Thank You's Mean So Much....

     As many of you know, I work a part time job at a college. Every so often I get to play receptionist/help desk sort of thing. A student had called in the morning,and I did what I could to help her out on the phone. She asks me if I ever shop at Costco & tells me she's bringing me flowers. I tell her she doesn't need to do that,I'm just "doin my job" and she insists. I'm imagining a cute cut bouquet. She arrives an hour later with this drop dead gorgeous orchid plant! It's over 2 ft in height,planted in a narrow tall ceramic pot. (and in my fave color!)

    While I simply work the part time gig to support the budding biz & pay for my own medical insurance,it is for the most part a pretty thankless place to work. Only time you get attention as a cashier is when you don't balance,and when you balance 99.9% of the time not a word is said. But that's not why I'm writing this entry. 

    I can't tell you how good receiving this gift made me feel. To know someone out there appreciates the good you do,that you made a positive change in their lives,is just awesome. It's why we're here on this planet at this time. To help & nurture others in our own unique way. To connect with each other in the great "web of lights" & keep the light show going & make it brighter! And if you've ever been in a really dark place in your life & emerged back into the sunlight,you're even better equipped to help those who are in their own "dark spot" because you've been there & have a good idea of what it's like.

    Personal project wise,I obtained a 6 string concert uke in an online auction for $5.00 as it was labeled as a miniature guitar. I need to get a saddle for it-but have the strings on & hoping it'll sound decent when it's done. Unusual that it has a tailpiece. No brand name or anything like that. 

    I'm back to making ukulele gig bags to sell again and am going to be changing the design a bit-I'm going to be including a loop in the back so you can hang the bag on the wall with the ukulele inside. That idea occured to me yesterday as I'm making a custom order for a woman using a surfer/Hawaiian print. In the meantime I'm keeping one I had made previously for me as my old Hilo needs a bag. It's got comical kitties on the fabric. I also made a pattern for the concert size uke & need to make one to see how it turns out. 

    Fiddle playing wise I picked it up after about a week of now sawing and was pleased that I can now play "Mary Had a Lil Lamb" and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star",making it not only recognizable but meaning I've learned my D & A scale. (DNA scale?) *laughs*  Not that I'll get any requests for those hot tunes,but it does mean I'm progressing. And that's what counts.

    

    

    

 

Ukulele Gigbags A Success!

That's my personal ukulele gigbag you see there-I used a western themed fabric for the lining as well as a tribute to Grandma Ruthie who was an old time country singer & guitarist-who also played banjo-uke. I'm also making these in various colors & prints & you can see one up for bid here
It's exciting to finally have the pattern & know how to do this myself! I'm planning on making some with crazy quilt fronts,as well as Christmas ones-perfect for giving a gift uke in & using every year for caroling. Knowing me, I'll also make a Fall,Halloween,Yule, & Winter themed ones for myself. Fully padded,velcro closures,just wonderful & so much better than those cheesy black ones!
And-in the luthiery dept.,I finally got up the nerve to work on my own fiddle-I had done a BIN on ebay for a 7/8 fiddle (just under full size,also known as a "ladies violin") and it came with a blank bridge. Well,I invested in a precut or ready made bridge & put it on myself,restrung it and placed a different chinrest on it that suited me better than the one that came with it. It sounds wonderful & is easy to play. I was shocked I could do a "d" scale so readily as the neck is bigger than my 1st fiddle,a 3/4 size. I was playing "joy to the world" on it this morn using clothespins as a mute!
If that wasn't enough,I had also won a vintage Hilo uke that needed new tuners. I got em in the mail yesterday,placed new strings on it & it's the sweetest sounding uke I've ever played. Action is fantastic,nice slender neck,mother of pearl dot inlays,whoever got this new probably paid good money (for the time) for it. While it sports it's fair share of little dings & scratches,it's a gem.
Went to Michaels today as I printed a 20% off your entire purchase coupon & got batting & some notions for more gigbags. I love Michaels,but I really miss the old time "mom & pop" craft stores that used to be all over the south bay here. Each one was very unique and had it's own style. I really miss the old time fabric stores like "Cloth World" in which you could get lost in the vast array of fabric to be had. So now to the ironing board I go to make more wares to place up for bid!