30 Day Sketch Challenge Update

Seems I missed a bunch of days here on the blog.  

Here are my latest sketches for the past few days.  I will try to upload them a little more frequently.

*I did not do a sketch on day 8.  I know, I know : (

Day 2 Zentangle

Day 3  Paisley burnt on wood
Part of a project for a Mother's Day sampler box.

Day 4 Zentangle

Day 5 Dragonfly

Day 6 Pumpkinseed fish

Day 7  Love birds

Day 9 Zentangle

I Commit to the 30 Day Challenge!

I have committed to Mayi Carles 30 Day Challenge.

It's really simple.  All you have to do is pick something you want to become a healthy  habit in your life.  Something you want to change for the better and do everyday.  Like eating healthier or exercising your body or mind.

From www.heartmadeblog.com

I have chosen two things to commit to....  

#1. I have been exercising haphazardly for the last few months and I think this will be a great way to get into a better routine.  Therefore, my first commitment is to EXERCISE EVERYDAY…with a plan.

#2. The second is to better myself at my work.  I feel I have a lot to learn and I know that practise and stretching myself further is the way to get better.  My second commitment is to DRAW SOMETHING EVERYDAY.  I have a beautiful book on learning to zentangle and it just so happens to be an everyday kind of study.  It will fit in perfectly with this new challenge.

I encourage you to watch Mayi's video and make a commitment in your life as well..only if there is something you'd like to change of course.  If you're perfectly content then skip it and continue on.  : )

If you decide to commit with me, remember to add these tags to your social media as you update friends and the webworld: #heartmade #30daychallenge.

You can follow my progress on twitter: @mayabki

and on instagram: @mayabki

and probably Facebook too: www.facebook.com/bkinspired.

The challenge starts Monday, March 11!!

Hope to see you out there!

Body, Art and Soul

I am very excited!  I am sending a box of various wood burnings to a newly opened studio in Palgrave, ON, called In Studio Be. 

They cater to the three important elements of well being: body, art and soul.  They offer whole body vibration, infrared sauna and massage, acupuncture, meditation and discussion groups, Mojomotion/pilates/yoga classes, and visual and performing arts workshops in a variety of disciplines to nurture the ‘whole’ self.

I haven't had a chance to visit yet myself, because I live too far away, but it sounds wonderful!  Everything you could ask for all in one place.

They feature local artists' work and right now have a gorgeous collection of wildlife photography on display by a very talented photographer, Ron Pitts.

I still have a few things to finish but I'm hoping to have the box in the mail by Friday.  I'll post pictures of what I'm sending soon.

If you're in the Palgrave area I recommend you stop by the studio to see what it's all about!  www.instudiobe.com
  

Time to get back to work

Well, I think I've had enough of a break and now it's time I was getting some work done.  We had a great two weeks though.  Our first week was spent away from the house visiting family and camping in a fabulous cabin and the second week was spent entertaining family during some beautiful weather.  I have no complaints.  Especially, since I return with two new amazing books, a couple of custom orders and a project I'm working on that involves other members of Etsy.  I just wish there were more hours in the day.

The project I'm working on involves a team, in Etsy, that shares an interest in celtic knots and art.  One of the team members suggested we each do a piece with the same design in our own mediums.  The knot itself isn't very elaborate so I had a bit of a time trying to decide what I was going to do.  I came up with a turtle design and am currently burning it onto a piece of bamboo.  It's a work in progress right now but I think it's going to look really good when it's finished.

The knot in the centre is the one we're all doing.  It was simper than that, I added the inner line.  I plan to do more knotwork on either side, in the lighter areas, too.

Meanwhile, I have listed another set of celtic cards in my Etsy shop.  These cards have an elk design on them.  I love the antlers!!

And poor B's box has been pushed on the back burner for a bit.  His birthday has passed and I'm afraid to say I'm not very close to finishing it.  He seems to be ok with waiting.  I think he'll be very happy with the result so it will be worth it.  When I get to the burning stage I'll share a picture so you can see what I'm doing.  I'm excited about it since he's into all the super heroes that we knew when we were kids.  It's a fun blast from the past. 

Some things I've been working on...

I can't seem to stop doing more cards!  I've got so many ideas and they don't take as long to do as some other projects so I keep make more and more and more!  Here are some of my favourites from the ones that I've been working on.

This week I also received my order of bags to put the cards in.  They look sooooo professional!  I'm working on other details now for the package and then in a week or two I will talk to a couple of local stores to see if my cards are something they'd be interested in carrying.  Wish me luck!

But, then, I must get back to doing other projects.  B's heart box is coming along and I think it's going to look great.  I am doubtful that it will be done by his birthday though.  We are going to go on a mini vacation before and I won't be bringing any pyro stuff with me.  Oh well, hopefully the end result will be worth the wait.

Holiday instrument cards.  Finished these beauties yesterday!

Christmas stockings.  These remind me of my super talented friend who makes beautiful stockings as gifts.  If she ever starts selling them I will be sending you her way for sure!!

Celtic fish.  I added a little sheen to the blue fishy to give it more of a shimmery look.  I like the way it turned out.

These and more will be listed in the shop soon.  So stay tuned.

In the meantime you can join me on Facebook!

Gotta love kids!

I've been working hard lately.  I've finished another custom order (really wish I could share it with you but you'll have to wait) and I just finished another cute little box.  This one is in a flower shape and has an adorable image of a princess and and knight about to share a kiss.  Perfect for a young imaginative girl and her treasures.

I'm also working on a pile of more cards.  I've found some wonderful vintage/antique images and I'm doing more Christmas images too.  I'm hoping to approach a local store to see if they will carry the cards there.  It's very exciting since I've never done anything like this before.  It's all so new to me.  : )

Finished with a gloss finish.

Cute little coloured flowers around the sides.

My next project, and custom order, is for my oldest son, B.  His birthday is coming up.  He's been very interested in my work and has requested a heart box.  It's really cute.  He's been very formal about the whole thing acting just like a customer would.  Our biggest problem is that he can't decide on what he'd like to have burned on to the box.   At the moment he wants an M and a D with hearts, for Mom and Dad.  I'm flattered, but I think over time he may not be so happy with that decision.  I think a B with images of his favourite things (super heroes) would be much more fun.  I'll share pictures when we finally sort it out. : )

Other interesting sites

From time to time I'll be adding new and interesting links to other websites.  They'll be listed on the right under "Arty Blogs and Sites".

The website I added today is of a man in the US who does incredible wood working and pyrography.  He specializes in beer taps and unique wood.  Take a look and I'm sure you'll enjoy what you see.

http://www.jerryswoodworks.com/

I added another website a few weeks ago of a woman in Kingston who is a wonderful and very talented painter.  She's recently opened a gallery in her home (on the front porch) and shows local artists pieces as well as her own.  This is worth taking a look at too!!  You won't be disappointed.

http://painterchum.wordpress.com/

That's it for now.  I've been working on a custom order (almost done) and more cards with celtic images.   This time of a seahorse and an elk.  I call it an elk but B think's it's a caribou.  They both turned out well and I'll be sharing them soon.

More cards!

C has been off for a week and I've been busy.  I've managed to get three more sets of cards done.  I'm very happy with how they turned out.  They have a celtic theme and there's more to come.  I've got a great book full of wonderful knots and images to use.

I've also managed to finish one custom order.  It's turned out really well.  And another is almost done.  I wish I could show you pictures but I can't because they are both gifts and I would hate to ruin any surprise.

I've finally listed the flying piggy cards on Etsy.  I have to admit that it has been hard to part with them.  Every time I look at them I can't help but smile.  If I kept them I doubt they'd ever get sent to anyone.  I'm a sucker for cute.

I've got another cute set of cards ready to go too but I'm saving them so you'll have to wait. They're Christmas cards and I want to wait until closer to the holidays to list them on Etsy.  I'll do more and have them all ready to go at the same time.

To learn more about the flying piggy cards click here.

To see more of what I've got available in my store click here.

And to join me on Facebook click here!

When pigs fly

I'm really proud of how this set of cards turned out.  I just love the pig's blissful expression and how the beautiful blue card accentuates the idea of him flying carefree in the clouds.

I will be listing the set of 4 cards in my Etsy shop soon!!

You can also join me on my Facebook page!

...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!

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.

The Peacock Experiment

I thought I'd share this project with you.  It's not finished yet and was meant as an experiment.  I wanted to see how the image would burn and look on this bamboo placemat.  Overall it's working really well and I like the result.  I just have to be careful when my tip is near the string that holds the bamboo pieces together.  I've melted a few.

I like how it's turning out but I think it would look much better if I'd made the peacock image larger.  I find I tend to lean towards smaller images a lot and then realize that larger is better.  This will be something I'll have to learn as I do more projects.

This is an Art Nouveau image of a peacock on a bamboo placemat.  I think I'll add some sort of embellishment around the edges just to finish it off.


I start with the image and trace it on to the wood. K just had to have his arm in the picture.



The bamboo plaques are hard to draw on but this one took the image really well.

Here's a close up of the tracing.  It can be a bit confusing when I burn so I keep the picture handy for reference.

This is with a partial burn.  It took me a couple of hours to do this but it was fairly easy going.

Experiment

I decided to try something different and burn an image into a small paper mache box.  It worked really well.  Much better than I expected.  I thought that since it was paper it would not give me crisp lines and would possibly just turn black.  Instead it resisted being burned which gave me the nice clear lines.

The sunflower pattern is from a rubber stamp I've had for years.  It turned out really well.  When I was done burning I sealed it with a clear gloss finish which makes it look really good.

Now that I know I can burn the paper mache I will try other objects.  I saw a couple of note books that I could have a lot of fun with.  That will have to wait a little though.  I've got a lot of other projects I want to work on first.  I'd like to make some Christmas ornaments and other Christmas items before fall and the Christmas season is upon us.

Trying new things

Last week I picked up a little paper mache box to experiment with.  Since it's made of paper I wasn't sure how it would take to being burned.  It did really well and I am happy with the result.  It was actually a little resistant which surprised me.  I wasn't expecting it to burst in to flames but I didn't think I'd be able to get any detail.  It's still a work in progress so I don't have a picture yet.

I also worked on a Japanese symbol for Bushido this week. That was an influence from C.  He's very into martial arts. 

I put it on a bamboo plaque and I am really pleased with the result.  I need to put a wood finish on it and then I'll get that posted on here too.

If there's anything you'd like to see send me an email  bki@hotmail.ca, I'd love to hear any suggestions.

I took a little break from blogging and doing pyrography last week.

This past weekend was a busy one.  We had a bunch of family over for Easter dinner and that meant a lot of preparation of food and tidying of the house.  Not much time left for anything else.  It was all worth it though!

On the weekend I received my first custom order!  It's a treasure box with the lady and roses image.  I worked on that yesterday and today and I am now in the finishing stages.  I think it has turned out really well.

I also worked a bit more on burning a tall ship on an oak plaque.  It has lots of detail and is going to take a few more hours to finish.  I like the look of black and white but I think the ship is going to need a little bit of colour.  It will help with some of the details I think.

I have a new item in the shop.  It's a wall hanging with the image of the Harvest man.  The image is from a stain glass pattern and I really like the colours and shapes that create the Harvest man's face.  My family and I are going to try to plant a vegetable garden in our yard this year so the Harvest man image is a personal one for me.  I really hope the Harvest man is good to us this year.