Teredo Driftwood

Click on the picture to see it larger.

Teredo Driftwood
Five Heavy Iron Chimes with a Beach Stone Clapper

For more information or to buy, visit the Driftwood Carousel
on my website.

Driftwood is such a lovely, naturally beautiful medium to work with. And what is really neat is teredo worm driftwood. It is actually not a worm at all, but a small clam. But whether you call them a worm or a clam, they do a terrific job of carving wood. Beautiful and intriguing.

What I also really like, especially with an all natural top section like this driftwood, is heavy iron chimes with a natural rust patina. The look is great, and the sound even better.

A lot of people think of wind chimes as a summer thing. Not me. A chime like this one is extremely well suited for year round use. The fall and winter brings brisker winds, and these heavy iron chimes live for that. So be cozy in your house, while enjoying the sounds produced by the fierce weather.

More Mixed Media

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Mixed media wind chime. Visit my website to see more.

I make several styles of mixed media kaleidoscope wind chime— always in demand. In fact, I had run out for sometime, and so I am happy to have finally gotten around to making a few more.

The one pictured about, with five handcrafted copper chimes, is a knock out. And then the same style of top section but with my magnificent large rusty iron chimes can be found in the iron section of my website.

Suncatcher, Freestanding, Extra Large

Extra Large Freestanding
Beach Glass Inspired
Suncatcher
(Click on the picture to see it full size)

I receive quite a few special orders. Recently an excellent customer ordered two extra-large freestanding suncatchers. I had made a few hanging large ones before, and so for once I had a good idea of what I was getting myself into: they are very challenging to make!

With plate glass this large, even just washing it and handling it is tough. Putting everything together tougher still! And the amount of small glass pieces these hold always amazes me. They weigh a ton!

While making hers, I decided I would put together an extra one, for the 'Artist's Pick' section of my website, as I knew they would be spectacular.

Now the final 'fun' part. I need to figure out how to pack these two so they have a chance of arriving in great condition. That's a tough one. They are so long and heavy, I fear if someone drops the box they are almost certain to be damaged. Maximum foam, maximum padding. It's going to be one more challenge.

Deluxe Wind Chimes

Click on the picture to see it larger

Back from beautiful Montana, and set to go. I'm excited to be working on some really extraordinary wind chimes. Having added in a page called 'Artist's Pick' to my website, I want to have around half a dozen remarkable works to display.

Of course, all my works are special: all unique designs, all handcrafted, not to be found anywhere else or made by anyone else.

However, the works for this new section of my website will be priced in a way that will allow me to spend those extra hours to make things with an even larger 'Wow' factor.

For example, pictured above is a beach glass inspired wind chime with pastel blue (very subtle tinge of blue) glass, and true verdigris copper chimes. The verdigris takes a lot of time to achieve, but looks fabulous, and will simply look better and better over time as it matures.

An amazing wind chime, fully qualifying for display in the new section of my website.

Montana

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Glacier National Park, Montana

Just back from a quick trip to Idaho and Montana— Great!

Last year we visited Washington and Oregon, and that was one of the best holidays I ever had. So it is no surprise that when planning this year's little holiday I chose the USA again. And again, we had such a fabulous time!

What makes it so great? The tent camping is almost always way better than what we have found in British Columbia, or anywhere in Canada for that matter. Gas is way less expensive. Some other things are much cheaper, too (like many campsite fees).

Last but certainly not least, the people are so friendly and helpful. Just ask a question or look a little lost, and someone will go out of their way to help out. Just about everyone has a smile and a kind word, and that is really nice.

Now back home, and back to work. I have a very difficult special order to put together. And then I plan to make some extra-special items for the new 'Artist's Pick' page on my website.

Driftwood

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Bonsai driftwood freestanding chime.
For more information, or to purchase, visit my website.

I do love driftwood. When I was seven years old, my first awakening to natural beauty came when I found a piece of smooth driftwood at a lake where we were holidaying. I picked that piece of wood up, saw something amazing about it, and kept it as a treasure for years.

That was a long time ago!

But my appreciation of driftwood has not lessened in the least. What to most is just a stick on the beach, to me is art. When I take a piece of driftwood home and build a tung nut oiled red cedar stand for it, and hang a set of my handcrafted copper chimes, then that truth becomes apparent to other people, too. They will visit my little studio, walk by, stop, turn around, and stare at it with awe. Such beauty! But it's just a stick, right? Hardly.

Busy Times

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Flowing Copper Beach Glass Inspired
Wind Chime
For information, or to buy this wind chime, visit CoastChimes.com

I'm thinking there must be something wrong with me. Everyone I know is either on holiday, or pretty much lazying around at home. But I have never been busier. Seven days a week, twelve hours a day (at least!). If I hired someone and made them work like that, I guess they would arrest me for employee abuse.

First there is the chimney repair, and then the seven cords of firewood to stack. Lots of things have been selling, so there is all the packing and shipping and website updating. Then there is the challenge of making new things to replace those that sold, and also making enough copper chime bottoms so I am set for when the next wind chime sells. There is all the glass that needs work. And so on, and so on.

Oh well, at least I like my work. And I seem to work well under pressure-- Look at that neat flowing copper wind chime I made the other day!

And I do get a holiday soon. One full week. We are going to Montana-- Glacier Country. Can't wait!

Virtual Hike, Sunshine Coast British Columbia

Everyday I go on a walk in the woods, but maybe once a week I go for a 'real' hike. Yesterday, for example. I grabbed my pup and we went on one of my favorite trails.

It begins just a few minutes from my home, and goes up the mountain for about an hour.

Then the trail levels off and you get to meander in and out of the woods, through clear cuts, across streams. The clear cuts are so grown in that at times the trail is all but invisible.

Want to go on a hike? For once I took my camera, so here is a mini-virtual tour. Click on any of the pictures to see them larger.

If you don't look closely, you will miss some of the neatest things. A small, intricate dot of color almost lost amongst the huge trees.

Look at this cool little plant, also almost invisible in the forest.

The trail through the woods, green and cool

Out of the woods, into the clearcut, where plants grow at an amazing pace with the bright light.

Yukon is actual useful for finding the trail in this overgrown jungle.

At this time of year, the fireweed is spectacular.

No need to take a snack along— there are berries everywhere, such as these huckleberries.

Reentering the darker woods, looking back at the clearcut.

Chimney Hassle, Taking a Brick Chimney Down

Preparing to take this chimney down

This roof is actually a lot steeper than it looks in the picture. I had a brick expert out to look at this thing. He was coming up, and started to slip. Once you get going on a metal roof like this, with nothing to hang onto, you aren't going to stop until you hit the ground! Fortunately, I was within arms reach of him, and could grab his hand.

Sadly, it was not until after we got our expensive new roof and skylights installed that I found out this thirty-five foot column brick chimney is toast. It has to go. No one wants to touch the job, so that means I get to do it by default. Yipee.

Yesterday I got started on the sheathing to protect the new roof from falling bricks. I lined some of our old decking boards with sill foam so they would not scratch the roof, and now I will put cross pieces and build a wood cover for the skylight. Then I plan to build up a little platform by the chimney, and get going with my hammer drill and a chisel bit. Once the top couple of feet are off, I don't think it will be too bad. Bad, but not too bad!

Inside is another matter, with all the dust. Well, at least I won't have the sun blazing down on me. It has not been all that hot here, but up on the roof, it's hot enough. Fun.

Bonsai

What does this fellow...

Yukon snoozing after a long hike

Have to do with this Bonsai Chime?

River Driftwood Bonsai Chime

My dog Yukon is great. So what does he have to do with my river driftwood bonsai freestanding chime? Lots.

See, I take Yukon for a long walk every single day. Mostly we head right up the mountain, near our home. He's a golden retriever, which means he wants to jump into any water he can, which means we usually visit a couple of creeks on our hike. And the retriever part means he wants me to throw sticks for him to... retrieve.

Well, that's no problem as there are lots of creeks and lots of sticks. But the other day one of the sticks I picked up was clearly not a fetching stick: What a beautiful, interesting piece of river driftwood! Yukon was extremely unhappy to see me with a stick that I guarded from his chompers, but I knew this was no fetching stick— it was a chime stick.

So there you go. If it wasn't for my water-loving, stick fetching hound, I never would have found this stunning driftwood, and the bonsai chime would never have been made. When I sell it, which I don't think will take too long, I'll consider that to be payment for a few sacks of the pups pricey chow. In a way, he's paying his own way. What a pup.

You can learn more about my bonsai chime at my website (and see another cute picture of Yukon!).

Not a Dime — Introducing Free Shipping

Not a cent — Introducing free shipping

Everyone needs a break these days.

That's why I have introduced absolutely free shipping, including insurance, on my website. I have not raised prices, but I have removed the postage and insurance-- an average savings of $27. For some items, like my huge freestanding works, the savings are even more impressive.

Free shipping applies to the USA and Canada. Other countries will benefit from discounted postage.

Little Things

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A set of five sweet suncatchers with copper.
For more information, or to purchase, visit my 'Under $75' page on my website.

It's enjoyable to face the challenge of making a really large work. I love to take various materials and combine them into something amazing, like a large freestanding double wind chime with a big beach stone base. But there is something to be said for small works, too.

It's all in the details. I pride myself in taking great care, and doing the very best I can to make every part of every work special. Some of that might get lost in the large works, which show well from a distance; people might not be as likely to walk up and look closely from every angle.

For these little suncatcher ornaments I make, I think that is not the case. You can hold one in your hand, turn it over, look and feel every part of each one. You will note the double soldered spots on the back, and see how the holes in the glass are neatly cut, and how the edges or the glass are so smooth.

These are great as decorating accents-- just hang them anywhere for fun. And then, when Christmas roles around, they make fabulous tree ornaments.

More than Chimes — Earrings!

Click on the picture to see it larger

Introducing a new page on my website: Earrings!
Cold forged copper, sea glass inspired, or beach pebble

Unique, pretty, handcrafted, comfortable and affordable
Visit my earring carousel gallery by Clicking Here

I enjoy putting a special gift into the box for people who order my work. That's why I started to make earrings-- so I could give something nice. Eventually I also put a few of my earrings on the Net for sale, and was quite surprised at the number of orders. Surprised not because they are not nice, but unlike my wind chimes you can find nice earrings all over the place and so I did not really expect a lot in the way of demand.

There has been enough interest that it got interesting for me to explore more neat designs, and I now have enough that I just decided to give them a page of their own on my website. An earring page on a wind chime website? Why not. Enjoy.

Garden Grows Wild

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Foxglove next to my workshop

About three months ago, I wrote a brief blog entry rejoicing at the first little bit of color (other than our year round green) in our local forests. The post was about the first salmon berry blossoms, and I call it A Little Color (other than green!) is Nice. Well look what I have next to my workshop now— Foxglove galore!

Very pretty, but also very poisonous. From the Wikipedia: "The entire plant is poisonous (including the roots and seeds), although the leaves of the upper stem are particularly potent, with just a nibble being enough to potentially cause death."

It's not all bad, though. First, it is simply beautiful. Many of the plants stand around seven feet tall. Secondly, the bees just go nuts for these blossoms, as do the humming birds. And finally, while poisonous it is also it is used for making a heart medication, digitalis.

It's worth both looking at the flowers from a distance where they create a landscape of their own, and close up as the details are pretty neat.

New Smaller Works

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Beach glass inspired cobalt blue suncatcher
with three handcrafted copper chimes

A month or so ago, I realized that my new website could give me the option of placing a few less expensive works online. That has not been an option with eBay, for me, for quite sometime, both because of the fees, and because of the US dollar now being worth less than the Canadian.

See, back in the good ol' days (yes grampa), I could put something for, say, $65 on eBay, and when I traded in those US dollars they would magically turn into $100. Now I would get maybe $60.

Anyway, people really seem to appreciate having some less expensive works available, and I suddenly realized that almost everything on both my under $75 page and my under $100 page was marked sold. That's a drag, if you are shopping!

So I've just made some neat new works this week, and this morning got them all put on the site. Fresh start. Enjoy!

Windsails, Cold Forged Copper

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Cold forged spiral windsail on my mixed-media
beach glass inspired kaleidoscope wind chime.
See all my work on my website: www.coastchimes.com

Sometimes I feel almost as though I am verging on craft rather than art. This happens primarily when I make a series of some standard popular wind chime, like my kaleidoscope style. I know crafters, and they are perfectly happy making the same thing day in and day out, year after year. I consider what I do art, because there is no way I can stand still and just let a design be. I always need to play with it, from small changes to big.

That's what got me working on my cold forged copper windsails: something different, something that changes the whole look of the wind chime.

It's fun to play with elements, to explore. For me, change is not just good, but essential.

Windsails

Click on the image to see it largerNew Windsails!
This mixed media beach glass inspired wind chime
is this weeks (june12) featured sale item
on my website.

Usually $187.50 -- now $145

For a long time I have been planning to design some new style windsails. Nothing at all wrong with the tung nut oiled red cedar sails I have been using for years. But I thought it would be fun to explore some other directions. I've cut a tone of cedar windsails-- time for a bit of copper.

So I have several new styles made from cold forged copper, and I plan to develop a few more in coming days. I think the ones I have made so far are pretty jazzy. I won't be discarding the cedar style, though-- those are tradition.

Iron Chimes, Wind Chimes

Pacific Natural Beach Stone
Smooth and Rounded
With Heavy Iron Chimes ~ Beach Stone Clapper
Details Here (my website)
(you may also click on the picture to see it larger)

The more I make, see, hear these large iron chimes, the more I like them. And I started out really liking them! They are heavy, solid, sound absolutely beautiful, and they look gorgeous. What more can I say?

Well, recently I started a Craigslist campaign. This has worked pretty well. I've had for the first time quite a few people coming to my home to see my work. I never advertised or pushed for local sales before, so this is a new experience. Everyone so far has really liked what they see and hear, and everyone has bought at least one work, and often several.

It's enjoyable meeting customers face to face. And interestingly enough, most often they choose the rusty iron chimes. Of course, copper is terrific— very beautiful. But there is something about the iron that is truly stunning. And they are so heavy, they have a nice, solid feel, too.

Wind Chime, Coast Chimes, Featured Sale

Kaleidoscope Beach Glass Inspired Wind Chime
Five Copper Chimes
Beach Stone Clapper

This weeks featured sale item on Coast Chimes

Each week I feature one wind chime on my featured sale item page. This one is usually $177.50, on sale now for $137.50. Why not take advantage and add something special to your home, garden or yard this Spring?

Last week, the sale wind chime sold in hours. So don't wait too long!

New Designs?

(FYI, the new featured sale has started on my website: one week only or until sold: Sale Page )

Click on the image to see it larger.

Click Here to visit my website, and read about this wind chime, or to buy it.

After all these years (twelve) of making wind chimes from copper, stone, driftwood and other interesting materials, sometimes I wonder if I will ever come up with a new design. I always do, so far.

I have no idea where the inspiration comes from. While all my works are each unique, many are built on a theme that does not vary all that much. But every once in a while I will go out to my shop with the intention of putting together some kaleidoscope wind chimes, or maybe a driftwood or beach stone piece, and will suddenly just feel the urge to do something really different.

That happened yesterday. The result was a large, cold forged copper spiral. It adds some pizazz. It's cool. And my wife noticed it and commented very favorably, and that is always a good sign. When my teenage son also noticed and gave some indication of appreciation, I really knew it must be good!

It's always a nice to come up with something new and exciting. I like that.

Bears and Sale

A local Big Guy ~ Photo courtesy of Tella
See more of her images at her website, and also
see her husband's amazing artwork there.

For the past year I have gone on a daily hike with my pup, Yukon. Rain or Shine, or Bear(!), we go. Almost daily for the past couple of weeks, we have run into at least one, and sometimes two, bears. Or the bears have run into us!

My theory is that there are not more bears, but that the bears are less afraid. In past years they would hear us coming, or smell us, and take off. Now they just stand there, curious and clearly not afraid at all. That makes me (a little) afraid.

My dog, the most non-aggressive animal imaginable (typically flopping on his back in total submission at the approach of even the smallest toy dog), for some reason goes nuts when it comes to bears, and chases after them like they are chipmunks. When the bear and the dog get in the heavy rain forest where I can't see them, and I only hear a tremendous amount of crashing around, it's pretty freaky.

I'd be more alarmed but a week ago my dog starting charging towards one of these creatures, and the bear didn't feel like moving. The dog stopped quite a distance away, and they had a staring match. The bear somehow got through the dog's thick head that he didn't feel like being chased, and the dog backed off. That was a good thing to see-- that the dog is not totally crazy.

Many days I have kicked myself for not having my camera along. So when my friend Tella showed me her bear pictures from her property, I asked if I could use one. Now you can see what we see everyday.

The introduction of my weekly featured sale wind chime is a success! This week, the wind chime was snatched up within hours. The next sale wind chime will be posted to my website sale page on Thursday late afternoon or early evening (depending on you time zone). Thank you to all those who are visiting my website-- and for all the lovely, positive comments. I'm very happy to see so much activity!

Wind Chime, on Sale, a Really Good Deal!

Kaleidoscope Mixed Media
Beach Glass Inspired
Copper Wind Chime
Sale #2
Click on the image to see it larger.
Click Here to visit my Sale Page.

The stunningly beautiful art wind chime pictured above is featured this week on my website sale page.

As promised, each week I will be rotating one of my works onto the sale page, where it will be featured either until it sells, or until the week is over. Even better, this week I lowered the price significantly more than last week: $137.50 marked down from $177.50.

A really good deal! Enjoy~

Coast Chimes Sale Page, Introducing

This Weeks Featured Sale Item
a beach glass inspired kaleidoscope wind chime
five copper chimes with a beach stone clapper
Coast Chimes Sale Page ~ Click Here

I've decided to add a sale page to my website.

After pondering this, I decided it would be fun to pull something different each week from my other pages, and have the sale run for just one week. If it sells, no more sale until the next week, and if it does not sell it goes back into my regular stock at the non-sale price, and I replace it with a new piece.

At least for this time of year, when I actually have considerable trouble keeping up with demand at my usual prices, I won't be discounting a very large percentage. But, hey, every little bit helps, right?

And even though it is a sale item, I will still be including a complimentary set of my cold forged copper earrings. People often email how much they love these earrings.

So why not check out this week's sale?

Wind Chime — It's all Art

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Isn't this a pretty wind chime? I couldn't quite decide what color the glass is: pink or purple? My wife had no trouble at all— it's lilac. For more information on this beach glass inspired all glass and copper wind chime, or to buy it, visit my website.

I hardly throw anything out anymore. Blue glass is a prime example. It is by far the trickiest to work with and back in the old days, when I had a piece with a small fracture, I would throw it away. Now I know how to grind that fracture out. If for some reason that does not work, I can recycle it into one of my kaleidoscope wind chimes. No more garbage.

Often the stuff that a few years ago I would have tossed produces the most exciting results. The stunning lilac wind chime pictured above is a case in point.

I had bought that glass for a completely different purpose. As it turned out, it did not work for the intended purpose. My wife, always striving to keep order around the yard, was about to throw it away as it had been lying around for over a year. But I knew I could find a use for it. And so I did: one of my most beautiful wind chimes ever.

When I started out over ten years ago, I used to feel some guilt at the amount of waste produced by my art. Now, there is virtually no garbage. It's all art.

$200+ Wind Chime at 99 Cents? Crazy.

Cick on the picture to see it largerStarting price of 99 cents. No reserve. I must be nuts!
Click here to see the eBay auction

For months I have run one auction a week on eBay— always sticking to my 'kaleidoscope' style wind chime. It's pretty, and pretty popular. But for some strange reason, I decided to list one of my fabulous cobalt blue all glass and copper wind chimes last night. Even stranger, I decided to stick with my 99 cents starting price.

You need to understand that the blue glass (along with frosty white) is by far the most challenging to work with. It is tough achieving nice, large pieces, with a pleasant shape. Even drilling the holes is much riskier (I used to constantly fracture the blue glass). Because of the challenge, I do enjoy making them. But I just never have that much blue glass.

This wind chime is 100% glass and copper. No string. No wood. It should last pretty much forever, and just look better and better as time goes by. I've had three of this style on my deck year round for the past ten years.

Usually I put these on my website and stick firm at between $227 and $275 (depending on the glass and the copper on for the chimes). Sooner or later (often sooner), they always sell.

So to put this at .99 cents is just... nuts. Well, maybe if it doesn't start taking off, I will cancel the auction. Maybe not. We'll see.

Cool Chimes for Less

Everything is getting more expensive.
Except for my stuff.
Now I am making some less expensive works.
Totally handcrafted and only $47.50?
Click here to go to my under-55-dollars page.

I'm surprised I have any socks left at all. I don't shop a lot, but when I do pretty much each time my socks get knocked off! I mean, the price of stuff!

I just got a little order of supplies I use for making my wind chimes, and the price had almost doubled from the last time I ordered. Grrrrr. It seems that way with everything I use. Each thing on its own is not so horrible, but add it all up and it's a shocker.

So I certainly understand why perhaps more people than ever before are hesitant to spend on something many might consider non-essential: a wind chime: "Let's see, gas for the car, food for the family... or a wind chime? Hmmm... guess I will get the chime!"

Because I am well aware that so many are watching their budgets these days, I decided to make some much less expensive, but still very nice, chimes. From the copper hooks to the glass to the copper chimes, completely handmade. Completely beautiful. And totally under $55.

Enjoy a little beauty in your life without breaking the bank.

Made in China Blues Rant

The business end of a pressure washer in action. I don't think that this is an electric, Made-in-China, budget electric pressure washer. Why? Because it seems to be working.

Talking to the two fellows working on my new cedar deck the other day, one thing we all agreed on was that made in China 'bargain' tools are junk. That's been our experience. And yet, it's sometimes hard to resist the eye popping low prices, and at other times it is hard to find something not made in China.

With the old deck ripped out, I noticed just how scummy the side of the house was, and also, with the price of red cedar these days, I determined to take great care of the new deck. So I decided to get a power washer.

The options were either a serious gas powered machine, or an electric cheap thing. Against my own better judgment, I went for the cheap thing. I can pretty much guarantee that if I wanted to send a box that size to China, it would cost way, way more than the price of this machine. So shipping, and no doubt a hefty store mark-up, profit for the manufacturer and likely one or two middlemen, and still it sells for just over $100? To good to be true, huh? Gosh, I bet the guys and gals working in the factory putting these things together are living high off the hog.

I also picked up a Made-in-China new hose, one the label claimed to be 'anti-kinking.'

Foolish me.

First off, the hose does not work with the machine. How is it possible to make a hose that does not work? Skill is involved there. Second, never have I seen a hose kink up like this thing! And it is a really heavy hose, so the multiple kinks are harder than usual to de-kink. Third, the impossibly cheap pressure washer works for about twenty minutes, and then... nothing. Totally dead. Not even a low hum from the motor. Zero. Could that be why the store where I bought this piece of trash stressed (and even handed me a special flier) that they offer only a ten day return policy on these things? I guess they pretty much know just how great these machines are!

It was a pain packing all this junk back up-- especially that hundred foot kinking hose was a treat. But happily the store was okay with accepting it all back for a refund. From what the clerk said, they are used to these pressure washers coming back.

Later, checking some web forums, it sounds like basically a coin toss whether these super cheap pressure washers work for a while. It's really kind of distressing to think all all that energy and all those resources going into this trash that is basically... well, trash. Like the landfills aren't full enough?

Thinking about that, it occurred to me there is a connection with my own work. Go to any garden shop or home decor store, and see all the wind chimes and knick-knacks. All made in China, and all soon destined for the local landfill. The only guarantee on this stuff is that it will look shabby in no time at all, and likely fall apart before one season has passed. But oh so cheap! What a deal.

So my work is not exactly cheap, because I always choose the best materials I can find, irregardless of price, and because I take all the time that's needed, and care deeply about the quality. High quality or no quality, that's my motto. Besides, I insist on earning more than $5 a day. My tools probably use more than that in electricity.

And then there is the soul of the thing. Seeing the displays of generic junk, I shudder at the coldness of it all. Each set of whatever is identical. No soul. Not a single one of my works is the same as any other, and that's some of my soul going into each piece. If you are the least bit sensitive, I believe you can learn something about me from whatever you buy. All you can learn about the person who made the generic stuff is that they must have one heck of an unhappy life. How would you like to live on an assembly line, dipping low quality metal into toxic chemicals for few pennies?

So after yet another rotten Made-in-China tool experience, I vow to redouble my efforts to buy North American, and avoid at all cost this disappointing junk. I've wasted far too much time packing it all back up, and standing in the returns line-up. Enough.

Scam Artists

Who is this victim?

Aside from a couple of nasty, lazy, inconsiderate people who attempted to copy my work and sell the poor 'replicas' on eBay (one of whom even emailed my customers saying he was selling 'the same things' for cheaper), I've had very few problems selling online. Those copycats were not much of an issue: anyone could see from the pictures that their work was vastly inferior. No contest.

Back in the early days, when I was a little green, I did also have maybe two or three people rip me off. Back then, I was shipping before payment, and just asking for trouble.

Aside from that, no problems.

But that's changed.

Lately I have been doing some advertising and selling on Craigslist. It's been worthwhile, but, welcome to the wonderful world of scam artist! Craigslist has a lot of information on these guys, so I guess the problem is widespread.

Here is a typical email from one of these goofballs:

"You will receive the money order next week but i (sic) have a shipper who is coming for the pick up as soon as you receive the payment (sic) okay,all you need to do is that (sic) deduct your asking price and send the rest to the shipper through western union (sic) money transfer the same day you receive the payment so that they can come for the pickup the next day(sic) okay."(sic)

They actually swindle people with this nonsense? Hard to believe, but apparently they do. I mean, first of all, this scam has been running for so long, and has been so widely posted about, I should think you would have had to have been living in a cave for the past few years not to have heard about it, especially if you sell online. Secondly, don't alarm bells go off in anyone's head, when someone sends them three thousand dollars for a one hundred dollar item, insist they cash the check immediately and use Western Union to send back the extra $2900? "Gosh, can't I just send you cash back?"

Since these scammers persists, I guess they must have some success. I find it very difficult to conjure up any sympathy for those taken in by such a transparent scheme. A fool and his money are soon.... How does it go?

Gotta run... heading down to the Western Union office to send back a large overpayment. Yeah, right.

$46? I don't think so!

Posted on eBay last Thursday, April 17, with a starting price of .99 cents. Five days later, it is at a whopping (joke) $46. See if it has gone up by Clicking Here, or go straight to my beautiful website (yes, I'm proud of this site I made by myself!) and buy a similar one for a fair price, by Clicking Here.

Totally handcrafted, tung nut oiled red cedar, double-brushed heavy copper chimes, a beach stone clapper... $46? I don't think so.

I so pride myself on always going for the highest quality materials, and always doing the very best job I can.

For example, I could save over 50% on the chimes by switching to the lower, thinner tubing. But that's not my bag.

I could slap some nasty cheap finish on the cedar that would look okay for a few months, instead of the $40 a small can eco-friendly tung nut oil. But that's not my bag either.

Or, one more example, I could use the number six copper wire for making the hooklets and so on, and save a couple of bucks instead of the thick number 2 wire (three times the price, and much harder to work with). But that's not my bag either.

All those things could cut my cost a lot, when added together. And, from the pictures, customers would not note the difference. But I would.

While business is good, and I do sell many for the full asking price, when I see something like this auction sitting around at $46, I have to scratch my head a little. Are people just so used to picking imported junk up at the local discount store that they have totally lost touch with the value of some finely crafted work? Perhaps. These days, you just don't come into contact all that often with something not mass produced, where every conceivable corner hasn't been cut to save pennies.

Well, that does have a bright side. I have a lot of customers write extremely enthusiastic thank you emails, after receiving their orders. And they come back and buy again, and again.

Where There's a Will There's a Way

Click on the picture to see it largerCobalt blue beach glass inspired suncatcher with handmade copper chimes
For more information or to see other copper chimes, Click Here.

I'm a believer in that saying, 'where there's a will, there's a way.' The trouble is, it's easy to be lazy and not even try, specially when 'trying' takes a lot of effort.

For years I had access to inexpensive silver-colored chimes. I have sold a ton of suncatchers with those. But it always bothered me. The silver color struck me as out of synch with the copper. It was okay with the cobalt blue, but, I mean, my thing is copper! It also bothered me to use something no doubt mass produced in China. That's not my bag.

It was so easy! Just buy a bunch of the little chimes and have my son tie them onto my handmade copper hangers. Too easy; not good enough.

Several times I did take some initiative and cut my own chimes. First from stainless steel. Such hard metal! It was a real pain to cut and drill, and in the end they really were not much better looking than the cheap aluminum chimes. Then I tried copper tubing. Although I thought those looked pretty good, they didn't sound all that great.

I never really tried. Lazy.

The other day I finally gave this a lot of thought and arrived at what I hoped would be a solution. Where there is a will, there is a way!

Using small diameter rolled copper, I succeeded. A ton of work, but worth it! Here are the steps involved:

Cut the copper

Straighten it

Bore it with a drill

Re-straighten

Cut holes for hanging

Re-bore

Heat each chime to a very high temperature, and quickly submerge in ice water to harden the copper (so it can't bend easily, and primarily to produce a sharper, sweeter sound)

Double brush each chime

Polish each chime

Make the copper hangers

Wait for son to tie the chimes

Is it worth all that work? Yes.

Things Long Gone

Click on the image to see it larger.Mixed-media Beach Glass Inspired Hanging Suncatcher
For more information, or to purchase, Click Here

One interesting thing about selling online is that there is a history. Overtime, that history becomes more and more significant. Little goes away, when you publish something on the internet. People find things that you made, sold, forgot about.

That is what happened with the framed mixed-media suncatcher above. I had made and sold one sometime ago, and then someone found the picture and asked if I could do another, similar one. I made two. None are exactly like each other, but close enough to please the customer who wanted a similar one.

When people find old images or listings, I imagine most just move on. Or maybe some track down something else that they also like, and that is current and available. But quite a few write, asking if it is really sold, or if I have anything similar, or if I can make something like that again.

This has happened three times in one week. As time goes by, I feel it is bound to happen more and more often. The good news is that I can almost always try to make something close to whatever they missed out on. It will never be the same, as all my work is unique, one-of-a-kind. But I can almost always get close enough to make them happy. And that makes me happy.

A Little Color (other than green!) is Nice

The Sunshine Coast gets lots of rain through the fall and winter months, and the forests are lush. It's green, green and more green. I sometimes think a little color would be nice.

Then it's spring, and one of the first signs is the appearance of salmonberry flowers. What a treat for the eye, and soon a treat for the mouth! The bears can hardly wait (I ran into my first bear of the season the other day on my hike-- he didn't want to move, so I turned around).

Windchime, My Favorite

Cobalt blue beach glass inspired, with aged copper chimes. Delicious. For more information, or to purchase, Click Here (my website).

I'm frequently asked which of my many wind chime designs is my favorite. That's a tough one! I wouldn't make a style I did not like. So it is hard to choose.

But if I had to choose, I guess I would pick the one pictured here. I needed to put a lot into this one, and that may partially account for my choice. But there are other reasons.

First, the cobalt blue glass, aside from being stunningly beautiful, is by far the most challenging to work with. It tends to fracture in odd ways, and you need to baby it along every step of the way. So when I succeed, I automatically am attached.

Second, the aged copper chimes (pre-aged on my deck for over a year), I think go just perfectly with the dark blue. I only get a couple sets of aged chimes a year, at the best, so that's not something I can re-produce everyday.

And finally, I just don't think you can beat these all glass and copper wind chimes. I've had three sets on my deck for almost ten years, all year long in snow, rain and wind, and they just look better and better as time goes by. Think about it: no wood, no string, nothing to wear out or break. Just shear beauty.

Sea Glass Inspired Wind Chime | Bigger

Is bigger better? When it comes to the top section of this beach glass inspired kaleidoscope wind chime, maybe. Now one inch higher, one inch wider. To view three of this new larger style, you can visit my Carousel kaleidoscope wind chime section on my website (they are the last three images in the Carousel) by Clicking Here.

One of the great things about selling on the Net is hearing directly from customers (or even from people who are not customers, but who have something to say). That's worth a lot, and you can bet I listen closely.

Most often it is direct, like: Do you have any red glass? (No, red looks brown with a mat finish, but I listened and made red in other ways). Other times, it is simply a matter of reading between the lines, like: Could I special order one with a larger top section?

Making a couple of special orders like that, I saw that it was a good idea. So last week when I ordered plate glass, I got them to cut each piece one inch wider, one inch higher. Presto, the new 'improved' kaleidoscope wind chime. It's surprising how much just two inches changes the look.

Anyway, thanks again to my customers for all their good ideas.

Under 55

New section on my website~ everything under 55 dollars. To see what is available, Click Here.

One sort of email I get quite a few of I read with mixed emotions. These are from people who take the trouble to write, who express real enthusiasm for my work, who often say how much they like this or that, and who also say they wish they could afford it. I know the feeling!

It really makes me feel good that these people write, even though they can't buy. But I feel sorry that they can't enjoy one of my works.

That got me thinking. I used to make a fair number of less expensive items, but overtime, with the increase in the cost of materials (copper!), and also the growth of my skill level, it seemed not to make sense to spend all that time taking pictures and wrapping and shipping for a few dollars. So I stopped.

But these emails have got me going again. I figure if I stick to things that are not too complex to make, and that are not too tough to ship, I can do it. And if I sell them strictly on my website (no eBay etc. fees).

I hope some of these people will appreciate having things that perhaps they can afford without skipping meals.

GardenWeb | A Great Website

Cedar, Cobalt Glass, Copper, and... I do love Rust! To see all my rusty creations, Click Here.

I do love rust. And I see that I am not alone. The GardenWeb website even has a forum with some postings dedicated to rust. That forum is under the heading Garden Junk. I am not sure I am exactly thrilled to have my work mentioned, however favorably, under that heading!

About two years ago, I ran across the GardenWeb, and was very impressed. If you are the least bit interested in gardening, using the word in its widest possible sense, you really should check out this site.

The forums are lively. When some nice person posted about my website, the traffic to my site increased by ten times! If you have questions (or answers!) about gardening, garden design, garden art, check out the GardenWeb.

More Copper Earrings

Aged copper earrings. Just listed on eBay.

I used to make small beach glass inspired earrings, and give a set for free for those with larger orders. But I did not much enjoy using the epoxy to glue the glass onto the caps, and so I looked for something better. I came up with copper earrings, which was ideal since my work always has a surplus of small snippets of copper. I can use some of that for these!

Now I include a complimentary set for all orders, no matter how small the order is. People really seem to appreciate the gift. I get a lot of thank you notes!

Actually I sell quite a few pairs, as well, on eBay.

Today as I worked on finishing up around my new workshop, I found quite a lot of weathered copper wire. It's all old penny color, and I thought what a waste to throw it out. Then I got the idea of making earrings with aged copper. I really like these. I will soon know if anyone else likes aged copper, as I just put a set on eBay.