We've Won an Award!

Rocki, of RockisRocknBeads, has given our blog the "Butterfly Award"!  We are so honored and hope you will all take a little time to go check out her blog :)

Thank you, Rocki!

Fiddleback Maple Cameo Tatting Shuttle

This type of wood grain pattern is often called "Fiddleback" because it is used in making expensive violins. It is also refered to as Tiger Stripe Maple or Curly Maple.

Dave handcrafted this 2 5/8 inch tatting shuttle out of this beautifully grained maple and inset a resin cameo. It has been initialed and dated by Dave, the maker.

Please click here to view more photos of this tatting shuttle.

Wood and Celluloid Lace Bobbin Divider Pins

Dave has been busy lately making these gorgeous little gems! These lace bobbin divider pins were handcrafted from either Rosewood or Ebony and various colors of celluloid. All of these little beauties are up for auction on Ebay. Clicking on the photo above should open a larger view on a new page.

Smith Rock State Park

Our son is home for the Thanksgiving holiday and we thought we'd take a break from the turkey and go for a little sightseeing trip today.

Smith Rock State Park is located in central Oregon near Terrebonne, which is about 9 miles north of Redmond.  It is a very popular rock climbing spot and we were fortunate enough to get to watch as two climbers were making their way up the face of one of the Dihedrals.

Ebony and Ruby Red Lace Bobbin Divider Pin

This is a larger bobbin divider pin nearly 3 3/4 inches long (approx 95 mm). Dave made this one from Ebony and a beautiful Ruby Red and Black swirl celluloid. 

Carved Antler Lace Bobbin Divider Pin

This is a larger bobbin divider pin nearly 4 inches long (approx 100 mm).  Dave made this one from dark East Indian Rosewood and deer antler. The little carved wise owl will watch over your lace work. It is initialed by Dave, the maker.

Where do we get our deer antler?

We use shed antlers which naturally fall off the animal each year after the breeding season. They grow back during spring and summer and are fully developed again by the fall breeding season. After that, they are shed and the process repeated again for the next years growth. 

Ivory Doesn't Grow on Holly Trees

Ilex aquifolium (Holly, or European Holly to distinguish it from related species) is a species of holly native to western and southern Europe, northwest Africa and southwest Asia.

It is an evergreen tree growing to 10-25 m tall and 40-80 cm (rarely 1 m or more) trunk diameter, with smooth grey bark. The leaves are 5-12 cm long and 2-6 cm broad, variable in shape; on young plants and low branches, with three to five sharp spines on each side, pointing alternately upward and downward; on higher branches of older trees with few or no spines except for the leaf tip, often entire.

The wood is heavy, hard and white; one traditional use is (together with ebony) for chess pieces, with holly for the white pieces, and ebony for the black. Other uses include turnery, inlay work and as firewood.

Now that you (you know who you are) know what Holly wood is, let me educate you on what it isn't. Although someone must have told you that ivory comes from Holly trees, it does not. Ivory comes from mammals. The Holly wood bobbin divider pin with the pyrography art work that you keep having removed from Ebay, is not made from ivory--remember, wood and ivory are two completely different materials. If you don't believe me, go read up on Holly wood at Wikipedia.

As we did the last time you maliciously reported our items, we have turned this matter over to Ebay and they are now monitoring your activity. If you plan on continuing to do business there I suggest you spend your time in a more constructive way, like working on your own craft. Of course, if you are hoping for a vacation from Ebay, I guess your activity is a quick way to get one.

Oh, and one more thing, Dave says to tell you that he is flattered that you think his burn etching in Holly wood looks so much like scrimshaw on ivory!

Update!  Dave just received an email from Ebay apologizing for wrongly removing his listing!  They acknowledged that this person reported it maliciously--wonders never cease ;)  

Scrimshaw Mammoth Ivory Scissor Fob

Dave made this inspirational scissor fob by scrimshawing (etching with ink) on a ingot of ancient woolly mammoth ivory. I beaded it using 49 strand platinum professional beading wire with Butterfly Swarovski crystal beads and round rose quartz beads. The overall length is about 4 ½ inches long. The scissors in the photo are for display purposes only.

This scissor fob is currently up for auction on Ebay!

Teak Wood "Top Banana" Tatting Shuttle

Why “Top Banana”? Well, this shuttle has spent part of its past life as a banana!! Here’s the story. Dave and I like to browse the local “Neat Repeat” second hand store where donated garage and attic items help support the local senior center. On one trip Dave spied a old dusty carved teak wood banana (you may have seen these carved wooden fruits in a wooden bowel as a table center piece). He noticed the beautiful wood grain pattern and color and said “your coming with me to spend the rest of your life as a tatting shuttle making beautiful lace” (when the opportunity presents itself, he always likes to “re-purpose” items for a useful life as something else).  To accent it, he cut and inlayed a diamond shaped piece of ancient woolly mammoth ivory.  

So, Dave made this 2 5/8 inch shuttle from the wooden banana and dubbed it his “Top Banana” shuttle!  To view more photos of this tatting shuttle, please click any of the links above which will take you to the Ebay auction listing.

"Gift from the Sea" Mahogany Tatting Shuttle

Dave carved this 3 ¼ inch flat shuttle from some of his prized mahogany which was a gift from the sea. We found an old ships timber washed up on the beach a few years ago, and after cutting away the barnacles and weathered wood Dave found an extremely hard wood center in the timber. It is the hardest wood he has ever worked with and will last several lifetimes.

As being a gift from the sea, he was inspired to decorate it with a burn etched island native motif. He left one point a little longer and fashioned it into a pick.

Carved Buffalo Bone Yarn Spinners WPI Gauge

Dave carved this Double Wraps Per Inch (WPI) yarn gauge/ruler from Buffalo bone. It has been initialed and dated by Dave, the maker.

Rampant Lion Tatting Shuttle

Made with love on Grizzly Mountain!

This is a very classicly styled shuttle!  Dave made this 2 3/8  inch tatting shuttle from stabilized Walnut.  Stabilized walnut is hardened by soaking in resin under high pressure making it very hard, dense and moisture resistant.  He has also inset a fine silver Rampant Lion crest.  JoAnna makes these solid silver discs with precious silver metal clay.  She made a push mold of a vintage Rampant Lion button,which she can then press silver clay into.  It is then fired in a kiln at 1600 degrees burning away the organic clay binders and fusing together the silver particles in to 99.99 % pure fine silver.

If you would like to view additional photos of this tatting shuttle, please visit the eBay auction for this item.

Ergonomic Overhand Grip Cherry and Mahogany Size G 4.00mm Crochet Hook

This beautiful Cherry and Mahogany hook has been accented with a purple Dymondwood ring. The length of this size G (4.00mm) hook measures about 5 3/4 inches. Dave has burn etched our Grizzly Mountain Arts Cascades logo on one side.

If you would like to see more photos of this hook, please visit our Grizzly Mountain Arts Etsy shop!

Fossil Walrus Ivory Tribal Hook Necklace

This is a collaborative piece--Dave has carved the beautiful tribally inspired hook from fossil walrus ivory, and Jo beaded the necklace. The 15 inch ball necklace has been adorned with old bauxite beads and old ostrich shell beads from Africa. The hook hangs from a bone bead and copper wire. A gift box is included!

Etched Sea Heart Pendant

Dave has etched a graceful dragonfly scene on this beautiful sea heart pendant. The sea heart has been cut in half and a gorgeous piece of East Indian Rosewood has been applied to the back. The sea heart hangs from a Hill Tribe silver bail and jump ring. The 16" twisted brown cord is made of nylon. This is truly a unique piece!

~~What are Sea Hearts?~~

Sea Hearts (Entada gigas), also known as Sea Beans or Monkey Ladder pods, are a member of the legume family (Fabaceae).

The enormous monkey ladder pod (Entada gigas) may be three to six feet long (1 to 2 meters) before it breaks apart into 15 or more one-seeded compartments, each bearing a shiny brown sea heart.

Although they are very large, the pods of monkey ladder are rather flimsy and typically break apart into 15 or more one-seeded compartments. In fact, the forest floor is often littered with these sections, several connected to each other by a tough, woody cord. Each section contains a shiny, brown seed resembling a large bean made of polished hardwood. The seeds may be two and one-half inches (6 centimeters) across and often resemble wooden hearts. Because of a hollow cavity adjacent to the seed embryo and a thick, woody covering, the seed is very buoyant and resistant to decay. Torrential rains commonly wash the seeds into streams and rivers where they are carried into the sea. Here the seeds start a new career as "sea hearts" in one of nature's most fascinating stories. Literally millions of sea hearts ride the ocean currents of the world, drifting for months or years--eventually washing ashore on the beaches of distant continents or exotic tropical islands.

Fossil Ivory Nalbinding Needle 10

Another new fossil mammoth ivory nalbinding needle has been added to our Grizzly Mountain Arts Etsy shop today!

Dave has carved this 2 1/2 inch nalbinding needle from fossil mammoth ivory and has hand polished it to a high gloss.

If you are active in the SCA, this would be a truly unique addition to your period tool collection!