I'm Leaving Soon....

Today is the annual 5K heart walk here. I registered and made my donation pledge, the weather is promising. I will be leaving in a hour or so to attend!    

In the meantime, I'll show y'all what I've been working on the last couple of days. When I set out my Halloween stuff, Bud and I moved all the 'regular, everyday stuff' back into storage boxes. When I picked up one of our Kachina Dolls [pronounced kah CHEEN ah] , the fur/hide on its legs just literally 'crumbled in my hands'!!!! Rotten to the core. Doesn't say much for the tanning process. Even if the doll is nearly 30 years old. We bought it in Tombstone. I guess I shoulda had a glass box made for it to seal out all air to preserve it better. I forgot to take a 'before' picture so I have to rely on the internet and web search for one [seen here]. This is the closest I could find...even tho the leather 'skirt' is a shade different, it's mighty close to what we had purchased long ago....

Well anyway, it's rotted. Should I toss it? Or try and restore it even tho my handiwork will take its collector's value to nil!!!! I always thought the blue face on the eagle dancer was odd anyway. I'm sure it has to do with some Native American religious belief...the color that is. A Kachina is a spirit...and originally Pueblo Indians I believe. Okay...so off to Michael's and Hobby Lobby to get some items after my first day of taking all the feathers and glue off to prepare it for the new. I had plans of making the 'eagle' into more natural colors. I had to glue each individual feather on, one at a time.  Paint its head like a bald eagle...white instead of blue, brown black and colorful wing feathers, white feather tail, faux fur to help keep the thing from rotting like the original hide did...I left the body a redwood as it was the original color....etc etc etc.  Here is the outcome...

Read about the Kachina