Me? Carve?

My Dad did a lot of crafty stuff. He framed houses, fixed plumbing, put on roofs, did just about any home repair you could think of--and always on a budget. But he also made jewelry, fixed watches and clocks, and he carved. When he passed away almost eight years ago, I had the task of clearing out his workshop, and I was rather surprised at how many carvings were left unfinished. The ones below are some of them. Before my mother passed, I had found a box of "hounds" that were finished except for painting. He had one or two done, so I was able to figure out how to "finish" them off.

The box above held the rest. Or rather, I found them squirreled away all over his workshop and put them in this box. And I decided that painting them would be a nice summer job. Except ... they sat there for a year and nothing happened. I'm a busy person! But earlier this summer I thought I might like to take a crack at them.  The first thing I did was buy some acrylic paint and a yard sale that featured a LOT of craft items (including a bunch of rubber stamps, which I've been happily using all summer). But -- here we are on the first day of summer and I haven't done much more than photograph them for this post. (I did buy some paint brushes, so it's not like I'm not thinking about them.)

Aren't these snowmen cute? Or at least the finished one. But I suspect that  Dad didn't paint the finished one. He had two carving buddies that he met at a class he took at continuing education here in our town. After the last was over, they met at each other's houses. There was Estreter (I spelled that phonically--because I don't know how she actually spelled her name. She may have been Belgium (or maybe from one of the slavic states) and John.

My Dad was in charge of making the blanks, and Estreter was a wiz at painting. Dad's first carvings were rather drab, but once Estreter started pointing out painting techniques, my Dad picked up on it fast. But at least this gives me a guide as to how I should approach painting the one on the left.

 By the look of these bears, I can deduce that once Dad was happy with the carving and the sanding, he put a base coat of white acrylic paint on each carving. I think I have two bottles of white, and it looks like I'm going to need them.  The brown stuff on the bear is saw dust. Wow--that basement was full of saw dust, and so is the box that holds all the carvings. It makes me want to sneeze when I get near it. I will have to haul my compressor outside so that I can blow all the dust off each piece before I paint it.  Although quite a few of the carvings look like they could use a bit more sanding.  Where's my sandpaper?

As I said, Dad made the blanks. On the right is a finished angel blowing a horn, and the rough cut for the blank. I probably won't do anything with it because A) I am afraid of knives, and B) I don't think I would have any carving talent. Just thought you might like to see how they start out and how they were finished. (He would put brown shoe polish on the finished product to give it some "texturing.")

The top hound above is a blank, and the hound below just needs a little more sanding before it can be painted.  Sanding I can do.

This guy is holding up a canoe. What's with that? The little slab of wood he's standing on? My folks had cedar bushes/trees (whatever) at the side of their yard and one got cut down. Dad chopped it into slices and quite a few of his carving stand on them.  (Smells nice before the polyurethane goes on.)

You can see how the bear on the right is pretty much finished, but the one on the left is pretty crude. Dad added the mittened paws and skates, gluing them on. I don't have either, so I can paint the right one, but the left one will never be finished.  : (

These guys (and puppy) are all ready to be painted. Wish me luck!

These guys are interesting. This is the front side.

... turn them upside down and this is the back side. I'm not going to paint them. I don't think I could pull it off and perhaps they weren't meant to be painted anyway.

This bearded guy (Santa?) is from the earliest days my Dad carved. I know because he always dated his carvings, although this one isn't dated--I already have several finished ones that are. I think he'd be happy to join his brothers in one of my curio cabinets.

I think my Dad would be happy to know that I'm going to (at least) try to finish off some of his carvings. I'll never be able to paint them as well as he could, but ... I'm sure going to try.

And my Dad's carving are what inspired me to write the first Life On Victoria Square story, CARVING OUT A PATH. I wrote about it earlier this year. (Click this link.)  I wish my Dad could have read it. I think he might have enjoyed it.  (For more information on that, click this link.)

Do you have some craft projects you want to finish up?

Life on Victoria Square

My Victoria Square Mystery series has had a few ups and downs. It came out like gangbusters in 2011--and bam bam--two of the books hit the New York Times bestsellers list.  But then ... there was a nearly four-year lag from the time One Hot Murder came out and Dead, Bath and Beyond was published.

A lot of readers forgot about Katie Bonner and Artisans Alley.

I'm now writing the series with a co-author, but nobody told me my first co-author only had a one-book contract. I assumed we'd write the rest of the books in the contract together. Since her life had taken another turn, I had to find another author. Meanwhile, Victoria Square was once again taken out of the publishing schedule. My agent found the wonderful Gayle Trent (who also writes as Gayle Leeson and Amanda Lee), and we're hard at work on the next book in the series. (So far not titled.) We're back on the publishing schedule, but not until December 2018.  That's 18 months from now. So the big question is -- will readers forget about Katie and Artisans Alley once again?

Hopefully not -- because I've begun a companion series called LIFE ON VICTORIA SQUARE. In the Victoria Square Mysteries, Artisans Alley takes center stage, but the merchants--and their businesses--are just as intriguing. They all have stories to tell ... and that's what the Life on Victoria Square companion series is all about.

I began the series featuring Ray Davenport, the former homicide detective who has retired and opened a gift shop on Victoria Square.  In CARVING OUT A PATH, a young shoplifter not only swipes a couple of hand-carved figurines from Ray's Wood U shop, but barrels into and injures Katie Bonner, manager of Artisans Alley. Upon his escape, the police are called, but before the ink is dry on the report, the boy’s grandmother drags the would-be thief back to return the purloined items. She’s got an agenda and great expectations. Can Ray come through in a pinch?

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The second installment, A BASKET FULL OF BARGAINS, comes out on Tuesday. This one features Gilda Ringwald-Stratton, owner of Gilda's Gourmet Baskets. Iris Drake is an odd duck. She knows everyone at Artisans Alley arts-and-crafts arcade, but nobody knows her. When she walks into Gilda’s shop on Victoria Square, she’s a stranger there, too—but not for long. Yet she hasn’t to come to Gilda to buy her wares—she’s there to sell some of her own. All goes well until Iris’s secret is exposed. Should Gilda step in to make things right, or walk away from an unpleasant situation?

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I've already written a third story (now available for Pre-Order, and to be published on September 8th) called THE BROKEN TEACUP. I hadn't meant to feature Katie Bonner in any of the stories in this series, but I was inspired by a teacup I bought an an estate sale. Katie Bonner needs a pick-me-up one cold and gloomy fall day, and the US Mail delivers—literally. A mysterious package arrives at Artisans Alley with her name on it, but the return address is obscured and the treasure inside, a beautiful bone china teacup, is broken. Before Katie can open the accompanying card, she’s called away and one of the vendors mistakes the package for trash. Katie makes a quick rescue, but the card is gone. Who sent the cup? What is its significance? Can Katie solve this mini mystery?

I'm already plotting the next story, which will come out in either late December or early January.  My goal is to write a new story every three months -- at least until the new novel comes out.

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If you've enjoyed the Victoria Square Mysteries, perhaps you'll enjoy Life On Victoria Square, too.

To find out more about the stories, please check out my website.

To check out my videos, please visit my Youtube Channel.