A whole mess o' spike trolls

Spike Trolls ahoy!

The Spike Trolls, from "spikketrollet" ("carved trolls" in Norwegian), are fun and easy to carve. Perfect for your first whittlin', and good for keeping the calluses strong, all you need is a stick and a knife (a Sharpie is handy for drawing the face.)

I like to paint the hats, but they're just fine in their natural wood color.

Custom order: Toy Wooden Dragon

This one was by special request from a great lady way out in Texas. She asked me to carve a toy dragon "in the style of your horses." It was an exciting prospect, so I put pencil to paper, sketching up some designs. I chose a seated position for the dragon, in order to keep the centerof gravity low and ensure a nice solid carving. The tail is carved on the right side, giving the appearance of wrapping around the flank before ending in a slight curl.

The dragon is carved from a single block of basswood, then lightly sanded in order to leave the whittle marks. A few coats of non-toxic salad bowl finish sealed the wood and left it with a natural tone. I also gave it a pass with some high-grit sandpaper after painting, which knocks the paint off of the higher grooves and gives the carving an aged look. A final coat of shelac and the dragon was done.

Wooden Pirate Serving Spoon

It's always great to see one of my spoons in use. There's something about a carved wooden face, submerged in ice tea or scooping up a side dish that just makes me smile. What would a pirate spoon stir up or serve, I wonder?

Round-nosed Toy Horse

I'll do my best to catch up on blog posts here, since I haven't updated in quite a while. Here's a new style of toy horse that i made. The nose is rounded, and oriented out away from the neck. This style is still "play tough," with usual attention paid to durability and safety.

Hand carved bottle stoppers from old wooden spools

I grab up old wooden spools whenever I can. They're a nice way to do a simple little carving, then I attached a dowel and a tapered cork. Thse stoppers were given a coat of salad bowl finish, some light acrylic paints, and finished with clear shellac.

March means Saint Patrick's Day whittlins!

I've been whittlin' up some decorations and door prizes for this year's Saint Patrick's Day celebration.

While many Americans treat March 17th as "Irish-American Mardi Gras," with green plastic beads, dyed green beer, and giant foam shamrocks, my family has always looked at it as "Irish-American Thanksgiving." In addition to great food, drinks, and music, we hold a trivia contest with prizes for our guests.

So far I've made a horse, some fridge magnets, and a handful of leprechauns. Prizes for the kids and grown-up kids alike!

My real Swedish Dala Horses

When I was a little guy, back in the early 1980's, my great aunt Virginia went on a trip to Sweden. On her return, she brought me these two genuine Dalahasts. I remember she gave me a story book too, about a little boy who's toy Dala horse came to life and led him on adventures.

These horses are suprisingly rough. Made for the tourist trade, they look to be rough sawn and quickly carved. The heavy base coat of paint looks dipped, while the saddle, tack, and harness are nicely painted in the two-colors fan brush style.

A sticker on the belly of the red horse reads: "Akta Dalahemslojd Tillv. G.A. Olsson Nunsa, Mora, Sweden"