an inch. You want a tight fit.

Pull the pin the rest of the way through the hole and bend the back part downward. Clip just under half an inch.

Then glue a thin layer of leather over the top to keep it in place. And that's all ya gotta do! Once you master this step, your saddle construction will hopefully be faster and easier. Plus, you can position the doll's leg whereever you want, especially for those really high leg cues ;).

Floral Jockeys

2011-11-25T19:15:00.001-08:00

The seat jockeys are finally carved and tooled, the pommel and seat are attached to the skirt, and the upper skirt is also in place. This project is feeling closer to being completed!

A word about attaching everything to the skirt.... I began with the pommel on this Rio Rondo tree set. Loctite brand super glue gel was used to affix it to the lower skirt, then when it was completely solid and dry, I added the resin seat without suede. When the seat is firmly attached, I used Aleen's tacky glue to hold the suede down. This gives me working time and the opportunity to remove it if necessary to change colors or adjust it in a better placement. Always be very careful at this step to check your fingers for glue. Suede is not forgiving! So far, this buttery soft suede is flaw free. (knocking on wood...)

It's been so long since I started this that I don't remember what my original idea was for this set in regards to the fenders. Upon mulling over a few possibilities, I decided to extend the crosshatch theme along the edges. I first learned of this technique with my first Rio Rondo kit, as it was one of the tooling options they listed in their brochure. Many new designs incorporate a border of sorts, so this design works well for breaking up space and making a more interesting design. The centers will be flowers with similar swirls as the jockeys.

Here's unpainted Aragorn with the new bridle and breast collar. He's made me realize that a Silver and Lone Ranger set would be fun to make. A cremello, or a light palomino might be a nice fit for such a set. In any case, this black design sure does look spiffy on him!

Black Friday

2011-11-25T11:52:00.001-08:00

Crowds are not my thing. Shopping is fun, but I get a little claustrophobic in the middle of justling mobs, and I hate standing in line for more than ten minutes. So today I'm happily curled up at my kitchen table cranking out tack items. This bridle and breastcollar set is nearly finished. It still needs a curbstrap, an adjustment to the romal popper, and lots and lots of Super Shene clear coat.

I have a feeling this will be a two post day, so stay tuned for another tack tutorial...

Carving Miniature Floral Swirls

2011-11-24T12:09:00.001-08:00

After you have created the petal divisions, carve a heart shaped leaf edge. A simple rounded edge would look more like a morning glory, which is much easier than a bazillion hearts. Play with different designs and decide what you like best.

At this time, it's probably a good idea to mention a little about my knife. I really like the number 16 blades for carving. Some folks like fine blades like those used for creating paper art. Those are just too small for me. Also, blades that are brand new at this stage will cut too deeply and are harder to control. I like to use a new hobby knife blade for cutting out patterns or outlining for a bit before I try to use it on flowers.

Next, I add some details to the inside of the petals. One to three lines are all you need to add a little dimension.

The floral swirl is the toughest part of this process. It is best to study images of real saddles to get an understanding of how multiple swirls work. This shows how I mark out swirls around multiple flowers. It will make better sense when you see the fully completed piece.

At this stage, I am constantly going back and forth between my knife, scratch awl, and blunt ended tool. The screwdriver looking thing was given to me years ago by my dad, a telephone tech guy. It has a little light bulb in it that indicates when a line is working or not. I've never used it for anything remotely like what it was designed for! It's too useful for tamping down areas of leather to create a 3-D effect.

As I carve my swirls, I go from knife, to tamp tool, to scratch awl. The awl helps keep the lines crisp. I don't always fully lay in all the leaf details before starting on the tooling, and just let the design take shape as I go.

The first step in creating a swirl, is to make a curved line. Starting from the top, make teardrop shapes that come close to, but don't connect to the curved line.

Next, use the awl to retrace the carved lines.

Finally, use a tamping type tool (a small phillips screwdriver might just do the trick!) to gently shape the lines. Push toward the area that needs to be raised up. I also tamp down the areas around the outside of the shapes so that they stand out.

At this point, I do a lot of free hand carving. I let the designs go where they want, creating larger and smaller leaves and varying the leaf types. Ten years of carving practice just sort of takes over. Of course I will create matching designs on the other piece, but for me, this is my favorite part - letting the knife take its own route.

Sometimes during the tamping process, the flower centers become obscured. One of my last steps is to go back over my centers so that they are crisp. Next time, I'll post resources I've found to be very useful in learning to carve in miniature.

As for Thanksgiving things... I'm finished with the mashed potatoes, although they might have a bit too much garlic in them for Mom! The pumpkin-leek soup was super duper easy to throw together too. It was done in a half an hour this time. Those lovely frozen pumpkin bags worked great. I really didn't want to use two of them, though. I really love this soup and don't want it to use it all up on my family... selfish, I know!

The Basics of Miniature Leather Carving

2011-11-23T22:18:00.001-08:00

As promised, here is the tutorial on leather carving. I wrote a few articles for my magazine, "Model Horse Performance," however those are long gone and unavailable. There are plans to summarize my thoughts in a few booklets eventually (to stave off the beggars!), but it will be a year or two before that will be feasible. I don't mind sharing my "secrets" about this subject. Each individual has their own individual take on carving, and I love to inspire wherever I can. I am after all a teacher at heart!

The first step in carving, specifically for Sheridan style flowers, is to wet the leather. Choose a soft brush and use only clean water. I use a large one so that it covers everything in one or two strokes. The climate where I live is on the dry side, so I find that in carving a piece, water might be applied ten or twenty times depending on the size of the area being worked.

Next, use the back side of a hobby knife to impress circles onto the wet leather. This is a great way to lay out your flowers. If you make a mistake in placement, simply reimpress the leather with the circle in the proper place and make it a deeper impression. Eventually, you will carve over the area and the circle that is out of place will no longer be seen.

I use a burr tool now to do my flower centers as it has a fun frilly edge design. However, it is not necessary. Use a mechanical pencil with the lead either pushed back or taken out. Mechanical pencils make perfectly sized flower centers.

Draw five or six rays from the center circle to the outer circle.

Just as in algebra, whatever you do on one side must be also be done on the other in order to keep things equal *grin*. Once I get one side sketched in, I turn to the other piece and do the same thing. I don't like to get too far into a project before doing this, because it can be difficult seeing the pattern sketch when the finer tooling is applied. Next time, I'll discuss petal formation and setting up the leaf patterns.

I have some great hobby friends in the area. Britne (who's Christmas present I've had since last summer!) is always making fun of me when it comes to saddle making. "Can you ever make a saddle without creating a new pattern?" she asked one day. And well, she's kind of right. Today I decided that my fender pattern just wouldn't do for my gaming set. So, I created a new one. HAH!

This morning, another one of my hobby friends, Sue, came over for some trading and pattern pirating (she's figured out my obsessive need for changing up patterns, too). She heard about my need for fun gaming saddle seat colors, and she's always on the lookout for new chap leather. Sooo, she raided my pile of browns, and I became the delighted owner of some super bright pieces perfect for the sisters project. What shade of pink do you need? ALL OF THEM! There's also a lavender in there, green, and some plum for Sister 1. Thanks Sue for a totally fun trade ;)!

Finally, I finished off a present for another hobby friend. It's flashy, pink and Purdy! Can't say much more, as it's supposed to be a surprise. But I'll share photos after Christmas.

I'm very thankful this Thanksgiving for my super amazing hobby friends. You guys are the best - from Canada to Australia, Germany to England, I cherish the friendships we have. It always amazes me how a bunch of plastic ponies brings us together. I pray blessings on you all this Thanksgiving!

An Old, Dusty Pleasure Project

2011-11-20T21:04:00.001-08:00

Not much to post today. Never made it to the sisters, but cleaned off the main tack table a bit, clearing away dyes that have been sitting out for months. The writing desk surface is visible too. Can't see the kitchen table yet, though. With ~~four~~ five projects strewn about it's not hard to imagine why.

This was buried in a tub. Originally started last February, it was abandoned for sheer lack of time and eventually the motivation to take it up again died completely. Yet, upon rediscovery, I noted that there isn't much left to finish. The fenders need to be cut out and tooled yet, and the jockeys need some work as well, but beyond that, half of the hard work is done. These stirrups, left over from a separate project, were easily converted to match the skirts. Oh, and speaking of stirrups and tutorials, the inside of these were done in Edgecoat. That also helps add stiffness.

The sisters are on hold while I finish up this piece. I figured since I have to wait to get suede for Plum, I might as well dig out something else to do. It will also be perfect for the requested tutorials on carving and fender attachment. This will be a sales piece, complete with bridle and breast collar, that will hopefully go to the MHSP by the end of Thanksgiving break.

Well, Monday lurks just on the other side of the Sunday calendar line, so off to bed I go! Two days of school to get through, and then it's tack party time!

Stirrup Construction

2011-11-19T18:15:00.001-08:00

Progress continues on Plum Passion. The pommel is complete, but that's the only part I finished today. The night is young, though. As to the reins, they're close to completion, and I'll tie up that project as soon as this post is done.

Jo is a new tackmaker who is eager to improve her skills, although her first saddles are amazing - way better than my firsts! She keeps asking about stirrup and other saddle part constructions, so Jo, this is for you!

Stirrups that are too bulky detract from the realism of a saddle. Two pieces of tooling leather make for a very wide stirrup. One piece of tooling leather with a skiver lining is about the limit as far as thickness goes in my opinion, in order for a stirrup to be in scale for traditional models. Here's a brief tutorial on how I construct stirrups with one piece of tooling leather.

After forming the stirrup, pre-punch holes in either side.

Push straight pins through either end. You can use a Rio Rondo etched concho underneath the pinhead to add a little bling. For pleasure sets, I adhere etched aluminum tape on before this part, then push the pins through bothe the tape and leather.

Clip both pins to the width of your fender.

For this step, aluminum tape works great as it's sticky and doesn't allow for a ton of movement. You can use leather with glue, but it tends to not stick well to the pins.

I trim the tape to allow room for the leather to fold over it.

Cut a piece of skiver with rounded ends and glue over the the aluminum. To make sure the leather keeps its shape, moisten the stirrup and reform. If you used dye, just moisten the inside of the stirrup, as water can discolor the leather, especially the lighter oil dyes. Clearcoat can also help to keep the shape. But if the leather is really flexible, a popcan sandwich can be used, whereby a portion of an aluminum can is glued to the inside of the stirrup, then lined with skiver.

Hope that helps! More tutorials to follow. The next will be on the basics of carving.

Cream of Leek And Potato Soup with Bacon

2011-11-19T10:33:00.001-08:00

This weekend's soup is leek and potato. The leek bunch I bought for the pumpkin soup came with three nice sized stalks, and one leek is plenty for each gallon of soup. This vegetable is one I never really discovered until I lived overseas. The flavor is similar to an onion, but the texture is best described as an oversized scallion. It adds color, texture, and a wonderful oniony flavor to the stock.

For this soup, you'll need one large leek, five potatoes, three to four chicken bouillon cubes (I like to substitute one of those for the Knorr soft cube, because they add a lovely flavor), minced fresh garlic (a few cloves) or powder (tablespoon or more to taste), 6 slices of thick bacon - chopped into half an inch or smaller pieces, 1 cup of half and half (or skim milk for calorie counters out there *smirk*), and a tablespoon of butter or margarine, pepper and salt to taste.

First, put the bacon in a frying pan and slowly cook the pieces on medium or lower. If they cook too quickly, they will have a much coarser, brittle texture. In the meantime, peel the potatoes. If desired, cut them into bitesized pieces. I just left them whole, because I wanted them blended into the soup. Place in a stew pot with just enough water to cover them. Boil until soft enough to mash, or until the pieces are tender. If the fine texture is desired, let the pot cool for ten minutes. This is to protect the blender, as hot substances can ruin it. Strain the potatoes, place in a blender and blend until smooth. Return to the pot. **Side note: I've heard of using a single blended potato to help thicken other soups that require more of a gravy type broth.

When the bacon is cooked through and still soft, pour off the grease. Add the leek, finely or coarsely chopped as well as a tablespoon of margarine or butter, and cook until lightly caramelized. If you're using fresh garlic, add it at this step and saute until everything is cooked through. Place 1 cup of water into the bacon - leek mixture, bring to a boil and add the bouillon cubes as well as powdered garlic and a dash or two of pepper. Simmer and stir for about three minutes, then place this mixture in the pot with the potatoes. Add water to the desired thickness, leaving room for one more cup of liquid. Bring to a simmering boil, then add the cream (or milk). Simmer gently for a few more minutes while stirring until everything is mixed well, add additional pepper or salt to taste, then enjoy!

To mix things up, chopped celery, carrots, ham, and/or chicken (pre-seasoned would be easiest) can be added or substituted.

**Warning** I love cooking with leeks, but I will share one thing. Every time I cook with them, the entire place smells like oniony goodness. It can be very STRONG. So you may want to keep the stove fan on while cooking with them. Even my hair smells like leek afterwards!

As for tack posting - stay tuned! It's going to be a double post day...

Gaming Saddle Styles

2011-11-18T08:21:00.001-08:00

When was the last time you took a look at current western saddle styles? The research for this project has led to some fun discoveries. Take this saddle above, for example. The scalloped edge is becoming increasingly popular in gaming, reining, and cutting saddles. It's a fun way to dress up a saddle, and while it may take a bit more time to work around the edges, it provides some "pop". Horse.com has some great styles on their website. This is just one page of their 90 + gaming saddles!

http://www.horse.com/search.aspx?path=cHORSEp683&pageno=1&hits=24&sort=bestselling&facets=1073%3aBarrel%20Saddle

Today's agenda includes finishing the roping reins. From there, I'll move on to carving and tooling the skirts, pommel, and cantle strip for Sister 1, affectionately known as Plum Passion. I also need to get my snow tires on before the wet roads freeze and buy 100 or so pounds of sand for the back of my very light car. We did get about 4 inches of snow, but thankfully the roads are only wet. Some folks are complaining about our "early snow", but in a normal year we'd be getting our first dusting of snow in middle to late October. It's looking like a great snowshoe season is in store!

Sister Number 1

2011-11-17T23:31:00.001-08:00

The first sister is coming right along. After about four hours of work, the design elements are fairly well in place and the carving is nearly complete. Here is a closeup of the carving on the back of the skirt. It's not fully embossed, so there is still some two dimensional relief, but that shouldn't take too long to complete.

Here's a photo of the pommel. The leaves along the edges are an experiment. Still in two dimensional form, they will be embossed and worked to create a nice transition along the seam. The front part of the pommel will be floral carved, and the back portion next to the seat will be basketweave.

The carving on the back of the cantle was finished before affixing it to the tree. It's always easier to work on a flat surface when working at this scale! Jockeys are next on the list, then the fenders.

As for the reins - I found the braid, untangled it, and will have that done tomorrow. Tonight, we're supposed to get some serious snow. Let's just hope I can get my tires on before it REALLY hits!

The Sisters Project

2011-11-15T22:21:00.001-08:00

I know what you're thinking... "What in the world is the 'Sisters Project'?!" Well, it's my pet name for the next project on the table.

Yes, I'm still working on those reins, but they ended up in a pocket somewhere and are probably in one big knot that I'll have to untangle when I find them. But it should be a quick project - once I figure which jeans pocket they're located in. They accidently hitched a ride with me - I have a tendancy to put random things in my pockets. *sigh*

Back to the "sisters"... Soooo, this project is comprised of four sister gaming sets (sister because what kind of man would ride in a purple or pink or neon green saddle, let alone be allowed on a cloverleaf barrel pattern?!).I'll be honest: I've never made a nice gaming set. The only one I really can claim was thrown together out of scrap and kind of turned out ok for the youth doll that sort of fit in it well enough to ride a pole bending Haggis. I guess I did make one other, but again, not so amazing.

So the Sisters Project is my way of learning this style of tack. One or two of the sets will stay in my own collection: one for a youth doll, the other for a traditional one. So far, you can see two are started. I'm just playing at this point, kind of like a sculptor does with those first few globs of clay. The one with the flowers is starting to look adorable already, so I'm thinking that might be a keeper. That isn't to say that another sister won't end up with some similar patterns. Time will tell!

Each saddle will be built on top of a natural skirt, but I might vary the jockeys, stirrups, and other parts with light oil dyes. I might have a darker brown piece or two that could work. I'll be using a Haley tree that is modified without the back "tabs" or whatever they're called. I clipped them off with strong wire cutters, used a hobby knife to get clost to the edge. I still might sand the bottom part. I'll have to see how a tooled seat back looks without sanding first, because I hate filing these things. Too much nasty dust!

Well, there you have it! The Sisters Project has begun!

Tutorials- Coming Right Up!

2011-11-13T18:20:00.001-08:00

The bridle is complete! Now it's on to a few sets of gaming/roping reins and then my gaming saddles. By request, I'm going to be showing in progress photos with tack tips on these. Stay tuned for fender attachments, adjustable stirrups, and building stirrups. I'll show in progress photos of some tooling and carving as well as discuss my tools during that process. I'm sure they're already on here someplace, but I guess I haven't been great about assigning easy to find tags.

Well, off to make some dinner and to put the second pot of pumpkin into gallon bags for freezing. Yes, I got a couple of gallons on TOP of what went into the soup. That was ONE BIG PUMPKIN! The pumpkin bread, although a little too moist (watch it with the fresh stuff...) is excellent, especially warmed with a little butter on top ;). MMMMMM!

Cream of Pumpkin And Leek Soup

2011-11-12T20:03:00.001-08:00

A little over a month ago, I mentioned to my mother that if she saw "pumpkin on sale for a really good price" to let me know. Somehow that translated into her buying me a whole pumpkin, a gigantic one at that. Soooo, instead of stocking up on canned pumpkin for pies and soup this season, I'm stocking up on fresh pumpkin. I'm not complaining, mind you. I love fresh pumpkin and really learned to enjoy cooking with it while overseas since canned pumpkin wasn't anywhere to be found. However, I knew a lengthy process was in order. Before I could make my favorite pumpkin dish - pumpkin soup - this monstrousity had to be gutted and sliced, peeled, boiled, smashed, and blended. So, today I settled in for some serious cooking!
I thought I'd try a few new methods for peeling -- hereby enters the scientist in me! I cut the over 12" high pumpkin into large chunks.

One group ended up in a pot full of water, the other in a baking dish with a half inch of water at 350. I didn't have a control <*smirk*>, but I already know from experience what it's like to try peeling a slippery pumpkin with a potatoe peeler and knife: very dangerous and time consuming. Within ten minutes, the boiled pumpkin skin peeled away with a simple steak knife that cut through like butter. The pieces in the oven were hardly even softened and in the end found their way to a pot of water ;O).

The larger the chunks in this step, the easier the peeling. Once peeled, cut them down to smaller chunks about - 3 inch squares. Put these in clean water and boil for 30-45 minutes, periodically mashing with a potato masher. When the consistency is almost like mashed potatoes, add to a blender. Be sure the pumpkin isn't too hot, or it can ruin the blender. Also, scoop the pumpkin out with a special ladel that drains the water, so there isn't too much liquid.

Chop one leek or half an onion and saute in butter or margerine. Add garlic. When onion or leek pieces are clear, add 1 cup of water and bring to boil. Drop in boullion cubes (3-4 depending on how much pumpkin you have). Add to pumpkin and heat until lightly simmering. Stir frequently as it will have a tendency to "burp" pumpkin all over the place *grin*.

Don't let the orange color scare you! Add half and half - about a cup - and you'll see a rich and creamy soup about the color of buttermilk. Add extra pepper or salt to taste. Both the pumpkin and cream can soak up a little flavor, so it's always good to check before serving. Finally, garnish with fresh leek greens or a spoonful of sour cream, and it's ready to devour!
And in case you were wondering, I have the equivilent of 6 cans of pumpkin already with another pot of pumpkin to boil out. I made a pumpkin bread along with the soup, and even found a fabulous recipe for pumpkin pancakes that I'm dying to try! This stuff freezes very well and keeps forever.

Finally - Tack Time!

2011-11-11T21:47:00.001-08:00

The weekend is finally here! The last two weeks were spent house sitting for my parents who had to fly to Florida to say goodbye to a dying relative. It was a difficult time for me, trying to mega-multi-task on magazine stuff and all my school craziness, such as getting grades in for the quarter, and living ten minutes farther from everything. Life is finally settling down. It seems as if there's been a major push for some project every weekend for the last five weeks or so. And there was a show in that mix too ;). After a long day of cleaning today -- six loads of laundry (pillows,sheets too), and some major organizing, I feel like a normal person again. My hobby stuff is finally unpacked and I can find all my tools again. YAY! Heck, I even have clean underwear now... (sorry, TMI, I know, I know...)

This current project is a longstanding one that got interrupted with the two week stay at my folks' house. I really did try - I hauled everything I could over there, thinking that I'd actually get tack pieces done to non-stop Burn Notice or NCIS marathon episodes. But alas, nothing got done. At all.

So after my cleaning marathon today, I pulled out my tools and got to work. The bridle and breastcollar set is nearly complete. All that is left is a set of romal reins, scheduled to be finished up tomorrow.
After this project is finished, my backlog is clear except for a few sets of roping reins, then it's on to some gaming saddles.

Harness Issue Has Arrived!

2011-11-05T16:10:00.000-07:00

The issues arrived on Thursday and all the subscriber and preorder issues are on their way to performance junkies all across the world. There has been a steady increase in international subscribers and purchasers over the last year. We're up to about 40 international folks in over fifteen countries.

This is one of my favorite issues, as I learned a TON about a subject I know very little about: Harness. I drove my uncle's team of half-belgians a few times, but I've never really harnessed a horse on my own, let alone hitched one up to wagon or cart. And there's even more to come! A few articles didn't fit in this last issue, so will be added to the next one. The winter issue will focus primarily on speed games and racing. And I have to say, watching the Breeder's Cup has definitely led to some great ideas!

Body-less Horse Heads

2011-10-29T18:52:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, I had a grand idea--to cut off a bunch of horse heads for tack stands. Most are currently in the process of being customized. I came across this old photo of them and had to chuckle, because when I was in the process of decapitating the old bodies, a neighbor dropped by to say hi. She was very worried as she surveyed the living room, and I remember her eyes widened as she viewed the saw, headless horses, and carnage. I assured her that it was all for a good reason, but I'm not sure she believed me! Since then, three of the horses arrived back, complete with magnets and painted to look like real ponies. I love them! Since they aren't displaying tack at the moment, they're being used as magnets on my fridge.

Now that the model show season is over for those of us in the great north, I am finally able to focus on some new projects. In the works I have a few gaming sets and an fabulous idea for my own parade set. It's sad that I still don't have one for myself! I also plan to make myself a few new pleasure sets. It's so hard to decide on which styles to make, though. There are just so many fun new designs!

Here are a few designs I plan to use for inspiration for the gaming sets.

More Show Results

2011-10-26T19:58:00.000-07:00

So the kid did shine on her grey steed! Together, she and her horse earned two section overalls (a champ and reserve) and then won the overall for the OF Performance division! Woot woot for Shining Star! (Yes, I know it's the cheeziest name on the planet! I was in a hurry to name critters on the way to a show, ok?!)

In other Riversong news, the magazine is finally off the to printer! I truly was hoping to have it in by now, but it seems like there's always one hiccup or another. *sigh* But it's a super amazing publication this quarter with lots of great information. I want to highlight the Editor's Note from this issue, as I think Sarahbeth deserves her time in the spotlight! She does a fabulous job of catching a great number of my mistakes (we always chuckle at the ones that seem so obvious, yet manage to slip by somehow) and points out things I've overlooked or forgotten in my haste to tie up the last minute details. She's a life saver! Anyway, here's what she writes:

"Dear Readers,

We hope you will enjoy reading about the works of Bill Duncan, Kim Ford-Hoffman, and Cheryl Campbell—all successful hobbyists in the miniature harness sector of model horses. Personally, I found the history of harnesses by Serena Scholtz fascinating! I also hope my first small-business article on buyer's etiquette will help many sellers' transactions go just a little smoother, especially if you plan on making any big purchases, such as a new harness for the holidays! Also included in this issue is the "How to Make a Trail Gate" article, advice on showing, producing, and purchasing harnesses, and so many lovely images to help get your inspiration flowing!

From all of us at MHP magazine, we would like to thank you—ALL of you—for your ideas, insights, and comments. I bought my first issue one year ago, and I hope you continue to enjoy Model Horse Performance and help those of us on the MHP staff to reach new heights!"

And truly, I throw in my thanks as well. To the faithful readers: You are what keeps the publication rolling. You guys are the best ;)!

17K$ Appy

2011-10-24T17:11:00.001-07:00

So this horse made a guest appearance at our show this weekend! Wow. Stunning isn't the word for this resin. It was kind of hilarious how the word trickled around the show hall. Before her first class was over, there was a crowd taking photos and oohing and awwing. They finally had to fight back the ooglers to get the class judged and make an announcement for people to step away. But she took home the bacon with two division champs and an overall for AR. It was still a mystery as of yesterday who the new owner is.... Thanks Zana for the picture!

Show Stuff

2011-10-22T20:44:00.000-07:00

This weekend I'm at a show in Kent, Washington, a rare event for me these days. So far on day one, we've won: First in showmanship with Princess Plaudit. This little POA is an adorable remake by Tiffany Purdy. She's a fantastic little kid's horse, well mannered and very versatile. I love her to pieces! Thanks Tiff for a fun new doll and a great little gal!

Then she won a second in a humungous pleasure class

Trail didn't go so well for us,and neither did our little English gaming class, but I sure had fun setting everything up!

There was a first in Other English with ol' Polonium 210

This is a Jen Buxton saddlery set and a Joan Yount doll on my TIff horse. Truly, a show entry is a team effort, so you guys all rock!

He also went on to earn a first for his little division!

This was a western flag parade entry I thought about setting up, but just didn't get to. Maybe next time.

The highlight of my day was seeing a parade set I created take an overall division champ! YAY! Congratulations Janet on your win!

Some Weeks Are Like This

2011-10-18T05:54:00.000-07:00

Some days (or weeks) are like this. Seems like I barely get one project tied up, only to find another has popped up in front of me. The magazine is finished and currently waiting for review. It will ship out before the end of the month this time ;). My target is always the fifteenth of the month it is published in, but that doesn't always work out quite right.

Now that I can rest up from editing and fiddling with graphics, I have a whole ream of papers to grade. *sigh* Then I can get to my model list for the show this weekend. I still have tack pieces to finish up as well. Then there's the organizing, and figuring out what is in the box and what needs to go in. Phew! Lots to do before Friday morning!

Sneak Peek

2011-10-08T15:36:00.000-07:00

The latest MHP's Cover. It's still got a bit more editing to go (e.g. "Bill Duncan's Carriage Shop" instead of "Harness Shop"), but at least you can get an idea of what this issue's about. It's got to go to Sarahbeth to proofread and look over, then it'll be on to the printers. The preliminary ship date looks like between October 15 and October 20.

Completed Cell Drawings

2011-10-08T10:09:00.000-07:00

Here are the completed cell diagrams minus an extra ribosome label on the plant cell. A few of the words got a little bit blurred in the photos, so my apologies for the headaches that might cause. Looking forward to using these next week ;). And I've got a ton of ideas on how to use a similar concept for mitosis and meiosis. I have an interactive game for those concepts as well in which each of the students in the class becomes a part of the process and they move around the room to demonstrate physically what happens at each stage. My favorite game, although it's still needing fine tuning, is the "virus game" for how immunity works. Basically, some students are antibodies, others are infected cells. It's funny how similar high schoolers are to kindergarteners when they get to run around and play tag with each other. HAH! But honestly, I've never had a class of students understand and remember the process better than when we did that.

First on my priorities list today (and it's a long one!) is the magazine. Sooo, with that I'm outta here!

How Many Parts Can YOU Remember?

2011-10-07T20:49:00.000-07:00

Can you guess what these are?

I have been itching to do more hands on learning with my students, so this summer, I made lists of things that might help my kinesthetic learners. These cells are over 3 feet in diameter, and will eventually have a set of laminated labels that the kiddos can place in the right spots. I make them do drawings and write out functions for each part, but it still seems to not be enough for some students. Hopefully, this will make learning a bit more fun for them.

I forgot how much I enjoy drawing and painting until I started this project. There isn't much time for flat painting of any sort these days, especially with accreditation visits coming up and all the hobby stuff I have going. For you experts out there, please don't be too harsh on my painting job ;). I never did feel like I mastered painting fully, just because it's a super high learning curve. I understand how to get the colors I want, but not how to apply the correct highlights and shadow. Most of what I do is monochromatic. *sigh* Maybe someday I can get back into pastels at least. For some reason, those seem to be easier for me.

As for the Model Horse Performance, I'm working on it. I'd be farther along (and most likely finished) if I hadn't lost a bunch of work last weekend when my computer froze up for some silly unknown reason. Not sure why my program didn't do automatic back up. Seems like every other program I have does. *sigh* Live and learn.

Fall Is Here?

2011-09-25T16:35:00.000-07:00

There's been a break in our weather. It's cloudy today and we even had a few sprinkles. Wow. It might actually be moving towards fall afterall. I'm very excited about this! Fall is my favorite time of the year. Being a redhead, all the colors I can wear occur during this season. It's the time when all the cool new scarves come out - my hope is to one day have as many scarves as model horses - HAAA! But best of all, it means the days will be cooler, giving me a chance to breathe easy and not worry about a future job as a skin cancer poster child - another fate of being freckled and having pale Irish skin. It also means that snow season will be coming and with it an opportunity to use my snowshoes. Ok Ok... I hear the groans. I'll stop now. ;)

Another thing I love about fall and winter is that life slows down just a tad. I am starting to settle into "life after school starts", so have a little extra time to get model horse things done. The magazine is in the first editing stages and I've cleared some of my tack backlog. These photos are from some prototypes I'm working on for a customer that ordered a bridle and breast collar set some time ago. And I have a few piles of pieces that probably should be sorted through and put together into sets. I would not be surprised if there were at least four projects all in the same pile. I remember something about a sidesaddle someone wanted, then changed their mind, then there's that dark brown working set that still needs stirrups and a cinch (HELP SUE!), and pieces from another goof up that needs redyeing and a new direction. But I REALLY can't wait to start some of the ideas that have been ruminating in my mind all summer for gaming sets. I have plans to start three at once - similar models, but in different colors. I'll have to decide which one I like best and keep that one for myself. Oh I hate making decisions like that!

Alrighty... Time to pull out all those clothes that have been buried the last six months! *smirk*

New Projects and Cinches for Sale

2011-09-24T10:39:00.000-07:00

I learned long ago that cinches were not my thing. It happened in high school. I remember the day of decision clearly. While I CAN make cinches, I just choose not to. Others are more gifted at it and actually enjoy it. I would rather trade work for them. Needless to say, I bought these some time ago, but now I find that I prefer 3.5" to the length of these which is 4". They're on the MHSP for $10 each if you're interested.

My next project in the works is a bridle and breast collar set. There are a few other things, like a pink blanket and some gaming reins as well that will be started soon too. This weekend is also a finalization stage for the next issue of Model Horse Performance. That will be the bulk of my day's work. Well, off to get some housework done so my brain can focus on model horse stuff!

Completion!

2011-09-18T20:47:00.000-07:00

Success is finishing a super fun project! This one presented itself with many challenges. First, there were several patterns to draw and fiddle with, then there was that rogue bottle of dye that I finally had to abandon, recarving due to the dye, and the long process putting it all together. Another saddle I wish I had for my own collection ;)...Thanks Karen!

Nearing Completion!

2011-09-17T21:07:00.001-07:00

Today was a productive day! Not only did I scoop up some awesome deals on clothing and shoes at J.C. Penney's, I managed to get quite a bit done on the working saddle set. It's a good thing too, because I haven't seen my kitchen table in two weeks! I was hoping to finish it, but then realized I still need to dye some straps and a few other miscellaneous pieces such as the back cinch. But at least the stirrups are hung and the d-rings are in place. Conchos are needed yet, and keepers, and strings, and, and....

The bridle is half finished. I decided to use thinned tooling leather instead of my original idea of using sheepskin skiver. It has a cleaner look, and will hold up better with the lighter dye. Strange how the chemicals in the dye affect the durability of strap goods. Browns tend to stiffen and bolden the leather. This lighter oil dye seems to render them almost too soft for use. I'm afraid to use any kind of finish on them as it will certainly darken the color.

This brings me to another thought that's been ruminating for a while. I am indebted to those who suggested using a tool to buff up the leather rather than putting a finish on it. It's saved my tackmaking life! I am not sure if it was here or the yahoo tack forum, but whoever you are, I owe you one!

Getting Closer

2011-09-12T20:08:00.000-07:00

Saddle Progress so far. Stirrups are started, but Monday came, so I'm sort of hold at least until tomorrow. It's been a day, that's for sure! Bits and other pieces came in the mail, so I can get started on some other pieces as well.

Here's the breast collar. I sneaked in a flower ;). It just works best for the middle. I couldn't resist!

So, here's the process for the seat piece. First, I took the cut out portion and glued it to the backside of the leather that is to show through. Generally, this would be a smooth leather piece, not on flesh side. It was important to make sure the leather used to cover the cutout was thin enough not to cause a bump when glued to the tree.

Here's what the other side looks like.

So, once the insert was glued in (I used tacky glue), I affixed it to the tree (In this case, a Haley cutting tree.) After the seat was attached, I did the back of the seat and as much of the pommel side as I could. I'm still working on this piece, so never got to the front part yesterday. Usually, though, I glue from pommel to seat, but this required that the seat part be affixed so that there wouldn't be any odd wrinkles. It really held together well.

Medium Oil Working Set

2011-09-10T19:42:00.000-07:00

Work continues on the medium oil working set. Right now, almost everything is dyed and I'm waiting on feedback about the color of the seat. The above photo shows a nutmeg color. Below a chocolate.

This shows a seat insert that is the same color as the rest of the piece.

Here's the saddle all dyed up ;). Still have to carve the breast collar and a few other pieces. But the skirts and fenders are ready to assemble.

Next up - bridles. Bits and buckles are currently on the way for two bridles, this one and an international order.

Working Ranch Saddle Progress

2011-09-04T20:50:00.000-07:00

Karen's saddle is coming right along! I'm nearly finished with the carving and tooling. Just the rest of the skirt is in need of work and the bridle pieces. I cut away the seat already. I'll be keeping the piece that was removed and laying a piece of soft, processed leather over the top to help "pop" it up. I'll try to document the process when I get to it. Everything is still in need of dyeing and must be skived. I was hoping to get to that part tonight (adding dye), but unfortunately I got sidetracked by school preparations. *sigh*

I'm very grateful any time I get a photo to work from. It makes it easier to know exactly what is desired. Aside from a few liberties on the seat with a little more carving than is shown, and a Rio Rondo style basketweave instead of the one shown, this is very much like the original.

This last photo shows the amount of carving I do (with just an exacto-knife) on the hole part between the seat and pommel on every western tree I've used in order to make an invisible transition between the leather of the seat and plastic tree. It also demonstrates how I used a piece of petite tooling calf to raise the seat just slightly. This will allow my carved seat to rest a little more naturally than the last saddle I built on this Haley working tree. Plus, it will give additional support for the inset part - I hope. This is new territory for me!

More Hibernating

2011-08-28T13:23:00.000-07:00

It's still hot outside. This poor white, freckle bespeckled Irish decendent is once again refusing to brave the lobsterifying sun. It's nice inside, and there are lots of things that need working on. Like this saddle set. And my Rio Rondo order for the bridle parts I just realized I don't have. *sigh* I'll get to that later maybe.

I'm cruising right along on this set, having a great time with it. Although I've played around with different kinds of leaves, this is my first real attempt at using an oak leaf. They're slightly modified artistically to keep to scale, but the effect makes a nice border.

Here's my saddle maker mark. It's always been "RSS", but I've usually used aluminum tape. This never will last through time, so I've finally decided to just go with a carved signature. This is safer than marker as they tend to dissolve into the dyes I use. Unfortunately, it looks blurred in the image. It's much more distinct in person. Eventually, it would be nice to get a stamp.

Progress so far...

This might be it for a while on this project as school starts tomorrow. The bridle pieces are cut out for the other project, and the reins are in progress.

Moving Ahead

2011-08-27T15:52:00.001-07:00

Karen's saddle is in progress now, along with a number of other projects left to collect dust while I picked up the last shreds of what some call "summer break". A ton of things did get accomplished over the last few months, but still some projects do linger. A tan bridle and breast collar set is also in progress on the workbench, and some chocolate reins, actually a few pair of romals.

I haven't officially thrown out the word for the free Haley tree pattern yet that I'd love to share, because I'm still tweaking it. Today I worked on the seat pattern some more, giving more depth to the part where the cantle meets the seat so there's more leather to grab behind the cantle when I glue it. I'm also going to try another technique. For some reason, my seat pattern falls at an odd angle when I go to attach it at the front. Even though it's supposed to be a deep seated tree, I'm going to glue a piece of leather over the top just for a little lift. For this particular saddle design, I think it will fit better.

A new challenge for this saddle will be merging a padded seat with the full carved/tooled one. Originally, I thought I would try a piece of felt beneath the insert to give lift, but now I'm thinking of using the original cutaway piece. I'll photograph the process so folks might get some of their own ideas of how to use this construction. You can see a faint line from my scratch awl where I sketched in the insert shape.

Well, off to maybe brave the sunshine. It's hot today, so I've been hibernating. It's also the reason for the two posts in one day. I'm hoping to make up for lost time, I guess ;). *sigh*

Old Business

2011-08-27T07:50:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to all those who've posted comments on here in the last few months. I've tried to respond on numerous occasions, but unfortunately, Blogger didn't want me to. I gave up trying ;). But I do appreciate all of them!

I mentioned in a post a while back that I'd share photos of my Canadian model horse show in Lethbridge, Alberta. I didn't get very many good photos, but here are a few of my critters.

Ok, so I could have used a longer base ;).

Not my most stellar attempts at showing, for sure, but I had fun and got to hang out with some great folks. Did I mention I am a TACK MAKER and that actually putting things together is still awkward for me? ;) There's a hidden agenda behind why I started MHP ;).

This is what Lethbridge is named for. This train bridge is still used today and it was completed in 1909. It's just over 5300 feet long.

This saddle set is for sale for $350 postage paid to any location. Write me at modelhorseperformance at yahoo dot com for more photos or information. Comes with pad, bridle, and removeable lariat.

Old Projects

2011-08-13T18:44:00.000-07:00

Remember that saddle I started a while ago? Well, it's finally getting finished! Next, I'll be finishing up some work for the MEPSA contest, if they haven't closed it for entries yet. It's been one of those years...

The Magazines Have Arrived!

2011-08-12T20:17:00.001-07:00

Today I sent out as many magazines as I had stamps for. I undercalculated the number I needed for stateside issues. That's a good thing as it means that the subscriber list is slowly growing larger each issue. Tomorrow I'll finish up the stateside ones and also ship out international issues. Fun Fun!

Oh, there's a little something special in this issue. It's a surprise pattern. You'll have to wait and see what it is! I'd love to see the results if anyone gets crafty with it! Mine will get posted after everyone has had a chance to see it ;). Sarahbeth and I decided that since everyone had to wait a bit longer for their issues, a little something extra was in order. Have fun!

Model Horse Performance Friday Ship Date

2011-08-10T20:50:00.000-07:00

I haven't updated my blog for some time, but did update the Model Horse Performance magazine site with the details of this most recent issue release. It went to the printer midway through last week. Actually, I was there Monday too, but we printed it out and found some photo color errors, so I went back to work on it ;). The pick-up date is Friday, so that is the soonest I can ship out. If all goes well on the printing end, the magazines should head to the mail that day or the next. I'm going to try to get the international ones out on Saturday morning, as I usually have to get them weighed out. Friday there probably won't be enough time to head to the P.O. for weighing them. The lines are long, and it will take time to stuff envelopes. Saturday is always a more peaceful time to do that. Stateside issues cost the same rate, so I'll just stick stamps on those and ship them out.

On the tack front, not a whole lot is getting done. I've been buried in real horse activities (YEA!) and preparing for school. Quite a bit of organizing is getting done too. It feels like I've gone through 20 years worth of files in two weeks. It's been crazy, but awesome ;).

Finally, it appears the internet is finally up and running again. Phew! Now I know what it feels like to be an addict. This was really hard for me - two months without consistent internet!

Enjoy It While It Lasts!

2011-08-02T19:56:00.001-07:00

Well, the Model Horse Performance Magazine is finished. The printers are ordering the paper we need. I had to make a few changes after taking it down to them yesterday, but those are now fixed and we're ready to roll. I'll drop the new file off tomorrow. That should give us about next Friday as a pickup or ship date. While I'm bummed that this magazine is getting out quite a bit late, I also know that the next issue is going to be just a full of great stuff and is already in progress, right on schedule. There's still room to get an article or two in, though, so if you are interested in writing something the due date is August 31.

Well, after a good solid month, the internet seems to be working again. I've tried posting a blog many many times only to have it fail halfway through transmission each time in the last three weeks. I've slipped over to my folks' place several times just to keep up on email and orders. Keeping my fingers crossed!!

Maybe A Light At The End....

2011-07-22T12:15:00.000-07:00

The end of the battle is near, I think! After many long months of pouring over word documents and photo files, and frantically typing in articles, the Model Horse Performance magazine is nearing completion! I agonized over what to put on the back cover. I needed something that would mesh colorwise with my front cover choice (to be revealed when it fully formatted). This lovely OF Lady Roxanna is one of my favorite pieces, and after fifty or so photos, I finally determined the one I would use. She's displaying a halter that may be made using instructions in this issue.

Meet Polonium 210. He's my new warmblood performance horse. Yes, I know they don't wear stock halters, but the remade Breyer it's for is a stock type horse with a Keltic head. Both photos are recent proof that I can occasionally be talked into making halters ;).

No End In Sight!

2011-07-19T11:55:00.001-07:00

Here is the completed saddle I showed bits of before! It's a youth saddle, commissioned by Tiffany Purdy early last fall, but something I knew I wouldn't be able to accomplish until I had a little more working knowledge with lighter dyes. She absolutely insisted on a fully carved seat, but we agreed a blending of carving with an uncarved center would work best. That was the tough part. Full carving hides many inconsistencies in the leather, but a flat area can show streaking and uneven dyeing. This ended up working out ok. I was holding my breath and even shaking a little bit. That seat piece took several hours to carve!

The color is Feibings "light tan", which translates into a nice light caramel color. The design was constructed using several different modern custom saddle styles. She wanted bling, so I went for broke. It was constructed on a Haley pleasure tree, which was an adventure in itself, since I already had my heart set on using a Rio Rondo tree. It took some prodding and stretching to make the seat piece work, but it finally fit, and I really love the result. *sigh* Now to make one for myself...

Summer break has looked much less like rest and more like neverending work the more it progresses. It's a good kind of work, a smattering of hobby and 4-H, math tutoring, and fun teacher courses, but neverless, it just now seems as if my life is slowing down. Only thirty more days before I have to put my teaching hat back on. *sigh* Now I'm frantically working on the Model Horse Performance magazine, getting it ready for publication. Shipping is slated (gasp!) for the first part of August. It's the first and hopefully LAST time it will leave my hands the month after it's supposed to go out. Deepest apologies to my subscribers!

More Remington

2011-07-10T08:35:00.000-07:00

One thing I absolutely admired about the museum was their attention to detail. All the horses used for display were amazingly well done. You know how it is - usually horse "models" are poorly done with goofy eyes and awful broken leg poses. These actually fit the carriages and showed off the tack very well.

This wall was twice as long and contained harnesses from floor to ceiling. All I could say was WOW. And they weren't just any ordinary harnesses, but fancy shmancy ones with fascinating histories that truly deserved to be in a museum. Some of the carriages featured were actually displayed with the original harnesses built for them, even one from the early 1800's.

Val was the guy working in the carriage shop the day we visited. He showed us before and after photos of many of the buggies, wagons, and carriages they had refinished. He's retired, but loves to put his hands to work rebuilding and restoring these amazing pieces.

He told us a story about this carriage that was brought in by a man who had said, "just fix it up so we can use it again." It belonged to his grandfather and had seen a lot of use, but then found its way into a garage. It had ripped upholstery, no top, broken wheels, and was pretty much in a sad state of disrepair. He left it in their capable hands.

The folks in the shop looked underneath the grime and with a bit of research discovered which make and model it was. They had to wait three years to replace the patent leather as it was a special color they had custom made from Italy. Everything, including the pinstriping, was detailed exactly like the original.

When it was complete, the owner returned. They rolled the carriage out of the shop, he had several photos taken of the carriage with himself and his daughter, paid for it, then had them roll it back in. He said that he could not believe they had completely restored it to its original condition, but thought they would just put a little paint on it and make it usable. He had no place to keep it in its newly restored condition, so simply left it there for others to see how beautiful it is.

Oh, and if you ever get a chance to meet Val tell him I still have the horseshoe nail ring he gave me ;).

What's a visit to a carriage museum without a wagon ride? Many thanks to Bobbie's husband again for playing tour guide and giving us a chance to experience this amazing place!

Travel Photos: Remington Carriage Museum

2011-07-09T21:28:00.001-07:00

Remember that seat I worked hours and hours on? Well, the saddle is finally ready to ship out to its new owner! I don't want to spoil her surprise, so I snapped these photos and cropped them so only a teeny bit is showing. It's a fun piece, made exclusively for a custom Weather Girl with shortened youth stirrups, and I know it will get lots of use. I'll post photos of the full set after Breyerfest.

Another place we visited in Canada was the

This cart was very close to being my favorite. I just love the flatwork painting. I believe it's from Holland - notice the windmills?

This stage also has gorgeous detailing, which I sadly didn't get a closeup of...

Remington rebuilt carriages for a hobby. When he died, he had over 40 fully restored carriages in his possession. In his will he stated that he would donate them to Canada if they would build a museum for them and keep them together in one collection. Now there are over 250 carriages there! They lease many of them out each year for parades and special events to reputable folks to help pay the bills as well as offer repair and restoration services. This is an absolute MUST SEE museum if you get up that direction. It's practically on the way to Calgary. More next time!

Summer Fun

2011-07-08T06:59:00.000-07:00

Summer is supposed to be a break time for most teachers. However, this teacher has not stopped since it started! Between tackmaking, traveling to teacher workshops, making more tack, preparing for and traveling to a show in Canada, working on the latest issue of Model Horse Performance magazine and tutoring, my life just hasn't slowed down. And it doesn't look like it's going to any time soon. At least it keeps me out of trouble ;)!

The show was a fun time of visiting with my canook friends, a rowdy and loud bunch of folks that often have me in stiches. I'll share photos of the show next time. Remember when I mentioned my visits to the Appaloosa Horse Club museum in Moscow, Idaho and the Nez Perce museum in Spencer, Idaho two weekends ago? Well, little did I know that the Canadian Appaloosa Horse Club museum was fairly close to other museums we wanted to visit on Monday. How's that for rounding out my Appaloosa experiences!

Most of the native tribes in the area I visited were a type of Blackfoot. This Blackfoot pad saddle from the Canadian Appaloosa Horse museum is a rare treat, as they're just aren't many pad saddles left to see. This Appaloosa club was considerably smaller than the Moscow one, but quite functional with some fun Appaloosa memorabilia.

Did you see the appaloosa Indian pony with the chopstick travois? ;) It was a fun Breyer sighting.

Yet another museum we visited was the "Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump" museum. Before horses came along, natives devised brilliant schemes to drive buffalo down a blind slope and over a cliff. They used virtually every part of the animals they were able to acquire. Scientists have excavated over 10 meters of sediments with buffalo remains at this spot. Definitely a must see if you're anywhere near Calgary or Lethbridge off highway 3.

More photos to follow later on another super amazing museum visit...

Spencer Photos

2011-06-27T17:32:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos from the Spencer Nez Perce museum.

This is a common parcel called a "parfleche". Many tribes utilized it for carrying things. It's made of rawhide, then painted or stained with natural pigments.

Here's a more modern native dress. Didn't think to take pictures of the display cards, so I don't have the time frame on it. I was just tickled pink to have "stumbled" onto the museum in my drive down to McCall.The hats are made of pine needles or straw and are very typical of this tribe.

A typical Nez Perce bonnet.

A collection of horse regalia. Some of it looks Crow, but there was a lot of intermarriage between the Nez Perce and Crow, so sometimes their styles crossed over as well.

Forest Fuel Calorimetry

2011-06-25T20:53:00.000-07:00

I've been away on "vacation" the last few days. A last minute opportunity came up for gaining recertification credits on my teaching credential. I'm spending time in the woods at a camp for teachers paid for by NASA. For the nerdically inclined, it's been a fascinating weekend immersion focused on climate change and bringing complex environmental ideas down to simple hands on experiments that high school students can process through. We've heard from geologists, biologists, hydrologists, chemists, and soil scientists on projects they are currently studying.

No, that's not a turd. It's bark from a tree from our calorimetry of forest fuels project. We used some pretty basic materials since we didn't have a ringstand or other common materials. We did manage to find an electronic balance and graduated cylinder. Did you know that certain kinds of lichen make excellent fire starting material? We had fun with fire ;).

On my way down, I stopped at a few museums. First, it was the Appaloosa museum. But soon after arriving, I couldn't find my camera. I was so disappointed! Fortunately, I found it not too long up the road, so when I passed by a really amazing museum on the Nez Perce reservation, I was absolutely delighted! Here are some pics...

June Projects

2011-06-21T21:08:00.000-07:00

"Oh, be still my beating heart!" I breathed to myself when I saw my local custom saddle maker's version of a Bohlin classic. And no, I don't have photos. Thanks, but I've already been chided more than once by some hobby friends about it.

Bob Hickman is a premier custom saddle maker in Post Falls Idaho. I often find myself doing "research" in his shop, right after having Mexican at my family's favorite restaurant that just happens to be next door. I dropped by for a few quick minutes to see what he had in his shop. A brand new, gorgeous pleasure saddle welcomed me in the front door, and as usual all the vintage saddles were snug on their racks, slightly shifted from where I last saw them. Two Hubbard style early 1900's era side saddles caught my eye. Only $6800 for the one. But it was in phenomenal shape!

So then I found the new custom working saddles and silver lined saddles Bob had sitting out. They were yummy, but before I even got a good chance to look at them, Bob cried out from across the counter that separated the workshop from the display area, "can I help you with anything?" "Um," I replied sheepishly - she who has no horse to speak of - "just kicking tires, er, saddles today. You guys are putting out some nice stuff these days." Wow. That sounded lame. After a short while, he called me over. "Hey, you outta see this silver beauty we're about to pack up for some guy in Texas." Ears perked up. "Oh?" And then he walked back behind the counter where a gorgeous medium oil parade set perched on it's stand. He even let me walk back into his WORKSHOP! I thought that was illegal or something ;). I wanted to run my hands along the delicate Sheridan carving, but knew it was forbidden.

Indeed it was something to see; fine Montana silver hand wrought by a local silversmith. The conchos were the squarish type, and very much resembling something I've seen before in a book on Bohlin. The horn was exquisitely done in filigree and carved flowers, even prettier than I've seen on Bohlin saddles. A breastcollar had been made to match. "Wow." That was all I could come up with. I asked him how much a corona would cost. $1800 was his reply. He was about to tell me how much the saddle itself cost and I stopped him. Priceless in my mind, of course, but I've figured with the price of silver and silversmithing involved, it had to be in the $40,000 or more range. Way out of my league.

One of these days, I think Mr. Hickman will get a present from me. It won't be anything like his saddles, and he'll probably think it's quirky, but it will make me
feel less guilty about wandering around his shop.

So, about my current projects... Three sit unfinished at the moment, with a fourth that was supposed to be finished, but remains so until I can master the art of using lighter dyes on pieces with flat areas and carved areas together. The trick may lie in dying the underside at the same time as the topside. Flatter areas seem to resist dye flowing through to the bottom side of the piece, whereas carved areas transmit it all the way through very quickly. This forces uneven dyeing. Sooo, until I can master it, that saddle is on hold, for two to three weeks. In the meantime, the photo shows a piece that I'm continuing to make progress on. Believe it or not, I'm actually starting to like adding bling ;). It's growing on me! This saddle will be for sale in a few weeks.

Brown Working Set

2011-06-13T07:02:00.000-07:00

Apparently I don't have a photo of this in its current state with the seat affixed. Tomorrow I'll get that on here. You can see a little bit of the process used to apply the cantle, though. The key is in having the right size of pattern. You can carve/tool first, then dye, and afterwords apply it to the tree. I have to run off to teacher meetings, but tomorrow I'll talk a little more about this process. At some point I'll figure out how to make this pattern show up exactly as a pdf file that can be printed so I can offer it for folks free online. Maybe I just need to format my scanner. Any suggestions are appreciated!

Twelve Days of Silence

2011-06-12T20:29:00.000-07:00

It's difficult to believe that I haven't posted in almost two weeks. Between school and intermittent internet, it's been a little tough to throw stuff up on Blogger. But the students are officially on their merry way for the summer, my grades are finally done, sort of, and all that's left is one more week of teacher stuff.

I have been working like mad, however, on several projects. The Sheridan seat I posted earlier is now a nice deep brown. Instead of becoming a two toned saddle, this is destined to become an all brown one. The lower skirts just never dyed quite right with the tan color I used, so I abandoned them and went over the top with a brown to match the seat. That resulted in a little darker, yet very rich brown which may be destined for a different saddle. I will post in progress photos of that one later this week.

Until I get my new bottle of tan and leather dye prep (I'll let you know if it helps prevent streaking), I'm putting the two toned saddle on hold. In the mean time, I do have a pleasure set to finish up. I'll post full photos of it when I'm finished, but the piece you see above is a prototype. I love the scalloped look of the newer Chavez saddles combined with the silver studs. This is going to be my pleasure saddle for at least the next show, maybe throughout the fall unless someone decides to buy it.

Well, off to prepare myself for a week of staff meetings. UGGHH!

History of the Western Saddle Part 1

2011-05-31T15:21:00.000-07:00

In order to fully understand the history of the western saddle, it's important to have some knowledge of rigging. We are so used to seeing saddles with billets that hang at a horse's girth, what we now consider the safest place to cinch up a horse. It allows less give in case a horse decides to bloat while being saddled as well as less tendancy for slipping. But once upon a time, this wasn't figured into the design of a saddle and in the Moorish and Spanish saddles of the middle ages, a center fire rigging was used. Center fire rigging persisted even into the 1800's and today it's possible to find some pack saddles still making use of this rigging. Native American saddles also were made with this position.

Drawings are by Dusty Johnson in "Saddle Savvy" found on the Western Saddle Guide http://www.western-saddle-guide.com . I'm not sure how accurate the information is on there as it seems to have inconsistencies that I'm currently researching.

A Brief Moment In Time

2011-05-30T21:25:00.000-07:00

Tonight it seems that my internet just may be working well enough to get on here and blog a little about model horse tack. I have to say that this has been the most frustrating four days ever - fighting tooth and nail just to get enough internet juice to check email. I've been halfway through blogs only to have them go blank. I've tried sending numerous emails, to no avail - they get lost halfway through transmission. I've been to my parents' house twice just to follow up on emergency emails to folks I'm making tack for and other business things. Tomorrow I think I'll have a chat with the gal in charge to find out when things will be normal again, if ever. I hate to think about having to pay for internet as this has been so super fast and conveniently free in the past. *sigh* ok, enough ranting!

So, the saddle pieces are dyed at the moment and waiting for color confirmation from the gal the saddle is for. This is where I hold my breath ;). Not really. I don't mind redoing pieces if they aren't what the client had in mind and truth be told, I can always work them into another sales piece. In the meantime, I'm working on a special saddle for - um - someone special. I mean the fruitcake kind of special. :)

Moving Along

2011-05-27T13:11:00.000-07:00

Slowly but surely, I'm making progress on the western working set. The lousy internet connection kicks me out about every three minutes, and I hope they get this fixed soon. I'm tired of not getting to surf my favorite model horse sites ;)!

Seat Piece Almost Finished

2011-05-23T21:04:00.001-07:00

Aside from a little touch up work on the right side of this piece, I think I'm finally finished with it - 2.5 hours more work. I'll admit, I was multitasking on a few other pieces like a stirrup and laying out the breast collar pieces with flowers. Not much else to report so far. I did get started on a bridle, but have to wait until I have more time to dye it before I can piece it together. It's going to be a two ear with tiny studs - my first time working with them. Wish me luck... I'm going to need it!

More Carving

2011-05-22T09:21:00.000-07:00

Two more hours of carving and this is what I have to show for it. I worked a little more on the cantle carving, but it still needs more shaping. The rest is still just carved and needs shaping as well. I hope to have this finished later today, then I'll start on the skirts. I also have some other pieces to cut out for another set. Having more than one project gives me a place to go when my brain gets too tired of carving curves.

I really wanted to try some of those new patterns I've been posting, but chickened out just for the sake of time. This piece needs to be finished in time for NAN and Breyerfest, so I went with what was comfortable to save time. New patterns create lots of extra planning time. Maybe I'll try some in a few weeks...

New Saddle Book

2011-05-21T07:35:00.000-07:00

Robyn Jalbert contacted me after I posted on the Model Horse Blab about covering western pommels with carved leather. She had an old book on saddle making and wanted to know if I might be interested in it. Of course I said yes, I mean, who can resist such an amazing resource, 70's era or not?! Well, I forgot about it as life went on and this arrived in my mailbox a few weeks ago. I've been meaning to post about it but with our faulty in and out connection here, it's been absolutely painful trying to upload anything, so I've avoided posting. So, thank you Robyn! I love the book and am gleaning lots of little gems!

At some point I'll make good on my promise to blog about the history of the western saddle, but for now I'll start with this great image of rigging styles found in the book. Most western saddles are 7/8 construction as quarter horses mostly fit that style in terms of their wither and girth placement. It's pretty rare to find a center fire rigging. Believe it or not, the original pack saddles and western saddles in the U.S. were center fire rigging, and the placement was even farther back. Good thing they had already invented the breast collar back then! And native Americans also used a center fire rigging as well, almost a belly strap. Rarely do you see a native set in the mid 1800's to early 1900's with 7/8 placement. Most native tack was based off one or the other style of pack saddle.

Current Project

2011-05-20T21:17:00.002-07:00

The next project on my table is a western working set with a Haley reiner tree. The color is still in decision phase, but I've already started working on the carving and other details. Everything is cut out including the breast collar pieces. The bridle isn't ready to work with yet, but will later this weekend as I have other bridles and a halter to work on.

I started keeping track of my hours, since many folks don't realize how much goes into making a saddle.So far, I have one hour into creating patterns, tracing them out, and cutting the pieces. I have one hour in stitch marking, edging, and laying out the areas to be carved, and one hour with just the carving itself. As you can see, not much has been carved in that amount of time, because it's highly detailed and super small. Every new piece requires thought and a plan. I always agonize over this part because I want the best overall effect. I also have to say there's at least one to two hours of research into carving and saddle styles, but I didn't actually write that part down.

More Sheridan...

2011-05-14T09:17:00.001-07:00

I hope you aren't getting tired of Sheridan saddles. I can spend hours studying cuts, swirls, and flowers. It inspires me to try new flower shapes and leaves.

Blogger Backup

2011-05-13T15:10:00.000-07:00

Some of you may have noticed that Blogger had a bauble during the night and lost yesterday's post. It's back, though, thankfully. I was worried I'd have to reconstruct the whole thing! They have a super amazing system, though, so no information was lost. My internet connection, however, is on the fritz - working one minute then down the next - making this post a difficult task.

Here's some inspiration from Steve Mecum, one of my favorite saddlery artists. You can see more of his work at http://stevemecum.com .

In other news, I finally completed all the results for my show, so those will be going out later, with the snail mail ones heading out this afternoon. Woot woot! What a task!

The Carving Process

2011-05-11T21:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I posted a photo of some pretty stellar full scale classic Sheridan style leather carving. The artist is Ron Ross of Ross Saddlery, and he has a number of books out. He also has - GASP! - a delightful tutorial on how to carve from start to finish. He uses full size tools, all of which I discarded long ago as I don't find them useful for our scale. But the process is the same one I use. Start with some well placed swirls and cuts, then progress to three dimensional relief.

His tutorials are at: http://www.rosaddlery.com/tutorials/sheridancarving.shtml

I viewed this a long time ago when I first started into carving and had forgotten about it until my recent photo inspiration campaign. I really like this comparision of leaf endings he shows in the photo. They're all great for ending branches when they fall into corners or hard to fill areas. They're also great for beginners to practice the basics of carving. Get these down and put them together with some flowers and you're on your way to Sheridan carving in miniature!

If you're curious about the tools I use in carving, check out my blogs under "carving", "tack tips", and "tack supplies" .

Now, for the DRUMROLL....... The winners in the blog contest are:

horseyk728 and Irish Rose Models! Email me guys at modelhorseperformance at yahoo.com and we can discuss what you'd like ;). Thanks everyone for your comments! Do let me know if there's something specific you'd like to see on here. I hope these posts have been helpful to you!

Wordless Wednesday...

2011-05-11T06:11:00.001-07:00

Still working through show results and crazy end of the year school stuff, so no time again for a real post. I'll post more on the person that created this real horse sized carving tomorrow along with the blog contest winners.

BLOG CONTEST ENDING!

2011-05-10T06:09:00.001-07:00

These are roses from Bud Shaul Saddlery ( http://www.budshaulsaddlery.com ). I love it! The design is not for the faint of heart, though. Those nicely swirled rose petals do take a bit of time.

This design is what he calls a "swamp rose".

My blog contest ends today! The names of anyone who posts from May 1 through today will go into a bucket and a winner will be drawn. Choose any small item such as custom reins (fine braided pleasure, gaming, romal), a braided bosal with mecate, saddlebags,canteen, blanket, or ???

Monday Inspirations

2011-05-09T14:37:00.000-07:00

No time for a real post, so here is some more inspiration from Rafter W Saddlery: www.rafterwsaddle.com .

Skirts and Plates

2011-05-03T18:46:00.000-07:00

This is a Wade style saddle from Rafter W Saddlery. For Braymere... ;)

I chose pleasure sets this time just for a taste of something different. The focus here is on where the pommel meets the front part of the skirt, where the upper skirt falls in reference to the cantle, the distance between rear plates - you can compare the front ones on your own if you like ;)- and finally, the fender attachment. Do keep in mind that where the fenders attach is dependant on the shape of the fender and where the stirrup ultimately falls.

The only tree that follows the shape of the modern pleasure saddles, is Kirsteen Haley's tree. Notice the thin and low horn. Her trees also have very low contact with the horse and a seat that raises quickly from the cantle to the pommel.

Saddle 1: The line at the pommel shows the front part of the skirt growing into a triangle with a base just larger than the thickness of the swell itself. The cantle meets the upper skirt almost precisely at it's edge, and the fender is hung close to the middle of the seat.

Saddle 2:

This lovely saddle has a skirt that comes out farther than saddle 1. The cantle falls surprisingly to the outside of the upper skirt. The fender is hung again, close to the middle of the of the seat. The plates have a good spread between them giving room for extra detailing.

Saddle 3: This one shows a slightly older style of pleasure saddle. The front skirt is not as far forward as the other saddles. The fender is hung slightly toward the front of the seat. Finally, the cantle again falls behind the top skirt. You can also see how the plate shape affects the ability to add in unique details like silver studs, tooling, and carving.

Here's a Circle Y working saddle that shows a different upper skirt length. It's hard to get my brain around the idea that it's ok to have an upper skirt shorter than the edge of the cantle. In my head, I don't think it will ever seem right!

We're getting close to *gulp* 10,000 hits on here! Whew! Looks like it's time for another raffle ;). Sooooo, anyone that responds to a post from May 1 to May 10 will be entered into a drawing for a small custom tack item - braided reins - splits or romal, blankets, a halter, or ???

Rigging Position

2011-05-02T19:44:00.000-07:00

I love this carved swell! It's the kind of stuff that gets my inner artist blood pumping. Yummy! What I really love about this is that the place that joins up with the horn doesn't have a tooth-cut to it. It's smooth and round. I've been trying to cut teeth in the leather for years and never have liked the result. This is proof that I don't have to ;). I probably still will, but in case you are as frustrated as I've been, here you go!

All of these Circle Y saddles shown have 7/8 double rigging. Let me know if you want to hear more about what that means specifically, and I'll save that for a future post. I'd like to do some posts on vintage western saddles at some point and some of them have unique rigging styles. I have some fun photos from museums that I can blabber on about too.

So this first saddle shows pretty standard double rigging. The front dee is attached slightly behind the center of the pommel.

This second example I threw in because it's pretty (I hope it inspires someone!), and it's got a unique type of front rigging. This seems to be common in a number of Circle Y's newer pleasure saddles. Maybe someone can weigh in on why it's better than a standard dee ring attached up higher. It's surprisingly low.

Saddle example three (off the Jerry Shaw site) has the same placement for the rigging in the back, but the front seems a little more forward than the other saddles. Take a look at how the front dee is cut away leaving very little underneath. The front part of the skirt is much higher than the back part. Saddles seem to be shrinking ;).

What I found interesting about all the saddles I poured over in my research was how the front dee always is either larger or has more metal showing than the dee in the back. Sometimes they even have a different shape. Oh, and speaking of dee's, I pounded some out of aluminum wire (16 guage, I think). The idea was posted somewhere - yahoo tack group, another blog? I can't remember who or where off the top of my head, but if that was you - THANK YOU! I'll post pics for the rest of you when my week slows down and write a small how-to for making them. They look very realistic ;).

Getting Lost In The Details

2011-05-01T10:17:00.000-07:00

This carving is on a real horse working saddle by Jerry Shaw. You can see more of his amazing work at http://www.jshawsaddles.com/. I get so lost in these kinds of details - trees - that I sometimes forget to look at the whole forest ;). So, this blog post is dedicated to those of us who have already made tack, but maybe haven't sat down for a while to critically view the sizes and placements of various western saddle parts. And it's also for folks who want better knowledge in what to look for when in the process of buying a saddle. I am looking forward to learning some new things myself! I always work from photos these days, but I still miss mass placements sometimes, because I'm caught up in the super amazing minute details in the carving.

Bankers are taught to recognize counterfeit money by hours and hours of counting real money. Then, if a fake ever runs through their fingers, they'll be sure to know because they know what the real thing feels like. Art is much the same way. Artists study the real deal - horses, humans, whatever they choose to imitate - and work with it a LOT to achieve an image or sculpture that resembles that subject.

Well, tack making should be done much the same way. But we have some great patterns to start with, making it almost fool proof to build something that looks like a real saddle, as companies like Rio Rondo have done such a great job with their kits. However, even though something looks like a western saddle after using a kit, it isn't always correct. That's why we should always go back and look at the real thing to remind ourselves what we are trying to imitate. Also, too, styles change presenting us with unique challenges.
These were all taken from the Circle Y catalog in the ranch section (www.circley.com ). Do forgive me for the horrible edit job on the photos. Didn't have a lot of time, so I threw them in Paint and drew some basic lines ;).

Here's Saddle Number 1. I've drawn three lines to show pommel angle, stirrup position, and the cantle to pommel angle. The pommel is higher than the cantle where it joins the horn. It is angled slightly forward, although I think if we looked straight on, it would appear even more straight up and down. The stirrups are hung at the middle of the seat, but the stirrups fall close to the pommel. Depending on the fender pattern shape, this actual position might change where the top is affixed to the skirt, however, pay attention to where the stirrup ends up, as this will affect rider leg position.

Saddle Number 2:
This one shows a much more angled pommel, a very deep seat, and high cantle. The pommel to cantle angle is almost straight across. The stirrup sits a bit farther back from the pommel than that first saddle, but because there's a larger seat, it should fall slightly further back.

Saddle Number 3:
Here is one of my favorite styles of working saddle, the Wade type. It has enjoyed a resurgence in modern times, but was developed around the turn of the last century. The pommel tilts forward at a slight angle and interestingly enough, the back part of the pommel is lower than the cantle. The horn is always higher, though, so do pay attention to that concept when building a western saddle. And there isn't a huge dip between the two either. The stirrup falls at about the same place as the last example in terms of where it hits the seat. What makes the Wade unique is the extended pommel. I worked out a really easy way to extend a Rio Rondo tree to build this shape and will hopefully get to share it on here when I can get back to that saddle project.

So here is a saddle that looks very similar to the Rio Rondo tree patterns. Of course, the seat is deeper and the horn neck thinner than the resin trees, but at least this helps us to see a model to shoot for. The pommel is angled slightly forward, the seat and pommel are almost straight across, and the stirrup is hung towards the pommel. I think if the stirrup was twisted all the way it may fall slightly behind where the dark line shows it to be now. But at least it helps to illustrate the position.

Well, there you go! A long winded evaluation of pommel and cantle height and stirrup position. Next time we'll look at rigging placement.

Jewelry Tack

2011-04-29T16:41:00.001-07:00

This is something only a gamer could come up with. I'm not quite sure what to think about it. It's out there. I think I'll settle on it's interesting. There is a whole new line of tack out there these days, though. You can get just about any design you like. I guess it's kind of fun, but I'd never buy it, well, unless I had a young kid that wanted to dress up for a parade maybe. ;)

And here's something I've never heard of. Apparently some people are so desperate for friends they feel they need to pay a Friendship Tax. Hmmmm....

*giggle*

On the Other Side

2011-04-26T06:46:00.000-07:00

I think I'm going to live. Doc says I can go back to school. YAY! Most people would be happy to take a day off. For a teacher it makes five times more work - twice as much to try to throw something together for a sub to use, three times more to clean up the pieces upon returning to the classroom. *sigh* But I slept all night and it is more of a productive cough.

Here is sort of what I'll be starting next. It won't have this cantle, though, but a wide piece with carving. I'm not sure if I'll be going full seat or not. I guess we'll see how things take shape. The key feature, though, will be a rawhide swell and horn. I'll put rawhide under the cantle as well.

Well, that's enough time in cyber land. Gotta get to school.

Saddle Horns

2011-04-25T09:33:00.000-07:00

I considered sharing a little about my next project, but since I was unable to find photos, I decided to evaluate my last project instead.

I posted a photo of the horn on the Haley tree Sheridan project. The tree really fit my patterns nicely, although, I do believe I need to work on the jockey as most modern ones are slimmer from top to bottom. It's an easy fix. Yet that horn does bother me. It's not incorrect, just bulky. This is understandable, though. Most model horse saddle trees are built with the understanding that most model horse saddle makers will use skiver to cover the pommel. Use of carved pieces increases the width just enough to cause bulkiness. Now this really isn't as noticable in the horizontal direction. It blends in well with the rest of the saddle. But the horn appears "squished" where it comes out of the top of the pommel.

I suggest that if you plan to use this tree for a pleasure saddle, consider using tape silver instead of skiver around the stem part. I think that will cut down on some of the bulkiness. And it might not hurt to thin down the part where it meets the base of the horn either.

Overall, I think Jennifer was right. This is probably one of the best saddles I've made so far, as it combines all the more advanced elements I've learned over the years. It was a fun project, and I learned how to work with some new trees in the process.

As for my cough - I actually slept through the night, once I got over the initial hack-fest. I am taking a day off, which says a lot, as I never take days off unless I have to. It's too much work to get caught up. Now I'm off to the doctor to hopefully get something that will help me get over it faster.

Just Like That...

2011-04-24T19:54:00.000-07:00

I've been nursing a strained voice for a few weeks. All would have been fine if it hadn't been for the assembly I had to run without a microphone and the germ factories that wandered in all week. Yes, students with gushing noses full of green, "braving" their way through the day, only to infect us all with their wretched germs. And so I succumbed. My iron clad immune system has taken a major blow, and I've been coughing sleeplessly through the last three nights. I decided to take tomorrow off, see a doctor, and find out if this can be kicked sooner than later. I'm tired of it.

And I still have to get my results in for my show. Last minute, yes, but not because I put them off. It's been one project after another lately. The show - end of quarter grades - the magazine - editing the magazine - then mailing everything out. Now I'm sick. I bailed on getting help with results because that required talking. Bad bad idea, so I chose better health and no voice for a few days over getting done before the midnight hour. *sigh*

To those expecting results through five placings, you'll have to wait one more week. I need to get at least the first two to the NAN people, so that's what I'm shooting for in this delerious miserable state. Bah humbug!

Sorry for the rant. I do hope you all had a happy Easter! More project photos to hopefully follow next weekend when I get a chance to make something for myself! And Braymere was right with her post yesterday about the horses. I didn't read very carefully. They are a rubber material like the Schleicht horses, not plastic. I might have to buy a few for my nephew and niece, though ;).

Did You Know?

2011-04-23T07:48:00.000-07:00

During my morning coffee visit to MH$P, I stumbled upon this ad for a new line of horses offered through Gedde's Toys. They are sculpted by Deb McDermott in 6 different styles. Now most sensible model horse folks would look at closeup photos of these and determine them to be unshowable beyond psq, but I think they have promise as bodies. They are about 4.5 inches tall. I don't know what kind of plastic they're made out of, so I don't know how well they'd work out for more drastic customizing. But I thought it was interesting.

Here's the website. The address is: www.geddestoys.com and they have a link to their model horses, including Breyers.

In other news today, the magazines are all shipped except the few orders I got the other day. U.S. shipping rates just went up recently, but it's only six cents more for those ordering issues. What really stinks is the Canadian and other international rates. Canadian went up to 1.36 and International to a whopping $2.66. Now, adding an extra physical page (four booklet pages) did add some to that, but the printers used a heavier weight paper this time. I'm definitely going back to the lighter weight, although we were right at the edge of 2oz before, so depending on the scales it may kick us into that next category anyway. I'm working hard to keep it reasonable.

It's amazing, though, that even there were four more pages available (and only one of those was an ad), it's still hard to fit everything in! There's just so much good stuff I want to squish into the magazines each quarter. It's a good problem, I think.

Well, off to prepare for dog training. It's looking to be a fabulous day already. I need to stop and get sunscreen and sunglasses! Last time, I fried and got a sunburn - one day in the sun and my poor winter white Irish skin was lobsterized!

They're Here! They're Here!

2011-04-21T18:35:00.000-07:00

The next edition of Model Horse Performance is ready to ship out! Tonight I'll stuff envelopes and stick labels. Tomorrow I'll get these babies in the mail. If you're looking to purchase one off of eBay, I'll get that set up later this weekend when the bulk of the mailing is finished. I have a terrible time multitasking, and I know I'll get flooded with email once I list it.

I love my publishing company. They are the best people on the planet. There are a couple of horse ladies down there, too, who are always asking to see my new saddles :). They are too cute. And I couldn't ask for a better deal on the publication, either. They're always willing to work with me to get it down to a reasonable price and are just super nice. This edition was a bit late getting out the starting gate, but between Sarabeth Barlas (a gal who's joined as editor) and the printing company, they got it back in good time and even a day earlier than I expected. Kudos to all of them!

Oh, and this morning it snowed like mad for two hours. Students are talking about hitting the slopes this weekend. SICK and WRONG.

Spring Install... FAILED...Try Again

2011-04-20T06:26:00.000-07:00

INSTALLING SPRING...
███████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 44% DONE.

Install delayed....please wait.

Installation failed. Please try again. 404 error: Season not found. Season "Spring" cannot be located. The season you are looking for might have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable. Please try again...

I don't know if anyone else has seen that yet. But that's about how we feel here in my part of the world. Yesterday it snowed, rained, hailed, snowed, rained, and then the sun came out and it was gorgeous! Today we're starting off on a good foot with sun and blue skies. Frost is on the car windows, though. *sigh* I love winter, but it is time to move on.

I have a few new projects in the works now. First up is a western working set for a client, and then I'm offering up a sidesaddle slot, complete with Sheridan carving and custom plates. More information about the sidesaddle slot on the MH$P: http://www.modelhorsesalespages.com/sales/view_details.asp?path=Gallery&id=848275

Maybe spring will stay today. *sigh*

Arabians On The Horizon

2011-04-19T10:10:00.000-07:00

The July issue of Model Horse Performance will be geared towards Arabians. If you have any knowledge of showing Arabians in pleasure, costume, endurance, or otherwise, and would like to share your experiences, please write me at modelhorseperformance @ yahoo.com. Also, I am looking for some writers on harness showing, tacking up with harness, showing in competitive driving, etc. for a future issue. I'd love to see some new faces!

The current issue is at the printer and due to ship out on Friday if all goes well. Those who've sent payment for subscriptions and individual issues will be processed in the next few days.

Now it's on to the next project!

I'm A Terrible Photographer

2011-04-16T17:42:00.000-07:00

Or... I need a new camera? Maybe both...

My photos never show a piece as it truly is. Maybe it's because the batteries are dying. I do need to replace them. But probably it's because the camera's been in too many humid countries, dropped dozens of times, and is frankly just plain worn out. One more thing to add to the wishlist.

In any case, I did get photos today of the finished saddle. I have a few touchup areas on the breastcollar where the dye didn't show through the edges, but otherwise, it's done. YAY! Next project: tan sheridan western pleasure sidesaddle with silver - a sale set. I can't afford the doll to sit on one yet, so my own sidesaddle will just have to wait!

Down To Details

2011-04-12T21:54:00.000-07:00

We're moving forward! The saddle isn't yet complete and needs some balancing. The horn is the same height as the cantle at the moment. Once I add the other detail work - padding, sheepskin - it will sit properly. All that are left are the fancy faux billets, breast collar d rings, latigo holders, and front billets. Then it's onto the bridle and breast collar.

Mail Call!

2011-04-11T19:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I received this lovely dressage set in the mail by Jennifer Buxton! Now, I know my hamster is not as cool as her rat, but since I don't have a dressage horse to display it on - *cough, sputter, tear* - he'll just have to do. Now as soon as she tells me which bridle to make for her set, I'll finish that up for her *grin*. Decisions, decisions!

Seriously, from the teeny tiny buckles on the bridle, to the finely skived billets and stitch marking, this set is so super amazing. I love the girth, too. So realistic!

I am super excited about this set, and it is just gorgeous! Can't wait to take it for a spin in the show ring!

Assembly And More Diorama Reference Pictures

2011-04-11T06:09:00.001-07:00

It might not look like much, but I did put in a few more hours on the set yesterday. Some more silver was added. The stirrups are finished, but buckles need to be attached to the fenders before they are hung. I'm leaning toward a slip buckle for the adjustable stirrups. It will be less bulky and no one will see it anyways, so why make it hard for the person that uses it? I will have to order buckles for it, so that will be a few days before I finish it. We'll see if I have patience to wait or if I just push through and make them how I always do, with reverse working buckles ;).

Here are some more pictures from my walk the other day. My face looks terrible still. This poor Irish skin hasn't seen sun since last fall, so I got burned to a crisp. Good thing my hair wasn't parted. Ouch! What a gorgeous spring day, though. The river falls are insane to watch right now. The amount of run off is incredible and these photos do not capture the powerful currents that are swirling down there. Instant death, even to the most experienced kayaker.

Zoom in on the top part of the cliff. That would make a great diorama, I think ;). If you guys find these useful, let me know. I can continue posting them from my hikes this summer. Any suggestions for references you need? Small mountain streams? More cliff photos?

Diorama References For Mountainous Terrain

2011-04-10T09:25:00.000-07:00

You've seen the project I'm working on from one of the green tubs, but here's what's in the blue tub. This project is a natural pleasure set I started about 3 months ago. It keeps getting buried under the mess I call my work table. I haven't done any carving yet, as I'm still fiddling with the custom silverwork (aluminumwork?). For once, I'm trying to adhere it first, then carve around it. So far, I'm only able to do this with natural sets. I suppose I could try making it work on a dye project if I left the tape attached to the backing, traced around it and worked out the complimentary design, but somehow it never matches up again like it should once everything's been carved and dyed.

We all have our list of things to work on. Designing around the silver is definitely mine! The other thing I'd like to work on with this set is blackening the edges. I haven't blackened edges since 2006, when I made a lovely carved oak set much like the one I'm finishing now. Sharpie was used on the edges and a few years later, the black bled into the oil dye. It's basic solvent chemistry, really, and was bound to happen. Since then I've been terrified to blacken edges, even with the professional stuff. Who wants to spend hours and hours carving a piece only to have it ruined? *sigh* Hopefully I can overcome that fear as I love the effects darkened edges give on a natural saddle.

Ok, onto the reference photos. If you like making your own bases, I included some photos in today's post just for you! I was doing a little hiking around our beautiful area this weekend and snapped these photos. If you click on them, they'll come up larger and you should be able to save them for your own personal reference. These are of a granite outcrop. I hope they inspire you!

Finally in today's post, I wanted to share my new herd member. He's an Aragon resin sculpted by Heike Polster. With a little customizing, I think he'd make a lovely Peruvian Paso. I have some reference pics that look just like him, even with that long face. I'm hoping for a rich, dark bay with some simple markings.

I originally wanted him because he reminded me of a horse I knew in Europe closely related to the Carpathian mountain breeds of horses, but now he's going to be a Peruvian Paso because I really want to make Peruvian tack ;). Thanks to Jennifer Buxton and her post about Peruvian tack, I can't get it out of my head!

April 2011 MHP Cover

2011-04-07T23:11:00.000-07:00

I'm working hard on getting this next issue together. The original issue date was April 15, but now I'm not sure everything will be in by then. I have a few judges working on the challenge still (my fault... got the photos to them late), and I got a few great last minute articles to plop into the magazine.

This lovely Cadence belongs to the issue's featured artist Marilyn Fowler, also the person to whom the photo is credited. She made the tack too. Gorgeous!

Feel free to comment on the cover. Still deciding if I like the blue. It really goes well with the light brown on the back cover, but does it match the sky alright? Hmmm... Hopefully, the white border I added (not shown in the photo) will make it easier for the printer people - yes, yes, I KNOW it's their job to be able to figure these things out. But I don't want to have to ask them to do it over again. I don't have time for that. And they do a great job at keeping costs down, and they're usually great to work with, etc. etc... Oh, and I also shortened the title bar as it munched a little too close to the top last time. *sigh* Live and learn.

Keeping Everything Organized

2011-04-07T06:35:00.000-07:00

Before I show you my cool new idea for organizing projects, I thought I'd share a little more about how this etching technique transformed my recent project. This skirt has half the etching completed - the right hand side. The left shows the spotty nature and unevenness of the dye. You may need to click on the photo and enlarge it to see the differences.

Now this was an idea that came to me as I passed through the paint aisle in Walmart earlier this week. I was in the process of putting away this project so that I could focus on other things like grading papers on my kitchen table. I put the pieces in a plastic sandwich sized container and put the lid on. This always seems like such a formal task to me. Discouraging - "well, guess I have to put away my toys until the weekend. *sigh*" But then I saw these!

For about the same price as plastic storage containers (under $2), these paint holders are perfect for putting projects on hold. I have a recycled wine rack too on my tack table that I hang things on to dry or keep out of the way. These actually "hug" the rack perfectly without fear of falling. They're off the work table, can store many different kinds of items (specific tools/beads for the project), and keep everything accessable. For me, out of sight is out of mind. These are the perfect solution! And the best part is that they are stackable, so if you're working on multiple similar projects, you can just keep them stacked together. I always have problems storing the saddle sets I'm multitasking on in such a way that they are easy to get to so that I can assemble them in stages together. Now, all I have to do is pull out the containers and line them up.

April MHP Is Coming Together!

2011-04-05T06:55:00.000-07:00

Just a quickie post for today. The Model Horse Performance Magazine April 2011 issue is in progess and will have FOUR MORE PAGES! Whoo hoo! That brings the total document page count (including covers) to 28. It started at 16 two years ago. I have my faithful subscribers to thank for this. I opened up slots for photo ad advertising, so this will also help grow the magazine. Don't worry, though. I refuse to be like some of those pop magazines out there that have three articles and the rest is just advertisements. Yuck!

Stunning Effects

2011-04-02T08:22:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the biggest blunders lead themselves to the greatest discoveries. That is how science throughout the ages has progressed. So too, we can make advancements in our artwork. By using a small exacto knife to gently scratch at the surface, the dark spots evened out and left the most amazing design! It's stunning and even appears to almost glow. I am always reticent to dye sheridan because it just loses detail. Not anymore! Maybe there's a use for that tan bottle yet...

This is the saddle set so far. There is much work left to be done, yet it's finally starting to look like a saddle. The dark spots in this photo are from water - I was shaping the pieces. After drying, they still remained a little dark, but further "etching" erased the spots and evened out the color.

Unfortunately, my teacher hat is coming on soon and I must table this until later next week. *sigh* Maybe I'll get bits done here and there, but I have much preparation to do before Monday. Spring break is nearly over. Boo!

Dye Disasters = New Discoveries

2011-04-01T10:09:00.001-07:00

"The best laid plans of mice and men..."

So I held my breath last night when I dyed my lovely Sheridan pieces knowing full well that this color is the one I always seem to have trouble with. Sure enough, when I woke up this morning, there were dark spots and the dye had covered the surface unevenly. Note to self #1: wool daubers might work well for large areas like skiver and full leather pieces, but maybe a return to camel hair brushes is best for small sheridan pieces as it's easier to control how much dye gets on the surface. Note to self #2: If it appears that the dye may have been contaminated during a major dye spill, it probably is and would be best to throw it out, no matter how much you think you're saving by toughing it out. Note to self #3: When it comes to lighter colors, a brand new container and a brand new brush is best :). So, now onto lessons learned...

Even though the dye gave a fun antique look to the carving, it was way overdone and really dark in places. Hoping to recover the pieces, I tried using a scratch awl to remove some of the dye. IT WORKED! Still, it's a darker tan than expected, but it can be evened out this way. It will take another hour or two, but as you can see in the photo, it's starting to look more even. I didn't take a before photo, sorry. It was too embarassing ;).

For those wanting a pattern for the shoulders of the Haley tree, just keep your eye on this blog. I'm going to try to put it in a form that you can print online. Just not sure how to do that yet, unless I scan it in as a photo file. I am happy to put it in the magazine too just for fun, so if I can't get it to come up as an easily printable file that's exactly the right size (my biggest concern) then I suppose an SASE will do.

Carving Continued

2011-03-31T10:48:00.000-07:00

I spent the better part of yesterday getting this far with the carving. In all I think it took 4 hours. Part of that time was spent fiddling with the Haley tree, creating a pattern to put over the pommel. I must say that it was easier than I thought. It still needs tweaking, but for anyone wanting the finished pattern, I'm happy to offer it up in the next MHP magazine free of charge (July). I can create one for the cutter tree as well. It's quite a challenge for a newbie, though - not for the faint of heart.

It's nearly 11 am at the time of this post. I'll post again later when the carving is complete. There's a lot of extra touch up work on the carving already laid out, but also much more to do. It seems like the harder I work to finish it, the longer it takes! Alrighty, then. Off to the project table to carve and watch more Sherlock.

Progress at 12:30. First Sherlock episode of the day is over. Time for some lunch and a little laundry folding. Must look at some faraway places! My poor eyes...

Well, at 3:14 pm, the carving of the main pieces is complete. I'm in the middle of The Sign Of Four, so will carve and tool the billets and maybe start on the bridle/breastcollar design. The rest of the pieces need to dry completely before the tan spirit dye can be applied. I thought this would never end!

Kissy Lips and Cute Kids

2011-03-30T10:34:00.000-07:00

The good people at Maynard's Well Station in Australia, namely Gina, are always sending me these adorable photos of their "kids". They live on a sheep farm and this year during lambing season they had a number of critters end up orphaned. I was getting emails about their fund raiser for horse adoptions and flood relief with attachments like these and stories of lambs taking over the house. I just couldn't resist sharing them with you guys. Precious! And I want to thank these gals also for their contributions to my show as well. You truly have hearts of gold!

Cleanup

2011-03-29T08:07:00.001-07:00

I was so busy doing showhostess stuff, that I barely got a chance to sneak over to the rings. I did catch this first set. The shower said she was inspired by me! I always drag Pokey and Spongebob to the shows and throw them in random classes to help with comic relief. I can't stand it when folks get too intense. Well, she decided to bring her own Gumby and Pokey entry that could actually show and even had documentation to prove it! Love it!

This is another of my favorites. Many thanks to Tammi P for taking this photo, because at the show I never got to see it. It's a Canadian hockey entry :). Too cute!

Today is "cleanup" day. It's spring break, but I still have a ton to do for the show - organizing results, putting the extra flats in boxes for next year, rearranging all the tickets and desk stuff, and sending off auction pieces. I'd like to finish out a few tack orders today too, so we'll see how it goes. Then it's onto the completion of Model Horse Performance's April 2011 issue - YAY!

North Idaho Live A Great Success!

2011-03-28T19:44:00.000-07:00

I'm still recovering from a whirlwind of a weekend! The North Idaho Live show went very well and we raised a good amount of money for the Blue Waters Youth Ranch, an organization dedicated to helping kids with broken hearts heal through the power of horses. It's awesome!

The first photo is of the Canadian contribution to the auction. It was quite the prize. Their raffle item was super creative also. Photos to follow on that one ;). Now the rest of these are rated R, so young children, you might want to get your folks first ;). Just kidding. They're from the Nekked Resin Performance class, an idea inspired one day when I saw how many cool performance resins I had just waiting for paint and despairing that they might never see a show table. Folks really did take it literally!

Carving Craziness

2011-03-20T15:39:00.001-07:00

The better part of two hours were spent watching Sherlock Holmes (thanks to shoestringstables!) and carving fenders. I think I grabbed a snack somewhere in there, too. Netflix, my newest best friend, is a Pandora's Box of fun ancient shows I always wanted to watch, yet shunned by my family so much so that I never had the opportunity to see them. Murder She Wrote takes second place as great background noise for tackmaking lately. But so long as I keep finding more Sherlock to stream, I'm quite happy :). It's amazing what ten bucks a month can do!

The carving adventures continue. The lower and upper skirts still need to be carved as well as the billets. These pieces should go a little faster due to their more linear shape. It's questionable as to whether I'll get back to them this week with my show coming up Saturday. While I did get a significant amount done today, I still have much to do!

North Idaho Live Auctions and Saddle Progress

2011-03-19T13:43:00.000-07:00

Many apologies for the long wait time since my last blog post! I've been consumed with getting ready for the North Idaho Live show next Saturday, the native American set that finally got completed, and a host of crazy stuff that has kept me away from both blogging and carving ;).

Here is the most recent progress on the pleasure set. The carving is taking shape on the fenders. These are the least tricky, but perhaps the most important pieces to carve. I might even go as far as to say they are my favorite pieces to carve. I don't have to map out silver usually, and the shape allows for a nice continuous floral flow.

There are many items available on the show auction page. If you're interested in Joker B Nospuds, a custom ISH appy, check out more details on him at http://riversongsaddlery.com/auctions.htm . He is being shown at the Show For The Cure Live show this weekend.