Well, the contract hasn't been signed, so I hope I am not jinxing things, but he has given notice here in Ohio and the preparations have begun. Dallas is out and I am sad about that, particularly now that the cold weather has settled in and this moves involves my family traveling on I-80 during Christmas Break. That is something I said I would NEVER do again. It is not fun and this time, I will be towing a trailer full of my equipment behind me. YIKES! So prayers for good weather and roads that week would be greatly appreciated.

So where are we going? Well, we are headed way out WEST. We are moving to Vancouver, Washington, just outside of Portland, Oregon. I must say, I think this will be a better fit for me. I was really worried about being in nothing but heat with no mountain or lush landscaping in sight. Our goal is to save every penny we can and buy a place up in the mountains and build my dream home and studio. And the best part of that is, my hubby will still only have about a 30 minute commute. To some people that may be a long time, but it is shorter than he has now, and it is much better than our hour minimum we had when living in the DC area. And if I can live in the landscape I dream of, it will be worth it. I just hope students will feel it is worth it for the drive up to my studio for classes.

I am not sure what I am going to do about classes and making jewelry over the next year while we rent. We aren't finding any homes that have the space necessary for a studio set up. There are a couple, but the rent is so high that we have decided it is better to save that money and use it as a down payment for my dream studio... er, I mean home. The next couple of weeks, I figured I would document a little bit about packing up the studio. If anyone has some great ideas they would like to share with me, I would greatly appreciate it. Everything in my studio here is NEW, well, not new, but I didn't have it before we bought this house. So I haven't ever had to move a studio like mine before. It really is daunting. My husband and I stood in the studio last night and we are both a bit horrified at the task sitting before us. Yes, I have a tool problem. So sad.

Last week I mentioned that i am going to be placing a couple of tool orders. I was hoping to place it tomorrow, but I think it will be more like on Friday (No later than Friday.) This is a great time to get your Christmas Lists out and let me help you get some fun stuff for your studio. I will also be selling some of the tools and equipment from my studio. No, you cannot have my rolling mill, bench shear, hydraulic press, or sand blaster. You can order a hydraulic press through me if you would like. Contact me for details if you are interested.

I figured I would share some of the tools that are being ordered by others. If we get enough of them, I can usually get it for a little better price. I am listing the retail price here on my blog. Depending on the item, I can usually save you about 10% and sometimes 15% or 20%.

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When I first saw this dapping set, I was really hesitant to get it. I have a set that "looks" like this that I purchased from Harbor Freight. Well, my HF set is wonky and the punches are not all round. Some of them have a slight point to them. When I was first starting out, they served me well. It was $35 well spent. But these are closer to $70 and I was a bit gun shy. Then one of my students ordered one. I pulled it out when it arrived and looked them over. I was totally impressed that the daps were all rounded beautifully. Now they aren't as nice as my Pepe set, but they are also about a 1/3 the cost. So this is a really great "middle of the road" tool. If I could fill my shop with nothing but Pepe tools, I would do it in a heartbeat, but since that doesn't fit my budget, this would be a great alternative.

Retail: $69.95

This is a popular item and I hate when they are out of stock. I checked and they are currently in stock. YAY! These are the setting burnishers I used in my Tube Setting Tutorial. There are 18 punches ranging from 2mm - 6mm. Again, these aren't the top of the line, but they are a great set of tools that while I could live without them, I wouldn't want to. They make setting round bezels and tube settings so easy.

I have several people purchasing this set internationally and we will just send it without the little box to help keep shipping down (per their request) so just keep in mind, that might be an option too.

Retail: $51.95
These hollow core diamond coated drill bits are what I use when I need to cut through ceramic, tile, or glass. The set currently on order includes 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 5.0 and 6.5 mm bits. They can also be purchased individually and in more individual sizes.

Retail: $38.95

This little divider is great for scoring my work in preparation to cutting it.

Retail: $5.95
There are also several orders for various burs used in tube setting and such. They can be ordered in any number of sizes and shapes. they typically range in price from $3 - $7.

I can get any number of other tools also including Lindstrom, some GRS, and others. If you have something on your wish list, just let me know. I will do my best to get you the best price on them. If I can't, I will certainly be happy to let you know where to get the best price.

I don't mind shipping internationally if I can. Just keep in mind that the cost will be higher due to shipping costs and possible customs stuff. You can decide if you want insurance or not also.

TRONEX.
I am going to be placing a tronex order as well. I can offer you 15% off their prices as well. If you would like to view their tools, just check out my Tool Time Tuesday posts Here and Here. They have also recently come out with a flat nose plier with a skinny head, only 3mm at the tip. I don't have this pair yet, so I can't tell you much more than that, but I have heard it is pretty nice.

Here are the prices of some of my favorites:
$44.55 - #711 - Chain Nose Pliers
$44.55 - #721 - Needle Nose Pliers
$44.55 - #731 - Round Nose Pliers
$44.00 - #741 - Flat Nose pliers
$60.50 - #7812 - Heavy Duty Cutter, Flush Edges
$59.95 - #7513 - Large Oval Head, Semi-Relief, Razor Flush Edges
$62.70 - #7223 - Taper Head, Relieved, Razor Flush Edges
$53.90 - #5222 - Taper head, Relieved, Flush Edges

If you are interested in getting anything, just drop me a line. There is a link to my email in the navigation bar at the top of the blog.

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Sorry to not have a Tool Time Tuesday, but things happened rather fast and we are getting things ready. I have a shipment coming in from Potter USA that has my new sandbag and I will do a TTT on how to break it in and of course, make you all jealous of my new beautiful leather sand bag. I am going to try to record as many as I can before we go so that I will have something to post on my blog in the coming months.

I also hope to get some pictures done of some of the pieces I have been working on and a few of my custom orders that have recently been placed. I have got to get to work....... Wish me luck!

Oh, and if you live in the Vancouver, Washington area, I could use some friends. I don't really know too many people there. I met one online friend when we were there a week and a half ago, but that is about it so far. I don't bite too hard... I promise.