Heather Moreton of Desert Night Creations Miniatures Blog

The Studio Chair Saga

noreply@blogger.com (Heather M.) — Sat, 9 Aug 2025 09:59:00 -0400

If you’ve ever tried to replace a beloved piece of furniture, you know the emotional rollercoaster I’ve been on. For me, it’s been a long, exhausting, borderline absurd quest to find a replacement for my 30+ year-old barrel/tub/club-style chair.

The chair. WIth Cover. Far too scary to show the public wihout the cover...

This chair came to me in 1993 as part of a couch and coffee table set, and it’s been with me through everything — sketching, braiding, crying, recovering, eating dinner. It’s the perfect height, the perfect shape, and somehow, despite its age, still more comfortable than anything I’ve sat in in the past year.

What makes it truly irreplaceable is how perfectly it fits my workspace — because I built my workspace to match the height of the chair. My desk mimics a watchmaker’s bench: low, compact, and built for detail work. And this chair is the only one I’ve ever found that’s the right height for it. Everything else is too tall, too deep, too stiff. I just want something comfy, the right width, and the right height. That’s it.

It’s survived countless moves. At one point, when I moved from Shelbyville back to Louisville, I left it behind, thinking I’d easily find a replacement. I couldn’t. After a month of trying every chair in the new house — dining chairs, office chairs, even a folding one — I found I couldn’t. I completely underestimated the importance of this chair in my artwork.

We contacted the new owners of the house we’d sold (with the chair and couch still in it) and asked if we could buy back that one chair. Miraculously, they said yes.

perfect height for my work desk.

already wearing out the cover

There were two chairs originally… and man, I wish I’d bought both.

Over the last five years, I’ve kept an eye out for a new one — hoping something would pop up that felt right. But everything is either close-but-not-quite or wildly off the mark. I took measurements and went to every nearby furniture store that may have this type of chair and measured and measured and none of them were even close.

More to the point, I sit in this chair cross legged sometimes. So the chair has to be big enough for me to do that. Also, sometimes one of my cats INSISTS on supervising my work up close, so there has to be room for me AND a cat. Lol. But it can't be too big that it takes up my entire space... The height is also VERY important.. I have to be able to reach all of my little cabinets and drawers and be in a perfect spot to see my work on my desk..

Now, my chair is disintegrating. The original cloth is worn down to threads, and it’s been living under a chair cover for years. I even spilled black dye all over it at one point — a permanent badge of usefulness, that no amount of scrubbing could fix. The frame creaks, the cushion sags, and the whole thing feels like it’s held together by hope, willpower, steel springs, and a little arty magic. I don’t even know if I could ask someone to recover it — they’d probably take one look and say, “Ewww… I’m not touching that, lady.”

So for now, the barrel/tub/club chair lives on. A little saggy, a little squeaky, a little stained — but still working.

If anyone out there has found a magical chair that feels like a hug, fits a low desk, and doesn’t cost a small fortune, I’m all ears...

Me and my ADHD brain

noreply@blogger.com (Heather M.) — Wed, 6 Aug 2025 15:09:00 -0400

(Not intended in any way as medical advice. This is just my experience.)
When I was a kid, I was diagnosed with ADHD. This was in the early 1980s and no one really knew what that meant at the time. I don't think my parents believed the drs either. I was labeled as careless, lazy, "Not living up to her potential". My parents disappointment in me was palpable.
My school years were entirely miserable. From the first grade on. I remember it. I legitimately thought I was stupid. This was due to the fact that I never thought like anyone else I knew, I had constant racing thoughts, rejection sensitivity (shut down if anyone criticized me at all), some terrible rumination and I was constantly grounded from about 3rd grade on.
A drawing from 8th grade. "New Year"

Art was my refuge. I drew horses- ALLLL of the time. I could make a horse out of anything. Any craft object I was given, I made a horse. Any blank piece of paper, I drew a horse. When I was supposed to be taking notes, I would draw landing steeplechasers down the side of the paper.(because I have ADHD and it's far more fun to draw horses instead of listen to whatever the teacher was trying to say)

One time I had an art teacher tell my art class that: "If I gave you all a blank piece of paper, you wouldn't know what to do with it". So she gave the entire class a blank piece of paper. I drew an arabian charger with a bedouin on his back. :) No pictures, no prompts.. just what was in my head..
In order to keep my parents apprised in how I was doing in school, I had to carry an official piece of paper to each class and hand it to the teacher at the start, so they could record whether or not I did my homework (SO rare). Then I had to remember to pick it up at the end of class. This was absolute torture. A neurotypical's solution for how to handle my brain. A task I could never EVER consistently complete. ("Lets give a kid with memory problems something critical to remember!") I forgot to pick up that paper more times than I remembered it. Every time I left it at school(daily) my parents were livid and I would be grounded. I genuinely think this has contributed to my tendency to be a hermit now.
Depression obviously followed.(by 9th grade-thats another story- I am genetically predisposed to depression). Turns out, being constantly told I was that much of a failure was bad for my self esteem

I did go to college for a short period of time but It was too overwhelming. I loved my art classes there though! I worked very very hard in them..

I moved on with my life and forgot about having adhd. I still knew that I was different but I thought everyone's brain was the same way mine is and I just couldn't handle life. I struggled mightily with every day tasks but I was able to come up with coping mechanisms that for the most part that masked my ADHD.(although at the time I didn't know thats what I was doing) Not completely mind you, I still forgot things and still had all of the obvious symptoms but again, I chalked that up to just being dumb.
I learned to play pool pretty well(I still play!). I learned photography. I learned how to earn respect and praise at a job by working hard. I learned to triple check my work. (most of the time)
ONe of my favorite photos that I took.

I learned as I hit my 30s that I'm not as dumb as I thought I was. I am actually fairly clever but I do not come to the same conclusions about things, the same way other people do. I started working in IT because it was easy for me to pick up. Maybe not necessarily the deep workings at that point, but if you gave me a piece of paper with the instructions on it I could follow it to the letter, perfectly and eventually expand on them.

one of my very early saddles owned by Rosemary Simeon

I bought a Rio Rondo Western saddle kit and it taught me how to make saddles. At the time, I was already making halters and bridles (something I also had done as a kid) but that saddle kit opened whole new world for me.. A new passion, and the confidence that maybe I really wasn't stupid, maybe I have a brain that was meant to do art and I've been forcing it to do other things. It was literally life changing for me. Miniature tack became my Zen and my lifeline to be able to recover each evening and each weekend from the trauma (I said trauma and I mean it) from working and having to deal with the outside world every day. I still didn't know why I couldn't function "like everyone else" but my miniatures helped keep my soul happy.
Miniature Arabian Native Halter that was woven on a loom

I learned miniature leather tooling, braidwork, silver working, weaving - I found that if I could come up with an idea on how to make something, I could make it happen! I eventually was able to look at a piece of tack and for the most part, know how it was made.

In my late 30s I started working for an amazing company that fufilled a community need and was not focused on dollars but on people and making their lives better. The culture was pretty good too and I was given the proper training for things and I flourished. I realized maybe I'm smarter than I thought and I was finally able to teach myself and learn new things without fear. I was supported and they constantly threw new things at me that I was actually able to, and wanted to, learn...
I realized that maybe I just needed to be taught how to do things differently... Hands on, with specific directions so that I could memorize what I was doing and eventually expand past it.

I was feeling pretty good about things until I hit menopause. HOLY SH*T did things change.. As a woman's hormones shift, the effect on concentration and brain function change dramatically. That has definitely happened with me.

Intense Dementia-like Brain fog. Weight Gain from ravenous appetite. Sleep Disturbances to the point where I couldn't even get through a day without a nap; Let alone sleep through the night. Forgetting Everything- including setting up reminders to NOT forget. Not able to concentrate for long periods of time. Hot flashes. Frustration. Imgine working with all men and having to even try to explain any of that.(and I didn't.. I was ashamed of being female and "older") I had a boss that I confided in at the time about my brain fog and in my year end review he mentioned it as a reason that my performance wasn't up to par.

I was also struggling with making things. I literally could not focus for a 30 minutes in a row. I woud do a knot and then have to surf the web on my phone. Then do another knot and surf the web on my phone. Entire saturdays just flew by like this with little progress on my miniatures work.

I see why in the "olden times", older women just drank Laudanum and sat around and slowly went "insane". lol
I knew about hot flashes but not the rest of it. At first I really thought I had dementia and that things were very very very very wrong and it was so scary. I had no support for it really, anywhere. Most OB/GYN practices are baby focused, not menopause focused. Thankfully there was one dr at my ob/gyn that prescribed some HRT for me but it still doesn't help everything.

Then, the company I worked for—a place that did a lot of community good and had a decent culture—was bought by a giant corporation that couldn’t have been more different. The only thing in my life at that time, that was stable (other than my son) was my job.
Everything at work was the same for a while but starting in January 2024, I had a new role thrust on me. There was no relevent training for my new role and no supportive company culture. I've had to fight to gain new knowledge and try like hell to learn on the side. So much of what I went through (and am still going through) mimic'd the failure I felt in school. But i'm trying and striving to learn every day now that I know that I CAN learn..

Last summer, after conferring with a new therapist (BLESS HER) I went to get re-tested for ADHD. Shockingly, the tests stated that I have ADHD. But I GET IT this time. Now science knows SO MUCH MORE about the ADHD Brain.

First and formost, the adhd brain is not a chemical imbalance. It is a Brain type. ADHD Brains are formed differently than a neurotypical brain. (you can google this) Why does this matter to me? Because I am exactly who my brain has dictated I be. I cannot be anyone else. I cannot function in any other way than how I am functioning now. Good or bad. This is who I am. There is SO MUCH DEEP comfort in that knowledge.

Secondly, the effect of menopause on the ADHD brain is dramatic. My ADHD now is about 1000% worse than it's ever been in my life. It is severe. There is no way I can deny it now. I have had to completely refactor my life. I am not the person I was in my 30s or 40s. In fact the way that person in my 30's and 40s functioned is impossible for me now. I have a new reality. I am learning how to handle my life all over again. I can no longer mask. I can no longer strive to be "normal" every day and act "normal" every day. My emotions are deeper (like how? they were deep before?) and I just let them ride now instead of tucking them away and feeling them later like I used to be able to do.
I read a LOT of posts on reddit about adhd and menopause. It is so cathartic to finally feel like I'm not alone. It has also helped me make sense of what I'm going through along with my therapist.

One good thing about my company though, is that I can work from home. My therapist gave me a work accomodation letter stating that I needed to work from home due to my depression and ADHD. Without that I would probably be without a job.. At home I can 100% control my surroundings and I actually work longer and harder. Before that, I was having panic attacks before going into work. It all felt so overwhelming and complicated to get up, get breakfast, get a shower, do my hair and makeup, and drive into work. I was getting stomach cramps and migraines every single day. Then I would sweat profusely which would undo all of the work on my hair and makeup. I was a downright puddle of mess.. I'm so grateful that I can work from home during this time.

I am better now than I was 2 or 3 years ago. Even better now than I was last year. I have made some pretty big changes in my life (see two posts ago) and I am now able to work on my miniatures with a little more focus. And they bring me SO MUCH JOY!!! Now more than ever.

Please stay tuned to see new works.. :) I know this was a long "blah blah" post but thanks for reading to the end :)

Kelli's Bosalita, Bridle and Reins

noreply@blogger.com (Heather M.) — Sat, 2 Aug 2025 09:18:00 -0400

In December 2023, I held a lottery for a custom bosal slot, and it was won by longtime customer Kelli K. In January, she sent me a beautiful reference photo of a true bridle horse — a horse trained in the Vaquero tradition, where progress is slow, intentional, and deeply respectful of the horse’s development.
A bridle horse is taught over time to eventually “pack a spade” — the iconic spade bit used in traditional western horsemanship. The horse begins its journey in a thick bosal as a youngster, then gradually transitions to thinner bosals as it matures. Some horses stay in bosals their whole lives, while others become full bridle horses like the one in Kelli’s photo. Even though he is a full bridle horse, he still wears a bosalita — not for control, but as a gentle reminder of head position. That detail really resonated with me and shaped the direction of the piece.

Kelli and I exchanged many emails discussing colors, textures, and overall look. She chose dark brown as the accent for the bosalita, with a herringbone interweave on either side and dark brown in the center. The base color was a lovely artificial rawhide from Land of Odds (I think!) — a shade I hadn’t used before, but I was thrilled with how it split and braided up. It had a beautiful finish and gave the piece a warm, authentic feel

My Crude Plan Drawing

Practice things and the start of kelli's reins

one of the attempts at a bosalita. this was too thick.

Kelli and I decided that the no color interweave was best.

bosalita, almost done. I interwove each side individually and then interwove the middle with the same color thread.

The first attempt turned out too thick, so I had to start over — without any groundwork. (For those unfamiliar, groundwork refers to laying string or rawhide underneath a knot to give it shape and structure.) I was so happy with how the interweave turned out, especially since it was the first time I’d done it in this particular way. Definitely keeping that technique in my back pocket for future use.

Finished bosalita.. looks a little lopsided here but it's not.. just needed to even out the heel knot.

Finished Bosalita and finished reins

finished matching mecate

The whole set finished!

I actually started writing this post sometime last year, right after I finished the set. I was so happy when Kelli received it and really liked it! That’s always the most important thing to me — do my customers love what they receive?

Let's Catch Up Shall we!?

noreply@blogger.com (Heather M.) — Fri, 1 Aug 2025 16:02:00 -0400

It’s been over a year since I last posted — May 27, 2024, to be exact. And in that time, things in my life have changed dramatically.

I guess I’m always striving for more happiness and balance, but I’m really terrible at it… so when I feel it's time, I take big jumps.

This past year has tested me in ways I didn’t expect — emotionally and mentally. My day-to-day work is mentally demanding, and it drains me more and more as time goes on. Outside of that, I had to make a difficult decision to step away from a situation that no longer honored my peace.

I told a friend recently that there have been many more rock bottoms than I ever anticipated — but somehow, I kept climbing.

Now, I’m in a new house, with a new studio. Shockingly, it’s more organized than I’ve ever been! I still need to paint it a brighter color (my shoulder has other plans), but even as-is, it’s become a space where I can breathe and create again.

I’ve started making small works in it — like The Culprit, a bridle I’ve been wrestling with for over a year. If you read that post, you’ll know this piece has been a lesson in patience, persistence, and a little bit of madness. But in April, something finally clicked. Once I figured out the side knots, I understood how to do the longer knots — and that opened up a whole new level of possibility. I even challenged myself further by making a fully braided browband for it.

It won’t be for sale because the thread on one side is so much older than the other, it’s a different color… lol. But it still looks good in photos! I started a breastcollar to match, but I got excited about another project and abandoned that for now.
"the Culprit" finally finished!

I haven’t made another mecate yet, but I have everything set up and ready to go.
Earlier this year, I had a lot of mental plans to enter the Breyer tack contest, but as time went on, I realized I just didn’t have the energy or focus. I did make some experimental little bosals like this one to practice for what I had been planning to make. I originally meant for it to be a bosalita, but it’s just too big for a bosalita and too thin for a bosal. Still, I really like the two-color interweave on the nose button

Recently, I’ve been itching to make a new working-type saddle to pair with the bridle. I’ve been learning how to properly tool some Sheridan Style tooling, and I’ve had help behind the scenes from Evelyn Mundey — one of the masters of tooling in 1:9th scale. Thanks to her, I feel like I’m leveling up my game.

Some of my tooling practice

I also had a wonderful visit with Susan Bensema Young the week after BreyerFest. I was feeling really down, and her visit truly brightened my day — as always. It was so nice to reconnect.

As I settle into this new chapter, I’m realizing how much I want to feel less isolated. I’ve spent so long in survival mode that I’ve missed more than I’d like to admit — especially with my son. He’s 17 now, nearly grown, and I feel like I blinked and so much of his childhood slipped past me. But now, I have time. I can give him my time. I want to get to know him again, not just as my child, but as the young man he’s becoming.

I want to move more, feel better in my body, and rebuild a life that’s not just about getting through — but about being present, connected, and whole.

What does an artist do when there is a storm?

noreply@blogger.com (Heather M.) — Sun, 26 May 2024 12:03:00 -0400

Last night and this afternoon, there is/was a huge wave of storms that flew across the midwest and south in the US. I was terrified for my friends on Facebook last night that lived out in Nebraska, Kansas and North Texas. Post after post about giant tornados and storms ripping through. It was late too, like 10:30pm central and I worried for them.

I haven't had time to see reports of damage today, I read that there was a few different giant tornados that came through those areas. I hoped everyone was/is ok.

As I sit here and wait for the warnings to go off here, I was thinking about what I do when storms like this are forecast. I Grab all of my current work and take it to the basement with me. I know that seems silly but the work I have current represents hours and hours of work and if the worst happens, I want to know that it's safe and that I can start on it again. I want to have some things that are "normal" just in case.

This saddle took me about 5 years to complete because of my life being uprooted and upheaved while making it. I took it to the basement every time there was a storm. I couldn't bear the thought of it being destroyed after it took so long to make.

I also take my tackbox full of my tack and others' tack to the basement with me because a lot of my work is in there, and It would crush me to see it destroyed.

Where I live is in a valley. We have been so fortunate that most of the storms go around us. It's sometimes like we have our own weather pattern. I hope that is the case again today and I hope that everyone in the outlying areas are spared any damage.

What to you take to the basement during a storm?

Sunday Sunday Blah Blah

noreply@blogger.com (Heather M.) — Sun, 19 May 2024 11:45:00 -0400

As you may or may not have gathered from my other posts, I'm trying to figure out a way to do art full time. Or maybe part time- and work part time. I am an IT person so part time IT work isn't really a thing.

On my miniatures website, I've been trying to retake "cleaner" photos of the work I do still own. I am not as good as professional photographer that is practiced in taking photos of products. I'm trying to use the lifetime of experience that I have with photography though to take at least BETTER photos than the phone snaps I've been using with clean backgrounds.

Mostly my website is a portfolio site for my miniatures. I have a custom domain and since I don't sell over there on that site it's a reasonable fee. I've tried testing out other web hosting providers but using a custom domain makes it a bit more expensive than average and Smugmug is actually the cheapest.

https://www.desertnightcreations.com

I'd like to share a few of the new photos I've taken recently with you:

I am working on a Private project for a customer- The winner of the December Custom Bosal Lottery that I can't share yet so I don't have as much as usual to talk about. BUT I am also working on the green show bosal here and there.. and I have finished up, finally, after years and years.. a friends braided bridle. She is going to show at Equilocity this year and has offered to show some of my work.

Also I still have the Royal Blue, Black and White Bosal at auction and it ends monday evening (eastern time) SO Grateful for everyone that has bid and that supports my work.. It helps to inspire me to make more!!

Royal BLue, Black and WHite Bosal

I hope you've had a good week and Happy Sunday!

The Royal Blue black and White bosal is For sale at auction!

noreply@blogger.com (Heather M.) — Fri, 17 May 2024 10:56:00 -0400

Seriously I'm SUCH a goof.. lolol I totally forgot to Blog that this bosal/Hackamore/Mecate are at auction on Model Horse Place!

LINK TO BOSAL AUCTION

The auction ends on monday so you have plenty of time to bid early and bid often! Lolol!!

Please enjoy these photos! I've been trying to "up my game" with photographing my work in a more "arty" setting but I couldn't resist taking at least a couple of photos of it on my Palomino Lady Phase!

Process of the Royal Blue, White and Black Bosal 2024

noreply@blogger.com (Heather M.) — Sat, 4 May 2024 08:43:00 -0400

If you're like me you love seeing process. Or watching Process. Or reading about someone's process. I find it all fascinating and inspiring.

This post is for those that are like me and love process. I hope that it inspires you in some small way.. OR makes you laugh..

In my previous post, about "The Culprit" knot I explained how I wanted to figure out a way to recreate the "solid" braid look on horse gear like this:

"The Culprit" knot was the first knot like the knotwork on the tack above that I tried. Needless to say, that failed and I sort of decided to lay off that idea for a bit until I felt like I could execute it better. I REALLY should've tried to do something easier first..

This is going to be the long way around so stick with me- Earlier this year I thought about entering the Breyer Custom Tack division at Breyerfest. I started to pour over western pleasure saddles- particularly the Harris Custom Saddles and Miguel Aguilar saddles.

I have always sort of "danced" around sheridian "style" tooling on my saddles- in each one of my older western saddles with tooling I see the influence of the sheridan pattern. I am also inspired by several other mini tackmakers that make sheridan tooling look beautiful in our scale. I set out to make a fully tooled western pleasure set for the Breyerfest Contest. I started to practice and learn sheridan tooling by watching videos and drawing, and drawing and drawing. I finally came up with what I thought was a really beautiful pattern and I was so excited about it. But then I tried to tool it and I found that I had made it waaaayyy too complicated to be able to tool in 1:9 scale. (I could probably do it in 1:6th though).

I was very very disappointed in myself. I had worked so hard and now I felt pretty deflated. To "console" myself I thought "well maybe if I work on the bosal bridle for that set, it'll give me time to heal and get back to it."

Which brought me to the thought of making a black bosal with a black nosebutton that would be interwoven with another color. ( I haven't decided on that yet)

Again, I wanted that "solid" color look but I remember the many lessons from "the culprit" and decided I needed to have more experience of what a long, interwoven button looked like, and "felt" like while I was making it. Knowing the difference between an interweave string and the "core knot" string is crucial when you are interweaving with the same color thread as your knot.

The way I learn best is by doing. Even if that means that I have to do something over and over again to the point of where it would annoy other people. This is just how I learn. (I have ADHD- I have learned that I am a slow learner but once I learn something I expand on it and know it well)

Again the knot that defeated me loomed in my head.

Then I came up with an idea- what if I made a bosal with a two color interweave, so that I could SEE the interweave and then learn and feel what the knot is like when making it. A visual representation of how the knot goes with two colors, then maybe I could go back to the same color.

This lead me to the royal blue, white and black bosal. I don't know why I keep choosing those colors.. I love blue and it's easy to see and a black interweave just makes sense in my head.

While learning about the long casa knots I learned how I could do "groundwork". Thats what Gail Hought calls in her books. That term didn't mean much to me until the last year or so... I had always thought that in small scale, to do groundwork was impossible or at least something I didn't need to do.

Then I worked on my 1:6 scale bridle and found that I could easily do groundwork in that scale on the reins and while doing that, I figured out how I could possibly do it in 1:9th scale. I had already started doing groundwork when making the Dk Brown Braided bridle by "puffing" up the ends with a knot underneath using the same color thread. But this time, with this bosal, I really wanted to mimic the look of a real bosal with the thicker noseband and the rounded side buttons.

I settled on an opposite colored string underneath the knot and wrapped it around the bosal core. Then I made two knots on either end and wove my nosebutton over top. I used a gazillion part 4 bight casa knot (with 9 Runs)since using the 6 bight "culprit" knot had previously kicked my butt.. lol This gave me the look that I wanted.

When you interweave a knot, you have to make sure that the base knot is looser than you would have it when it's finished. This is because with the interweave, the knot gets tighter and tighter. If it gets too tight you can't interweave it anymore.

I started the royal blue interweave and while I was working on that interweave, I decided (because obviously just doing the one interweave just wasn't hard enough) that I was definitely going to teach myself to add a second interweave. The second interweave proved very challenging, especially on the ends. It took a few days of trial and error before I was able to complete it.

I was pretty pleased at this point and my self esteem had been restored! At first on the side buttons I used a 7 part 6bight turks head knot and double interweaved it.. but it was too bulky so I went back to a 5 part 4 bight knot and double interweaved that instead.. I also used "Groundwork" underneath those knots to give them a rounder look.

Then onto the heel knot! I normally do 8 bight 9part knots here but I went one higher this time and went 10 bight 11part turks head knot. And it worked out somehow! lol The first interweave was pretty easy to get in but the second color interweave- well that was harder because the knot got really tight.. but I think it turned out pretty good :)

and then to the "hanger" with an "ear loop".

Unfortunately, the leather that i used at first discolored this little bosal a little bit. I posted to my heather moreton of desert night creations facebook page and let everyone know that I would need to restart this bosal over. They assured me that I was being overly perfectionist and that in real life horse tack gets dirty! They also told me that the discoloration was not noticable and that they would be interested in it anyway! (I was so happy! Lol)

I remade the leather hanger and used commercially dyed leather. Then I put a few matching knots on the sides and on the earloop and then put in a little tassel. I love making the little tassels on the ear pieces because I feel like it's a nice little detail. On this bosal hanger I also used small watch screws to mimic the "Chicago Screws" sometimes used on tack. I think it has a nice working tack look but could also be used for "show" if someone wanted to. I'm always delighted and amazed at what my customers come up with!

Now I am at the point to where I need to make a mecate. My new mecates are made using a fringe maker. My hands could not take twisting and keeping proper tension of the strings so I needed to go for a mechanical solution. I use the fringe maker to twist the individual strands and then after the strands have sat twisted for a few days I twist them all together... but here is one of the many hard parts of doing that- you have to watch tension and the width of all of the strings- it all has to be same or the thinnest string will "disappear" inside the others. Last summer I made probably made close to 25 little mecates by trial and error before I came up with some kind of procedure that produced a good mecate twice in a row. I had some help too from Anthony in that he made me some little tools for it. I also typed some stream of consciousness notes to so that I could remember all of the little things I needed to do..

I won't describe exactly how I make my mecates because honestly I'm constantly changing them and they are really difficult for me to do.. let alone explain.. I also have to be VERY awake and focused to make them correctly or all of my hard work will be for nothing and I have to start over... I totally sweat buckets while making them because I'm so worried it'll fail..

When the mecate is done and the Hackamore/Bosal is ready to sell I'll let everyone know on my facebook page and on here! It will be auctioned off on Model Horse Place Thanks for reading this far!

The Bridle that Was mean to me- AKA the Culprit

noreply@blogger.com (Heather M.) — Tue, 30 Apr 2024 15:32:00 -0400

About a two years ago I learned how to make a "Casa knot". Which is just a longer turks head knot than the 7part 6 bight or 9part 8 bight turks head knots I was used to making.. I was inspired by Tom Hall's More Turks head knots book. I Saw that Susan Bensema Young had used this book to teach herself how to do Casa knots about 10 years ago. I felt like my bosals needed a "level up" and I needed to learn to make a proper nose button.

After a LOT of trial and error I finally learned how to make a casa knot. I created several new type pieces (to me) with braidwork on them. Most Notably Sue's Saddle Tan Colored Bridle and A Dk Brown Bridle I made to keep (FOR ONCE! LOL) so that I'd have an example of my work.

I felt like these were a triumph at the time! Not only did I manage a long knot, I learned to also interweave it! I'm still sort of proud of myself about that.

Although I was/am proud of the above work, I wanted to work on being able to make a knot and get that "solid" knot look.

So I tried a bunch of things. I tried really complicated casa knots- For instance the bosal below with the brown nosebutton- that nosebutton is so small, and so complicated, that I can't even see the structure well enough to interweave it. It will stay plain but the side buttons and heel knot are interwoven.

I tried looser casa knots with the same color "backgrounding" or Ground work (the green bosal above employs this method). I am really happy with how that looks but of course, in the back of my head, I decided that I really needed to figure out how to do a same color interweave to mimic the nosebutton on a real life bosal.

Which lead me to:

THE CULPRIT AKA the Mean Knot

The above bridle I have been working on, on and off for over a year. The shank/bridle piece on the left, I finished a year ago. This is a "Giant" casa knot (I can't remember the parts) with 6 bights, interwoven with the same colored thread. It was so hard.. There is so much to learn with doing such intricate braidwork on a smaller scale on 3/32nds" leather lace with the same color interweave. I tried over and over and over and over and over again and finally, I was able to make that beautiful knot on the Left. I loved it! I was so excited!! I daydreamed about all of the tack I could make that way! SO Proud of myself..( ALSO maybe I could eventually interweave it!?) Then I went to the piece on the right. And there I have been stuck for over a year. I kept mentally beating myself up because the first one "Came so easy" (ha!) "WHY can't I just duplicate it on the other one!?". I think I tried for at least a month - every night coming into my studio and trying to make a matching piece. NO DICE! Either I missed a string and the whole thing was off or the knot became too tight as I was interweaving. Also with a knot that tight, the leather beneath it eventually gets destroyed. Not only did I have to CUT the knot off, every 3rd or 4th try I had to redo the leather too. Since this was a project just for me, so that I could learn, I eventually put it down so that I could move onto other things that I could finish. (And that didn't steal my self-esteem)

At the end of March of this year, I picked it up again to see if I could finish it. I have had a lot more practice with casa knots and with interweaving so SURELY I could make a matching piece! And I did! Unfortunately it was a 4 bight instead of a 6- because I forgot I had made a six bight one until It was finished. So again, I cut the knot off and tried again. And again. And Again. And AGAIN, and again until it was in the state it's in now. REALLY Close.. LIKE IT'S REALLY CLOSE!!!! But I had given myself a timeline this time, of two days solid, and again I couldn't finish it. One of these years, if I ever finish it.. I will keep it forever BECAUSE IT WAS MEAN TO ME! LOLOLOL Actually I'll keep it because it is SUCH a lesson!!

Its reins are already braided. Black reins with off white casa knots near the part that connect to the bit that are interwoven with black. The reins have black tassels on the end as well. The bit on this was a Rio Rondo prototype bit so it is the only one I have. It is a snaffle with a star in the middle of it. It also has matching star buckles. I'm still excited for this thing but I don't know when I'll ever be able to finish it! Lol

But I will KEEP trying...........

WHEW It's been a Minute!!

noreply@blogger.com (Heather M.) — Sat, 27 Apr 2024 11:34:00 -0400

Wow! Two years since I blogged! Things have been crazy in my life.. but life is never settled is it? That old adage of "Life is what happens when you're making other plans" has definitely been true for me.

Many may know that My mother battled Multiple Sclerosis for 30+ years and eventually had to be put into skilled nursing care. Taking care of her through the 2020 pandemic and into 2021 remotely from my house and being unable to visit her was difficult. Thankfully I could send her stuff that she needed from amazon but I could not be in the room with her, making sure the supplies got opened and used. All skilled nursing places were short staffed during that time and it was difficult for me to armchair her care. We got through that though and in June of 2022, just a few days short of my Dad's death anniversary, my mother passed away in her sleep. It was quite an adjustment to live without her.

In October 2021 my company, Appriss, Inc was acquired by Equifax, inc for 2 billion dollars. Suffice to say it's been culture shock to go from a company like appriss that was always customers/victims first to a fortune 500 company with a totally different goal. I'm still working on adjusting to that. It's been difficult and very emotionally draining.

Also I know a few posts back I complained about the symptoms of Menopause. Thats been the hardest of all. I think that all women know that when your body lets you down, it is destabilizing. Unlike the monthly hardships of when I was younger (when things got better after a week) Menopause is permanent. My body is entirely different than it was before and my hormones have kind of changed me as a person as I adjust to this new body that is unreliable. The ADHD that I was diagnosed with as a kid, then went into denial about for 30 years is back with a vengeance. I had so many little coping mechanisms to help combat the "quirks" of my brain so that I could function and work "like a normal person". I can't even remember to do those now.. lol I have a new therapist though who has referred me to the practice she is with to get evaluated for my ADHD again and to get on some meds so that I can function better. I look forward to being more focused and maybe able to accomplish some things that my executive disfunction has been preventing me from doing. (like lose this menopausal weight!)

On the Miniature Making front, I've taken some leaps forward with my braiding and understanding of real world horse tack. I guess in the past I had some insecurities about learning new things because it scared me a bit.. but not now. Now i'm voraciously watching videos about how real western saddles are rigged and made and I've acquired more real tack to take apart so that my miniatures can be better.

I have also taken a metalsmithing class from Designs By Dawn . It was a wonderful class and Dawn is a fantastic Teacher! Also she's super talented and has been making jewelry all her life. She also has two metalsmithing parents so her knowledge of techniques is extensive. If you live in KY and want to learn more in general about metalsmithing you should take her class! 100% worth it!

Because of the changes mentioned above, my body, my work, my skills I am working towards trying to make miniatures full time. There is a whole lot to consider with a change in occupation like that. I make a very good living right now in tech but my skills are outdated and I'm finding that I dont' have the patience to put up with a male dominated field anymore. I'm finding I have a lot less energy than I used to and I would like to put that energy towards arts and making instead of hoping I have enough energy left over after work to make. I feel like I could take custom orders, and maybe do some more museum projects as well as break into the western collectibles market to help make ends meet. I know that there are also Art/Craft grants I could apply for. It's all very scary but I have a goal of liquidating a lot of my collection and extra tack making items (Do I really need 3 of each bit?) within the next year and scraping and saving everything I can. We'll see..

My kiddo is now DRIVING!!! He's such a wonderful child.. Poor thing takes after me but he is handling it well. Anthony is doing well too. We are back together and raising Kiddo together and have a good partnership.

ON The horizon tack wise: The above bosals will be for sale as soon as I can make "Good" mecates for them. I will sell them, and the rest of my collection on "Model Horse Place". It is free to sign up there and is run by a hobbiest.

I publish the most information about my work on my facebook page; https://www.facebook.com/desertnightcreations Please join there if you would like to stay up to date on my work!

Miniature Barrel Saddle Finished!

noreply@blogger.com (Heather M.) — Sun, 29 May 2022 15:40:00 -0400

Done! Official Pictures! I looked at my notes and this set was started at least a year and a half ago! Finally got done! It has mix and match so one could use all of the pieces or just some of the pieces to make a great performance setup! This set features: Hand painted sunflowers on real leather (with paint made specifically for leather), Hand tooled sunflowers; Real handmade miniature knotwork in yellow and green, working tongue buckles, Hand made bit, hand made silver accents, real braided tiedown and hundreds of details! The owner tells me that she really likes it and I can't wait to hand it over to her!

Have you heard!? I'm giving away a Halter!

noreply@blogger.com (Heather M.) — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 09:23:00 -0400

As a Thank you for the support that YOU guys give to me; I am GIVING AWAY This Halter via Lottery! This is a Sunflower Bronc Nose halter that Fits the larger trad sized (1:9)horses best! There are buckles on the crown piece and the noseband is adjustable as well. There are 6 real, braided and interwoven turks head knots for decoration. The lead is black and white which may make it versatile for some of your other halters. All buckles work so it should fit a variety of models. (The beautiful Halter stand shown is not included. It was made by the Talented Robin Hudson)

• The winner will Need to send me a photo of it on your favorite model horse when you receive it and I will post it on my Instagram and Facebook accounts with your name and your instagram or facebook page .

• Halter is presented AS IS- please do not ask me to resize it or to change a color etc.. It is a FREE halter.

• Please Read ENTIRE Post to see how to enter!

• Lottery is open worldwide. You Have until Friday, April 29th 2022 at 8pm Eastern Time to enter. One Entry Per person.

• To enter, send an EMAIL to tackmaker@gmail.com with “SUNFLOWER HALTER LOTTERY” in the subject line. In the body of the email I need your best email contact (email you can check often) and physical shipping address.

• When I pull the name for the lottery, I will assign a number to your email and then I’ll use a random number generator to choose a number for the winner. I will then email the winner and you will then have 48 Hours to contact me. If I do not hear from you in 48 hours the halter will go to the next person I pull.

• Shipping in the Lower 48 States in The United States will be included. Shipping to everywhere else in the world will be your responsibility. Mail Right now, across the world, is incredibly slow. Please be patient. It can take weeks to months to get to you.

• I will NOT share any of your information with anyone. I will not spam you with emails that do not pertain to the Halter Lottery. After the lottery is over, I will delete all of the entry emails for privacy reasons.

Thank you for your support over the years!

Knot tying and Braiding in Miniature

noreply@blogger.com (Heather M.) — Fri, 1 Apr 2022 14:08:00 -0400

This post was inspired by the International Model Month Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/internationalmodeltackmonth

As I get older, I get that outlook on life of "I don't want what I can do to die". It would be a shame to lose all wisdom gained in making miniatures.

Making miniatures is part engineering and part Art. Things can be interpreted in a way where you may have not seen this thing or that thing in real life but by putting your documentation all together MIGHT result in this artistic thing you make. ( I do this liberally in my work.. lol)

These are the Books, Materials and Needles that I use for braiding. I have several learning disabilities (dyscalculia, auditory processing disorder, A.D.D. )so I only learn by visualizing and then doing. After I learn how to do a knot I can go back and read the formulas. I have a math Savant partner who can explain "Math type" things to me in a way that I can understand them.

Braiding takes time. That's all there is to it. It's practice. It's not just making a knot, it's also how to handle the knot as you're braiding; "Where did that bight go?"; when to "lock" it into place to make sure it doesn't roam; what materials to use to finish a knot so that it stays FOREVER; how loose to braid it initially for an interweave, how much and when to tighten it down... etc.

Sometimes when I'm having a hard time learning a knot in small scale, I would do it in a larger scale and learn it first that way. You'll have to choose your own way. Each time you "Shrink" a knot and use a different material (real leather vs thread for instance) you are essentially braiding a different knot.

I also have harder time with darker base knot colors and then interweaving it with a lighter color. (Danielle Hart is great at this!)

I originally had a bias in doing knots in that I only liked to use colors that would be found naturally in the old Californio or Spanish way of braiding. These were white, red, black and off white. As time has gone on however, I've changed my mind.

Some knots I've learned, took me a week. Some took me a month. The herringbone interweave I learned when I was pregnant so that took forever!

I might not have even cared about learning to braid had it not been for the aching jealousy I had for Susan Bensema Young's beautiful braidwork. She is also a great and patient teacher and now a good friend and miniatures mentor. She is VERY approachable so you newer tackmakers should do yourself a favor and write her sometime.

List of Books and what I learned from each. Remember that I'm a book collector too so.. These are all investments for me and they are like old friends. Some of these things are redundant to each other but this is just how I learn. I took parts from one and smashed them with parts from another in order to learn fully.

** SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESSES FIRST!*

-"Susan Bensema Young's Guide to Making Model Horse Tack." (I have the older version and the newer version and I reference both!)I use this still for my 4 strand, 6 strand and even 8 strand braiding. The price for it is 100% worth it and if you're serious about miniature making this should be a must have. (There are hundreds of other things in there too but I'm focusing on braiding here) There is a section on making a miniature bosals, the spanish ring knot and how to tie a Mecate. Really you can just stop with this book- but again I'm a book collector so..

https://www.timarustarii.com/tmg.htm (This link will open a new window and take you to Sue's page)

-"Encyclopedia of Rawhide and Leather Braiding"- Bruce Grant ISBN 0-87033-161-2

Readily available everywhere. Quite an old book. This has literally everything in it but I couldn't always follow his diagrams at first. I learned the ring covering for buckles and the 4 bight 5 part knot and the 6 bight 7 part knot raised from the 4 bight 5 part knot. My copy is quite torn up and ear marked.

You can get this on ebay for like $20.00 https://tinyurl.com/48ju6sdy (This link will redirect you to ebay)

-"The Art of Braiding, Basics - Third Revised Edition" - Gail Hought ( I have the older Gail Hought books before the revisions. I'm sure though that the newer ones are even better.)

https://www.hought.com/brbooks-3rd-rev-basics.html (This link will open a new window and take you to Gail Hought's website)

I learned how to interweave smaller knots from this book and the 3 pass spanish ring knot. There is also the Long Pineapple button and the Gaucho interweave.

I learned to interweave from Gail Hought. Gail Hought's Books are so collectible and I have like 5 and I wish I could have them ALL! You can learn to make REAL horse tack from her books. They are not written for miniatures but I adapted them.

- I learned to Interweave and Make a real bosal from this book "The Art of Braiding, Bosal 1 - Revised": https://www.hought.com/bosalnbpromo.html (This link will open a new window and take you to Gail Hought's website)

-You can also check on youtube if you learn visually. The "paracord" and "Sailing" communities are huge and they are always posting videos on you tube. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Knot+Tying (this will open a new window and take you to you tube)

Materials

I have a TON of things to use for braiding. I just kept buying stuff - different colors, different threads different artificial rawhides. This is my weaving, sewing, knot tying collection.

(I'm leaving this to Stacy Faraci when I die.. LOL)

-Tandy's artificial rawhide has gone through SEVERAL iterations over the years. The old is that darker actual Rawhide looking type and the Newer is that yellower one .(Not to be confused with that Screaming yellow one) My favorite right now for 1:9th scale is the darker brown one on the blue mandrel. It is very fine and easy to split out. (I am actually missing a spool for that first photo.. no idea where I put it.. lol)

-This is Tandy's Artifical Sinew: https://tandyleather.com/products/artificial-sinew-natural-270-yds

-I've also bought the big spools with brighter colors from "Land of Odds" but it doesn't look like they have them anymore: https://landofodds.com/sinew-artificial/

-For Thread. I use size 80 thread. It's tatting thread that is normally used for making Lace. Because of that, it wants to tangle easier as you're working with it but you can't beat the range of colors. DMC FLOSS is too weak to stand up to braiding and interweaving so I don't suggest it.

https://hhtatting.com/?s=Size+80&post_type=product

-I've also bought from this store on ebay - prices are reasonable and they have exactly the colors I want.

https://www.ebay.com/str/eccentriccollectiblesandhobbies

Needles

I have MANY needles but the best for making knots initially are the Duller Tapestry needles. Using these type makes it easier to not pierce fibers as you're making the knots. I only use sharp needles when I'm finishing a knot or an interweave.

Let me know if you've tried making knots- "large" size or in miniature - In the comments below!

Where to even start and The Miniature Barrel Racing Saddle

noreply@blogger.com (Heather M.) — Sun, 27 Mar 2022 15:21:00 -0400

So much has happened since 2015. There have been a lot of changes in my life. Some I initiated and some I didn't. As a lady of "A certain age" a lot of my life, thinking and general existence has completely been upended.
I've had to work hard to come back to a stable place but that stability is tenuous.
So I will start with the last couple of months of miniatures making.
I have chugged away at my Sunflower Barrel Racing set. (above) I've finally become happy with it and it has an owner who just LOVES sunflowers! I'm excited to be working on this for her!
I have also managed to learn a new knot. Well actually learn a new 'knotting process" from Tom Hall. It used to be that I only knew the shorter, wider knots but I'm thrilled to have learned to now do a "long" knot. I'm dying to do some Romel reins with these knots but it'll have to wait. This is a 19 part 4 Bight "casa" knot. I eventually ended up doing about 23 or 25 part 4 bight knot for the tiedown for the Sunflower Barrel Saddle that I've been working on. Below are some photos of what I was trying to Accomplish.

Finished photos will come later of course :)

Sooo... thinking about learning to sculpt...

noreply@blogger.com (Heather M.) — Tue, 14 Jul 2020 12:18:00 -0400

I want to learn to sculpt. Because Clearly I need another hobby.(HA) I know that's a weird statement from a miniature tackmaker but I am saving and saving to retire soon and when I do, I want to do more "regular" art. I put up this board probably in early june and started filling it with sculpting references. I also have been rabidly watching Morgen Kilbourn R's videos and Sarah Minkiewicz B's work to sort of mentally figure out how things may go together.

I wanted to do a cantering arabian on the bit like the photos above.. and then I found out this week that the ultra talented Monika West is working on a sculpture in this exact pose right now. Mine will probably NOT be as good as her's so no worries there.. lol And My first few sculpts probably no one will ever see anyway.. I'm also considering doing some breyer/stone customs before I jump headlong into sculpts..

This doesn't mean I'll give up tack. I'll probably make more tack here and there and retirement is a good 10 years away so don't worry.. more pieces to come :)

The Miniature Medieval Armor Bridle

noreply@blogger.com (Heather M.) — Sun, 5 Jul 2020 16:06:00 -0400

Sunday July 5th.

Today I'm working on making a bridle for my miniature armor set. I've looked at as much documentation and photos of real armor at the various museums as I can. I am surprised by the amount of bridles that are made from velvet. I assume that this is due to the wealthy people at the time using extravagant materials to show their wealth. I also know from reading through the years that real leather breaks down over time so there may not be a lot of authentic leather bridles left. I may make a couple of pieces from velvet but my main bridle will be leather. I feel like that will lay much better under the armor.

Medieval bits are crazy long by modern standards (See above link and this bit )I've seen them in photos over and over again as well as some drawings out on the internet. This was to accommodate the fancy decoration rein on the bottom of the bit but the top of the bit is where the thinner rein is placed. I'm guessing this is the rein used to actually guide the horse. The Rio Rondo traditional bits are close to being the correct length but for Medieval 1:12th but I wanted to try to build my own bits on this set. I want to use as few "bought/premade" parts as possible. That being said, I am still going to use the 3/32nds fancy western buckles from rio rondo because they look correct and making that many buckles would take months and months.

Initial cutout shape. You can see what will be my demise, that tiny cut up there ! lol

Sanding and refining tools.

My Diamond cut dremel burrs.

When I make my own bits I make a cardboard stencil to draw out the bit with a bead reamer or any metal hard point to help block out the bit. Then I cut out the bit from the metal and then I'll do the finer details with the dremel. Eventually I will etch with my dremel etcher. (which I hate but that's what I know how to use)

When I made this stencil I covered the edges in super glue to stiffen it up. I haven't tried this in the past but it made sense to do now. When I cut out the bit shank I cut it as close as I can to the design and then dremel the rest. My current dremel is one that has a cord. I've used the cordless ones in the past, and they are less expensive but I am rough on a dremel so it's turned out that the corded ones are best for me.

I am using the heavier gauge aluminum here- probably close to 30 - as I don't think that the 36 gauge will stand up to all of this working. Silver is harder than this aluminum and that's what I'm used to working with but I'm going to give this a shot.

Make sure that you use safety glasses or some kind of eye protection when working with metal. Even cutting out with the scissors and ESPECIALLY When you're using the dremel. One mistake and you can get a shard of metal in your eye! Also make sure that you do not breathe in the metal dust as you refine your metal pieces. I blow out while I'm doing it and step away when I need to take a break to breathe normally again. A mask is a great idea here. Make sure any pets or kiddos are out of the room too because that dust can land on their fur. (My cats like to be near me when I work but thankfully they hate the dremel and walk away when I work with it)

After I get a good smoothed out shape, I can poke holes to start the rings on the bit. I use a needle for this and a soft backing (Like the back of my upholstered chair or a leather forming sand bag) and pliers. I put the needle in the pliers and then very carefully punch/push/work my way through the metal to make a hole. I then use the bead reamer and make it large enough until one of my round dremel bits will go through.

The Needle I used to punch tiny holes to start forming the rings.

Be careful of metal fatigue. If you work with your shank piece and it breaks at a weak part, that means that either you cut it too close or that it needs a redesign so that it doesn't break so easily.

I see that with all of the marking out of the metal, it's gotten scratched up. I will try to buff this out or etch it to cover up those marks.

And then bam.. metal fatigue and breakage. which means this will need some redesign. You can see the bottom looks pretty good but when I started in the top, that little piece broke off. So a slight redesign is in order. Maybe not as many curvy parts..

Metal Fatigue and there was a small cut on that part.
Back to some redesign.

For those paying attention, yes this is also how I make my western plates for my western saddles.

I am still alive and Now I'm working on Miniature Armor!

noreply@blogger.com (Heather M.) — Sat, 4 Jul 2020 15:05:00 -0400

My Desk currently

Last Summer while I was on vacation RJ and I went to the "The Great American Dollhouse Museum" in Danville Ky. I love miniatures of all kinds, including doll houses even though the 1:12 Scale isn't the typical scale I work in.

I loved it. It was amazing!! Here are a few (or you know.. a lot) photos from there:

This girl is getting a halter. Already have it made!

IF anyone wants to donate a nice harness or two, there are several horses that need them. One, that I remember is a dr's buggy horse. Wish I had a photo!

Above one of the Cases there were actual, beautiful historic clothes.

mine and Rj's faces!

in the back there is a wonderous fairy village!

While I was there I talked to Lori Moore about my work and about maybe making some donations to her wonderful museum! We need places like this to get out of the house, and out of our heads and for inspiration and I want her museum to succeed! (this was before Covid so it still applies. Right now the museum is closed but please, if you're in Kentucky within 2 hours of Danville and the museum is open GO!)

In the back room when I was there, Lori showed me a three level castle that she obtained from a legendary store in Florida that she was going to put on display! Of course, immediately I thought horse armor! I have never made amour in miniature before but as always I'm game for new things.

(bottom picture on this page: https://www.thedollhousemuseum.com/friends.htm )

So after finishing a trade with Ann Bilon (that she was incredibly patient for) I am moving onto this new project.

Ann's Saddlseat Set

I have been having some trouble sleeping so I haven't had a ton of energy to throw into the amour project, until TODAY. TODAY I am able to sit and do whatever I want and really mentally dig into the armor project.

On my Facebook Page I've been blurbing and talking about some of my process but I am going to try to open up and let folks into what I'm currently doing to research.

I watched these two videos today and they taught me so much!!

This first video is a 1920's silent video where the MET Museum showed off some of their armor and how it was actually used. (I found out about this video from the second video I listed below)This video taught me the differences between Jousting Armor and regular fighting armor. There isn't a lot of horse armor shown but by seeing how "People" armor was made I can guess how the horse armor was made.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjKbi7YUNaI

This second video is from https://philamuseum.academia.edu/DirkBreiding

Where he entertainingly puts to rest some of the popular myths about armor.

https://www.youtube.com/watch…

Lastly In watching these videos i'm coming to realize that the 36 gauge of aluminum I have may be too soft for anything other than display. I have delusions of actually articulating the neck armor with tiny watch screws. That is currently just a thought and not remotely a reality yet.. Also horse armor has hinges on it and I don't know if that thin aluminum can handle hinges. I have found a place where I can get thicker aluminum Here: http://www.whimsie.com/aluminumsheetmetal.html

Contemplating 34 or 32 or even 30 gague aluminum instead.

Turns out Home Depot and lowes carries "Aluminum Flashing" which looks to be similar so maybe I can go there and look and touch on some gauges of aluminum and figure this out

Welcome to the last 3 hours in my head... LOLOLOL!!

#miniturearmor #miniaturebarding. #miniaturehorsearmor #modelhorses

Curio Cabinets

noreply@blogger.com (Heather M.) — Sat, 1 Sep 2018 21:09:00 -0400

Above is a photo of how my collection is currently "Living". Since the flood I had to pack them up and have them live in those totes. I also can't currently have anything breakable around because as much as I love my new cattens (cat + Kittens); they are Hoodlums! absolute hoodlums. They still have big time kitten energy and they race around the house when we get up in the morning. Previously I allowed them in the basment around my collection and they destroyed a few precious models.. But it was my own fault. I was used to my "Old Lady" Kitties that left my things alone. So I had the basement off limits to them. Then in February after a wet winter, we received 2 inches of rain in less than an hour and my basement flooded with about a foot of water. Any paper things I had in my basement were ruined. Lost a lot of collectible magazines (Araber Journal with simeon Sadik as a yearling for one) and other things.

I'm still kind of hurting after losing so much of my stuff, but I finally have the emotional energy to unpack some of my collection again.

The first thing I needed to do was to change how my collection is displayed. Clearly I can't just get some particle board shelves that are open faced like before. Cattens will try to get up on the shelves or launch themselves from the top. So whatever I get I'll have to anchor.

Secondly, I don't want things to fall over and break. So the only way I can think to fix that is to get enclosed Cases which means (to me) Curio cases. Although I am capable and creative, I am not handy and the last thing I need is another hobby. So buying shelves then figuring out how to put doors one them was out. Seriously I just don't have the energy and time. I don't know any handy folks either that would put together something for me.. so Curio Cases it is.

I surfed through Craigslist Louisville and for some dumb reason I can't search furniture and then search by date. Same with Facebook market place.

Diana Dubbeld Lives in Louisville and she is an avid peddlers mall shopper. She would sometimes be nice enough to send me pictures of curio cases she saw at peddlers malls. So She inspired me to go look in local peddlers malls for reasonably priced curio cases.. I even ended up seeing her yesterday in one by chance! lol

Today I continued shopping for Curio Cases. My exhusband/Friend was nice enough to go with me so that If I found something I'd have a way to get it home. (He has a grand cherokee jeep)

We found two, GORGEOUS curio cases that were reasonable amounts of money at a peddlers mall and we were able to get them home, one at a time. I'm thrilled!

Curio Case 1


Curio Case 2

The first one is a "Side" loader, which i'm not wild about but I really needed a case so I'm going to go with it.. lol The Second one, smells like it lived in a basement for a while so i'm allow it to air out before I put anything in it. Also it has a closure that is too tight- it's a roller/metal pinch thing and when I open it it shakes the whole cabinet. That will have to be changed out. I was thinking about a Magnet catch but I am reading that they can be too strong as well. No
t sure yet what i'm going to do..

Although this is silly- I always thought I wasn't "Fancy" enough for nice cabinets for my collection. I realize that is just dumb.. lol so I'll be looking for more reasonably priced Curios when I have more moolah... More pictures when I have some of my "lovelies" back on shelves! :)

Also I bought a new Dremel Workstation. This way I can actually poke holes in silver when I need to and use the dremel with a flex shaft so that I can hopefully engrave better and be less wear and tear on my hands..

I'm hopeful for being able to work a little more in the future so that I can create more tack!

Look! I finished Something Part 2!!

noreply@blogger.com (Heather M.) — Wed, 29 Aug 2018 16:27:00 -0400

Real silver and real woven knot show halter

Look! I finished another thing! I'm kinda proud.. I'm pushing and pushing myself to get back in the studio. My problem is having time and energy but I'm pushing! I started working on a Tennessee Walking horse Bridle and a saddleseat bridle but I was just so tired and my skills were rusty.. So I needed a pickmeup in the shape of things that are easier and make me happy to do! It also reminds me that I can do these tiny things and i'm pretty good at it :)

Look I Finished Something Part I

noreply@blogger.com (Heather M.) — Mon, 20 Aug 2018 16:06:00 -0400

So around the end of may, early part of june, I started experimenting with making real holes for the browband and the noseband of saddleseat style bridles. At first it didn't really work because I was still using needles to make the holes.. then DUH I figured out that I could use a mechanical pencil to punch the holes with my cutting mat underneath. So the above halter has white behind the maroon piece and those are real holes punched in. I did fill a couple with white paint to make them stand out more but all in all I really like the effect!

I am trying to push myself to get more studio time and blog time, so hopefully there will be more posts!

Two posts in one week! Holy Cats!

noreply@blogger.com (Heather M.) — Wed, 18 Jul 2018 09:49:00 -0400

Hi again!

Real fast I'm going to list out the things I have going on currently:

Single Mom

Working to keep myself current in my career as being a "Older" working woman in the tech field- this means online learning as much as I possibly can. Currently going through codeacademy.com to learn to script in python and wading through a Linux Essentials course.
Photography For our Mims - still have like 1,000 photos to go through from June
Miniatures - working on two halters. Upping my game in the silver work and learned new knots.
Pool twice a week- going to vegas to play pool in a Tournament in August!

Excercising - doing 3.6 miles to 4.8 miles 4 days a week. I've put on about 40lbs and now that I've literally chewed through whatever emotional thing I needed to, I want the weight gone and to feel better.

Know what that adds up to?
I'm tired. SO. Very. Tired.

I did the "low key" Breyerfest this year. Bought only 3 or 4 things for me. (Much more for the boy). Didn't bring anything to sell because my entire collection is currently packed up because 1. flood and 2 3 New Kittens/Cats (Going forward referred to as "Cattens") and I didn't have the energy to unpack it all and sift through. I didn't even bring my "big dog" camera. Just hung out and did some stuff but I found my inspiration again and that was seriously priceless.

But i'm trying. I'm trying to find a new normal after the divorce and I haven't quite figured out who I am now. Pretty sure most people go through this.. Don't even get me started on dating.. oy. just.. ugh.. lol

Anyway Happy July! and here are some Pretty Photos From Our Mims

Lets Do this! Breyerfest week 2018!

noreply@blogger.com (Heather M.) — Sun, 15 Jul 2018 15:45:00 -0400

As always I started Breyerfest Week on monday with a Visit from Susan Bensema Young . Susan has been my longtime Mentor/Sensai (as my Son so astutely called her). Some years Sue and I just talk about work we're doing or others' work. Some years she comes and I actually learn something. This year I was able to attempt a Fan knot and a nosebutton Knot that I'll be using in the future for my bosals. (In progress nose button knot above)

If that weren't enough, Sue showed me how to sharpen and properly use a hand held "graver" and "Silver ball". I took short videos of each so that when I go to work on my silver practice I can see exactly how I should be working.

I am very inspired after this visit.. I'm looking forward to making a new bosal with the new nosebutton and fan knots that I learned.

The next two days, Tuesday and Wednesday I mostly cleaned up the house and just kind of relaxed.

Thursday was the day that RJ and I made it to the Clarion and met up with Jesse Tackett and Anna Tackett. At the Artisian Hall that night, This happened: (remind me to wear makeup when taking pictures.. lol)

Photo Courtesy of Morgen Kilbourn

In the Middle of that Ball of Talent in green is me (the least talented here!); Then Morgen on the Right and Jennifer Danza on the left. Sue is in the back with the hat. We were having a great time and I'm so thrilled that we got this shot!! Also we had the usual room sales and that's always fun to do because sometimes you see long lost friends wander in :)!

On Friday RJ and I had our first SR tent time. While we were eating lunch waiting for our tent time, completely by Co-incidence, we met up with Candace Curtis as we were sitting under a tree! She and I Talked about the horsepark changes and Breyerfest this year. This year Breyer used a lot more of the park than in the past. The SR tent and the line where one waited for their SR Tent time was much bigger- an actual tent store this year with more checkout stands. It all went very smoothly and quickly. Much Better than in the past !

Left to right: Candace Curtis, RJ and Me.


RJ

RJ has started to collect Breyer horses. Not as rabidly as I once did of course But I'm happy for any commonality with my kiddo. So He was after the Red Smarty Jones and the checkered Newmarket. The first number draw was in our favor and we were able to get both of the horses he wanted the first time through! I told him it was a Breyerfest Miracle! lol


RJ's Red Smarty and his Blue Checkered Newmarket.

Another RJ find bought by his Friend Jesse Tackett as a Gift for him

Some More of RJ's Breyerfest Loot!

and two more!


RJ's ever growing collection.

Saturday RJ wasn't feeling well so I ventured around the park by myself. I didn't have as good luck as I did on Friday- I was further back in line. So No special surprise horse for me that day but I did manage to snag a Glossy Sierra Rose and a Glossy Straight Bet. (both are on ebay because I have no idea what OF's are worth anymore)

My Breyerfest Loot included Getting my painted Mulenette Resin from Jennifer Danza and my UPnova from morgen. I also managed to get a Takeshi Sticker, a Westpoint medallion, a Cary Nelson Halter and a Niki Button Akhal Teke bust!

As always my life has been waaaayyy too busy for me to reasonably handle but I jut keep trying day by day. This vacation was REALLY great for relaxing and not stressing out too much. I'm hoping that moving forward I'll start making more tack again. I can't wait till nexdt year though!

The Annual "Whoot I love living in Louisville, KY this time of year post"

noreply@blogger.com (Heather M.) — Fri, 5 May 2017 12:22:00 -0400

State Of Honor

Sailor's Valentine

Sailors Valentine

Gunnevera

Hence

Lockdown

Untrapped

Gunnevera

Fast and Accurate

Practical Joke

Mccracken

Gunnevera

Unfortunately I only made it out to Churchill Downs' Backside once this derby season.. it's just been very cold and rainy : / and I have a hard time getting to sleep and getting up early these days. Here are some photos of some Derby and Oaks Contenders - shot by me... enjoy!

I'm better.. and i'm trying :)

noreply@blogger.com (Heather M.) — Sat, 22 Apr 2017 22:00:00 -0400

I finally got the reins completed on my braided bridle. That weird piece over to the left is the connector for the reins. I had headaches and shoulder aches this morning and most of today so I was not as productive as I would've liked. Low pressure weather really wreaks havoc on my body. So I had to take headache meds and it made me unable to create a good knot so I just stopped.

Hope that you have a great weeked!

Braidwork Journey

noreply@blogger.com (Heather M.) — Sat, 15 Apr 2017 13:27:00 -0400

Early Braided Bridle

early Braided Bridle

Anna Tackett's Revamped Bridle

Blue N Black Bridle Owned by Susan Bensema Young

Model HOrser Anonymous donation owned By Robin Smith

Model HOrses Anonymous Bridle Owned By Robin Smith

Nan Donation Collaboration between myself and Susan Bensema Young

Today, I decided to Teach my Son how to do knots. I realized as I looked at his eye hand co-ordination and his lack of ability to make things with his hands, that his school no longer teaches art and crafts. Most schools don't. Budget cuts I suppose. He also doesn't like to "color" (I would color for hours at his age). His brain is like mine and that is a WHOLE LOT Of sitting around for long periods of time focusing on one thing for our brains. Coloring is a monumental task for him. I've learned to focus my ever busy brain by making things with my hands, or drawing. He doesn't have that luxury... yet.

I also find that he spends a lot of time on his Ipad and reading. But we don't do a lot together. I want to change all of this and mentor him in engineering things with his hands. I think this is a valuable life skill.

I realized as I was teaching him the spanish ring knot of three passes that:

1. I broke up the whole knot into parts and only moved onto another part when I had the first part down. That seemed to help him.

2. I taught myself to do knots when I was in my 30s... so he'll have a jump on me.

3. I am teaching him much more than knots. I'm teaching eye hand co-ordination, focus, dealing with frustration (he was in tears due to frustration but we worked through it) and perserverence.

4. I love spending time with him like that. No Tv. NO music, just talking and learning.

Just now, I asked him to do the first part that we learned today- and he did it in seconds. He was SO PROUD Of himself! He even asked to learn more tomorrow. :)

I'm hoping that in the future he'll want to do more knots and maybe I'll learn some new ones on the way too..

Heather Moreton of Desert Night Creations Miniatures Blog

The Studio Chair Saga

We contacted the new owners of the house we’d sold (with the chair and couch still in it) and asked if we could buy back that one chair. Miraculously, they said yes.

perfect height for my work desk.already wearing out the cover

There were two chairs originally… and man, I wish I’d bought both.

So for now, the barrel/tub/club chair lives on. A little saggy, a little squeaky, a little stained — but still working.

If anyone out there has found a magical chair that feels like a hug, fits a low desk, and doesn’t cost a small fortune, I’m all ears...

Me and my ADHD brain

Kelli's Bosalita, Bridle and Reins

My Crude Plan DrawingPractice things and the start of kelli's reins

I actually started writing this post sometime last year, right after I finished the set. I was so happy when Kelli received it and really liked it! That’s always the most important thing to me — do my customers love what they receive?

Let's Catch Up Shall we!?

It’s been over a year since I last posted — May 27, 2024, to be exact. And in that time, things in my life have changed dramatically.

I guess I’m always striving for more happiness and balance, but I’m really terrible at it… so when I feel it's time, I take big jumps.

This past year has tested me in ways I didn’t expect — emotionally and mentally. My day-to-day work is mentally demanding, and it drains me more and more as time goes on. Outside of that, I had to make a difficult decision to step away from a situation that no longer honored my peace.

I told a friend recently that there have been many more rock bottoms than I ever anticipated — but somehow, I kept climbing.

Now, I’m in a new house, with a new studio. Shockingly, it’s more organized than I’ve ever been! I still need to paint it a brighter color (my shoulder has other plans), but even as-is, it’s become a space where I can breathe and create again.

It won’t be for sale because the thread on one side is so much older than the other, it’s a different color… lol. But it still looks good in photos! I started a breastcollar to match, but I got excited about another project and abandoned that for now."the Culprit" finally finished!

I haven’t made another mecate yet, but I have everything set up and ready to go.

I also had a wonderful visit with Susan Bensema Young the week after BreyerFest. I was feeling really down, and her visit truly brightened my day — as always. It was so nice to reconnect.

I want to move more, feel better in my body, and rebuild a life that’s not just about getting through — but about being present, connected, and whole.

What does an artist do when there is a storm?

Sunday Sunday Blah Blah

The Royal Blue black and White bosal is For sale at auction!

Process of the Royal Blue, White and Black Bosal 2024

The Bridle that Was mean to me- AKA the Culprit

WHEW It's been a Minute!!

Miniature Barrel Saddle Finished!

Have you heard!? I'm giving away a Halter!

• The winner will Need to send me a photo of it on your favorite model horse when you receive it and I will post it on my Instagram and Facebook accounts with your name and your instagram or facebook page .

• Halter is presented AS IS- please do not ask me to resize it or to change a color etc.. It is a FREE halter.

• Please Read ENTIRE Post to see how to enter!

• Lottery is open worldwide. You Have until Friday, April 29th 2022 at 8pm Eastern Time to enter. One Entry Per person.

• To enter, send an EMAIL to tackmaker@gmail.com with “SUNFLOWER HALTER LOTTERY” in the subject line. In the body of the email I need your best email contact (email you can check often) and physical shipping address.

• Shipping in the Lower 48 States in The United States will be included. Shipping to everywhere else in the world will be your responsibility. Mail Right now, across the world, is incredibly slow. Please be patient. It can take weeks to months to get to you.

• I will NOT share any of your information with anyone. I will not spam you with emails that do not pertain to the Halter Lottery. After the lottery is over, I will delete all of the entry emails for privacy reasons.

Thank you for your support over the years!

Knot tying and Braiding in Miniature

Where to even start and The Miniature Barrel Racing Saddle

Sooo... thinking about learning to sculpt...

The Miniature Medieval Armor Bridle

I am still alive and Now I'm working on Miniature Armor!

Curio Cabinets

Look! I finished Something Part 2!!

Look I Finished Something Part I

I am trying to push myself to get more studio time and blog time, so hopefully there will be more posts!

Two posts in one week! Holy Cats!

Lets Do this! Breyerfest week 2018!

The Annual "Whoot I love living in Louisville, KY this time of year post"

I'm better.. and i'm trying :)

Braidwork Journey

perfect height for my work desk.

already wearing out the cover

My Crude Plan Drawing

Practice things and the start of kelli's reins

It won’t be for sale because the thread on one side is so much older than the other, it’s a different color… lol. But it still looks good in photos! I started a breastcollar to match, but I got excited about another project and abandoned that for now.
"the Culprit" finally finished!