It appears that winter has finally found it's way to the Great Plains. Most North Dakotans seem to enjoy complaining about the winters here. Those so inclined were just plum out of complaint material this winter. "Good things come to those who wait" ? Today, it appears so. :P
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Don't feel much like exercising as the days get cooler and the temptation to snuggle in with a cup of cocoa or a wee dram seem overpowering. Try this on for size! Thanks for the share, Gail!
This is probably one of many great sites on which to try your hand at carving. After your masterpiece is finished, clicking on "Done" gives you the haunting music and the flickering candle. I carved this little gremlin, took a screen shot and wrote (badly) the little message in green. You could take your screen shot to picnik and carve off more of the website and end up with a custom made pumpkin to put as a profile pic or avatar. :) Click on the pic to go to the site,eh!
Stay tuned for part II: The CarveMaster automatic pumpkin carving machine!
Happy Pumpkin Carving!
So don't forget; wash that pumpkin, spray with lemon solution as you work and make your opening in the back, rather than on top! Send me some pics and I will post them!
I was looking for an online coupon creator and found one that is free (that goes with some explanation), allows a fair degree of creativity and is easy to use. That spells some nice holiday savings for you! I used a coupon creator from American Greetings. After all your hard work, you find out there is a fee when you proceed to print. Soooooooo, determined not to throw that time down the toilet, I took a screen shot, saved to file, raced it over to Picnik.com, editted, saved again to file and TAH-DAH! Savings for you!
If you've got kids or a significant other for whom you would like to create a coupon book, I recommend this because you have total control over text and they have a little library of clip art which you can place anywhere on the coupon. Now, let's take a look at my own. If you are ready to make a purchase, mention one of these coupons at checkout . Have fun!
Holiday Savings
Diamond willow is willow with wood that is deformed into diamond-shaped segments with alternating colors. This is most likely the result of attack by a fungus (Valsa sordida,and possibly others), which causes cankers to form in the wood in response to the infection.[1] Diamond willow is prized by wood carvers and furniture makers for its strong contrasting colors (red and white) and its sculptural irregularity of shape.
The shape of the diamonds seems to vary from one clump of willow to the next, although there may be some general tendencies within a single species. Some stems will form long narrow diamonds; others will be short and wide. Usually all the diamonds on the stems in one clump will have similar growth patterns. If the new layers of sapwood do not move back very much each year, then the diamonds will be deep bowl- or cleft-shaped. These stems will be able to survive longer than those whose diamonds are flat and open.
Diamond Willow is an amazing piece of wood, that brings pleasure to any carver, or wood worker. Could be used as a rustic cottage raining, could be made into table legs. So many possibilities.
The bark that is left overtop of the diamond changes quite markedly from the bark over the living sapwood. Depending on the species of willow, the living bark is usually smoother and slightly lighter in color. The bark over the diamond usually becomes rougher and somewhat darker. It also becomes tougher and adheres much more to the underlying wood. The sapwood is white to cream in color—again depending on the species, but also on the location. The heartwood is reddish-brown. This color tends to darken with exposure to light over a number of years.
If one stem in a clump of willow is affected, then all of them are likely to be. However, the neighboring clump may be completely without diamonds.(from Wikipedia)
This is a beautiful sample of diamond willow that was gifted to me by Sue Morrissey. As she once remarked, "Some things are so beautiful and perfect that all you have to do is hang it on the wall."
I find the little recesses quite beautiful and am working on several for pendants. In this one I saw a little saint in prayer and am working to coax her out further with minimal intervention.
Moiré EelBob Gander, from Saskatoon Saskatchewan, recently won ribbons and accolades over this unique carving of a Moiré Eel. What made this piece most unusual is that it is made of Diamond Willow, and features the "found" shape of the wood contained within the willow branch. I love the fluid shape of the eel. You'd swear it was actually swimming by!
He continues: "Although every piece of diamond willow is unique, the eel was every unusual piece. At the head of the eel, this piece had grown for twenty years only along the ridge that I used for the dorsal fin. The ridge was originally about 3/16" thick at the widest!"
What a find, Bob! And how well you made use of it!
Bob is, if I may be permitted an observation, has started along a path that will lead him to pioneer in the area of using willow for artistic carving. Keep your eyes open for this fellow. His work has only begun!
Bill Judt
Diamond Willow is a highly prized find by carvers. This short video will show you yet one more reason why. If you ever stumble across some diamond willow and are looking for a good adoptive home, please do consider DivineSign. :P Enjoy the video and thanks for stopping by. If you have any questions or comments, just click on "Comments" below. Have a great day!
Mark didn't want to sit at the table alone on Saturday, so I went with him to Ft. Ransom Sodbuster Days celebrating the olden days on the prairie. Wool spinning, plowing, blacksmithing, baking, ice cream making demos. Great Scandi food in the restaurant. What a little drop of heaven Ft. Ransom is. Breathtaking beauty coming and going. Festivities went into the night, but Mark and I packed up late afternoon. He would return on Sunday with other carvers. I opted to work on unfinished orders at home. If you need a restful yet educational weekend, I highly recommend Ft. Ransom Sodbuster Days.
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