CitizenKate

Thanks for the info, roo4u! Could you please share who the US makers are? Muchas Gracias! Kate

That would be cool to see! As far as I know, nobody here has done this, or even thought about it; I'm pretty sure that once people start seeing us trotting around town, there is bound to be some interest in them. So your story is interesting, because I was thinking about how I could get a piece of the action if this started to take off here. Yeah, yeah, I know, all the little pitfalls...! No, but we do offer it to the local bird population for nest lining material. They seem pretty glad to get it, because it usually isn't 5 minutes before they are in the yard snatching it up. Kate

Hi all, With leash ordinances becoming more restrictive, I've been looking for new things to do with my dogs that will give them more exercise and involves some kind of meaningful interaction between them and me. One is an American Eskimo mix, the other a retriever mix. He loves to retrieve, but she hates it. She, on the other hand, seems to be born to pull something, because she can pull on a leash like nobody's business! I thought, Aha! Carting! So I found a guy in Australia who makes sulkies for dogs. Click here to visit his site, and you can .I think my dogs would love this, but do any of you have any experience with this activity? Any advice on the gear, training, etc.? Thanks, Kate

I really like that, Jordan. I never would have guessed the shading around the edges was done by hand. Nice work! Kate

The diamond hole punch will make holes that are much too big, but they're great for marking where the holes should go. Then use an awl to make the actual holes. I use the awl exactly the same way as Jeffzilla. The only difference is, I just use a couple of pieces of foam core. I tried the method in Al's book, where you're juggling two needles and the awl at the same time, and that just did not work smoothly at all for me. Punching the holes all at once while the project is laying on a flat surface works much better. Kate

I really like that carved design - very handsome - and the lacing is really well-done. Nice work, Johnny. Kate

Ah, the old "divide and conquer"! I'd put my money on your approach. You sound like you've "been there". Kate

I read it on ebay, of all places where I bought some leather that had that property. I really like the stuff! Kate

My first thought is to get a classroom assistant. Or two. Or three? Kate

Nice! "Pull up" leather changes to a lighter color when it is flexed (as you can see in some places on your case), creating a nice, distressed-looking, two-tone effect. Then when the leather is relaxed again, it gradually fades back to its original color. It should make a gorgeous messenger bag! Kate

Names can be deceiving, too, Windy. (Ever seen "genuine leather" on a piece that was obviously not real leather?) I will agree that the straps look like they could be made of bridle leather, but I'm pretty sure the rest of it is not, because bridle leather has a very smooth grain, and the shell material of this bag has more of a pebble texure. Kate

Great album, Clay! Thanks for posting it. I'm glad you took lots of pictures of the people who attended as well. The one you took of the kids at Tony's workshop was priceless, and it was nice to see a few familiar faces. Kate

That doesn't look like latigo to me, either. It looks softer, like chap or upholstery leather. But I have seen messenger-style bags that were done in latigo that were also very nice! Just depends, I suppose, on whether you prefer a softer or firmer hand. Kate

Wow, this thread convinced me to get an Artisan. Thanks, guys! Kate PS to secondcrk: It's bad business to dishonestly discredit your competitors. You might have gotten a little more consideration if you had focused on your good points... if you have any... other than your product costs more.

Wow, that put a smile on my face! Thanks for posting that. Kate

That is some great stuff, Ben. I also noticed quite a few links to tutorials on how to create HDR images. As soon as I finish my current project, I'm going to try some of this with my new Lumix. Thanks for posting this. Kate

Cool effect! Thanks for sharing that, Roo. Kate

Seattle Fabrics is a great source for grommets. They even carry the #00 (3/16") ones that nobody else carries. http://www.seattlefabrics.com/gromsnap.html Also Seigel of California has them. Kate

Very nice bag, Ed!!! Wow! Kate

That gave me a good laugh! After about 15-20 minutes... 319.1. Kate

Oh yeah, I don't want to discourage members from helping out with the hosting fees! Kate

I will gladly do it for nothing, because I want them back as badly as anyone. Nice thought, though, thanks! Kate

Hi rdb, We are working on it. We were able to recover enough of the data, including the attachments, to reconstruct the old posts, and we have the knowledge to do it. But this will take time... please be patient. (But since you brought it up again, I will try to sneak in some more time this weekend to make more progress with it.) Thanks, Kate