March Commissions!

I finished the March commissions yesterday! Out of the six commissions I've completed thus far this year, five have been western. I have non-western projects slated for April, thank goodness, but I've gotten very good at working with cast trees!

Here's the progression of one of the latest sets.

Using the baking soda and super glue method to rebuild a horn on one of my studio seconds.

The skirt and tree, after carving and prepping for metal nail heads and before dye.

The skirts are dyed and the suede for the seat has been thinned. Ready for assembly!

The saddle (far left) has been assembled and it's on to strap goods.

The tie down has been started.

Girth! One for this saddle, one for me.

Getting the bridle sorted out and making sure everything is easy to use.

And done!

You can see more photos of this set on Facebook.You should be able to view the album even if you don't have an account.

I'm still waiting on the new owner to approve the other March commission before I post the finished photos. Here's a little sneak peek...

Cleaning Day

I had a bad case of the fumbles today, so I decided to do a little cleaning instead of the endless cycle of "make thing, drop thing, lose thing, clean until you find thing."

It was time, anyway.

I emptied all of the drawers and shelves, putting everything that actually gets used for tack making on top of the desk as I sorted. The chaos distilled to this:

Yup, aside from leather & dye, those are all of the things that get used at some point in the making of a saddle or things that go with saddles (like trees).

Maybe it's boring, but I always love seeing how other artists organize their studio so you're getting a quick (VERY quick) tour of mine!

It was already dirty again by the time I decided I should show it off. Sigh. The Grinch holds my skiving scraps, and back behind the magnifier on the far right is a lidded cup with a slit cut in the top. I put used blades in this so that no one accidentally encounters one in the trash.

I finally figured out that anything that lives on a shelf or in a drawer but ends up spending most of it's time on the desktop really ought to just have a place there. The wire is sitting on unfolded paperclips that have been tucked into the lining of the bookshelf. The pliers are supported by stiff alligator clips.

Anything else that falls under "Most Used" hangs out in the storage area of my smaller Ottlite. Various knives, files, brushes for dye, clothespins, etc. The rectangular black thing near the front are the snap-blades I use for skiving, and the blue topped container at the bottom holds x-acto blades.

I ordered a scrap bag of suede last week and once it came in, I realized that I had outgrown my previous leather storage solution. I picked the containers up at Target (incidentally, this is where I found the OLD storage, too!), and they're perfect for my needs.

Things sit cozily in my new boxes, and they fit wonderfully three to a shelf. The long skinny containers came from Office Depot (or Office Max; same difference). I'll use them to help organize the lace & cording I have, plus the black and white that I ordered recently.

3 of the 5 drawers in the unit at the far left of my work area holds are dedicated to hobby. The top drawer with the only-slightly-less-used, the middle drawer...

with extras and  rarely used items (and a box of ancient tack)

And the bottom drawer is the body box.

Now it's back to work!

No Place Like Home

When I graduated in December, I had to make some decisions about what came next. Justin and I talked it over and decided that we really, really wanted to see where the model horse hobby could take us. I've been working from home for three months now, and most of the time it's fantastic. There are challenges, though...like those days when the studio vibe is off, or when getting out of bed is really, really hard. Here are five things I've learned in my first three months working from home.

1. Set studio hours.
This sounds like a no brainer, but I have several friends who have worked from home full or part time. I've learned from their experience that it's so easy to let work bleed into home time. Setting hours keeps you accountable during your work day and helps build boundaries between work and home life.

My studio hours are from 9-4, with some wiggle room on either end. Sometimes I make it into the studio earlier, but I always knock off at 5. That way I can do some tidying up and start dinner before Justin gets home around 6.

You have to get up, even when the cat is comfy.

2. Treat it like a job.
Once you have studio hours, follow them! Get up, shower, and do whatever you need to do to feel ready to take on the day. Lately, that's been doing my hair, wearing a pair of simple earrings, and putting on my shoes. I don't know what it is, but wearing shoes - even if it's just my knock-off Toms - makes me so much more ready to go. Working in PJs just doesn't cut it - I learned that from my years as a home school student. Oh, and make your bed. Seriously.

If you can have a dedicated studio space, awesome. If not, try to find a way to differentiate the-space-when-it's-work from the-space-when-it's-home. I've found the mental shift to be valuable in keeping my focus.

3. Find your rhythm.
I don't try to be militant about it, because what's the fun of working from home if you can't be flexible? I do try to some things in a certain order; I catch up on email and paperwork while I eat breakfast, then I take a look at what needs to be done today, etc. Having a pattern to follow helps keep my brain on track.

4. Take a lunch (and mean it).
Take a lunch break - and take it away from your studio space. I've found this especially important if the morning has been a struggle. Go sit outside, read a book, eat your sandwich, and don't think about work until you come back down. Set a timer to keep you away from the studio (or remind you to go back to it) if you need to.

5. Don't try to do too many things at once.
When studio hours are in effect, let them be the most important thing. I work in the finished basement of our townhouse, right next to the washer and dryer. The temptation to try to do household chores during studio hours (Oh, this leather needs to dry! I'll just go do some laundry/empty the dishwasher/dust the house) is really strong, but I always ended up frustrated. It's just too hard for me to divide my attention; household chores and studio work alike end up suffering for it.

So there are five things I've learned so far! If you have a hobby business selling tack, painting models, or making props, what have you found most helpful in keeping the studio rolling?

File Management

I am now the proud owner of a full sized western saddle. I picked it up at a garage sale for $25 with nothing more than a significant coating of dust. I cleaned it up and took a plethora of useful photos that I'm uploading to Picasa as I type, but goodness they're large.

So while those upload, here's a quick post on file management.

Sounds ominous, doesn't it? But trust me, it's not.

When you start collecting reference photos, and it will happen, you need a way to keep them all straight. Sometimes photos of the same saddle are obvious, sometimes not so much. Sometimes its easy to remember the make of  a saddle, sometimes not. So here's what I do.

I have two reference folders, one for finish work and one for tack. We're focusing on tack today.

Within that folder...are sub folders. Lots of sub folders.

I find it extremely helpful to include the name, maker, type of tack and date in the folder name. "Stubben Roxanne", for instance, probably doesn't require a date because it's modern. If it's antique or historical, I'd include it.

In those sub folders, I take advantage of Win8's handy author feature thingy. I'm really sure it was there in previous versions, I've just now noticed it.

I really, really like crediting photographers where possible. It also makes it easier to track them down later if I want to get permission to post the photos or use them in a publication.

At some point, I will probably find it necessary to split my subfolders out. How to split is tough...english saddles don't always fall into clearly defined categories, and neither do western. What I will most likely do is a 'generic' split into english, western, gaited, fantasy, and "other".

You might ask where I get these reference photos...well, I'll cover that next.

Studio Update 2013: So Here's the Deal

As I neared my studio 'season' this summer, I thought long and hard about how I wanted to handle potential orders and my work load. I really did think long and hard; I started considering options as early as February and began bouncing ideas off of people in March. I consulted other hobbyists doing business in the same(ish) area, potential customers, past customers, and slowly came to the realization that I can't make everyone (myself included) happy all at once. It was a hard decision, but here it is:

As of 2013, I will no longer be taking regular commission work.

Instead, I'll be focusing on auction and sales pieces. There are a lot of reasons why, but here are the top 3:

1. I often work faster on sales pieces than commissions. We'll chalk that up to an uncooperative muse. The end result is that working faster = more tack on the market.
2. Commissions stress me out. I love them, but they stress me out. I just had a really stressful semester, and as much as I love them, I don't need more stress.
3. I get to work on projects that speak to me. Self explanatory.

I know that a lot of people will be disappointed that they won't have the opportunity to commission work from me, and I know this means there may be a lot of fun projects that I'll miss out on, but given my circumstances this feels like the right choice.

Here's what I hope to do:

Several highly detailed pieces to be auctioned, starting with the parade set that has been languishing in a box and several simpler, saddle-and-bridle pieces to be sold at a fixed cost on MH$P with plenty of advance notice so that interested parties can keep an eye out. I'm going to do my best to offer a fair mix of tack for popular plastics and resins. It's very likely that something for WeeJay, Little Lonestar, Working Girl, Mindy, and the G4/WEG molds will be put out over the summer.

I have other plans, too, like sculpting a western tree and casting it with the help of Rebecca Turner of Solstice Art. These trees won't be for just my personal use; I'll also be selling them, assuming all of this works out the way its supposed to. I'd like to get an instruction manual and pattern together to go with them.  I want to try my hand at a few how-to videos, too, starting with the best (well, my way) of tacking up. I want to be really active here on the blog and on Facebook; look for a freebie opportunity in the next few days - the studio page just hit 350 likes and the blog is pretty close to 60 watchers. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy and I'd like to share those feelings as they come along.

State of the Studio

So that is where the studio stands. I'll be cleaning up the website, updating the galleries, and clearing away some odds and ends this week. I have already done a lot of the pre-season clean up and restocking - yay for new toys (I mean tools)! I'm really excited about this summer. It feels like a marvelous jumping off point, and I hope you are all as excited as I am!

Here's to a wonderful summer full of tack, plastic ponies, and creativity!

Target Wins Again

I love Target. The chic and stylish bedding, the completely and wonderfully fashionable home decor, the clothes that look adorable but never fit (what's up with that, Target?), and the wonderful blend of function and form that is their home storage/office supply area.

I love breezing by the clearance end caps, and here's why:

38 cents. It probably wasn't terribly expensive to start with, but still! $0.38! It's not just any notebook...

It's a file folder! The downside is that those cute little tabs are impossible to write on, so I had to use some sticky labels and trim them down. BUT HEY. It works. I'm using this for pattern storage instead of the index card box. This book fits in better with the other storage items, taking up less room wherever I stash it - desk, shelf, etc. It's maybe not quite as friendly for flipping through, but those accordion sections are pretty generous.

I know it looks spacious, but really - not enough room for an index card box!

Bonus: it actually has a little notebook, and it's removable - and a standard size. I can eventually replace it! It's great for jotting down quick measurements, tack ideas, sketching carving ideas for western saddles...I'm excited, can you tell?

I picked up several of these in different colors, and my Target still had a lot left. If you want one - head over now!

Of Asthma, Aussies, and Asus

or "Why Anna has been AWOL."

I've spent the last week plus battling and then recovering from another major sinus episode, complete with oral steriods, an inhaler, and lots of antibiotics. The good news is that there may be a reason I've had several really bad (dare I say epic) sinus infections: the doctor I saw at the prompt care clinic last Friday suggested that I may have asthma.

Asthma is not outside the realm of possibility and given what I've learned about it in the last week, the diagnosis would make a lot of sense. I have an appointment with my regular physician in a week (sooner if they can get me in) and an inhaler for the meantime. Cross your fingers for me! I'm hoping its asthma; the inhaler I have right now helps massively but makes me very jittery.

I'm trying to get caught up on homework as quickly as I can. My first half semester class is almost over, and I'll have a week or so between classes to get caught up on my full semester class assignments. Hopefully after that's taken care of I can maintain a steady pace and work on tack!

I shipped out the Show for the Cure donation today, and next on the list is another go at the Aussie Stock Saddle. I put the knee blocks on the apoxie tree and made a barcoo bridle before I got sick. The tree is now thoroughly cured. I'm hoping to don a mask (yay asthma!) and finish some last minute shaping and then launch into construction. Fingers crossed the leather tree pattern won't need too much adjustment.

That covers asthma and Aussies...the Asus is my new laptop! I've had my eye on this model since I started scoping them out at the beginning of the year. It's a 15.6" machine with an 8gb memory, 750gb hard drive, i7 processor, and a touch screen! It's running Windows 8 and honestly, while the touch screen is helpful, it hasn't been necessary. Win8 is different and 'quirky' but certainly not the doomsday scenario I thought it would be.

This laptop is a massive leap above my almost 5yo desktop. I can finally run Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign at their full potential!

So there's a quick update. Hopefully I'll have something better to show in a week or so - like a finished saddle!

Bright and Clean

I hope that describes the new blog layout.  It's not really different, actually, just...tweaked a little, for continuity between the website and blog interface.  The links that ran across the top of the page have been moved to the right, for instance.  Not much of a difference, really, right?

The website underwent MAJOR changes, though!  The previous design went into effect in January of 2010. It had a few tweaks along the way, but remained more or less unchanged until now.

You can check it out in person at www.dreamflitedesign.com. The new website is cleaner, brighter, and maybe a little easier to navigate. Sometimes dropdown menus act a little funny, but the new navigation should be a breeze.  Click on the link, and viola! A nifty menu pops down and stays down until you click on it's parent link or another menu item.

This new design is in line with the labels I printed for the new boxes. Same color scheme, same font. New business cards to follow!

I tested the new website pretty thoroughly before releasing it, but there will always be bugs.  If you catch one, turn it in at akirby@dreamflitedesign.com or post it in the comments here.  Thanks!

For those counting down with me...class starts Wednesday.  The clock just ticked over 12 AM, so that's TOMORROW! Yikes!

New Packaging

So, after much researching (I know more about purchasing boxes in bulk than I ever wanted) and a few false starts (online, in Photoshop, and printing), I finally have some new packaging organized!

The boxes were picked up at Office Max (on sale, what's more!) and I printed the labels on my inkjet printer at home (one of two sources of printing grief, ugh!).

They replaced my previous baggie system.

Which wasn't a bad system, necessarily, but the boxes will prevent even the chance of squishing and help saddles keep their shape better.

They're extremely roomy, almost too big for simple orders like the recently finished Jezebel commission.  For larger pieces, like WeeJay and the Babysitter, or more complex orders with lots of parts they're great.  The boxes come in a smaller size, believe it or not, but this is accomplished by reducing the height and that makes it almost unsuitable.  Never a middle ground, is there?

The entire assembly is still incredibly cheap (not as cheap as the baggies at 100/$1), cheap enough that I won't need to raise prices.  Win win, right?

I'll be shipping the last two commissions and a few odds and ends out in the new boxes this week.  It's nice to have all of those loose ends tied up!

Facebook!

Some of you may have noticed the two new buttons on the right side of the blog; one for mailing list, and one for Facebook.  That's because I've found two problems with the blogging format.

One: I don't really have the time or content to post every day.  I'd love to be able to, it's just not where I'm at right now.

Two: The blog is somewhat limited in it's reach.  Not everyone checks blogs frequently; people might miss important announcements!

This is where Facebook and the mailing list (a Yahoogroup created in 2007 that I resurrected) come in.  If you want the important updates delivered right to your inbox, the Yahoogroup is there.  It's announcement only, too, so you won't be inundated with mail.  Sales pieces/commission slots will be announced on the blog, Facebook, AND via the Yahoogroup.

And to make sure this blog post is interesting...here's the latest finished piece! I snapped a rein in two when I was tacking it up for the final pictures on Saturday, but everything's fixed now.

Record Keeping

Keeping records of tack is something that not everyone does.  Some tack makers are so low volume that it just isn't necessary, or they don't expect to become high volume and have nothing set up.  I started out in the second category; I didn't keep records until 2009, and even then my attempts were sporadic and short lived.  It wasn't until 2010 that I started my current digital version.

Keeping a close record of previously made pieces isn't always imperative, but I find it very helpful.  I like knowing what I've made in the past, and if a customer needs a repair or replacement part, it's especially nice to know what kind of dye I used.  Not only is it great to keep the details of each order straight, records are also extremely helpful when dealing with deposits and time payments.

My first attempts at record keeping were aimed at finding a way to gather the pertinent information about an order in one place.  I cycled through an index card and binder system before settling on Microsoft Excel.  Excel and similar programs like Google's Spreadsheets are useful for a variety of reasons.  Information can be sorted via filters, easily changed, and tabs make it easy to keep track of different sections of your hobby endeavors.  It also made it much easier for me to be consistent with the information I took down, as well as keeping track of non-commissioned pieces.

Excel is part of Microsoft's Office Suit and does not come standard on Windows machines.  If you don't want to buy a program, there are alternatives like Google Spreadsheets and OpenOffice.org.  I have used Google Spreadsheets for other projects and really like it, but am hesitant to use it for tracking orders.  The great thing is that it can be accessed from any computer, and that's also my concern.  Spreadsheets can be marked as private, but I still worry about hackers.  The most sensitive information I keep in my spreadsheets are email addresses, but I don't want some unsavory person getting into any of the information I have on there.

The information I include in my spreadsheet has evolved over time and is still evolving.  I have tabs to keep track of current orders, finished pieces (which includes finished commissions, donations, sales pieces, and personal projects), and accounting.  Instead of just keeping the details of an order straight, I'm also tracking the numbers made, how many times a customer comes back, when certain things were finished, and even trends in dye and style.  Don't forget the accounting possibilities with Excel and other spreadsheet programs!

Here are two screen shots to give you an idea of how I have this set up.  Click on the photo to view larger. Some information has been removed or fabricated to protect the innocent.

The first screen shot is of my tack log.  I track finished pieces here whether they're sales, orders, donations, or personal pieces.  Items are added to this sheet after they are completed.  In the past I only tracked orders and donations, but when I closed my books it became more important to track all of my work.

The sheet is pretty self-explanatory.  Each item has the date of completion, what kind of transaction (donation, order, sales, or personal), the style or discipline (style was shorter), details about the order, price, buyer information, and notes which might be about the transaction as a whole, special information about the tack, etc.

Originally the "details" column included what mold(s) the set was fitted to and what dyes were used, but when I redid my Excel file at the beginning of the year I split those out so that I could track trends more easily.

This second screen shot is of my orders page.

As a rule, I track only time sensitive projects in the Current Projects tab, though I think I had planned to include personal projects and sales pieces at one point.  Instead, I keep tabs only on donations and commissions.  Most of this sheet is set up like the Tack Log sheet, so that when an order is finished I can copy and paste information from one sheet to another.  In the past I included information like buyer's address and the date the package arrived, but that information was difficult to place into Excel in standard form (addresses) or moot once the project was moved to the Tack Log tab (arrival date).


I hope this post is somewhat helpful; I always feel a little out of my depth when I write informational pieces for this blog.  Comments are welcome, as always, and so are topic suggestions!

One Week From Today

One week from today, my second semester of college will be officially OVER! Yay! I'll have all of three weeks off before the summer interim classes start up, and I have BIG plans for those three weeks!  I've still got to go to work, but it's only half days.  Still plenty of time to get lots of work done!

My priority will be working through as many current orders as possible before the second week of June, when anarchy will reign in my house.  That's the week currently set aside for completing the remodel of my room that was started over a year ago.  We'll be tearing a couple of walls down to the studs, so my studio and collection will be packed up and moved to safety for the duration.  

If I manage to get all of that done, I'm going to take a serious look at my prices.  Right now I'm priced well below other mini tack makers and I've had several people mention that I should really raise them.  I'm definitely planning to do that, and when I have it all sorted out I'll reopen my books.  Once all of that is done, I've got a couple of boxes of OF Stablemates to sort through and sell.  The amount of time and effort involved in photographing, describing, and listing 50 or more Stablemates is daunting, to say the least. 

If I'm lucky, I'll make a little headway on some pleasure reading.  I've picked up a few used books I'd like to read just for the heck of it.  One of these days I might even get to pick up War and Peace again!

In "real" life, my new job is going so, so well.  I can't even begin to describe how awesome it is.  My boss is thrilled with how quickly I'm picking up the newspaper biz and the software they use.  He keeps saying that I'm a "fish in water."  Is that not the coolest thing ever?! Plus, I only spend ten minutes on the road instead of 40! I've been at work the whole week, and my gas gauge is still reading "Full."

Oh, right, pictures! Here's Heather's finished set for the pony.  Please excuse the missing ear and tail...one was the post office's fault, the other mine.

Leather Storage and Epic Win for Target

I bought half a hide of leather last week (thanks, Nancy!) and realized once it arrived that I had no idea how to properly store my leather.  I've been making tack since 2007,  but only in the last six months have I used thin tooling hides and dye.  Previously, I scavenged leather from purses, wallets, and the scrap bags from Tandy that I found at Hobby Lobby.  All of this worked, but I started to think that there had to be a better and more efficient way to do this thing.  I was right, and now I love using dye and the nicer hides.

Inquiries about leather storage on Blab brought up two important things. One: leather should be stored flat or rolled to prevent creases.  Two: leather should be stored away from direct sunlight or bright indoor light to prevent discoloration.  I had everything crammed into a moderately sized snap-lock tote that sat on a shelf in my supplies cabinet.  Stuff was hard to find and scraps of special leather or suede that I was saving always ended up on the bottom or lost between layers.  When I was out and about yesterday, I scoped out some new storage ideas.

As usual, Target had a winner.  This little tote is about 7 1/2 inches high, 6 inches wide, and 9 inches long.  While it wouldn't hold large enough pieces for Traditional scale purposes, it works great for me.  Each section unsnaps, so I don't have to dig to the bottom for what I want.  The third compartment has two smaller containers in it, each divided into three sections and with a lid.

I've got suede, lace, and other small pieces of assorted leather in the bottom, thicker leather in the middle, and my finer tooling leather in the top.  I'm going to HAVE to get another one of these totes to keep my props in!  Another epic win for Target! (plus, I found a super cute pair of purple tye-dye socks for 70c!)

 

Adding...I had someone pick up a second one of these for me tonight with the thought that it would be PERFECT for my Stablemate scale props.  Unfortunately, quite a bit of my stuff is just a hair too long, wide, or what have you.  So, plan B: art supplies.  Also backfired.  My art supplies fall into two categories; things I use constantly and things I use once in a blue moon.  It's just not practical to store them all in one tote.  I don't have a plan C, but I desperately love this storage container and want to keep it.  Plan C may be taking it back, though, because I can't justify keeping a $8.00 container that I don't really need.  $8 is two gallons of gas nowadays!

Things I Can't Live Without, Part One

Everyone, no matter what part of the hobby they're involved in, has at least one hobby-related something they can't live without.  As a tack maker, I have quite a few somethings, so I'm going to share a couple! 

Mini Clothespins
Okay, so this one isn't new to most people.  In fact, it's pretty obvious and already used a lot by other tack makers.  Me? I discovered them exactly three weeks ago.  I can be a little slow on the uptake sometimes.  They're perfect for holding pieces together while glue dries.  I'm sure there are other uses, too, I just haven't found them yet.

Sharp Pointy Objects
Needles, straight pins, and my personal favorite: a random sculpting tool that I bought from a garage sale.  It's got a stiff metal rod in a wooden handle that's pretty comfortable.  Probably through misuse, the very tip is slightly bent.  This is actually hugely helpful, since it makes a slightly larger hole than might otherwise be expected. It's great for punching holes for fake buckles, stitch marking, and removing any excess glue that might seep out.  Needles are pretty obvious: good for lacing reins and any other sewing.  Tip for lacing reins: turn your needle so that the eye opening is perpendicular to the lace, so that there's less stress on a narrow part of the rein.

Scissors
I only use one pair of scissors and I've had them so long it's unbelievable.  Slightly larger and definitely more pointy than school scissors, they're the perfect size for the leather I work with the most.  They don't handle thicker leather very well, but that's okay.  I sharpen them periodically with scissor sharpeners and pray that I never lose them, because I haven't seen a pair like this in years.

Random Studio Photos!

So, because this has been a crazy week and I have no other progress to report, I'm posting three random studio pictures!

The fluffy yellow cat has decided that he needs to be my studio buddy. He's too much of a wimp to jump two feet to my lap (probably because he's fallen a few times) so he sneaks up behind me and paws at my side until I lift him up. I was trying to get a shot of him pawing me (that doesn't sound quite right...) in the second photo, but it didn't quite work out.

The last photo is a shot of the cups that I use to keep track of tack orders (also in the photo: the reminder that I need to call the vet to get my cat and dog in....sent a month ago. Whoops.). I write the customer's name and the date I started the order on the outside of a Dixie-type cup in sharpie and make sure that anything associated with the order makes it back into that cup. I started hanging them on the board after I got really tired of knocking cups over on my desk. The only problem with the big alligator clips is that they unbalance the cup when it's on the desk. I set them down and WHOOMP they fall over.

So, that's it for today! I've got homework to finish up and then I'm going to turn on some music and CLEAN like a maniac! I'll be able to spend most of tomorrow in the studio and I should be able to finish up Barb's tack and get a start on the WeeJay order!