yaklady

In the picture of "Boomer Smiling", the Japanese lady in the tan suit is Sachiko Toyoshima, from Denver. The other lady is straight from Japan. Roz was trying to spell her name for me and it came out sounding like M-I-C-K-E-Y . . . It wasn't Mickey Mouse, it was something like Michiko. She won Best of Advanced with her beautiful yellow purse. Thank for the nice pictures! Kathy PS: my hubbie's name is Pat.

I'll work on a tutorial for you, but it's not going to show "how high". I have it slightly above the leather. Maybe I could slide a piece of paper in there, but nothing else. Some people can use their pinky finger as a shock absorber underneath the beveller, but I can't do that. Really, how high is dependant on the person.

Clay and Clay, it was a privelge to take such fine pieces of work into the show. I did take a few other pieces from Columbine members, too. That's the advantage of driving. All this leather looks great in my house! You don't want any of it back, do you? Those placques in the pictures are something very special, especially to Dave and me. Jim Linnell presented the one to Dave. The award was called "Heart and Spirit in Leathercraft". Mine looked about the same, but was called "Pathway to Masters", presented by George Gross. It was to reward me for the way I have climbed the ladder in the tooling department. I was a nervous wreck when they gave me that! It was the most special honor I have ever received, and will cherish it forever. I'll have to take a picture of the award and post it, as it is a magnificent piece of work. As long as I'm bragging here, I may as well brag about what I got to do while I was there. I was invited to go to the speedway, you know, Inidanapolis 500, by a small group of Texans, Dave Smith, John Karnes, Jane Hurst and Randy Gustovson (spelling?). I love picking on Texans. They are a loveable bunch. We hopped in the car and went to the track, which was 3 miles from the show. When we drove right past the museum, I got to wondering. Next thing I knew, we were following an official car of the speedway, heading into the middle of everything. I still wasn't catching on. We parked where no one else was and the man in the car greated us cheerfully. He didn't yell at us for driving where we shouldn't. It turns out, he was a friend of John Karnes, and he was there to give us a personal tour of things that no one else gets to see or do! Awe spred over my body as we walked into the Pagoda to see where the controllers sit during a race. We got pictures on the Winner's Circle and in front of Gasoline Alley, and got to hunker down and touch the brick finish line! I didn't take my camera, so I am depending on Dave to send me the pictures. When he does, I'll share them with all of you! Kathy

I teach leather craft to 4-H kids, and they ALWAYS have trouble with their beveling. Most of the time, they pound REAL HARD to get some depth. This leaves tiny ridges and deep pockets, even if you are walking the tool. Once you do that, there's no going back. So here's what I try to get them to do. In fact, it's how I do it. You know how to walk your beveller, right? At first, don't worry about the depth, that can come later. Walk the beveller fairly lightly, concentrating on smoothness. Make sure you don't have the beveller right against the leather, but rather slightly above it. Now go back over the same beveling, but hit it harder. The depth will be coming in now. I often rebevel after I have used the other tools. Here in Colorado it's dry, and I always have to redampen the leather. That takes the depth right back out, so I spend a lot of time beveling. It gets me the results I want, so the extra time is worth it to me. Always go back with a modeling spoon to round out the edges of your pattern when you're through with all the tools. You may be surprised at how this improves the pattern. Hope this helps! Kathy

That was one of the best shows I have ever attended! The people who go to those shows are the absolute greatest! I want to hug each and every one of them. I did hug alot of them, and some got more than their fair share. I wish we had a show 4 times a year . . . or more! I will miss all those people until I see them again. Johanna, you did one awesome job on the pictures! Thank you for doing that. I just got home after 17 hours of driving, and that was just the thing I needed to cheer up this lonely, cold house. The two-sided eagle has a bald eagle on one side and a golden eagle on the other. It's a Robb Barr thing. I was in the last full class that Robb ever taught, and that was the project we made. I miss that wonderful man. Now I'm going to bed! Kathy

Clay, thank you so much for the kind and positive words! I was so busy getting ready for the IFoLG show that I didn't notice this post before I went. The class out there went well, and was also a lot of fun. I look forward to the next trip to Rapid City. I love it up there, and love the people! Kathy

I kind of have a thing for frosting too, but Kathy didn't seem to notice That's only because you knocked my mind right out of my head! I wonder if it's still rolling around on the floor, or if it got swept up and taken out with the trash. I was wondering about those doughnuts. Not only was there frosting missing, but the jelly stuff on the inside seemed to be disappearing.

Kate, you out did yourself in the picture department! The only thing you missed was a picture of yourself! You should have taken a picture of Tall Clay's short puppy, too. I had so much fun up there. Like Kate said, the hospitality was great, and all the people up there are nice as ever. I even learned how to take care of my pasture problems during class. ClayB's handouts were among the nicest I have ever seen. I have to work harder at putting together my next class if I want to stay in Clay's league! Thank you Clay and Clay for the great weekend! Let's do it again soon. Kathy

I wasn't gonna miss out, and you shouldn't have, either! ClayB taught his very first class at the Tandy's in Rapid City. I traveled 430 miles, and Kate went more than twice that far to witness the special event. The house was full, of wonderful people, laughs, fun and learning. Now I know how to make a little birdie ClayB style. I'd show you a picture, but my daughter took my camera to London. Kate and Clay have lots, maybe they'll get on here when they get home. Kathy

Denise, I'm surprised you're not getting rain. That's all it's doing here lately. That's fine by me because a few months ago it was dry as a yak bone. It looks very pretty up there. What kind of crops do you grow? It's very dark here at 10:20! Max, we have the cute kitties here, too, we just haven't seen them. Sometimes walking through the forest, we get the feeling you described, and I'm sure we're being watched. One day, walking through the woods, my daughter and I decided to pull a fast one on ClayB and take a picture of a hole in the side of a big rock and tell him it was a lion den. When we got close to the "hole", we noticed that something had been in and out of it, as the grass was worn a bit. We stuck our heads inside, noticing that it was more than just a hole. Upon doing that, we got quite a whiff of lion. It smelled just like the mountain lion's pen at the zoo. We didn't stick around, but rather moved off quickly with the hair on the backs of our necks standing up! Kathy

Tim, I wish I had a view like yours. I don't see any sign of civilization. I'm stuck in the middle of it here, but at least I can enjoy the mountains and what comes with them. The first two pictures are what I see off the front deck. It's not much of a veiw, but it will do. The third one was taken off the back deck. That's one of our frequent visitors. These pictures were not taken from the deck, but rather in the back yard, looking into the neighbor's yard. They were interesting visitors, but they chose not to stay. Just as well, really. It makes me more nervous about walking around in the forest behind the house. Kathy

Montrose is where two of my yaks came from. The most beatiful part of Colorado is just south of there, but around here ain't too bad either. Regis, you asked for some snow, well you don't have to wait for that, I have it tucked away for a hot summer day. These were taken in April when we had a little bit of snow. Mount Evans is much better populated with wildlife now than it was in the sixties. You should come back and see for yourself. If you look closely in this picture of Mount Eveans, you can see a snow boarder about a third of the way down that steep snow field, off to the right. He gave it up right there, and started walking back up! This one was taken last summer. A yalk might be interesting to have. Wonder what kind of market there would be for them! Kathy

I get a little carried away when I show off pictures of our area. That's because I am very excited about living where I do, in the heart of the Rocky Mountains. The first two pictures are the yak pasture. Then there's the bull elk in our front yard. The mountain is Black Mountain. We in the shadow of it, at the far right. The next one is in the national forest. Then there's a trail going up Mount Evans, a popular fourteener in our area. The last two are along a trail behind our house. I love seeing where everyone lives. Thank you for sharing! Kathy

The heat around here is simply unbearable! It almost got up to 60 F the other day! Fortunately, it snowed the following day and cooled it back to 30 F. Today it's likely to get back into the 60's. I think I'm gonna die!!!

The mules are Bill Gomer patterns. They were in the Leather Crafters and Saddlers Journal a couple of years ago. I don't know if Bill has pattern packs for sale or not. I might have an extra around here that I could send you. I've never seen the skinny horse. He looks worse than my old horse! Kathy

Yea, Clay!!! This is something worth traveling hundreds of miles for. Count me in!

Johanna, At last, we got to meet! It sounds like you had as good a time as I did. Some of my best friends in life are there, and that's almost the only time I get to see them. Isn't it wonderful there? Did you notice the blue ribbon with my name on it? Kathy

Thank you, Andy! It was tricky getting the coloring to come out that way. Lots of light coats. I will be working on the case in June. This month has been impossible, and I'm headed to Sheridan soon. Keep up the "pretty pleases" and you'll see some pictures of the whole thing! Cheers to you! Kathy

Thank you for the kind words, Excell. The carving is 6" by 8 1/4". A combination of beveller and modeling spoon is used here. First I bevel it, then I do the back ground, then I go over each and every line with the spoon to smooth it out. I could do a little tutorial for you, but I won't be able to get to it till June. We are off to Sheridan next week and to Wisconsin from there. I won't be home for a while! I'll see what I can do upon my return. Kathy

Jim's kids' class is here I will be when you get there. I always go in to help out, as do many other people. No caps or logos, but I will have my name tag. Kathy

Most of the classes are well worth the time and money. You can learn a lot in a short amount of time, and the tools are readily available after class. You can spend a lot of money there, but it's fun and worth it!

Hey Johanna, Last year, Pat and Sheena flew up to Sheridan from Denver to meet me after the show so we could all go to Yellowstone from there. They took Great Lakes Airlines up, and had a nice trip on an itty bitty plane. Sheridan's airport is real close to the show and there's a shuttle running there from the hotel. I would be happy to come get you if you come in when I'm there. I'll get there on Thursday. Then you wouldn't have to rent a car. Go to the Great Lakes website to get the tickets. Pat says that's cheaper than going through someone else. That's exciting that you want to come! See you there! Kathy