The creative process!

 

The long awaited rain in the Campbell River area gave opportunity to stay indoors today

I always feel a little guilty that I'm not outside when the sun shines

We have a large garden, which takes a lot of up keep

 

Actually there's no reason I couldn't made driftwood stuff outdoors!

 

 

I let what wood I have collected, guide what the finished boat will look like

I've mentioned before, my first attempted looked like I'd tried too hard

These were never very pleasing!

 

This piece is already angled, so a tug boat seems the obvious choice

 

 

Safety first, I hold in place ready to cut (Love my thrift shop Workmate)

 

 

The rough edge looked great but it would be difficult to attach a cabin

The level surface won't distract from the great shape of this piece

 

 

This piece of wood already has some color so I'll use that

I mark the line to cut using the previously trimmed would to get an accurate angle

 

Next I select a flat piece of driftwood for the cabin roof and cut to size

 

 

Depending on the size of the boat, determines how I will join the cabin to the hull of the boat

One of my prized tools is my hand drill

Purchased on line this allows pre-drilling of delicate pieces of wood

Driftwood can often be unstable

Numerous times the wood will split (Usually followed by a selection of choice words!)

 

I often use a piece of bamboo skewer as a dowel to connect the two pieces

Drill both piece carefully, cut the dowel to size

Hammer into place and a spot of good glue does the trick

 

 

My work contains lots of recycled elements (is that an admission I'm a hoarder?)

Select some nails (I like rusty nails to add character)

 

 

Adding the details is the fun part

Cheap eyelets made great portholes (I've used washers in the past too)

I use 19 gauge black wire to make eyelets to secure wire detail or hold twine details

My set of pliers are another must have, in my tool kit

The Elmer's Tacky Glue is always at hand

The best brand for my craft at least

 

After a couple of hours, a splash of acrylic paint, drilling out a base and...Voila!

 

 

I love it! The natural tones and unpainted finish let you admire the beauty of the woods natural qualities.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Customer Feedback

"Absolutely excellent shopping experience with Simon. Firstly, house itself was made to my specifications and is beautiful. Bigger than expected, and the detail is amazing. It way, way exceeds expectations.

Secondly, considering it was shipped from BC to the UK it arrived quicker than some local post has (not joking).

Thirdly, Simon kept in close contact throughout the process to make sure I was happy with the design and to keep me informed re shipping.

Outstanding Etsy shop. 100% happiness all round from me and will be ordering again."

 

I got this feedback today

I am thrilled that someone loves their little house as much I loved to make it

 

My philosophy with selling my driftwood creations is similar to my own expectations, I am spending my hard earned cash and expect a certain level of service

 

Keeping the customer happy will eventually pay off, return custom and the invaluable word of mouth advertising that sells a product!

 

I am humbly off to create something fabulous!

Weekend Update

 

I am always glad and surprised when I get an order for  my boats and houses on Etsy

This weekend there was a special order for a similar boat to something I had previously made,

and sold

 

This was the draft version for my customer in the U.S

 

The requested addition of portholes, two on each side was very very pleasing

I hope the customer will be pleased too!

 

Starting the weekend right!

 

Finally finished of this trio of Green Tug Boats

Experimenting with some colors and details

I love them!

 

Available at:

 

https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/50thParallel?ref=hdr_shop_menu

 

 

The Pirate Lighthouse

 

Variation on a theme

 

This little creation was for fun

If I'm making 3 lighthouses I might as well make 4!

I think it kinda cute!

What have I been making?

 

More lighthouses have been dispatched!

I get that they are cute (great present for a coastal lover) but I miss the opportunity to make something quirky and more interesting!

 

I had a couple of other requests (pictures to come once delivered), which helped ease my pain

Feedback

 

Opened my email to discover a thank you from a friend

 

He recently retired as a Pharmacist and I made his a plaque that says "Vitamin Sea", he and his wife intend to spend time on their boat this summer

 

What a perfect thank you to include a shot of my gift in situ

 

I am feeling very pleased!

 

 

 

It's the Weekend!

 

Now I am the first to admit that I love a bargain

 

Saw this excellent Workmate Shop Box in a local thrift shop

 

It was calling my name and with a bargain price of $20, I had to buy it

 

 

 

I am very fortunate to live just a five minute walk from the beach

 

So driftwood is an obvious choice for me to craft with

 

I have special place where I collect wood

 

I cannot reveal the location because I covert those special pieces I find and want to keep it secret

 

Projects in production so I must away!

 

 

I must also reveal my last two finished pieces

 

A special order for a special lady, she was thrilled!

 

 

Ice Cream Colored Houses

 

 

and The Wharf

 

More Houses

 

A house for Margaret

 

A house for Andrea

 

 

The joy of a long weekend is plenty of time to get creative

 

These two houses were special requests and have turned out beautifully

 

I used nails for the chimney pots and bark for the roof on the tiny birdhouse

 

The pale colors have really brought out the grain and textures in the wood

 

I hope they love them as much as I do

Quite the production line!

 

Taking advantage of a long weekend to get some orders ready

 

Am really glad that I have chosen to take pictures of the process

 

Looking at the finished product makes me very proud and I have to say the smiles I get from buyers makes the work not seem like work at all!

 

 

These lighthouses are all similar but all slightly different

It's the texture of the wood and the finish that excites me

The working light is just that little extra!

 

This mini cruise liner and lighthouse are for Sue

 

 

 

and this is a retirement gift for a friend who is an avid boater!

 

What next?

 

 

A Fathers Day gift idea. What do you think?

 



 

 

Smörgåsbord for the weekend

 

 

Finally the weekend is here and I will have sometime to get creative.

It appears that I have a wide variety of projects on the go

The rainbow plate of half painted boat hulls fills me with joy

The joy that these little pieces of driftwood discarded by the tide will become a little treasure to be displayed with pride, admired and coveted.

I guess that's part of the fun to get creative!

 



OMG, what have I started!

OMG, what have I started!

It's the first Saturday of Spring, so it seems appropriate to start a new project. From the simple collection of driftwood (see above) I have been able to create some super little driftwood boats. I am quite the enthusiastic crafter and like to share my creations with friends and work folk. Their interest and modestly I confess praise led me to opening 50th Parallel on Etsy. To date I've sold nothing on-line, but have made a number of cash sales to friends and one international sale, which I proudly packaged and posted this week.

 



 

My process is really quite simple. Collect the driftwood (let it dry out and cut to size)

I am inspired by the shape of the wood and have a vision of what the finished boat (or creation) will look like

Choose a color (I use regular craft acrylic)

 

Adding the detail, such as the cabin, then guides me how to embellish the item to create my vision

 

Adding more color and detail such as the window move the process along

 

I like to use found items (metal from the beach, nails from the old shed we took down) to create more detail

 

Thin gauge wire is my friend (it is so versatile!)

Add the details and find a suitable base (Bark chips from the beach are awesome)

Voila!