Maple sugar candy

We decided to take our syrup hobby to a new level and ty our hand at some confections. In our pursuit we were gifted with a candy mold (Thanks Mom) and here are the results of our first attempt.

Danny ,our son, says they are addictive. I think he may be right.

Wet Panel Carrier

"Wet Panel Flat File"

This is a unique storage solution for storing wet painting panels and canvases while on the road. I made the first wet panel carrier for my wife Kathie Wheeler ( see her web site and blog links at the beginning of this blog) when she was headed to a "plein air paint out" in Cedarburg WI a couple of years ago. She was thrilled with it as all the wet painting were protected and organized in one place. In prior years the paintings were laying all over the car, balanced on suitcases and the backs of seats..... a little precarious to say the least. She now finds the "Wet Panel flat file" handy in her studio as well. The photo above shows the carrier all buttoned up with the front door closed. Below I show it open with some of the drawers pulled out.

This little box will hold up to a 14" X 18" wet panel or stretch canvas (less than 1" thick) and any size smaller than 14" X 18". Two 8" X 10" panels will fit on one of the 9 pull out shelves. Unlike the suitcase style panel carriers the wet panels are laying on the shelves, and are not held into a groove or held in place with clips or adapters. This is not designed to take on a plane; it is designed to put in the car or camper and hold multiple panels or canvases of varying sizes completely protected.
Also available is a16" X 20" with 6 pullout shelves. This is now an essential piece of gear for any Artist-workshop or paint-out that Kathie attends. Think of it as a car sized flat file for paintings on the road. Kathie and many of her friends and fellow artist have found this a useful tool at paint-out events, workshops and painting trips in the car. If you would like to purchase one of these contact me at ts.wheeler@gmail.com

Woven seat for post and rung rocker

We have had this old chair around for so long I can't tell you where it came from. Suffice it to say, it came to us unencumbered, meaning it had no seat. I was trying to think of an alternative material to replace the paper cordage seat that was all but gone when we took over the job of caretaker for this simple and small bundle of sticks. Well, I was at the hardware store and saw this nylon cordage in 50' bundles, light-bulb , yes this could look very nice and a bit unique. After my daughter was able to decipher a picture in Drew Langsner book (The Chairmaker's Workshop),we went to work and here is the result.
As you can see, it didn't perfectly fill in all the space on the stretchers, For a first try it looks pretty good and it is stout. It has only loosened up the slightest bit and that is with people taking turns sitting in it as it is like having a new guest in the house. That is to say, it is getting a lot of attention.