Bookmarks carved using craft sticks or ice cream sticks are another example of the Old Carver’s Law: “Leave no wood un-carved.” As a boy whittling with a pocket knife, I often picked up discarded pop cycle sticks off the play  ground to carve into toy rifles.  In later years these same kind of sticks are carved into book marks as a souvenir novelty carving.  Because of the direction of the grain of wood and its gnarly grain there is a limit of subjects that can be carved on the end of a craft stick.  The photographs depict some designs such as ear of corn, acorn, pineapple, saw, flower, shoe and the latest edition of a chip carved quilt square.

Quilt Square Book Marks carved on the end of a craft stick are depicted in the first photograph on the left.  The second photograph shows a whole series of bookmarks laid together to form a quilt design.  Howard Wax and Feed is applied over the carved part of the craft stick to enliven the design and carved texture.

Carving these little novelties are just about as much fun as carving a more challenging subject which goes to show you that when one enjoys carving  any subject and size brings enjoyment to the carving  journey.

Carving crafts sticks began in boyhood and the journey continues into my next childhood stage of never growing up but always growing.