Getting my tags at the Clerk's Office one year, I was $5 short.  The Clerk, who I'd never met before, reached in her own purse to make up the difference.

I noticed she had decorated her office with  jigsaw puzzles.  I made this ornament of her first initial for her to display.

The J is flame Maple finished with Shellac and polished, the base is Mesquite finished with oil and weighted with lead.

My brother loves to hunt.  For a birthday I made him Sir Thomas Richard III, of branch figure Walnut, Zebrawood, Calcite, Rosewood, Ebony, brass and lead weighted Cherry.  Finished with Tung Oil.

Might not look much like a real turkey, but does look like the construction paper cutouts they had us do in K-3rd grade.  Felt like an appropriate gift for a brother...

Shoes are about the hardest article of clothing, or item of leatherwork in general, to make that I know of.  I have made four styles, all 'low-heel wide-toe 'barefoot'' style.  These isolating moonboots are of Horween Dublin uppers and Essex liners from Tannery Row, with Baker Leather Oak Tan midsoles from Sorrell Notions.

These moccasins are of deer hide I tanned with Oak galls.  Deer hide, while soft and stretchy, is 2x as abrasion resistant as cowhide, and these are thicker leather than the boots Arnie wore in Terminator2.  I have pictures of this build and the moonboots above, but frankly I feel the designs are more effort than they are worth.  I hope to document creation of a different shoe design and share it here within a few months.

Iris is a 12in prototype of a full size canoe I'd like to build of hemp paper.  I figured as long as I was making her at all I'd make her nice, and as long as I was making her nice I'd give her to my mother.

Her gunnels are Cherry and Ash finished with Linseed Oil, the pinstripe is Walnut dust in Hide Glue.  Cradles are Red Oak stained with Pine Tar, and the base is branch figure Walnut finished with polished Shellac.  And, of course, her hull is made of hemp paper, with interior painted with Linseed oil paint and skin of silk sealed with WaxLac (see Tamboura). 

People tell me: "Wow, you could sell that!"  Yes, for how much?  She took over four months of full time work.

A purse.  Or ManPurse, or PossiblesBag.  I just call it a purse, since that term is not sex specific and requires no explanation.  The manliest men there were carried these, 150 to 10000yrs ago.  First rule of fashion is you can wear whatever you have the strength to pull off, anyone who tells you different is ignorant or wants you to be as weak as they are.  This one is made with a Walnut dyed deerhide shell, and oak tanned cowhide frame.

Her strap is a drawstring.  If I lift her up and pull her open, I can reach in and remove what I need, then drop the bag and she closes.

Someone asked me: "Will you make me one?"  We can talk about it.  She took four 60hr weeks, working at a pace of something to prove.  The quality is as high as any Chanel or Gucci.  How much are you willing to pay?

They decided not to talk about it.

Again, I have photos of her build, but I'd like to redo a new one, and post that process instead.