Hey all, I wanted to give an update on what I've been doing lately.
I've been pretty busy lately building some new projects and testing them out.One of which is meant to be a battle ready large wooden shield. It is almost complete. It's pretty heavy, good for blocking ax and sword blows but a little too heavy for what I was planning. That's what testing is for though. Once I have the thing painted I want to do some destructive testing on it, namely take a whack at it with and ax and shoot it with an arrow or two. I'll upload some pictures of that when I do. Let me know in the comments below if any of you might be interested in seeing a video of it.
That project has taken up a good chunk of my time but I have been working on other things, including custom orders. Some of the custom orders include a spear for cosplay which I need to finish before ComiCon, and some home decor for sports fans. The later being a pair sabers and a heater shield for Raiders fans.
The saber is now up on Etsy as a listing of it's own and the Heater shield is now an option under the shield listing.

Another recent custom order was one of my "Powered-up" Adventure Bows. These are like my Adventure Bows but stronger. Normally my bows are ordered with a draw weight between 20 and 35 lbs. This bow was ordered to be 45lbs. It was a bit of a beast to string as I was testing it out. Especially on the first go where I had it at about 57 lbs. What I really liked about this bow was that I got to make a new camo pattern. I have it listed as "Squared finish" in my upgrades on Etsy because it's not limited to camo colors. I was really pleased how well it actually works as camouflage. See how long it takes you to spot it below!

Another thing that has taken up a huge bite out of my time was my brother's bachelor party. As his best man I took it upon myself to plan it out and make the props for it. I sent him and his friends on an epic , an family friendly mind you, "Side Quest" which included arming him with sword and shield and solving puzzles. I'd love to post pictures of what I made but I've been very busy and honestly a bit burnt out for the past two weeks. The wedding is coming up real soon and I hope to be able to be back up and running with more consistent blogging once my duties with that are finished.

Well that's about all I got for today, testing and development is still underway with my other project. It is working pretty well but I need to adjust a few things before I am ready to launch. I know you'll are probably intrigued as to what it might be.
Tell you what, if you find that you can't wait another two or three weeks before you find out (and honestly it's killing me to have to hold off the launch), let me know in the comments below and if enough of you do this I will give ya'll a sneak peek if you promise to to give me some constructive critique and ideas of what could be added, or what it could be used for.


Until next time,
​Stephen

Hey ya'll! Just wanted to give a quick post for today so I can keep you guys informed about some of what I got going on. It'll be quick so I can get back to fulfilling orders and spending time with my family and neighbors.

As many of you know, today is America's traditional birthday. We are now 240 years old as a nation. Happy birthday to us.
Many folks celebrate this day with fireworks, bonfires and BBQs. All stuff that has to do with fire. Gives me an idea for a celebratory art piece for next year but for this year I'll be completing orders and hanging out with my wife, kids and neighbors as we watch fireworks from our backyards. We got a pretty nice place here in that we don't have to go anywhere to get a good view of our local shows.

Anywho, I got some new products coming up that I'll be listing soon. One of which is my brand new PVC Sabers. I don't have a proper name for them yet. Maybe one of my readers would like to help with that?
The other new product that I am excited about and keep hinting at is still undergoing testing. I've been making a new and heavier shield and sword for myself to help with testing but I have not finished those yet.

On another note: Cool news for animal lovers and motivators everywhere (especially in the U.S.).
Army veteran saves an eagle by shooting down the branch it was trapped on.
http://dailycaller.com/2016/07/04/military-veteran-saves-life-of-bald-eagle-using-semi-automatic-rifle/
When I first saw the pictures I was concerned that he has tried to shoot the rope the bird was stuck on but was relieved to find that he shot the whole branch much further from the bird.
The reason I mention this to you is because I find it rather inspiring. The veteran had done the right thing by calling, was given an understandable answer but did not accept the fate of this majestic bird. Instead he took it upon himself to save the bird when no one else would. It is that kind of character trait to draws many young Americans to join the military and it is always great to see in people regardless of whether the are prior, active, or never in the military.

Alright, that's about it for today. I gotta get back to making things, like yummy garlic bread sticks.

​Have a happy 4th of July!

Stephen