A few inches of new snow today made for some great pictures. Hope you enjoy them.
Today was a down day for us. This is the winding down week after Christmas that we all need. Get the house back in order, enjoy the Christmas decorations for one more week and get ready for the coming of the new year.
Had to make another ladder tonight, maybe this time Robin will give me a chance to take a photo after she decorates it.
This spurtle is only about 8" long. Still trying to decide the style, if there is one, that I want to settle on. Each one will be different, but I want to have some specifics that I follow. This is made from Oak and finished with mineral oil. Turning the Oak was a first for me, very hard wood.
Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas.
I was looking around yesterday and thought about some of the positive things about winter. Are there any? Well to me there are at least a few.
Sure winter can be a drag, but let's celebrate the soltice and know the days will be getting longer. There is green all year if you look, just like there is fun to be had all year if you remember to have it.
Robin and I went down to pick Kyle up and got to tour his workshop at school. I spotted this sketch on a chalkboard and thought it looked familiar. The idea behind these sculptures is they have no torso.
This piece is in the school gallery where the workshop is.
Kyle's professor is interested in getting this piece, along with two others, shown in a music and arts gallery off campus. Needless to say he is very excited, which he should be.
A few smaller sculptures of Kyle's.
The latest design of mortar and pestle. These are starting to evolve and I will be making more. There is quite a bit of interest in these and as long as the temperature cooperates, I should be able to "turn" out a few more, pardon the pun.
The title of this post can be taken two ways. For some people winter does indeed rock! There are many people who enjoy the outdoor opportunities of winter. But for this post, it means something different. These are winter rocks.
Actually they are part of a ledge that runs from the side yard to the house. I don't understand why the snow melts from this ledge. You know what it feels like to sit on a rock ledge, it's usually damp and cold. But here we are in the middle of a pretty good cold snap and the snow is gone from the top of this ledge. I'm sure there is a scientific explanation, I just think it's neat.
There is always something to notice about nature, even on the coldest of days.
Robin is cranking out twelve of these for a customer as I type. They start out as a simple metal star on a post, and she takes it from there.
A ribbon bow, some snow tipped greens, a few berries, and a Cardinal for each one and we have an original design.
Oh, you have to throw in a pine cone for good measure. She asked me about adding the pine cone and I said it didn't need it, but I knew she wanted it on there. As with all of her designs, she has to like it, she has to be happy about it. That's what makes her items special, it's that little extra that makes the difference.
This was the first project of the day. A customer ordered this for his wife, to decorate a table with ocean memorabilia. I cut this out on the bandsaw and did the insides with a scroll saw.
Project number two....a ladder for a customer to be stained and decorated by Robin. We had two of these left for Christmas in the Country, and both were sold. Custom orders not a problem, just an opportunity.
And lastly a mortar and pestle set for Jody. It was her idea to turn the small bowl into a mortar and pestle set, and she wanted to be the first to buy one from me. When the other one sold, I assured her she would get one. This was made from Ash and Birch just like the other one. As with all the turning projects, it is a one of a kind, because there was no set pattern. Anyone interested in any items on the blog, please visit our website, or drop an e-mail or a comment.
Door to the Man Cave.
Red Cedar weedpot with bark inclusion.
The Red Cedar is very fun to turn because of the drastic heartwood.
This is spalted Birch, again the drastic changes in color make all these unique, one of a kind pieces.
Red Cedar after Robin has decorated with dried flowers.
Spalted Birch decorated with dried flowers.
And me at the lathe when it was still located downstairs. this ended up being a bowl, one of the first that I turned. It came from an 8x8 that my father had reclaimed from a boathouse renovation job he did, I think it was pine. They made good practice pieces anyway. My son was about 8 or 9 years old when he snapped this photo, so it's a little blurry, but not bad for an action shot. The above vases have been sold, but for newest items please take a look at our website.
The winner of the door prize for the Christmas in the Country open house is: Mrs. Keith, from Ft. Ann! She will receive a garland of her choice. We had many places represented, from Albany area to Rutland Vt. area visiting our home, and someone from our town wins......pretty cool. Congratulations to her and many thanks to everyone who stopped by this weekend.
Christmas in the Country was a big hit again this year. I think people are just looking for an alternative to the same old stuff at the big box stores. We see many of the same faces year after year, and this year was no exception, but alot of new faces this year. There were even some that came back the next day with friends which is a great sign that you have the unique items they are looking for.
Now we can put the house back together, get caught up on laundry, and get our home back! Robin still has a dozen special orders to follow up on, but the craft shows are over until spring. She will be putting all new designs on the website for the winter, and also pursuing different outlets to sell her wares.
I made this log cabin a few years ago. Robin has brought it to different craft shows but it has not found a home yet. Obviously, with the light, it looks best at night. Maybe it is just destined to live with us.
