ReneeCanady

Very useful, thank you!! Looks like it works much better than Aussie and isn't quite as shinny as the Aussie is.

Ahhh, thanks! I will have to try it that way!

*actually* I swear my fingers don't type as fast as my brain moves lol...Thank you Raven!

I acually finished it in time to put it under the tree

Very well done! Did you use a drill to make those holes lol? Makes me tired/sore looking at it. I love the look of double loop lacing, but when I do it, I can never get the LAST stitch to close right. I have watched a million videos on it. Eventually I figure it out, but if a project takes me two hours to lace you can bet I spend another hour on the last hole lol.

Lovely work! I also love the color combo...I am always a fan of neutral colors

I had no idea that stamp used on the scales comes so large! Nice work....lots of artistic ability there.

There are wooden circles on the top and bottom that are glued to the leather. There are also 1inch wooden circle things (lol I don't know what they are called but they are the wooden circle things people use to cross stitch fabric) adhered to the large wooden circles on the top and bottoms and one more of those on the top part of the box/bucket part. There is also padding under the fabric. I think the only part of leather that is stitched is the side seam, but the fabric is sewn in a few places to create the pillow effect. I am sure that description makes no sense lol.

Really like the rustic look!

Very cute, well detailed, and awesome dying! Great job

Thank you all for your compliments and critiques!

Very neat and clean as always! Nice work

LOL Double U! Somehow I can almost see needing something to unwind from what was your way of unwinding. Awesome thing about that is you are making a living at something you enjoy. I feel for you working that many hours though because I know my fingers hurt like crazy and I took my time with this one. Dirt~ Very good suggestion and I also noticed that when I was finished. I thought it would make it more decorative, but I agree, it does not. It is a round box that will hold a huge brass tray of candles for a belly dancer (one of my daughteres). She dances with the tray of candles on her head www.shirazraqs.com Thanks Nerull! I am sure you are/will be just as good very soon. I know this because it is very addicting and you will have no choice LOL.

Wow! Very beautifully done! The layout and tooling is very awesome

Thank you very much! In just a years time I already look back and laugh at some of the simplest mistakes I made on my projects. One of my first projects was a full set of armor LOL. I look at that now and want to make so many changes to that as well but my list of " I am making one of those next" is pretty long. I have learned so much from this site. It is amazing!

I wanted to get the photos up on the site tonight so I can wrap it and put it under the tree. I thought I was finished until I started taking these pics. I need to add more tacks to the lid. No matter what adhesive I used on the lid, it just wouldn't stick. My husband said that all of our daughter's belly dance friends will want one of these to hold their candle trays. My response was that they couldn't pay me enought to do this again lol. Thanks for looking at my work all. This month makes one year since I picked up a leather tool and I can't seem to put them down!

Cuir bouilli is a term to look up on the internet meaning boiled leather. I have seen a few decent videos on youtube I believe for it. You should tool before you shape/boil the project. I know one of the cuir bouilli methods also talks about beeswax and baking it in the oven as well. I have beeswaxed and baked mugs before and it hardens them right up.

Super clean looking. I likey

Thank you all! I just made a matching wrap around skirt (probably the most "rigged" thing I have ever done with any type of crafting). Thank goodness it is renn wear. I will have to wait a few hours before I add the grommets to the waist line for the tie string to go thru....I quit for the day, my eyes hurt I hope she likes it. If not, I am sure it will fit me

. This is a Christmas gift for my daughter. She has been begging for one for years! I finally got around to drawing up a pattern and trying to make it like she wanted it. It doesn't fit the mannequin very tightly because I didn't want to stretch it to something that is not my daughter's body. If I have time, I am going to try to make her a matching skirt as well, but I don't see myself with a lot of extra time between now and Christmas.

Bonney and Wills School of Shoemaking and Design. I don't know if their place is called Soddhoppers or not, but yes they are pretty rich for most peoples blood lol. Those boots sell for about $500.00 at Renn Faires and there back log last time I checked was almost a YEAR! I decided to search for a better way to get my boots and came across the site for Bonney and Wills. I think the course is like $1200 ish for the class. I think it's like a 7 day class. So not only do you pay for the class but also for food, travel, and sleeping arraingements. Ugh!

Wow, thanks for that link Sylvia! I have been looking EVERYWHERE for that style mocc. I actually tought about taking a class in Oregon from a maker there. I am in Delaware lol!

Thanks Chris! I think I have those pics in here some where as well. I'll attach a pic to this post of my daughter wearing it at a renn faire.

Welcome Willem! The pics are beautiful. My step daughter has been to Africa twice in the last two years. First trip she was more so staying around the Tunis area and the second time she was all over South Africa. She currently is in Egypt taking corses and workshops with famous belly dancers. My daughter just graduated this past summer with a archeology major/arabic studies minor. She is our little nomadic child lol.

Very nice, clean, and pretty. That braid will have to go on my "learn" list now lol.