Excitement

After stalking Jennifer Buxton's blog for several hours the other night I have gathered so many ideas for tack it is INSANE.  It felt like Christmas yesterday when I bought new "hole punches" aka. mechanical pencils to make perfect holes for bridles etc.  The new punches will seriously help with my tack OCD. 

I stalked Heather's blog tonight too.  Now I know the names of those books she always shows me awesome things out of when I do manage to get over there.  :)  I know what to add to my reference collection next now. Thanks for posting those! 

Current work in progress is a tennessee walking horse bridle and Danielle Feldman's western bridle.  I need more stuff to be able to get any where on the TWH bridle.  So right now Danielle's is top priority in finishing.  I just fell in love with the colors I get to use for this one.  Burgundy, navy and light cream color. Elise Partanen made her saddle pad.  Here is a pic of the TWH brow band in progress.  Still needs several things- a little work on my piping, another coat of maroon and some black for the dots then some SUPER gloss :) but it is getting there.  Then there is a picture of my workspace.  I had a printer there but am fed up with using my kitchen counter for working on.  So I moved the printer and now this is my space for tack making.  I'm loving it already. 

Looking to lease a horse?

I have a half arabian mare named Angel who is looking for a friend. She is located in Pendleton KY, but can be relocated for the right leasee.  She is a laid back, do whatever you tell her to kind of horse.  She is five and I label her green just due to minimal saddle time.  She has never done anything bad at all and does know her leg cues.  She just needs more rides.  I have had her since a yearling and have done extensive natural horsemanship with her.  I did dressage and have had her saddled both english and western.  She has worn a snaffle bit and does fantastic or gone bitless. Just needs a rider who knows their aids, won't beg for a response and be able to promptly correct her.  So, training experience a great plus.  Any and all questions welcome.  So for lease (preferably) or sale. Contact me for info and tell me about yourself.  This picture is Angel November 2012. 

Frustration

Holly cow it has been a while.  I'm still here I promise :).   I hope everyone had a very blessed Christmas and  has a wonderful new year!

Things have been just crazy and very frustrating for me lately.  I'll go ahead and vent.  Since October of 2011 there has been "something" going on with me medically.  At this current moment, I am lucky to pick up my child's toys, or walk around the block with my dog (on a good day).  I used to be able to do anything and ride my horse (of course my favorite activity). The most annoying symptom is the feeling of pressure in my gums that is pushing on all of my teeth, blurred vision and dizziness.  I am 26 and career wise I am a nurse but lost my job due to being unable to walk down the hall to care for my patients.  To this day my lab work as shown negative on EVERYTHING.  I have seen so many MDS and still nothing.  I walked in the ER yesterday at a very research oriented hospital in Louisville, praying that one MD would consider doing the few things that haven't been done to me already to figure this out.  Wrong, you literally have to be dying to be admitted...  So here I go again, holding my chin up and suffering through another two month wait to go back to another specialist that I've already seen one of.  The past year has been one painful medical blur.

In this post I am not looking for any pity, I just want to share how this constant battle on the other side of the health care system has frustrated me, as a patient and as a nurse.  I am typically this sweet laid back, nice to everyone type of person.  Since this has come about I've learned that I am alone in this world (outside of my family, husband, a couple friends) and no one truly cares about you on a personal level outside of that.  I've had to become assertive.  It breaks my heart for all the patients that I took care of.  I knew the people I cared for were in pain, physically or emotionally, but this experience has allowed me to fully understand how they feel lying there in the hospital.  So healthcare workers...don't get frustrated when you feel a patient is being "needy", or rings the call bell 50 times.  I GUARANTEE they just want someone to listen to them...   And for all those folks still trying to find an answer.... Keep your chin up because we will find an answer.

And has anyone else watched those MONSTER INSIDE OF YOU shows? Yeah...starting to wonder...

In the studio...
Well, I don't actually have a studio yet sadly.  I'd love to have a room some day that can just be ALL horses.  But currently I have started working on Danielle Feldman's bridle.  I got her reins braided up.  Trying to think how exactly I want to do her bridle.  It'll be matched to a beautiful pad in Burgundy and Navy blue.  I have a classic scale bridle almost finished and am working on another traditional one right now.  It has a star bit, natural leather, dk brown, black and light mocha brown knots.  Will have dk brown reins too.  It will be for sale.

When I am finished with these few western bridles I am going to make a TWH bridle.  I need a change from western for a bit.  I have a lovely stone TWH I got from my secret santa on BLAB this year that is just itching to model it for me.  Cannot decide on a browband color yet. 

My brain is no longer functioning so I will come back and post again soon :).

Pink Fun

Here are some progress photos.  Poor quality but when you are so eager to get the stuff finished you don't want to take the time to do nice shots. ^_^.  I am hoping this pad will work for Heather.  I'll take it to her in a day or so and see if it will fit her drop dead gorgeous parade tack.  I don't think I'll do another corona ever though lol.  Then there is this lovely natural colored halter in progress.  Hot pink and black knots.  The weird thing is I really like this piece although I'm not a big pink fan.  It will be for sale. 

I'd love to start a customer photo gallery at some point, so if you show my work and win please forward the pictures :).

Road block

Know those nights you lay in bed trying to sleep but are just thinking about all sorts of artistic things to do next?  Yes, that was definitely me the other night.  So I have a thousand and one ideas in my head for another bridle.  I settled on one and now I am stuck at color choices for knots.  I don't want to do brown or black.  I know they match everything but I am wanting to use some brighter colors. I listed a suggestion post on BLAB so hopefully all my wonderful hobbyists will be able to settle my mind on something.  I plan on selling it anyway, so if you have something you may particularly be looking for go post :).  I'll be finishing up punching Heather's corona this week so the bridle will be taking a break anyway for several days.  I think I need to go surf some other blogs and see what I can come up with to start doing on my blog for fun.  Maybe a give away or such every so often?  Tutorials or step by step pictures for a piece would be great too.  *hmm*

Been a while...

I've been busy O_O.  I have an almost three year old and he keeps me a running. lol.  I finished the chocolate and mocha bridle I was working on and just sold it on MH$P. Congrats Danielle :).  Let it help NAN many for you.  I have to focus exclusively on a corona I was working on now so it will be ready for Heather's show.  Creating a cm corona had my brain freezing often...and I admire those other corona making tack makers.  I can only hope it turns out like the brain wants it too.  After that project I have some special tack I'll be making for Tiffany Purdy.  They of course will include PINK.  What exciting projects to look forward too.


In the real life I have a gorgeous half arabian mare named Angel.  I am looking for someone to ride or show her.  If you are in the Louisville, KY area and would be interested I'd love to hear from you.  Money isn't my concern really, she just needs another human friend to allow her talents to be used.  She's a flashy girl. 

Got to get back to the family but I will post again soon. 

Hmm..

Sorry it has been a while.  I have been busy busy on the bridle I was working on.  The romels took a ton of time to braid/knot.  Here are some pictures.  I knew when I seen Heather Moreton-Abounders work and Susan Youngs that they took spent a lot of time on them.  Now, I have a whole new type of appreciation for these miniature works.  I sat here and as the hours passed by I lost count.  But through all that time that I lost track of it was because tying these knots were the most relaxing and fun thing I could have done for myself. They are a great stress reliever.  These photos were courtesy of my husband, who also was awesome and started to built me a mini tack box.  Well, like his dad, he decided the box needed to be larger.  He had built me a tack box for my real horse that after he was done I could literally walk into it and stand there.  Bigger is better they say! I told my husband that he is going to have to fill up the 18 saddle racks he put there.  That I am TOTALLY ok with! lol. Plenty of bridle space too.  I finished the western show halter in pinks for Show for the Cure in IL 2013 but forgot to get a great picture so I will take some soon.  Ruth received her bridle that she said was just beautiful and my buyer in Canada just loved her show halter.  I am SO excited to be getting my work out there.  I want to thank everyone who follows my work also and lets their friends know about me.  It means a lot. I can not wait to see my pieces help the horses NAN.