CitizenKate

Space. I would LOVE more space. Then again... my studio has already taken up about 70% of a two-car garage and one upstairs room. How much more I'll need is anybody's guess. How about around 2,000 sq. ft.? Kate

Whatever about the suntanned leather. The carving is lovely. Kate

Dwight, we do appreciate your feedback. Improving site performance has become for us a continuous process. In days past, we hardly ever had to think about it; it was the hosting provider's problem. But nowadays, it's something we have to consider every time we add a new feature to the site, including upgrades. Even if we didn't change anything, the increase in traffic that we see every month would require it. We are taking steps to improve page load times, and will continue to do so, probably until the end of time, as it appears to us now. Dustin, thanks very much for your supportive comments. But we do want everyone to feel welcome, regardless of their pocketbook or their internet bandwidth. Kate

My mom used to tell me that, when she was growing up in Illinois, Halloween was a time when pranksters roamed about, much like the ones you mention, Ray. Some of those trick-or-treat pranks were pretty vicious. Then American communities tried to turn it into more of a safe/fun kind of thing by organizing activities for neighborhoods to participate in. For the most part, I think they succeeded. I grew up never really knowing about the "trick" part of trick-or-treat. It was all just treats, as in, sugar over-dose. LOL Worked for me! Lately, around here, sadly, because of worries about people handing out boobie-trapped treats, the activities are becoming more centralized to one location. We don't have the kids roaming the neighborhoods any more. So I really don't observe this holiday much any more. Kate

If you've got a decent splitter, just buy the heaviest weight you will need, then split it down for smaller/lighter projects. Kate

Good point, CD. Actually, I'm thinking of just calling the DA's office and asking them what they think my best course of action is at this point. If I'm asking everyone's opinion, I might as well get theirs, too. Kate

Hey Drac, When I was living in rented housing, I also had to deal with the "landlord from hell" scenario, on a couple of occasions (but fortunately not one who also was a roomie). One thing that really helped me deal with irresponsible landlords was to familiarize myself with local landlord/tenant laws. These laws usually provide a course of action for tenants whose landlords are failing to meet basic requirements. In Kansas, for example, if a tenant makes a request for a repair in writing, the landlord has a time limit to respond and make the repair. If the repair is not made within a certain time, the tenant has legal recourse against the landlord. Don't know how that would affect your relationship with your roomie, but this is just something to be aware of. The mold is a health/safety issue, which around here would be treated fairly seriously by health officials, if it were to be reported. Kate

I was wondering what you meant by that comment you made to Clay on FB. Kate

That is yet to be seen. It depends on the amount of the check. If the check is for an amount much more than what I normally charge for the item plus shipping, that will be yet another sign. (Assuming I plan to open the letter, which I don't.) Exactly, law enforcement can't get involved until something criminal actually takes place, and so far, nothing has. But that doesn't mean I have to deal with him. Whether he's trying to scam me, or just create a lot of hassles, this isn't going to be worth the trouble. So the current plan is to follow your earlier suggestion of sending the letter back unopened. One thing that makes this more than a little odd is that the customer wants me to pay his shipper. Normally when a 3rd-party shipper is involved, the shipper bills the buyer, not the seller. I've done deals like this before with no problems, but it is a hassle. That's just it, he's not willing to wait, even though I've told him the item is made to order, and I need two weeks to make it. He doesn't seem to care that he's trying to schedule his shipper to arrive well before there is even anything to be shipped. Yep, you could say that's a little odd, alright. Kate

Great costume, Tim, very imaginative and well-done. Maybe some theatrical troupes would be interested in your work. Kate

Yep, been down that road, too. But it's a good thing you sent a photo before shipping it. At least that saves the hassle and expense of shipping the wrong item, and having the customer ship it back again. Kate

Last week someone sent me a PM on Etsy, inquiring about the availability of one of my chair seats. Replied, it is available. He replied, I want to pay by check. Can you send me the total with shipping to my email address (which he provided), along with the address I should send the check to. I thought, a little unusual, but I do accept checks (or I did until this happened), so I sent him the information. Then, he says he wants to use his own shipper, and he will send me money to pay his shipper. I should cash the check as soon as I get it, and he'll send his shipper for the package. Come again??? I think not! I declined the deal, but he has already sent the check and is still trying to get me to go through with it. I've been checking into this, and this looks to me like the type of scam where a person posing as a buyer, sends a check for way over the amount due for the order, then asks the seller to send him (or in this case, his "shipper") the extra. The check then bounces, the bank takes the money out of my account, and I'm out the money and the item. Have any of you run into this? I'm not worried about him getting my money, because there's no way I'm going to cash the check. At this point, I'm just trying to find out the best course of action to get them to go away and leave me alone. You guys in law enforcement... any advice? Kate

Hmmm... wonder if you could make stamping tools from those, too? Kate

Great post, MagiKelly! Thank-you for taking the time to write this up! Kate

Looking forward to see what develops... The design looks very graceful. Kate

I think it looks good from what little of it I can see on the screen at one time. Do you think you could try reducing the image so it is no more than about 800 pixels across? Kate

Chuck, thanks for sharing these photos of your - as always - stunning work. I also appreciate the great photography. Kate

Thanks for posting, Marlon. Sure would have loved to have been there. Kate

Some companies have referred to paints as dyes, so it can be rather confusing at times. I have a paint from Createx, called "transparent colors", which is a latex-based paint, and absorbs easily into the leather, similar to the way a dye would, especially if you dilute it. It leaves the surface texture of the leather fairly natural-looking. It is also highly resistant to antiques and stains (just as if you had put block-out on it, which is also latex-based), so the color shows vibrantly through the antique. Very useful for some things, and they do recommend it for use on leather. (They formulated it to be sprayed from an air brush, but I also get great results applying it with a bristle brush.) Kate

Also, Joe, could you try temporarily switching to the "Lo-Fi" theme and let us know if you still see the problem? If that "fixes" it, then there may be a problem with the regular theme that could be producing this effect with some browsers. Kate

Also, what version of FireFox are you using, Joe? Kate

I have to agree, for a first project you really aimed high. Obviously, we can see a big distinction between your work and that of the experienced saddle makers, but I still have to say, WOW. That is one of the most respectable "first projects" I've ever seen. Rock on!!! Kate

Bet that young fella is glad to be out of the hoosegow! Glad you adopted a shelter pet. There are soooo many good ones in those places. My own two mushing heroes are from shelters, as will be any future ones. They are highly worthy of a life. Kate

That's not going to go anywhere anytime soon. And it looks sharp, too. Thanks for the tip! Kate