Another project I finished last week. Client loved it 😊

Leather belts I finished last week.

Die Hard 🎥, Manhattan 🥃, and chipping away at the final Christmas leather orders (which will be delivered tomorrow 😅).

Finished another tote. Will be delivered to my client later today. Happy with how it turned out! Custom color, attempting to match the interior of their car.

Hardware!

Pocket lined with flannel and zipper installed. Then stitched closed.

From one year ago today. Project in focus in was hand carving a picture frame from walnut wood. I am still unable to adequately describe how much I miss this part of my life, of my being.

Took a power nap today. First in a long time. I do try to listen to my body when it says “I’m exhausted.”

Leather roses being delivered to a happy client later today.

Wine tote I finished making last week.

There’s something special about a rainy Saturday.

My late night.

On tap for today:

• make 15 leather roses
• start the cross-body leather purse

🤞🏻

Time for that afternoon cup ☕️

Reading material that has arrived recently. Although, I find myself studying the ads and article photos more than the words. The way things look has been my method of being inspired, having ideas, and so on.

Giving Hello Fresh a try. First four meals arrive tomorrow.

Got to bed before midnight last night. Highly recommended.

Looking for a specific color…

Samples!

Finished another wallet 👍🏻 will be delivered tomorrow.

Flurries ❄️

Sometimes I really regret looking back at journal entires.

Giving up on looking for gift boxes from a reliable [looking] source for leather roses. Odd size I guess. Any ideas please let me know! Manhattan and starting The Wire season 3.

Finishing up a prototype this morning while Home Alone is on in the background.

Manhattan and figuring out what to watch for an hour or so. Not quite sure how to process the emotions of the day…think I’m becoming numb to them in general. Not that I’ll figure anything out, but I’ll have time to think on these things tomorrow.

Some nights, like tonight, I really miss my dog. I should have said good-bye to her before leaving the house this evening. I’ll see her again in a few days. Strange, how strong the connection between dog and human can be to invoke emotion…

Curated birthday gifts for my dad’s birthday party after the turkey today. Blizzard of Hops IPA, three hand-selected Field Notes, and 4 hand-crafted stamped leather coasters.

Giving in. Up at 4:30 used to be my norm. Time for coffee ☕️

Sleep is tricky to catch tonight. Always the case when I get to bed at a responsible time (i.e. before midnight).

Coffee and working on a design for a client’s crossbody purse…new projects are always exciting to start!

Time to tame the week.

Lately I’ve been setting reminders to “eat breakfast” and “eat lunch”. Otherwise I get so caught up in the day that I forget 😵‍💫

My new “external brain” from Leuchtturm1917.

Coffee is especially good this morning.

22 square feet of possibilities.

Days are going too fast lately. Way too fast.

Working on things that need to be worked on. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince playing in the background.

Very happy with how this leather cigar case turned out! Black dye is 🔥

Good morning!

Definitely thinking wine with dinner tonight.

Love starting new leather projects.

Time to paint.

Sharp!

Sun is shining today!

Think for Christmas I may make myself an apron. Accident waiting to happen!

Mondays are the hardest. Christmas music, tea, and making leather roses to help sooth my mind.

Very happy with how this wallet turned out. Also happy with the dye job as-well, “Chocolate”.

Coming soon

Another one completed, with an action shot 😂

another tote completed.

Like old times.

First up this morning was math and typing lessons with Mozzie.

Working remote all day today, bag is packed accordingly!

Sopranos.

I am still praying we are able to work things out. Family day yesterday, short getaway to Gettysburg. Mozzie likes crawling around Devil’s Den.

Need to finish the edges yet, but made a quick leather business card holder.

Iron and Wine 🎶 Coffee ☕️ Stitching up a client project 🧵 🪡

Much needed after this week. A short break.

Insane day ahead. Early start should help though. TGIF!

Working remotely for a few hours (i.e. not from home).

Third usable prototype complete.

Strange year for me in that I am out of the loop regarding Apple rumors and such in advance of the event tomorrow. I’m tired of the same old places I’ve read in the past. Looking for Apple/tech sites that focus on writing and not ads. Please let me know :-)

Reading material arrived in the mail today. Magazine is a bit late but will still be worthwhile.

Yesterday’s prototype was a success! Tweaking the final design a bit but it is a beautiful handmade leather sleeve for iPad/tablet or laptop. final version will be lined with flannel, so cozy, and will feature a plastic zipper (scratch free).

Working on a prototype.

Looking for spiders

Still have finishing work to complete but wanted to share. Thrilled with how this one turned out! Dyed by hand, so happy with that too!!

Feeling very alone today.

Lining a pocket.

Making another leather bag and am in love with how this color turned out!

Iced americano.

A happy customer: “it turned out exactly how I imagined!”

Off to deliver my first paid commissioned leather product. This little pouch was sized specifically for RL’s cigar lighter & cutter combo tool. Thrilled with how the dye job turned out!

Sick with a cold and craving soup and a hot cup of tea.

Replaced my 2004 Honda Accord with this 2021 Hyundai Sonata SEL. Feels like going from a single-engine plane to a rocket ship. The tech is kinda mind-blowing.

I do miss my dog. Enjoy seeing her when I can.

One of the best parts of my day is when the timer goes off for my French press 😂

Did not have a good day today. Hoping tomorrow is better.

Love that I am still finding sand in my sandals.

Where/how I begin most days.

I have been haunted by good memories the past week and I don’t know how to make it stop.

Made one for myself.

“Singin’ don’t worry about a thing ‘Cause every little thing gonna be alright…” 🎶

Bananas happy with how this bag turned out!

Another preview.

Preview.

Each morning for the past few weeks I have been taking my coffee and iPad out to a balcony that gets full sun all morning. The hit of vitamin D is phenomenal. I sit here for an hour writing, drinking hot French press coffee, and sweating 😅

I’ve been working on a website to eventually sell made-to-order leather products. The hardest part of the process is pricing. Pricing based on what I think it should be (within a range that I would pay if buying) compared to what it probably/actually should be.

Next up, this project has been ready for assembly for a while. Excited about this one!

Finished!

Still need to get the strap on but this is the general idea.

More importantly, coffee is ready!

Experimenting. The “final” pair will be pink and will have a strap across the top. Making them as a token gift for my niece who arrived in the world on July 5th.

Finished my first leather bag yesterday. It was a gift, probably going to make one for myself 😀

Went to the pool today.

Starting the next project.

Tuesday 🍷.

Still roasting.

Making Father’s Day gifts. Each will include two Field Notes notebooks.

Something I want to get better at is planning things for Mozzie and I to do together on the weekends, but also allowing room to do whatever it is he wants to do.

Late night work, wine, Mad Men. Happy Thursday evening!

Roasted coffee for the first time in a long time today. The smell took me back to my workshop, actually. I miss that part of my life very much.

Have built a lot of furniture in the past few days. This couch was the most involved but no issues. Will also be where Mozzie sleeps when he is over.

Survived another day. Glass of wine called for.

Tomorrow, well, technically today, I begin moving into my new studio apartment. I am eager to make the time and space to write about everything that has led up to this moment.

From our walk yesterday

M.b community, small life update: I’m moving into a studio apartment on June 1st. Will share details later, still processing everything. In the meantime, please share apartment living pro tips. Unchartered waters for me. Hope everyone here is doing well!

The sun is shining now but I enjoyed my early morning walk in the rain.

Guys, I made a leather rose 🌹

Day job work thing at the moment. Get the sense that I’m having my bloodstream injected with corporate poison. Not a good feeling.

Recent leather projects completed: strop (cherry wood, knife carved handle) and hexagon leather pouch with zipper for my cousin who has a few bee hives (thus the hexagon shape).

Man. What a week.

Leather bow tie gift tag 😁

Doing my best to avoid all responsibility today.

Pouches!

Today is haircut day (first cut in 13 months) and iPad Air delivery day 😁

Tonight, today, calls for another.

Haircut is next. Been over a year at this point.

While warming up to publishing more I will be dusting the corners of my blog, and turning the heat on. Feels very cold right now.

Going to be writing and publishing to my [mostly abandoned] blog pretty soon. I have a lot to say, a lot to get out. So far 2021 has been like slamming my head on a concrete floor a few times but I think I am beginning to wake up. Writing more will help immensely…I hope.

Starting another notebook. Not able to pull from my full collection, so using another one from the “Fall 2020 Quarterly Edition United States of Letterpress”.

First time dying a leather project and very happy with how it turned out!

Shaved my 18-month beard off today.

Another case/wallet completed.

Coffee.

Leather projects completed recently. Several more in progress. Can’t help myself.

Briefly coming up for air. How is everyone doing?

The idea is coming together. Will hopefully finish it today or tomorrow.

Mozzie (and Lucy) helped me pick out a new notebook last night. He liked seeing all of the different covers.

Stitched a wallet into what will eventually be a sleeve or pouch once everything is put together.

Time for some more coffee.

Miss him during the week so I always look forward to our weekends together.

Idea in the back of my mind today: print “newsletter” sent via snail mail instead of online.

Prototype

Daft Punk in my rotation for today.

From our walk earlier today.

I need a massage. Deep tissue. 90 minutes. Please.

I have made three of the large size of this idea, this guy is a smaller variation. Perfect for 2-3 cigars with lighter and cutter. Have other ideas to expand on both sizes. (The one I made and use for myself is filled with notebooks, writing instruments, and phone).

Two new notebooks to fill up.

Made a little chapstick holder thingy for Mozzie.

Walk around the Pennsylvania Capitol complex earlier today. I see it weekly and never tire of the incredible architecture.

Made this for a friend today. Hand cut and stitched. He’ll use it for cigars, lighter, and cutter.

Excited to make something today. Not sure what it is going to be, but that’s part of the fun.

Drove around with Mozzie last night, he wanted to see the city at night.

Decent amount of snowfall.

Starting a new notebook today.

The last week has been the hardest. Out of my element and so much to write about. My family is falling apart.

Out of my element but still need to make things (even if in someone else’s shop). Need to make a sheath for this guy.

Strange day. Seems like an appropriate evening to watch a Harry Potter film. And pour another glass of wine.

Adding this single-bevel Goosewing Hewing axe to my set of tools.