a friend stop by and took a photo

hi folks,, as you can see i  indeed am on the barn roof,, painting,, a friend stop by and took this with their cell phone,,    yes old barn clothes came in handy,,,  and old pair of sneakers,,  i look like a mess, and i was ,, painting with aluminum is nasty stuff, and wait till i start to paint the other roof with the  black rubber,,,  those clothes and sneakers will see the trash at the end of my project venture....   i was able to find 5 gallons of this aluminum paint on craigslist for about 30 a bucket,,, which is 65 at lows,, so far i used about three 5 gallon buckets,,, have two yet and will pick up two more,, and i will redo the one side,, for a second coat,, cause it was really rusty,,,  just to make sure everything on that side gets covered,,,,, but the cheaper paint was kinda thick so some thinner make it much easier to apply ,,, i know they said not to thin it,, but i had to ,, the 30 dollar bucket was older stuff but the paint was just as good if not better then the new paint,,,  its a barn roof,, i cant go wrong with it,,, so it will cost me for the front barn only about 250 for the paint which is cheap   its the time to apply it that takes the longest ,, and doing it myself saves a bundle ,,  so i am happy to paint it myself,, i see myself doing this project for a while,, longer then i thought it would take,, cause i have to watch the weather conditions, to apply it without rain,,,   its been hard to find a day without rain,,,  well carving will have to wait a while,,  lol keep carvin folks

new project that is way overdo ( painting the barn roof )

hi folks,, back into the painting gear again,, last year it was my home, this year its the barn roof,,  it will take a few days,, but can take a few weeks, cause i need it to be nice sunny not to hot for me to work up there,,  one days work,, i figure it will take me 4-5 more days to complete,,  its really not that bad,, its getting up there and handling the heat,,  so hopefully tomorrow i will be at it again,,  i will get it done,, i have around 12000 sf of roofing all together,, but only doing about half of that,,  the black roof will be done next year just some patch work this year after the painting of the aluminum painting is done,,  a little at a time

honey brook cows

one large display case, and another one i found

now there are two cases,, for my studio,,  a self standing, and a small table top,,  both rotate and have lights,  nice way to display the carvings,,

dads cat ,, and a sleepy sunday afternoon

the display case,,

hi folks this is an old timex rotating display case,, i had one years ago,, and it fell apart,, it was given to me  by my old boss when he closed up his shop,,  this one i found on craigslist,, i had to get it home somehow so i put a farmers roof rack and off i went today to get it,,,,  it was about 70 miles away,,  the roof rack held up very well,,  and no problem ,, got some strange look going down the highway,, the guy at micky dees, wanted to know what i had on top of my car,,,    lol   it was fun,, the rotation didnt work at first but does now,,  the light does not work, but i really dont need it,,     it must be 35-45 years old,,  it holds about 80 pieces,,  now back to carving so i can fill the case up with more santas   keep carving ,,  arleen

carving and conviction

HI folks, an interesting topic,, what is it,, well ,,  carving is a wonderful hobby i enjoy for many years,,  i plan to continue carving for a long time to come,,  but carving for me is also an expression of who we are,, and  i wonder for a long time,, what carving will i not do,,   someone on facebook,,  was carving a wizard and said he knew as a christian he should not be carving them,, but enjoyed it so,,  lol that got me thinking,, 

if your are a christian,, what  things that would be in question for you to carve,, and here lies the problem,,  

i felt for the longest time ,, from the first time i started carving 30 + years ago , that i would never do any carving that was not in line of my christian faith,,  and carving wizards was one of them,,  folks its all about personal conviction,, and personal choices that we make,,, and this one was a personal choice not to do anything that would be question as a christian if i should carve it,,   in his word  God say that we may eat all foods,, but not all foods will be good for us...   same here i believe for me not all thing would  be good for me to carve ,,  just a short story ,,  

i once thought that i would carve a wood spirit,, the name itself  kinda made me wonder ,,,, but so many of the carvers were carving them that i decided to try my hand at it,,, so i found a stick in the woods, and thought this might work well,,  so i did carve one,,, and i thought i wonder what the history to this woodspirit thing is all about,,  after some research ,, i became convicted that for me it was not what i wanted to carve,,  and from that day forward i did not carve another, in fact i have no idea where i put the one that  i did carve... 

so choices in carving are many,, and as much as i would have enjoyed doing more, i knew i could not,,   

for some its not a problem to carve them,, and they might be christians,, and i would never judge someone that makes them,, i do look at them at shows, and enjoy the workmanship on them,,  and then i started making the santas in branchings instead,,  for ornaments..

i know that my readers are those that follow me on facebook and youtube come from all walks of life, customs and religions from around the world,, ,,   i welcome all to my youtube channel and facebook,,  ( expect scammers LOL )  and i know many folks whose religion is very different from mine,  and they are as devoted to their religion as i am,, and are friends..,,,, faith is such a personal journey, and i am very grateful to have this journey,,  keep carving folks,, 

finished spiral santa ornament and about another new dvd #62 one eye snowman, and spiral santa ornament

ok folks,, there are a total of 9 video clips for the project spiral santa ornament i am loading them today,this project was not painted but finished with my antiquing solution,, jake you should be happy,, LOL , ,, i will also have dvd #62 done soon,, in the works it will be one eye snowman,, and spiral santa ornament,, cost is 10.00 free shipping in usa and canada
if interested,, please send a check to
arleen zomer
226 hill rd,
honey brook pa.19344 

unpainted, SPIRAL SANTA ORNAMENT video clips coming soon

SPIRAL SANTA ORNAMENT #1

ONE EYE SNOWMAN #13 (END)

finished ONE EYE SNOWMAN PROJECT ,,, and a friend :)

hi folks i just finished painting the one eye snowman ,,, and also did another one with a black floppy top hat,, someone ask to see one like it,, so this is what a came up with,,,, the last video for the one eye will be up later tonight,, thanks for stopping by  ,,  enjoy,,, arleen

new dvd 60 and 61

ok folks two dvds are ready

#60 uncle sam is 2 hours and 18 mins long cost 10.00
#60 shorty santa, and super shorty santa bottle stopper is 3 hours and 19 mins long 
cost 10.00 
free shipping in the usa and canada
you can either pay by paypal, to zomerenterprises@yahoo.com
or send a ck to
arleen zomer
226 hill rd
honey brook pa,19344
if any questions please email me at carverswoodshop@yahoo.com
thank you arleen

dvd #60 UNCLE SAM

dvd #61 SHORTY SANTA, AND SUPER SHORTY BOTTLE STOPPER

ONE EYE SNOWMAN,, just for fun,,

hi everyone,, at times just like to try something a bit different,, this was an older design but updated,, added the gift box, and the extra carving of the trim of the hat and also the scarf,,  which i think it turn out ok,, i was happy with it,, this piece is 7 inches high,  

i will be doing one on youtube but a smaller one,, ok folks thanks for dropping bye ,, arleen 

super shorty santa on a bottle

finished super shorty santa bottle stopper,, and dvd coming soon

super shorty santa bottle stopper not painted yet :)

SUPER SHORTY SANTA BOTTLE STOPPER #1

new idea for displaying your bottle stopper

SHORTY SANTA #15 END)

had to put HONEY BEAR down today, hit by a car

we love cats,... and we have many of them around the farm,, not always by choice but , we love having them around,,, this cat was called honey bear,, one of the sweetest cats you will ever see,, not one mean bone in her body,, and she of course is the one that is hit today ,, my heart sank,,  so affectionate was this cat,, she did have a litter of three kittens ,, around the farm somewhere,, she had just moved them again,,  a good momma,, but we had to say goodby to her today,, she was still affectionate in the vets office before we put her down,, it made it even

more diffficult for me,,,, these times never pass with out some tears being shed,,, she was just a great cat,,,  so different then calvin,, he has an attitude,,, and he does bite once in a while but honey bear never did,,,,  i did locate her kittens today,, will try to feed them and get them on solid food,,,    well not the best day,, but lots of fond memories... such is life on the farm,,,  

unpainted SHORTY SANTA, ,,,,

ok so far there are four more videos clips coming for this project,, SHORTY SANTA,,, i will have to paint him yet,, and the last video will be made, so far 11 of them are up on youtube,, thanks folks, and enjoy,, arleen

PS some of you express an interest in a dvd if they become available,, they will soon,, please if you like to order one please email me at the carverswoodshop@yahoo.com,,,  i may have more then one santa on a dvd not sure how that will be,, all dvds are 10 dollars each , free shipping in the usa and canada ,, thanks again,, arleen 

SHORTY SANTA #1

SHORTY SANTA SERIES ( 3 STYLES )

painted WINDY SANTAS ( about youtube videos and dvds ) and facebook posting

hi everyone one,, some of you were asking about videos for the last few santas, shorty santa, super shorty santa ( bottle stopper ) and windy santa,, these are not on youtube or on dvd yet...... i say yet because i do plan to do a few different ones soon,, at this point as i have for the past few month gearing up for christmas and orders i need to fill,, at times i just sit down and start carving not knowing how it will turn out,, i know you hear of this often but it is very true,,,, even when i making my videos i really have no idea how it will play out,, most of the time i am very pleased with the results,, its also i\a time for me to try new techniques that will hopefully improve my carvings, so keep watching sometime soon i will have another project on youtube, had one idea that i still thing will work but not sure how to fit it into a cone shape block,lol that is part of the fun folks is creating,, thanks for all your support,, and your emails,, they been a blessing to me,, take care, and keep carving ,, arleen

  ...... this was reguarding my facebook group page  CARVERSWOODSHOP   ...........just a word, i have a couple of people helping me to screen folks that want to join,, and there are times that we might delete someone that should have stayed,, but i do not want the scams back,, the two that i choose are doing a great job for me,, they are willing to help me out,i can not catch everything that pops up here on this page day and night,,,, so please, if you advertize on this page you will be deleted,, all carvers i have met are decent honest bunch of folks, and i glad to have you part of this page,, thanks for your postings of your carving ,, and comments,, this is also a family friendly page, so anything that a kid cant see will also be delete,, thanks again to all of you ,, have a great day,,, arleen

new windy santa,,, hold on to your coat ,, fun to carve

just tried something a bit different,, it was fun,

super shorty santas, you can make bottle stopper of these if you wish

my new carving studio on the road,,, what do you think? LOL should i build one ?

lol dont you love this rv....  now i can go to the top and it has a sunroom,,,, folks i just had to post this,,,  i believe the car is a chevy impala 1958     someone one had an idea,, and bingo there it is,,   55 years later to see this well i think it was so funny,,,  

thinking of rvs,, yes i been looking for a cheap one,,  c class toyota from 1986 to 1992,,, i went to see two so far,,, but really i could not justify the cost, and layout was not what i wanted , not that it was out of range but this was a want not a need,,  big difference ,,, some folks really have a hard time,, knowing the difference,,,  and sometimes its just nice to be able to have something you long for.... for a long time,,  

the camper studio made me want to have one that i could just get in and go,, when i was at my sisters place in canada at their farm i pick out a place i like to put it ,, the view was great,, out in the steer pasture,, lol and i will someday,,,  but i happy with what i have now,, so much use out of the one i have now,, it would be hard for me to sell it,, its perfect for what i need,, so we all have to have plans and dreams and goals to reach,   it keeps us going,, and new plans for carving is also the biggest delight ,, take care and keep carving,, arleen

the right tools for the right job,,,, ? carving tools ? keeping at it !!

after this week,, indeed i know what it is like to have the right tools to do the job.... this past week i looked at this 1986 john deere tractor and what it did for me to fix the driveways,,  then the scaffolding to repair some of the gutters,, and went out to buy a 20ft ladder to finish what i needed at my home,,  ( reason for buying this ladder is i needed something lighter i could handle,,  the 32 footer was way to heavy for me ,,,  i could have used it,, but thought for a long time the 20 ft was a need,,  not a want,,  ) so off to lowes i went to get one,, and finished the job in a quick manner,,  
so why am i sharing this again,, well as woodcarvers its so important to have the right tools to do the job,,  nothing is more frustration to me then to be in the middle of a job and none of the tools in your box is going to work to fix that problem,,,  and the same with woodcarving, if your knife is dull or the handle is not a good fit to your hand,  if your basswood is harder than you like,, all these things can make for a very frustrating time,,  so do yourself a favor,, and ask yourself a question,, what tools do i need to be a better woodcarver?  ok one word about tools,,  tools are only good if you learn to use them the right way,, and use them often,, just because i had a tractor at the farm,and if  i didn't know how to run it ,, then it does me no good,,,  so get the right tools,, ( even if you spend a bit more on them well worth it in the long run) and just keep carving,,  keep your tools sharp,, dont forget your carving glove and thumb guard,,  just as important,, and you will find hours of delight, in making something special out of wood,,,,  

berry time with mom

hi folks,,  again its the time of the year to pick raspberries,, mom has a big patch out back of their home,, this is one of my mothers favorite places to be,,  she loves picking them and making her famous raspberry jam,,   for the past few years its been hard for her to walk down,, so i drive her down with the car,,  today we pick some berries this morning,,  and i took a few photos of her and some flowers that are in full bloom,,  mom has always has a green thumb,,  i do not,, i try to keep her berry patch going its not as big,, i did some pruning last year,, the weeds, its a

big job to keep out along with other things,,   it was the highlight of her morning,, she told me she rather do this then shop,,,, lol
so here are some photos for those of you that are not on facebook,,  enjoy,,,  so we took some time to pick the berries this morning,, it was nice,,

things are looking up and the tractor,,,

hi everyone,, well i was eager to get on the tractor today to  get the driveways back into shape,    i thought i had to order stone but i regraded the both driveways  with the grader on the back and the front end loader in the front,,  after about 4-5 hours it was done,,  i was able to lug up all the stone that had washout to the barnyard, and also at my home,,  so i was glad that it was not going to cost me hundreds to order stone,, i just got one load last week, cost was 345 dollars,, but i had to top off some things around the farm,, it was way overdo,,,  and that was 26 tons on that load,,,  i still have a small pile left that came in handy to use today,,,  then i fixed the rain gutters above the back door of the barn,, were it water was pouring in by the door, and flooded out the feedroom,,,lol my scaffolding came in real handy today,, and the tractor is a huge plus,,  getting very handy with it for sure,,,,,,  just like dad,,  :) he was so good at operating it,, i never worried he always had it under control,,, and he could use that front end loader like it was an extension of his hands,,  i slowly seeing the same thing,, i finally after a few  years got the feel of how to handle the tractor in all kinds of situations ,... up hills, on hills, just about every terrain.. i help a guy last week to load a heavy item into his trailer,,  after i got off the tractor, he said he had to tell me he didnt  worry about me handling the tractor to load,,  he could tell i was good at it,, some folk have a tractor and have no idea how to operate it,,, made me feel good,, \
i told him my father never allowed me on the tractor it was his baby,, when he could no longer run it,, i told him come out here and show me how to operate it,,  and that it where it began,   alot like carving the more you carve the better you will be,,,
     
tomorrow my plan is to work at my home,, clean out the front gutters and the drain pipe i believe is clog,, major clog so hopefully once that is done,, all is well,
the basement has about 2 big fans going,,  things are almost dry but i will let it run for a few more days, and then start to remove anything that is damp,,,  which will help me to finally clean out the basement,, way overdo,,
the feedroom has a fan in it,, that i put in today,,  lol most of my stuff is in plastic buckets or bins, so not much lost at all there, and not as critical as the basement,,  but all in all, needless to say i am tired tonight,,, moving around stone with a rake and shovel at times,,  like the good old farming days,, lol  it feels good to work hard,,,  overall things are looking up,, thinking this would take weeks,, which really a few days,,,  take care keep carving,, i think i will carve for a while to relax,,   second thought i think i need to sleep,, lol  

a disappointing night

hi everyone,, well the work around my home and farm never stop,,,,  today we had about the worse rain storm i can ever remember,,, my home basement was flooded,,  which in almost 30 years i never had happen,, my driveway was washed out,, there is a rut of about 1 foot wide and about 1 and 1/2 foot deep ,,  the farm  well in the past five years nothing in the barns at all, the feed room had water in it,,  coming from a faulty rain gutter about the back door,,  along with a washed out driveway on my parents side,,,,  now i just got 25 ton of stone now i will get at least another 50 ton to fix both driveways and to build up the front,, i might put heave plastic about half way to keep it from washing out again,, and also at my home,, i got a plan,,, hmmm i dont think i do much in the way of carving,,  i will be busy fixing and cleaning up,,, never a dull day,,,

update
ok second update,,   well , things are looking up,, i went back to the house ready to use the shop vac to soak up the water,, most of it was gone,, where i have no idea,, but i put out one fan and will add a couple more and let it dry for a few days, and then start to chuck out the damp stuff, so its a plan,,,, and also to fix the main problem run off from the road and gutters, well i will order a load of stone,, 2a stone,, and few old tarps, and i will layer it,, stone tarp stone trap,, and that way it will not wash it out again,, well i hope it doesn't  i have some sand bags that worked well but a bit expensive, so this idea is about the same,,    the farm feedroom the pump i had in place worked fine, its empty and now it has to dry out,, nothing much lost there,,  and same thing here, i need to redo the top of the driveway with layers of tarp and stone,,  and maybe pour some hand mixed concrete, on top,,  it should hold,, but water is powerful,,  i can only try these idea,, and see    i know what i have to do to repair the gutters,,  out with the ladders tomorrow,, up up and away i go,,

tulip poplar leaf and his friend mr inch worm

FINISHED PHOTOS OF THE UNCLE SAM PROJECT