Deer Mountain Wood Art

It's been awhile since I've posted, but I am hoping to change this - I know, you hear it all the time! lol But really, not much has been happening -

I have been battling depression some, and it kept me from even getting in the shop. Every thing is better now though, and I've been working hard. I also started school this fall, and that has kept me very busy!

Anyway, over Christmas, one of the pieces I sold was broken upon delivery. Yes, I insured it! So FedEx I guess is doing their job, but it's just taking a long time. I finally got the piece back the other day and have done what I can to repair it for now, but the cold is preventing me from getting into the shop... ugh! The cold is also delaying my getting another piece done for a local buyer and that's not good!




Here is what I have been working on -









So, that's it for now - I will update as I can, and hope you keep checking in =)


As always,
Thanks for "stopping by the shop!"
~ Freida

Wow, I'm honored to say that I'm including in this wonderful blog's 'Christmas Gift Sites to See' segment!!! "As the Crackerhead Crumbles" is a wonderful hodgepodge of great tidbits and tantalizing tales - I urge you to visit regularly!
and, many Thanks for including me in your list for this season!!

As many of you know, it's such a busy time for me! It has been for the last 3 months - I just haven't had a moment to myself - lol - but, I sure don't mind!!

Things are going fairly smoothly; right now I only have 3 ornaments and two boxes to get out so I'm doing great! Well, I also just started posting my 'non-custom' ornaments online - take a look!

We're all healthy and happy, so I've a lot to be thankful for this year =D

I hope to be back soon, posting my usual pishposh of random thoughts and ideas - stay tuned!!

Thanks for "stopping by the shop!"
Freida

I am so happy tonight =D Xmas is done and I squeaked by another year!lol I honestly did not get to do any shopping until last night and, man, it was hectic and frustrating, yet, I pulled it off again and all my little men are happy campers tonight! Whew!! Thank goodness I received a check yesterday and it all just fell into place!
I managed, just barely, to finish up the last two of the local orders I had out there and got them delivered and then, off to town with Austin (we had a "date"!).
I found out, once more, that that little guy has a LOT on his mind!lol I was certain that he would sleep on the long trip home, as I'm sure he was just exhausted from all the fun we had!, but no, he found the strength to carry on and keep me working on answers to his many questions and ideas! =D
He's such a great guy, and I was so proud of him as he struggled to maintain the fact that he was shopping for others, not himself, and I knew there was so much he saw that he wanted!! What a wonderful little trip - we even got to have a nice lunch at his favorite restaurant, "Big Daddy's" and he was so gentlemanly as he reached his little hand out to mine to help me out of the car and how he insisted on sitting next to me in the booth, instead of across from me! It was fun getting him to myself for this special occasion =D
We got home rather late, and I was so tired. The older boys started working on the ready-to-cook pizzas I'd brought home and Tyler and I plotted how we would get everything wrapped and still grab a few hours of sleep before Santa's bounty would be discovered - I think I did manage a few hours, but I was ready when morning came.
Austin did have a slight melt-down this morning as everyone put off the unwrapping for a hot cup of coffee and wake up time! I told him just a few minutes and it ended up more like 30 and you can bet he was beside himself when we finally got to it!lol Poor guy!
It's really funny, but I've always maintained that clothes were not something you get for Xmas because they're a necessity and as such it's something one has to get their children all year - but being broke and needing this type of thing, I broke down and purchased a few articles of much needed threads - they were very happy with what I gave them and Austin wore his new warmly-lined hoodie all day! Yay! I guess there's always a first time for everything!?!
I think we all made out like bandits though and I feel very blessed that I'm loved so much that my babies would work so hard to spend their own money on me and actually desire to see my happy face more than their own! It's very special to see them grow up and find out how they will handle such things - I couldn't be prouder =D
It seemed that everything everyone got was just what they needed, nothing more, nothing less - so well ends another Holiday and I'm glad it went well...
So, mostly I just want to wish you all a peaceful Xmas night and that you stay safe and warm for New Years =D Let's start 2009 off right!!
{{{hugs}}} and much love to all of my friends and family :)
Freida

Sent to me by my big sister today - how appropriate! I love this and hope you'll pass it on, link to it, share it, say it was your idea, whatever - just get this out if you find it useful =D

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.

My confession :

I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year.. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu . If people want a crèche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham 's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Katrina ) Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'

In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem ( Dr Spock 's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said OK.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves..

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace. Are you laughing yet?

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.
Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.

Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not then just discard it. no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.

My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully,
Ben Stein

Thanks for "stopping by the shop!"
Freida

It's fun being tagged! :) I know a lot of bloggers say it's a hassle, but it makes me feel kinda special! :)
Wonderfully talented Ms. Pam of The Magic Sleigh tagged me this morning, so I shall do my best to fulfill the 7 "About Me" items;

1. If you split open my skull, you would not be able to find my brain for all of the clutter.
2. I forget what I'm saying in mid-sentence.
3. I put things in 'special places' so I won't lose them and then forget where that is! (Someday I'm gonna find a heck of a lot of things I've been missing!!)
   
4. My hair is naturally red, but I'm turning into a candy cane; red and white stripes
5. I have always hated my name - until my mother told me it was in honor of her baby sister who died as an infant - I'm learning to accept it now...
6. I just wrote a book about my fellow Intarsia artists but didn't think my work was good enough to be included.
7. I want to decorate the world with wood! (As nature had intended, of course!)

I hope that my chosen 7 will accept this assignment in the spirit in which it was given - you're only on my list because I truly want to know more about you - not because I need to tag someone =D
Of course, if you're understandably too busy, pass it on - I'm good with that...

1. http://frankinthemind.blogspot.com/
2. http://doxallodesigns.blogspot.com/
3. http://binasblog-sabina.blogspot.com/
4. http://tammys-treasure-chest.blogspot.com/
5. http://smilemoonwoodworks.blogspot.com/
6. http://shellyrodriguez.blogspot.com/
7. http://akacontrariwise.blogspot.com/
   

Here is how it works, for those of you unfamiliar with the game:
1. Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blog.
4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

That being said and done - Pam of The Magic Sleigh is amazingly talented and incredibly kind :) She's making an ornament of my mom's doggy and has bent over backwards, sideways, and every which way to make sure I'm going to be very happy with the piece! I can't wait to get it and see my mom's expression - it's going to be... priceless! ;)
Will post photos as soon as I get them - you should really check out her shop; she creates custom critters in porcelain and I can't tell you how impressed I am by her work! Only $20 for a CUSTOM PORCELAIN PET!!?! I had to double-take on that one! She loves what she does and is truly a kindred spirit on pricing - obviously she too, just wants to make sure everyone has the opportunity to own one of her designs!

Thanks, as always, for "stopping by the shop!"
Freida

I guess I'm pretty bored with the theme I'm using for the blog - it's just black and feels cluttered. I would sure love some feedback on this - your opinion matters greatly to me!

I was looking at changing to a Word Press run blog, or use one of the themes at the least, but after doing some research on what makes a blog look like something you'd want to read, I've come to the conclusion that black, brown, white, or red, they just don't seem to matter. Could it be that readers truly are content hungry instead of looking for an aesthetically pleasing layout or color??
Maybe it's my content that needs some plastic surgery, and not my site!?! btw, so many thank you's! to all of my readers and followers - you are very important to me!!

Okay, so in the meantime, I'm still bored with the site and want to make it better and easier to read and find interesting subjects. Stay tuned for the new and hopefully, improved, DMWAShopNotes! ;0)

I've had a difficult time trying to work the last couple of days - if Roger doesn't get some work going and get out from under my feet, I'm going to go nuts!!lol He can think of more things he needs me to do or help with when he sees I'm busy working, and after one of his 'projects' I have a hard time getting going again :*< style="font-style: italic;">naturally, where all of my inside work is done and wood, sanding tools, and papers are splayed out everywhere! That's going to take some work!! Sure, it will improve the house, but my gosh, man, I'm trying to work!!!! Why am I the only one here that can do anything? Why are my things the only stuff in the way?? It's just craziness! acch!

Yesterday I sold the little Intarsia Penguin Ornament =D I am giving out bonus ornaments to everyone who buys something from me until Dec15th and was trying to figure out which one to make for her. I always do a little investigating on my customers to figure out what they like and don't like and I think I've found the perfect ornament for her! Yay! Love that :-)

I'm cutting today, no matter what else happens around here, and I'm just giddy with excitement! I have so many gorgeous ornaments to cut and I'm just digging givin' them away!
You have no idea how badly I wish I could give everything I make away! One of the things that make me feel so warm and fuzzy is making things for my family! I love what I do =D Did I already say that recently?? Well, I do...

Finished up the one puzzle last night - it's always weird taking them apart and putting them into the boxes! I work so hard to keep them together for so long during the creation process that this step makes me as nervous as a cat on a hot-tin roof! lol Pretty silly, I know. But, all of the pieces laying so neatly in the box just made me so happy! I hope she'll love it =0> I have to do a little 'research' on her too to see which ornament to send with the puzzle - oh joy! I'm really getting into the Christmas Spirit!! =0)

Oh, and one more thing! I found out something really cool the day-before-yesterday; I usually write down everything I need to do that day and end up with more than two pages sometimes! Needless to say, the list never gets completed and I end up not even wanting to check it during the day :*( I decided to try the reverse of this and it's actually working! and feels a lot better too!!!
So, instead of making a 'to-do' list, make an 'I've done...' list! You feel better, are actually more organized, and you don't end up rolling the list over into the next day because you didn't even get close to completing the tasks on it!
Try it for yourself and let me know what you think! okay? :0)

Time to brave the utter cold and get some work done before the boys come in...
Have an awesome day and don't forget to enter the contest from yesterday's post!! =D
Thanks for "stopping by the shop!" Freida

Today starts the "Santa Shop Hop" sale at Deer Mountain Wood Art! The sale lasts from Nov.20th until Dec.10th and is good for 20% off of any one item(in stock only) in the store!
To take advantage of the great savings all you have to do is mention"Santa Shop Hop!" in the 'notes to seller' at the bottom of the checkout page and wait for the revised invoice before submitting payment - that's all!! One lucky buyer will be chosen by randomizer.com from all of the sale buyers to receive a 33% discount instead of the 20% and will be refunded the difference as soon as the sale is over! Recipient's name will be posted on this blog...

As an added bonus, all orders between now and Dec 10th will include a special, hand cut, wooden Christmas ornament - an $8 plus bonus! Piece varies and some will include the 2008 date on them for an extra special keepsake ornament :0> Picture is only a very small example of what you might receive!



From Nov.20th until Dec.15th we're also offering a chance to win a very special ornament, hand cut from 1/4" solid maple - an exclusive pattern by Volker Arnold that was awarded to myself from his partner, Tom Sevy - a $22 dollar value! To enter, merely enter a comment to any post on the blog - easy peesy! =D *Only one entry per person please* This is a separate contest from the T2T Team "Santa Shop Hop"...
Winner will be announced December 16th here on the blog, as well as a personal email - winner chosen by randomizer.org...

So have fun, do some shopping, and save a bundle - everyone's a winner at Deer Mountain!

Good luck and have a very Merry Handmade Christmas from all of here at Deer Mountain Wood Art!!

Thanks for "stopping by the shop!" Freida

Seems like it took forever to get to the 2 week coupon sale for the EFA Birthday Bash, but it's here! Finally!! I'm hoping that everyone has their code(hint: "DEER" w/o quotes!) and will get some shopping in =] I guess I better get with it and get my tags changed over! Always behind =D
I've been working on some new projects and am pretty happy about the Halloween Challenge on EFA Team blog, "Halloween Cats"! I just had finished my "Cats" puzzle and am going to paint one of them with appropriate colors and expressions for Halloween =D So fun! and so puurrrr-fect! lol
I joined a new site called Handmade Fuzion and hope that it will be fun - I was supposed to start selling there also, but I don't know if I'm going to yet. Will put in a link if/when I do =D
I also just finished some little Christmas ornaments - they're done in natural wood(Intarsia) and the only problem I'm having now is if I want to put a cord in them or make them magnets? Decisions, decisions! They are so cute though and makes me really want to get into my Christmas projects!
I just got a new setup for taking pictures but I'm still having trouble with the lighting setup - I thought I took great pictures, even at 12am! But now that I see them online I'm seeing a shadow across the right faces of the pieces and it still doesn't look great :-( My son just bought a Nikon film SLR and I'm hoping he gets good at taking photos and will photograph my pieces - I don't know about waiting for film developing though! lol I've become jaded with all of the instant gratification we have now in everything; want to know an answer to a question? Just "Google It!" want to see what your pictures look like? Just "upload them!" Want to empty your garage? no more yard sale BS! Just "List it on Craig's List or eBay!" It's all just too darn easy! lol
Anyway, will try using my new setup today while the sun is shining and see if I can get it right...
I have an order that has to be ready today so I'm not going to be spending too much time online today - I should've already had this done, but it's been hard getting some of the info I needed from her to finish the project. I still haven't heard back on her color choice so I'm just going to use the standard brown on it.
I definitely want to get more items done so folks will have lots of choices to use the coupon on - I'm really glad I get to do this. Not only does it help the animals, but my clients as well! Always a "Good Thing"!
That's it for now =D
Stay awesome and "Thanks for stopping by the shop!"
Freida