New Workshop ~ Yippee!

Before and...

After~

My renovated workshop. A treat!

Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately!) you can not see much in the picture at the top of how this shack looked before my renovation. But you can see the roof broken and rotting off. Imagine just two small windows, and you can see why we always referred to this shack as the haunted house.

It was full of cobwebs, bats (two jumped out at me as I was ripping out the inside walls), mice, dirt and just plain ugly and unpleasant.

My old greenhouse workshop was an eyesore too, though, with a failing plastic roof. Dripping water, and the wind blowing through. Suddenly it made sense during this particularly cold and wet winter to renovate the shack (with plenty of insulation included, of course!).

Four large salvaged windows and a sliding glass door, a major clean up, built in tables and shelves and, presto, a wonderful workshop. One of the biggest pleasures was recycling materials~ all free, and all saved from the landfill. Good stuff.

There is still some tidying up and table building to do, and I believe my wife is thinking of staining the exterior, and maybe painting the trim some bright color.

Yesterday, I did my first chime work in the new shop, and it was really nice!

Driftwood Wind Chimes

I've added a new section to my website~ just driftwood! If you would like to see it, Click Here.

I see a surprising number of people searching for driftwood, and even driftwood wind chimes. Who would have thought there would be so many other fans of this high-character, low maintenance wood? Well, I love it, so I guess it should not be too surprising that some others do, too.

For this new section of my website, I used a different way of showing the items~ a carousel image gallery. I'm not sure which is better, the other way, from thumbnail pictures to larger pictures with details toa full size image, or this way. There is one less level to navigate here, so I am thinking this may be better. I'll see how it goes, and maybe change the whole site to this method. Decisions, decisions...

In the meantime, I got the old workshop / greenhouse torn down (hard job! It was well built.) and the site cleaned up, and the new, renovated shop now has built in tables and shelves, the outside trim is almost finished, and today I made the first items inside the shop~ it's going to be much, much better! Pictures soon.

Snow! More Snow! Sunshine Coast

Snow sticking to the skylight. Blah!

I guess I deserve this. After doing my little dance, singing my little song, clapping my... well, you get the idea ~ in celebration of an early spring on the Pacific West Coast, look! Snow!

I thought it was cold this morning on my hike. It was the first time in weeks I wore a hat. And I thought it was cold, as I worked finishing up my new workshop. But never, ever, did I think it would snow.

Well, at least the new shop seemed all that nicer, in this cold weather. It's going to be great! Even the dog came in. I guess he has had enough of the cold and snow this year, too.

Glass and Copper Wind Chime, That's it!

Glass, copper, a beach stone clapper. That's it. For me, this is the chime. For more details, or to buy this wind chime, Click Here.

My most popular wind chime is not my favorite. Oh, it's a super nice wind chime~ don't get me wrong! But it is not my personal favorite.

It's a puzzle to me why the style pictured above does not sell more frequently. Oh, I know, it's expensive. But not that expensive! Maybe the equivalent of four tanks of gas, and while the gas might last a month, this wind chime will last for many, many years.

See, it is all glass and copper. Nothing to wear out. Nothing to need refinishing. It's just going to hang there, and look better and better as time goes by.

This is the first style I made, when I started making wind chimes. When I listed my first one for sale, people went wild! At least a few people. Well, I think those people were right. This is a winner.

I have three of this type hanging on my deck. For seven years they have been out there year round, through winter snow storms and fall wind storms, and I can vouch that they only look even better than the day I hung them up.

Now that's a sweet wind chime!

Savary Island, Cottage Website Launch www.savarybc.com

It was a pleasure putting together this new website for my friend, master woodworker Andrew Van Wersch. He is building such a neat cottage on Savary Island (also known as paradise!), a Gulf Island off the Sunshine Coast. To see a lot of neat pictures, including a mini-portfolio of the amazing cabinetry and furniture Andrew has made, Click Here.

I really enjoy making websites. It's very different from my usual work, working with my hands. Website design calls for such intense concentration. But maybe that's just me. I love to see how even a minor change in color can so dramatically change the look of a site.

This Savary Island website was really nice to put together. Working with such beautiful pictures, both of the fabulous cottage Andrew is building, and his portfolio of high-end furniture and cabinetry work, meant that things would look great almost despite what I did in site design.

It still took many hours to put it all together. Plus I have been renovating the shack behind our house, turning it into a snazzy workshop (more on this later). So it's time to get back to work and make some neat wind chimes, before the next fistful of bills comes. It's so much fun to work on these other things, it's easy to forget about business! Tomorrow, cutting copper chimes.

Driftwood Wind Chimes

Teredo Driftwood Copper Wind Chime. Tung Nut Oiled. Beach Stone Clapper.

Aside from this blog, I run my own website. Through Google Analytics, I can see a snapshot of what people search to find my site. I'm intrigued that there are quite a few people who search for driftwood, and driftwood wind chimes. I thought it was just me!

You know, my first memory of being enchanted by the natural world has to do with driftwood. Back when I was a very young boy, my parents took us to a Northern Wisconsin lake. I recall how I found a treasure: A most beautiful piece of driftwood. I still remember exactly how it looked~ long, smooth, and polished by the waves. I took it home, and for a long time it was one of my dearest possessions.

How odd (or perhaps not) that forty five years later I should still be looking for more great driftwood.

Pacific Driftwood, Tung Nut Oiled, Copper Chimes, Beach Stone Clapper

Beach Glass Inspired Suncatcher Evolves

New from old~ it's started life as a freestanding window suncatcher, and now, completely redone, is a mixed media window suncatcher hanging. To read more about this suncatcher, you may visit my website by Clicking Here.

I could count the number of returns I have had on half the fingers of one hand. Not too bad, considering the several thousand items I have shipped. One or two damaged items, and one or two where the customer changed their mind, or whatever. Offering a 100% satisfaction guarantee, I'm pleased not to have had more returns. Generally, I just get a very enthusiastic thank you email.

That said, a few weeks ago I heard from a customer who was upset. She had bought a freestanding suncatcher, and did not like what she received, and even doubted it was the same item as had been pictured. Never before had anything like this happened, so I was puzzled.

I paid for her postage to mail it back, and also completely refunded all her money. When it arrived back, the puzzle was solved. The sides of this large suncatcher had come a bit loose, resulting in a lopsidedness, and also the glass morsels inside must not have been cleaned as well as they should have been, as the inner glass plates looked all dusty. So I fully understood why this customer had been unhappy. I felt very bad for all her trouble and disappointment.

But, when something like that happens, there is nothing to do except to learn and move on. I took the whole thing apart, cut much thicker and stronger sides and bottoms, used much longer brad nails, and put it all back together as a hanging suncatcher. It's strong, it's clean, and it's cool.

Savary Island | Dreams | Paradise

Yes~ away from it all. Savary Island.

Click on the image to see it larger.

Have you ever dreamed of having a place on an island where you can really get away from it all? Your place? Your getaway?

Did your dream feature a beautiful island with sandy beaches, lush vegetation, an amazing house?

Welcome to Savary Island. Welcome to my friend, the five star woodworker, Andrew Van Wersch. Welcome to my new blog, Savary B.C.

If you Google Savary Island, what stands out is the number of entries that feature the word 'paradise.' I'm not surprised. Famous for its sandy beaches, its warm clean water, it's unspoiled beauty, when it comes to describing Savary the word paradise just naturally fits.

If you have ever dreamed of island life, if you like the Pacific West Coast, if you wonder what it is like to build on an island, if you enjoy beautiful pictures, then my new blog will be of interest to you.

I am starting with the island, then focusing in on Andrew and building. I'll be following the construction of the amazing place he is building on this island paradise.

Why not check it out? You can find the blog by Clicking Here.

Soon to be an exceptional getaway

Teredo Driftwood, Rusty Chimes

Teredo worm sculpted Pacific driftwood with large rusty iron chimes. I've added a whole page of rusty iron chimes to my website~ to see these beautiful works, Click Here.

As promised in an earlier post, I have now completed my teredo worm chewed Pacific driftwood wind chime. Actually, the teredo worm is not a worm at all, but a sort of clam. It's clear from this piece of wood why those who own wood boats dread the teredo worm!

I've also just added a whole page to my new website featuring rusty iron chimes. Rust is beautiful! These are heavy chimes, and the rust evenly coats the chimes. Since the chimes are quite thick, it will be years and years before they rust away, so not to worry about that.

Like (almost) all my chimes, these have beach stone clappers. Great sound. Great beauty.

Spring-like Weather here on the Coast ~ Sale to Celebrate!

Snapshot section of my new website. To celebrate what seems like spring here on the Sunshine Coast, I decided to have a sale! Why not check it out? Treat yourself or a friend to something beautiful.

After such a l-o-n-g, cold, wet, dark and dismal winter, suddenly we have warm(er) temperatures and blue skies here on the Sunshine Coast. I can't begin to express how this has improved my spirits! That was one tough winter!

Of course, through much of the country people would scoff at the idea of 37 degrees even being called winter. But there is a dampness and a darkness here that truly can become a drag very quickly. And then it goes on and on until it seems it will never end.

Beside, I do almost all my work outside in unheated spaces. I can tell you that 37 degrees, or even 42, may not sound all that cold, but when you are standing in one spot handling copper tubing without gloves, it is cold.

So with the sun shining down, with the temperature climbing up, it seems like an excellent reason to celebrate. Just go to my website to take advantage of my spring sale. Add some beauty to your environment.

Lower Prices (for a bit)

Beach Glass Inspired Kaleidoscope Art Wind Chime
Price temporarily reduced on my website!

I got a shock the other day in the form of a rather large, unexpected bill. That's life. That's Great news for my customers, as I need to sell a few works fast. I've just lowered the prices on quite a few of the wind chimes and suncatchers on my website, so if you have been thinking about something nice for your home, office, yard or garden~ this is the right time! Prices will go back up as soon as this (ugh) bill gets paid.

More good news is that since my last posting (really just a week ago?) where I griped about the snow, the weather has turned very spring-like here, on the Sunshine Coast. I plan to go into full production~ lots of super neat things coming up fast on the design table. Some wonderful driftwood~ including a fabulous piece of toredo (shipworm) chewed wood. It's going to be So Nice working without having my hands freeze off!

The Snow goes On and On and...

The view out my packing room window. Since I mostly work outside in unheated spaces, it is really not the least bit tempting to go out there and get to work. It is pretty, though, and very nice hiking weather. I have more pictures, including recent ones of the cold snowy landscape, in a slide show on my website: Click here to see pictures of the Roberts Creek, Sunshine Coast area.

This has been a very cool, wet, snowy winter so far, for this area. Most years, it might snow once or twice, and that usually melts within a few days. Then usually it's back to pretty bearable temperatures. Not this year.

We have lived on the Sunshine Coast, British Columbia for thirteen years now, and I never have seen the snow hanging around this long. It's not a lot; but it's there. Not only does this make it too uncomfortable to do much work, but the white background is not ideal for taking pictures of my work. So things are kind of on hold.

Now I'm starting to run out of chimes, though, so whether I like it or not, and whether it warms up or not, I will soon have to go out and there. I am really hoping for some warmer weather!

Here is my dog Yukon, who has the right idea these days.

vs.5, New Coast Chimes Website

A partial snapshot of the homepage of my new website. vs. 5~ it's been a long haul! Why not take a moment and explore~ it's a pretty site, with pretty things. To see my new site, just Click Here.

As so often happens, what at first seems so easy becomes more and more complex. Why is that? While it was approximately a million times easier and more fun building a website using nice software, it soon became apparent that there were also many neat new things that could be tried, and that brought with it a steep learning curve.

Since I do almost all my actual work (making neat things) outside in unheated space, designing this new website provided the perfect excuse to sit inside, away from the snow and cold. It is amazing to me, though, just how much time and effort can go into a website. Just choosing titles for each page is a major task, not to mention colors, and.... well, you get the picture.

I know vs.5 will not be the end of it, either. But at least I have gotten it to the point where I feel quite proud.

At last~ Decent light!

Beach glass inspired kaleidoscope wind chime. Five copper chimes with a beach stone clapper. For more information, or to bid on this wind chime, Click here.

It's been a long, cold, wet, dark winter. For most of my work, I'm outside in unheated spaces. So it's been hard. If it's not so cold my fingers freeze, it's wet, which makes working with wood very challenging. But the worse is trying to take decent pictures. For that, I need light!

At long last, the sun was shining yesterday and I broke my schedule of going to Vancouver each Wednesday to take advantage of it. The light was really great for only about forty-five minutes, and I can tell you that was a busy three quarters of an hour! I took over three hundred pictures (each piece gets numerous pictures, and then I choose the best of the lot).

It was worth it. There is no doubt that the image is the most important element for selling my work online. So I'm very happy to have been able to get some decent pictures. Now to finish sorting through them all, and to update those on my website, as most are not so great.

My new website is into version 4.5 now. It's getting there. More on that later.

Nice, Helpful People

It's not often that I feel the urge to praise a company. These days of endless telephone waits and know-nothing service reps, my usual urge is quite the opposite!

So when I do run across an exceptional company, I feel I should shout the news.

After resolving to totally redo my website, this time using real software and a real web host, I had some decisions to make.

I already mentioned in a previous post how much I like my choice of RapidWeaver website design software, but neglected to mention how much I like my new web hosting company.

Little Oak hosting is truly a jewel. A small company, where they take the time to answer questions quickly (light-fast, I would say), and clearly. Being a beginner at web design, I am sure many of my questions were rather foolish, yet I never heard them laugh at me once! Also, some of my questions were quite frankly not exactly related to their job~ software questions, not hosting questions ~ and yet they happily answered even those questions. Christopher, my contact at Little Oak, reassured me that it was only by asking such questions that I would learn~ now that's nice!

With hosting packages starting at only $25 a year (!), they are quite the excellent deal, too. All packages include tons of neat stuff, like great statistics on website traffic etc. etc.

I am recommending Little Oak to all my friends. One word: Wonderful!

I Love Rust

A new look for the new year~ Rusty Iron Chimes! Shown with a beach glass inspired kaleidoscope top section. For more information, or to purchase, Click Here.

I love rust! For a long time, I have been longing to get my hands on some iron to make rusty chimes. After starting my new website, coastchimes.com, I got on with this rusty chime project.

The first steel yard I visited here on the Sunshine Coast only had gas pipe, and sanding the creosote-like finish off was not much fun. Fortunately, the second yard had just what I was looking for: pre-rusted heavy pipe. Beautiful!

I have seen painted chimes where the paint has chipped and there is rust where there should not be. Now that's ugly! So isn't it funny how chimes totally covered in rust are so attractive?

And I am not worried about the durability of these. The iron is thick, and it will be years and years before the rust eats them away. The beach stone clapper sounds really nice against these large chimes, too.

So for the New Year, a New Look. I am not abandoning copper. I love copper, too. But it's great to explore new materials.

New Website!

I'm not a huge fan of New Year resolutions. But oddly enough last year I resolved to make a website. I did that. This year I resolved to make a good website. I think maybe I have made progress towards that goal, too, already. Here is a screen shot of the homepage:























It's now called Coast Wind Chimes.

If you ever visited my old, cobbled together site, I think you might enjoy visiting the new site and seeing how much easier it is to navigate, and some of the neat new features, like a slide show.

I would like to thank the folks at Realmac Software for their Rapidweaver web design software. Rapidweaver made putting my new site together such a pleasure, especially after the HTML nightmare of the old site. The forum at Rapidweaver is great, too, with such clear answers from those who know what they are doing.

It's been cold, wet, and windy, and so it was nice to stay inside and work on the website. But now it's time to get out and make some new, interesting things.

Happy Holidays!

My last beach glass inspired 'kaleidoscope' wind chime... until I have the chance to make some more. For more information, or to buy this amazing wind chime, Click Here.

Wishing all my customers and friends all the best for the holidays, and for 2008. Thank you for making 2007 so special! Thank you for all your kind words, and for supporting me in my artistic endeavors. I appreciate it!

Christmas Rush

Kaleidoscope wind chime with large colorful 'shooter marbles. The red cedar box frame, chime holder and windsail have been treated with an exceptional eco-friendly tung nut oil finish. The beach stone clapper produces sweet sound against the five heavy copper chimes.
For more information, or to buy this wind chime, Click Here.

Every year it seems people wait a little longer for their online holiday shopping. It got pretty crazy at the end of last week, and over the weekend. That's great, as I always need money for groceries and the dog has to go to the vet today for his (expensive) shots and check-up. But it certainly is a bit stressful to have to pack and ship super fast, and then have another order come in, and have to pack and ship again. There are little things that add to the fun. Like now I always include a gift of my copper earrings, and I never have enough of those made in advance. So I need to run out to my wet workshop and pound out a pair in the rain, and then scamper back inside. Then another order comes through, and it's back out to make another pair of earrings!

Last year some people who received my work as a gift took the time to email me a thank you note. I found that remarkable. I don't think anyone writes to the Sony Corporation, to thank them for their video camera! It was really sweet to get those emails, and to know that I had helped to make Christmas special for some people. Most stuff falls apart, gets outdated, stops working, but I know my wind chimes play on.

Website updated ~ special offer

I have updated my website (finally!), and all the works are now current, and available.

There is also currently a special offer. When you buy two wind chimes, you get 50% off a second wind chime of equal or less value. You also save a lot on combined postage, so this is a really great deal!

Here is the new homepage:
















And here are the wind chimes currently available:
























To visit the site, click on either of the images above, or Click Here. Enjoy!

New Works ~ Interesting Wind Chimes

For the first time I am using some of the large 'shooter' marbles that have been accumulating over the years. Most often, in each small bag of marbles I buy, there is one large marble~ a shooter. I've obviously bought a lot of bags of marbles! These beautiful wind chimes are available for instant purchase in my eBay store, or on the neat arts and crafts site, Etsy. They are very well made. The red cedar box frames, chime roundels and windsails have been treated with an exception eco-friendly tung nut oil finish. A beach stone clapper sounds great against the five heavy copper chimes. A treat for the eyes, and the ears.

A very busy, productive day, yesterday, despite the cold weather. So cold, sometimes I lost all feeling in my hands. One can't wear gloves when using a table saw, or sanding, and I do all that sort of work outside, in unheated space. Not to complain, but I sure wish it was (a lot) warmer. This morning, it's snowing again!

Yesterday illustrates well just how varied my days often are. Cutting cedar, cutting copper, sanding, brad nailing, soldering, cleaning plate glass, selecting glass, applying tung nut oil, cutting roundels, taking pictures, computer work, answering emails. Tools used: sander, table saw, jig saw, drill press, brad nailer, camera, computer. Oh~ and the wood stove might count as a tool yesterday, for thawing out my hands!

Shipping from Canada

Beach glass inspired cedar and copper art wind chime. The cedar top section, chime holder and windsail have been treated with an exceptional eco-friendly tung nut oil finish. A beach stone clapper produces sweet music against the five copper chimes. Great gift! For more information, or to purchase, Click here.

Many exceptional works available for instant purchase (or make an offer!) in my eBay store. Or why not check out Etsy~ a wonderful arts and crafts site where I also have many items available. There is also a very special offer available on my own website~ buy one wind chime, and get a second one of equal or less value for 50% off! A one-of-a-kind art wind chime or suncatcher makes a very special and memorable gift.

Please remember~ these ship from Canada, and shipping can take a little longer. Most often shipments arrive at their destination is about ten days. Sometimes things do get hung up at the border, and take even longer. To be safe, you should order in the very near future.

Neat Suncatchers

I have several new neat suncatchers. These sit on a windowsill and look beautiful. I especially enjoy the early morning and late afternoon, when the sun is low in the sky and filters through the glass. I've made this large one with mixed media, and a large one and a medium one with my beach glass inspired glass. Great gift! For more information, or to buy, Click here.

Here is the medium size one, with my beach glass inspired glass:

To view or purchase this one, Click here.

Finally, we have early snow this year. It's pretty and nice for hiking, but tough for working, as I do almost all my work outside. Cold! Here is a picture taken this morning through one of our new skylights~

Roof is done, Back to work

I needed to help the roofers put a new roof on our home. For over a week, things were too busy here to do much other work. But it is finally done, and I'm back!

At last I had time to put together a few large works. Above, a natural Pacific beach stone freestanding double wind chime. Below, a natural Pacific driftwood double wind chime. Both are suited to year round outdoor use, or consider using them indoors as kinetic art.

For more information, or to make an offer, for the stone Click here, for the driftwood, Click here.

Web Site Update ~ At Last!

Due to high demand, I just never had the time to update my website. A shame, since it is really best for me if people buy from my own website, instead of eBay or some of the other sites.

At last, I have taken the time to update the site. And I cut it way, way down. I now feature only wind chimes. A nice selection! And for those who read my blog, a special deal! Buy two, and pick a third for equal or less value and receive it for free!* You can email through this blog, or through my website, if you have questions. By the way, you also save some dollars with combined shipping for several items. With the holiday season coming up fast, and shipping taking longer from Canada, act now. Three for the price of two? What more can you ask for?

So check out my new, simplified, improved website by clicking here. Thank you!

*offer valid from November 9 through December 12, 2007

Oooops!

Click on the picture to see a larger picture.

The new giant chime natural beach stone wind chime. Sometimes, you just have to go back to the drawing board. See below for the previous version. For more information or to buy this wind chime, click here.

I started thinking that maybe it was not such a great idea to hang five very heavy chimes from glass. Then I woke up yesterday morning, and I was sure it was not a good idea. Back to the drawing board. It's really the chimes and the beach stone that should be the focus here, and the purplish glass detracted from that. Also, what could look nicer than beautiful red cedar? In the end, all is for the best. I like the new version better than the old.

Pride

Giant true verdigris copper wind chime with a natural Pacific beach stone top. 61 inches long, with chimes cut from 1 and 1/4 inch diameter copper. Sold, but you can read more about this or find other beautiful works by Clicking here.

Fairly often, someone emails asking if I can make something a little different. These are frequently people who have looked closely at my work, and like what they see, but want certain colors, or a certain size.

Recently someone wanted one of my wind chimes, but very large. As it happened, I had such a wind chime down at the bottom of my driveway as part of an address sign. It had been there for several years, and the copper had aged beautifully to an old penny color. I brought it in, took a few pictures, and also took some pictures of it hooked onto a large piece of driftwood I had. While the person who had written was making up their mind, someone else bought it.

That was a good thing, as it turned out the first fellow actually really wanted the chime to be verdigris. Also, that the old penny chime sold so quickly showed me that I should work more with these large chimes~ that there is a market for them.

I invested in a couple of lengths of this (Very) expensive large diameter copper, and got to work. It's always a pleasure working for someone who wants something amazing, but who does not know exactly what, as I appreciate a free hand when it comes to design. And I was not worried that he would not like what I put together, because I knew someone else would, and it would sell. As it turned out, he loved what I put together, and so I'll pack it today, and ship it tomorrow.

I'm exceptionally proud of how over the years I have developed the skills to be able to take an abstract idea ('I want a really large wind chime, maybe with something interesting on top'), and turn it into a concrete finished object of beauty. The longer I do this work, the more I like it.

Big Boy

Click on the image to see a larger picture.

Huge handcrafted copper wind chime with a beach stone clapper. The five heavy chimes are cut from one and a quarter inch diameter copper; the longest one is 32 inches. The chimes are suspended from beautiful glass. All copper connections. Great sound! For more information or to buy, Click here.

I enjoy making large works. Although they take a lot of time, and the materials are expensive, and shipping is a headache, it's worth it. It's satisfying to create something that makes a bold statement, that stands out. When people see my smaller works, they tend to say something like 'How pretty' or 'neat' but when they see something like this gigantic set of chimes, they are more likely to say 'Wow!'

I plan to make several works with these chimes. Perhaps one with a big rounded beach stone on top, and one with a big slab of driftwood.

Driftwood

Natural Pacific driftwood~ naturally beautiful. The beach stone clapper produces sweet music against these heavy copper chimes. For more information, or to buy, Click here.

The other day I posted a driftwood wind chime (see below) and it sold within hours. So here is a different one.

The first wind chime sold off a site called Etsy. If you have never explored this arts and crafts site, it is well worth having a look. My own corner of Etsy can be found by clicking here.

Etsy seems to be increasingly popular for both artists and art collectors. It is the only site I have found (and I have tried many), outside of Ebay and my own website, with much action as far as sales. It is also a very user friendly site, both for browsing and for listing things for sale.

Natural Driftwood, Natural Beauty

A rugged piece of Pacific driftwood (this guy has had a life!) with an impressive set of handcrafted extra large copper wind chimes. The beach stone clapper produces sweet music against these huge chimes. Natural driftwood, natural beauty. For more information, or to buy this, Click here.

Destiny? One of my earliest childhood memories is from a family vacation to a northern lake in Wisconsin. There I found what to me was something extremely beautiful and valuable: a piece of driftwood. I took it back home and treasured it deeply.

When we moved to Vancouver Canada, that piece of wood came with me. I well remember frequently polishing it. How I loved that wood! It was so smooth, the grain was so interesting.

A little later, there was a radio show in Vancouver where people could phone in and offer whatever for sale (obviously way, way before the internet!). People would phone and describe their washing machine or their chair, and others could get in touch to buy the item. Well, I phoned and offered my driftwood for sale ($5.00). It seems to me the guy running the show had quite a chuckle.

But here I am, 40 years later, selling driftwood. Destiny?

Slow Learner

Talk about pretty wind chimes! Beach glass inspired with copper chimes, a beach stone clapper, and tung nut oiled red cedar. For more information, or to bid, Click Here.

After getting burnt on last week's auction (see below), you'd think I would have learned a lesson and tossed in the towel on these listings starting at .99 cents. Nope.

This week I started two auctions at .99 cents! Looking for pain, I guess.

The fact is, this is pretty much the slowest time of the year for me, just before the holiday rush (which I sure hope is coming soon!). But the bills keep coming in. Poor pup had a little run in with some poison, and that vet bill needs paying. And the family for some strange reason still wants to eat, even when things are not selling well. So I persist with the .99 cent listings, and cross my fingers that this time things will go better.

Why not grab the chance to get a bit of a bargain? Especially since almost certainly in a month or so, things will be flying out the door for way more money. If past years are anything to go by, soon the bidding and buying will go nuts. Can't wait!

A Steal?

Huh~ I had a neat little flash thing here showing a listing from eBay, but the auction ended a long time ago, and the player showed... nothing. So I decided to revise and show the neat little earrings I make and give to customers. Whenever anybody orders anything at all, I always include a free set as a little thank you gift. Sometimes the emails I get lead me to believe the customer is as excited to receive the earrings as the windchime!

Only a little more than a day to go, and such a low price? Looks bad for me. Good for some lucky bidder. Oh well, things can change in a day. I hope so. (things did change~ I got an okay price~-- updated March 1, 2008)

Freestanding Beach Stone Double Art Wind Chime

Freestanding beach stone double copper chimes~ beach glass inspired. I love this. It has all the elements I like, from a smooth, rounded natural beach stone, to the intertwined copper support. For more information, or to buy it, click here.

It's Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend. We are doing a traditional feast, and inviting friends and neighbors. One of my favorite holidays~ all the fun of being with friends, and none of the stress of gift giving. It's going to be great!

Prices to Increase!

I just love smooth, rounded, natural Pacific beach stones~ so I use them as often as I can. This is a triple stone wind chime, with heavy copper chimes. There is also a beach stone clapper that produces a sweet sound against the copper. Heavy copper goes right through each stone, so very strong! This is an ideal wind chime for all season, all weather use. To learn more, or to buy it, click here.

Woke up and faced reality this morning. Sad. With about a 37% drop in the value of the US dollar next to the Canadian dollar, and with a 300% increase in copper prices (not to mention all those other increasing expenses), I realized that regretfully I have to raise my prices.

I already get too many emails from nice people wishing they could afford my work. So this is unpleasant. But I need to feed the dog, and the family, and that means raising prices.

I just wrote to those on my mailing list letting them know this, and giving them about a week's notice. Maybe some want to do some early holiday shopping, before the big increase. I guess I will have to raise most prices about 20%~ split the difference.

The drop in the dollar also means that I need to increase my shipping. I am currently loosing about 5-10 dollars way to often. Wish I did not have to do this, but it is reality.

Double sided reverese painted wind chimes

Detail images of the top sections of two of my latest series of double sided painted wind chimes. The colorful designs are reverse painted on thick glass, and all the color is well sealed on the inside of the glass~ weatherproof!

I love these, and always think it's almost like two wind chimes for the price of one! Each has a fine handcrafted set of copper chimes with a beach stone clapper~ great sound!

For more information, or to purchase, click here.

Cool Wind Chime

I love this wind chime~ the most recent addition to my shop. I'm nuts about beach stones, so adding one into the mix is something that I like very much. Actually, there are two beach stones, since I always make a beach stone clapper, which sounds great against the copper chimes. For more information, or to buy this wind chime, click here.

Why I Hate (hated) My iPod

I love to read non-fiction books about all sorts of things. Recently I read one entitled ‘The Perfect Thing : How the iPod Shuffles Commerce, Culture, and Coolness’ by Steven Levy. An interesting book, and it convinced me I had to get one of these things. So I did.

Sure enough: I loved my Nano... for a week. Then I hated it. Here’s why.

I haven’t been a fan of music since my teen years. I would sooner always hear a radio show or, preferable, sweet silence. Sweet silence isn’t really silence, since I have thoughts running through my mind. At some point after my teen years I realized that music interferes with that process. But I was willing, even eager, to give music another chance.

Also, the iPod book mentioned these things called podcast, and they sounded right up my alley. I guess the theory is that anyone can be a radio host, right, and so all these people make all these shows, and they are available for free. Sounded interesting, since I like talk, and I don’t have much chance to listen to the radio or television talk shows. Well, let me tell you right off that while maybe ‘anyone can make a show’, unless you enjoy a couple of morons droning on and on about nothing, most of these homemade ‘shows’ are worth considerably less than you pay for them (they are free, by the way).

So I decided to try music again. I loaded my iPod with a whole bunch of songs, set it to shuffle, and let the beat go on.

I thought this was pretty cool~ for about a week. Then it started to happen.

Then it started to happen a lot.

The ‘tunes’ would intrude on my thoughts, even without the contraption. On my daily one hour hikes I would leave the machine at home, but instead of a wonderful, peaceful moment in the forest where my own thoughts could sort through my head, some stupid refrain from some stupid song would start playing over and over in my mind. Oh yeah, baby, heading down that long and lonesome highway! There was no way to turn this noise off.

Before long, these song snippets were constantly intruding on my thoughts. Annoying! My own thoughts and ideas may be none to brilliant; but they are my thoughts, and important to me. With this line or that of some song playing on a loop in my mind, I was being robbed of my own thoughts.

I wonder how many other people have found this, and how many are bothered by it. My guess is that many people experience this, but that since they have always been listening to music, they just assume it’s normal. Believe me, if you frequently have some song snippet playing through your mind, I think you are missing out on something of real value: your own thoughts.

I was so happy to give my iPod away (aside from a little guilt-- feeling a bit like I was giving a bag of smack to some innocent kid!). It took over a month, but finally I am free of all those stupid lyrics trespassing on my thoughts. Once again, when I go on a hike, when I am working, when I am living, I am free of that noise in my head. Well, almost free. Once in a while, one of those lyrics still pops by to annoy me-- to remind me how nice it is to no longer have that stupid iPod with all its noise.

You may believe that music adds a lot to your life, and you are more than welcome to believe that. I believe it is like a drug, numbing one’s brain, interfering with thoughts that might be important to think about-- thoughts that might be more important than the sound of some guy droning on. A catchy tune? I’d sooner catch a cold.

Eye-Popping Exchange Rate

Most of my sales go to the USA, and even my Canadian and international buyers tend to pay in US dollars. In the past, that has been really great.

Not so long ago, for $1000 US I would get around $1600 Canadian. So it was a real sweet deal.

Yesterday for the very first time, I got less in Canadian dollars than I exchanged. Oh, how I miss the good ol' days! Combine that blow with the 300% plus increase in copper prices, and it looks like before long I will yet again have to raise my prices. Either that, or stop eating. Ouch.

Strange Days on eBay

After so many years I still can't figure out eBay auctions. Like this one. Usually, this wind chime would go for somewhere between $130 - $180 dollars, but here it is, well into the auction, and only at $31. What's with that?

On the other hand, most often I have only around 10 'Watchers' (people who use the eBay system to bookmark an auction), but for this one there are currently 46. So either all those folks are watching to have a good laugh when I get burnt, and the auction closes at a very low price, or maybe things will get interesting towards the end. I hope for the latter.

Cool things to spruce up your home and yard for summer!

Ready to add something really special to your home or yard this summer? Look at all these neat things I have made!

Time to Play?

When it's busy, like now, I can easily take over 400 pictures a week. There is only a small window each day where the light is right, in the late afternoon. That means waiting, watching, and then taking as many pictures as possible, hoping to catch the right look. And the 'right look' does not include a large golden retriever!

But unless I remember to invite Yukon inside before starting, invariably he will stand right there, ball ready, clearly saying: 'Hey, how about a game of fetch?" Good idea Yukon, but bad timing. Aside from the half hour or so I have of good light, I'm always pleased to be reminded that it should not all be work, work, work~ life's short so don't forget to play. I could go on and on about this, but I have to go out and toss a few balls for the dog.

Showing the Details

Click on the image see it better, and read the text.

Recently a happy customer wrote that she was amazed at the work and attention to detail that went into my wind chimes. Before receiving it she knew it was a nice looking chime, but had no idea of the care I put into it:

' I really think in this "fast food, get it right now, instant gratification" society we live in, most people have NO IDEA of the time and effort you put into your designs... ...I think if people had a "black and white" idea of how even the smallest of details on your wind chimes receives careful consideration and thought, that they would quickly realize that they can't
afford to NOT have one of your pieces! '

I think she is right, and put together the picture above with some details of what I do. It's not the whole picture, but it provides a glimpse of the care I take, both in design and construction.

Customers Have Great Memories

Cat's-eye marbles deluxe wind chime. Five polished copper chimes with a beach stone clapper. Tung nut oiled red cedar. Click here for more information, or to buy it.

I make quite a few different styles of wind chimes, so it's not surprising that sometimes I forget about a certain type. I am always happy when a customer comes along and ask about this or that type of wind chime, reminding me that I haven't made one for a long time. That's what happened with this cat's-eye style. It must be over a year since I made one, and I had pretty much forgotten all about them. Until someone wrote. Another advantage to selling through the Internet~ direct communication.

Always Trying to Improve

To the left: old style. To the right: new style.

I'm always looking for ways to improve my work. I'm constantly making small changes, learning new tricks. Most often, it is something small that most people probably wouldn't even notice. But every once in while, there is something major.

Thanks to an extremely sharp-eyed and thoughtful customer, who was kind enough to share her thoughts, I have now radically changed the look of my chimes. For years I have made them with a double-brushed mat finish. No more. The customer was right. Same great sound, same beach stone clapper, but now even prettier. They are richer and more elegant looking with a shiny, polished finish. Thanks for the wonderful idea, Kim!