Deer Mountain Wood Art

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

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

It was a very uneventful day in the shop :( My oldest, home again for the weekend, decided we should clean house - man my back hurts! He's going back tomorrow morning, so hopefully I can get some more things cut and get back on track =D
In the meantime, I think I figured out the one ornament - I used 1/4" poplar with cherry veneer for the ornament and used ribbons from one of my hair bands I never felt young enough to wear(lol) to decorate and hang the ornament - how 'bout that for re-use!!?! =p Anyway, hope you'll check it out and let know what you think ....

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

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