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??

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 :)