(Diana) Making More Business Card Holders . . .

Since retiring early this Spring, I have had time to make more Business Card Holders.  Here are a couple photos of one I just made. In addition to holding business cards, they can be used to store appointment cards, or tea bags, or sugar packs, or even bandaids. To see other designs that I made and that are available to purchase, go to our Etsy Shop and take a look.  They are listed under the classification of Multi-Use Card Holders. --Diana

(Bob) My First Recipe Boxes . . .

Here's a couple Recipe Boxes I've been working on the last day or so.  These two are for a craft show, but I plan to make a couple to put on Etsy.  I like making Recipe Boxes and hope that people will like them. I have never painted a lemon before and don't think this one turned out too bad.  I plan to do one with cherries next, as my wife really wants me to. --Bob

(Bob) Working on a Horse Box . . .

Here is the cover of a box that I am currently working on. My Mother doesn't like the color of the horse, but I do.  I am thinking that when I antique the box, it will darken up a bit.  Also, it is a Folk Box and the horse is not meant to be an exact rendering of one.  I am interested in hearing what my daughter has to say about it.
--Bob

(Bob) My Second Attempt at a Lighthouse . . .

This is my second attempt at doing a lighthouse in the Folk Style.  I made one the other day, but it just didn't come out very good. At least, that is what my sister kept telling me.  I tried to correct it, but made so many changes in it that it became overworked, so I sanded the whole thing off and started over.  Keep in mind that this lighthouse is a Folk lighthouse and not meant to be an accurate representation of any particular one.  I would be interested in your comments. --Bob

(Bob) New Folk Art and a New Table Saw . . .

Continuing with my current passion for Folk Art, I made the box pictured above the other day and painted it up.  It is a fairly large box measuring about 8" x 11" around the top.  The design is my original creation, featuring a couple fanciful birds and some fruit. I painted a checkerboard design around the bottom edge of the outside which finishes it off, but it is not visible in the photo.  I don't think I will put this box up for sale on Etsy, but save it for a craft show.  (Click on the photo to see a larger version.)

I also painted up two small boxes with Roosters on them.  See the photo above.  One of them I made for an order I got, and the other one I am adding to my stock for Craft Shows.  I am not putting this one up for sale on Etsy either. (As I've said before, I don't have good luck selling stuff on Etsy.)

Last, but not least, I finally got a new table saw.  My old one (a Craftsman) finally gave up the ghost the other day after about 16 years of use and I sold it for scrap.  My new saw is a bit smaller (a Porter-Cable) and is portable. It is a contractor saw that is easily set up at work sites. It was $299 in cost and I bought it at Lowe's.  I find it perfect for my garage workshop. The adjustments on it are much easier to use than the Craftsman saw and I really like it. --Bob

(Bob) Etsy Sales and Current Projects . . .

A real nice lady stopped at our house last week to test my Mother for a new hearing aid.  While she was here, I showed her some of my work. She especially liked the box pictured above and ordered three versions of them.  The reason I mention this is that for some reason, my stuff doesn't sell all that well on Etsy, but it sells real well when people see it in person. I don't usually write in this blog about sales I make, but I felt I needed to say something.. I was getting discouraged because people weren't buying on Etsy. I know that this is a slow time of year, but they didn't even sell all that well on Etsy during the holidays. I think that there is so much competition on Etsy that it is hard to make a sale. At least for me anyways.

Below are pictured four of my newest creations. (Click on the photos to see enlargements of them.)  I am not going to put them on Etsy, but save them to take to a Craft or Art Show.  I am planning to develop a whole line of what I call "Gentle Folk Art" based on the style of an artist name Mary Jane Todd. I don't plan to copy her work, but just use her style in developing my own style. I don't think she would mind. --Bob