Live from Tormville!

December flashback

I was flipping through my December pictures this morning while placing a photo order and bumped into a few things I've not shared yet. December is such a full and busy month, don't you think?

Anyway - on my husband's side of the family, my husband had his brother-in-law Aaron's name. Aaron likes to fish and when asked what he might like for Christmas, he didn't hesitate to say he'd love another carving. Greg has had Aaron's name before. 

Aaron likes to fish, so Greg thought an old man carved into a piece of wood he shaped into a bobber like form would be ideal.  I think it's pretty cool. 

He's not had much carving time this month - he's been working wicked overtime and is slated to go out of town for a week soon. I never even saw him yesterday aside from a snoring lump in the bed. 

Now off to Costco. 
Usually the man of the house goes on his way home from work - saves gas and all that - but he's so tired, he'd probably buy the wrong coffee.

And we can't have that.

Our new percolator comes today!  

Hand Carved Santa Collection

(click the photo to see them a little larger)

As promised.

Each year I get a new hand carved santa from my husband added to my collection. Okay - so those that have been reading my blog for awhile know that the natural colored four santas in one is actually for our children, but I'm taking good care of it until they move out. 

This year I got two - the hands in the pocket Santa on the end, and the little shelf sitting Santa in the front near the end. My husband used his last two pieces of basswood for them, so they are smaller than usual. He has 'place an order for more wood' on his list for when things slow down. (He orders from a place in northern Minnesota) 

Should I have taken close ups of each?

Maybe after I run to Costco. 

*wink*

 

 

His Newest Carving

When we were up north this summer, the boys picked up this piece of Lake Superior driftwood to bring home to their dad. They try to get him a fun piece every year. 

I confess that more than once I've looked at my husband's carvings and my oldest son's drawings and asked them out loud that - really - this is what you see in that head of yours?  But I admit, I'm in awe of how they bring those images from their head out into their work. I can't do that. So you'll never really know what *I* see in my head. You'll always wonder now though, won't you?

Know this. What I see is much more sunshiney and daffodilly. 

Anyway - this carving is nearly ready to sell. He needs to add one more coat of whatever it is he coats them with and find a box to ship it in.

I haven't measured it yet, but it's a little shorter than I am, and I'm 5' 5"
Selling price will be $210.

If you happen to be interested - email the link in the upper left corner of my blog. If you live local, it'll save us having to find a box and figure out shipping. *wink*

Otherwise, it'll pop up on Etsy sometime in the next week. 

The Etsy shop will be going on vacation

This year I'll be putting my husband's Etsy shop on vacation mode when I head up north. Until then - from now until Wednesday night at about 8pm EST - we are offering up a coupon code.  The shop will then reopen on August 1st, but without the coupon code.

Enter vacation as you check out and you'll receive 10% off your order.

This brings those golf balls down to less than our 2010 prices! 
All orders will ship on Thursday.  

Be quick! 
Because ...
mmmmppphhh....I better not say. 

he doesn't just carve balls....

....sometimes he carves sticks.  We each have hiking sticks, my mom has a hiking stick (Greg had her name for Christmas one year) , and now George has a walking stick to hopefully aid him through his busted knee recovery.   I love how personalized it is.  I think it screams sings George, don't you? 

If we can figure out how to ship these, we might have to start adding them to the shop.  Not real easy to photograph though. 

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Other stuffs - 

I was fully planning to be lazy yesterday after a busy weekend, but it was my Monday. I got lots done - made bread, cleaned my closet, cleaned our whole room, scrubbed the garbage can, had the teenager wash the van. It was a full day.

Today I'm a bit more sluggish - which fits the heavy hazy day. I plan to putter right here at my desk all day long - get some cards done, some layouts done - some new balls listed. 

Here's to Wednesday! 

 

My husband has been busy

White Hand Carved Caricature Golf Ball

 

Toothy Fellow

Yellow Green Caricature Golf Ball

Orange and Green Caricature Golf Ball

Plum Hand Carved Caricature Golf Ball

Reserved

That is just a small sampling of some of the new listings in his shop: GTCarvings

There's rarely a night that he's not out in the garage carving.  If such a night does come along, I wonder if he's sick. He'll tire of golf balls soon, and move onto something else again - but for the time being, I've been seeing a new one pop up on my desk each morning, ready to be photographed.

Each order is shipped within 3 business days, and is packaged first in a box suitable for gift giving, and then into the shipping box.

Stands are sold seperately, and he just brought in a large box of those along with some new ones that are made to hold two balls. so I'll be listing those over the next few days as well. 

And yes, there is a lot of ball humor in our home.  It's inevitable. 

He usually carves men

(click the photo to see them even larger)

We're like ships passing in the night sometimes around here, so as it happens - I just noticed these on the shelf about ten minutes ago.  They're new.  I don't call my husband at work much, but these were worthy of a phone call.

Me: Ah, honey. You usually carve men.

Hubby:  You found them, huh?

Me:  Darn near poked my eye out (the shelf is at eye level)

Hubby:  haha. I was trying to stretch my carving skills

Me: That ain't the only thing you stretched

Hubby:  haha.

Me: So this is the vision you had in your head? Really?

Hubby:  It's two ladies visiting on the street corner

Me: I. um. I'm speechless 

He'd been neglecting the balls

I gently mentioned to my husband sometime last week that he'd been neglecting his balls and that it's just about time to start hustling them again.  He did really well with them in the spring of last year, and it's my hope that he can get them moving just as well, or even better, this year.

Besides, I've missed posting about them. And we like when they move. 

So last night when he came in from the garage (he carves nightly) I asked if he'd gotten anywhere with them. His balls. And he said yes - I brought one in last night, didn't you find it?  (I hadn't thought to look) And he dug around in his cubby hole and pulled it out.

I said, really - you think I'm going to go rummaging around on the off chance .... 

nevermind.
Things go downhill fast around here this time of the year.  

I gave him a goal of two/three a week and I'll be listing them in his shop on Etsy.

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be good!

ps. To whom it may concern: I was only told to behave while you were gone. I'm so glad you're back. 

Pa's newest toy

I have so many long posts planned in my head, but no time to post just now.  I'm a bit anxious for routine to set back in.

But someone who has been enjoying his week off work is that husband of mine.  This one he came up with on his own, and this one I won't let go of.  I'm partial to snowmen, even of the black walnut variety.  He is, however, working on another one - where the hat will also have a hole all the way through so you can stack it right in the middle of his head and belly.

Won't that be a hoot!

What the kids got for Christmas

My husband usually carves the kids an ornament for Christmas, but this year he did this instead.  Isn't it the coolest carving ever?  What? You can't quite make it out?  Oh. Do pardon me.   How 'bout this...

It's hard to photograph all four sides at once you see.  This is, hands down, my new favorite.  I love that it becomes one, and it becomes four - one for each of our kids.  Greg came up with this one on his own.  Sometimes he's inspired by work he sees, and sometimes things just fall into place.  In this case, these pieces were the leftover bits from another carving - but they fit together so neatly that they became this.

 So ridiculously cool.  It will remain in our box of ornaments and then when the kids leave home they shall take their pieces one at a time and I'll just sit right here and bawl my eyes out. Over the missing kid, not the missing carving.  Or maybe the carving. 

He carved his name on the back of each piece, but he's going to have to carve each of the kid's initials into the bottom so there's no fighting.  I just hate when they fight.

If they were closer in age, I'd totally make it first one out gets first pick and so on.  

Maybe I'll still do that....