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.

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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