Last Christmas Order

It's a little bitter sweet sending out the last sign for Christmas. I spend so much time on each one of these, I feel like there is a piece of myself in each one. I think TerBo turned out exceptionally well, the darker tones really set it apart from the others I have done. 

Since this is the last order, you can expect the posts to thin out for the next bit, I just need to take a breather over the Holiday. Thank you all so much for the support and interest. 

S.H. Carving wishes all of you an excellent holiday season and a Merry Christmas!

Grandma

This also had the high gloss finish. It was made for Luke Scott who did the work of designing my logo. If anyone is interested in hiring him out for private work, let me know and I will be more than happy to put you in contact with him.

Although it looks black, the sign is actually purple.

Petty

I tried a new high gloss as the final coat this time around and I'm pleased with the result. This turned out great.

Sneak Peek

Just a little sneak peak for what is coming tomorrow!

Business Cards!

After a long wait, the cards finally came! These will be going out with all orders and be used for general publicizing.

I think they turned out great! It was well worth the wait!

Out of my hands

Yesterday I was able to drop off Grandma and Petty for coloring and finishing. They turned out alright, but I still feel like I have room to improve on the coloring. They'll hopefully be done with the second or third coats by the end of Monday or beginning of Tuesday. Check out some before and afters below.

Semester @ End

Things are going at a slower pace this week. I've been swamped with end of semester assignments and projects, but will have a few days of downtime so I can get caught up again. Here is a picture I took a few days ago, just to hold you all over.

Dropped the Ball, back on the Wagon

Things kind of fell apart this weekend in terms of my schedule so I didn't get everything done that I wanted. (Which happens more often than not) But I'm back on the horse, and need to get as much done as I can before I have finals week (next week).

When you thought there couldn't be more!

I guess I should get this out first, I'm doing this one for myself. (If you hadn't noticed already) It isn't anywhere near a high priority, I just had spare time at work and used it to finish cutting this one out. This is more or less me trying to stay on top of my "content related" posts every-other-day thing. 

Fear not, I do have some big plans for this weekend, which should lead to something interesting to look at.

X-Post: LoudCufflinks

When I started S.H. Carving, I quickly became aware of many other small businesses being conducted in the area or by close friends of mine. Every now and then I'd like to spread the word, because we can all give each other a little help now and then right?


LoudCufflinks is fairly new to the scene, but has enjoyed much success in social commerce websites such as Etsy. It was started by a roommate of mine, Geoff Scott, who I met in my Sophomore year of College. His cufflinks are a great quality and the variety that he supplies is wonderful, I am always amazed at what new designs he has to offer. 


I think his business motto says it the best: "Why pay $60.00 for lame, boring cufflinks when you can pay a sixth the price and get cufflinks that don't suck?"




Give his Etsy & Facebook pages a look and see if there is anything there that you like, and feel free to tell your friends!







Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/people/LoudCufflinks
Facebook: 
http://goo.gl/0Dx8p

Long awaited opening

To be honest I've been working on this sign for days, I just haven't been able to get it in the posting rotation. At least now you know to keep looking for the progress updates. I'm not sure, but I may mix updates from different projects in the same posts. That way I won't have a million different updates to write each time I do something different.

Now for Something Completely Different

Since we are in the middle of the Thanksgiving Holiday, I took a break to try something a little new. Sometimes I get so caught up in the signs that I forget that there is so much more to carving. I hope to incorporate this into my product lineup in the near future, but we'll see how the reception is. Let me know what you think!

-Click to enlarge-

            

             

Sorry about the pictures, I'm away from home and don't have my normal gear with me.

Grandma's comin' to town!

It looks like Grandma didn't make it for Thanksgiving, but she'll be there for Christmas! (For sure this time)

Stocking up & New Beginnings

Things are going great with the new projects! A lot of headway has been made, and a lot of new wood has come in as well. I'll let the pictures do the talking this time.

Made a few adjustments before I made the cuts.

Progress!

At last! I've been cleared to stop wearing my wrist brace which means I can finally get back to carving! (At least as much as I want to) Although I have been set back, I'm doing my best to catch up on all the orders that fell behind the last few weeks. I'm expected to have Grandma carved by tomorrow, and will be drafting up the next few signs. See you in two days.

Long awaited progress

Unexpected Finish

I actually thought ahead and took my camera with me before I made the delivery on this last project. Apologies for the informal background. Due to some scheduling conflicts I wasn't able to use the regular lacquer that is normally preferred. What I used did the job, but it doesn't leave as much of a shine as the higher quality lacquer. This order, however, was rushed due to being pushed back for so long. But the customer was satisfied, which is the most important aspect of each project.

Christmas orders in full swing

I've been working hard lately to catch up on orders that have fallen behind since my accident, which thus far has been going fairly well. I don't think I will be able to complete all the orders that were placed, but a majority can be done in time. As I said before, I can still carve with a broken wrist, the process is just a lot slower than it usually is. I finished up 'Logan' this morning and have sent it out to be sprayed, but I won't be painting it per request of the customer. I won't have a finish shot on account that the customer will be picking it up directly from the spray booth.

 I'm currently working on 'Grandma' but will begin some drafting on the other Christmas orders before the carving is finished. With so many orders to complete, it's becoming more and more apparent that there will be overlapping in the production process.

 Other great news: I will be receiving the first order of business cards in the coming week. The design has been finalized and printing should be happening today or tomorrow. Once they come I'll do a small showcase so everyone can get a glimpse. I'll be including one with every order, just to get the word out.

Order Delays/Broken Wrist cont.

Update to everyone on what is going on since my accident last week. My head is doing alright and the lacerations are healing very well. I wish I could say the same about my wrist. We went to get an X-ray a few days ago and they confirmed that I broke off a piece of bone during the accident, which means I will be wearing a splint for the next 4 weeks until it has a chance to heal. I have yet to attempt any more carving, but I am confident that I can still finish projects, just at a slower pace. I will contact those of you that have placed Christmas orders individually to discuss your options at this point. Thank you for your concern and I hope you're enjoying this great fall weather! 


Keep checking for updates in the future!

Order Delays

All orders that have been placed are currently on hold. I've been in a biking accident and as a result cannot carve for the time being. I will have more info after a week as to how much I can use my hand, and will keep everyone posted.

The Christmas Rush has Begun

Christmas is on the way, which means only one thing. LOTS OF ORDERS! The only downside to that is that I'll have to really pick things up to get all of them done in time. I'm currently starting on two new pieces simultaneously to see if that if I can get them done quicker this way. 'Logan' is more or less something I'm used to, but I've never done something as generic as 'Grandma.' 

It isn't a bad thing, it's just something different, which might appeal to more people as something they can get for anyone. The updates will continue, but some pieces may be excluded to keep them secret from those who are receiving them. Either way, they will all be showcased sometime after the holiday.

2011 Utah Valley Wood-Sculpture Show

I was fortunate enough to take part in the UVWC Wood-Sculpture show this weekend. I entered two pieces, both of which got first place in their categories, but my Maple Leaves took 'Best of Division'! 

I would be lying if I said I wasn't excited when I saw the green ribbon when I walked in. There were so many fantastic entries this show, although numbers were slightly lower than they usually are. As I was there, I snapped a few shots of my favorite pieces of the show. 

Along with the show, you may have noticed a change to the site. I finally got the final draft of the S.H. Carving Logo, which looks fantastic. It was done by Luke Scott who is, as you can see, very good at what he does. Let me know if anyone wants his contact information for your graphic design needs.

Townsend was finally sprayed this week and I finished the painting last night. I had a request for all blue flowers, and they turned out pretty good. But now that this is out of the way, I can get started on the slew of Christmas orders which I have received.

Keep watching for future updates!

New Materials and Upcoming Show!

As you can see I've picked up another load of wood this last weekend. I also went out on a limb and picked up a piece of Butternut for a personal project. It has a nice grain that is going to look great with a gloss finish. I probably won't paint this piece, but I won't speak too soon. If it turns out well, I may consider offering Butternut as another option on future orders.

Townsend is almost ready for spray, I just need to find an hour or two to finish the sanding before it will be sent out. Once Townsend is away I will be starting Logan and a few others to see if I can bring the wait time down a bit.

Just a reminder that the Utah Valley Woodcarvers Club will be putting on a Wood Sculpture Show in the Provo City Library next week. Details can be found at: http://www.uvwc.org/uv-show-info. I will have two entries in the show and I hope they do well. The show is very interesting and won't disappoint, there is always a wide variety of woodcarvings to see. Hope to see some of you there!

Unfinished Business

I know it's been a while since the last post, but some exciting things have been going on recently. First I should mention how Townsend is coming along. I'm not quite done with the carving, mostly because of a weeklong hiatus I've had to take due to unforeseen circumstances, but it shouldn't be difficult to get it finished up fairly quickly.

I recently had the opportunity to finish a sign that I started 4 months ago. It was one of the first that I designed myself, but never got the opportunity to paint it. Thankfully the couple that I made it for recently returned and were more than happy to let me finish it for them. It's a good feeling to finally have closure on that one.

Also, I've got a surprise coming up in the next week or so. I'm really excited about this so keep your eyes peeled!