Motivation...right?

Ok…I have tried to be merciful, kind, tolerant and patient for far too long.

This is killing me.

Have any of you recently browsed the tack section of Model Horse $ales Pages? If not, please do so before you read on.

http://www.modelhorsesalespages.com/searchlist.asp (just go to the drop down box, select the Tack section, and click “Go”)

Do you see what I see? I see a plethora of tack, at what I consider high prices, for what I consider low-quality tack.

Is it just me, or is there something wrong with this?

I understand that people are broke nowadays, and tack making seems to be a big draw to make a buck or two. But, seriously, it looks like a two-year-old made that, and you’re charging what for it? Please, alleviate my illness and do you research before you stick a price that looks promising to the seller on an item. Because, trust me, that won’t look appealing to the buyer.

I have listed some of my tack for cheap, and I mean cheap online. But it never sold. Is my tack not worth $150, or even $100, or even $75? Please, be honest, and if you’ve seen my tack before, please let me know how much YOU think I should sell my tack for. Because I want to be making a good hourly wage for the time I put into a tack set!

Seeing the high input of low-quality tack at high-quality (or even medium quality) prices, I find it harder and harder to catch good-quality tack makers’ work, especially since I use photos of this stuff as references to help make MY tack better…

What do you think?

I personally think this means I need to make some tack just to give people something realistic to look at, even if they don't buy it.

::begins digging through drawers of leather and tools::

And please forgive me if I sound snotty :/

Tackmaking at the End of the Tunnel

This morning I learned that I have a customer who wants a bridle spiffed up.

(Once again, Blogger isn't cooperating. I'll check back later to see if I can post pictures.)

The customer is the third or fourth owner of the gaited saddle I made to fit the Peruvian Paso mold.

(....won't load pictures.)

Anyways, it was the first time I'd ever done anything so drastic as fitting the saddle to a specific mold - which turned out to be neccessary for that model. The Peruvian Paso mold is very short-backed, and his high headset makes his neck get in the way.

I wasn't comissioned to make a bridle, however, because the customer ordering the tack already had a bridle they would use with the saddle. I just said "It makes my job easier!"

Well, now, the saddle is with a bosal bridle - it's nice, but for some inexplicable reason the browband is way, way too short.

So, I have been commissioned to replace all of the leather on this bridle with new leather that 1). Matches the saddle's color, and 2). Fits the poor horse's forehead.

After all, the saddle has NAN'ed already - why not give it a winning bridle too? ;)

Friesians on the Brain

Title says it all :D

I have a Gem Twist body sitting on my desk. I was hoping to sell it, but so far no one has claimed him. A while back, I saw a Gem Twist model someone had transformed into a bowing Friesian.

*+. Light Bulb Moment!.+*

So, as soon as the three bodies on my desk/windowsill/dresser are finished, or at least past the prepping stage, I think I just might have a go at my first bowing Friesian model!

The Winds of Change

There has been absolutely no tack progress around here since...oh...last spring? I can't remember. All I know is that I seem to have lost all inspiration for tackmaking. But, I've been painting lately, so at least I haven't completely abandoned the hobby.

Please welcome Pendragon Studios!

The site is still a little rough, but you can visit it here:

http://pendragonstudios.webs.com/

I'm still keeping hte name of Noble Farms Custom Saddlery for the tack side of my "business," but Pendragon Studios will be the whole of my efforts, including the tack part - think of it like this:

So, you get the gist of it - I just need some change over here. (This is what a month-long break from school does to you.)

Also, I am thinking of turning my painting "skills" (or lack thereof) into a Pet Portrait service - for folks who want a 3D model of their horse or dog, I can paint them a model of their pet! I figured this would be a better way to reach out to the non-model-horsey people in my area, and keep from flooding the model horse world with my, uh, practice pieces.

Please let me know what you think in the comments below - and don't worry, as soon as I have extra money to spend on tack supplies I will make more tack!!

Hello everyone!!

First off, I am a slacker – I have not posted as often as I said I would, with nothing for an excuse besides school and general laziness. But, what I had meant to post about a week ago was the news that I was buying my friend and her sister’s Breyer collections – about 150 models.

I managed to find about 52 of them to keep, some of them ones I had already sold from my own collection.

Yeah.

Anyways, my shelves are now full – but I must say, that wall of my room looks much more inviting with 135 Breyer models on it :D

If you couldn’t tell in that picture, we got a dusting of snow this morning. Nothing photographing, but enough to make is pretty dang cold out there. The cow was pretty frisky this morning too :D

While we’re still thinking of the goings-on around here, I thought I’d show you these pictures:

(My brother took these three photos; he’s turning into a great photographer!)

Wondering what the heck is going on with the tripod? Well, glad I piqued your interest – but you’ll have to wait until we finish our project before I tell you :D

Oh, and just to prove that I’m not perfect – I put my phone through an entire washing machine cycle yesterday morning…24 hours later, it’s almost working right, but the LCD touch display still looks like it has a little water in it :/ Go figure. :P

Well, that’s all for now – no new tack or model horse news….oh, except that I have two new models on the way :D I’ll post photos as soon as they get here!

Not M.H.R.....

This week's post will be a music review.

Last night a friend of mine had me listen to Lucy,by Skillet, a Christian heavy rock-style band. I love their music (I had to buy their latest album this morning!) and this song is no exception.

Listen to it first here, on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhDOHks7OQQ&feature=share


Now you're ready for the review.

I had an idea of what John Cooper, the lead singer/songwriter, was trying to get across with the lyrics, and trust me, I knew it was a sad song - but I really had no idea what it was about. So, I searched the song in Google and got this Wikipedia page...hopefully it's trustworthy:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucy_(Skillet_song)

So, anyways...a very touching song, whether you're a Christian, Muslim or Atheist. ;)

And sorry it's not Model Horse Related....there's just not much horsey stuff goin' on over here right now....till tomorrow ;)

Hey!! I'm still alive!!

Hey, I’m still alive over here – really!!! Between school, work and everything else I have been doing lately, I have 1.) Neglected my tackmaking, 2.) Neglected dusting my collection, 3.) Neglected my horse, 4.) Neglected my blog, and 5.) DOWNSIZED my collection, not UPSIZE.

Until just lately;

I am now the proud owner of #69/350 Jazz Fusion!! He is gorgeous!

I am officially in love with this horse <3

He was acquired via a tack trade; if only I could get people to trade RESINS for tack, I would be happy…*hint hint*

*cough*

Anyways…

I’ll be posting more often these days – at least once a week, I PROMISE!!

More tack for sale

Hello everyone....

It seems like I only ever post here to sell something...*sigh* Well, college does use up alot of time, especially when life took up all your time BEFORE college ever came along. Oh well.

Anyways, I'm thinning out my tack room and this saddle could use a new show home;
http://www.modelhorsesalespages.com/view_details.asp?id=885769
Let me know if you're interested; all the info is in the ad.

Thanks!

OF Breyers for Sale

http://www.modelhorsesalespages.com/sales/view_details.asp?id=870356
More of my pretties are up for sale...real life is pulling me away from the collecting aspect of the hobby.

Tack Set for sale!!

http://www.modelhorsesalespages.com/sales/view_details.asp?id=865961

All of the info is in the ad, but here are a few extra pictures for you anyways:

Finished Projects

I haven't shared any photos of my finished models as of yet, so I think today will require a little eye-candy:

The palomino is now complete! The photos will magically grow like those water towel things if you click on them...


And now..........DRUMROLL PLEASE.............






LANDCRUISER!!

I love him 8D I am really happy with how he turned out for my first drastic custom - maybe not LSQ, but I don't care!

That blue eye was fun to paint XD

New Custom WIP Pics

Yup, you got it - another custom in the works! I also have another one that is currently being "worked on", but his photos will have to wait.

For now, though, some pony cuteness is much needed:

Meet "Harrison Fjord", a Breyer Newsworthy jumper pony turned Fjord! He's had a little feathering added to his hooves, a new mane and a new tail. (yes, his mane is the classic "Punk Rock" look.)

Okay, I will give you a litte insight into the whole "punk rock" thing. My family would occasionally drive past a few places that had a Fjord pony out front by the road. Their forelocks and manes (trimmed or not) always made me and my brothers think of punk rock dudes - so, they became known as "Punk Rock Ponies". I crack up every time I think of the title XD.

Anyhoo, he has a small slot under his forelock so that the browband of a bridle can be slipped easily underneath the hair - cool, right? Mebbe not, but as a performance nerd, I just HAD to do it!

(as stated by Laura Skillern on her blog, "Don't Eat the Paint" - click to embiggen!!)

Unfortunately, while I held him by his tail for his prepping session, his tail - which must not have been well attached - suddenly did this to me:

In case you can't tell (or you've been staring at your computer screen for too long and your eyesight is all blurry) yup - that tail went CRACK and if it hadn't been for the armature in there, little Harrison would have gone SMACK into the cement I was standing on.
So, because the pony was about  to go from almost six feet in the air straight down to his death, I gave him the death grip around his barrel - which was covered in still-wet primer.
I was wearing a glove on that hand, but he now has giant fingerprints in his primer...

Can you guess what I'll be doing this weekend? Yup...more sanding.