Next Big Project - Clydesdale Makeover

MEPSA has a Makeover Contest every year where they pick a mold and then to enter the contest, you have to give one of them a makeover.

I've been wanting to try one of these contests for a few years now, but didn't have the mold on hand and ran out of time (two years ago), or just didn't really have any ideas (last year). 

This year the mold is the Breyer Clydesdale mare and, well, I have 4 of them in the body herd, so...

Here's the victim, er, patient:

Anything goes in these Makeover contests, from a simple repaint, to a complete overhaul. 

My thing has always been drastic customs, so I'm fairly sure that's what I'll be doing here.  But...  what?

For the last couple of hours I've been going through some of my extensive reference picture collection to brainstorm some ideas.  After this first round of brainstorming through my digital pictures, I do have an idea.  I think over the weekend I'll go through some of my other references, like the hard copy stuff, and see if anything else jumps out at me.

Does anyone else have an idea for what I might do with her? 

Friday Freebie on Facebook

I'm doing a spontaneous little giveaway over on my Facebook page and wanted to make sure my blog readers knew about it too, if you aren't already following my page there.

Here's what I've got up for grabs: winner's choice of the two purple trimmed blankets from my latest batch of Stablemate blankets.

They were made on the G3 Stockhorse and will fit similar sized molds.

If several people enter, I'll most likely draw two names and give the both away.  :)

Quick Post: Command Center

The other day, while surfing Pinterest, I came across the idea of a "command center".  Apparently, it's a central location in the house to help organize your life.  Boy, could I use that!  Jeff and I talked about it and he liked the idea too.  So yesterday we bought a big cork board and a dry erase calendar to kick things off.  We ended up hanging them in the downstairs hallway, just inside the front door.  It'll be easy to see when coming down the stairs in the morning.  I think we'll add some bins to sort the mail in and possibly another calendar block so that we can track two months at a time. 

In related studio news, inspired by my friend Holly, who's much more organized than I am, I had bought a big white board for the studio room to serve as its command center (before I was familiar with the term).  When we got the cork board for the house, I grabbed another one for the studio.  I also have a dry erase calendar board for that room.  I'm hoping once I have them set up they'll help me keep track of things!


Random picture of my cat putting her seal of approval on a box that I'm currently packing to send to a friend (no, the cat is not being packed):

Quick Post: Vision Board

In a group I joined here locally, we started making vision boards last week.  Yesterday we finished them.  The idea was to use it for things that we hope to do, or see, or want to keep in mind over the next 3 months - until the new year.  Limited to a pile of magazines (most of them mine, because: horses) here's what I came up with:

The highlights of what I want to work toward: an organized studio, and making more model horse stuff (Arabian presentation and costumes, pads and saddles, etc.).  I want to get my little collection of plants, Bonsai,  and sprouted seeds, all organized for the winter.  In money matters, I want to get set up to make the studio a "real" business next year (after thinking about it for years now).  I want to work on my energy crisis (being tired all of the time) and related to that: work on health and fitness. 

My long range fitness goal is top right: the Tevis Cup.  It is something I have wanted to do ever since I was a kid and first heard about it.  I had actually just decided to go for it and started conditioning myself and Bo for trying endurance..  right before we found out we would be moving to Japan.  I can't really do anything about getting my own horse ready for it while we are here, but I can work on myself and I hope to do that.

Overall, I want to remind myself that I am enough.  I feel almost constant pressure (self imposed, mostly) to do more, more, more.  While I never want to stop learning and doing and always want to work towards being a better version of myself, I think it's important not to lose sight of being "enough" at any given time.  It's a balancing act and one I'd like to get better at. 

Twenty-Two Count Tuesday

Last July I finished up my first set of cross stitched panels for an Arabian costume.  

Here's how they look now:

I've gotten the edging done and gotten them shaped and ready to put on a saddle - which does not exist yet.  I was really happy with the results of the stitching and knew that I wanted to do more cross stitched panels in the future.  

It took me a while to revisit the idea, but a couple of weeks ago I decided to take the next step in the evolution of my saddle pad adventures.  This would be to start on a 22 count saddle pad.  

As a warm up, I decided to start on another set of panels first.  Here's what I got done during the first long day of working on one of them:

I'm really excited about this pattern!  The first set that I did was adapted straight from a narrow strip of cross stitch pattern that I'd come across.  This next set is modified (heavily modified in the case of the smaller side panels) from part of a larger, beautiful pattern that I'd found.  

After getting confirmation on size from the new owner, I started on my first ever 22 count saddle pad.  It is a commission, and is a scaled down version of a real saddle pad.  I'd been thinking about doing my first 22 count pad since this past spring, when I drew up a few patterns for them.  However, it wasn't until this project that I took the plunge.  I decided this was the only way to do justice to the original intricate pattern on the real pad.

Here's where I am so far:

The pattern has six rows of the larger oval shapes on it, so I'm "almost" there...?  Certainly closer to the end than the beginning.  I'm tracking my time on this project and so far I'm at 15.5 hours (and I'm sure I've missed a couple of hours tracking along the way, since I haven't been super diligent about tracking my time - it's a new thing for me).

After this pad is finished, I'll rotate back around to the blue and yellow panels.  Oh and I already have the pattern drawn up for a THIRD set of panels.  I think I enjoy coming up with the patterns as much as actually making the projects.  It's certainly faster to do the patterns than the actual stitching!

New Addition - A Wee Vanner Stallion

Last week another member was added to the herd. 

He is Grantchester, from Horsing Around in the UK.  I found a "second" copy of him on the sales pages and snatched him up.  There's something about him I really liked.  It took him a little while to make the journey 'round the world, but when he got here, I was delighted to see him in person!

I'm not sure yet what color he will be.  As a Vanner, I first thought of the classic black and white tobiano, but there are SO many more colors to choose from that would work; I could have all sorts of fun with this guy.

I really need to stay away from the sales pages...

Ha!

Quick Post: Pom Poms

There is an "Arts and Crafts Center" here on the base.  They have a store that sells supplies and some projects.  I like to go in there and now and then to check out the (ever changing) inventory.  One fairly steady thing they carry (maybe because I keep buying them, haha) are tiny pom poms.  They are only sold in small, assorted packs.  Here's what's in one:

I usually buy one or two packs when I'm in there, then when I get home I sort them into my favorite little bead boxes:

I think I have enough now to make something with pom poms one of these days.  ;)

These are roughly Traditional scale, I would say, for Marwari or Arabian costume uses.  Occasionally they have had TEENY tiny pom poms for sale, they are maybe even Stablemate scale.  I have a small collection of them now too.