I said to my daughter, “Would you be interested if I made the bed for Julie?” And with a sparkle in her eye she said “Only if it is can be like my bed!” I already had the basic sizes that were given in the catalog to give me a general feel for what I was taking on, but I decided to measure my daughters bed anyway, to compare sizes. The bed in quarter scale came very close to the manufactured beds in the catalog so using these two sets of dimensions I set out to find suitable wood to start the project.

Completed bed base from strips of Maple.

I had pre-planed Maple that was 3/4″ thick and cutting 1/4″ strips off and sanding would take some time but this was the task I had set myself. The base would consist of side rails 1 1/4″ x 21 1/2″ long and have an overall width of 13″. Each rail would have a stringer to support the crossmembers, and each crossmember would be pre-drill at each end to accept a 1/8″ wood dowel. The seventeen stringers were placed evenly along the length of the side rails, glued in place and left to dry. Later the hole in each stringer was drilled through the side rail support and dowels glued in place. Once the glue had set I was able to trim the excess dowel flush with the crossmembers giving a ridged framework that would be the carrier for the mattress.

The finished frame would be stained and coated with a polyurethane finish to give it a furniture finished look and this would be done when I have completed the head board and tail board and after final assembly.

The next part of the project was to build the head board and tail board. They both required inset panels with a round top head rail, for this I would use 3/4″ dowel rod.

The main inset panels were to be made from 1/4″ Maple that I had, I decided to scribe each of the two panels with 1/2″ spaced lines with a marking gauge to represent boards that had been placed together. This would give the headboard and tailboard a more realistic look once stained without the added labor of gluing strips together.

Footboard assembled

This pre-drilling helps to avoid any mismatch through drilling parts together when loose, pre-drilling one half of the butt joint, then gluing, helps guide the drill into the mating part, giving it a clean joint every time.

Finished Footboard

Detail of flower

The detail is represented by a flower that is carved from 1/8″ thick Bass wood. To achieve this thin material I used double sided tape to stick the piece to a more manageable piece of wood before cutting and sanding to size. This method helps to reduce injuries from cutting and sanding with power tools and helps hold the delicate piece while the carving takes place.

Headboard assembled

I did try to fill some of the scars left from the planer that ripped up some of the uneven grain. As you can see it did not quiet match the color and eventhough it had been sanded to match the surface of the wood it left a reddish residue after. You can just make out the scribe lines from the marking gauge on the inset panels and once I stain and coat with polyurethane these should stand out giving the effect of tongue and groove boards.

The next part of the process is to assembly all the finished panels and to glue and clamp the base frame to the head and foot boards, for this I will have to make a cradle to support the base frame in position while the glue sets. This will be covered by American Girl Doll Bed Assembly

Headboard

One of the latest carvings that I’ve embarked upon was a combination of designs that I had made for various people. I wanted to reuse some of the elements to provide the basis of this new lovespoon. In this particular design I had previously developed a twenty fifth wedding anniversary lovespoon that also had roses and hearts surrounding the pair of hearts. The center heart had the number twenty five carved internally so with that basic image I decided to eliminate quite a few of the elements to get back to basics to provide the foundation for this lovespoon.

One of the favorite elements for my lovespoons is a flame design that adorns the top, this adds an attractive end to the carving and also provides a way of displaying the carving by way of hanging it on the wall or in a cabinet, so with that in mind that was where I would start, that was a given.

The spoon end would be in a heart shape as this always carves nicely and gives a good balance to the flame at the opposite end. The Celtic theme would be displayed by the Celtic knotwork that would extend from the spoon bowl, leaving just the pair of hearts to nestle between the flame and the Celtic knotwork.

With the theme completely worked out, the tracing was transfered to the basswood blank ready to embark on carving out the shape. My first job is to drill each corner with a 1/16 inch drill bit so as to be able to fit the blade of my fret saw and to create a clean cut in those awkward areas.

I had given up with using a power fret saw a long time ago, much of the time was wasted on breaking blades and continually threading the blade into small areas. Most of my designs would amount to little sawing in a lot of areas so I’ve opted to using a manual fret saw. I find that during the process of cutting out the design I can work out in my mind how I will carve certain areas and how I will resolve any mishaps if they should occur.

With the blank set up in the woodworkers vise a steady sawing motion eventually cuts out the excess stock leaving just the outside shape to be cut on the bandsaw. With all the profile cut, now was the time to get comfortable and sit with carving gouges, chisels and sanding blocks around my oversize bench hook and carve away at the spoon bowl. Next would be the back of the spoon and then onto the Celtic knotwork. A methodical process that eventually takes that flat piece of timber and turns it into a three dimensional, visually pleasing piece of art.

The final process is to sand out as many imperfections as I can. This stage of the process equates to 50% of the time starting with coarse sandpaper and working through the different grits until the superfine paper is vitually polishing the wood.

A good coat of furniture polish is then buffed into the grain and polished out with a cotton cloth. This process is applied several times until a soft sheen glows from the wood. Any small areas that need to be resanded are done at this stage and with the help of the wax coat it polishes the wood grain leaving it silky smoooth.

The last and final coat of wax is citrus based giving it a light fragrant smell of oranges. This pleasant aroma is the first thing you notice when the packaging is opened at its final destination.

Victory Tae Kwon Do club starts their students sparring at the point when they reach orange belt status so if this is the same for most clubs his opponent would have four to six months additional experience with sparring even though their ages would be very close to each other. For Jackson to gain a win he would have to be quick on his toes and mindful of what his opponent was up to.

With the conclusion of the second round the referee conferred with the judges to decide which course of action would decide the outcome of this bout. From our position in the stands I could only conclude that when the referee brought the two coaches together it had been decided that there would be one more round and the person who scored the first point would win the match. With this information the coaches strategized with their students and for me my nerves were going haywire so I can only guess at the state of mind for the guys on the mat.

With Jackson and his opponent set in the middle facing off, the referee signaled the start of the final round, the sparring sudden death round. The one who attacked and also defended the best would become the winner.

There was no doubt in Jackson’s mind that he wanted to win, right from the off he set about the task of scoring that decisive point and at the same time remained fleet of foot. Several combinations of snap kicks would put his opponent on the defense and a decisive push kick eventually settled the match. A well deserved win in his first ever sparring competition and also the most important thing, laying to rest the fears that had remained with him since last years competion.

With both parts of the competition behind him we could now relax and enjoy the rest of the competition and the remaining competitors and of course the picture that tells the story, two gold medals outside the Walter Pyramid accompanied by a big smile.

We decided to watch several sessions of the sparring to see how quickly they would call the group numbers, then knowing the time lapse we found it an ideal time to get something to eat and drink and at the same time it would reduce the stress level for both him and us. The usual selection of event food was available so we opted for the pizza with Gatorade which would give him energy when the time comes.

Once he started eating he definitely started to perk up, he needed that energy boost and not a moment too soon as we noticed that the groups were moving a lot faster than before and it was time for him to don the protective pads. The gum shield had been reformed during the past week since his adult teeth were in and all other pads had had their day with the washing machine as they had taken on a distinct gamey smell after all the practice during the previous weeks. A quick trip to the bathroom and fitting of the groin protection cup hid nicely beneath the uniform giving little indication to the spectating public, unlike some of the competitors who opted to display their cup outside their uniform!

With the display board now reading groups 331-337 we made our way out of the viewing stand and down to the lower level where the competitors were making their way to the holding area. At the entrance we came across some of the older members of the club who were very supportive and gave Jackson extra coaching until it was time to line up by their group number ready to be led to the holding area.

Once his group was led away we made our way back to the stands watching to see which section of the hall his bout would take place. We were hoping that it would be in front of the Victory club group stand but of course it was the furthest mat away. With cameras in hand we made our way over, hoping to capture the match on video and hoping that the families in that section would tolerate us taking a couple of spots near the railings. The event personnel would not allow any blocking of the stairway, obviously for safety reasons but nonetheless highly annoying when you’re trying to get the best shots.

The next mat over at exactly the same time, the first black belt match for the club was about to start. I thought to myself, Jackson really needs the support right now as I’m sure he is really nervous but I need not worry as Grandmaster Kim took over from his son Master Chris. The first round ended with Jackson holding a one point lead and looking the stronger and more aggressive of the two, a pleasant surprise for me as he was certainly concerned earlier.

Grandmaster sat Jackson down as in a boxing ring removing his gum shield, supplied the water and a brief pep talk and a good pat to the chest padding before setting him out to the center ready for the start of sparring round 2. As I said earlier, to capture the video would be hard without blocking the stairway so I must apologize for the unsteadiness as the yellow jackets decended upon us! With round two underway Jackson was quick to extend his lead to two points, attacking, dodging, faking and all the tricks he had learnt under the guidance of the Grandmaster and the Masters.

He was but 30 seconds away from the end of the bout and certain victory when his ribbon became untied from his chest protection resulting in a timeout. Once the ribbon was retied Jackson attacked before the referee announced the start, sending the referee to stop the bout and speaking to him. I’m sure this broke his concentration allowing his opponent to score a quick couple of points and draw level. Time was running out for both of them, each trying to deliver the decisive kick or punch that would give them victory but with time expiring each competitor returned to their seat awaiting the verdict of the judges and what would happen next.

He had gone last year just to see what the expectations would be and it had left a lasting impression on his young mind, for one he had only been at the club for a total of 4 months and he was a yellow belt. He had watched the Poomse part of the competition but once the sparring started that was when the image left a lasting imprint on his mind. The black belt competitors had been super aggressive and it had frightened him to the extent of never wanting to compete in that part of the program.

Now a year later and attaining the level of brown belt he was going to be part of that event but would he enter for both sparring and Poomse.

The Poomse part of the competition was not a problem he could overcome his nerves once the competition started, he was a strong competitor and had managed to gain first place in his Victory club run Poomse competition earlier in the year where probably a total of one hundred and fifty competitors of all belt levels had attended. At this event, The JKI, there would be a minimum total of four hundred competitors that would take up the entire Saturday from the opening ceremony at 9:00am to the last sparring competition at 8:00pm spread over a total of eleven rings, let alone the spectators supporting the competitors.

His instructors Master Chris and Master Claire had been training all the students for many weeks to prepare them for this event. Master Chris had spent countless hours going over the techniques for sparring and had held additional training time for those who wanted to be at the peak of their game come that day. Master Claire had perfected the students on their forms or Poomse to ensure their technique was good and at the right speed and strength to give them the best possible chance to impress the judges.

With two weeks to go before the tournament and the registration deadline looming Master Chris assessed each student and suggested what he felt would be their strengths, in Jackson’s case he said that he should enter both Poomse and Sparring. Jackson was extremely nervous with being entered into sparring but as Master Chris pointed out it is not about winning, it’s about what you can learn from the experience. He said that in his first competiton he had failed to win but had come back with a wealth of knowledge and became stronger the next time because of what he had learned at that competiton. With that said the relevant information was jotted down on a card together with weight and rank providing us with the necessary information so that we could register him for the competition online.

Reluctantly Jackson said he would try his best and that night we enrolled him for the forth coming tournament in both disciplines.

Over the next two weeks training was intense trying to perfect both sparring and poomse, extra lessons were provided for those who wanted to attend and Grand Master Kim provided an open Sunday for a select few of his students giving them invaluable additional training. Jackson benefitted from this extra training but at some point he began to become confused with some of his poomse with the slight nuances between Grand Master’s technique and his daughter Master Claire’s. The difference between the two was a slight change in one of the moves where a more modern version was used by Master Claire. He insisted that he was doing it wrong but once we conferred with Master Claire she explained that both versions were correct and that he would be displaying the modern version.

Still skeptical leading up to the competition he even announced that he just wanted to compete in sparring. With his stress level rising because of the forthcoming tournament now was the time to backoff and have several days leave from the studio.

It’s amazing what a couple of rest days can do, he was back to his buoyant self. With one day to go, he was looking forward to the challenge, knowing he would be borrowing his friends Nintendo DS to help him during the waiting period, easing any anxiety that he may have been having. The morning of the competition was an early start, we had to meet at the Walter Pyramid to collect his credentials and buy our entrance tickets. The doors would open at 8:00am with the opening ceremony at 9:00am with the onset of the competition with poomse starting at 9:45am, his group number was 151.

With the group number starting at 100 a couple of hours would pass before his number would be displayed allowing for several practice runs behind the bleachers. He asked Jose, a second degree black belt if he was nervous and he assured Jackson that he was always nervous before competing which helped him with his own nervousness. Finally his group number is displayed and it’s off to the holding area until a ring becomes available, of course it’s the furthest from our seating arrangement. My wife races over to the otherside of the stadium to video the advent and I stay and capture it with my camera. The Brown belt poomse for our sons group resulted in a victory for him laying rest a lot of nervousness, with one part of the competition complete it is now a waiting game until the sparring starts.

I would have liked to display the video that my wife captured but it was way too large to be displayed so please forgive my poor efforts.

I had calculated that I would need a total of twenty lengths of 4″ x 4″ x 8′ pretreated lumber and twelve lengths of half inch by six foot rebar. The rebar would be cut in to three to provide two foot lengths to pin the lumber in to place. I already had a spare can of the green wood preserve so I’m going to use that up first before purchasing anymore, afterall it was my mother-in-laws budget and I was trying to get the job done at the best price possible. As far as my labor cost, that’s a no brainer, that’s traded off by looking after the children! Once complete there will be some kind of oil based stain that will cover the whole construction but the tone or color can be decided upon later.

With the materials in tow and a selection of power tools, chop saw, electric drill and numerous hand tools my first job was to map out the boundary of the planter box. The patch of land behind the mobile home was pie shaped to a certain degree meaning that the planter box could be slightly wedged shaped so as to reduced the effect of the angle on the remaining land between the mobile home and the planter box. I needed to know to what degree the angle would be and the person best qualified to decide that would be my mother-in-law, afterall when all is complete she would have to live with the end result.

The block wall that seperated the mobile home estate from her trailer was approximately eight feet tall with a concrete base that spread loosely below. This in effect reduced the growing room so we had to make sure that there was enough soil at ground level at the small end of the wedge so that the plant roots could travel deeper if required. Another requirement was to leave enough room between the planter box and the mobile home, so the placement of the first stake would be at this critical point. With string attached to the first stake, the second stake position and angle of the planter would be determined by the taut string once hammered into place.

Now that alignment was set I could remove any soil that would hinder the placement of the first 4″ x 4″ and continue to a length of twenty feet or two and a half lengths. I then cut the corresponding lengths that would tie into the block wall, these had to be cut a little short due to the foundation concrete that spilled out from underneath. The next five layers were cut block wall style, overlaying each seam to strengthen the total constuction with no vertical seams.

With all the layers of the first planter box in position I had to drill the first set of holes that would pin the construction into place. The rebar was of half an inch in diameter therefore I would drill holes of 5/8″ to allow slight misalignment as I drilled through the layers. The spade bit would drill through the four inch thickness and index to the next layer whereas I would remove the top layer and continue with the drilling until the full six layers had been drilled.

Starting from the bottom layer each level was restacked using lengths of rebar to align each set of holes. As the levels got higher I was finding that the clearance hole of 5/8″ was coming into its own. By the time the sixth layer was set in place the rebar had to be hammered down to fully secure the sections and finally sledgehammered the additional length of rebar into the soil to give it a solid construction.

With the rebar fully hammered home the rebar was punched below the surface of the wood by approximately one inch so that a plug could be inserted to give a finished appearance. This was simply 5/8″ dowel rod cut to length and hammered in to complete the look.

With the main planter box in place I could turn my attention to the secondary planter, this would consist of only three boards high giving enough depth to house tomato plants. The totally length for this box would be twelve feet and adopting the same procedure the construction went smoothly with no major problems. The green colored timber eventually gained a stain that would give it a redwood color and blended it nicely with the block wall to the rear.

I found that even though the rebar had been set to a good depth there was still a little movement in the planter boxes but once back filled with the remaining soil it placed enough pressure to eliminate any movement. I knew that I still had to place flagstone and this would account for two to three inches in depth with the levelling sand, locking in the bottom board.

Since starting this project the planter boxes have remained in good shape and the only movement is with the plugs that cover the rebar tips, these have moved just 1/8″ proud of the main surface which I put down to soil movement and swelling of the wood due to moisture.

My next step is to build the arbor that will adjoin the privacy fencing that allows the rear of the coach to be that more private.

Mobile homes have come a long way and this one at barely 10 years old has all that you could get in a regular house except “it’s mobile” you can put it on a trailer and move it to where you want. Anyway, I don’t know too much about mobile homes so I’ll get on and we’ll talk about the plans that we came up with on the yard.

The first priority was she wanted a small raised planter that would give enough ground to plant tomatoes and perennial flowers. The rest would be colored pavers and rock to minimize the amount of maintenance required together with ornamental flower pots. The side of the property would be rock with strategically place pavers, flower pots and an arbor with a gate that would lead to the somewhat private back yard. This was all quickly sketched out on a piece of paper but the details would be left to me and as I have said in previous posts, providing you do have an idea the details will come as the job progresses.

This mobile home was situated on a plot that had an east west aspect, that is, the front was facing west so the sun would stream in the front at late afternoon. The back where the planter will be situated will have sunlight during the first half of the day before falling into shadow. The main concern was not having enough sunlight for the plants but there was little option for anything else, this was the only place it could go. A raised planter would give a little additional light to the plants before succumbing to the late afternoon shadow so we had to decide on how tall it would be.

We had though about using regular block work for the retaining wall but something a little more rustic was required especially as it had to fit in with the privacy panels that would be erected at a later stage. Railway ties were another good option but on inspection these were chewed up pretty bad and way too wide for our requirement. We didn’t have the necessary real estate on one side as it was down to four or five feet from the coach to the back wall so the retaining wall had to be made with material of six inches or less to give a good balance between walkway and planter.

I was hoping to use railway ties because of the weight and by pegging them together it would create a stable fixture but the alternative I had decided on was to use pretreated construction lumber and rebar to pin them in place.

The first process was to cut back the soil on the two sides of the mobile home that would have the rock and pavers. This required a depth of four inches so most of the earth was shoveled to the back of the mobile home to be used in filling the planter but you can imagine how much soil is created from a 40′ x 6′ and 30′ x 6′ area let alone the amount of effort on my part to cut down to the four inch depth. You may be asking why not hire someone to do the donkey work but as the total plan had not been formulated it would be hard to get a fixed price and at the same time I’m getting plenty of exercise. As the amount of soil was gradually building up it was plain to see that a truck would be needed to haul aleast two thirds of it away, leaving just enough for the planter.

This hard labor took three full weekends to establish the foundation for the project but now with the soil cut back I could estimate how much lumber would be needed. It was decided to use 4″ x 4″ pretreated eight foot lengths of pine and half inch rebar to pin the sections in place. The height of the planter would be a full six sections giving it a total height of 21″ a nice height that you could also use as a seat. The rebar to retain this structure in place would be half inch diameter and 36″ long giving 16″ of steel pounded into the soil every couple of feet along the length of the structure. I figured that with the planter built Lego style and rebar to anchor it into position the force of the soil would complete the rigidity. So with the plan in place it’s time to purchase the materials.

Over the past few weeks I have been busy working on establishing some new themes for my carvings but I have also been researching other people websites. My conclusion was that I found many Lovespoon carvings would follow a similiar theme regardless of where you look on the World Wide Web and I have looked at many websites for inspiration but I find many to be repeats of the same but with different levels of carving ability.

There are many that are only carved or have relief on the front face with the back face flat or only have the corners taken off to give some dimension. These Lovespoons I felt would look often mass produced but the prices are so reasonable that it would be very easy for the enthusiast to start a collection but is this a course that I would want to take.

For me to try and establish myself as a carver of some sort, especially with Welsh Lovespoons most of the carvings that I make end up on eBay for auction and it is there that I try to gauge the feeling of how the design is perceived.

The amount of traffic or should I say small amount of traffic for this sort of carving is primarily from enthusiasts who are looking for a bargain and will frequently stop by. If the design is a success I would find six to eight watchers over the course of the auction and maybe six to eight bids at the end of the day, giving me a good sense of achievement. I like to think it is the quality of the carving and the unique design that sells the item and not purely the price but as we all know eBay is the site for bargains.

When I first started this type of carving I decided that both sides would have to have the same amount of detail so that the Lovespoon could be handled and not just be displayed on a board. It is only when it is handled that the true appreciation for the craftsmanship can be determined and the fact that it is hand carved, saying that it also brings the flaws closer to hand.

To determine the themes I have tried to align them with special holidays or occasions during the year such as Valentines Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter and so on, that way I can focus on those particular elements that are relevant and meaningful.

The big question is, would it be worthwhile to establish a standalone website with Lovespoons displayed so as to sell them as commissioned pieces or just continue on as a hobby. Everyone has dreams of being successful at something they enjoy but when it becomes a job the romance begins to fade and maybe it’s not as much fun anymore. These questions always arise when job security becomes questionable and you start romancing on ways of earning a living and in todays climate that is an even bigger factor than ever before. I know it’s not a practical solution but it’s important to have some sort of goal, it’s the only way to remain positive and be truly independent or as close as.

Well that’s something to contemplate but not for too long, as carving for a hobby is the only option for me right now. Maybe in later years there will be more time to pursue the dream rather than just having one hour a day but then again, who knows what tomorrow may bring.

For me living on the West Coast that wintery feel is only mild to what grips the rest of the country, so having said that, what should I offer in terms of elements for that special lovespoon?

The first thoughts that come to mind when I think about Spring, is love. At this time of year as the days get longer and the temperature rises a few degrees, everyone tends to be cheerier, friendlier in anticipation of the coming warmer months. The first design element I would use, would be the shape of the spoon bowl and in this case it would not be a regular shaped spoon.

I had come to like making heart shaped spoon bowls, they give the feeling of being more personal and intimate, a kind of offering in plenty if that makes any sense.

Getting the shape just right is important to me so I spend time drawing the shape in the first instance and always adjust as I start the carving. The thickness of the timber is also important to attain that right amount of fullness and I still haven’t quite worked out the best thickness for all of my lovespoons but I guess that really doesn’t matter providing the end result looks good.

Now that I had established that the spoon bowl would be heart shaped I decided to continue the theme with a couple of hearts that appear to be embracing and would also appear as one heart. This element would grow from the heart shaped spoon bowl similar to a flower in early spring. It was important to carve as much fullness into the shape as possible to give the impression of a heart full of love.

I noticed during the course of carving the hearts that as I cut through the various levels of the growth rings that the heart shape would be mimicked giving a nice extra element to the carving. This was more noticeable on the darker rings that probably indicated a year that was drier than most.

For the upper level of the carving I had opted for a pair of doves, these doves would be positioned so that they would give the impression of kissing. Many times during the spring you will see these birds going through their courting ritual with wings fluttering as they dance to attract a prospective mate. The spread of the tail feathers would appear to straddle the upper portion of the heart giving the birds balance and dimension.

The final element I had decided on for this spring time lovespoon was an ornate flame. This one element would cement the entire theme together, it had to give the appearance that it was dancing so the end should be a sharp as possible. This proved to be a little tricky as each time the tip would tend to shear off especially as I wanted the top to become very upright. To gain that extra bit I needed I ended up sanding the edges rather than cutting with a chisel, this finally gave the very sharp tip that you see in the image.

The material I used for this carving was Bass wood which is extremely good for carving and once sanded with a fine grit will polish beautifully. Several layers of paste wax brushed on and buffed to a high sheen will seal the grain and if sanded with very fine sandpaper afterwards, the wax will be burnished further into the grain. A final coat of paste wax will shine the wood to a silky smooth finish giving the wood a nice warm glow, perfect for a Lovespoon destined for spring.

Normally, Wedding Favor Lovespoons are offered by the bride and groom to their guests as a memento of this special occasion and as a blessing on their marriage. It is a memento that helps to keep the bride and groom firmly in their guests mind and an item to remember them by in their prayers but how many guests will there be for this occasion?

As you all know carving is a part time venture that I enjoy doing during my lunch break and many of the more intricate lovespoons can take up to two weeks to complete so you can imagine the predicament I would be in if I had to produce several dozen wedding favors in a relatively short space of time.

These small offerings normally four inches or less in size can be as intricate as their bigger brothers which means using smaller tools but that was not the issue worrying me, it was the possibility of having to produce multiples of the same item at short notice. All sorts of scenarios were playing in my mind, one would take possibly three hours by the time it was carved, then sanded and wax polished and that would be the best case scenario for a simple design so multiple that by the said number and who knows what the actual time frame would be. By this time, just looking at the email was giving me a headache, trying to work out the best way to approach the situation and I hadn’t even made contact to see what the real scope of the work would be. I was envisioning many late nights as lunch hours were not going to get the job done.

My first thoughts were to email back and ask what was the expected delivery date and how many items would be required before we got into any specifics about designs. The next question would be, what sort of elements were you looking to have incorporated in the design and would there be any specific timber that you are partial to and would prefer to be used.

Well as you can imagine, the email addressed my thoughts that were running rampant at the time and must have brought a smile to the face of the lady who was enquiring. She had been bidding on one of my lovespoons on eBay and had been pipped at the post and wanted initially a repeat of the large lovespoon that had just been sold. This I had already started and when the additional request for wedding favor lovespoons came through I was much relieved to find it was a repeat customer who wanted to fill a couple of spaces in her collection.

To fill this custom order I developed four designs using elements from some of my previous designs but scaled down to the miniture size. Her initial reaction was to leave the design to me but would like knots and hearts if possible and she was partial to walnut as a choice of wood. With those instructions the final choice was of a classic design that is very popular and one of the more intricate to make especially at the size it would be made. As you can see from the image the large lovespoon bowl is approximately two inches in length and the overall length of the wedding favor lovespoon is four inches.

The one thing I learnt from this experience is to find out the full story before worrying about how to get it done. Don’t get ahead of yourself otherwise it becomes just like a bad dream and the purpose and beauty of actually making the carving becomes a chore, even though at the time I was pretty amped up about the prospect of making multiples of a set design.

To keep it in perspective, the most important aspect of doing these carvings for me is to retain the peace of mind and the pleasure that the carving brings, by being happy with what you are doing will ultimately be reflected by the end result.