Sheilajeanne

billybop, big fan of Lehrer, but that's the first time I've heard that song! Thanks so much for sharing! Chuck, would be very hard to spot a cow...er... deer in a landscape like that! Oh, and here's my favourite hunting meme. Yes, alcohol was involved. But I'm doubtful that they actually tried driving the truck while wearing moose heads. Can't see that working if they actually wanted to survive! Still it's damn funny...

So, uh, whose cows did you shoot??

Can't...stop...laughing!! (Yes, I'm a John Denver fan...)

Totally agree, Bert! And Fred, the shiny stuff is, unfortunately, the OUTSIDE of the belt, not the liner! Here's how patent leather is made. And it mentions that it's nearly impossible to repair:

So, the belt was lined with PLASTIC?? Some sort of fake leather? Or is that shiny stuff the exterior of the belt, and not the lining? What is Bally brand? Is it a well known brand? A good leather belt is lined with LEATHER, and that ain't leather. That makes me wonder if this belt is really worth saving. What did it cost you? No one who works with leather is going to want to try to fix that. The only permanent fix I can think of would be to strip that shiny stuff off the entire belt and replace it with leather. And that is not going to be worth what it will cost. Matching that shiny non- leather stuff to fix the spot where it's broken down is, in my opinion, not going to be possible. Edit: I just googled the brand. The sell for $350 (U.S.) and up! Still, I don't really see how that's going to be repairable. The lining is obviously NOT leather, and is not stitched on. Even if someone could find a matching material, gluing a patch in place is not going to be very secure, and it certainly won't look nice, if that's the exterior of the belt we're looking at.

Ain't that the truth!! I hadn't paid taxes for a couple of years, as I hate the complicated paperwork involved, and I figured with my income being so small now I'm retired, no one was going to care. I was finally persuaded by my cousin, who does this for a living, to file. I had NO IDEA how many benefits I'd been missing out on! What a windfall! So, it's been a real pleasure to loosen the purse strings a little. Went into the drugstore the other night, intending to buy some multivitamins for me and a birthday card for my brother. $125 later... I saw Patrick Stewart's autobiography on sale for 25% off and grabbed it. It was the hardcover edition, so still pretty pricey, even with the discount. I also bought a pretty calendar as a birthday gift for my bro. Then, was able to find my most favourite perfume soap - Yardley's Lavender, which can be difficult to find, as Yardley's is an old-fashioned brand. As I walked up to the checkout, I spotted some After Eight mints, a rare treat that can be hard to find, even around Christmas time. I grabbed 2 boxes, one for me, and one for a hostess gift for my sister-in-law, when I go to my bro's BD celebration later today! YIKES!! Doesn't take much to add up to a whomping big bill! I just found something really nice about my purchase. Shopper's Drug Mart takes part in the PC Optimum points card (President's Choice, which covers a number of grocery stores in Canada.) I'd been trying for months to get my points up to the $40 mark. Welp, they had a special offer this week where if you spent $90 or more at either SDM or one of the PC grocery scores, you'd get 20x the points. I now have $70 to spend on my PC card!! Will have to buy myself something special!

Leather dye definitely has things in it (pigments, alcohol, etc.) that is NOT safe to put under your skin!

Frodo, was this a marker pen (Sharpie) or just a regular ink pen? Interesting! I've always had a problem with antique not going where I want it to, and the whole project turning out much darker than I'd like, even when I use a resist like super-sheen or Resolene. It's reached the point where if want the background dark, I'll paint it with a small brush instead of antiquing.

Chuck, that was the other bone I was thinking it might be. About the only two possibilities.

Handstitched, to me it looks like a jawbone, but I have no idea of the species. I did a course in university that combined identifying animal bones with archaeology, and a lower jaw is the only thing I can think of that has that size and shape. I could be wrong - there are no tooth sockets. But the bone has no medullary cavity, so it's not a long bone, from a limb, so it could be the part of the jaw below the tooth sockets.. There were lots of species around then that are now extinct - woolly mammoth, sabre-toothed tiger, etc. which makes it difficult to guess the species.

Found this absolutely fascinating! Approximately 39,600 years ago during the Pleistocene epoch, scientists have come across a fascinating bone fragment that may shed light on the ancient art of tailoring. Discovered near Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain, this artifact is adorned with 28 puncture marks, some of which are not immediately visible. In a recent study published in the journal Science Advances, researchers have put forth a hypothesis suggesting that this prehistoric bone fragment was utilized by ancient artisans for the purpose of crafting clothes. According to their theory, the bone would have served as a tool for creating holes in leather. By placing the leather over the bone and using a chisel, these skilled craftsmen could produce openings through which they could sew, resulting in exquisitely fitted garments. Remarkably, if proven true, this bone fragment would predate the earliest-known bone eye needles in Europe by 15,000 years, making it the earliest-known example of a punch board. This remarkable discovery provides a glimpse into the resourcefulness and ingenuity of our ancient ancestors in their quest for clothing innovation. https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=273275065694898&set=a.116640208025052

Hi, I'm interested in the Billfolds Inside and Out book, but the listing is expired. Can you tell me more about it please? Pictures would be nice!

Looking really good! Now you'll have to get the daughter to send you a pic once she's added the blood an gore!

LOL!! I have a feeling that's going to happen to my chair sometime soon! I needed a chair without arms, because of where my desk is located I have to be able to push the chair under it when I'm not using it. The only chair with that design was rated for someone who weighs less than I do. So far it's holding up okay, but one of these days...

LOL, Handstitched! I have fruit and yogurt for my brekkie. Most North American breakfast cereals are just a load of carbs and sugars - not what I want to start my day with! I will sometimes have Cheerios, which are unsweetened, or cook up some Quaker's oats (oatmeal). And once in awhile, I cook up a pan of bacon and eggs, and have that with toast.

Fred, I was definitely referring to the 4 p.m. tea with sandwiches and scones and often other sweet goodies. And I thought dinner in the U.K. was traditionally 8 p.m.-ish, which is why you need tea to tide you over.

Handstitched, although Canadian, I've had traditional English tea, complete with the fancy finger sandwiches, and the multi-tiered serving stand. And more than once. There used to be an old-fashioned English restaurant in a village not far from where I lived that served it, and I've also had it in several other locales. At no time EVER has tea included a burger, let alone onions!! You Aussies are NUTS!!

Handstitched, I have a plug-in battery charger that will start my vehicle in a pinch. I actually needed it the other day, when I left an interior light on inside! I use it more often to start the lawn mower in the spring. And just about every Canadian has a set of jumper cables, and knows how to use them! I gave my niece a set as a Christmas gift, the year she moved to Manitoba to study at a college there! Chuck, good luck with the hunt, and may there be no accidental shootings!

Yeah, I guessed you might be high up! I don't need to worry too much about my battery - my vehicle is in a heated garage, plus I had to replace the battery a couple of years ago. The new ones seem to last a really long time - my Rav4 is a 2010, and that was the original battery! Over the last 3 days, I made one of the most important preparations for winter. I replaced my elderly oil furnace with a modern natural gas furnace. The price of oil has gone through the roof in the last few years. Last winter, I paid over $800 for just half a tank of fuel, which is the minimum my provider will allow me to purchase. The new furnace is much much quieter, and more efficient. I hope heating with natural gas will give me a break on winter fuel costs. I'm also planning to get someone to line the fireplace chimney, so I can use it without being afraid of setting my roof on fire, and the chimney that used to be for the oil furnace should be blocked off to keep out critters and rainwater. My craft room shares the room with the furnace. The blower on the old one was so noisy, I'd jump when it switched on! Nice to have a much quieter fan.

Wow, snow, and you are quite a way south of me! It was just over a week a go that I had to turn the AC on - last night we nearly hit the freezing mark, and last weekend, Wasaga Beach, which is just to the north of me about 20 km. got some of the white stuff. It will pretty soon be time to get the snow tires on the SUV!

Okay, thanks! I was really trying to puzzle out just how the bag was put together. So, from the looks of it, the body of the bag is made out of just one piece of leather, correct? The only seams are the vertical ones on the sides, then the horizontal ones on the bottom edges. I originally thought there was a seam on the bottom where the left and right sides of the bag were joined together, and that's why I wanted a photo of the bottom! Now I see that's not the case. Very simple construction!

As for forgetfulness - hands up if you've ever bought a duplicate leather working tool because you forgot you already had that particular tool! Just found out I had 2 plastic gizmos for drawing circles and corners...one is still in the package, so I'm wondering if Tandy might take it back!

Cool! Love the colours! Again, I'm curious as to how the bottom is done. Can you please show a picture of JUST the bottom? What did you line it with?

It took quite a bit of searching, and I kept coming up with fake silicone hands, but I finally got it! Here's the link, if anyone wants to give it a try! https://www.etsy.com/listing/1389838800/leather-hand-pdf-pattern

How to get blood on leather? Um, I think we ALL know exactly how to do that... There's a reason I keep a box of band-aids handy by my work bench! You'll show us pictures when it's all done, right?? RIGHT?? Sounds like a really cool project!