A Spoon Full of Love

During the early part of this year a good friend of mine returned from Wales, UK, with a unique gift, a Welsh Lovespoon. I didn't pay much attention at first but having an open mind and a chance to explore new avenues of income I thought that I would be able to produce unique designs and carve them myself.

What you have to realize is, this would never be a big money venture purely because it takes too long to produce each individual spoon, especially when it is totally hand produced. My reasoning and difference to the commercially made Lovespoons is, I do hand carve every Lovespoon and it is not machined from a program and then hand finished as in some of the mass market products that are available.




To give you a better example of what I am talking about, I have two examples of one of my designs made from two different kinds of wood. If they were first machined from a program they would be identical except for the material, look at my versions. The first impression screams, they are the same, until you look closely and then you can see the bullrushes are different, so are the storks. The little nuance between the two guarantees that no two Lovespoons are the same.




Armed with a sense of purpose I delve into the designs and start carving away to produce my first Lovespoon. I must say coming from a Patternmaking and Model Making back ground I found it quite therapeutic and a nice sense of achievement once the first spoon was finished.

What should I do now?
Would anyone be interested in this type of carving?

I instinctly go to eBay first to see if these sort of items sell. Yes! There is a section that deals with Welsh Lovespoons, be it's a small section but they do sell.
With this new found knowledge I list my first Lovespoon for $4.99, as you can imagine, the time taken to carve this piece equates to 30 cents an hour!! Not exactly millionaire status but the way I look at it, it's a hobby and pays for the timber.

I have persevered with the carvings and still get great satisfaction from carving them and I occasionally get a commission piece to do which is very satisfying. My Me Page on eBay reflects the carvings that I have done in the past and when I view them it always brings a smile to my face as each carving has its own story to tell.

Why do Newfies Drool?

It appears that summer has finally surfaced with the "high" right above us. The temperatures are soaring into the high 90's and low 100's. Flies are abundant and our dogs are drooling up a storm.




It's not as though we're not familiar to the occasional slobber from the dogs but man this is something else. Newfoundlands are re-known for drooling when they get hot, first they will make a beeline for the nearest bucket or water bowl and immerse their whole muzzle into the bowl slurping away at the water. We're not talking about small water bowls, these are the biggest you can buy. I would just use a bucket all the time, but what happens with the constant dunking? Their chest starts smelling like an OLD DISH CLOTH.

After five minutes of drinking, look out, drool is hanging from their jowls. SHAKE, you'll better duck because it's coming your way and it's by no means small. SPLAT, it lands inches from your feet. You may have missed the "BIG ONE" but you can't escape the small stuff.

OK this is getting out of hand, they're panting like a locomotive. "It's time for a trim!" I exclaim. If the excess fur is removed, maybe that will ease their discomfort from the heat. Out come the barbers electric shears and 3" of fur is taken off, enough to fill up a garbage bag. "That's a lot of fur" you may ask. YES! And this is a lot of dog. Well, my wife is a good sport and she sheared those puppies in under an hour.

OK, now it's my turn, flip-flops and speedos are the attire of the day. Let's get them washed. One dog, one hour, that's what it takes to give him a thorough shampoo and blow dry. Drying's a breeze with our Challengair 2000 Animal Dryer by Double K Industries. It's never let us down over the past twelve years and it's still going strong. The animals are relaxed, the panting has gone, the calm has returned to the Sunday.

Now it's my time to relax, time to crack open that beer!!

"Everyone is an Employee until September 30th?"

Once again General Motors has upped the anti with its "Everyone is an Employee" discount. Vehicles are being sold by the bucket load but has anyone sat back and wondered what the actual employees think?

This perk was one of the bonuses that an employee always enjoyed until recently, now they just mingle with the crowd. Is this a sign that the formidable giant is hooked on incentives or does it have a far deeper meaning?