Art By Al Pisano Blog

Are you passionate about woodworking or woodcarving? Do you enjoy keeping up with the latest and greatest of what’s happening around this craft? Do you have a few carvings of your own that you’d like to show off? If so, you may want to consider attending The Woodworking Shows.

The Woodworking Shows offers educational seminars, product demonstrations on some of the latest woodworking tools, and gives the attendees the opportunities to meet their favorite authors and interact with other individuals who share the same woodworking and woodcarving passions.

If you are confident about your own work of art, you have the opportunity to submit your piece of work for The Woodworking Show Educators to vote on. Whether your woodcarving was created out of unique inspiration, a family heirloom, or of special wood, with a simple submission and registration, you can easily become qualified for the Grand Price winning of a Delta Unisaw and your work will be displayed at the ShowOFF display area at the show. For more details, visit, The Woodworking Show’s site at www.woodworkingshows.com.

To see if The Wood Working Show is coming to your town, check out the list of cities at, The Woodworking Shows.

The holidays will be here before you know it and while you may have started to decorate, there’s still plenty to accomplish before you can really deck the halls. Take for instance your holiday shopping list. If you’re like most people, chances are that you’ve still got a ways to go on completing it. Not to worry. To help you finish up your holiday shopping – while still getting beautiful gifts – PiazzaPisano.com has a wonderful selection of carved artwork that’s sure to bring a smile to your loved one’s face. Plus, with our selection of gifts, you’ll be able to stock up all in one place – which means you’ll have more time to actually celebrate the holidays, instead of stressing over them!

From Italian kitchen décor to holiday wood carvings, the artwork at PiazzaPisano.com comes in all different shapes, sizes, and types so that you’ll never have to settle on anything less than the perfect gift for someone you love. Plus, with our great prices, you can feel free to complete your holiday shopping list – and get something special for you too!

Start completing you holiday shopping list, but don’t wait – there’s not a whole lot of time left before the holidays are here!

Wood carving can be both relaxing and fun, as well as a great hobby for many. Whether the art of wood carving is enjoyed by another member of your family or circle of friends, or if you are the first to dive into this exciting craft, you have to start from somewhere and build your skill and confidence along the way.

If you are starting off wood carving for the very first time, follow the steps below as you begin your first wood carved masterpiece:

1.Decide what you want to carve. Either choose a pattern or draw your own sketch.
2.Different woods vary in color and textures. A soft pine or maple is better suited for beginners.
3.Trace your pattern or drawing onto the wood with a stylus or carbon paper.
4.Using your simple tool, a utility knife, trace around the outline of the pattern or drawing.
5.With your knife at a shallow angle, cut the wood around the outline.
6.Repeat steps 4 & 5 until all lines of the outline are cut.
7.Begin rounding edges, adding dimensions with different depth cuts to add detail.
8.Use a sheet of fine sand paper to smooth over your cut marks.
9.Choose to stain your wood carving to add depth and bring out the textures.
10.Apply varnish and a sealer for added protection.

Trying out wood carving for the first time can be very inexpensive. With the use of a utility knife and a small wood surface, you can test out your skills and move on to more advanced designs and other wood carving tools.

With Thanksgiving just on the horizon and many people itching for the holiday shopping season, it’s no wonder that so many are looking to use this time to start their preparations for the Christmas rush – and in many cases, the first place they start is in their home. Decorating for Christmas is more than just a ritual. It’s a time-honored and beloved tradition that brings people together and infuses festivity and cheer into each and every day.

So this week, as you worry about the dressing the turkey, also start thinking about how you’re going to dress your home for the holiday season. At PiazzaPisano.com. we’ll be waiting for you to stop by so that you can take advantage of our great deals on Christmas Decorations and other home accent pieces that are sure to bring some holiday cheer. Remember, Christmas will be here faster than you think. You and your home both need to be prepared!

Winter will be here before you know it and although the sun is closer to the Earth during this time, it doesn’t mean that there’s a ton of sunny days in store. As the weather turns frightful, remember that you can still make your home look and feel fantastic, even on winter’s darkest day. How can you do it? The answer is with lighting.

Interior lighting is an important part of any space, especially to set the mood and tone of your home. Want to make your dark space look homey on a wintry evening? Then look to warm toned light bulbs and fixtures to cast a soft, inviting glow on your favorite space. Sometimes a different color bulb is all it takes to make a room go from ordinary to extraordinary. Also, during the dark days of winter, think about adding an extra lamp or using candles to illuminate your space while helping it to look warm and inviting.

And don’t worry – there will be some some nice days too. When that sun comes out, use it to your advantage. If you’re looking to update your favorite room this fall and winter, remember one thing: let the light in. Chilly days want to just make you curl up, draw the shades, and snuggle up with a hot cup of tea – but when it comes to your favorite space, winter light can actually help you energize a room that would be otherwise dull and drab. Instead of drawing the shades and heading to the couch, open up the curtains and let some light in. You’ll love the crisp clean light that will come into your home, energizing each and every room.

If you’re planning on cooking up a Thanksgiving feast, you should at least have something special to show off your accomplishments. If this is your first Thanksgiving dinner you’ve made for your family, or if it’s just another great holiday, your menu deserves to be celebrated. Make sure that you can make your Thanksgiving even more special by displaying your impressive culinary creations on a menu board made specially by the artisans at PiazzaPisano.com.

At PiazzaPisano.com, we provide homes just like you with the best in carved home décor. Made to be one of a kind quality and designed to make an impression in any space, the home décor pieces from PiazzaPisano.com are must-haves for the stylish family – especially if you want to make sure that your friends and relatives really notice your home this season.

In addition to the wall plaques, accent furniture, and other decorative must-haves that we offer, PiazzaPisano.com also has menu boards that are perfect for completing your kitchen or dining room – just in time for Thanksgiving. Your courses will look spectacular when displayed on our boards – trust us, no one will be expecting this special touch along with a delicious meal!

Make your Thanksgiving even more special with a menu board from PiazzaPisano.com.

Halloween can be a great time to let your imagination go wild when it comes to home décor. This week, feel free to spice up your favorite rooms with crazy linens and fabrics, tons of bright fall colors, and maybe even some spooky accent pieces or fake cobwebs. Really the choices are up to you, but if you’re interested in really making your home look like a haunted mansion just in time for the trick or treaters, here are a few tips:

First off, try making your home look spooky by swapping out your regular light bulbs for colored or darker ones. The low or colored lights are sure to set the mood for a haunted house. Plus, they’re an unexpected touch in your home for trick or treaters.

Speaking of trick or treaters, give them a good scare by building or purchasing a fake coffin. Set it up on a table in your front room or on your porch and fill it up with Halloween candy. Your trick or treaters will love this scary yet fun touch.

Also, if you’re interested in making your home look even creepier, try putting up fake cobwebs and utilizing props like plastic skulls, bats, spiders, or bubbling cauldrons. Any local Halloween or craft supply store is sure to have essentials like these.

Finally, complete the look of your home by swapping out some of your fabrics. Use dark or Halloween themed drapes, curtains, tablecloths, and rugs to add some character to your space while still creating that spooky look that you want for the holiday.

For centuries, the wonderful hobby of woodcarving has delighted peoples around the world. It takes time and patience to learn and develop good woodcarving skills, however, the pieces that result are always worth the wait. There are four main styles of woodcarving and the tools used vary among each style.

Whittling
The oldest style of woodcarving, whittling is done with a basic carving knife. This type of carving also lets you see knife strokes after the carving is completed, which can add a very hand-made, artisan look to the piece.

Carving In The Round
This style gives more of a lifelike surface and texture. Many objects in this style are portrayed as people and animals. The carvings may vary in sizes and can be painted or left natural.

Relief Carving
With relief carving, the carving has a flat back and the image in carved in 3 dimensions. Typical works include sceneries, but any object can be carved and the finished good can be found hanging on a wall or as another type of decorative piece.

Chip Carving
This technique requires you chip or remove selected pieces of wood. Chip carving is also know as kerbschnitzen, which is Swiss for engraving carving.

It’s necessary you choose the style of carving before getting started because you want the proper tools on hand before your project is underway.

Do you have any other carving styles you’d like to share?

Hi Folks! we have some new pieces happening–just finished some lighthouse house numbers and some plain rope house numbers in case you don’t live near water. I hope at least you live in cattle country!
Soon to be finished is a chef blackboard. I intend to do a female chef too. Some women still cook! Just kidding!
We are plugging away at new stuff–when the country straightens out we’ll have some good sales. We’re optimistic!Go USA! Al

Sure, we have a collection of carved artwork that will suit every room in your home from the kitchen to the den, but we also have great pieces that your child will love to show off in his or her own bedroom or special play space.

Our collection of Kids Wall Plaques and other personalized treasures make a fabulous addition to any kid’s space and are special enough to give as a baby shower gift for any expecting parent. From the Personalized Bear Bedroom Sign, to the Personalized Baseball All Star Mirror, you are sure to find something that fits each child’s personality. Our handcrafted wall artwork would make a great gift for any holiday, birthday, or any other special occasion.

So think about what your child enjoys most. Do they enjoy sports? Do they love animals? Is his or her bedroom missing that special touch? If it is, check out our Kid’s Collection of handcrafted artwork that will give that special room an even more special touch.