Thank You Military Personal

To show my thanks to our military personnel who serve in Afghanistan & Iraq and their families, I'm carving Santa ornaments to send to those who are interested. I know I can't give every service person one, but I can take the time to carve a fair amount this year. I need to start early because of the time it takes to carve them. Contact me if you have a  request. The Santa is four inches long and cut from a two inch block and cut at an angle. They are painted with acrylics with a coat of Deft. To keep up my interest there will be small difference in carving and painting techniques. There is a small space on the back where I can burn in a name or a small message of your choosing.  God bless our military. 

Cowgirl

This cowgirl was from a rough-out. The wood was dried out and hard to carve. I wasn't to happy the way the face turned out. I didn't go in much detail as I would like because of the wood. I like the paint job, so not everything is lost.  Anyway this gal is ready to go dancing.

Merry Christmas

My family and I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year. I started carving a bark ornament  much like the ones in the Dec. 2 post. The bark kept  breaking off of the back, so I carved it flat. I could of kept it as an ornament or a pin, but instead I glued a magnet on the back and it's on the refrigerator. I also carved a reindeer out of basswood as a refrigerator magnet. The wood has a bad spot on the back, but it looks OK. Just the nose and feet are painted. These are quick and fun Projects.

Santa is Worrysome

This Santa was carved from a Pete LeClair pattern. He looks a little worried this Christmas season, but I think it will turn out OK.  Whether you've been naughty or nice there's still time to correct it with Santa. Merry Christmas to all and it is the season for giving, even if it is just a friendly hello. 

Fusion Santa

The season of joy and good will is among us. This Santa combines both caricature and chip carving. In an article in Woodcarving magazine, Gary Peiffer uses a lathe turned blank. I don't have a lathe so it's carved to round for the chip carving. It's 1 1/2 inch square by 8 inches tall. The Santa is painted with acrylic's and a couple coats of Deft.

Star Ornaments

These are a couple of variations of the Christmas Star. The Star ornaments are carved in cottonwood bark. The one is 4 inches long and the other 3 inches long. I used a v-cut on the 3 inch long one and it shows more of the bark layers. They are finished with three coats of Tru-Oil, which is for gun stocks. It really brings out the bark color. They make a nice addition to the Christmas tree.

Pine Cone Ornament

This pine cone ornament is carved out of basswood.  Pine cones come in male and female varieties. The male cone is usually no more than two inches long and lives only a few months in the spring or the autumn. After it releases it's pollen, the male cone falls off the tree. The pollen travels by wind to the larger female cone. After pollination, the female cone takes one to three years to mature. The seeds release in several different ways depending on the type of tree.

I added snow and a small cardinal to the bark house ornament that was on the Nov. 14 post. I think it added a little to the look of the house. The cardinal was bought from a craft store.