Video Style

So I really struggle with video taping stuff, especially if it involves my being in the actual video. So for the past six weeks I've been watching a bunch of different types of videos on YouTube, and Vimeo and have been taking notes.

Turns out I just need to relax and be myself, I've been over thinking things and way too much. John could have told y'all that! The end result is I end up stuck, so this week I'm going to start shooting random videos just for the heck of it, post them to YouTube with little to no editing, editing is the part I dislike the most, and we'll see what happens... or sticks as they like to say

It's Been Awhile

It's been awhile since I last posted, and as I sit here looking out my window I'm thinking... it's time to go on an adventure! It's time to take some videos, do a live stream again, and just kick back and enjoy nature.

Above I'm learning how to do wire wraps and weaving, I'm practicing with glass beads, the kind you stick in a vase with flowers, I think these are called pebbles because they are flat on one side only.

Got my iMac backed up, finally!

One 5T external drive filled, backed up my iMac for the first time in a very long time. Now to format this 5T drive to work with Time Machine.

Supposedly my files are on the cloud when I looked they were not there. So now I’m wondering why I’ve been paying for 2T of cloud storage for the past six years if I have no files there, btw it tells me I’m almost out of storage space on the cloud.

Once this is all setup I'll be buying a new iMac, since this one has taken to pink screening upon start up and sometimes when I wake it up out of hibernation.

This machine will go into my new weaving and spinning studio in my old office upstairs, aka my former studio space,. Apparently six years is old for a computer, which I new of course, I'm still surprised it lasted more than three years.

Live Streaming Tomorrow!

I’ll be live streaming on my YouTube channel tomorrow, May 15th at 4pm!

Hopefully this link will work, if not put my name into the search box at YT and my channel should come up.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9JAZbaFfm8uLGZl_dPykZw

Live Stream on May 15th

I will be live streaming on May 15th, time to be announced later this week! If the weather, and wind cooperates I'll be streaming from one of my favorite marshes, and am hoping to dig for some clay at one of my favorite spots. That last part will be in a separate video that I'll link to once the video is available.

New iPhone

Finally bought a new iPhone, it's the 12 Pro. Still getting to know my new phone, it's quite the upgrade from an iPhone 5.

Ordered a selfie stick/tripod, once it arrives I'll be going on lots of adventures with my new phone and my new car... oh yeah did I mention my husband bought me a car for our 20th anniversary back in March? Yes he did, he's a good man, and I love him so.

Onward, let the videos and photos commence!

Chasing and Repousse

I’ve yet to purchase a pitch bowl for chasing and repousse work on copper and someone told me about using non-hardening modeling clay. So I bought a couple of pounds yesterday and will start experimenting sometime today. If all goes well I’ll have some nice designs for a niche I’m starting to build.

New Tools

The Deer Slayer - Mixed Media

Being a Mixed Media Artist means that I own a wide range of tools ranging from my table saw, welders, to sewing machines and needles for hand sewing… oh and then there’s also paint.

Made a trip to The Wood Smith Store in Des Moines yesterday and was able to procure two new card scrapers and a new saw.

The final gallery image belongs to my friend Mary, it’s of a forming board which I’m planning to make this weekend. She used a grinder to create the basic divot and then used card scrapers to finish the divot and then burned it out with a torch to harden the maple. The divot is approximately 5 inches across and 1 1/2 inches deep at its deepest point.

I’m excited about the saw, now I can get into some tight areas to remove dowel end pieces, etc. The guy at The Wood Smith Store said I could use it for cutting dovetails as well, so I’ll be looking this up to confirm whether this is possible or not, I’m looking forward to making niches and clock bodies!

Next up, getting the scroll saw in the garage up and running, and doing a little maintenance on my mini router.

Hand Stitched Hands Project

Starting a new tiny hand stitched piece to work on while relaxing in the evenings.

The Book of Birds

I had a great time recycling cardboard into something usable and pretty! Check out my article at StencilGirl Talk

https://www.stencilgirltalk.com/2021/02/book-of-birds-by-kimberly-baxter.html

Making a Handmade Art Book just for Me!

And it's been a lot of fun, I must say. My next project is making book covers with tooled leather for an art book.

Once this book is finished I'll post photos here. If you've been following me on FB then you know I've been dealing with an elderly cat who has been quite ill. We're finally sorting it out and she's hopefully on the mend. Gus is her name

Doll Making

Found my doll making books, now to figure out which pattern I used to make this Water Nymph.

Worth the Wait

I've been slowly collecting items for a project, new body of work, for the better part of 20 years now and I'm finally at the point where I can start creating now.

And I'm glad I waited, what I have planned will be so much richer than had I begun the project way back when.

Added bonus I've learned some metal smithing and leather working skills recently. One of the things I'll be creating in this project are leather hinges with handmade copper rivets.

Finding treasures

Found this in my office, not sure when and where I procured this lovely little tin, however, it and it's content are quite inspiring.

Making a Small Book

I decided to make a small book of marks I’ll be making onto metal in my new metal studio. This is aluminum flashing and takes marks beautifully so it’ll be easy to discern what the marks are, I’ll write on the cardboard backer which tools I used to make the marks.

Aluminum Crow Ornaments

I started out with some aluminum flashing approximately 7 x 10 inches in size, that my husband was sweet enough to cut down to size for me.

I then traced the crows onto the aluminum using my Three Crows stencil and a black sharpie, if you make a mistake the sharpie rubs off with some water on a paper towel.

I then cut away some of the larger pieces of metal using my flashing sheers.

I kept cutting away until the majority of the metal had been removed from the bird bodies, for the areas around the legs I bently bent the legs a little out of the way to remove the excess next to the birds body.

To finish up I am using a bit of sandpaper, 200 grit, to smooth the edges of each bird.

Punch a hole in the bird, attach a thin leather cord, and hang your ornament in a window, on a branch, etc.

Cyber Monday Stencil Sale!

Check out my stencils at StencilGirl Products!

https://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/stencils-kimberly-baxter-packwood-s/1855.htm

More Organizing

Clearing out under my drawing table so I can put my four supply carts under the table. The brown leather cubes hold fibers for spinning, they can go upstairs to my new weaving and spinning room. Soon it'll be organized so I can start creating and making a glorious mess again!

Spindles for Santos Dolls

He brought me some spindles he reclaimed from a broken wooden chair to use when I start making my Santos dolls which should be sometime next week. I'll sand these spindles and then apply primer, then paint them, then attach to a wooden ring at the top and a wooden disc at the bottom.

I’ve given up on finding my natural dyed fabrics and have decided I just need to dye new fabrics and call it a loss, I have no idea where I put any of it at this point. I was hoping I’d find a stack of it in my office, which I’m clearing out to turn into a fiber studio of sorts… loom, spinning wheel, drum carder, etc., will be set up in there, but alas no hand dyed fabrics. More later.

Fabric is still MIA

But I did come across this box of lovely vintage fabrics and lace. And then I remembered that I have a rather largish basket of natural dyed silk scarves so I will sort those tomorrow, wash, etc.

The weird thing is I'm not sure how I could misplace 300+ yards of natural dyed fabrics, I mean fabric takes up a lot of space!

The printed piece of fabric belonged to my grandmother Baxter.