...and the pig lay under the moon...for now

Today I spent some time sanding new pieces.  Some pieces of wood I buy new from stores but others, the more interesting ones, I acquire from garage sales and thrift stores.  I love looking through the shelves and bins wondering if today's the day that I'm going to find a new treasure to bring home.  The moon, pig and rectangle plaques I discovered in our local thrift store.  They started out as someone's project but were never finished.  They were a little rough when I brought them home but look great now and are ready to have a unique design burned into them.  Time to let the creative juices start flowing.

It's hard to see in this picture, but under the pile of shapes is a lazy susan.  I've had it for a while now and have even had a great design to burn into it.  But I haven't touched it because I've been a little too timid to tackle it.  I think I'm finally ready now and I can't wait to show you when it's finished! 

I've also started a business page on Facebook (bkinspired), come and visit me!

Another teacher frame

When my sister-in-law saw the frame I did for K's teacher she asked me if I could do one for her son's teacher too.  My nephew is a few years older than K so the crayon theme didn't really work for him.  This is what we came up with and I think it conveys the school/teacher theme in a simple yet stylish way.

Do you have a special person in your life who would enjoy a one-of-a-kind handmade gift?  Let's get together and come up with something unique just for them!

And remember to take a look at my other pieces available for purchase in my Etsy shop. 

And the end of the school year is here!

I finished this really cute frame just in time for K to give to his teacher on his last day of nursery school.  He had a wonderful year at the little school and enjoyed himself so much.  They went on a field trip almost every month, they did a different art project every day and had so many different and interesting toys and activities to enjoy.  And his teacher couldn't have been more kind, wonderful and patient. 

So, this was a small token of our appreciation to his amazing teacher.

Since it turned out so well I think I'll try to do more like it next year for the Etsy shop and maybe local craft fairs.  They can't be exactly like this one though.  : )

Is there someone special in your life that you'd like to give a one-of-a-kind gift to?  Send me an email and we'll come up with something unique just for them!

New Item!

Yeeeeehaaaawwwww!

I love this sign!  The idea is to motivate you, to get you to step up to whatever challenges you, to pick you up and dust you off and get you back on the horse.  Get out there and give it all you've got!

COWGIRL UP!

I finished this sign a few days ago and I want to do more, more, more.  There is a small rodeo in a town near us that is just starting out.  It's in its second year, and I'm hoping to have enough stock to maybe rent a table there next year and sell some fun cowboy/cowgirl stuff.

This one I did for C many, many years ago.

Please take a few minutes to look at my Etsy shop to learn more about this item and more available for purchase! 

And if you want something but don't see it let me know!   You can email me at bki[at]hotmail.ca 

I'm in a treasury!!

What does that mean?

Well, I'm still trying to figure all this Etsy stuff out myself but as far as I can tell one of my items (the Maple Leaf) was chosen to be in the Canada Day Celebebration treasury.  A number of items with the same theme, from different sellers, are grouped together to showcase them. 

I'm excited and honoured to be included in the treasury!

New Item!

There's a new item, actually there's two, in the shop!

The first one is a maple leaf burned onto a bamboo plaque.  I like the maple leaf image and think it's one of Canada's best symbols.  Ok, so that could be argued many times over, we have lots of great symbols.

I liked the idea of doing it on the bamboo plaque because the different colours kind of makes it look like the Canada flag. 

The latest item that I've just listed is another bamboo plaque.  On this one I burned a beautiful and peaceful image of a young girl on her swing.  It's got a great feel as it almost appears that she's swinging above the town and fields.  She looks so peaceful, with out a care.

To learn more about these items and to see other pieces in my shop click on this link.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions!

A Success!

Here's some great news!

The custom order, that I can now share with you, was a great success!!  My sister-in-law's mother celebrated a birthday this weekend and was presented with this gift...

a set of personalized joker coasters.

I really enjoyed the process of making these coasters.  Instead of just using an exsiting piece of wood I had to cut each coaster and the holder and then assemble it all.  I am so pleased with how it all came together and even more pleased that this one-of-a-kind gift was received so well!

Do you know someone who appreciates one-of-a-kind handmade gifts?  Send me an email and together we'll come up with something very special just for them!

And remember to check out my Etsy shop to see what else I have available for purchase right now. 

New Item!

I've got a new item in the shop! 

This is a cute image of a bird on a twig surrounded by leaves and flowers.  I like the simplicity of it and the vintage look it has.  It was one of those pieces that came together really quickly. 

Click HERE to see my shop and to learn more about this and other pieces available to purchase.

Ouch!

Today, I burnt myself.  It was the first time I’ve done it while woodburning.  I can’t even tell you exactly how it happened.  Sometimes, when I’m in a groove, I’ll change out the hot tip for a different one to keep working.  Well, I had the hot tip in one hand, being held by pliers, and was trying to get the new tip when I was suddenly aware of a very intense pain in my palm.  This is the part I can’t really explain.  I was being burnt by the tool but I don’t know how the tool was that close to my hand since I'd put it down.  Anyway, when I realized what was happening I threw the hot tip and the pliers in a panic.  Then in a flash it occurred to me that there was a very hot piece of metal somewhere in the room possibly burning something or preparing to ignite something else.  For a split second I panicked again because I couldn’t find it!  I couldn't even begin to imagine what C would say if I burnt the house down over a little burn.  Finally it appeared and all was well.  So, even though I thought I took great care when changing tips I guess I’m going to have to be even more careful.  Oh and don’t worry, the pain was pretty intense but the actual burn is nothing.  I was able to carry on and finish my piece.  I’m nothing if not a trooper.

I’ve been pretty busy burning the last few days.  I have had a few things finished for awhile but I want to save them until closer to the end of summer.  They’re Christmas pieces and I want to keep them somewhat fresh for the Christmas season.  So, I’ve been trying to come up with some other pieces that I can post on Etsy in the mean time.



It looks good but like I said in the last post,
it needed to be larger.  I think I'll do some kind of
border...swirls or even peacock feathers.

 I finished the peacock image but have left it for now.  It needs something around the outside to finish it off and it’ll take me a few days to figure out what.  Some pieces are like that and some come together in a day.

I’ve just finished three other pieces and they’re almost ready to sell.  They are receiving their wood finish now and then I’ll install hanging hardware and take some pictures.  I’m pleased with all of them but one of them, a maple leaf, has inspired me in a couple of other ways.  I’m going to work on another maple leaf wall hanging and a maple leaf frame for a great picture of the RCMP Musical Ride horses in their stalls.  I think the maple leaf theme and the RCMP horses will go very well together.

The family and I went to the RCMP Musical Ride stables and I got this really cool pic of horse's bums.

I've printed this off as an 8x10 in sepia.  It looks really good.

I’ve also been trying to improve my business skills.  I've got a few clues, but not too many, of how to go about Etsy and selling my stuff so I’m trying to learn as much as I can from those willing to teach it.  One great resource I’ve recently discovered is April Bowles Olin and her site http://www.blacksburgbelle.com/.  She’s such a sweet and genuine person and so very, very smart that it’s hard not to like her and listen to what she has to say.

I’ve also found a few other Canadian pyrographers on Etsy.  I really like their work and I’m feeling inspired by them rather than feeling I’m not good enough or their pieces are better.  They have many more years of experience behind them so I can’t compare myself to them.  They both have styles that I identify with which makes it hard but I admire their talent and it gives me something to strive towards.

So, stay tuned for some new pieces coming up soon.  As soon as they’re dry and ready to go they’ll be posted on Etsy.