Little Santa's Just in Time for Christmas

These are the Santa's I previously posted as the 7 minute Santa.

They are 1 1/8" long and carved from 1/4" square Poplar.  They have been painted with acrylics and sealed with Deft Clear Satin.

Enjoy and Merry Christmas!!!!

My Deluxe Offering

Last Saturday the 12th was the second edition of Deluxe in December. It was a great show with a lot going on. Bands, kids crafts, robotics and Roller Derby Girls, just to name a few.


Sara and JD are some great Gals and a blast to work with. If you ever get a chance to go to or show at Deluxe take full advantage. It is a strictly handmade mega show.

7 minute Santa

Over at Beginners Carving Corner and Beyond http://beginnerscarvingcorner.blogspot.com/ a try something new challenge of sorts was issued. I believe Mr. Tom Hindes carved a Santa in a 1/4" square stick in four, yes four, minutes. So I had to give it a try.

Mine is carved in 1/4" square stock Poplar (it was handy) and is about 1 1/8" long. It took me about Seven minutes to get him this far. When I get him painted I will have to post him again.

I have included in the photos a standard number 2 pencil for size comparison.

Enjoy!

Santa Ornaments for this Century!

I either had a moment of brilliance or maybe just a moment. Anyway, I had an idea to make "EMO" Santa's. This is pretty much a spin off of "no see-um's".

They are both from pine. One is from 3/4" stock and the other 1/2" stock.

If you would like to see these guys first hand then you will need to come to "Deluxe" Saturday December 12, th at the Oklahoma State Fair Grounds. Vist www.deluxeok.net for more information!

A few rare finds

Friday at work my boss and I where discussing a few woodworking books and I brought in one my wife had purchased for me several years ago. He took a look at it and said that he had a few books in his locker that had been there for about 10 years and needed a home. So he gave them to me.

I like things from days past. Though these are not that old as far as I am concerned, but they still have been around awhile.

Take a look.
Basic Woodworking copyright 1978

Machine Woodworking copyright 1956 and 1961

Industrial Arts Woodworking copyright 1972
First edition copyrights 1950, 1955, 1960, 1965

Whittling Workshop in OKC

Hi everyone!

I will be teaching a two hour beginners workshop in Oklahoma City during the Deluxe Craft Camp. It will be held the weekend of September 25-27, 2009

I will be teaching Tom Hindes 5 minute Wizard. Woodcarving Illustrated and Mr. Hindes have graciously provided some educational material. This is a perfect opportunity to get started if you have been curious about carving or whittling. The cost of the course will be minimal by comparison to other courses. The cost will be mostly in supplies.

The class is limited to 15 students. I do not have the exact day or exact cost as yet. This is a heads up for those that may wish to attend to start their planning in that direction. I will add details as I get them. I hope to see you there!

Oklahoma Disciples of Etsy

I got a pleasant surprise today. I have been featured on the Oklahoma Disciples of Etsy blog. You can check it out here: http://disciplesofetsy.blogspot.com/. You can also go directly to the feature here: http://disciplesofetsy.blogspot.com/2009/02/meet-our-members-buckboardwoodworks.html

I think it is a great service the team leaders provide for artists and crafters.

Dusty My Documents Folders

I was going through my files and folders to see what I could get rid of and I found this little gem. My daughter had interviewed me for her 9th grade English class assignment around Veterans Day. I think she got a 97% on it. Anyway, I got to thinking some of you might like to know a little more about the man behind the knife, so to speak. So, I decided to share her report to her class with you. I hope you enjoy.



My Veteran


Veterans have been a huge part of history. They protected us from the Nazis.
They fought in Operation Desert Storm. They made us proud. They dedicated their life
to people they didn’t even know. And throughout the wars, hundreds and thousands of
them have died to keep freedom in our country. I interviewed a former soldier and
wrote down what he had to say. It may not be the coolest or liveliest tale of all,
but that shouldn’t matter. He put his life on the line for freedom. This is his
story.

“My name is Frank Shedden. I am a Veteran of the United States Army. I joined
the Army in December of 1988. My life had stagnated and I needed to make some
serious changes. I decided that I wanted to see the world outside of the Rocky
Mountain West. So off to the recruiters I went. I talked to all of them and
decided the Army would give me the best chances of training for a job when I got
out. They offered me a chance to be an electronics technician, specifically radio
communications equipment.

I went to basic training at Fort Bliss, Texas outside of El Paso. I spent New Years
Eve getting my head shaved because it was required. After basic I went to Fort
Gordon, Georgia, for Advanced Individual Training (AIT). My course was nine months
long to learn electronics and fix equipment down to the smallest component. Once I
completed this training, I was chosen to stay another six weeks to get an Additional
Skill Identifier (ASI). The Army had me working on satellite communications vans.

After AIT/ASI, I was sent to Bittburg Air Force Base in Germany for my first
duty assignment. I was assigned to an Army Air Defense Artillery Battalion. I set
about applying my trade as a radio repairman. While in Germany, President Regan
went to Berlin and challenged the Russians to tear down the Berlin wall. Before I l
left the wall was coming down and Germany was being reunited as one country again.


In 1991, I found myself at Fort Hood, Texas. I was assigned to the First Calvary
Division. I quickly learned that the Armored Calvary operates much differently from the Air Defense. We trained hard and long and we spent many, many months in the field practicing war time operations. In September 1992, I volunteered to go to Kuwait as part of a Task Force to help train the Kuwait Military and bolster sanctions imposed on Saddam Hussein.

I came home in December for Christmas. I went on leave to Wyoming and on January 1993, the day I returned to Fort Hood, I was ordered with the Task Force to return to Kuwait. Two days after arriving back in Kuwait, President Clinton ordered a
massive air and sea attack on Iraq. The unit I was in helped secure the border between Iraq and Kuwait.

I stayed at Fort Hood for the remainder of my career, with the exception of going back to Fort Gordon for the Basic Non-commissioned Officers Course associated with my duties.

Looking back I would do it all again. I got to meet some of the most amazing people in the world and experience different cultures. If a young person were to want to
go in the Military I would encourage them do so. It is a noble cause, one they will
remember for the rest of their life and there is no greater satisfaction than having served your Country.”

Frank Shedden got out of the army in June of 1996. He now lives here in Mustang with his wife, two kids, and numerous pets. He works for the Mustang School District as a carpenter and a general maintenance helper. His hobbies include woodworking, photography, and art.

Deluxe 09

Deluxe Show is coming May 9th to the Centennial Building at the Oklahoma State Fair Grounds.

I have applied for the show and will be bringing my carvings, wood burnings, some houses for our feathered friends, and whatever else I can conjure up and made with/from wood.

Please make plans to attend and stop by. This will be my first show as an Independent crafter/artist.

I also, plan on being at the Oklahoma City Wood Carvers "Artistry In Wood" show and sale. It will be October 31st and November 1st. Also, at that the State Fair Grounds.

Hello.

Sorry I have not been here in a long while. I have joined the Etsy craze. You can find listings for some of my work here http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6292590