The Stud In Me \00/_

Like every mom, I try to encourage my children to succeed. Not in a bad way but a supportive way. My son, Chris, has an artistic eye. He can sit down and make something out of anything - even a remnant piece of leather that I have discarded.

Last year, for a lark, I gave him a piece of leather because he wanted to try his hand at leather work like his dad and I. I figured why not..., he usually wears what he makes anyway.

The wristband below is what he came up with. I have to tell you though, working with pyramid studs is tricky..., they are slippery suckers that pop right out of your hand just as your about to set it in. Well, *proudly* he mastered it quite nicely - and some, showing up his ole mom. :P

It wasn't until recently did Chris make another one, the first one he kept for himself. If you get the chance show your love to an up-and-coming young artist and view his shop.

Studded Leather Wristband from CKSignature.etsy.com

Good ole mom tried her hand at something new too. I aspire to be unique in my designs. I don't want to be usual - I want to be superb! This was my attempt to be stylish without overworking the design. This is a wristband I made. I offset the diamond clusters - which was a "B" to do *pat on back* while keeping the clusters aligned. It can be viewed it in my shop. :)

CLASSIC ROCK Pyramid studded wristband

I've always wanted to design studded earring too. For about a month now I have been awake at nights tossing idea around in my head. Maybe if I just slept I might have dreamt up something sooner. This pair of earrings are my most recent creation... I am so proud of them... It is quite a challenge to line up the pyramids and center them on a small piece of slippery leather... GAWH!!! but with perseverance I did it. \00/_

DIVA Pyramid - Diamond Studded and Leather Earrings.

This was my first attempt at designing pyramid studded earrings. I am so pleased with them.

Now that I have accomplished this I have a ton of ideas bouncing around in my head. I am hoping to have more designs in our shop soon.

Pyramid Studded Linear Earring and Leather.

Thanks for dropping by!!

Have a Happy Easter everyone!!

Anne ^i^

"SEX AND THE CITY" GUINEA!!

This is Spike \00/_

To lift spirits - I would like you to meet one of our pet guinea pigs.

This is Spike!!

He's not your average everyday, garden variety guinea pig ..., he's a punker pig.

My son, Chris, made this wristband before the movie, "Sex and the City" aired. Imagine our surprise to see SJP wearing the very same belt!!

We are huge fans of the show and we were thrilled to see it.

It just goes to show you that fashion has no limits. \00/_

I would be remiss if I didn't also introduce to you the other punker pig, his brother - this is Smokey. He is the noisier but smaller of the two.

I hope this brought a smile to your face - because we have to live for today because our tomorrows may be few!!

Drop by and visit our shop!! \00/_

Anne ^i^

Hyatt

Like most of the inquiries, I received this one from a convo via our Etsy site. A young lady by the name of Taylor B. asked if I could make her some custom "Signet wristbands". She wanted the name of her good friend, that recently passed, on it.

Her heart and ideas were bigger than what I could accommodate her with - but together her and I came up with a design that would suit everyone.

One evening while I working on her order my oldest daughter, Amanda - born in 1992 was browsing the internet. She decided to google the name of the young man that I was making these wristbands about. While my family and I stood around the computer watching ,she played a video on Hyatt Ebeling. By the time it had finished I was in tears and there was silence in the room. My heart sank. That young man, just a couple months yonger that my daughter had passed in a 4 car collision. It was a sobering reminder that we should always treasure the gifts that God has given us.., our children, spouses, family and friends.

Leather Signet wristband

As I stamped each piece of leather my mind wandered. All I could think of was his family. Only a parent - or sibling - that has lost a child/brother/sister could even imagine the grief they were experiencing and I wanted to reach out and hug them. My heart ached for the family and friends of Hyatt.

I knew there was nothing in this world that I could have said to them that could ease their pain but I wanted to show them that even as far away as in Canada we feel their loss.


I sent a email to Talyor and asked her if she would hand deliver a small token of love to Hyatt's family. She agreed to do so.

Memorial Leather bookmark

Our hearts and prayers go out to the Ebeling and Roberts families. We wish both Tyler Ebeling and Scotty Roberts a speedy recovery.

Taylor wanted to include more on the wristbands, but instead I will put it here.

Edward Hyatt EBELING

April 14, 1992 - January 31, 2009

~~ Gone but not forgotten ~~

A Verbose Anniversary Gift

I am no stranger to texting leather objects. Actually I find great satisfaction in creating things that come from the hearts and minds of our customers. I feel privileged to be given such a task. My customer provide me with a list of 60 or so words, places, names and dates that conveys their special memories of particular times in their lives.

Each belt is handcut from premium tooling "Live Oak" cowhide - the best leather you can buy. Once we have choosen the hide we hand cut it to size. We take great care in measuring, centering, stamping and finally finishing (dying) the leather. It must be perfect to our standards - no short cuts, no flaws, or it doesn't leave our hands.

Leather Made Nice - Custom 1.5 inch Memory Belt

The belt above was finished in our unique blend of brown dyes. The buyer decided she wanted a nickel plated buckle on this custom piece. It was an anniversary gift for her husband.

Happy 5th Anniversary, Sara and Brad!!

The text that buyers choose always intrigue me. As the words are stamped out I get a sense of the life these people enjoyed together and what was important to them. It reads like a novel as their life unfolds. What a wonderful keepsake!! The lady that ordered this one plans on having one made for her father. It will read the names of all the children and grandchildren. Again, what a wonderful reminder of the joys in one's life.

Happy 4th Anniversary to you and your husband, Camille @-}--

The last belt pictured was my first request. It came from a lovely young lady by the name of Ashlyn. She has been preparing for her wedding day and this is a gift for her husband-to-be. I have a bit of history with her. She has visited our site a few times and I feel rather akin to her. She has submitted some quite unique and refreshing ideas which have brought fruition to us. So this was a very special creation that I wanted to be perfect for her. For a young person she has the wisdom and insight of an old soul.

Our good wishes and love go to her and her husband-to-be on their marriage and life together!!!

Ashlyn and Justin - March 14, 2009 @-}--

Other text possibilities: historical anniversaries, favorite groups, favorite novel or books read, comic books, sports teams or personalities, sayings, concerts attended..., the possibilities are endless. If you have an idea that you would like to pass by us send us and email or visit our shop.

Smiles, Anne ^i^ & John

He Sent Us Two Angels

After three arduous months of worry the end of misfortune has come!!!

We, John and I, were down to my last thread of hope that we would ever get out of this mess, that seemed to be snowballing, until my dear friend, Gisele offered to lend us her car (mostly to take our teenage children to their respective jobs) while she took a well deserved vacation in the sun.

The night she picked me up with her car (I had to take her to her gentleman friends home prior to their trip) I was in tears..., normally a very composed person, I reliquished all my emotion on her..., God bless her. Like the true friend that she is, she cried along with me.

She was the first angel that He sent!!

Key chain like this available from our shop

She held my hand and re-affirmed to me what I already knew..., that everything will work out in the end. I was so thankfull for her kindness. I wanted to give to her something special and to me something made from the heart is always special to me. Yes!! I do make a lot of these but they are practical and people do like them. :P But hers was different. I stamped something on the back - "My Angel"

The story gets better! Just when John and I thought that there was no way for us to get a vehicle the assistant to the sales manager of KIA , Alison called us to tell us that Mario had appoved a lease-to-own on a trade-in he had received. It was perfect. We had the money but the banks wouldn't touch us. As the old saying goes, They won't lend you money unless you can show them you don't need it..., well Mario came through for us. He actually went to another dealership to obtain a lease agreement form so we could have the van.

He is the second angel.

So, the happy ending to this story is that prayers can and always are answered.

Thanks again to Gisele, Mario and Alison you are truly angels in our book!!

Anne ^i^ & John

Luther's Legacy

About a month ago I received an email from a woman by the name Danni. She wanted to know if I could make her a custom key ring similar to the ones she had seen in our Etsy shop. She was having it made for her husband in memory of his beloved pet and recently deceased dog, Luther. I was touched by this and agreed. Her request was not a unique one, as I have made many of them before but this was to be my first as a keepsake in memory of a dog.

These are samples of our personalized, handstamped keychains

from our shop As I read further on, I realized that she wanted me to make two personalized key chains out of an existing dog collar that was previously worn by Luther. I had no idea at the time what the collar looked like nor if I could emboss it with the dogs name on it. You see, the leather was finished and worn for some time. Danni left the desicion up to me, regardless. But as I am sure other leather workers will attest - once leather has been dyed and finished with a protective coat it is unlikely that other impressions stamped into the leather will be able to leave permanently embossed markings.

I had forgotten about our conversation until the day I received a package in the mail. It contained the dog collar below. As I held it in my hands and caressed the extremely weathered and worn leather, fond memories of my dog, Friday, came to mind. I felt a sense of duty to Danni and her husband to deliver to them the best possible reconstructed item I could using this wonderful old dog collar.

John and I both examined it closely. It had years of grim built up on it from dirt and water. I had to strip it down, clean, and condition the leather to the base so I would be able to attempt the undertaking of embossing lettering.

It came out beautifully. I had enough of the collar left to make a personalized wristband as well.

A few nights later, I lay awake imagining how it would come out. Like every thing we do I handled it as if it were my own.

I had to wait patiently for the treatment to dry fully before John could add the new dye. The leather sucked up the first application of dye like a dry sponge. It took several coats of dye and two applications of "super sheen" to bring it to a rich luster. John and I were thrilled with the results.

This has to be one of my most rewarding and memorable moments in this business. For someone to part with and entrust us with this cherished article made me feel quite honored. If you have such an article that you would like us to give life to visit us at our website or Etsy shop. We would love to chat with you and possible deliver to you the same results as we did to Danni and her husband.

"Luther"

Anne ^i^

A Test of Faith

To test a dye that we may use on our products I made this wristband. The test was a failure but I fell in love with the wristband regardless. I wear it often, especially when I need to remind myself to have faith in God and that things will work out.

Yes, it may be a ostentatious bracelet but if I am going to ask for help I might as well ask for it loudly. On the other side of it, which you don't see, are the words, "Thank you, God." I am Christian and I do believe in the power of prayer and as a spiritualist I know He hears us.

In mid-November we had problems with our '97 SUV. Unexpectedly, "Jimmy needed major repairs to pass the emissions test. Thus taking a huge bite out of our Christmas money. With cool heads John and I presevered having faith that the money would magically show up. The magic of prayer and positive thinking brought us a rush of sales from our Etsy site at Christmas and continues to this day.

Sadly, it has been reported that our area (near Toronto, Canada) has a recorded high amount of snow fall in over 75 years. That translates to - yes - you have it, "Jimmy" lost his reverse gear. Parking for the last two months has been a challenge..., sigh!! Again, John and I remained calm and put our faith in God that we would get through this. The sales continued to come in and we thank Him for every blessing. At one point we believed the crisis was over...., until of course one afternoon, while taking our son to work in the next town, the transmission ceased to work. Jimmy would not go beyond second gear. Thirty-five kilometers an hour was all it could do. I never thought I would look forward to stopping for red lights or travelling behind slow moving vehicles. In fact, John and I would laugh when a garbage truck sped off leaving us trailing behind.

Since we have invested all our savings in getting our business off the ground, cash flow is sparce. At least the interact machines haven't laughed at us yet - that's a good sign.
As I look down at my wristband I sent out another request to the universe - any color vehicle will do - God -thank you!! Patience is our lesson at this time.

When I start to feel sorry for myself and downtrodden I think of the ladies that I have met on etsy. All of them in their own way have faced great adversities. One of my most recent friends is, Nancy. In one of our first conversations she candidely shared some life experiences with me. Hers dwarfed mine by a longshot. An error occurred during a transaction and I wanted to re-imburse her for it. She nonchalantly told me to send it along stating, they are just things! She was referring to objects in our lives that most of us (me) consider(d) important. She in her own way reminded me of what is important in our short lives. It is something I give thanks for everyday - my family. When I feel like I am drowning in circumstance I close my eyes for a second and imagine them gone. Everything else pales in comparison.

Pat is another such friend. She and Nancy have helped me open my eyes. Their kindness and candor is refreshing and welcome.

This is a chakra necklace which I use in meditation

To the wonderful people that chat with me on our Etsy site and my good friends, Kim and Deb, at the post office, their friendly smile and kind words get me through these hard times. Thank you!!!

Smiles!!! ^i^