Where Do I Start?

Where actually do I start???

After a 14 month hiatus this question has been rattling around in my brain.

OK I now have most things where I want them.

My metal corner desk is yet to be finished and clearly I need 3 chairs.

The seat on my venerable vintage office chair had succumbed to a long line of the unceremonious plonking of venerable vintage bottoms (mine included) and the front edge broke. So with a spray of paint, new seat and some fabric I found stashed away the old girl's good to go again.

Ya gotta smile with galloping geckos on you chair.

I could do more organising and design some more shelving. . . or 
perhaps move the drawers around or do some more research on Pinterest or . . . .

Do you detect a smidgen of procrastination happening? Yeah you're right.

I've looked at some Ufo's and for the life of me can't think where I was going with them. I've crooned 'my precious' over just about every bead, and component I possess but

Where Do I Start?

I decided it was better to sorta slide back into things, rather than a full frontal bull-in-a-china-shop attack. But to slide with what?

Had bought a few tutorials during my period of visual impairment so had a look at them and decided that the HEADPIN TUTORIAL from Fanciful Devices was a good place to start.

 Here's my setup. Bottle caps with Utee and mica powder, a scented candle with a bit of aluminium flyscreen for heat and the bonus of the delicious scent of vanilla wafting around. A container of iced water to set the utee quickly and various headpins. 

An hour or so later have lots of headpins. This is just a selection.
Top ones are on seed beads, then next ones that look like

ummmmmmmm ........ well they do!

are done on a little paddle headed pin like this that I got from Patina Queen on Etsy 

 The last ones are made with the same paddle headed pin with a tube bead. Like them ços they look like teeny weeny champagne bottles.

The bottle tops are really too shallow and I just found some olive oil lids, (cold pressed virgin of course) that are deeper and will be much better, plus will be able to add a widdle wire handle.

There, that wasn't so hard and it was fun. Now have some more ideas fluttering around that I will have to try.

 


 

My Poor Tools Take 2

As part of my cleaning regime I decided I had better check my two torches.

Upon lighting, the little BernzOmatiC belched flames from where the manufacturers had clearly not designed them to come from.
WOOAAAAH quick shutdown and no I'm not lighting it again to take a pic to show ya. I'd say that some of it's vital innards have died, probably of boredom.

With that experience in mind I had a good look at the Fireworks torch head and this is what I found.

The mud wasps, in their typical enterprising zeal had filled every available orifice with mud!

Dis-as-semble. Lots of poking screw drivers down the main bore and fine wires into the air feed holes and the torch now function properly.

I wonder what other surprises are in store for me? 

 

My Poor Neglected Tools

All the damp from last year's floods and the steady sifting down of dust, like the layers and layers falling slowly to the ocean floor have wrought havoc.
Rust.

Normally I love a rusty, crusty surface but, perhaps not so good on my tools.
Ok a date has been made.

Several hours later . . . much better!

Half a box of steel wool, most of the can of WD40 gone, and outa fine sand paper. Some anally retentive types even go on polishing so that the light *blings* off the surface. But I am not that enthusiastic.

The WD40 label assures me that I will no longer squeek, my parts will be loosened and so will my mechanisms. Bring it on! 

I also have . . .

Rough nails and rusted cuticles, very little nail polish, ingrained dirt, sore hands and almost no finger prints.

What, you thought I should have worn gloves?
What kinda namby-pamby sissy wears gloves?
My hands have earned all of the above, rather like my wrinkles, trophies to be worn with pride. 

Score!

Today I went to get the electric clutch on the car air conditioner replaced. (The thought of a un-air conditioned car is too much to bear)
While waiting for repair, perused some of the local second hand shops and there it was hiding under suitcases and other stuff. A little desk looking decidedly used with bonus drawers.

Cost? 5 bucks! You bewdey

A new top, which I will promptly ruin, a back board to hang tools, and all systems go. 

 

Two Tonne of Topsoil

That's what I have probably washed off the storage containers, bead boxes, chests of drawers, shelves, my clothes, hands and hair. There was also rodent crap and cockroach legs.
I once made earrings from lacquered koala poo as a fundraiser for wildlife rescue but I doubt that rat shit would be greeted with anything other than horror and disgust unlike the 'awwwww - cute koala-kack,' which, even with lacquer, still smelled of eucalyptus.

More dirt, a bin of leaves and twigs. the reproachful glares of displaced spiders, one fat gecko no doubt responsible for the cockroach legs and returned to a safe place in the shed. Lots of trolly wheeling, lumping boxes, searching for missing stuff, assembly, measuring and stacking.
All for this. . . . 




****PWAAAAAAAARRRRRRR****



Isn't it awesome?????



Aren't you jealous??????
 

Yeah I'm jealous too .....


Now before the hate and flame mail starts about passing off and misappropriation, this neat, tidy, tool filled space of awesomeness belongs to artist and silversmith Kirk Burkett of Virginia. Tool porn, lust and envy to the fore.

It is customary to open things with popping champagne corks but in this case, one hissing beer can will have to suffice.

I present the all singing all dancing INSIDE studio!

There is also a corner reserved for the metal bench when I find an old desk or the materials to build one. The desk will be rolled across the door, where the wind will vent outside for soldering, burning things with the torch, sanding and grinding, the application of toxic chemicals and, should the occasion arise, the disposal of nuclear fallout.

Take a looooong hard look, go on, I can assure you right now


it will never look this tidy again EVER!