Finished Mochilla!

Just a quick picture of the finished mochilla. It's dang near impossible to get a good picture of a dk brown object indoors!

Blog Day!

Yay it's friday! Which is starting to become blog day!

To the left is my first attempt to cut a horse head out of 18 gague copper. I did this in my metalsmithing class that I have started to take!

The first day was very encouraging and the instructor is interested in helping me work in miniature! I'm so excited about this!! I learned so much even in the first two hours!

As a side product of the metalsmithing class, it's dawned on me that I won't practice drawing here in the house on my own. Too many other things to do!! So I think I may pursue taking a basic drawing class this year as well. All of these skills can only make my miniatures better as I use metalsmithing and drawing both when I make them.

I have dyed the finished mochilla of my second Californio saddle and I'm working on the seat piece. The tooling is going a lot faster for me this time around. I guess I feel like I have a clue as to what I'm doing so I'm moving ahead more quickly.

Lately, my health has been decent although I've been tired. Course I'm always tired. Not sure what thats about but I'm sure I'm one of millions of folks that don't sleep well.

Next weekend, April 21, there is another Model Horse Show in Lexington, Ky. Funny how one doesn't plan on going to these things and then suddenly one gets a "fever" to compete and wants to go. Happily it's close to home so It would be an opportunity wasted if I didn't.

Wish me luck!

More Photos from the Show

Everyone Sing the blog song!

This past weekend I went to the Model Horse Mania Model Horse Show in Nicholasville, Ky. I really had a wonderful time! I Caravaned/Carpooled with two friends and I knew most of the folks at the show so it made for a very wonderful day! I also came home with some championships for my collection. I also took a TON o pictures.. about 900 in all!

The two friends of mine showed my tack at the show and they both took firsts and seconds in their class, then firsts in their divisions as well as taking an over all champ in Performance using my tack.

I have started my second Californio Style Mother Hubbard Set for the Museum of the West. This one will be mostly chocolate brown. It will have more tooling on it than the first one and the tooling pattern has been changed somewhat. I don't care for doing the same thing twice when it comes to tooling and saddles.

Needless to say, this saddle is going a bit quicker than the last one because I don't have to develop many patterns. I am going to cover the seat, front and back, and the horn this time. I'm also going to teach myself to do two color knots if I find that I have the time.

WISH ME LUCK!!!!