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The Shadar

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PSA [17 Nov 2008|11:33am]
LJ will be down tomorrow as they are moving servers.
Here's the link-

http://news.livejournal.com/111137.html
2 Icy Footprints| Walk through the flames?

[30 Oct 2008|08:31am]
Copy this sentence into your LiveJournal if you're in a heterosexual marriage, and you don't want it "protected" by the bigots who think that gay marriage hurts it somehow.
3 Icy Footprints| Walk through the flames?

The Second Rare Public Post [13 Jun 2008|01:00pm]
[ mood | happy ]

Ok- so, I am going to SELF tonight, thanks to SJW. I can't say how much I appreciate their generosity and understanding in this manner.

Thanks to Kendell and Ziggy for making this happen

1 Icy Footprint| Walk through the flames?

The Rare Public Post- [12 Jun 2008|09:10am]
[ mood | grateful ]

I've done this on [info]archers_elegant's journal, and I want to do it here-

In regards to the situation regarding this weekend at SELF- I would like to thank all the suggestions, offers for help, and attempts for solutions. 

My Interpetation [04 Jun 2008|12:58pm]

Pyzam Family Sticker Toy
Create your own family sticker graphic at pYzam.com

3 Icy Footprints| Walk through the flames?

Today's Tweets [23 May 2008|10:08pm]
  • 11:08 Not much going on today- I'm trying to figure out why I'm waking up with such dry mouth #
  • 11:08 And sore throat- and a cough. This flu thing I had seems to want to hang on #
  • 11:17 Yay- figured out loud twitter. I feel like such a noob #
  • 11:52 Bored...bored bored bored. #
  • 11:56 did i mention bored? all of 10% of my building is here today and i've done the have to get dones already #
  • 12:25 Waxing appointment made, I must get the hair off my down there!! :) #
  • 14:11 People piss me off. #
  • 14:11 This is not unusual- but they really really upset me some days. It upsets me more when I can't do anything about it #
  • 15:43 And waxed I am. :) This makes me happy #
Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter
Walk through the flames?

I found this today and felt it deserved a reposting. [28 Feb 2008|04:52pm]
[ mood | sick ]

Give your pet a big hug or go out and get one from the shelter. Oh yeah, and spay or neuter your current pet(s). )

5 Icy Footprints| Walk through the flames?

Public Post- Boot blacking [27 Jan 2008|10:40pm]
[ mood | thoughtful ]

I will remember to make shine time.
*grin* that's one's for you [info]archers_elegant

A lot of- well too much- time has passed and I need to get on the stick here. Elegant asked me to write up a guide for first time boot shiners for a high shine boot. I had a blast doing it. I'm sure that some tweaking needed to be done- but it made me realize how much I've learned over the last few months, and in Elegant's classes. I just sat at the computer, closed my eyes and typed. Yes, I typed the whole thing with my eyes closed.

[info]tpv's boots are still begging for more attention. I'm going to work on them through out the week and take them to Elegant's on Thursday to see what she thinks. Even un-finished, to me they look better than they did when I first got a hold of them.

1 Icy Footprint| Walk through the flames?

Public Post- Boot Blacking [08 Jan 2008|10:21am]
Well- time certainly got away from me with my bootblacking posts.

Currently, I am working on a pair of [info]tpv's old marine boots. The good thing about this is it allows me time to practice filling in gouges. These boots were torn to hell and back, and look a lot better if I do say so myself :) There was a huge gouge in the toe, which I filled with magic leather dust and now I'm working on sanding it down to match the smoothness of the rest of the boot. I think I'm going to get some fine grit sandpaper and wet it a little bit to get the rest of the patch smoothed down.

My shine time with [info]archers_elegant this week consisted of us playing with some leather and dye. :D I had a lot of fun there, learning that if you dye a piece of leather, it needs to be dampened first so the water can create a path in the leather for the dye to follow. This is called a deep dye.

I'm also working on a homework assignment- how to give a boot a high shine for beginners. It's due tomorrow and I'm cracking on it :)
4 Icy Footprints| Walk through the flames?

Public Post- Boot Blacking [10 Dec 2007|07:31am]
[ mood | happy ]

All I can say is Holy Crap what a rush!!!!

I don't know if the original plan was to have me blacking at Twisted Toyland on Saturday, but I did. I did all the boots, save one. I got to work on my first pair of oiltans and a pair of boots made of garment leather. I made a pair of 10 year old Doc Martens look about 5 years younger!

The people were awesome and very understanding that I'm still learning. I told everyone that sat in the chair that I am [info]archers_elegant's apprentice and I thanked everyone for letting me learn on their boots. A lot of pleasant conversation was had. I really cannot wait until my next public boot blacking.

Things I learned were- While cleaning a boot with saddle soap- clean an area and then wipe it down because some leathers like garment leather just soak up the water and soap mix. This isn't good for the leather. Oiltans are the most awesome things to work on. Boot cream really does boots a lot of good, when used properly. And if a person is getting their every day boots worked on- it's not prudent to completely fix the gauges because the patches can just pop right out. Oh- and Sharpies are you friend!

I really did have a good time. My friend [info]tpv wants me to get his old marine corp combat boots spic and span, so I think the next time I go to Elegant's, I'm going to take them with me. :)

11 Icy Footprints| Walk through the flames?

Public Post-Bootblacking [03 Dec 2007|06:39pm]
[ mood | accomplished ]

Last Thursday I had a session with Elegant to discuss my boot's progress and go over my research questions that she gave me.

I could not for the life of me get my boot to high shine. I polished and polished and polished, and while it looked better and felt smoother, the leather was still very grooved. Now, that's not to say that the leather was of poor quality. Anything under "top grain" leather is suede- or turn out. This particular boot had a good bit of grooving in the leather. So the regular polishing wasn't filling in those grooves as it should have been. (This is what Elegant taught me Thursday). So what we had to do to get that high shine was take some wax and put it on the boot, but don't polish- then heat the wax slightly with a lighter. What this does is melt the wax so it will fill in those grooves in the leather. You have to be really careful with this because you can burn the leather if you aren't. So, melt the wax slightly, then polish until you see the shine. add another coat of wax and polish. then wax, melt, polish, then extra coat of wax. wash rinse repeat until the grooves are filled in and looking sexy.

I was scared of doing this at first because the results weren't immediate. However after a few meltings, the boot starting shaping up and looking very high shine. There is still work to be done before Twisted Toyland on Saturday, but it will get there. I'm very excited about this boot.

Speaking of Twisted Toyland- I might get to boot black in addition to observing! I'm very excited about this because I need all the practice I can get. I haven't worked with oiltans yet, or no high shines. *happy dance*

5 Icy Footprints| Walk through the flames?

Public Post- Boot Blacking [25 Nov 2007|10:07pm]
[ mood | accomplished ]

Today, I went to [info]archers_elegant's house for our first Boot Blacking session. It turned out to be not so much about boots but more of a few hours of good conversation which is always good.

However, I was sent home with two home work assignments-
1. Work on the right boot of a pair of boots. high shine the toe and heel caps- repair scratches.
2. research assignment questions.

Well as far as part 1 goes, I've conditioned the inside of the boot, so now it is more pliable and not as rigid. This will come in handy in preventing the leather from cracking around the heel and tongue too early. Normal wear and tear on a boot will cause cracking, even for the most well cared boots, however what you want to try to do is extend the life of the boot. I've also put one coat of polish on the entire boot and 4 coats on the toe and heel caps. It doesn't have a high shine like I would like yet, however I believe it's getting there. The boots were acquired from the thrift store. They are in great condition, but were not well cared for. I need to mention here that the boots had already been cleaned with saddle soap when I got them. Right now I'm letting the boot rest- it's had a rough day being conditioned and all :) I'll take another shot at it tomorrow during Heroes :)

Walk through the flames?

stolen from [info]archers_elegant [17 Aug 2007|03:11pm]
[ mood | amused ]

Dear Pets )

3 Icy Footprints| Walk through the flames?

The best cat macro EVAR [06 Jun 2007|01:13pm]
[ mood | amused ]

Riding Dirty

5 Icy Footprints| Walk through the flames?

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