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New Carvings!

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I haven't had a lot of time for my projects lately but I've managed to steal a few minutes here and there away from mowing grass, working for the meager paycheck, etc. My main focus now is Santa carvings for my Etsy store. While some of my items don't sell as well as previous years my Santas still do well. I even broke down and used some of my extra special pieces of Lake Erie cottonwood bark and I think the results turned out well.

Santa with toy bag and Teddy bear

Santa with Teddy bear was carved from piece of bark I picked up at East Harbor State Park several years ago, before the emerald ash borer invaded Ohio and you could still pick up wood and carry it out of the park.  I wanted to do something special with this piece but it sat on my bench for several weeks before the "light" went on. I used to carve off  most if not all of the rough areas but I now prefer to leave more of it intact for a more rustic look. https://www.etsy.com/listing/248060535/carved-cottonwood-bark-santa-with-teddy

Santa with candy canes



Santa with candy canes was carved from another very nice piece of Ohio cottonwood bark. I carefully drilled holes in the bag and inserted wood dowels for the candy canes. Again, I left Santa's right side  more natural by only carving some of the rough areas away where I would have normally carved an arm. Less is sometimes better! https://www.etsy.com/listing/246279685/carved-cottonwood-bark-santa-with-candy




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