An Old Textile Spool Carved into a Snowman

Old-fashioned textile spools are good platforms for carving. They sit up on their own, and come with a certain rustic look. This one was sent to me by a lady in Missouri, who asked me to carve it into a custom Snowman Christmas decoration.

To fill in the carving, I placed the snowman in front of a green pine tree. A light sanding left strong whittle marks, and after painting I gave it another pass with some high-grit sandpaper for an aged look.

Christmas Carvings Roundup

Let's take a look at this year's hand carved ornaments. Some of these sold, some are still up for sale on my etsy shop, some are for gifts, and some are even for my own Christmas tree!







It's been a fun season for whittlin'. Upcoming projects include birthday presents for a couple of little guys about to see their 2nd and 3rd birthdays, so stay tuned!

A simple candy cane ornament

When carving the candy cane ornament, I'd advise you take special care on the inside section. If you rush it, or try and force the inside curve, you'll risk it splitting along the grain and clear through the arch, ruining the carving. I find that gentle removal of material from one side then the other is a safe way to go.

I finished this one with a little linseed oil, then filled the diagonal cuts with a wash of red paint. When it dried I sanded off the excess, pushed in a brass eyelet, gave it a light spray of shellac, and the ornament was complete.

Hand carved Christmas tree plaque

Continuing my carved wooden plaque series, here's a classic Christmas tree complete with ornaments and presents. I liked it before the painting, but it really pops now that it's all finished. Hey, I even put one of my toy horses in there!

Most recent Christmas carvings

This weekend's craft show went well, but left me with plenty of carvings. No problem, I've got some more shows on the horizon.

There's always more wood to carve!

Christmas ornaments made from carved wooden spools

Old wooden spools continue to be a great medium for whittlin'. Each one has a small brass bell on the bottom for a little extra holiday cheer. I'm working on more of these, including some carved into snowmen!

Christmas Ornaments, 1st batch complete!

After carving, I finished these ornaments with linseed oil, acrylic paint, and shellac. I used a woodburner to add the year on the back.

WIP: Santa Spoons

The Christmas whittlin's continue with these Santa spoons. After carving and sanding, they'll get a light wash of paint and maybe a "dry brush" for that antique look. I'm going to make a ton of these guys.

Time for some Christmas carvings

I've always liked carving these wooden eggs. After a soak in linseed oil, I'll drill and attach a brass eyelet in the top of each egg. They'll make nice Christmas ornaments.

A slideshow of past whittlins

Here's a slideshow of some of my carvings. There's all sorts of stuff in here, from the rustic little spike trolls to the painted and finished toy soldiers. I'm proud of the variety and feel like I've made progress toward a higher level of detail and control. Let me know what you think!

Canada meets New Mexico

Here's an order I did in time for Christmas.






The customer asked for a wooden hockey puck w/maple leaf design, and one of my dala horses in a New Mexico theme. The little girl who received these carvings has one parent from New Mexico, one who's Canadian. As always, all materials are non-toxic.

Once again I used my custom whittling knife from ML Knives. It's a pleasure to carve with.

Horses for Christmas

Here's a couple of toy horses I'm carving for a Christmas order. I've stained them with a few coats of salad bowl finish, and painted the details with acrylic paint.






I like this design for it's durability. The horses I've previously made have been chewed, thrown, kicked, and dropped. All the trials a little boy or girl can put a toy through. These things are tough!

New Items on Etsy

Sunday's show was great, but there's a few items that didn't sell. I've posted some on Etsy and will post more tonight and tomorrow. Hopefully these will help round out someone's last minute Christmas list!

Carving The Dark Wizard (part 1)

This first photo is my basic idea for The Dark Wizard, a companion piece to an ongoing project. Step one is putting pencil to a piece of wood. I'll post updates as the figure progresses.





Last year I carved some toys for my best friend's son, a group of soldiers and knights I dubbed "Ezra's Army." I based the design for these little guys on the Lewis Chessmen, a design I admire both for it's history and it's robust form. I wonder if those medieval chesspiece carvers had "childproof" in mind?



Last Christmas saw six soldiers form the core of this tiny army, and The Blue Wizard enlisted on Ezra's first birthday. I'm considering adding a dragon to the mix...


Also, I'd like to thank Albert Rasch for mentioning me in a recent blog post! I really enjoy his writing, and strongly recommend The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles. Do yourself a favor and give it a look!

Blue Hat Santa

I like seeing the color blue in Christmas ornaments. The usual greens and reds are fine, but blue is a great change of pace. This Santa wears a blue hat with a white ball on the end, and no white brim. I'm really getting into carving these wooden eggs!

Update: Christmas ornaments

My first Santa ornament is done, as is the first Cabin-in-the-woods ornament for this year. I finished the Santa with linseed oil, acrylic paint, and some clear spray finish. The Cabin ornament is left more natural, with only a little paint and some clear coat on the trees and snow.

A brass eyelet is screwed into the ornaments' tops, where I'll eventually tie some ribbon to hang them by. Both are carved from wooden hobby eggs.







I have a few more of these on deck for Christmastime, as well as some other ornaments and hand-carved gifts. I'll make sure to post more pics when I can. Thanks for stopping by!