Let me just start this little post with a photo to brighten your day:

![image.png](https://ipfs.busy.org/ipfs/QmccGCNvYvazR1bYJDDesbyv98K5EUNPd77UH5SNwWBJDD)

We went up to @somebuttstuff's house on the weekend to hang out and use his abundance of space to work on our van a bit. Helo spend the majority of the day basking in the sun. He gets cuter as he ages, which I didn't think was possible.

The van is finally starting to look less like a mess. Considering we have no idea what we're doing, we're pretty happy with how it's coming along.

![image.png](https://ipfs.busy.org/ipfs/QmX2Yt7Amv44no6FQaF23oH4Ghb6yyz6hLqnRGQtQDWGm3)
*@mstafford fixing up some gaps in his master woodworking..*

We have to do a lot of sanding this week, but then the interior will be ready for a couple coats of paint.

![image.png](https://ipfs.busy.org/ipfs/QmQWaQLMgVjEEgqm8tSWaqSFifgDyxYoT5pDi22GKT31rA)
*Ok ok it still looks a mess but a more complete mess!*

We decided to go with the white paint because a) it will cover our mistakes relatively well, b) we think it would be cool to paint some cool custom artwork by us on the walls/ceiling, so the white paint is a great blank canvas, and c) it will be nice and bright. I will probably add cedar accents too because I love cedar.

In other news, we pulled our first load of stones out of the tumbler on Saturday. They went right back in with the second grit for another week. But I took a couple pics first:

![image.png](https://ipfs.busy.org/ipfs/QmQgZFZXXxY6yqwqSXyQNPS84whaD5GYvqTD72pAM9DpaD)
*Ok this is blurrier than I thought but you get the idea.*

![image.png](https://ipfs.busy.org/ipfs/Qmf4XxPDSZwL9sBSStGxsuaJRUque8kT7AWnWr8dvNvY8y)
*You can see a couple of my Dallasite pieces in there... very exciting*

The stones all felt silky smooth with no bumps or changing textures. I'm very interested to see how they look/feel after the second tumble...then the third...then the fourth. I'm not a patient person. 

I'm hoping to incorporate some of them into my jewellery making. I have some additional gear to pick up at the post office this week that will help me overcome some issues (that I touched on in [my last metalsmithing post](https://steemit.com/steemartists/@caitycat/making-learning-digging)) and then I'll be sitting down at the bench to dig in. I can't wait! I'll be sure to share the process here.

![image.png](https://ipfs.busy.org/ipfs/QmVLDAkf14HrydFVHXijFcNPYAEnkziPc3qS9ikY1V8V3V)
*These are among the items I'm waiting for. They'll allow me to buff out scratches and polish pieces to a shiny finish.*

Until then, peace & love!!

-Caitycat