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.

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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

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!  :)