carving mistakes ? what do you do ??

carving mistakes,, lol never lol yeah right,, well we all did one time or another, and most likely will again,, its more what do you do when you do make a mistake,, do you quit? start over? or fix what you can? and do you learn from it?

well i did a few , and to explain three exsamples of my carving mistakes,

1 , one was a santa , after finishing it up , i was so into the carving and enjoying it, i notice after it was done that his feet were facing the wrong direction, lol ,, this was the first and only time this ever happen,, i was carving it from a block and did the feet and legs first,, and i always did the head and body first,, i finished it and sold it anyway as a one of a kind,, and yes it sold, , lesson ,, someone will want it,

2 , a chipmunk,, i used the spraying method, to soften the wood,, it was a bit hard, and i used solution of 50-50 water and and rubbing alcohol , and you have to be careful not to wet the wood to much otherwise it will check( hairline cracks ) and yup it did ,, about 11 of them,, i was so upset, cause the carving was turning out soo well,,,, ok i decided to fix it with saw dust and glue,, and even decided to show this on my chipmunk dvd, so others would know what to do,, and i finished it and it won first place at the lancaster wood carving show, , lesson,, it can win, and be a great piece even with its faults, (alot like people )

3 the last one was the same as number two,, did the same thing to clifford the dog,, over wet the wood cause it was a bit hard as well,, i was disappointed but i waited to see how many checks ( cracks ) and there were many but some how they disappeared,, so i decided will go ahead and see how it will finish it out,, and it was fine, some very small ckecks, but it was hard to find them,, and the lesson,, sometimes waiting pays off,

so here is what i learn from most of my mistakes,

1 its ok to be upset,, you spent alot of time on it but there is always a way to fix it,

2, learn from it,, what you did wrong? and try not to repeat it,,

2 keep carving, its like anything else in life, there are going to be mistakes , it is what you do when you make the mistake that counts, fix it if you can, and if all else fails,, well firewood isnt bad either on a cold day,, keep carving, arleen