Darren Rowse of Problogger.net latest group writing project has stimulated both seasoned blogger and novice blogger to delve into the heart of the matter and question “What if I had to start my blog over again.” Now this very question will place doubt in the most seasoned veteran because the very existence of our blog is being questioned. Is it the right subject, the right niche, do people find the content amusing or educational. Is the design appealing or down right boring. These many questions are racing through my mind/our minds when several days ago this was not even an issue, well not in a sense where it was at the forefront of any current discussion. (Continued)
Much to the surfing world’s dismay Clark Foam shut its door for good last December without the real story ever surfacing. Gordon Clark the owner, just said it was environmental issues coupled with labor and safety code regulations.
Now those people who were employees or extremely close friends of the company, they had the distinction of wearing the Clark Foam T-shirts, unavailable to the rest of the world making them very exclusive. Today we find that these rights have been gained by a Capistrano Beach, long time surfing entrepreneur Allan Seymore.
This famed blue and white T-shirt worn by the few is now being made available through retail surfing stores only. For those in the know this represents the end of an era, an icon from the past. Still, the exclusivity of the shirt is with the surfing community with no intention of it being available outside your local surf shop. Like I said Clark Foam is still available be it only as a T-shirt!!!
With last weeks “Developing Goals for your Blog” now finished at Problogger, it’s time to consider what has been most beneficial to me for my growth in the world of blogging. I can say that I’ve spent many an hour browsing over all the fine entries and reading further into quite a few of the websites. The vast array of topics, ideas and general information will undoubtedly send your mind into total overload therefore it calls for me to make frequent revisits for the information to actually sink in.
Looking at my meek attempt at blogging goals is quite mundane compared to a lot of the entries but that is what is so fascinating, there is so much to learn. Surprisingly though my goals are not that far removed from quite a few of the other postings. (Continued)
In a previous post I was talking about the philosophy behind the design for the Welsh lovespoon that was going to adorn the kitchen or family room wall. I’ve reached that stage where the two dimensional design is complete, at least to a point where I can spray mount the pencilled design to the wood board. From here on in it’s manual labor for 80 percent and 20 percent machine work.
Many people ask why so much hand work, why so labor intensive. My answer is, when you look at an old masters painting or a classic car from the forties or fifties does it look as though it’s been totally automated. Of course not, the sculptors have created the master clay car in the first instance putting their touch and personality into the three dimensional object and given it an identity of its own, the master painter has created his master piece, brush stroke by brush stroke. Each of these hold an aura, a beauty that cannot always be easily described but people gravitate towards them. By the same token I feel that by carving the Lovespoon by hand I am injecting my own personality into the carving, giving it its own sense of being.
OK, enough said, let me show you the stage where I’m at. (Continued)
Over on Darren Rowse’s Problogger Blog a new “Community Writing Project” kicks off this week with the subject matter being “Developing Goals for your Blog“. This innovative idea brings the world of Pro-blogger and amateur blogger head to head with undoubtedly the novice blogger having the most to gain through quality readership.
This unselfish and caring attitude towards his readership only cements his place at the top of his profession and at the same time gaining additional converts to his own blog on how to make money via blogging. (Continued)
Over the past few months I have been thinking of ways to complement a family room or kitchen. When I think of the rooms that are most frequented in, I immediately think of the kitchen first then family room, these are the two most used placed in anyone’s home. They are the hub of activity for home cooked meals, to the take out meal, it is here that most people congregate for day to day conversation. I know in my own home this tends to be the case.
For the purpose of displaying a Welsh Lovespoon in one of these rooms, I thought that the best solution would be to design something that would have a dual purpose and be substantial enough to be noticed without looking grotesque. When you think of the nature of these two rooms and the amount of traffic that they have, an invaluable item is the wall clock. Most wall clocks as we know them are just what they are, a wall clock, usually round in nature with very little appeal but if I could intergrate a Lovespoon design with a four inch battery operated clock face incorporated, then the appearance may be more integral to the room. (Continued)
The hardest part in any Welsh Lovespoon creation is to come up with somewhat of a unique design. With the multitude of websites that are available most have a common likeness in design pulling from the tradition of Celtic art. There may be hearts, crosses, doves and knots adorning the carving and it’s an individual taste that eventually sways you as a potential customer to purchase or not to purchase that item that is offered, therefore it is important to create a Welsh Lovespoon that you yourself would purchase. (Continued)
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
On April 18th 2006, this will mark the 100 year anniversary of the 7.9 earthquake that destroyed San Francisco in 1906. At that time San Francisco was known as the most sophisticated city on the West Coast, the fact that most of the buildings were constructed of unreinforced wood and brick only added fuel to the chaos the ensued. (Continued)
Saturday, January 28, 2006
In recent weeks deciding on what type of carving to attempt next has been quite challenging and during the interim I decided to go with a classic design to fill in the void. The carving that is now on eBay is a small Celtic design with a couple of main elements, namely a Celtic cross with hearts. The total dimensions are seven inches by two inches and carved from a nice cream to green colored timber called Poplar. (Continued)
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Saturday January 21st 2006 will always be etched into my mind, that was the day my dog, a Newfoundland was as they say “put to sleep”. At 11 years and 9 months he wasn’t young by any means and at 145 pounds he wasn’t small. The last 6 months have seen his health deteriorate quite considerably and we put that down to his age. During that period he had trouble finding his feet in our tiled family room and one night he must of splayed out as we found him in the morning unable to move. (Continued)
