Still obsessed!

Yup, Still obsessed with photography! I'm happy to say that I think I'm getting better too! I had a photo shoot with a friend last friday and I think that I did pretty well. THe above picture is of "sugar" who is a Paso Fino Mare. Getting her ears up was a bit of a "Task" but as you can see, we managed! I had a great time! I want to do a lot more picture taking of horses when their owners will allow it :-) (I'm aware the above photo needs some work, I just haven't gotten that far yet... I'll be doing that today)

I don't just like taking photos of horses though. Yesterday I went out into the back yard and shot dragon flies. THOSE buggars are hard to capture. Thankfully they lite on weeds and twigs and I can actually get a good photo of em!

I was beginning to feel really guilty about getting so into photography until I realized that I do this every year. I guess one's brain always needs a break from something one does constantly. I think it's good for creative growth too. Another artist friend of mine, has been going through the same thing, just not with photography. I think that some years I paint models, or I take up drawing again (which REALLY helps me on my scale proportions) or when I'm feeling really lazy I play the old version of Ages of Empires

With that said, I am still working on the bridle for my mother hubbard set. Sometimes Mr Boy sleeps soundly and I can actually get a knot done. Sometimes, he doesn't which makes getting a knot done almost impossible. I am also still working slowly on the halter that I'll eventually have for sale.

I am also slowly dispersing my collection. Resins are just getting hard to collect in that one has to have them prepped (because it KILLS my hands to prep) and then painted by a great artist that is actually taking orders. I am very particular about how my horses have to look when they're painted and finding people of that caliber is just difficult, and not to mention expensive. Artists in our hobby tend to get overbooked and burned out quickly. Since I don't have a job, it makes collecting resins and getting them painted nearly impossible... I've decide I'll keep the unpainted critters that I really love and the painted ones that I really love and thats it.

Also, I won't be going to NAN. I found out that hubby has to go out of town the first part of that week so I don't have anyone to look after munchkin.. He'll be back by Thursday though so I'll be able to "do" some of breyerfest. I have a table at the swap meet so I'll definitely have things for sale there!

Well, "boy" is taking a nap so I have to go do some things around the house that I've been neglecting forever

Braided Bridle Still in Progress

Like Fire!

(the above photo is my kitty, sahara and is entitled "Afternoon Yoga")

Holy Cow has my brain embraced photography! I had no idea that I enjoyed it as much as I do. This new camera is opening all kinds of creative and mental doors!! I've been obsessed!! I've photographed everything from kitty faces to spiderwebs and everything inbetween! I've always said that one is only as good as their tools and cameras definitely show this to be true! And whooo boy I thought model horses were expensive! LOL!!

Speaking of which, I'm going to narrow down my collection during Breyerfest this year. Most of them are just sitting around collecting dust in the basement anyway and we need to remodel the basement so they have to go somewhere!

Don't worry, I'm definitely not giving up tack. I enjoy making miniatures waaayyyy too much and besides, if my dream comes true and I become a professional photographer, I'm still going to need a hobby :-)

I have been working diligently on the braided bridle inbetween my equine photography class. I have just the chinstrap and a more decorations on the browband to go before it's finished.

Tomorrow is Fathers day! It will be my husband's first fathers day and I hope it turns out to be special for him. :-)

Bigole' Update

I've been busier than a one legged man in a butt kicking contest!

Firstly - I am about 1/2 of the way through that Lottery Halter. I'm so glad that I didn't sell it before I made it! LOL! Mr. Boy is demanding a lot more of my time. He's growing exponetionally and his mind demands more stimulation. It's hard to take him into the studio and concentrate because he wants me to interact with him when I want to work.. ha! So my studio time, which was already trimmed down, is MUCH more trimmed down now. I am definitely going to finish that halter though and it will definitely be available as soon as I do. It's just taking more time than anticipated.

I am also venturing into photography. I know, you're saying "but Heather, you already take a Jillion photos at model horse shows and horse events!" - well you're right but now instead of just Documenting, I'm going to be trying to take GOOD print quality photos. Also, the truth is that I need the moola because I don't have a "normal" job right now and photos are easer to sell than tack because they take a lot less time. (and really, who doesn't LIKE taking pictures?) I am NOT giving up tack however.

This past Saturday, My friend Robin and Anna and I went to visit a Saddlebred farm in Simpsonville, KY. I got about 24 good shots from there of mares and foals. IF you're interested in seeing the photos and you end up liking any of them enough to want some sort of Product or print, let me know. I have a cafe press store now and I have print pricing up. If you want to know when I have more photos available from the shows and horsie places I go to, Let me know (tackmaker@desertnightcreations.com) and I'll start a list or a yahoo group or something. I have a new, 10.2 megapixel DSLR so the photos are better quality now. I'm also going to take a photography class on photographing the equine.

Horse gallery:http://photos.modelhorseshowphotos.com/main.php?g2_itemId=88310

cafe Press store: http://www.cafepress.com/dnccreations (please note I can only display a few things at a time on Cafe Press so if you want an image or product you don't see let me know. I'll get it up For you!)

I also like cats quite a bit, having two of my own (Don't worry, I like dogs too, I just don't own any). The good part is that they are very "graphic" in that black cats against any background makes for a cool picture most of the time. So I am also going to offer prints of the good pictures of my kitties and you can see them here: http://photos.modelhorseshowphotos.com/main.php?g2_itemId=107724 One picture that has been getting a lot of attention on betterphoto.com and flickr.com is this one: http://photos.modelhorseshowphotos.com/main.php?g2_itemId=108270

I'm also going to be taking pictures of "other things" and if you to the main site http://photos.modelhorseshowphotos.com you can see the other misc stuff that I've been honing my eye on.

Thats about it other than I WILL be at NAN and Breyerfest so PLEASE say hi to me. SO few people do and I Really do have time to say hi to everyone :-)

New hobby.

The photo above is of my kitty Lill, on a glorious sunny day Last September.
IN case you were unaware, I spend a LOT Of time alone at home with just the baby, my thoughts, the cats and anything creative I can get into. For the last 10 years this has been miniature tack.



Starting with the camera (Canon EOS Rebel XTI 400D)that hubby gave me for my birthday, it now also includes photography. I've found some photography websites here recently that allow uploads and critiques of photos as well as monthly photo contests. This has been a BLAST because as a lot of folks know, I tend to take a gigantic amount of pictures. I wore out my Sony DSC-v1 at the arabian horse nationals in 2006. IT no longer pre-focuses when one pushes down the shutter button which is why most of my pictures in 2007 kinda stunk.



In fact, we have an entirely separate drive for our computer with about 150 GIG on it that I Get to fill with pictures. We have 116 gig left now. Yes, I filled it with pictures. Everything from model horse shows, to real horse shows, to my cats and my son. My husband and I also like to shoot ominous weather photos. Big thunderhead clouds or some flooding in the back yard.
I try really hard to get good pictures of the wildlife we have hanging out around my house but I'm not very good at it yet. My goal this year is to get some good pictures of the hummingbirds that enjoy our bushes near the garage. No clue how I'm going to accomplish this but it may involve me sitting by the retaining wall for long periods of time with a camera.



The photo sites that I go to that I really enjoy are: http://www.betterphotos.com/ (Great for amateurs and professionals alike) , http://www.photo.net/ (warning, not for the faint of heart. Mostly professionals) and of course http://www.flickr.com/ and http://www.webshots.com/ I have photos in all three places and I'll spare you the urls. Remember if you're putting photos up on the internet and you'd rather not have them used elsewhere, it's a good idea to put a watermark on them. I'm finding more and more my photos being used and posted in different places without any acknowledgement. I am watermarking all of my photos from now on with the exception of in progress photos.



........And speaking of in progress photos, the below photo is of the headstall to the Mother Hubbard II set. (I have now officially been working on that set for over a year) I'm really pleased with how it's turning out so far. I wish that the knots were a little farther down onto the tassels but otherwise I like it. There will be a browband and a throatlatch on it when I'm done. I'm really happy that I finished the reins already.. that would've taken me another eternity to finish!


I am also diligently working on a woven/silver show halter to fit the ISH mold in blue. I've just been moving very slowly because my son requires more of my attention now. NO more long naps to enable me to work in the studio uninterrupted. Sometimes I only get about 20 minutes in the studio which is about how long a foundation knot takes if everything goes well. He's worth it though. The smiles and giggles alone make me happy for days :-)

Still Working on the Bridle. THis is the headstall in progress

Bam! Right into a wall..

No, not my car.. My brain!

I'm working on the crownpiece for the braided bridle and I'm having a hard time making knots overtop the tassel/knot combo thing at the end. I've done it once but the knot was too big and the decorative knot didn't cover it completely so I had to cut it off. After that, I haven't successfully made another decorative knot over top the "Functional" knot which makes the tassel head. I guess my brain just doesn't "Understand" it or maybe it's too advanced for my skill level right now. I dunno but I'm just going to keep banging my head against it until I get it right. (as usual!)

I've had some very nice folks tell me that they don't believe that any of my tackmaking is hard for me, but I'm here to set the record straight! I just have a stubborn streak a mile wide and the unfortunate desire for doing things the hard way

Inbetween banging my head against that knot/tassel issue, I'm working on another "braided" western show halter for the Peter Stone Ideal Stock Horse Mold. I am going to "lottery" it off on my yahoo group to thank those folks for joining and being so patient. That way I don't have to fool with Ebay, which is getting stranger and stranger with it's rules.

I also have another bosal/hanger on my radar to sell because I'm saving money for my Breyerfest Trip in July. I Fooled with it briefly yesterday because it's made the "old way" that I used to make bosals instead of the "new way" that I learned earlier this year. That's going to take some time too.. I may just scrap it and start a new one.. it might be easier and faster.

My Son is more aware of the world around him now. Last week he turned over from back to belly several times on his own, but he doesn't seem interested in doing that this week. This week he's been crankier than usual and has been sleeping more, getting up at 7am instead of his usual 6am. This is good because it's been giving me a bit more sleep which I desperately need. I think he's closer to teething now because he loves cold teething rings on his gums. The bad part is that I'm getting less time in the studio. Before he'd just stare at the TV's colors and music but now he seems to need my attention more. He seems to be on par for development for his age which is very comforting.

I should probably say something about the Poor Filly Eight Belles from the Derby but I don't want to go on and on about my theories about why it happened or my "issues" with Racing horses. I think that if you do a Google News search you'll read opinions of all types. Some more informed than mine and some less. There was a really good article on the ESPN website about all of the factors contributing to all of the more frequent race horse breakdowns over the last few years. To read it you can go here It says a lot of things that I already knew and suspected. One point was raised though that some of the same bloodlines here in the US that supposedly cause unsound horses race into their 4 year old and 5 year old years abroad in England and Australia. So clearly this is a complicated issue. I'm eager to see what US racing does to try to curb the "breakdown" trend.

Lastly, the picture above was taken by me in my Senior Year in highschool. In the 1980's there was a mostly arabian horse Subdivision in LaGrange Kentucky called "L'Spirit". It was made up of 100's of acres all carved into gigantic farms that mostly bred Arabians. The mares above belonged to Bittersweet Arabians. In my Sr year of high school, gas was less than $1 and to amuse myself I would go out driving and taking pictures of horses. Kentucky is a wonderful place to do this :)

Miniature Bridle In Progress for Mother Hubbard II set

Kentucky Derby Week!

Normally, I'm very INTO Kentucky Derby Week. I'm very proud that I live in Louisville, KY and that all eyes are on us once a year for this prestigious horse race. Although I have my "issues" with the horse racing industry, I set those aside for the Kentucky Oaks and the Kentucky Derby.

This year though, because of Mr Boy, I've been somewhat "out of it". I barely know who's running although I did pick some horses to root for. Big Brown, Colonel John and Eight Belles.

It poured rain today before the Oaks and made the track sloppy so a long shot came in. Thats part of the fun of horse racing, you never know what will happen.

On Derby Saturday, I never ever go to a Derby Party and anyone that is not a horse lover is allowed to come to my house. I find that "regular" people want to *gasp* TALK to me while the TV talks about horses. How annoying...! I just want to watch the coverage of the Races and of the various Derby Contenders without having to make small talk with someone about something other than horses.

I also refuse to leave the house for any reason. The one year that I agreed to give a lift to someone ("I swear it'll only take an hour!" they said...) to their mother's house, I found, after going to said friend's mother's house that she in fact, did not own a tv. You can imagine how peeved I was.

On the miniatures front, I started on the headstall for the braided bridle for my Mother Hubbard II set. it's wrong.... just all wrong.. Tomorrow I'm going to have to cut it off of the bit and start over. I had a couple of techniques in mind but they turned out too bulky and I didn't like the look.. then I thought I had a decent design but it's just not.. At least I have the weekend to work on it though while I watch the races.

Lastly, the picture of the Beautiful Horse Above was taken at the Rock Creek Spring Horse Show that I went to last week. It's not "After Eight", the horse pictured in my last blog post, but it's another beautiful black horse.. I didn't catch it's name though. I think that a few horses that showed there were not Saddlebreds. I don't think that the horses that showed were required to be a Saddlebred but I'm not sure about that. The horse above does not look "Saddlebred-y" to me but I'm not an expert.

I'm not finished with resizing the pictures from the show but as soon as I do I'll let people know.

Blather.......

Above is a picture of this Gorgeous Young Three Gaited Saddlebred that I Saw today at the 2008 Rock Creek Spring Horse Show. The Person riding him is Rob Byers, owner of Premier Stables in Simpsonville, KY. I know him vicariously through my friend, Robin Hudson, who rides there. Rob is an accomplished Saddlebred trainer and has trained numerous champions. No doubt this amazing black horse will be another one!


Robin and I Spent a couple of lovely hours, sneezing and having our eyes water because of the high pollen count while watching the show. It was worth it though :-)


I took this picture with my New Cannon EOS 40D camera and my new zoom lens. It's been a LONG LONG time since I've used a 35mm type of camera, let alone one as wonderful as this one. I still have a lot to learn such as how many pictures I can take with the "Sports" setting shooting multiple shots. The good part is that you have many chances to get a good photo. The bad part is that you can get a lot of bad photos. I took 434 photos and I'd say that less than half are satisfactory. This is of course the Photographers fault ;-)


I am still going through my photos and I'll let everyone know when I post the rest of them online, on my photo site: http://photos.modelhorseshowphotos.com


Recently on a sales site for model horses I saw a beautiful braided bridle in Model horse scale braided by someone who normally braids regular size tack and things. The site stated that the braider did not use "glue" to keep the knots together. This got me thinking, do people think that I use glue on my knots because I feel as though they will come unraveled? I don't use glue, but I do coat my knots so that they'll hold up to years of wear and tear and also so that they'll stay clean when touched. Whenever possible, I finish my knots as instructed in braiding books but I feel as though that if someone pays good money for my work, it had better hold up! That is one way that I can insure it does regardless of treatment. I hope people that buy my work understand this.


Mr Boy's schedule is being ironed out and things are going better. The feeding part of the schedule has definitely worked itself out. The Nap part I'm still working on. His Naps are still erratic and he takes at least three a day. Sometimes each nap is at least 2hrs and sometimes they're only 45 minutes.


Tonight his temperature was up a little so my husband and I decided to forgo our walk. It was a warm day outside earlier and we don't want to raise it up any further. He's happily in his bouncer, kicking away at me right now and complaining that I'm not giving him enough attention.. I guess this means I better stop typing now..

Finished Mecate!

YAY! The mecate is finished! Pictures above!I have something that I want to blog about but Mr Boy needs some attention so I don't have time now.



I'm going to attempt to go to a saddlebred horse show this weekend so I may have pictures to share!

Still working..

I'm still working on the accessories and pieces for my mother hubbard set. I know it may not look like much but the knots decorating the cheek pieces on the bosalita above took me 5 days to complete! The hardest ones are the double row interweaves. Weaving knots on a base as thin as 1/16th" is daunting to say the least. I've made and destroyed at least 5 knots in order to get them just right. This marks the firs ttime i've decorated a bosal "hanger" with knots up the side and I'm pleased with how it turned out.

I do know that the mecate isn't tied correctly.. I just wanted to see how the colors all looked together. The mecate isn't finished of course.. still working on it.

I have started on another halter that will be for sale on ebay in the coming month. I need the moola so there will be pieces for sale throughout the year this year.. :-)

Starting last Thursday, my husband and I have been attempting to put The Boy on a new schedule. I've tried really hard to factor in his natural rythms of sleeping and eating so that the schedule isn't too jarring to him. It's been a bit rough because we're trying to get him to nap at certain times and eat at certain times and I'm not getting as much sleep but I'm sure in the long run this will all pay off. I fall more in love with him with each day :-)

I normally mention the weather around here because it's been a bit "kooky" but this time, I'm going to mention the Earthquake that hit on Friday morning at 5:36am. I am a light sleeper, especially now that I have munchkin and I felt/heard every rattle. I just remember seeing my bedroom door shake in it's hinges as I saw light come through the top and the bottom of the door jam. The kitties seemed annoyed as if their humans had shaken the house on purpose. When I went to see if my husband felt the quake, they meowed at me questioningly.

I seem to recall that the last time Louisville felt an earthquake was in the Late 70's early 80's when I was a little girl but I just can't remember the exact year. I do remember looking at my model horse collection hoping that it didnt' fall over.. I did the same thing this time too.. Nothing fell over and our china even stayed in place. I have no idea how since the quake shook the door so hard. Mr boy slept through it for once.. I envied him :-)

Supposedly there was another 4.something earthquake this morning at 1am but I definitely didn't feel that one. Mr Boy was a handful yesterday so I was sleeping for all I was worth!

Workbench "In Progress" Items

stop... and go!

This week has been a "stop and go" week. I am the kind of person that loves routine and "sameness". I like the days to be the same as the day before so that I can plan studio time and feeding times and nap times etc etc. "Mr boy" has a different idea. He's a fire sign afterall so he likes to change things up. The "experts" keep telling me to put him on a schedule, which I do.. for a day.. and then he changes it by sleeping longer than usual or wanting food sooner than the schedule would dictate. I'm trying very hard to keep up with him.. He's started to be fussier and more demanding and sleeping less. So the "sameness" that I cherish is out the window :o)

I got a second bit shank done and It looks very similar to the first. I'm pleased about that. After I got the bit shank finished however, I started getting less sleep. I am a cranky cuss if I don't get good sleep (my poor hubby!).. and well, I'm going on four months now of spotty sleep. It takes very little to disrupt my sleep schedule and get my brain spinning, which means I can't go to sleep right away. This means that I haven't gotten to the connector bar for the bit because my brain can't come up with one yet.

I have started the mecate for the bosalita (which I've also almost finished - just needs some more knots). I think it looks great but I'm having a problem with keeping the twist tight. I have never been a mechanical engineer mentally but I really want to come up with some kind of miniature machine to make these because I'm getting tired of failing with doing it by hand.. LOL! (well, "failing" to my standards) Some kind of thing with gears and adjustability.. I'm babbling.. I know..

Last week at the model horse show I did pretty good! My halter string is fairly decent for this area and I was pleased with the placings. My two performance entries did pretty good.. a first and a third! I was very pleased until Vicky Norris pointed out some glaring flaws with it! LOL! I am both embarrassed and grateful to her for the advice and I'll be sure to pass them onto Kay since I used her roping set. (THANK YOU KAY! and trust me, now I can make the whole setup even better!). The ropes need to be longer for one thing and the end of the ropes need to be made differently.. But above is a picture of the set on my "Pretty Consecutive" with my new cowboy doll. (Who needs new clothes...)

Hopefully this week will be better and I can get more accomplished.

TOmorrow "mr boy" goes to the pediatrician. I am not looking forward to it because he's getting shots. I don't know who gets more upset.. me or him!!

and another picture

This time, a picture of the miniature scale bit on a model horse.