And Now for some Panels!

Remember these? I carved several of these about a year ago and I still have them! So I decided that they might as well be thrown into my Etsy shop as well. They still look pretty good, and it would be a shame to burn them up because they are taking up too much room. I don't know how many I'll post right away. Seeing that it is Sunday night and there usually is not a lot of traffic on Etsy on the weekends. Especially when it is getting nicer out every day. In other news, we have had several light sprinkles here and yesterday Cheryl found another moral! ( her first for the year) We went out on a walk on state land that produced for us in previous years, but found nothing this time. Michigan is getting pretty possessive of it's state land as of late. The place that used to be a simple parking spot with bike trails is now a "pay to stay" park! Don't get me wrong, they have done nothing to warrant the extra $6 to walk around on the state land. It just must mean that Michigan is broke and trying desperately to find new ways of income. Such is the government for you!

Finished carved panels, Say hello to Mickey!

So the panels took a little longer than I thought, But since I had very little else to do, I probably obsessed on them more than I should have. By the time I finished, I was tired and it was late, so I was not in a posting mood. Anyway, here they are: For the elephant and the Hull FC, I used the router. Since the panels were rather small, I had to use my "special" clamping plan to keep them still. Pretty cool, eh? I new that the stain would be a problem if I didn't carve them deep enough, but the client did not want them painted and had seen some of my other unpainted panels. The darker provincial stain tends to over darken the grain of oak. But it does give it a cool antique look. She also did not want the two larger panels polyed. So there they are! The two smaller plaques were pretty much the same as doing the toilet seats and fish panels. The painting was a bit more of a challenge, but I think they turned out pretty well.

Fulton street Craft market. Results...

Ok, I was not going into this show thinking big to begin with, but It was moderately successful. The fact is that carvings just were not the "flavor of the day" there. Oh! I did get lots of compliments, even handed out a couple of business cards, but the real flavor of the day was my wife's Wristlets! She did awesome! Which means WE did awesome! So my carvings were not a hit there, I didn't really think they would be since it was an ongoing weekly market instead of a show or festival. I DID manage to sell one box, so I was not totally skunked. The crowd was pretty good and steady, and the show only lasted 4 hours at a cost of $10 to enter! ( pretty good deal if you ask me) They even provided 2 eight foot tables to help display your stuff. We have went to craft shows that were more expensive, less organized, and sold less than this one. ( to put this in perspective. I may have been a little over optimistic with my carvings because I could not even display them all! If we go again ( I doubt we will go to another one since it closes after next week) I may bring my carvings again, but I might show them off a little better. I still was not "feeling" the crowd there, but you never know who might drop in and buy something. Cheryl's story was much brighter, so you can read more on Allenbrite... Enjoy!

Panels to the show

So since the panels are languishing on Etsy, And since Cheryl is going to a show this weekend, I thought I might show off a couple of my panels while we bake in the hot sun. I'm going to try to bring as many as I can, but I guess table space is limited so I might have to work on my presentation. The show is Sunday afternoon so we'll have to get up early and see how it goes. Hopefully I'll have some good news to report!

Yellow bird on blue cherry blossoms

An older carving that I never quite finished. So tonight I finished painting it and polying. It should be done later tonight and ready to be listed. I put the Bluejays panel on later last night as well. I'm having trouble thinking of what my next carving should be. I have three panels left, but I do want them to sell.

I found out last night that the second part of one of the Animes I was following has been put online! Kaza No Stigma! It's a great series to get into. Here's the opening and you can find the complete series on UberAnime.com Enjoy!

Dragon Panel

Since the majority of my day was spent looking for what remaining seats there were left in stores, I didn't feel much like carvings when i got home. So I took pictures and edited some more panels and listed them. Tonight's listing: An oriental dragon in maple! Cheryl thought this one looked good enough without any poly or paint, so i left it as is. It looks almost antique! And, for the person who wants to think of it that way, It could look like an authentic Chinese carving! Never thought I would TRY to make my carvings look like they were made in CHINA! It's a funny world. Ah well, whatever gets me a sale! I have not done any origami lately, but I have been watching some Anime. BIG WINDUP! Great for the baseball fan! ( I'm not one, but i appreciate the game. Enjoy! And if you can watch the episodes on Funimation.com

A pair of Tanagers

I've seen a Scarlet Tanager twice in this part of the country. They are not as common as they are in other parts, but they make a big impression to someone who has never seen them before. This panel is another older carving that is making it's debut online for the first time on Etsy. I have never listed it for sale before, partly because I'm lazy, and another part because Cheryl didn't want to. We'll see if anyone finds reclaimed cupboard doors that have been turned into wall art as something worth having. We have not visited the "reclaimed store" in a while. These people go into old houses and buildings and rip out "worthy" items that could be resold. To the right person, It's a GOLDMINE! They have treasures that only the trained Eye can see. To others it would look like dated junk. For me, the SOLID OAK panels, doors, pews,(that's right! from Churches!) and cupboard doors are the main target. The trick is matching the stain and taking off the hideous fixtures. But it's always a mixed bag and blind luck as to what you are able to score. Oh! And the latest Anime. Elfin Lied. This is not for kids! Or the faint of heart, but it is a beautiful open and a great story of redemption, forgiveness and human spirit! Enjoy! For the latin translation: look on Youtube.

New panel listing

Just posted a new panel. I must be motivated to be posting on Etsy this early in the morning! Anyway, it's a old carving, but this is the first time it has been listed, I thought the pics turned out well.

Listing the Old

A quick post of me listing some of my old panels on etsy. The funny thing is I have never listed them, but tonight I decided that they should have a shot at finding a good home. So I've been fixing and listing the photos. Here they are:

Panel picture taking.

Cheryl wanted me to show off the panels a little bit more. Yesterday, she hinted that I should take the pictures of the latest carvings and show them off. I find this to be one of those "husband" tasks that never really measure up. Meaning: no matter how I take the picture, they will be wrong. Cheryl usually takes the "professional pictures for sales purposes, while I take the sloppy ones for my blog. Well, here they are! Untouched, unedited, but taken with Cheryl's guidance.
I will now have to trim and brighten them so they will be more presentable. Not to mention that these are the ones that are presentable. There are always those that end up blurry or shadowed. Next post I may have a side by side and see if there is a difference.

Panel painting

So I finished the painting of the panels. I took a few step by step pics of the painting process. Nothing fancy, just a hint of what goes into the layering process.
Now all I have to do is wait for the poly to dry and They will be ready to be listed tomorrow! Still no luck o any new origami. My latest attempt ended with disappointment. I should take a pic just to show off how awful a new sculpture can turn out when you are trail blazing. It will only prove that I am no master of origami. Yet..anyway.