[squbrigg]

Okay, admit it! How many of you guys are dragged along kicking and screaming, by your "significant" other, to the mall to enjoy Christmas shopping? Tis the season to be jolly, my ***! Interupting my serious carving time is a gross miscarriage of matrimoinial duties!!! Well, I figured out a way to combine the two! Carving and shopping.

I park my keister on the nearest bench in the mall, while the wife does her best to restore the countries economy all by herself, and whip out knife and wood and carve my little heart out! I do make a mess, but as it's just woodchips, I clean up the majority and the janitors get the rest. They have grown use to me and don't mind, cause they are more interested in seeing what I'm working on than anyone else! I get lots of strange looks, but also meet some great folks who love to watch and ask questions, and have even made a contact or two for future canes or other types of carving sales. The strange looks stay clear and usually un-noticed as I'm paying attention to carving and nothing else, and if they are sanmart , they'll leave the crazy guy with the sharp knife alone in his little world.

Shopping for Christmas has changed dramatically since I was injured, and I bring along something to do, cause my wife takes her time and comes back to see how I'm doing from time to time, and deposit some bags for me to guard while she goes for another round. I can't walk the stores, up and down isles, can't remember what I had boughtanyway. Poor M.E., I bought her the same ring twice and I don't know how many times I've brought home the same ear rings or bracelit. We make light of it, by not having much in the way of a short term memory can be difficult. Anybody want to buy one of three copies of Woodworking, issue 101, I think I bought it three times, forgetting that I already had it.

Anyway, here's what I accomplished this past week and week-end while waiting.

Hollidays and Merry Christmas.

Bob

[Gergie]

Hey, that sounds like a good way to kill time at the Mall. My luck Mall security would see me with a knife. I could see the headlines now.... "Knife Wielding Woodcarver Arrested at the Mall" and the headline beside it. "Wife of said Woodcarver Sets All Time Spending Record While Husband Awaits Bail".

[Thomp]

I can certainly agree with you squbrigg,

i carve at the doctors office, because i hate to wait and read old magazines or try not to pay attention to what other conversations going on in the room are about.. or really trying not to look at the other folks in the room, im sure there thinking im some kind of a nut, looking away as they catch my gaze...
im studying faces ...

so i carve into a pillow sack or a cigar box.
you know them doctors schedule 8-10 folks every 10 minuets so you never meet your appointment,

but as you say there is lots of folks interested, just not to the point of starting themselves,
im still needing to get some cards made, i could have sold many sets of them Al lens shelve elves idea,,,
screaming Mimi's i carves especially the indians. but i didnt strike while the iron was hat at the time.

its definitely an experience, as the folks line up to see whats going on.. all want to see touch and feel, some would like to buy, and most all have known someone that carved in their family or childhood..
but you dont really get much carving done due to all the interruptions.

Thomas

[squbrigg]

Get some cards made Thomp.....they are great marketing tools, if not for the immidiate customer, than a later one who see it and recalls seeing you carving away at the mall. Get some kind of related picture on the card too, helps them remember what the card's about, not just a name address and phone number. Folks are always stopping me and asking about my canes and if they can order one, so I keep a good supply handy.

I need a chip collection thing too.....perhaps a pillow sack or handkerchief would work, my sweater catches a lot, but is so darn hard to get all the chips out, so I end up walking along like a beaver with last nights supper scattered over my belly!!!

[Paul_Guraedy]

Those are fantastic carvings to have been made at the mall. I especially like the owl. Giving in to my antrhopomorphic side, it looks like he is wrapped up in a coat all ready for winter.

I don't know how you get things like these done at the mall. Maybe, it's because I consider anything under 10 inches as miniature and anything under 5 inches as micro. I am not good at carving mini and absolutly hate carving micro. I do carve in public; but, seldom get much done. Large carvings seem to attract large attention. Too much interest in what I am doing and too many interruptions for questions. I really don't mind as I believe it is an opportunity to develop more interest in woodcarving. I try to keep the work to something I can do without too much thought, like carving feathers or fur.

I bought one of those aprons with the "pocket" on the bottom to catch shavings. Sure made cleanup easier, especially at the doc's office and such. I also keep a toy shovel and paint brush for final cleanup. I hope it is my carving ability; but, suspect it is the fact that I clean up my mess and provide entertainment for those waiting endlessly that is the real factor in tolerating my work.

[Plain_Ol_Ed]

I do exactly the same thing. Wife doesnt' drive so it's an all year thing for me. Fortunately it's usually warm enough here so I can just drop the tail gate on the pick up, have a seat, and whittle away.

[Thomp]

do that as well, when i had enough shopping Plain_Ol_Ed,

my wife can out talk, out shop, and out stay me in them stores,
my 50% leg blockage slows me down to one path through the store and i keep on path so she can find me... i just cant keep up.. in them big box stores..

shes a good ole country gal, and really bad bout finding new friends as i call it, her conversations are start over the least little thing, in common, and if there is a baby involved its an hour discussion about the grandbabys,,,
ive seen her start a conversation with the folks setting next us at a long traffic light.. haw...

if she has several stops to make on a quick run, under half a day.. ill take along a drink and plenty of tools and carving stock,
find a shady place and make chips, still draw a crowd in the middle of a walmarts parking lot...

[Ron Davidson]

Great carvings Bob. I have done some carving at the doctors office but not the mall yet. I usually get some real concerned looks according to mom or katy.
Ron

[Mitchell]

I use a pillow case that is held open with a cross stitch hoop when I carve in a location that I want to control the "mess". The hoop holds the pillow case open and makes it easy to catch the chips.

[kcwaterguy]

Great carvings Bob but did she buy the whole mall? To get 4 carvings done while she was shopping... did she leave you a seat to go home in?

Sean - KC