Grand Prairie Woodworks

A New Holiday Treasury from Design Style Guide!

2011-11-28T10:21:00.000-06:00

Treasury from: RSS Designs In Fiber

Holiday Celebration Decorating

Ceramic wall sconce hanging vase

From: Willow Tree Pottery

$30.00

Old World Style Silk Flower Arrangement

From: Silk Florals by POMA

$49.95

Pinwheels in Blue Mosaic Wall Hanging

From: Memories in Mosaics

$265.00

Recycled Juniper Candle Holder

From: jn3 Hand Crafted Woodworks

$40.00

Mission Arts and Crafts Table Lamp

From: Grand Prairie Woodworks

$800.00

Joseph

From: mfeganart

$275.00

Holiday Decor - Poinsettia, Anemones, Ranunculus

From: MelroseFields.com LLC

$87.00

Flower Centerpiece Lace Doily - Garnet Red Flowers in Evergreen Lace - Nature In Art Decor

From: RSS Designs In Fiber

$27.50

Red Teapot / Handmade Pottery

From: Pat Parker"s Stoneware Pottery

$89.00

Red Fused Glass Bowl

From: Lynne's Art Glass

$48.00

Man Cave Coasters, Deer Design

From: My Little Chickadee Creations

$18.00

Coiled basket wired beaded edge

From: SewDanish - Scandinavian Textile Art

$32.00

Which Cutting Board Material Is Best?

2011-01-31T09:36:00.000-06:00

   Many people in the pro-wood camp point to a study conducted by Ak, Cliver and Kaspar in 1994 at the University of California at Davis Food Safety Laboratory that seemed to suggest that wood possesses anti-microbial properties and that surface bacteria die within minutes. In reality, their findings were that the bacteria actually were drawn into the wood through capillary action. Once inside the wood, the bacteria no longer reproduced and eventually died off.

   Another argument in favor of wood is that, since wood is porous and allows bacteria to retreat into the grain where it is trapped and dies, there is actually more of a chance of getting bacterial contamination from a non-porous, plastic cutting board.

   While you should certainly throw away an old plastic cutting board that has knife cuts all over it, you can plane or sand down a thick wooden cutting board and be good to go for years to come. Wood is considered a “warm” material, and having a wooden cutting board on display in your kitchen can enhance the feeling of warmth and welcome and give even a modern kitchen a hint of rustic charm.

A final check mark in the pro-wood box is sheer longevity and tradition. Wooden boards have been used by people for hundreds and hundreds of years. High quality wooden boards can be heirlooms passed down from generation to generation.

Best Deal Going for Online Craft Sales!

2010-09-15T18:01:00.001-05:00

There are many places online for artists, crafters and sellers of vintage or supplies for those who make things to sell. But never has there been a better place and price to help you put your wares out there than the "ArtFire Group Deal"

For the bargain basement price of $5.95 a month you have access to a top notch online venue for Handmade, Design, Supplies, Media, Vintage and Fine Art. There are no long term contracts to sign, no commitment past the first month at $5.95. You can cancel at any time or take the time to read all the real advise you have access to on ArtFire, work on your shop and become a successful online seller.

ArtFire has worked hard to put together some of the best SEO available to individual sellers. ArtFire listings consistently show up early on Google and other search engines. Their 45 day guide offers great tips on how to succeed as a seller on ArtFire. There is a thread by one of the founders that offers the best one on one help for taking better photos I've ever seen. You have several choices on payment methods besides PayPal. They have a customer service phone number with REAL people to answer your questions. Online help is quick and responsive, often after business hours and on weekends! The internal search engine actually works!The list goes on and on. There is an optimism in the forums with very little of the drama and snarkyness found in many other forums.

This is a limited time offer, so whether you already sell online or wish to start click on this link NOW and find out all about the best deal you'll ever see for access to over 60 MILLION potential customers a month, all for $5.95!

That's over 100,000 people for ONE CENT!

REMEMBER!

IF THE DEAL IS NOT ACTIVATED your card will not be charged $5.95 or ANY OTHER AMOUNT and your current account status will not change

Here's the link: ArtFire Group Deal

The Path To Better Online Photos

2010-08-21T06:32:00.001-05:00

I have read a TON of good advise on taking great online product photos. I don't claim to have any magic solution that will suddenly transform you into a world class photographer but perhaps I can share with you some of the tips that will lead you in the right direction.
Number one seems to be learn your camera. I've had the same camera for 5 years and learned more about it in the past month than the 4 11/12 years I've been struggling with product photos. Cheapo or pro quality cameras are both capable of good online photography IF you know how to work the camera, or at least how to work around it's limits.
#2 Seems to be lighting. Daylight or equivalent bulbs are very helpful as are led flashlights to create some controlled highlights. Play around with different angles of light and camera placement.
#3, Get artistic. Whether with props or camera angle and or zoom in on a detail. Try for at least one photo that does more than just show the product. The more you experiment the sooner you'll find something special to pull in those customers. Sell more than the item itself, sell a look or mood. Go look at professional advertising photos with an eye towards how you could stage the scene similarly for your product. Watch your view counts for what works.
#4 learn whatever photo editing software you are using. I've used PhotoShop for years and thought I could manipulate my images fairly well.... HA! My 15 yr old daughter has been helping me clean up my photos and between the two of us (and advise from several online forums) we both have learned a lot. ALL photos need SOME editing.
#5 (my own lesson) Don't be afraid to retake your photos. Yea, it's painful and time consuming and we all would rather be in our comfort zone of working on our chosen art/craft, but we all know a few photos and words are all our customers have to use to decide to click on that all important "add to my cart" button.
My photos come a long way in the past year, and I still have a ways to go. It's all about time, but all the inventory in the world is not going to help me if I can't sell the stuff.
Here's some links to some very helpful posts:
http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=forums&op=view_topic&tid=11188
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6194715 http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6497042
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6498439
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6516971
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6563885
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6602461
I'm sure there are more tips out there, but these have helped push my photos to a higher level .Hopefully some of these tips will elevate your photos too.

Online Auctions During a Heat Wave

2010-08-13T07:38:00.001-05:00

Not a great idea.
I had been checking Craig's list daily looking to score a pair of storage cabinets to keep some of my inventory clean and organized. One posting led me to an auction company running an online auction for a large office that closed. I found just the items I wanted and placed a pair of bids on 2 steel storage cabinets that would be perfect for my needs.

All went well till the auction was about to end. The auction rules were that if a bid was placed in the last 2 minute of bidding, they would add 2 more minutes to the closing time, and another 2 minutes if another bid was placed, and so on. GREAT idea, stops all the blasted sniping that goes on over on Ebay. Also the closing times for the 91 items in this auction are spaced @ 1 minute apart so you can easily keep up with numerous lots that you are interested in. All in all this auction was well put together.

Now comes the problem. We are having one of the hottest, most humid days in Chicago this August. probably about a gazillion A/C units are all straining to cool off every enclosed space in the area. Just about 10 minutes before my first item was to end we have a little blip in the electric service...and shuts off my computer.
RATS! So I start going through the steps needed to get the computer back online and BAM the power dips again! Now I'm getting frantic...and ....upset ( I'll use the nice word to describe how I was feeling). SO 3/4 of the way getting back online ... yep... the #$&&@!! power dips AGAIN!! Now I'm livid, I'm ready to jump in my truck and look for an electric service truck in the neighborhood and let the guys know what I think of their service! GRRRRRR. I finally get logged back in and I've been out bid...but it's not closed yet so I slam in a bid and wait the two minutes....YAHOO....I won! But wait .... my tale is not over.... I still have one more item coming up to close, in 28 minutes.

Now what are the odds that approximately 10 minutes before the close of my second item is to close that ANOTHER power dip shuts off my computer? Well it happened......and AGAIN half way through powering up the computer. COME ON!!! What did I do to deserve this?? Only 2 shut downs this time and I managed to fend off another bidder and win the second of my cabinets.

Now that a day has passed I'm a little calmer, but still in disbelief that five times yesterday my computer shut down at a critical time, and those were the ONLY times it did that.

I've been "TAGGED"

2009-09-22T06:48:00.001-05:00

Actually, I think this is my second "tagging", I deleted the first notice of being tagged because I had no idea of what it meant. What can I say? It's tough to keep up with all the things out there on the web. LOL
I was Tagged by http://bebstreasures.blogspot.com/ Apparently if you get tagged you need to write 10 things about yourself on your blog ang tag 10 other bloggers. So...here's mine, now go do yours!

1. One of my earliest memories of making anything involved 2 things that would occupy a major part of the rest of my life. The neighborhood kids would scrounge up any lumber we could find and make push cars with prized buggy wheels that were saved from the dump and re-used many times. The nails we needed to build these cars were bought by the pound with pennies we earned by returning pop bottles for the deposit.

2. I spent more than 30 years as an auto mechanic, 25 years with one company.

3. I built my first set of cabinets when I was 17. I needed storage space in Dad's garage for all my "car stuff" and never liked open shelves. I liked things out of sight and neat.

4. I love old Chicago Bungalows. I'm living in one now that was built in 1923. It's the third Bungalow I have lived in. It is about 5 miles from the hospital I was born in and 4 1/2 miles from the high school I went to.

5. The only home I have owned that was not a bungalow was the one I designed and built on a few acres 20 miles south of here. It was totaly modern with cathedral ceilings that went to 15'.

6. When I'm not fixing a car or working in my wood shop (excuse me, STUDIO) I love to go fishing with my buddies. The highlight of which is our annual trip to Lac Seul in Canada for a week (9 years and counting).

7. Besides woodworking I do stained glass and can fix anything in the house with the exception of electronics. I can't get the magic smoke back into those little black boxes, no matter how hard I try!

8. I do 99% of the cooking and grocery shopping for my wife of 21 years and 2 teens (the Son is driving now and the Daughter is into makeup & hair) Lord help me. I also have a 30 something (I know the age, but I'm not telling :-) ) and an 11 year old Grandson, both of which have lived with us off and on (off right now, whew!)

9. My newest gig is driving a school bus, part time. You can read more of that story in an earlier blog post.
Things have settled down, somewhat, but the stories I could tell....not so much about the kids, but the biggest challenge has to be the IDIOT drivers ariound here..... I don't even want to get started!!

10. I'm a confirmed tool nut and pack rat. For my entire life I have had a problem with too much "stuff" (that's not what my wife calls it). It has got to the point that I'm starting to agree with her edict: " For every box or bag of "stuff" I bring home, TWO must leave." Sell it, give it away or toss it out, it makes no differance, get it out of the house! Of course as soon as I get rid of some "stuff", I'll need it & have to go buy more! LOL

10 others that I want to tag?? HMMMM.

1. http://cutsiepoochie.blogspot.com/
2. http://delightfulstitches.blogspot.com/
3. http://redrubyonfire.blogspot.com/
4. http://shinelikecrazystudio.blogspot.com/
5. http://shabbybagsshop.blogspot.com/
6. http://ellentheeye.blogspot.com/
7. http://inspiredpink.blogspot.com/
8. http://aspecialtouchangel.blogspot.com/
9. http://buttonwilloe.blogspot.com/
10. http://jewelledtrellis.blogspot.com/

Tag you're it!

More Blogs than you can shake a stick at!

2009-09-17T09:33:00.001-05:00

I've had a shop over on ArtFire for almost 3 months and not sold a darn thing. Just a few weeks ago I joined a guild. They started something called a Hit Parade where one shop from the guild gets promoted for a week. Today started my turn as a "float" in the parade.

I have been featured in no less than 5 Blogs in one day!!!:

http://www.aspecialtouchangel.blogspot.com/

http://www.inspiredpink.blogspot.com/

http://shabbybagsshop.blogspot.com/

http://youcansellit-artfire.blogspot.com/2009/09/get-on-band-wagon.html

http://shinelikecrazystudio.blogspot.com/

WOW! not to mention numerous tweets, FB posts and posts to the forums over there.

All this from a guild that is about a month old & has 48 members, about 1/2 of which are really active.

I am so impressed!

Now....... If all this results in at least one sale, I'll really be happy!

My studio views went from 1007 (in 12 weeks) to 1249.
That's 242 in just 24 hours!!!

For anybody trying to sell a product on any of the craft marketing sites I highly recomend you join at least one ACTIVE Guild or Street Team. the friendship and support are worth it themselves, but add this kind of promoting blitz, it really is ...PRICELESS.

OK, I'm done bubbling

Tim

Blog feature!

2009-09-16T17:02:00.000-05:00

I have been graced with a feature spot on this great blog. http://www.inspiredpink.blogspot.com/
Thanks for the kind words.
Tim

Etsy :: Treasury List

2009-09-10T20:29:00.000-05:00

One of my lamps was included in a great Treasury .
Thanks Mystic Silks!~
Etsy :: Treasury List

BEBs Treasures: Thursday Finds

2009-09-05T05:43:00.000-05:00

BEBs Treasures: Thursday Finds

2009-09-04T04:23:00.000-05:00

Lordy, Lordy, I just finished my first full day as a school bus driver. New driver, New school year, new contract, new routes,old bus. Bad combination. First bus did not get out of the yard. Transmission would not work. First stop? no kids. Am I in the right place? is it the right time? Yep, by the third stop 25 kids, next one, 20 more...Yikes!Last run today? 3 kids total... 7 stops scheduled. How's that gonna work? I sure hope things settle down next week.
My messy wood shop is looking better and better!

Day 2

No big bus stories today, I did have one "slightly overprotective" mom complain to my boss that her 6th grader was getting "picked on" by the 7th & 8th graders, yesterday. And she met me at the bus stop this AM and voiced her concerns. Strongly. Her daughter now has an assigned seat up front. Case closed.

A few days later:

Almost a week into this School bus driving gig, I'm not impressed with the Co. I'm working for; too many details are not relayed to the peons (the drivers) till there is a problem. Not good when kids are involved. We have been left to make some decisions, without guidance, then chastised (or praised) after the fact. Sorry folks, you (the bus management) should have told us about this before. It's not some local little outfit either; they have branches in several states & have been around for years. OK rant over.

Well, maybe not done ranting:

Don't get me started on the bus!! 30 years of being a mechanic and I KNOW my bus is a piece of ..dodo. New drivers get the worst of the fleet & I think I got the worst of the worst! I was so happy the first day...The trans was out on MY bus & I had to take the extra. Which was a step up. Rats! Day 2 & my bus was "fixed". It ain't, but it moves so I have to drive the p.o.s

The next day:

I made the morning run (barely) and told the head mechanic to please fill up the trans ...again... Or plan on towing it in this afternoon. Off to the dentist now. Oh Joy. Where do I get off this bus????????????

Thurs:

I had a little talk with the head mechanic at the bus co. and with little effort he had my bus running better. Not fixed, not permanent, but we're on the right track and I have the feeling I can "smooze" the man into keeping my bus mobile. (Crosses fingers)

The end of the first full week:

Well, I've been at this bus driving gig for more than a week and things are just starting to settle down. The big surprise was the kids are really no problem. I was warned by more than one school official about a few students that may be a problem, so far...not an issue. They start acting up & I pull the bus over and wait till the kids settle down. They now know that if they want to get home or to school and away from me the fastest way is to stay seated and not be slappin’ at each other.The bus and I have also reached some semblance of cooperation. If it agrees to run reasonably well, I promise that I won't try to beat it to death. If the mechanics can fix the transmission leak (or at least keep the fluid level up) it runs.....ok. (Not good or even OK, just...ok) I can live with that.

Well, that's my bus driving tales to date. We'll just have to wait and see if the coming weeks are as much fun! I'll keep you updated with some of the (hopefully) more interesting aspects of transporting your children to & from school.

Tim

2009-08-12T14:25:00.002-05:00

An Introduction

2009-06-11T10:34:00.000-05:00

Hello and welcome to my blog. My name is Tim Pursell and I live in the southern suburbs of Chicago. The biggest part of my life in the past months have been creating new products in my wood shop and trying to figure out all the ins and outs of promoting my wares, both on the Net & to B&M stores. No easy task for a 59 yr. old with a a long history of building and fixing "things".

Besides that I've been very lucky to have gotten out with my best 2 fishing Buds almost every weekend for the last two months, most often on Lake Michigan, and done very well in finding the elusive Salmon!

Well that's the current stuff, now some history. I was born about ten Miles from where I sit, attended school in the Roseland area of Chicago. I did a couple years of college but drifted into a job as an auto mechanic and found my niche. 25 years with the same company & I had slowly changed my focus from fixing cars to home building, home repair and then to woodworking.

In woodworking I think I really went back to my roots. As a little kid I and my friends were always scrounging up "found" materials and building "stuff". Like forts, tree houses and push cars. I signed up at the park district wood shop for many years and learned many things from Mr. Schmidt. As a teen my Dad had an old table saw and a hand full of tools. I made myself a desk, then a workbench in the garage and after I got my first car (1957 Karmen Ghia!) some cabinets to hold my own growing set of tools.

Marriage put me in an apartment for a few years but land was purchased & on my trusty high school drafting board I designed my first house. I acted as the general contractor on that house & finally had the space and need to really start buying tools. Some woodworking, but I was still into cars and took in all types of auto repair including body & paint work.

Divorce had me leaving that house & the new place was a "Chicago Bungalow" that had a tiny tiny garage, but a big, unfinished basement. Which I promptly turned into a wood shop. About this time my sister taught me how to do stained glass & donated all the tools of that trade. I started to read up on Frank Lloyd Wright and Gustav Stickley. I was totally taken by the clean, strong lines of the Arts and Crafts/ Mission/Prairie furniture and architecture.

Five years in that house and a new wife had us moving to a larger Bungalow with a larger garage! Unfortunately the garage was falling down. The house needed a lot of work too. the previous owners had painted over all the wonderful woodwork, installed drop ceilings, complete with 2x4 fluorescent lights! There was hideous orange/green SHAG carpet covering the beautiful oak floors. YUCK! The wife and I , along with help from numerous friends and relatives, stripped, sanded, re-stained & varnished all the woodwork and old shash weight windows back to their original splendor. We ripped out the drop ceilings and lighting, patched plaster & painted. I had a pro sand the floors and my sister ( the artist) helped paint a floral border around the dinning room floor that I varnished over to protect the design. It was a busy 6 months of hard work with the first half living in the old house, then a few months of ALL our belongings stuffed into the basement with just enough room to set up a bed!

The wood shop had been relocated to a portion of the basement, a long but skinny area with a too low ceiling. But it was big enough for the first 6 or 7 years. After the first flurry of restoration work we took a break from major work till after my son was born. We tackled the kitchen.
what can I say? It was totally 50's, and homeowner built to boot. The kitchen had been cut up with a crazy zig-zag traffic pattern & had two pieces of Church pews permanently mounted ( the old owners raised 8 kids in the house!) First off was switching the placement of a window and the door. No easy task in a brick house. I enlisted the help of my neighbor and godfather, Deny, a brick mason to help. Then I had to find an antique door to fit the odd opening, thank god for Salvage One in Chicago. We ripped out the confusing electric, the entire ceiling, relocated the sink back under a set of windows (more than likely the original placement). Only 1/2 the floor was hardwood as the kitchen had been added onto sometime in the past so I leveled the floor & installed Pergo flooring over the whole area. (12 years, 2 kids, one dog & a grand kid for 2 years & still looking good!) The kitchen featured a wall of original (to the house) built in oak cabinets & closets (2) so I designed and built an island, base & wall cabinets to match the originals. That was a challenge in a cramped basement shop! Start to finish it took close to a year but the end result is quite pleasing.

Well this has droned on too long already. I type v e r y s l o o o w l y but hard to shut up once I get rolling! LOL More next time. Thanks for taking your time to read this.

Tim