Make an Offer

I'm getting ready to start cleaning for the night, and I don't want to see this in the morning -

 https://www.etsy.com/listing/238804106/the-princess-eve-full-body-pinecone?ref=shop_home_active_1


So, make an offer.  Unlike EBAY, I'll tell you the minimum price... anything less and it gets deactivated and sent to my grand-niece... either way, it's going away.   Best offer greater than $75 owns it.  I'm usually up between 3:00 and 4:00 in the morning, so that's when the bidding ends.  Blog postings only since I'm not relaying bids through ETSY conversations overnight.   By the way, it would be priced at $95 in a Friday Night Sale.

Have a Great Night!

First Cut

Here you go Moonfool, thought you might like to see your custom after I made the 1st cut... it's going to be a pretty one!

Have a Great Night Everyone.

Update:

Just an FYI, I just finished casting my 3rd pinecone, so you can anticipate 3 "Who Want's It" announcements in the morning.

New Game

I love games...

So, my quandary this morning actually appears to have resolved itself.  That said, neither Willowyn or Christine are under any obligation to purchase the sticks they've reserved, they just get first dibs.  After all, I was the one asking for help.

This quandary problem and resolution naturally led me to a new game we're going to call "Who Wants It".  In this fabulous game (there's that word again), you're going to be given 3 or 4 facts about the stick such as Blackwood, +/- length (meaning 1/4" either way), wooden top or resin throughout... you get the idea.  Then we're going to post a picture of it in it's raw form, specifically for pinecone sticks, it's at this stage that the color explosions are at their greatest.  In fact, that pink ivory from a few days ago stopped me in my tracks when I turned off the lathe after the 1st cut.  It was the most unbelievable thing I've ever seen, I called Erin and told her to come home... now, you've gotta see this!

So, back to the game, you'll be given the facts along with the raw form picture, and you get to design it from there... I'm so excited, I think it addresses and solves a lot of problems.  I don't have to worry (more specifically, the D.O.E.E.), if it will sell, and you get what you want.  The only downside that I see right now is that Friday Night Sales might be a thing of the past.

I might have one later today, if not... definitely tomorrow.

Tuesday - I need a little help

Good Morning,

Well, I find myself in a bit of a quandary this morning, as happens on occasion.  Unlike the past where I'd mull over this specific problem, sometimes for days, and then ultimately just take a stab at it and hope.  That was then, but this is now and it just occurred to me that I have a blog, so why sweat it, just ask the question.

So here's the deal.  I spent the better part of the day yesterday just building pinecone sticks, 4 in total, one sold, one is in inventory, and I have 2 on the bench that I can basically go in any direction. 

Here's the one currently in inventory:

The quandary comes into the equation because I have 2 virtually identical to the one in inventory, and if the current one isn't selling, why make more.  So here are the 2 that are on the bench.

The one on top is Honduras Rosewood cast in green, purple and gold (I know it doesn't look like it in the picture, but it is).  The 2nd is Lignum Vitae cast in green and gold.  The total finished length will be 6 1/2(ish).  Both are ready for (and must have) a paua or other type if inset on the top.  The borders are obviously engraved and can't be changed, but I can do anything with the body of the stick in terms of additional engraving... such as stars, or whatever.  In fact, if anyone is interested in claiming either one as a custom, you're welcome to it.  In so doing, you get to pick the design, inlay and paua or other top.

So what do you think, any suggestions?

The lineup for the day is obviously these 2, and since the one in inventory didn't sell overnight, I had to tack in a different direction... so, another new design, it's going to be pretty cool if I can pull it off.

Have a great day and thanks for any suggestions you might have.

Update - Lignum Vitae - Reserved - Willowyn
             - Honduras Rosewood - Reserved - Christine

Monday's Lineup

Good Morning,

It's going to be a pinecone kind of day. 

Although she didn't realize it,  Moonfool threw down a challenge to me on her custom request.   She simply asked if it was possible to put stars on the top of a pinecone star stick.  Great suggestion, but at the time I didn't have a clue how I was going to do it.  So thank you Moonfool,  today's pinecones are dedicated to you!  Now I know how I'm going to make yours.

OK, I've got a new game.  The "Custom Time" game is fun, and it's certainly going to continue but I feel it may be a little one sided.  One sided in as much as you all get to play, and I don't.  It's no secret that we monitor both LHC and the German forums.  Over the years,  there have been a number of instances where I felt bad for someone because they couldn't get "XYZ" stick, or work gets in the way, or for whatever reason.  Given that we know a number of you by your forum and ETSY name, we could connect the dots.  However, there's a huge number of members where we can't connect the dots.  If I had tried to post anything like that in either forum, the mods would have shut me down in a Nano-second.  So, the new game will be called "Surprise Custom" and all of the same rules apply as those in the "Custom Time" game. 

In essence I will at random select a member of either forum and callout their forum name on the post.  At that point, you have 24 hours to contact me either through the blog or ETSY to claim your custom. 

Have a Great Day!

Custom Time

OK, it's that time... who's up for a custom?

As a reminder, here are the rules of the "Custom Time" game.

• Existing design only, no "create it from scratch" designs.  Ebony and Holly are not available.
• The only information needed is a link to the sold or active stick, along with allowable changes which are wood type, gemstone / metal/metal flake inlays and length.  If it requires more information than what's listed above, it's considered a "create it from scratch" design.
• Just one order, and the 1st to reply gets the custom.  Once the custom is acknowledged I'll ask that you send me a note through ETSY to confirm the details.
• You are only eligible to win once in a 30 day time frame, and the custom order is non-transferable.
• Custom Time winners have 1 week to claim their custom order, after which the offer expires and you are once again eligible to participate in future offerings.
• For the purposes of responding to the Custom Time announcement, we will accept an email through ETSY as opposed to a blog entry only.  The first time stamp through the blog or ETSY wins the custom... you're just going to have to trust me on this one.

Have a great day!


... and here we were yesterday at our favorite restaurant, BRGR in Corinth if anyone local wants a good burger.

Sunday's Plan

Good Morning,

Well, Ivy got her wish yesterday and we played on the Harley, I'll post a picture later of how we "dine out" later.

So here's what I've got going on right now.

• Finish Verena's custom
• Pink Ivory full body pinecone, cast in purple, blue, and green resin

That's all I've got for now, but the day is young, I suspect I'll come up with a 3rd.

Watch for a "Custom Time" announcement sometime later today.

Have a Great Sunday!

Saturday Morning

Good Morning,

I'm running a little behind today, I've spent the last several hours working on a new design.  After several attempts, I think I've got it figured out and with any luck I'll have it finished this afternoon.  That said, today is the 1st day in about 2 weeks where it hasn't rained or been 100 degrees, so the Harley dog just might get her wish.

Here's the tentative lineup.

• Begin working on Verena's custom.
• The Blackwood Rose Topper that was on yesterday's agenda.
• With a little bit of luck... the new design, what I'm calling:

Pinecone with a Twist

 

Have a Great Day!

Thursday Night

Good Evening,

I had a very nice conversation today with a customer and she brought up an issue that I was completely unaware of.  So thank you for the note, and we're going to get this issue resolved right now. 

I was under the impression that anyone could post on this blog, I didn't know that there were any hoops you had to jump through, or you may simply not be comfortable posting.  In her instance, I don't think she was opposed to doing anything but it was just simply a hassle, and I'm not in to anything that resembles a hassle.  Her concern revolved around "Custom Time", as she wants to participate but doesn't want the hassle, and I understand. 

So, going forward if you would like to participate in the wildly fabulous "Custom Time" game but are unable to, or simply don't want to post on the blog, we'll accept an ETSY conversation in lieu of a post on the blog when "Custom Time" is announced.  Everything is time stamped, so the only caveat that I need to throw in is that you'll just have to trust me in terms of the time stamp.

Going forward if you see anything, or have any ideas of how to make this whole blog thing work better, please send me a note.  Short of an extended custom list, I'm open to just about anything that makes sense.

Thanks, and have a great night!

Custom Time

Good Morning,

Let's get this Friday kicked off right... who's up for a custom?

For the lineup today, I have the following in the works:

• Ebony full body stars cast in deep blue, deep purple and copper resin, inlaid with copper leaf stars.
• Blackwood rose topper inlaid with mother of pearl.
• Blackwood full body pinecone cast in colors yet to be determined. 

As a reminder, here are the rules of the "Custom Time" game.

• Existing design only, no "create it from scratch" designs.  Ebony and Holly are not available.
• The only information needed is a link to the sold or active stick, along with allowable changes which are wood type, gemstone / metal/metal flake inlays and length.  If it requires more information than what's listed above, it's considered a "create it from scratch" design.
• Just one order, and the 1st to reply gets the custom.  Once the custom is acknowledged I'll ask that you send me a note through ETSY to confirm the details.
• You are only eligible to win once in a 30 day time frame, and the custom order is non-transferable.
• Custom Time winners have 1 week to claim their custom order, after which the offer expires and you are once again eligible to participate in future offerings.

Have a great day!

June 25 - Today's Agenda

Good Morning,

It should be a good day today... or at least at this point the lineup on the bench looks good.  So here's what we've got:

• Working on Slynr's custom right now.  She pointed me in the right direction and allowed me artistic freedom, I've been having some fun the last couple of hours.
• Ebony full body stars cast in purple, blue and copper pearlessence resin, inlaid with copper stars.
• Tiger Stripe Maple, Rose topper, inlaid with maroon fwp's
• Ebony full body pinecone (Thank you Maria), cast in blue, purple and green Pearlex.

Have a Great Day Everyone!

Shop Dog

I love my little shop/Harley dog.  She's so cute!

June 24 Gameplan

Good Morning,

Rough day yesterday.  3 hour lost sticks just suck the life out of me.  But today's a new day and here's what's on tap.

• Full Body Star, 5 color resin mix (no pinecones), blackwood base, MOP stars with blue paua top.
• About half way thru Christine's  custom order, it just went into the laser.
• Full Body Pinecone Star, Blackwood base, purple / blue / gold resin with gold leaf stars.
• Start on Slynr's custom.

I'll be checking in later, have a great day!

June 23 - Today's plan

Good Morning,

I glanced again at the picture that I posted yesterday and realized that there's a clue to the upcoming "Guess the number of woods" contest.  In the upper right hand corner you can see 1/3rd of my wood storage bins.  So here's the math... each box has 18 cubby's, so there's a potential of 54 different woods.  Aw, but the challenge is: does each cubby contain wood?  I'm still working on the contest, so still no guessing yet.

It always happens... both Christine and Slynr sent me their ETSY notes within seconds of each other last night and now I have a custom list again... fortunately it's a sum total of 2 vs. +/- 50 this time last year, so I think I can manage it.  So going in order, I'll be working on Christine's first, and Slynr you're up next. 

Today's Lineup

• Christine's of course
• Blackwood Rose topper and abalone but with a twist.  It looks like this one is going to work, I've had 3 failures so far, again... it's one of my far fetched ideas, I think it looks good at this point however.... but once again, who cares what I think.
• A lot of positive feedback yesterday so I just have to do it again... a Full body "stars" pinecone

Have a great day!

Custom Time

Good Evening,

 Just as an FYI, my plan is to do only 1 custom at a time so please be prepared with what you'd like to order so we don't get slowed down while making a decision.

As a reminder, here are the rules of the "Custom Time" game.

• Existing design only, no "create it from scratch" designs.  Ebony and Holly are not available.
• The only information needed is a link to the sold or active stick, along with allowable changes which are wood type, gemstone / metal/metal flake inlays and length.  If it requires more information than what's listed above, it's considered a "create it from scratch" design.
• Just one order, and the 1st to reply gets the custom.  Once the custom is acknowledged I'll ask that you send me a note through ETSY to confirm the details.
• You are only eligible to win once in a 30 day time frame, and the custom order is non-transferable.
• Custom Time winners have 1 week to claim their custom order, after which the offer expires and you are once again eligible to participate in future offerings.

This offer expires at 8:00 PM

June 22 - Lineup

Good Morning,

I hope everyone had a good weekend, and thank you for your input on the "Custom Time" game.

So here's what I've got on the bench so far:

Tiger Stripe Maple, Stars design, deep blue fwp's / mixed leaf

Maple, rose topper, deep purple/maroon fwp's

New Design - Tiger Stripe Maple, full body pinecone cast in deep purple / deep blue and silver resin (all colors in pearlessence).  Mixed leaf star design.

Have a great day!


... and a quick little action shot I call Ribbons.  This is the beginning roughing stages on the new design.  In flight, these beautiful multicolored ribbons maybe 1/1000" thin fly about 2 feet in the air when I'm turning it.  I know it's difficult to see them coming off the lathe but you can see them on the floor.  Oh, and welcome to one of my shops!

Poll Question

Good Afternoon,

Congrats to Christine, the winner of today's "Custom Time" game. 

Let me ask a question. I see that the "Custom Time" game is beginning to pick up some speed, which is a good thing. In an effort to be fair, do you think we should put a limit of some sort, i.e. you can only win once every "X" number of days, or weeks for that matter.   I want it to be fun and fair, so what do you think?

Also, just an FYI, I'm starting to organize the new and fabulously wonderful game of "Guess the number of woods".  I'll announce it in the next day or so, and the winner will get to chose between 1 of 2 incredible TT offerings.  (OK, I'll admit they're probably not really that incredible or fabulous for that matter, but I like incorporating the words whenever I can, they make me happy).

Have a great evening and thanks for your input.

Oh, and here's a picture from last night.  Ivy loves laying in the shop mess and this is the thanks she gets.

Custom Time

Good Afternoon,

 Are we ready?  Who would like a custom?

As a reminder, here are the rules of the "Custom Time" game.

• Existing design only, no "create it from scratch" designs.  Ebony and Holly are not available.
• The only information needed is a link to the sold or active stick, along with allowable changes which are wood type, gemstone / metal/metal flake inlays and length.  If it requires more information than what's listed above, it's considered a "create it from scratch" design.
• Just one order, and the 1st to reply gets the custom.  Once the custom is acknowledged I'll ask that you send me a note through ETSY to confirm the details.

This offer expires at 4:00 PM

June 20 - Here's what's up for today

Good Morning,

I just finished Quasi's custom but I still hear the sound machine upstairs so that means that the D.O.E.E. is still in dreamland, and she must have her coffee first.  - https://www.etsy.com/transaction/1040467803

Today I'll be making another star stick, correction... actually 2.  Both will be tiger stripe, but the 2nd one will be the pinecone that I can't stop thinking about.  I've got a different vision for it, the design looks great in my head, so we'll see how that translates to the stick (I'd estimate that 1 in 4 of my ideas don't translate, or ultimately can't be done).

https://www.etsy.com/listing/237650863/the-princess-eve-full-body-stars-hair

https://www.etsy.com/listing/237684433/the-princess-eve-full-body-star-stick

Look for a "Custom Time" posting, ummmm... lets say around 2:00 my time (CST, US)

Have a Great Saturday!

June 19 Plan

Good Morning,

Don't forget the FNS this afternoon. 

I think the star stick stole the show yesterday, we received quite a bit of positive feedback.  I'm going to make a variation of it today with a different border... I'm designing it now.  I was also thinking of maybe a pinecone resin top, cast in "galaxy like" colors with a full body of complimentary colored stars... any thoughts or is it a bad plan? 

I've got Quasi's custom order from yesterday nailed down and will be starting on it shortly.

Have a Great Day!



Update: 5:30 PM

Rough day today... 2 sticks at the bottom of the trash can, new designs always create firewood.  I do like the new star design however, I think it looks more finished... but who cares what I think, in my world it's all about you!

Quasi's is almost finished and will be posted tomorrow.  I have it on good authority that there may be a "Custom Time" in the not too distant future.  In fact, I chuckled to myself today with the idea of announcing "Custom Time"  at 1:00 this afternoon... now there's a conundrum.  Worry not, I won't  do it but the thought is kind of humorous.. at least  to me.

For those headed out for the weekend, please be safe and have a great time!

Custom Time

Good Afternoon,

OK, it's that time, who would like a custom?

As a reminder, here are the rules of the "Custom Time" game.

• Existing design only, no "create it from scratch" designs.  Ebony and Holly are not available.
• The only information needed is a link to the sold or active stick, along with allowable changes which are wood type, gemstone / metal/metal flake inlays and length.  If it requires more information than what's listed above, it's considered a "create it from scratch" design.
• Just one order, and the 1st to reply gets the custom.  Once the custom is acknowledged I'll ask that you send me a note through ETSY to confirm the details.

It's 3:15 PM my time, the offer expires at 5:00 PM

June 18 Game Plan

Good Morning,

As usual the wood shopping / cutting threw me behind yesterday, but then again it always does.  It was a late night (in our world), with the shop closing around 8:00, but Sagon's custom is finished and will be posted later after Erin has her 1st cup of coffee. 

You may have noticed on our ETSY home page that our next FNS will be held tomorrow beginning at 1:00 PM, so good luck, they are always fun to watch.

I was chatting with Mel yesterday, congratulating her on her campaign, and she mentioned that she had signed up to "follow" our blog.  While I am certainly not an expert, it's my understanding that by doing so, she (you) will get an email notification whenever I post on the blog.  Admittedly, in the whole scheme of things what I have to say means little to anyone, however the email notification might be a useful bit of information the next time (like later today) when I post "Custom Time".  It's probably a better use of your time than refreshing your screen every 10 minutes... just my 2 cents.

Regarding today's lineup, I have no idea at this point, I didn't have time to think about it last night, but I do want to take the new Aspen wood for a test drive, it's the best alternative to holly that I've found so far.

Have a Great Day!

Update:  Lineup in progress

Aspen, new design "stars", deep blue fwp's

Blackwood / pink paua insets

Wood Shopping

So Ivy and I made it back safely some 60+ miles and 4 hours later on Ivy's favorite mode of transportation, the Harley Trike.  We managed to score some Tiger Stripe Maple, Honduras Rosewood and Aspen (as a substitute for Holly, which cannot be found).  Getting ready to fire up the saw and get started on Sagon's custom.

Have a good afternoon!

June 17 Agenda

Good Morning,

Interesting times politically speaking... anyone see Jeb "slow jam" last night on Jimmy?  He did good I thought,  although you could tell he was ready to crack up at any point... and I don't blame him, Jimmy's GREAT.  And now we have "The Donald", for political junkies like Erin and I,  this is going to be a very entertaining political season.

So Sagon won the custom yesterday and that means I'm off to the wood store in a little while, we're long overdue.  Sadly it's a destination, not just a short hop over to Home Depot, so I'm going to be "out of pocket" for the next several hours.   I ran out of Tiger Stripe maple about a week ago so it's time to re-stock, and see what other kinds of goodies I can find.  I mentioned to Sagon yesterday in our ETSY message that I'm having fun with this blog and that I have all kinds of goofy things planned.  I think the 1st will be a contest to guess how many wood types we have, and I'll prove it with photos of our wood storage area.  Yes, there will be a winner along with a prize, so no guessing now, wait until I announce it.  If you're planning on cruising the sold section, the qualifier is how many woods do we have today, not over the past 6 years.

I finished the pink paua already, and Erin just told me it sold.  I'm about 1 hour out on the Honduras seashell and then I'm off wood shopping.  After that it's a few hours of cutting the wood I purchased, so the seashell may be it for the day... other than Sagon's of course.

Have a Great Day!

Custom Time

Good Afternoon,

I got side-tracked this morning for a couple of hours with what we're hoping is the final chapter of the "New" laser saga which has been going on since February.  More to come on this in the next few days.  That couple of hours threw me behind so I can't finish today's lineup.

So I see we've had a few views today, is anyone ready?  Here are the rules:

• Existing design only, no "create it from scratch" designs.  Ebony and Holly are not available.
• The only information needed is a link to the sold or active stick, along with allowable changes which are wood type, gemstone / metal/metal flake inlays and length.  If it requires more information than what's listed above, it's considered a "create it from scratch" design.
• Just one order, and the 1st to reply gets the custom.

It's 4:00 PM my time, the offer expires at 6:00 PM

PS.  "Custom Time" won't just be a one time deal, keep an eye out for future one's, as you just never know when one might pop up!

Today's Game Plan

Good Morning,

So late yesterday afternoon I put up a post for a couple of hours, and then deleted it when I was closing the shop.  I basically said that I was lining up todays offering and asked if anyone had any suggestions.  There were no takers.  Honestly I didn't really expect any given that this blog is now 3 whole days old.  So, if there's an existing design that you'd like to see (no ebony), be the 1st to chime in after I pose the question later this afternoon, and you've got yourself a custom.

Today's plan:

Blackwood Seashell lover / turquoise fwp's w/silver leaf border

Honduras Rosewood Seashell lover / abalone w/gold leaf borders

Spalted Holly Butterfly & Dahlia / purple fwp's w/amethyst borders

Ebony w/pink paua insets and gold leaf border  (yes, I said ebony and "no ebony" above... sorry, I'll explain it later, there's a story here)

Have a Great Day!

June 15 - Lineup

Good Morning,

Just a quick note to provide the planned lineup today if you're interested:

Custom order - completed

Maple, 6 1/2", Rose topper with maroon pearl borders

Blackwood, length tbd (likely 6 1/2ish"), Rose topper with MOP borders

If time permits, a Tree of Life
Have a Great Day!

New TT Blog

Thank you for taking the time to visit the Timberstone Turnings blog.  I want to thank our good friend Melissa ( https://www.etsy.com/shop/NightBlooming?ref=shop_sugg ) as she has been an invaluable mentor for us over the years in the ways of long hair accessories, and now in urging us to create a blog.   Admittedly it would have been easier (especially for her) if she would have simply driven cross country and set the blog up for us, but given that she owns a rather popular shop, along with a job, a spouse, and a life, she apparently didn't have the time :)  So, thank you Mel, we love you.

Like I mentioned over on the right, I'm hoping that this blog will serve as an unfiltered forum where we can share ideas and I can answer questions where everyone sees the answer (as opposed to an ETSY conversation where only 1 person sees the answer).  In the future I plan on introducing photos of the various shop areas that we have, maybe share an occasional silly "Ivy" video, provide links to available woods, gemstones and designs, and finally, manage the custom list from here.  We have a lot of options, so check in occasionally to see what's up at TT.

Thanks again for visiting, we look forward to talking.