The other kind of carving

Carving wood or carving turkey, which is best? They both require patience and a sharp knife. Wood lasts longer, that's for sure!

Our Thanksgiving turkey comes from a little farm just down the road, and is never frozen. It's tasty, local,and big enough to last a good long time. I'm looking forward to weeks of turkey sandwiches, salads, soup, and more. I've sharpened the knives to a hair-popping edge, and am ready to go.

This year I'm giving thanks to God for so many things. My carvings are in the hands of those who appreciate the work, I have a beautiful and loving fiancé, a wonderful family, and more friends than I deserve or can count.


May those who read this have as much and more to be thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving!

Linked Hearts are up on Etsy

The linked hearts I posted about a little while back are now available on Etsy. I whittled them from a block of tupelo, then stained one with some "prarie wheat" gel stain. I like the contrast the color gives the piece, and am already planning a new linked hearts project.

Carved links are a classic old-time whittler's trick, and joined hearts are just classic.

A Dala horse, carved in the traditional style

I love the Swedish Dala horse. It's timeless style and durable design make it one of the great toys of the world.

My horses, though inspired by the Dala horse, are usually carved a slightly different way, with softer lines and different proportions. The traitional ones have straight legs, raised ears,and are normally painted in bright, solid colors, with the mane, tail, and saddle painted on.

Cthulu, whittled from ancient nightmares!

As a fan of horror fiction, especially the works of Poe, Howard, and Lovecraft, autumn always inspires meto watch scary movies and revisit my favorite stories.

Cthulu, one of HP Lovecraft's most iconic creations, stands among Dracula, Moriarty, and Darth Vader as one of the great opponents of all that is good. Represented here in a small basswood carving, one might actually believe he can be defeated.

I'm not sure if I'll paint this one, or maybe just give it a coat of linseed oil for a more defined look.