My First Ugly Santa

Ok, so when I started this blog I told you that I would show you some of my ugly Santa's. 

They live in a box. 

Hidden. 

Under the stairs.

In the dark. 

But just so you can see that everyone creates an ugly carving now and then, I thought I'd show you some of mine. 

And what better place to start than with my very first Santa?  I carved this guy before 1994 so he is considered vintage (at least by Etsy's standards).  But you won't be seeing this one in my shop because, after this post, it's back in the box for him.

Here's the front view.  Yep, I drilled a hole right in his head!  Classy!!!

And this is his side view.  What was I thinking with this paint job?  His face is pink like a pig, his lower lip is white, and why did I think the trim should be primary yellow???  I do not know!

And here's his backside.  Why on earth did I feel that Santa needed me to carve him a butt crack???  I'm starting to think I had some serious issues!!!  I'm much better now.  I hope.  LOL.

So, now that I've totally embarrassed myself, the box is being sealed back up until I have the courage to show you another.  :)

And if you've been afraid to try woodcarving, c'mon, how much worse could it be???? 

Have a great evening everyone! ~ Debra

What's on My Bench This Week?

So, today started with a sprained ankle - not kidding, first thing this morning!

I sprained it out by my deck and after screaming a few choice words, I found that I could kind of walk on it so I headed out to my shop. 

But, have no fear, I live in the boonies so no neighbors were offended by my language.  :)

I decided to cut out a bunch of wee ornaments today because I'm trying to get my shop ready for the holidays.  I cut these out of basswood:

There are wee birds, stockings and teardrop ornaments. 

I carved 4 of them today but had to give it up about 4:00 this afternoon because my ankle really started bothering me.  I put some ice on it and I hope it's gone (the pain, not the ankle) in the morning.  :)

Hope you had a great Monday! ~ Debra

My Wee Little Birds

I've been looking for something small to make for Christmas ornaments for my Etsy shop that wouldn't take too much time.  I also wanted to make something that would be inexpensive so, this morning while I was having some coffee, I drew up this simple little bird.  He kind of looks like a chickadee.  :)

I transferred my doodle to a scrap of 1" thick basswood:

And used my scroll saw to cut him out.   He is about 3" wide:

I carved this little guy in such a jiffy that I cut out and carved up 2 more.  I painted, sealed, and posted 3 of these little guys to my shop this afternoon.

This is how they turned out:

Sweet, huh?

If you want to carve some of these little guys for your Christmas tree (or for a great handmade mobile) just copy the pic of the bird that I drew on the wood before I cut it out (the first pic above).  You should be able to print out the pic and then you can size it to any size you prefer.  I wanted these guys to be small so they are about 3" from beak to tail.

You don't need any special tools to make these wee birds, either.  I only used my bench knife but you could use a good pocket knife and they would come out just the same.

I really think they have a sweet rustic look and if you want your birdies to look like mine, just paint the entire bird with Midnight Blue acrylic paint.  Let it dry (I'm not patient so I take a hairdryer to them between coats to dry the paint quickly) and then cover the entire bird with White acrylic paint.  When that's dry - after you put down the hairdryer - lightly sand the high spots of the facets of your carving to allow the midnight blue to show through.  Clean off all the dust and spray him with a good acrylic sealer.

Add an eyelet close to the head so your birdie will be balanced and then add a piece of hemp or ribbon and you have a great ornament to put on your tree or give as a gift.

Have fun with these!  ~ Debra

You can see more of my wee little birds and other carvings in my Etsy shop by clicking here.

***

What's On My Bench This Week?

I have two projects I'm working on this week.  The first are these super simple carved Santa ornaments:

The pattern for these little guys were in the Fall issue of Woodcarving Illustrated.  In the pattern, it is a two sided ornament with a Thanksgiving turkey on one side and a Santa on the other.  I opted to change the pattern to just a Santa.  I cut out three of these guys and you can see that all three are in different stages of carving.

My other project is this guy:

He is an old world Santa and is far from being done.  He is my own design that I drew up while having my coffee.  I started him yesterday and I've only had a little time here and there to work on him.  Right now, he has a bird in one hand and a bowl of feed in the other but that could change at any minute, lol.  So, check back soon to see how he turns out.  :)

Hope you're having a great week!  ~ Debra

My Latest Santa Carving - A Mini Old World Santa

This week has been so crazy with other obligations that I haven't had a lot of carving time.

I did manage to carve up one of the blanks that were sitting on my workbench and it's always so much fun to see how they turn out.  I don't know about you but I always start out with one vision and it changes throughout the carving process and always turns out totally different than what I had originally thought I wanted.

This guy turned out really cute.  I started with the blank below that has the white arrow over his head:

And this is how he turned out:

And another:

Hope you like him!  :) ~ Debra

Finished Heirloom Style Santa Ornament

Well, he's all done and ready to decorate for Christmas.  I really love this pattern and see a lot more of these in my carving future.  :)  He reminds me of the vintage glass teardrop ornaments.  Very nice.

I painted this guy with a wash of acrylics and then antiqued him before sealing him. 

Here is my finished guy:

I listed him in my shop and my brother bought him, lol!

Hope you like him!  :)  ~ Debra

New Heirloom Style Carved Santa Ornament

Yay, it's Friday!  I finished up the Santa ornament I was carving this morning and wanted to show you some pics of it before I sanded or painted it so I took these:

The pattern I used is from a book named, "Handcarved Christmas: 36 Beloved Ornaments, Decorations, and Gifts (Best of Woodcarving Illustrated).  There are some great patterns in the book but I fell in love with this one.  :)

 

 



It looks like a vintage glass teardrop ornament!  The pattern is by a carver named Wayne Shinlever.  

I finished it up this morning after I took these quick pics.  I sanded it, painted it, antiqued it and sealed it so this little guy is drying overnight.  I'll take some pics tomorrow so you can see how he turned out.

Hope you have a great weekend!  :)

Too little time...

So, I have all of my tools now (the rest arrived today) but today and tomorrow are booked solid with other obligations.  Isn't that the way it always goes?  There just aren't enough hours in the day.

I did get to try out some of my new tools and they are soooo nice.  I have almost completed the ornament I started on Monday because I've managed to sneak into my shop for a few minutes here and there.  I'll post some pics of it in the next few days - probably on Friday because tomorrow is not looking like there will be any carving time.  It is turning out really nice and I think you'll like it.  Maybe, you'll want to make one for yourself.  :)

If you are just getting started in carving, or if you are simply wondering if woodcarving is for you, there are some great websites I've found that are a wealth of information.

Woodcarving Illustrated is one of the BEST resources I've found.  I joined the site a couple of months ago and there is a forum with really knowledgeable carvers.  You can search the forum and probably find the answers to any of your woodcarving questions.  There are also lots of tips about carving, finishing your carved projects and there are even free patterns.  I subscribed to their magazine a couple of months ago and every issue I've received has been jam packed with helpful info and great patterns. 

Hope you're all having a great week! ~ Debra

Ahhhh, New Tools!!!

One of my packages of carving tools came today!  WoooHooo!!! 

I ordered them from Smoky Mountain Woodcarvers in Townsend, Tennessee.  If you need tools and need them FAST and love dealing with friendly, helpful people, this place is it!  I ordered late Thursday afternoon and I received them this morning! 

This was the first time I have dealt with Smoky Mountain Woodcarvers and it won't be my last.  I had a few questions so I called them and spoke with Connie.  She was super busy that day and was the only one at the store.  She was also on her way to the post office and asked if she could call me back within an hour. 

Guess what?  She did!  She also answered all of my questions and was extremely friendly but still so professional and knowledgeable. 

I ordered some Warren tool handles and knife blade sets from them and I'll be honest, Smoky Mountain Woodcarvers will be my go to wood carving supply store from now on.  :) 

AND, I'm heading to Tennessee in a couple of weeks so I'm going to stop by their shop (yes, they actually have a shop and aren't selling out of their living room in their spare time) and I'm going to pick up some other things I've been drooling over on their website.  Their shop is like a candy store to a woodcarver - check out the pics on their website here.

After I picked up my tools, I had some errands to run in town today so I didn't get a lot of carving done but I did get to take my new set for a spin late this afternoon and I'll take some pics tomorrow of the ornament I started working on.  It's the pointy one in the back of the pics below and I think it's going to be a cute one. 

Have a great evening everyone!  ~ Debra

What's On My Carving Bench???

Hi all! 

Thought I'd cut out some blanks while I wait for my new tools to arrive.  I ordered them Thursday because my old tools are in really sad shape.  Good tools are a must and make carving so much easier.  You don't have to spend a lot to get good quality tools either.  Actually, when I first got into carving, I started with a piece of wood and a pocketknife.  How many hobbies can you get into that cheap? 

I should get one of my packages of tools tomorrow (YAY!) and the other package should be here by the end of the week, I hope.  I can get back to some serious carving once I get my package tomorrow morning so I'm like a kid on Christmas Eve.  :)

So, what's going on in my shop?  Well, this is what's on my workbench waiting for me and my new tools.

 

 

 

Lol, ugly aren't they?  They aren't finished yet and they will be a lot cuter once I'm done with them. 

 

I cut the four blanks in the back of the pictures today and started on the other four carvings this past week before I decided to replace my tools.  I usually have a couple of carvings going at the same time so if I get bored with one, or unsure of one that I'm working on, I have another I can pick up and start carving without having to draw and cut a new piece. 

 

These are really just rough cut and need more work but I'll take more pics as I work on them so you can see how they turn out. 

 

The little carved Santa head is going to be an ornament and so is the little horse.  I created the sleeping Santa from a scrap that was pretty much in the same shape and the duck, well, it's just a duck.  :)

 

Hope you're having a great weekend, too.  Come on Monday!  I know, I know, but my tools are coming....   

 

~ Debra

 

 



 

Welcome to My Santa Carvings!

Hi there from Missouri!

It's been a few years since I've been able to do any serious wood carving.  Life just has a way of interrupting our plans sometimes.

I opened my Etsy shop in January of this year and I decided to start carving again so I could add some of them to my shop. My favorite thing to carve is Santa.  If you are a carver, you know how addicting that little guy can be to carve.  I also love to carve Christmas ornaments.

I decided to start this blog to hopefully get others interested in carving.  It's such a great hobby and it is soooooo relaxing.  Honestly, when you're carving, you can't think about anything else.  All of your worries go out the window.  Why?  Because you have a sharp knife in your hand and you want to keep all of your fingers!  :)  Carving really takes you away from all of the pressures in life.

Not only is carving a great stress reliever, it is also such a wonderful creative outlet.  Just imagine the feeling of holding a block of wood in your hand and turning it into something beautiful, or funny, or useful.

It's a great high! 

I'm a self taught carver and my way of carving may not be the way other carvers do it.  Actually, I'll bet there are just as many ways to carve as there are carvers.  There are tons of books and YouTube videos that will help you with the "how to" aspect of carving.  I'll put links here as I find them for you.

Here's a good one to start with:

Carving The Simple Standing Santa by Gene Messer.  Gene is a great teacher!

See how easy it is?  Seriously, if I can do it, anyone can.  :)

Here are a few of my latest Santa's.  I'll be carving some more this week and I'll take photos to show my progress as I carve and paint them and I hope it will inspire you to try your hand at carving. 

 

                                                                        Tipsy Santa

 

                                                Santa Ornament with a Big, Colorful Hat

 

                                             Traditional Santa Ornaments - Here and Here

Just think of all of the great Christmas gifts you could make for family and friends!  Are you getting inspired yet?

I'll add some WIP's later this next week so you can see how truly easy and fun this hobby can be. 

Who knows, maybe I'll even show you some of my ugly early Santa carvings?  I don't know though, some of my early carvings are pretty darn embarrassing.  LOL

Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you come back soon!  ~ Debra (D. Back)