a lot of progress has been made on the bridle, but there's been one step I've been stuck on. The knots on the end of the curb strap keep sliding around as I tighten them, resulting in badly tightened knots that sit crooked.

it looks bad in photos, but even worse in person. In person you can see a lump at the end of the knot where it rode up and tightened weird.

After hours of fighting, trying different knots, and wondering if that pretty curb bit was really worth all this trouble, I had an idea. I deal the ends of my braid with a lighter so it's nice and secure, why couldn't I stick a hot needle through that part?

So I tried it, fully expecting it to not work. Much to my surprise and delight, it did work like it was supposed to and it was sturdy.

I've dubbed this way of holding knots in place the Excalibur method, because why not.;)

This is the knot now, after tightening properly.

with my curb strap fixed, my headstall is complete. All that's left are the romal reins, then this bridle will be complete!

Since finally finding all my tack tools and supplies, the itch to make tack has been persistent. It's one of those things you don't realize you miss until you're back at it.

I've been working on a headstall, using an idea I've been wanting to do for the last six months but lacked the supplies to do. It's a two eared headstall with a ton of Turks head knots. It should look pretty cool when it's finished. There will be 14 Turks head knots on the crownpiece alone.

This isn't a great photo of it, but it's coming along. That tangle of string on the left side is what the knot looks like prior to tightening. Tying the knots take a long time, but tightening it takes twice as long. It's better to tighten slowly and retighten two or three times instead of once, it helps the knot sit evenly.

Progress is made slowly but surely!

This is what, the third time I've said the same thing? Back from the dead and all that, yay.

i apologize for the slump, 2016 saw a big move for me, bringing my horses home and getting property. That keeps me busy, and with getting property I ended up with a second horse and a miniature donkey.

2016 and part of 2017 also saw a big slump with the models. I don't have shelving like I did in the old house, so everyone has been packed in boxes. I put it down for a while and focused on other things. However, the old fire has returned and I'm working hard to keep it going, as this is a great community to be a part of. Many people I've met in this hobby are wonderful, and a type all their own.

I' going to do my best to update this blog a couple times a week, however how much hobby related stuff it will be I don't know. I'm back to making some tack(shocker), and will try to keep at least one project going at a time, just to keep my hands busy.

Back to that horse and donkey, meet Latte. He's a 16 year old paint thoroughbred cross. Since the moment I brought him home him and Annie have been glued at the hip. He only has one eye, and I'm not sure if Annie knows this but whenever she feels like messing with him she always does it on his blind side. His personality is way different than Annie's, where Annie is laid back, Latte is a bit more anxious about what goes on. Because of this I've been exploring new training methods for the horses, which has helped immensely.

the other addition to my herd is Jack, the mini donkey. He wasn't expected, he just showed up, quite literally. He wandered in through the front gate then moseyed into the spare paddock and made himself at home. I contacted the livestock sheriff and posted him on the town's Facebook group but never heard anything so he's stayed with me. He's very talkative, and will "yell" at me if he doesn't think I'm getting his hay in a timely manner, which is every feeding.

That's the equines, and what takes up most of my time. Everything else has been general life stuff. My current tack project is a bridle, we'll see how long it takes me to complete. It's going to have a ton of knots on it, which look awesome but are tedious to make. Every knot has been retyed at least six times. This is the only photo I have at the moment.

Thats all for now, and I will update this blog again, though hopefully sooner than a year and a half!

But I'm still going to say it. I'm so sorry for completely abandoning this blog! I haven't had much time for models in the past year, but with luck 2016 will be different. I'm making a conscious effort to post more this year and be more active in the hobby!

You're probably curious about what I've been off doing. 2015 was mostly spent making a big move. It was definitely worth it though! I was lucky enough to snag a piece of property, so now Annie is living with me. And there will be a second horse soon, but more on that later.

Y'all will also be happy to hear that I have started learning more about photography. I have a nice camera to take pictures with, and can competently use it. That means no more grainy iPhone pictures! Yay!

As far as blog content, I'm not sure what 2016 will hold. I may expand this blog to include more about Annie and other topics, such as photography. The primary focus will definitely be models though. I do have some tutorials planned! Keep an eye out for those.

I always say that it's not a good blog post unless there's pictures, so here's some pictures I took of Annie a month ago. This is on my property. She's about a year and seven months old now, and still cute as a button!

One last question for everyone, what would you like to see on the blog? Any tutorials? Feel free to let me know, I may do it.

​Happy New Year everyone!

I've been away from the blog for a while, much longer than I wanted to be. I have a good reason though, I promise! After getting back from Breyerfest(which was a blast), my life took a turn onto the highway. A good turn though, that's for sure! The models got set aside for a while due to a lack of time, but hopefully I will be picking back up on the plastic ponies, espsecially since Lauren from She Moved to Texas issued a challenge of sorts to model horse tack makers. Who could resist the temptation of scrim sheets and standing wraps?

Almas and I are ready for the room sales! We're going to stop for a bite to eat at Sam's Truck Stop(best place on earth, I've been waiting a year for it!), then head to the Clarion.

We're in Kentucky!! Only about five hours left to go!

Ignore this post, Weebly's acting up and not wanting to upload.

I'll be blogging about Breyerfest again! I'll be doing it differently than last year, instead of a post with lots of writing, it'll be pictures with small captions. We leave Wednesday, so start keeping an eye out for updates!