Liberty ? ? ?

I'm takin some packages to the post office this afternoon.  I saw this person on the corner with the sign.  I have no idea what she was up to . . . advertising Liberty insurance ? ? ? I'm not sure but I think there is a Liberty tax preparation service.  I didn't stop to ask what she was all about . . . too cold.  Not sure if the official temperature made it into double figures today.  


Back on the 11th, I posted a pic of several pens I had started.  I finally finished the last one today . . . sort of.

The middle pen is made from Ancient Bog Oak. It has been buried in peat bogs in England for the last 4-6 thousand years.  It is in the early stages of fossilization.  A few more million years and it would be coal.  The tannins in the acidic water has stained the wood to a very dark color.  As I took the photo, I noticed that I used my light color wax instead of my dark wax.  A dumb mistake.  I will hafta take it apart and see about removing the light color wax.  

I had problems with the pen on the left.  It has a Rosewood shell. The first finish I applied cracked.  Cold doesn't work well with glue and finishing materials.  I sanded it down, applied the finish and it cracked again.  Third time was a charm.  Rosewood on this hardware sells very well. 

The pen on the right is deer antler.  I was able to drill it so a depression on the exterior of the antler is very visible.  Just drilling a hole in something that is irregularly curved is quite a feat.  Gettin the hole close enough to the exterior without blasting through is a small miracle . . . at least for me. 

I saw the orange and brown blank at the Woodcraft store a couple weeks ago.  The more I look at it, the more I like it.  Orange and brown are the official colors of Bowling Green State University and the Cleveland Browns. I'm gonna market it that way.  BGSU alumni might like it . . . probably not many people admitting to being a Cleveland fan right now.

The bright green one would be perfect for those die hard Irish people  . . . And St. Patrick Day is 6 or 7 weeks away.  

I'll get them listed on Etsy tomorrow.  I took pics today, but the light was terrible.  Gonna try again tomorrow.