are you an encourager or a discourager??

hi folks,,, i guess by my title that you already have an answer. i have to share this story with you cause it sadden me to read it, i receive a lot of emails from beginners. but the one i got some time ago made me think. the one person that emailed me photos of their work, i was amazed how great the carving were and email back quickly to tell them what a wonderful carvings they had done. folks it was wonderful, for a beginner that just starting out to have advanced so quickly was wonderful, i dont really know how long they were carving but new in their eyes, when i receive another email, they were amazed that i said it was wonderful, and almost didnt know how to handle the praise i gave to them. then here is the sad part, they never let others see their work other than the family, cause other folks were always saying how to fix this or that. sad isnt it, that talent was hidden cause of the reaction from people, what if someone would have said thats a wonderful piece of art? and leave it at that. how much more would that have encourage them to continue? i dont know about you but i dont need to be discouraged, do you ? if your going to tell someone what is wrong with a carving , then make sure you tell them what is right!! its easy to discourage folks, than to encourage. how many folks got ahead in life with discouragement? not many that i know of,,, most artist had someone that encouraged them along the way. i am not saying you cant correct someone, but folks if you do it has to be in the right setting, and know what your talking about. and only if correcting them will help them do better. and a correction done with the right tone is important. there is enough in life that discourages us, so be an encourager to other carvers, and artist you meet along the way. so which are you an encourager or a discourager??

two new dvds, the leprechaun,..... the amish gal and rabbit

hi folks just to let you know that i have two more dvds for my collection that are available, the leprechaun and is on one dvd,,, and the other is amish gal and rabbit on the second dvd, if interested please visit my other blog, there are now 21different dvds

be sure to join the monthly dvd giveaway, next drawing will be march 2oth

www.arleenscarverswoodshop.blogspot.com

thanks, enjoy , arleen

an american eagle, the next new project on youtube

hi folks , well i am back at it again, another project up ,, its called american eagle,,, its an eagle with an american flag around it, my own designed, i am not ashame to say how proud i am of our country, and of the men and women that serve our country, may God continue protect them to bless our land, and we often forget what it means for sooooo many that come here for a new, and better life, my folks came here to the states in 1960 , i was the only one born here, in the usa, and its funny i am the only one that can legally become president lol , not that i would want that job, but so happy that they came here, so my folks came from holland, my folks never looked back, always thankful that we are here, along with me they love this country

you can find this project on my youtube channel, www.youtube.com/carverswoodshop enjoy

how to carve eyes, just keep at it , you will be amazed

hi folks i just posted two videos on how to carve an eye, there are alot of folks that have this problem, i done my style of eyes on my santas that works for me, but i wanted an eye with and eyelid, and some of the teaching of how to do eyes which are great and detail is a bit much for the beginner, not that you shouldnt try it ,, but i wanted something simple and that would look half decent, i just took a block of wood and put all kinds of eyes all over it, and came up with a simple way to make and upper eyelid, it amazing that one or to cuts on a project can make a different, you can see the carving an santa eye, and then the second is the painted santa eye, i will do a video soon on this style of santa in the future, just keep at it, take a block of wood and do nothing but eyes, you will be amazed at what you can do,,,,, take care and keep carving, arleen

LEPRECHAUN #20 END

leprechaun, finished,

it was a fun project and i will make a how to carve dvd of him soon, all of these projects i will be taking along to the show in lancaster pa, june 5-6 2010 , hope to see you there, hope you enjoyed the leprechaun project, happy carving , you can find this project on my youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/carverswoodshop :) arleen

spring, and flowers , another snowstorm,, leprechaun is finished,

hi folks, how is everyone ? its a snowy mess again here in the northeast , so glad we still have power and that the amounts are not as much as they were predicting the last few days,, spring will be here before we know it, and again the pain of winter cleanup will be big this year, i see what i hit with the plow, grass and sorry to say part of my mailbox, its okay just leaning a little to the right. the photo below is a orchid that i gave my mom about a month ago, my sweet mom, she was not feeling well for about a week, she loves flowers, shes from Holland, and nothing better to her than blooming plants and flowers, very year i get her an orchid, she has a green thumb and can make anything grow, but this plant has 12 blooming flowers on it, it had six ( three on each side) and now with my moms care it has 12 ( six on each side ) i never saw that many but she loves it , and i have to say its one of the nicest plants i ever got her, and folks i got this at Walmart lol i have to say their cut flowers and orchids have been the best, the flowers last over a week, but anyway i wanted folks to see this wonder plant,,, i am not into plants and my love for the outdoors is not like my moms,, i see work when i look outside, mowing, trimming, cleanup, repairs, etc, so i have a different look at the outdoors, i just happy to have a mower that works, and good weather to get my mowing done, i have sooooo much of it here at the farm and my place and my folks... so you see i am not a fan of the outdoors

yes another snowstorm,, as i wait inside i wonder how much i will have to plow, but for now i enjoying seeing it from indoors, and working on the last of the leprechaun,,, i going to repaint it this morning, not happy with it , just a few things,,, but it will be up by later this afternoon,

enjoy the photo, happy and safe carving to ya, arleen

new project the leprechaun

hi folks new project on youtube is the leprechaun, someone ask me to carve on so here we go, it should be interesting, i have videos 1-2 up on my youtube channel, enjoy, and tom our winner of the dvd pick the chickadee dvd, thanks everyone that enter, this has been fun, arleen

WINNER OF THE MONTHLY DVD GIVEAWAY IS TOM, CONGRATS

thanks for entering the monthly dvd giveaway, and if you like to join please just email me and put on the subject line DVD GIVEAWAY and i will be happy to enter you for the year, open for those in the usa and canada only , sorry only region 1 thanks arleen

carving with meaning, what does yours say about you?

do you ever wonder what your carvings says about you? i had to think about this for a while, is there a message in my carving, or just fun? does your carvings say something about you? what you think, what you feel, about your family, your history, most artists do art with meaning, something they want to say or convey , i thought a lot about this,

what does my carving say to you? does it show humor , does it make you think? does it make you want to try something new or just something fun to do? i hope so, i hope it shows that first i love to carve, and sooo grateful that i can carve, hope it shows you the things i care about, and most of all that i believe in one that that cares for us all, i often see him as the carver, and he is whittling me the way he wants me to be, and what is he trying to convey to others around me? that is a huge question, and so what are you conveying to others from the one that created and carved you?

food for thought, happy and safe carving to ya , arleen

happy carving, arleen

finish the bear with a heart, and photo of the bear and rabbit

well the bear is done along with a picture of the rabbit, i enjoyed doing both,,, i have a couple more projects in mind and will let you know about them soon, i also want to get a carving done for the lancaster wood carving show, all i will say about that one is that its still on the drawing board, but really folks i have enjoyed all the carvings i have done on my youtube videos, what a joy to be able to have the time and the ideas come so easy, you never know where your going to be when an idea will hit you. when i least expect it is when i come up with something new. so take heart if your having a hard time finding the next project, you just never know when i will come to you , and boom your in your workshop planning and designing, hope when your reading this, you have a new project in mind and if not dont worry it will come, happy and safe carving to ya, arleen

finished the rabbit, and now the bear with a heart

hi again, i just finished the rabbit and starting on the next project on youtube , its a bear with a heart, i know i late for feb 14, 2010 but thought this might be a nice project for beginners, so i should have it done by latest tomorrow, thanks again for all your support, i have more projects lined up, i am trying to do different projects to make it interesting,,, have fun, happy carving, arleen

new project on my youtube channel,

hi folks, just done plowing snow, we got another 22 inches or more i lost count, but anyway , the new project will be a rabbit, its a small one thought it be nice to do it before easter, which isnt that far away, i believe its early this year. well i hope you all enjoy it, the pattern that i have , has all three projects the cat, mouse and the rabbit, if you like to see the youtube video how to make it please go to , www.youtube.com/carverswoodshop, enjoy, arleen

eagle pin + eagle letter opener dvd and amish guy + pig dvds added

hi folks, as i sit out another snow storm i have two new dvds added to my list , one dvd has the eagle letter opener + eagle name tag pin.... the second dvd has the amish guy +pig project......... so now there are 19 dvds total, i need to make the covers and make a few copies, today might be a great day to get some ready for the lancaster woodcarving show in june.. you can see a complete list on my other blog, http://www.arleencarveswoodshop.blogspot.com as i continue to do new projects on youtube new dvds will be added, thanks to all that watch my youtube channel and subscribe . i enjoy making the videos, and found a way to put both things i enjoy the most together ( computers and woodcarving ) what a blessing, take care happy and safe carving, and to those of you in the snowstorm path be careful, arleen

dont forget the monthly dvd giveaway, please go to my other blog for information , sorry only open to folks in the usa and canada, dvd are region 1 only thanks , arleen

another major snowstorm , sometimes old things are better ??

well folks i know its been a few day since i been on youtube, thinking of what to do next, have a few ideas, but sometimes its not easy what to work on next, i got another printer, well a used one, that is about 10 years old, dont laugh,, i have to tell you the one i got is a work horse, i got my first on more than ten years ago, it cost 300 dollars,(( its still working just wanted another of the same )) today i got a used one for around 60.... i did all my invoices from my inkjet refilling business on it, along with a host of other printing and copying, the one wonderful plus to this machine, is i can reduce or enlarge any copy i want, it works without a computer hookup, an the cartridges hold sooo much ink, about 10 times the amount to what the new ones hold today,,, see one of my businesses is inkjet refilling, done it since 1998 so i been at it a while, so sometimes i see the new stuff coming on the market, i now refill 40 plus different inkjets, and the cartridges have been getting smaller all the time, so the old stuff is great, there are two machines both hps that i would buy again used ,, because of the size of the cartridges and they are a work horse, i done all my printing for all my business on just two different models, along now with all the printing of the covers and pattern for my dvds, why am i sharing this, well one old is sometimes better, and two new isnt always better, so all the new gadgets for woodcarving isnt alway the best, sometimes the old knife or gouge is the best, dont be fooled that things will always be better when you purchase this or that, just know sometime the old stuff is just as good or better, happy carving to ya , arleen

a snowstorm and a chance to relax and carve

hi folks , most of us try to find time to carve, a time that you can just sit not worry about time, where you have to go , and things to do,, a snowstorm is a good time to find time...,, for now the snowstorm in the east has hit us hard, so far i have 19 inches out on my deck as you can see on the photos, its a time that i have to think about plowing and digging out , i plow both my place , my folks and the whole farm, last snowstorm took me 6 hours, and that was only 14 inches, the plow i have is not a plow but a grader, which works great but its on the back of the tractor not on the front, my neck gets a workout,,,, i am happy we have something to plow with, and very happy i dont have to shovel it all,,,,,,, i will find time to carve, and if your one of those lucky ones, that can stay home and enjoy the outdoors from the inside where is warm , enjoy,,, and take the time to carve, its one of the nice times to do so,, i will get my time later today,,, i have learn to enjoy everything, yes i have to plow but thankful i have not only the plow but healthy to do so, so enjoy not only the snowstorm, but taking the time to think about the things that mean the most to ya, you be surprised how much there is to be thankful, happy and safe carving to ya, arleen

amish gal done on youtube what is next??

hi folks , i have the amish gal done on youtube, it was a neat little project to do, and what is coming next i dont know yet, but i sure it wont be long till i have a new project up,, happy and safe carving to ya , arleen

how many??? projects on youtube, i was surprised

i never really sat down to take note of how many projects i had up on youtube, so from memory i started a list,,, with a pen ,,,, not on the puter, and got a total, of 37 projects, 25 patterns ( some have more than one project on it) and 17 dvds with 25 projects on them ,,, wow what one can do in 10 months thought i had 30 projects , makes me tired just thinking of it, lol but folks i promise there be more, drawing up another project, a bit different,, i just warming up,, lol i have alot i want to do yet, and folks i having so much fun with it,,,, it was hard for me to believe so many,,, sometimes we need to stop and we what we have done, think about it how much carving did you get done in a year, i think you be amazed ,, i was suprised ,,, happy and safe carving to ya arleen

amish guy is finished, next project ???? dont know yet, lol

hi folks, thought i just put a photo of my finished youtube project of the amish guy, and what is next i dont know, but as always i have an idea, lol happy and safe carving to you ,,, ps there will be a dvd of the amish guy and pig, just to add to my collection, i having fun, arleen

the amish guy , my next youtube project

hi folks i feel i am on a roll, with new ideas and new things going on, one thing i learn a long time ago, if you on a roll to keep on going, this is the amish guy , i do have him done now and will put up all the video clips in the next couple of days, enjoy, happy and safe carving, arleen, ps i having a blast :)

just finished a simple pig

hi folks this was a fast project compared to the other videos , i did this one last night and have him posted on youtube on my channel, www.youtube.com/carverswoodshop it was fun, a simple project for the beginner, enjoy, arleen

Eagle pin name tag is finished,

well folks i just finished the eagle name tag, and it was a fun project you never know how its going to turn out , and that is the fun part to see it come together, i have a couple of new projects in mind, and hope to get them started this weekend, i having fun, take care happy and safe carving, arleen

WINNER OF THE DVD GIVEAWAY JAN 20 , 2010

CONGRATS !!!! dale is our winner, i will only post a first name, if you entered , you will get another chance at it on feb 20th is our next drawing, thanks everyone,

new dvd for just the beginner, a dvd to help the new carvers

hi folks all of us started woodcarving not knowing what we were doing, and finding information on what to use and what worked was not always easy, back 30 years ago, i learned from mostly books, we had no copiers, videos, computers, as we do today, but the beginner is still faced with now maybe to much info to know where to start, i am all for learning what you can, and the information for the most part is good stuff, but i decided to make a dvd just for the beginner, its the wooden shoe project, along with how to pick a knife, how to make a strop, basic knife cuts and how to use a knife, sharpening 1,2,and 3, and then new sharpening 1 and 2, i feel this video covers most of the basic information you need to start to carve, and a simple project to learn how to work with the wood, i happy with it, and also decided to make the cost of this as low as i can go, which is 15,00 why , i want folks to try it if they want to, and the only way to know if your going to enjoy this hobby is and i will ship it free to anyone in the usa and canada, ( sorry ) to try it, i wanted to make sure that anyone that wanted to try could afford to, its a video i am proud of putting together, i had fun, and most of all if some folks will start to carve and enjoy it as much as i do then it was all worth it, happy and safe carving, arleen

hobo santa with a tree ( deep relief ) is done, what is next ??

hi folks, i just finished the painting on the hobo santa with a tree ( deep relief ) now what is next? i dont know i have a couple of ideas, i will keep you all posted, in a few days i will start another project, i am amazed of all the new beginners out there, i get alot of email with all kinds of questions, i am happy to answer them all, it wonderful to see young and older folks start this hobby, and i posted on the wci forum about the dvd giveaway, wow what a response, its going to be a great year ahead, glad to see my friend gene back to doing a project on youtube, if your a beginner he has a neat simple project , make sure to go ck out his blog and his youtube channel, i have a link to the right for you to go to his blog and youtube channel, so folks make sure you enter the dvd giveaway, and happy and safe carving to all, arleen

hobo santa with a tree, will finish soon! time gets away from me.

hi folks i just noticed that i started the hobo santa with a tree on dec 21, and now we are at jan 9 , sorry its taking so long to finish, normally i finish it sooner but with christmas, family visiting , and working , time got away from me, making the dvds took more time that i could have imagine , but i am enjoying it, and knowing that the lancaster show will be here before you know it. with that thinking i spent alot of time working on them , and plan to do alot more, so for those that have been waiting , i will get it done in a couple of days, and then off to the next project, the dvd giveaway is taking off, i am surprise how many all ready entered, thanks to all of you that have, and i know one thing time gets away from me, lol happy and safe carving folks bye

MONTHLY DVD GIVEAWAY

hello fellow carvers, i decided as part of this group and also those that have followed me on youtube i will be giving away one of my dvds a month, if you like to enter all you need to do is to email me at the carverswoodshop@yahoo.com and put on the subject line DVD GIVEAWAY no need for an address i will draw a n...ame on the 20th of every month, and you get to pick which dvd you would like, and i will have an update of all dvd videos available on the blog arleenscarveswoodshop.blogspot.com ( there are 14 dvds ) sorry because of shipping i can only do this for the carvers in the usa and canada, , every dvd comes with a pattern(s) some dvds have one to three projects on them , ck the blog to see, i will announce who won here on fb and on my blog .. and i will email the winner for an adress to ship ,,, every month, and happy carving, arleen ps you only have to register once for a full year. i will have a youtube video on this soon, keep watch, first drawing is jan20th i will not sell or use your email other that to contact you that you won. arleen

working on dvds and just answer a few questions

i have now about 14 different dvds, some have asked about the santa dvds, that i do from a block, i only have 2 of my 6 santas from the beginning on dvd, i plan to get them all on dvd over time, i trying my best to get things done, i know the show is 6 months away, but i feel that now is the time to get things done, with winter here, and not as much outside work to do on the farm. and remember there are no patterns for any of the carving done from a block , you just have to follow the videos, there isnt a profile to cut out on a bandsaw......all other projects will have a pattern(s) and dvd. hope this helps, as much as i enjoy the computer and carving what a wonderful thing to be able to do both! happy and safe carving to you all, arleen

new wood carving classes coming in jan 2010 hobo snowman

hi again, i will be doing a day class of the hobo snowman . in morgantown pa, if interested just email me at carverswoodshop@yahoo.com thanks arleen limit is 6 cost is 60.00 plus your tools add 45.00 or bring your own, this is a beginners class ,it will be in morgantown, pa held at the home furnishing outlet mall in the food court more info, at my youtube channel, http://www.youtube.com/carverswoodshop thanks arleen

HAPPY NEW YEAR, and what is coming this year

hi folks, i want to wish all of you a happy new year, hope its a year filled with only good things, i am looking forward to a better year, this past year was not all bad and not all good either, jan 10 of last year i broke my kneecap in four, not fun, but i was out of work for about 4 months, it happen at work, and today i still feel the effects of it, not all the time but its never going to be what it use to,,, its ok, i can walk and do most things, having that much time sitting, i didnt carve much, lol you would think that i would have but sitting up for long periods was not good for a leg that had to be straight for about 3 months, i was not allowed to bend my knee otherwise an operation was in order, it would pull the four broken parts out of place, and then you realize that wonderful thing called friends and family, that help you out, they were wonderful to me, and help me get back on my feet, three month of therapy and back to work in may , i started the youtube in the last of march, sitting up was better, and thats when all the youtube stuff came like a storm, i had alot more fun the last 6 months of the year then the first, but it was good, my knee recovered for the most part, and it could have been much worse, like hitting my head, instead of my knee, sometimes we dont see how blessed we really are. makes me feel for the older folks that cant get around, what a struggle it is for them and how tired they become of the effort to move around, believe me , sometimes i felt like i was at a workout when i was done with therapy or just going shopping for a short time, when one part doesnt work it tough on the rest of you , so this year it should be better, looking forward to the lancaster show that i will be at, and also going to canada in the spring to see my family , and doing some more classes, we will see how this year goes, but the youtube was the biggest surprise to me, sooo many folks sooo interested in woodcarving,............. and hopefully you folks that are beginning.............., hope you find many wonderful years ahead in this wonderful hobby, may you find blessing all around you this coming year, arleen

MERRY CHRISTMAS

just wanted to wish all you carvers out there, weather your just starting or seasoned a very merry christmas, hope all of you have a safe and happy day, arleen

new video ,, hobo santa with a tree ( deep relief)

hi folks, i going to do a new video, it will take me a bit longer to get it done, its going to be a deep relief, similar as the hobo friend series, but thicker, it will be a fun project to do , i know christmas will be here and gone soon, but this project will take us into the new year, hope you folks enjoy it, video one is up, more to come in a couple of days, thanks, arleen

snow storms and the simple things , and happy

hi folks as most of you know we on the east coast got nailed with a lot of snow here in honey brook pa. its about 12- 14 inches, it was a nice time to come over to my folks home stay overnight and knowing i had to plow out the farm and my home the next day, which is about a days work, ,,, it was a relaxing day watching the snow for the comfort and warmth of inside, thinking then i would get alot of carving done, lol i didnt get any carving done, was to busy relaxing in the lazy boy, watching news and just hanging with the folks, and what more could i ask for, i have the internet, tv, food and most of all my folks, just hanging with them , making sure all is well, sometimes it takes the simple things in life that makes us happy, and all this before christmas

finished lucky ducky, painted as a mallard ,,, hmmm what is the next project

hi folks i am done with lucky ducky, and painted as a mallard, it was a fun project to do ,,, hmmm what is next to do , not sure yet, lol but i am sure to find something new as a project

well i decided that some folks would enjoy seeing a huge solar furnace heater, it took me about three months to build it last year, i had to take it apart 2 times and yet i was determine to finish it. today i am enjoying free heat when the sun shines, could i redesign it sure you can always improve a project, am i glad i did it?... yes very much so , even after all the headaches, i guess my point is dont give up, if you have an idea that your not sure if its going to work or not do it anyway, i was ready to tear it apart from the smell of the pine boards, but decided i was going to give it another year and its not as bad this year , i can live with it, and it seems to be less all the time, but i would never have known if this was going to work or not, and it did, as well as i thought ? yes, am i disappointed ? no, so keep going, youll learn some lessons along the way, keep warm lol arleen

23 projects on 12 dvds, finding time to carve

wow i would have never thought i get so much of this done before christmas, but i now have 12 dvds, total of 23 projects , some have one to 3 projects on a dvd, its been interesting the reaction to this process, i for one, look forward to a new year , lots of plans, and projects to start, finding the time is the hardest, and finding the time to carve now is very limited, but somehow we always find time for the things we want to do , enjoy what ever project your working on today, for tomorrow there may not be time to do it, arleen

woodcarving dvds that are available now

all dvd come with a pattern or patterns per dvd sold

1.... pumpkin, pumpkin bottle stopper , and cat ( 3 PROJECTS ON ONE DISC) 20.00
2.... hobo santa and snowman called friends ( 1 project on one disc ) 20.00
3.... santa pants and boot, and mini santa with a tree ( 2 projects on one disc)20.00
4 ....ruddy duck and mouse ( two projects on one disc)20.00
5.... black lab puppy ( one project on one dvd) 20.00
6.... pilgrim ( one project on one dvd) 20.00
7.... helping friends, hobo santa and snowman carrying a tree(1 project on one dvd) 20.00
8... #2 robe santa, snowman ( 2 projects on one dvd ) 20.00
9 .... flying dove , flying dove ornament, santa with a bear ( 3 projects on one dvd) 20.00
10... chickadee (1 project on one disc)
11... hobo snowman with tree ornament, pineapple and pineapple ornament ( 3 projects
on one dvd) 20.00
12.... hobo angel, and hobo angel ornament ( 2 projects on one dvd) 20.00
more to come thanks , arleen

all are 20.00 per dvd and free shipping in the usa and canada only, ( prices subject to change )
paypal or cks accepted,
please send ck to
arleen zomer
226 hill rd
honey brook pa

dvd list for sale

all dvd come with a pattern or patterns per dvd sold

1 pumpkin, pumpkin bottle stopper , and cat ( 3 PROJECTS ON ONE DISC) 20.00
2 hobo santa and snowman called friends ( 1 project on one disc ) 20.00
3 santa pants and boot, and mini santa with a tree ( 2 projects on one disc)20.00
4 ruddy duck and eagle letter opener ( two projects on one disc) 20.00

5 chickadee ( one project on one disc )
will list more tonight thanks , arleen

all are 20.00 per dvd and free shipping in the usa and canada only, ( prices subject to change )
paypal or cks accepted,
please send ck to
arleen zomer
226 hill rd
honey brook pa

NEW youtube project, lucky ducky

just to let you know i have a new project on youtube that i started yesterday, video 1 and 2 are up, called lucky ducky, its a simple project for the beginner, the pattern has three sizes and we are doing the large one, if you want you can do all three, and have them following each other, thanks and enjoy, arleen , www.youtube.com/carverswoodshop

coming soon, dvds of all my projects on youtube, so far 4 projects available

hi folks i am working making dvds for all my projects on youtube, i have two dvds projects done. if your interested in any of the projects on youtube in dvd form, please email me, at carverswoodshop@yahoo.com cost of the dvd will depend on the project but most will be 25 for a dvd with a pattern and free shipping in the usa, with there may be some dvds that have more than one project.

so far i have the chickadee one project.

and the other dvd, has three projects on one dvd , pumpkin, how to make a bottle stopper, and cat.

all dvds will come along with patterns as a bonus , so you can do your project. there is also cutouts available for each project for an additional cost, price list available on my other blog

this is a long process to make them, and i ask for some time to get them together, i will keep you posted on new dvds, and what projects will be available, thanks , arleen