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!

Deluxe Kaleidoscope Wind Chime

Ebay offers a new feature ~ 'eBay to Go' Kind of neat.

eBay Stars

eBay just introduced a more detailed feedback system. I've been waiting for the necessary ten new feedbacks to see how I'm doing, star-wise. Today, the first results are in, and I am happy that I've rated a perfect score so far. It's nice not to have been punished for shipping time, as I try to ship same day or next day, but things can take a little longer crossing the border (and maybe not everyone understands that). I work really hard to please my customers, and it's nice to see that reflected.

Made Etsy Home Page !

Etsy is a neat, upbeat arts and crafts site. I've always wanted to be on their homepage (who wouldn't?), but that's like winning the lottery. Well, what do you know, I made it tonight. Nice way to start the weekend.

Broken Link ~ Oooops!

Starting this $230 wind chime on eBay for 99 cents, and I went and put a broken link here a couple of days ago. So for those who tried to see the listing~ Sorry! It's gotten a few bids, but at $51 is still an unbelievable deal. So to visit the listing, just click here.

Bigger can be Better

Large Driftwood Double Copper Wind Chime ~ a Treat for the Eyes, and the Ears. See other large works in my eBay store, or the major works page on my website.

Sometimes I really enjoy making big works. I forget that one day I will have to pack them and ship. There are strict limits on both size and weight, so always my first thought when the 'sold' notice comes through is "Yipee!" followed shortly by "Oh, Oh" as I realize what a job it will be to pack, and also wondering if it might be too big, too heavy. As I've made more and more large pieces, I have become a little more clever in designing them for easier packing. But it's still quite a chore.

Addicted

Large Beach Glass inspired Kaleidoscope Wind Chime

Copper chimes with a beach stone clapper

99 Cent listing on eBay!

So I think I am addicted to 99 cent auctions. This is the third week I've run one, and this is one of the nicest yet.

This wind chime usual resides in my eBay store for $225.50, but I have just listed it for 99 cents on eBay. Learn more about it, or bid, by clicking here.

Spreading a Little Happiness

It always makes me happy to see one of my works at its new home. Quite a few customers send pictures, and I really appreciate that they take that time and trouble. This one is special, as it is the first of my works to arrive in Scotland. It's hanging outside from the side of a Russian-built log cabin. Pretty cool.

Record Broken

Beach glass inspired kaleidoscope wind chime. The beach stone clapper produces sweet music against the five large copper chimes. Tung nut oiled red cedar. Started at 99 cents on eBay.

I don't usually get all that many "watchers" on my eBay listings. Watchers are the number of people who have bookmarked a listing through the eBay system. Sometimes I have five or six. This particular auction has attracted a record number: 41.

The auction itself is still at a very low price. But with that number of people watching, things could get interesting. I hope so. I just bought $900 of copper.

Cold Forged Copper Earrings, Niubium Wires

My niubium copper-colored ear wires came~ and they are Great! Do you know about niubium? It's the latest and the greatest in hypoallergenic metals. These are just perfect for my cold forged copper earrings. I'm pleased with these earrings~ people who see them want them!

As a way to say 'thank you,' I'm giving a set to each customer who orders $150 or more of my work. It's always nice to find a little something extra in the box.

They are also for sale on eBay.

99 cents

99 cents? I hope not. But that's what I listed this Beach Glass inspired Kaleidoscope wind chime at on eBay. So far, it's still at 99 cents. Five heavy copper chimes with a beach stone clapper. Eco-friendly high-quality tung nut oil rubbed red cedar. Sweet. For more information, or to bid, click here.

I seem to be going nuts these days with crazy listing prices. As though it was not bad enough to have my $255 cobalt blue beach glass inspired wind chime sitting at $41, I just had to go ahead and list this kaleidoscope wind chime for 99 cents. A fool for punishment, I guess. Well, I've had dozens of emails from people wishing they could afford my work. This might just be their chance.

Must be Spring

Sure signs of Spring: warmer weather, bees, flowers, and the large increase in the number of wind chimes shipping.

Packing glass is never easy. But with an injured thumb, even tricker. I had to learn a new way to hold scissors! But the job got done, and the packages look presentable.

I know how sad it would be to open a box of broken glass, so I take great care. I've learned over the years, and haven't had anything break now in over four years. Part of that is investing in great packing materials. I use a lot of sill foam, which at over $8.00 a roll adds to my expenses, but it is perfect for my glass.

I also know that the first impression on my customers will be the box I ship in. So I go to extra trouble to have the outside look neat and clean. I'm not sure, but guess maybe that helps things slide smoothly across the border, too.

My $255 cobalt blue beach glass inspired wind chime with cold forged connectors and hook is still way too low ($41!) on eBay. Why not add something amazing to your yard this Spring? See this wind chime by clicking here.

It Hurts

Missing part of my thumb (see last post) hurts, but it hurts more to see this exceptional cobalt blue beach glass inspired wind chime with cold forged copper hook and spiral connectors sitting on eBay for a laughable price. A treat not just for the eyes, but five heavy copper chimes with a beach stone clapper make lovely music for the ears, too.

Perhaps I was not too bright to start the auction at 99 cents. This is easily a $250 wind chime. Alas, there it is at $41, with the clock ticking. Now that's just plain silly.

Table Saws and Hands

A moment of inattention is a moment too much, when using a table saw.

I've never been so busy, so rushed. Seems like just the other day, things were too slow, too few orders coming in, almost not enough to do. Then, all of a sudden, swamped. So much I need to make, so much to pack. So this morning it was not that I was exactly rushing the cutting of some new windsails, it was more that my mind was elsewhere. I think I was trying to figure out the best way to pack these heavy beach stones which form the base of a freestanding wind chime.

Just a fraction of a second, one stupid movement. There was a small end that I had cut from one of the windsails and it was in the way. I went to flick it, and the noise and pain told me I had done something really, really stupid. Yep, I got my thumb into the blade.

Well, I can't tell you how happy I was when I looked and saw most of my thumb still there. Lots of blood, and the side and quite a chunk of the end gone, but something like that, it's easy to loose the whole thing. So I was really relieved.

My son drove me down to the emergency department, and they cleaned it up, gave me a tetanus shot, and a fancy bandage. I was back at work in less than two hours. It's a little awkward working with this fat bandage, but you can believe I realize how much more awkward it would be without any thumb at all. I'm happy!

Oh, oh~ 99 cents?

Well, I might have been taking a risk last week putting that $177 wind chime on eBay for 99 cents. But this week I am just plain crazy. I just put a $255 wind chime (see image below, last posting) on for 99 cents.

It's one of my nicest wind chimes ever. Maybe others will see that, and bid. If not, please send Kleenex.

A Sigh of Relief

Cobalt blue beach glass inspired copper wind chime with cold forged copper connectors and hook. The beach stone clapper produces sweet music against the five heavy copper chimes. To learn more about this wind chime, or to buy it, click here.

Last time (see below) I wrote of my anxiety over listing one of my $177 kaleidoscope wind chimes on eBay auctions for a starting price of 99 cents. How would I feel if it ended at something like $10? What a relief that the listing has stirred considerable interest, with already over 600 views, 20 'watchers' and 25 bids. There are still two and a half days until the auction ends, so this could get even better. I'm thrilled to have such support for my work.

Now I am thinking of repeating the experiment with the cobalt blue wind chime pictured above. I'm not sure yet, as I would be even more anxious about this one. Cobalt blue is not everyone's favorite. On the other hand, those who like it tend to fiercely like it.

Blue glass is the most difficult to work with~ along with frosty white. It's tough to achieve a nice smooth mat finish without the glass getting too thin. It also tends to fracture in undesirable ways when sculpting or cutting. So most often I price my blue glass works higher, to reflect these challenges. Starting this one on auction for 99 cents would be pretty scary.

A customer in England bought one not quite as nice for $270. She then had to pay $75 postage. A further blow was that she got hit with heavy taxes for importing it (something my US customers never have had to deal with). Still, she was absolutely thrilled with her wind chime.

So I'm pondering whether to list this at 99 cents to try and stir more excitement, or let it sit until the right person comes along. I'll think about that for a couple more days.