My leather storage had gotten disorganized, so I straightened it up yesterday. Yes, my leather is organized by type and/or color. Bottom left is water buffalo, bottom right is baby calf, all middle/easy to reach sections are kangaroo, and the top/hard to reach sections are various pieces of calf and kid.
Getting back into the routine of working has been tough–I miss my daughter Paige so much in the shop. But… it’s time to go back to work, and I decided to start with a happy little project that she would have admired, so I made myself a new watchband.
I didn’t realize that it’s been so long since I’ve posted on my blog. For those of you who don’t know, we lost our daughter Paige Marie Sorrell on May 12. It continues to be a long, hard journey, but we remember her with much love.
This was my newsletter for the month of May.
A pair of my boots visited me today at the Smithsonian Craft Show!
I have a small art piece in the Smithsonian Craft Show Auction.
Hey everyone, I got to be the featured artist on Tim Shelton’s podcast! My episode is #96. Tim Shelton is an amazingly talented vocalist and musician, and his band is The Surly Gentlemen. Their website is www.thesurlygentlemen.com
“It’s a Boot Life” is my monthly YouTube show. It always includes a segment called “In the Studio,” which is 2-4 minutes of technical boot maker stuff. This episode I experiment with the heat-erasable pens and give my verdict on using them for leather. The rest of the show is about the life of a cowboy boot maker. This month there’s a “Moment with Morgan” where she discovers a new (disgusting) soda flavor, and “Bluegrass Visitors” featuring a visit from Borderline Bluegrass, a southwest Missouri bluegrass band.
I’m too grumpy to be photogenic today, but Paige doesn’t have that problem. ❤
I haven’t been able to work in the shop or post many pictures recently; my dad has been very sick and I’ve been spending a lot of time in Missouri with my family. He’s the one who taught me to be fearless of snakes, lizards, running barefoot, and climbing trees. I like to think that it’s because of him I had the daring to try cowboy boot making. Here’s a little glimpse into the man he was.
 | customboots on Challenge |
 | Eugen T. on Challenge |
 | Mike McCanna on Lessons |
| customboots on I’m not the boss |
 | Terri M on I’m not the boss |
Lisa Sorrell, cowboy boot maker 