back to carving again, how sweet it is,,simple things makes me happy

wow , i missed not carving for about a week, and sometimes we need to stop for a while, either cause life gets in the way, or we become bored with it,,, either way , its nice to get back to doing some videos again, i loaded two up today and another two are coming, thanks again for waiting, and i was outside today, great sunny warm day, to carve , how sweet it is,,, its the simple things that makes me happy!!

looking into some new projects after i get the graduate done

hi folks my world the last week was kinda busy, traveling to canada and back in three days, and now having to get things done here around home and the farm, spring is a busy time, i just got a letter that i have to go for jury duty in june, this is the fifth time i have been called, but i will go, i guess i was thinking today, we make time for what we have to, so i dont like going and never met anyone that liked it , but i have to say the process of doing jury duty can be an interesting one, that is one great thing in this country to be judged by our peers, so i will try not to complain to much, and try to learn from it, in the letter it told us not to bring pocketknives so i guess i wont be carving that day to past the time LOL , thought maybe making a video of a carving while waiting but i dont think they would allow that either, lol ,, just trying to find a way to past the time there, it can be very boring, but i have plans, a pen and paper to make some new patterns , or carving magizines and books, will work, well i have a few new things in mind, the branch guy,,, i not calling it that but it works for now, and maybe a woodburning project that will help folks that like to do birds , once the graduate is done , we will find more things to do,,, sorry its taking so long this time, sometime life gets in the way, well hope you all are working on something that is fun, i will be done with the graduate by monday, hopefully, thanks for waiting folks, and for all that are following my videos, and this blog, and facebook, it amazes me , i am truly blessed, take care and happy carving, arleen

coming home today, and ready to carve

hi folks, sorry that the videos on the graduate is taking longer than normal , i am in canada today ready to make my trip back home, i went to my uncles funeral, and i think this is the shortest time i ever spent up here, came here monday and going back today (wed) . the family did a nice job on the service, and it was good to see and spent time with family that i havent seen in years. its rare for me, and to be at a table with aunts, uncles ,cousins and my sister chatting, it almost never happens, those of you that live among family may have this often, the last time was about 8 years ago, and before that i couldnt tell ya, after the service an aunt , uncle , my sister , and i went out for dinner, it was nice and i got a Chinese cookie and the saying i thought i share with you folks, it was ..... one that makes no mistakes, is one that never made anything...... HOW TRUE.. if your a carver , we are going to make mistakes, and that is how we learn sometimes, so if your new keep at it,,, as you saw with the chipmunk i had to fix it, but i think it was also a good learning tool, i have a few things more that i like to start carving, as the show will be here before i know it i better get going, take care,, and keep carving, arleen

mentors in our life, who are yours? and are you a mentor

hi folks, most of us have had a mentor in our life or as kids some people that were so important to us, yesterday it was a sad day, my uncle len passed away, he and my aunt jean were the two that i got to know the best as a kid, my folks moved to the states from holland and my mothers side went to canada, and my dads side stayed in holland, so as a kid i had no family other that my folks and my sisters around , so when we would have some family come down from canada in the summer it was one of the highlights of my summer. both my aunt and uncle were so fun to be around, i couldnt wait till they came and often cried when they left, as kid they spent alot of time with us, played games and jokes, telling us stories , going places , and were interested in what we did,,,, , he knew about a lot of things, he was interesting to listen to , about holland, and stories of a young man, how they got to canada, he loved his family, and so proud of all of them, you could tell by what he said, but most of all i looked up to him as a kid, and treasure the times they came to visit, once a year maybe two. and the joke we pulled off on a dear friend of mine, and it still gives me and my dear friend a smile today, so folks here is what i am getting at, i try to spend a lot of time with my sister kids as they came to visit, and my friends kids as well, you never know how you will be a mentor in someones life, you might teach boy scouts like wood carver gene messer or david brock, wood carving is a great way to be a mentor to someone, to spend time, and your talent how to carve, or just be a friend to them,

my uncle was a great person, i never met anyone that dislike him , and once you met him you were sure to like him, he was a good person and had great faith in God , and i know he was adored by his kids and grandkids, he will always have a special place in my heart, he will be missed

so who is your mentor, and are you a mentor to someone today? happy and safe carving, arleen

makes my head spin, the lancaster show june 5&6

hi folks, sometimes we need to sit back and see how far we have come, i took stock of what i had ready for the lancaster show, which will be june 6 & 7th i am a vendor for the first time ever in any show, so this is all new to me, i looking forward to it, i will only have some carving for sale but mostly all the dvds will be there for sale, i have no idea how it will go,,, what do i have ready? , well i have a bit more copying and things to get ready for this show, i been working on it on and off for the last 6 months or more, i learn alot about dvds, and computers and printers, lol but i now have 39 projects on 23 dvds, it makes my head spin,,,,, lol i have the chipmunk and the pansy flower pin to put on dvd yet, , so it might be one or more of the dvds , i am having fun, its good to look forward to something, the hobo graduate is coming along ok, i will do more sunday, take care happy and safe carving to ya, arleen

the hobo graduate is my next project coming on my youtube channel

hi folks tonight i started my hobo graduate carving project, and will have a couple of videos up hopefully by tomorrow night, this came to me when i was in a party store with a friend , and looking around the thought came to me how i should do this, also someone asked me some time ago if maybe i do one, so i going try one, lol and i use the word hobo when you cant see the eyes, so i hope you enjoy then next project. take care and happy carving , arleen

the two of the same 20 years later,

finished chipmunk, and and my frist chipmunk 20 years ago

well i done with the chipmunk, ( one on the left) i learn alot from it , hope you did too, how to fix the cracks and checks, it worked out good, also not to overspray with the solution of water and alcohol , but it worked out just fine, i did end up burning the fur,, over the paint, which i wouldnt have done , because of the burning paint, i dont know if its harmful, but i would caution you not to to be on the safe side, but the end result as good, so i was happy with it, and another project will start in a day or two,,, also you see a photo of my first chipmunk 20 years ago, 1990, so to encourage you new carvers we all started some place, you will be amazed at the difference even after one year if you keep at it ,, till the next carving , take care and happy carving, arleen

WINNER OF THE APRIL 20TH DVD GIVEAWAY

congrats to robert, won the april 20th giveaway, enjoy, !!! next give away is may 20th, just email me with DVD GIVEAWAY on the subject line and you will be entered for the rest of the year, good luck,,, carverswoodshop@ yahoo.com

time to relax a bit, we can all learn, and word about wood spirits

hi folks, i am still working on the chipmunk and hope the three videos i have up about how to fix checks and cracks is helpful to you, as you i am always learning something new, just because i been carving 30 years doesnt mean i cant learn new ways of carving things, so its been a learning time for me with the chipmunk, as the years go by new folks will come up with new great ideas and things we can all learn,

just my take on wood spirits, now what i am going to write is just my personal view, and please its not to down anyone that does wood spirits, so here i go,

i went for a walk out at a state park nearby, found an neat piece of wood, i wanted to carve but forgot my box but i had a knife , which i dont forget it to often, and decided to make a wood spirit , not sure if i should i carved it and it came out great, very happy with the way it looked, and thought i would do some research on it , didnt know why the name bothered me ,

as many of you know i am a christian, and my belief is like many of my veiwers , but we all are convicted on different things, i never did a wood spirit before and i just want to say to those that do you do an awesome job on them, for me the wood SPIRIT word cause me to look into it, and wondered why they called it by that name, i believe in a holy spirit, so the name was what bothered me the most, as i researched it on the internet , it had some meaning years ago, i have no idea if the meaning is the same today for some folks, the part that troubled me was that they believe that spirits are in the trees and the wood carver would carve the wood spirit to release it, that is the part that i raised my eyebrows to, so i went to a couple of my christians friends, and ask what they thought, i did the piece with nothing more than enjoying the creation of a face, and no spiritaul meaning to it, with that in mind, here is what some of my friends counsel on the matter, to change the name and the piece itself to something different, which i will do, i always want to honor my lord by what ever i do, and not take away from what he has given to me, i will be changing the name and the look of the normal wood spirit, i have a name in mind which i will let you know once i start the videos on it, this will come after the chipmunk, in a few days, some christians dont like santas, and i do santas, and snowman, etc, i am a firm believer to each their own, weather you believe in him or not , i am not the judge, he is and he is the only one i have to answer to, and each person has to make his own mind up to what they believe, also i stand in judgement of no one no matter what you believe, i feel everyone has a right to believe as they want, that is called freewill, .. so please i am not putting judgement on those that do make wood spirits, i choose just to change it for my own beliefs, i do all of these with great pleasure and always remembering the creator that made everything, and the one that gave me the great hobby of woodcarving to begin with, happy and safe carving to you all, arleen

HOW TO FIX WOODCARVING CHECKS AND CRACKS #1

new video how to fix checks and cracks in wood, what i learned

hi folks, to my dismay i found checks or if you want to call it cracks in the chipmunk, instead of redoing it, i going to make some videos on my discovery and how to repair, and we can learn from it, i think there were couple of things going on with the piece, in the video i state like i have in the past to spray it will 50/50 solution alcohol/ water, i only had one problem with this in the past, and here is what i know so far,

1... the wood was cut from an end piece of the plank, not that it should matter if its dry to start with but both the angel and the chipmunk were cut from the ends of the plank
2... both pieces were harder than normal, seemed tougher to carve the wood,
3... overspray, 50/50 solution its ok to use this stuff but you have to be careful not to over do it, i normally spray it put it in a bag and overnight its nice and easy to carve, but because the piece seemed harder to carve than normal i did it a couple of times,.

my fault most likely, but all in all its a learning experience, like in everything we do we can learn when something goes wrong, to understand why,, all the factors were in place and one more thing, both the angel and the chipmunk alot of carving done on the end grain, which soaks up the water even more, and that is were the checks were located
well nothing is lose if we learn from it,

i did about 8 baby chicks for easter and spray them put them in a bag , and resprayed and didnt have any problems with them, but most all not cut on near the end cap of the plank,

and folks sometimes we just dont know why things crack, some folks carve green wood and have no cracks, i only had a few in the 3o years i carved, but i know most of us have had the problem one time or another,

i know how disappointing it can be but i also know you can repair it most of the time, i wanted to do a few things different with chipmunk piece than what i wanted to do,

i will not wood burn the fur, cause you will see where the repairs are ,, so just paint it without the texture

i looked and researched some things i could do and found an easy simple way to fix it , some folks might try others ways, and that is fine i just found this way to be simple enough and cheap, now if there was something i could buy to dip it into to restore it i would, but for now i will go with this until i find out more about the products that are out there,

dont give up and just keep at it , happy and safe carving arleen

two videos up , new project,,,,, chipmunk

new project on youtube, chipmunk on youtube

hi folks, its been an interesting week, i was kinda of a lost of what to do next as a project, i did one of these 20 years ago, made the new pattern and started it today,, the first couple of videos should be up by morning, all i know spring is here and like many of us we are busy, cleaning up from the winter and getting our mowers started, i mowed twice so far, i was hoping it be a bit later in the month, but i just glad everything started without having to repair it, the mower and trimmer are working fine, its always a hassle to get things to start, mowers and trimmers and i dont get along to well, being a farmer you think that it would , i learn a lot being a farmer, you can be very creative when you have to be to make things work around here, but for some reason gas motors was not one of them , i try, and sometimes i can adjust things to make them work, that is why i find carving a nice stress reliever. at least i know how to sharpen a knife , and use a hammer ( on a mower when all else fails) lol happy carving , arleen

new blog , just for my carvings that are for sale, thanks

hi folks... i had some folks asked me about where on web they can find my carving that i have for sale, so i devoting a new blog that i will only put up carving that i have for sale, called carverswoodshop creations, the link is http://www.carverswoodshop-creations.blogspot.com

there is more work to be done on the blog to make things a bit easier to purchase with paypal, i will put that up in the next few days,

carverswoodshop.blogspot.com. is my main blog that i will continue to post upcoming youtube projects , tips, and thoughts about woodcarving etc,

arleenscarverswoodshop.blogspot is a complete list of only dvds , cuts, and patterns, that are for sale

carverswoodshop-creations.blogspot.com is only carvings that i have for sale, once sold i will remove it or put sold in the title,

lol i think this is enough, thought it might be easier for what folks were interested in, i didnt want to make a website , this will work just as well, thanks so much folks again for your support and all the kind words, your emails mean alot to me and thanks for taking the time to do so, happy and safe carving to you all , arleen

FINISHED PANSY FLOWER PIN

hi folks there are two more videos about painting these , they are fun to do and i think moms would enjoy these mothers day , i found sometimes the simple things that you carve seem to be the best, hope you enjoy them i will soon have the last two videos up for these thanks again, arleen

new project on youtube, pansy flower pin, for mothers day

hi folks, i found something new to carve, staying with the time of the year,,,, mother's day will be next month, so i going to make a pansy flower pin, i will make a couple off line and one online to show you how to carve it , then i will also do most of the painting online, so that you can see how to blend colors, the way the blending is done as you will see also applies to birds and ducks, when color blend into one another, i hope to get a couple of videos up tonight and the rest in a day or two, i love pansies, they are a wonderful flower, and so many different colors that you can paint them, i hope you enjoy the videos, i will have a patterm put together soon , i will put about three different combs together for one pansy or two or three , a bit smaller, so you can make them as pins, enjoy, arleen

www.youtube.com/carverswoodshop

happy easter, and 5 baby chicks found a home this morning

just want to wish everyone a happy easter, church was great this morning, and its a wonderful sunny day today, very warm, its going to be a great day , first a meal with my folks and then carving some more baby chicks out on the deck and chatting, really folks life doesnt get much better that that, feeling good, with friends and family and of course carving a bit too, i have a new project that i will start most likely tomorrow, its a short one , but it will be a fun one, take care and happy and safe carving , arleen

how make a holder for painting small carvings

hi folk, in my rush to paint some of my easter baby chicks that i been working on, i found that it would be easier to put them on a stick, so on my way back from canada i thought of how i could do more than one and have a holder to let the carvings dry, and then i can do 6-12 of them at one time,

in the past i often wait till i have 10-15 santas to paint, since painting isnt my favorite thing, but i learned to enjoy it more and more, so i will use this holded for a bunch of different carvings that i will have to paint, watch the video you will see how handy this holder can be,,,

i often find that things dont need to cost a lot to make things that can be helpful , most of us have wood in our shops that we can use, sometimes simple projects can be the most fun to make, happy carving and painting , arleen

home and the holiday weekend, happy easter

hi folks, i am home again, i had a wonderful time up in canada, first the show and then the family, thanks to all that were willing to interviewed for my youtube channel, and thanks to jan that gave us a look at the highway of hero's carving, it was amazing to see, in his workshop, well the holiday weekend is near and i wishing everyone a very happy easter, i feel it a very very important holiday with promise and hope for all believers, weather you observe the holiday or not , i wish ya all a safe one, will have another project going soon, thanks again , arleen

highway of heros cananda , woodcarving

woodcarver jan oegema from bowmanville ont, canada , shows a relief carving of the highway of hero's in his workshop, jan was kind enough to let me video this piece, i have known jan for a few years and come to visit him often when i am in canada, he told me this piece is not for sale, and he with not enter it in any show, it will be donated when completed , he has not decided yet where he will donate it. a wonderful piece, 3 x4 feet and 3 inches thick, he designed this from pictures, if you have not heard of the highway of hero's listen to what jan had to say in the video, it was an honor to be able to see this wonderful piece of work

jan was at our carving show last year in lancaster pa. he has teaching classes in his workshop if interested you can contact him by email, thank you jan for allowing me to make the video , arleen

you can reach jan by email jancarves3@rogers.com

chatting and carving , now thats a vacation lol

hi folks, i have three more videos up from the show , two are from different vendors woodcarving supplies, no i didnt get paid to put them on, if your wondering LOL but i just wanted folks to see what it would look like, so i did video two. i know there are some that will never get to a carving show, i know some of you cant get to a show. but i enjoyed my time there, now i am enjoy chatting with family and carving some more baby chicks around a woodstove, its a bit cool here in canada, not more could i ask for , simple things can be the best vacations, take care happy and safe carving to you all, arleen

3 more new videos tomorrow, thanks for all that are watching

hi folks the show is over, i had a wonderful time interviewing some of the folks there, and a special thanks to doug for his help, if you are new to woodcarving please find a carving show near you , you will be amazed, thanks to all that i interviewed, and for your willingness to do so, happy and safe carving to you all arleen

going back to the show today ( niagara fall, ont, canada)

hi folks, yesterday i posted some photos and videos of the show, and doug posted more photos on the wci forum, so please go there and ck them out if you get time today, i heading back to the show this morning, and plan to be there a while, so if you near by come stop in , you will not be disappointed, after the show i will go to my sisters on the other side of toronto , so its been a nice mini vacation, folks i am content to staying home, traveling is not really my thing but had to to see my family over the years, and the farm kept me from traveling in the past, so i am learning to enjoy it more as i get older, hope you folks find the time to go to a show, learn, , chat with carvers , and most of all enjoy it, happy and safe carving to you all, arleen

niagara falls woodcarving show, canada, very nice

hi folks, it was a pleasure to meet some of the folks here at the show that i only know by internet, doug was most helpful , he helped me get permission to take videos for my youtube channel, thanks doug!! hopefully you will find the videos fun to watch, i left my home at 530am and got here near 2pm. i have family here in canada , will go see my sister tomorrow sometime after the show, so if you havent gone to a show , make sure to take the time to do so, later i will post the motels that are near our lancaster show in june, i will keep you posted, its best to book early, i found one here only a mile from todays show , nice and close, well folks enjoy the photos and videos i hope to post them tonight , i think doug will post more photos on his blog later as well be sure to visist his blog as well, one thing i do want to say is that if you go to a show you will always walks away inspired to try something new, some great carving at the show , it was a good turn out and i chatted with a few folks very nice people , take care and happy and safe carving to ya, arleen

dougs blog, dougscarvings.blogspot.com/

finished easter baby chick

niagara carvving show, carving shows that can inspire you

well i think i have it worked out , i will be going, not as a vendor but a visitor at the niagara show, it should be interesting , hopefully i will be able to take a couple of videos ( i dont know yet if they will allow it) to post on my youtube channel, i should be there sometime during the show sat and sun, it always inspires me when i go, i come up with new idea and things i like to try,, i been busy getting ready to go, along with this show i have family in canada, alot of family there, so i will also go and see my sister for a few days, hope to see some of you at the show, of course i take along something to carve, lol dont we carvers always take something along , happy carving , arleen

another dvd added, today i put together a new one

i now have #23 dvd made, its the easter baby chick and the bear with a heart, this will be 20.00 plus free shipping in the usa and canada, it comes with both patterns , all one on one dvd, thanks folks a list of dvds can be found on my other blog, www.arleenscarverswoodshop.blogspot.com happy and safe carving to ya all bye

50 years ago, holland to the USA

hi folks, today marks a special day for my folks, and my sister and i, monday will be 50 years ago my folks ( me on the way) came to the usa from holland, i was born here, and was the only one on both sides of my family that was born in the states,,, can you tell i a bit proud of that ?? :) but we are getting together, and i just have to say some words about my folks

first they came here after applying for two years , and it was granted, they along with my sisters became U.S citizens, about 1o years later ...... I feel bad for those that want to come now and are not able to, but understand that this country is the country that one can be free, and work hard to get what you want, and my folks left their families to came here, to have that american dream, which my father did, he got his farm, and worked hard, then i was also able to make a living farming the last 23 years , so i owe my folks a lot for coming here,

second it took courage, i dont know if i would be able to do what they did back then, they came here and learn english, we along with many other dutch folks , believe you have to learn english, and plus if you didnt you wouldnt be able to get ahead,,, please if your here please learn it, i know its not easy,,, my folks learn by watching tv, i love lucy shows, and game shows ,,,, i guess back in the 60s they had to , no choice , they had to to function, it took them about 2 years to get a hold of it, plus they read, write, etc in english,, but i also have to say i learn dutch and english, and its been a blessing to know both,

my folks were in their 30s so it can be done, if you learning and your discouraged please there are many places that will help you to learn, dont give up, just like carving keep at it,

so its a happy day for us, and my folks, they never looked back, just forward, and i so thankful that they choose here to come,remember, many want to come here and cant, your in a place that alot of folks only dream of............., take care and happy carving , arleen

winner of the march 20th, 2010 monthly dvd giveaway

congrats, to mark, who is the winner of the march 20th dvd giveaway. if you want to enter please email me at carverswoodshop@yahoo.com and put dvd giveaway on the subject line, and you will be entered for the rest of 2010 next dvd monthy dvd giveaway is arpril 20th 2010, thanks to all that enter, and the next project on youtube will be soon, thanks again, arleen

march 26 , will be one year and what a year its been

hi folks , next week on the 26th it will be one year ago that i started my youtube channel, now close to 50,000 channel views and 170,000 views, with amost 600 videos, its been a great year, alot of new folks that i have met along the way, great people, and its been a wonderful time for me. if you would have told me a year ago that i would have all that i stated above, i would have told i dont believe you. now the first 6 videos were with my webcam but wanted it better , so i found a camera that did just that , up close so you folks could see details,

in that year it was first the youtube channel, carverswoodshop

then the two blogs, and facebook group , wow makes me tired to think of it all,

like all things, it takes time, lots and lots of time, rome wasnt built in a day neither was any of this, one day one video at a time, so if your working on something that takes a bit of time it will be well worth it and stick to it, and keep going, carve carve carve,

thanks to all that have watched my videos, and all the countless emails of thanks that i got from new and old carvers alike, thanks for making this a wonderful year for me, and hope the next year will be as good if not better, take care and keep carving, you never know what can be done in a year, God bless you all, arleen

finish easter baby chick

baby chick, i was happy with it, a fun carving project , enjoy, take care ,arleen

lancaster county woodcarving club ...tonights meeting , interesting

hi folks, first just want to say that the easter baby chick is sanded and i will get another video up soon,,, i am getting there, lol , it wont be long till its done,

the lancaster county woodcarving club had their meeting tonight, think there was about 30 people, it was a good meeting, i find the bring and brag portion of the meeting very interesting, carvers bring in their work and say a few words about it, i brought in my leprechaun project that i did on youtube, along with my easter baby chick. you never know what you will learn, and the carving tips that might be helpful, i learned about a new finishing oil, called bush oil, i never heard of it but one of the carvers had a wonderful cane he carved and used this new oil as a finish, i will get some its not cheap, but sometimes the good stuff is more, but well worth it if finishes well. so if your not part of a carving club then please go visit one, and see what its like, we are getting ready for the lancaster show on june 5and 6, which i am planning on being a vendor with some of my carving and all of the videos, i have no idea, this will be the first show that i will be doing this way,,, so if you can go to a club and if not a club then to a show, you wont be disapppointed, and you can find some interesting things, happy and safe carving to ya, arleen

new project on youtube starting today EASTER BABY CHICK

hi folks the new project is the easter baby chick, the idea came to me yesterday, and i will have videos 1 and 2 up sometime today, enjoy, arleen

www.youtube.com/carverswoodshop

where to find carving ideas?? you might be amazed

hi folks, its a rainy sunday afternoon here in pa. but it gives me some time after church to debate what carving i will do next on my youtube channel, the carverswoodshop. most all of the projects on youtube have been designed by me, and i enjoy thinking of something new to do, so where do i come up with ideas, well to be honest it can happen at anytime and anywhere , even when your not looking for one. i have another new idea for easter since its coming up soon, i did a tiny rabbit before but this one decided to do another little easter project,

way back some 30 years ago i had patterns i got out of books, the eagles and birds, many were done from pattern that others designed, but i take greater joy in creating my own, and i not an artist , i never could draw well, it was something i had to learn, and still learning, it was funny i say to folks ... i cant draw but i can carve, now isnt that strange, but it was very true, like any hobby if you keep at it you can learn things along the way that will improve your drawing and carving, but folk you dont have to be able to draw in order to carve, its an added bonus but not required, there are many patterns to choose from, on the net , in books, so if you want to venture out a bit try your own design, you might be amazed what you can do ,

how to improve a carving, practice , practice practice

hi folks, just a few words on how to improve your carvings, practice , practice, practice, that is the best advise i could give you. the past few days i been looking over the carving books i got at our local flea market, to my surprise a treasure i found, some wonderful books, at a fraction of the price of what they were worth and they are worth so much to me.... so i took a 1 x1 x 8 inch piece of basswood and started to practice on the things i thought i need to improve, so if you dealing with a area in woodcarving that seems a bit difficult dont shy away from it, pick up your knife and practice in those areas. eyes, nose, ears, lips, faces , the best way is just to keep at it, and please folks if it doesnt look like what you thought it would , do it again, dont quit, just keep going, keep at it, and please the most important thing is to enjoy the journey, happy and safe carving to you, arleen

an old carving project, and the push i needed , to finish

hi folks like many of us, sometimes a project will come and be finished in a short time, some take alot of time, some carvings are more fun to do than others, as i have posted in the past.... today i had a cane that is made of basswood that i got at a carving show in mich... about 3 years ago... i wanted to carve it for my mom. i will be the first to say i dont know what to do with it. meaning i just cant get my mind around how or what to carve on this cane, its a block with a handle on it,, i had it hidden all this time until my dear mother found it , lol i had it laying on a table, she comes once a week to have a cup of coffee and to chat at my home, ( i am only a mile away) i always at the farm with my folks, but she enjoys coming , getting out and having a cup of coffee, funny isnt it sometime the simple things in life are the best....she is two years shy of 80... she has used a cane for some time now, i forgot to hide the cane, started to put things that she loves like flowers so i started a tulip, and that is where it stop, now two years later she now wants me to finish it, maybe its the push i need to try to get it done, lol so i am moving forward on it, not sure how the heck its going to look , but i will keep you posted on my cane project,,, but knowing how moms are they dont care what it looks like, just that you made it for them is enough

AMERICAN EAGLE #15 (END)

american eagle finished, not sure what is next,

hi folks, i just finished my design of the american eagle, with an american flag wrap around it, i wanted to do a special piece with and eagle and and the american flag. well hope you enjoy seeing this youtube project. if you want to see this project you can find it at www.youtube.com/carverswoodshop. i will make it available on dvd soon in about a week, if you like to have one just email me, i believe i can put two projects on the dvd, this one and the bear with a heat, along with both patterns.....all other dvds are available on my other blog www.arleenscarverswoodshop.blog.spot.com

and what is next , i am not sure yet, but i am sure that i come up with something new, keep checking, and sometimes out of the blue an idea will come to mind when i least expect it. take care, happy and safe carving,

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??