Quick Update

Last week and into this weekend and today, my family has been very sick. THe baby has a double ear infection and double pink eye that all came on very suddenly. (within 24 hours). He also had a temperature of 101F this morning. Last week my husband and I had a weird stomach flu, where we were nauseaus and lost our appetites... So it's been a trying time.

I have gotten SOME Stuff done in the studio, such as finishing up the romel reins and mentally moving forward with the halters for the NAN auction. I've got part of it designed in my head and I'll be working more dilligently on them in the coming weeks.

Above are pictures of the finished romel reins on the headstall they belong to.

Still chugging along...

I'm still chugging along on the Black romel reins I've been working on for some time now. They're about 3/4ths of the way done. Still have about 16 more knots and some other little things. Then it'll be onto a matching breastcollar and working some more on the NAN donation.

Munchkin started Daycare last week and that was very emotional. I also battled two colds this week... well three if you count Munchkin's. I've had one that came and went and then another one start that has left me exhausted. I've been going to bed at 7 or 8pm and the next thing I know, it's 4am.. So I've been really tired.

Hopefully this week will yeild some more time for me to start working on some of my own bits and buckles while munchkin is at daycare. I definitely need to do more silver etching..

Pictures will come tomorrow or the next day..

blah blah blah....

The horse statue above is an "Indian Silver" resin. He was sculpted by Deborah McDermott and he's so beautiful!! I love putting tack on him... He "Lives" in my studio with me, as opposed to some of the other horses that I have that "Live" in the basement. He needs to be "Prepped" or have his seams removed and any airholes filled and then painted. But I can't bear to let him out of my sight just yet..

On him is a "Show bosal" that I am working on to match the other tack that I'm making. I announced on my list yesterday that due to the current circumstances in my household, I'll need to sell that tack. I'll let everyone know when it's all finished and how I'm going to offer it. I may have to make two breastcollars, one for the regular headstall and one for the bosal.. hmm.. that means I need to order more beads! LOL

I have part of the mecate twisted and I am waiting for it to somewhat "lock" by hanging it with a weight on the bottom of it. (This is just a theory for now.. I don't know for sure that it'll work)And I'm waiting for having enough time in one sitting to finish twisting it with some other threads.

Let me remind everyone that all of this tack is 1/8th of life size scale. Not half size or even 1/6th but truely 1/8th. This means that tackmakers that work in this scale do everything that a "Life size" scale tackmaker does, only much much smaller.. It means that I really do have to learn to make turks head and spanish ring knots and then interweave them with thread and needle. SO in some ways it's harder to make than life size tack.

Of course if one makes life size tack, it has to be durable and actually work as well as being weighted correctly..

I couldn't imagine learning a 4 bight 19 part knot that goes on the nose of the bosal, but then Susan Bensema young HAS! and she does it in 1/8th scale.. Which makes me admire her even more.

As most everyone who knows me already knows, I am a strong advocate for my work and some others' work to be taken seriously by the art community and western collectibles community. For these communities to not just see us as making "Toys" because at this point, I wouldn't call what I make a toy anymore.

I'm definitely working towards that end which is one of the reasons it's so important to me to learn to make my own silver bits and buckles as well as truly learn how to make real, interwoven knots. The great thing about this is that there is a never ending learning curve..

Romel reins

Above are photos of the Romel Reins that I am working on. I had made a lot of spanish ring knots but they were only one pass. It made the reins look kind of ratty. So now I'm starting over on them and doing a spanish ring knot of two passes instead. I'm also making one less knot inbetween the silver and the turks head knot. I was making 3 but I decided that 2 looks neater on those busy reins. I have to make the knots during the day, with the double magnification lens on my visor because they're black and I can't see them otherwise

My knots are still not as neat and even as Sue Young's knots. I really need to learn how to make them a bit more even. I guess that will all come with time and experience.

Grateful

I'm so grateful and I feel very honored because of the price the bosal went for! $207! I printed out of the auction for my "Book" of photos of my tack. Thank you so very very much to everyone that bid, and Thank you to Vicky Norris who bought the Bosal. I can't wait to see her set up with it!

I am now working on a pair of romel reins to match my green tack. I am using black artificial rawhide. I'm crazy by the way, for picking a dark color. The darker the color, the harder the knots are to tie. I've done about 27 spanish ring knots and I haven't even finished one side yet. No pictures yet but as soon as I'm able, I'll post some!

As a side note, Anthony's parents sent in a photo that I had taken of munchkin into their local newspaper, in hopes that it would get printed. IT DID!! I'd like to publically thank them too for doing that. It was very sweet and I really appreciate it!

Red Bosal on ebay!

Here is the link to the ReD bosal on Ebay. Heather Lain has it at NO RESERVE so please bid away!

http://tinyurl.com/redbosalebay

or

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=140302032108

Finished reins and a Donation Halter!

THese are photos of the Reins finished. The headstall is my own headstall and it just there to show what the reins will look like on a headstall and how they connect. (The headstall is NOT included.)These reins are splits.

I did have a few people write and let me know that they really liked the reins so I am going to lottery them off to my Yahoo Group and if you're on the blog but not the yahoo group and want to be in the lottery, just email me (tackmaker@desertnightcreations.com)or comment and I'll make sure your name gets in the "hat". I'm going to sell these for $22 and I'll just start taking names today and run through wednesday.

These pictures are photos of a donation to Shelly Hogle's show. This is an older halter made by me and one that I showed successfully with. I have refurbished it and I personally would not hesitate to show with it. For more info you can contact Shelley here: khogle2@yahoo.com

I am almost finished with the headstall to the Bosal I'm working on that will match the headstall above. I still have to do another ear piece and then work on the mecate. Then it's onto the NAN auction stuff.

Reins sneak peek

The reins above will be for sale when they're finished. I've seen some reins for sale here recently (and yes, Susan's reins helped with the idea) and that gave me the idea to salvage these and sell them. They were on a bridle that I never used so I took the bridle apart to salvage hardware etc. I saw these reins and thought, "Well, if I spiffed them up, someone might want to buy them". I have no idea what to charge for them so they'll probably be relatively cheap. (and I mean less than $25) Please let me know if you think this is a good idea or if I'm "reaching".. HA!

Also, I hear from Heather Jackson Lain that the red bosal will be auctioned off and the proceeds will go towards her show which benefits the Throroughbred Charities.

Quick Picture

Here is a quick picture of the Headstall for the green tack. I really want to put my own bit and buckles on it, but those will have to wait : /

Still working on the Green tack

I don't have any new pictures to show but I have been working on my "Green" tack. I am also mentally working on making a bridle and breastcollar for my Terry Newberry saddle. I think I'll use it as a working saddle and make the bridle and breastcollar accordingly.

It's been slow going because Munchkin is older and is changing his nap habits. SOme days he takes three naps and some days he only takes one for 45 minutes. We also have a problem with him in that he won't sleep in his "Big" crib. He'll only sleep in the travel crib. If we put him in the "big" crib he really loses his mind and screams until he hyperventilates. I can't have that happening so I keep trying to put him in the "big" crib for short periods to get him to be ok with it. So far it hasn't worked.. LOL!! But I'm going to keep "pecking" away at it..

I also haven't found a job yet despite applying for a whole bunch of em..

I posted this to my Yahoo Group the other day:

Custom Orders for Small Pieces in the coming Months

I am seriously considering taking a couple of orders in the comingmonths for small things like halters and bridles(and yes, thatincludes double bridles) and maybe a bosal. I just have to work outmy schedule.

My very next project after the current projects on my plate will bethe items for the NAN auction. Then I should be free and clear to take orders from some folks with the understanding that it may take me a while to finish them. Any slots for custom work will be offered to the yahoo group first via lottery.

I am also going to maybe make a couple of sales pieces to auction off because I don't have a job and selling resins and OF model horses is slow right now. (as I'm sure everyone knows)

Thank you to everyone thats stayed on the list and supported me. I really really appreciate it which is why I offer things to the group before I offer stuff to the hobby at large. I hope everyone is enjoying mild weather like we are and that yourSaturday is relaxing!

Take care
Heather

and moving forward

For once, I decided to make some tack for myself. Folks that know me really well know that I rarely keep my own tack. I get such satisfaction from giving to other people who like it or want a piece of my work, that I throroughly neglect myself. My husband's western pleasure set was an exception to that rule as are the pieces above. I have a green and black Sherri Wertz doll that I use for Western Pleasure so I try to match all of my tack to her.

The bridle will have split reins and romel reins and the bosal will be a show bosal. Everything will be complete with silver. I'll upload photos when I'm done. I would really like to eventually swap out the Rio Rondo bit with a bit of my own whenever I have the chance to make one.. but then again, I'd like to do some buckles too... sooo many ideas, sooo little time!

Finished Bosal and Halter

Lots going on today so this has to be short. The Halter is a two color interweave halter for Jamie Stine. The colors are purple and dk green and didn't show up really well in the pictures, but in person you an tell.

The Bosal for Heather Jackson Lain's Model Horse Anonymous Live model Horse show is finished. I thought it would look spiffola on my Lonestar with my Terry Newberry saddle. I know that the leather is different colors but Terry's work always deserves a spotlight.

I hope your Monday is better!

Jumbled, backed up ideas

Above is a photo of some etching that I did on Sunday, while my husband played with/distracted my Son. I've been really trying to make my etching/engraving look a lot more refined. It's difficult with my dremel engraver because it has LOT Of vibration that just KILLS my hand.(Ie is really painful) Just when I get the flow of doing some engraving going well, my hand starts to ache really badly. I'm going to have to look into getting something with less vibration but with the same, if not more, control. I've come a long way though since those days with just a regular dremel!

I took the two above photos of my workstation while I was working on a woven halter. (you can see that too. It's now most of the way finished). The bright colors of the thread are really inspiring to me. I have SOOO many ideas in my head for braided tack that I can hardly contain myself and focus on the tasks in front of me. That is a really, really nice
feeling.

I'm still working on the mecate for the red bosal mentally. There HAS To be a way to do it and keep the right amount of tension on it. It's SOOO hard to do by hand though. I've looked at videos of how machines make them and I just WISH I had some kind of motorized or hand cranked contraption to help me. Maybe an engineering class of some sort is in my future? We'll have to see..

working on the mecate

Above are my first attempts at the Mecate. I say "first attempts" because I was wholely unhappy with how that first attempt turned out. It just would not stay twisted together to my satisfaction. I Should've left it alone but I was so mentally SET on getting it done that I rushed it a bit. It was also near the end of munchkin's nap one day so that added extra pressure. I can tell you that it's very hard to get waaaayyy into something (like I do)and then have to drop it. (Not that he's not worth it :-) )

So I tore it up and I'm trying it again a different way. Some of you may remember that I bought a drop spinner to try to learn to spin my own yarn.. well I never figgered it out because the directions were totally unhelpful to me. There are videos on youtube though that show one how to do it so I'm definitely going to go there when I have more time.

Munchkin didn't sleep well last night, which means that I didn't sleep well last night. Then he didn't want to take his normal morning nap. (of course) This means that I didn't sleep well and I haven't had a chance to catch up on sleep at all today.. Maybe this afternoon...

Finshed Bosal Hanger... onto the mecate!