A rose is a rose, but a pendant is a bead

Thanks for checking out my blog.

I need to get back to work-in-progress updates, but today was something of an "AHA" day.

My Etsy shop, youwoodlikethis.etsy.com, was on "vacation" while I figured out how to increase
sales.  The most number of items are what I was calling "pendants."  But, it finally struck me -AHA- that what I was calling a pendant other shops called "large hand carved beads."  So I made some changes.

Now, my items are beads rather than pendants.  I will have to see if this change makes a difference.
They are the same hand carved items but they will appeal, hopefully to a larger customer set.

For example, are these sliders (additions to a necklace) or are they large hand carved beads.  People looking for a large bead to complete their necklace may not think to call it
a slider.


I hope others see the difference and the shop has a rosy future.

The Deep Blue Sea. Serendipity Rules.

Thank you for checking out my blog.

In making the deep blue sea for the mermaid cane, my intention was to use a single step using a blue dye. Woodworkers use Rit Dye to stain wood.  It is better than paint because it leaves the grain of the wood visible.  Also, it soaks into the wood rather than sitting on top of it.  A ding to the wood shows less if the color is not removed. 

One problem with using dye is that it doesn't always soak in evenly.  When I used the blue dye on the cane, there were some places that didn't take the stain.  I thought of a solution.  I would put a coat of polyurethane on the cane and then use a blue Sharpie to touch up.  The blue Sharpie is definitely blue. 

Why did it turn the beautiful shade of purple?   Is it a Ph thing?  What chemical reaction turned the color of the blue sharpie to a gorgeous shiny purple?

It is a color I want to use if I do another dragon.  But, it was not the color of the deep blue sea.

For no particular reason, I decided to give the purple a coat of polyurethane.

Amazingly to me, the purple turned a deep sea blue.  You can see the differences in the colors between the two pictures.  The deep sea blue had another interesting quality, it appeared to have depth.  So, when you look at it, it looks very much like you are looking into the deep blue sea.  It looks like the water you see in the Southern Caribbean.

Serendipity Rules.

A Mermaid, the Sea, and Friends. A custom cane

A mermaid calmly sits in a clam shell while her friends cavort in the deep blue sea.
The request was for a cane with a mermaid and a comfortable handle.  The internet is full of real life mermaids.  All you have to do is Google, "image mermaid -cartoon."  Because of copyright, I can't show you the images, but you could look up the muses at:
http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/disney/images/1154345/title/julianne-little-mermaid-photo
http://chinadailyshow.com/chinese-skipper-snares-eats-mermaid/
    (I digress, but this link has an interesting article attached to it :-)  )
http://madmuch.com/photos/golden-mermaid/
http://www.hannahfraser.com/mermaid/slippages/photos_one.php?instanceid=57&p=37

and, of course,
http://blog.europeana.eu/2013/04/mixed-up-mermaids/
  where you can find the story the The Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen, DK.

Here is the finished cane:

                                                                                       

Up close to the mermaid.

Below the mermaid, a pair of dolphins are jumping out of the deep blue sea.

















A sea turtle looks on from below the dolphins on the shaft of the cane.



      
                 Top view                                                                           Side view from her better side

 On the backward looking side of the cane is a nameplate.  I added a mysterious creature looking out from the cane.

Tomorrow I will show some of the work in progress and discuss the process to get the deep blue sea.

Custom Chainsaw Sculpture

Welcome to my blog.


Someday I want to try chainsaw carving.

I imagine it is hard to learn.  I can see a large pile of  "learning" attempts.  Of course, those would be put to good use as firewood.

These are amazing.  Take a moment and go to the website to see more creations.  Check out:

http://www.customchainsawcarvings.com/Freehand_Custom_Carvings/Gallery/Pages/Sculptures_Gallery.html

Here is a taste of what you will find.



http://www.customchainsawcarvings.com/Freehand_Custom_Carvings/Gallery/Pages/Sculptures_Gallery.html#15

REMEMBER

Tiki Statues

Welcome to my blog.

You have to take a break from care taking.

A walk on the beach is a terrific relaxer; especially if you are trying to lose weight.

On a walk at dawn, I found some driftwood.
There is much history to the Tiki Statues.  They occur somewhat similarly in different Pacific cultures.

I carved a set of four for a custom request.  These are destined to be fitted with torches to grace a pool area at a house near Austin TX.

 This one is inspired by a Tiki statue in a lobby of a hotel.

 The fourth one is still a work in progress.  That one is inspired by the Easter Island statues that have the elegant features.

The last two are profile shots of the first one.

As these are a gift, I don't know if I will be able to capture them before they have to go.

Hal's email is hal2009@att.net.
Use Contact at either Etsy shop: www.stickstaffcane.etsy.com or www.youwoodlikethis.etsy.com
Call my cell phone, leave a message at 919-656-7166.
FACEBOOK
Timeline: http://facebook.com/hal.papan
Email: hal.papan@facebook.com
Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/StickStaffCane/117272031678314

Work In Progress: Nutcracker Ornaments

Welcome to my blog.


I've been working on a template for a Nutcracker ornament.  It is a work in progress (WIP).   Like other WIPs, it may not look like these designs as these are pre-prototype.  I'm documenting my progress so an Instructable or magazine article will follow.  Both are things I'm interested in pursuing.

Here are some examplars...



















My prototype got to hang on my daughter's Christmas tree.

Inspiration from Eli Adamit

Welcome to my Blog.

There are some wonderful carvings out there.
I'll be searching for some notables to learn from them.

Look at the faces on the carvings from  Eli Adamit.

http://lumberjocks.com/eli_adamit/projects

Here is one example:


Genghiss Kahn

And you can read about his method in his project file:
http://lumberjocks.com/projects/56452

Here is an image from the Field Museum website:


http://fieldmuseum.org/happening/exhibits/genghis-khan

Hal's email is hal2009@att.net.
Use Contact at either Etsy shop: www.stickstaffcane.etsy.com or www.youwoodlikethis.etsy.com
Call my cell phone, leave a message at 919-656-7166.
FACEBOOK
Timeline: http://facebook.com/hal.papan
Email: hal.papan@facebook.com
Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/StickStaffCane/117272031678314