Rocking Airplane Toy

October is ending. Halloween is today and tomorrow begins November. It even snowed a little at my place today. All of these signs point to Christmas being on it's way!

Actually, I start thinking about Christmas around May...but that's another story. Or is it?

I'm always looking for new ideas for products to bring to my customers and Christmas is usually the time when people are looking for something a bit different to give as presents. Toys are always especially fun, since there's so much room for creativity and customization. 

Anyway, this year I decided to make ride one rocking airplane toy. As with the rocking triceratops toy from last year (still available made to order) this toy is free of harmful chemicals and made from solid pine. It's very sturdy, having supported my gentle 200lb+ frame, and rocks with a nice smooth motion. 

The plane has no stain or finish so that you can paint it or stain it to your own preferences, although I can provide stain and finish at an additional cost.

The base cost of the plane is $95, stain and finish extra.

If you would like to order one of these (since I only have one in stock as a time), please allow two (2) weeks or so for the order to be ready. Please be prepared to pick up this item either from my shop or a nearby location as shipping would be rather atrocious.

A quick reminder about the Eldorado craft sale this weekend, held at the municipal building on Hwy #62. I believe the times are 9 - 6 Saturday, 9 - 4 Sunday. Hope to see you there!

A Puzzling Poll for Prospective Purchasers of Puzzle Products

Alright, we're going to try something a bit different today and I need your help to accomplish it. 

I started making animal puzzles over a year ago and my selection has grown from around 3 to almost 30. 

Christmas is on the way and I'm trying to build stock as well as maybe add some new ones. That where you come in.

What I would like you to do is look through the selection of puzzles I have pictured. Either in the comments section below or on facebook tell me which one is your favourite (or a top 3) as well as if there is something you'd like to see. It doesn't have to be an animal, but it does have to be something that has a recognizable silhouette. 

Here are the options for now):

 Antelope

 Bear

 Elephant

 Camel

 Kitten

 Cow

 Alligator

 Dino

 Puppy

 Ducky

 Giraffe

 Hippopotamus

 Honey Bee

 Horse

 Lamb

 Lion 

 Lion 2

 Maple Leaf

 Moose

 Ostrich

 Pig

 Rhinoceros

 Stegosaurus

 Triceratops

 Turtle

Wolf

I should mention that all of these are currently available for sale and can be ordered by contacting me at mapleridgecreations@gmail.com. If you're local you can pick it up from me, if you're not I can ship it to you at cost. 

All puzzles pictured can be ordered or purchased in person for $10 each. 3 or more of the same $8.50 each. 10 or more of the same $7.50. Bulk orders for interested retailers will be negotiated.

Be sure to let me know what you like and what you'd like to see.

More Carved Bowls

I recently found some lovely materials that have lent themselves nicely to some new ornamental bowls. Details on each below:

SMB Bowl #1 $80

Above is the front view of an ornamental "bowl". It's designed to either face forwards as shown above or up as a normal bowl. Below is the top view (or side view if used as a bowl).
Made from a spalted maple burl salvaged from the forest where it had been left to rot, carved, sanded and finished with shellac.

SMB Bowl # 2 $90

Above is a second sculptural bowl made from another spalted maple burl. The picture shows a side view and doesn't clearly show the shape as well as it should, but it is a truly one of a kind item.

Cherry Slipper Bowl $50

I don't usually try to get a particular shape with my sculptural bowls. Rather, I prefer to let the wood define the shape. However, as the cherry bowl above began to take shape it began to resemble a woman's shoe, so that's the shape I went with. Live edge cherry bowl with shellac finish.

Mini Crotch Wood Bowl $20

I'm not exactly sure what kind of wood this is. I suspect it may be cherry. All I really know is that I found a piece of wood in the forest and when I had finished making sawdust, this is what was left over. Miniature bowl with shellac finish.

Mini Spalted Bowl $15

A top view (below) and perspective shot of another miniature bowl. Only a few inches across with an amazing colour pattern on the bottom, this one could easily be turned upside down to make an entirely different ornamental piece.

Ash Root Bowl # 1 $65

Above and below are top and perspective shots of a bowl made from ash root. You can see the elegant tiger tail pattern in the texture of the wood.

Red Oak Leaf Bowl $15

Above and below: What passes for my attempt at an oak leaf shaped bowl. Made from red oak with a shellac finish.

Ash Root Bowl # 2 $60

Above and below: Another ash root bowl showing off the distinctive texture and inclusions of the wood.

SMB Bowl # 3 $85

Finally, the last of the bowls made from spalted maple burl. This one is functional as a bowl but has a very distinctive ornamental appearance.

That's it for this lot. Coming up are some riding toys, my pre-Christmas schedule and more. 

Stay tuned...

Mom Sale in Madoc: Oct. 20th

It's been a while since I've managed a proper post, and I hope to get a few up soon, but I wanted to throw out a quick shout before it was too late.

Tomorrow, October 20th, there will be a "Stay at home Mom" sale at the arts center in Madoc, located in the park at the South end of town.

The sale will run from 9am to 3pm. The idea is that mom's and wives who are at home during the day might have a chance to check out a decent local craft sale before Christmas while hubby and the kids are out at work and school.

Stop by and support the local vendors. I will be there, taking custom orders as well as showing off regular items (and a few out of the ordinary things as well.

Hope to see you there!