Village Tree's

Every year my wife sets up this village for the holidays.It was in desperate need of some trees. I carved these trees in cotton wood bark. I penciled out U's all the way down a cone shape and used a knife and a gouge to cut the branches. I painted the tree with a green wash and added some snow. It is a great addition to this village.

Santa Is Coming To Town

I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and prosperous New Year. I let my wife chose a rough-out of a Santa and she liked this one. It will compete with all the doll type Santa's. It is 16 inches tall. This is the time of year there is a lot of good cheer and a giving nature. I hope it can carry on throughout the next year.

 

Wood Necklace

This is my first attempt at carving a necklace. It has been a learning experience with the clasps and chains. The two hearts are carved out of lilac that I trimmed back last spring. They are cut at an angle to give that grain look. They are a light tan and white in color. The eye is a twisted wire glued in a drilled hole. The hook is carved in cherry that a friend cut down this last spring. It's heart wood is a reddish brown. Both woods are a hardwood.

Santa Revisited

I had carved this same Santa in December 2010. The block of wood is a quarter inch larger but I carved the Santa thinner. This one is 9 inches tall. The chip carved part has smaller chips. I added a line border to the chips because it looked unfinished. I like this version a lot better. 

Spiral Ornament

This is the time we decorate the Christmas tree and put up the outside lights. The spiral ornaments for the tree are 3 1/2 inches long. One is sanded and the other one I left the carve marks on the outside. I think it will reflect the light better then the sanded one. I did a craft sale Saturday. It is a good way to introduce carving to my community. The future of carving is through exposure and teaching this as a fun and rewarding hobby. I also gave a few pencils away to young kids who showed interest in carving. The young kids really liked the horses and galloped them across the table before the moms could stop them. There was good interest in my carvings.