School vacation week for the kiddos is finally over! I loved spending time with Skylar and we did a lot together, but now it's time to get back to work. Back to putting her on the bus and going directly to my studio until it's time to get her off the bus. I can't wait! Also, I have some company now for when I work. I got my dog back from my parents and she has been glued to my side since she came on Thursday. :)
Also, I have to be on the lookout for some new tools to add to my inventory. I need a bowl adze (which I have been told are hard to come by), some dogleg chisels (which are proving impossible to find), a vice (easy), and maybe a grinder and mini grinder...
Hopefully I'll add some new pictures later today.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Monday, February 20, 2012
On My Way
My husband has been supportive enough to tell me that I should return to my love of woodworking and work on selling my work instead of getting a full time job. I have had difficulty securing a job, as some of you may know jobs are scarce these days and the number of applicants for each position are astounding. Couple that with minimal work history since I worked full time in high school but in college I was a full time student even through the summers while I was raising my daughter who was born 7 weeks before I started my degree at UMA and that left no time for work. Apparently, no matter your skills and abilities, if you have no experience they don't want to hire you. On top of that, my husband was just promoted to a supervisory position at his new job that he started at the beginning of the year. Being a supervisor on the flex team means long days/nights, little to no sleep, and being gone constantly...someone needs to be home to get the children on and off the bus and care for them. I am so thankful for my husband's support in doing what I love and also thankful that we are financially capable of doing this.
With that said, I have already harvested, stripped and sealed 22 pieces of wood for drying and harvested and stripped 12 pieces of already seasoned wood. I have also discovered that there are several trails behind our house and that the power lines are less than a mile away. This creates the perfect environment for accumulating material! I have already started 3 new projects that I'm working on!
I have come to discover that although I have several useful tools in my collection, I still need to acquire some more basic and specialized tools for the projects that I'm working on. For now I am waiting on my income tax refund so that I can acquire the tools I need. Some of the assortment includes a vice, some clamps, splitting mauls, an adze, a spokeshave, some dogleg chisels and a few other selections.
I'm looking forward to expanding my tool inventory and being able to progress further in some of my pieces as I am at a standstill with particular ones right now.
With that said, I have already harvested, stripped and sealed 22 pieces of wood for drying and harvested and stripped 12 pieces of already seasoned wood. I have also discovered that there are several trails behind our house and that the power lines are less than a mile away. This creates the perfect environment for accumulating material! I have already started 3 new projects that I'm working on!
I have come to discover that although I have several useful tools in my collection, I still need to acquire some more basic and specialized tools for the projects that I'm working on. For now I am waiting on my income tax refund so that I can acquire the tools I need. Some of the assortment includes a vice, some clamps, splitting mauls, an adze, a spokeshave, some dogleg chisels and a few other selections.
I'm looking forward to expanding my tool inventory and being able to progress further in some of my pieces as I am at a standstill with particular ones right now.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
It's been a long time...
So, it's been quite a while since I've made an update to my blog...life sure has been a whirlwind. I have gotten married, gone on our honeymoon, sent out daughter off to kindergarten, applied for more than 60 jobs (having one face to face interview and two phone interviews), gotten a job at Kmart, purchased a house with my husband and moved 30 minutes away causing me to leave the job I had, my husband started a new job. I have applied for more than 30 jobs this time, had four face to face interviews and a second interview to be offered two positions and left me in the position to decline them. Why you ask? My husband's new job is a guaranteed 40 hours a week (not like his last one which proved to be anywhere from 22-38 hours per week) but his schedule is nowhere near regular. We generally don't find out until the day before or the day of what, where, or when his assignment is going to be making it incredibly inconvenient for me to get a regular office job, actually near impossible.
On the upside? We are now homeowners! Our home is a small and cozy little two bedroom on the quiet outskirts of Auburn, set on a very comfortable two acres. I now get to complete home improvement tasks and have a yard to work in. We'll be having a vegetable garden for the first time this summer (since I was a kid anyway) which both kids are very excited about (myself included). It also means that I have a near endless supply of wood for carving. There are plenty of fallen trees and others which need to come down...it'll keep me going for a while, and if not there's always my dad who has cut down trees as a second job for as long as I can remember.
Another plus? We have a two car detached garage, which means...I have STUDIO SPACE!!! So upon the frustration of the job search my husband said to me, why don't you just do what you love? With that, we cleaned out a corner of the garage and I shoddily set up my studio...for now. When we moved in the garage was just about full, I have crammed most of it into the front corner of the garage and am anxiously anticipating the day the "junk man" comes to haul it away so that I can victoriously claim the entirety of my studio space! I can't wait to get all organized and set up, but for now the space I have will do.
Monday through Friday, while the kiddos are at school I can be found in my studio, which I lovingly call my "ice box" this winter. I think we'll invest in a space heater for next season. My husband cuts up the trees around the yard for me and I get to strip and seal them and then haul them down to the basement. Lucky for me, our basement stays right around 55 degrees so that I can properly dry my wood.
What is my plan you ask? At the moment I'm working on a plaque that I was asked to create for the Kora Shriner's Provost Unit. After that I'll be cutting my wood to size and beginning on a new carving venture that I've been waiting to start for quite some time now. My plan is to get together a decent body of work now so that when spring rolls around I can attend art shows, flea markets, submit to shows and really try to get my name and work out there. Can I get myself on the map? Well...even if it's only a tiny little dot crammed between all the other big dots I would be sufficiently happy. :)
More to come soon!
On the upside? We are now homeowners! Our home is a small and cozy little two bedroom on the quiet outskirts of Auburn, set on a very comfortable two acres. I now get to complete home improvement tasks and have a yard to work in. We'll be having a vegetable garden for the first time this summer (since I was a kid anyway) which both kids are very excited about (myself included). It also means that I have a near endless supply of wood for carving. There are plenty of fallen trees and others which need to come down...it'll keep me going for a while, and if not there's always my dad who has cut down trees as a second job for as long as I can remember.
Another plus? We have a two car detached garage, which means...I have STUDIO SPACE!!! So upon the frustration of the job search my husband said to me, why don't you just do what you love? With that, we cleaned out a corner of the garage and I shoddily set up my studio...for now. When we moved in the garage was just about full, I have crammed most of it into the front corner of the garage and am anxiously anticipating the day the "junk man" comes to haul it away so that I can victoriously claim the entirety of my studio space! I can't wait to get all organized and set up, but for now the space I have will do.
Monday through Friday, while the kiddos are at school I can be found in my studio, which I lovingly call my "ice box" this winter. I think we'll invest in a space heater for next season. My husband cuts up the trees around the yard for me and I get to strip and seal them and then haul them down to the basement. Lucky for me, our basement stays right around 55 degrees so that I can properly dry my wood.
What is my plan you ask? At the moment I'm working on a plaque that I was asked to create for the Kora Shriner's Provost Unit. After that I'll be cutting my wood to size and beginning on a new carving venture that I've been waiting to start for quite some time now. My plan is to get together a decent body of work now so that when spring rolls around I can attend art shows, flea markets, submit to shows and really try to get my name and work out there. Can I get myself on the map? Well...even if it's only a tiny little dot crammed between all the other big dots I would be sufficiently happy. :)
More to come soon!
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