Matthew a year apart

This is a digital scrapbook layout of Matthew I made recently to show his physical changes over the space of one year.

The beard is getting progressively longer now and will no doubt keep his face warm in the coming winter.

He hopes to let the beard grow all year and maybe he can volunteer to play Santa in this year's Carols by Candlelight celebration.

Gotta love that man of mine........

My hand made greeting cards

This is a set of 6 greeting cards I have made using a music theme. I have used products from "Darkroom Door", a stamping and papercraft company owned by the wonderfully talented Photographer Rachel Greig.

They are for sale for $15.00 the set and come with envelopes and sealed in cellophane bags.

The Carving

Here is the stage coach and horses carving Matt has started. It was a solid piece of timber when he started and is working on it every now and then.

I will post a picture of the finished product some time this year.

Eeeek... there is a viking climbing through the back door

I now know what Matthew gets up to at night after I have gone to bed. He recently took a series of self portraits and managed to create a wooden viking using his own face and attached it to the back door.

It cleverly covers that part of the door which he had yet to finish painting and I reckon it looks fabulous.

He then made a sword and attached that over the painted version of the sword. He makes me laugh. He is so clever.

The Lutar

This is Matt's latest project - a Lute/Guitar also known as Lutar. He got the idea from a German web site.

This picture was taken early on in the construction, before the sound board was fitted to the front.

He has made a mould which is shaped like a half egg and has bent the strips of wood into the lute bowl shape around the mould.

The sound board is made from Australian Cedar and the sound hole and bridge are carved from Jarrah.

He has used hardwood, blue gum and some pine in the construction of the neck, nut and back.

It is strung like a regular 6 string guitar and you play it the same way.

The instrument is now finished and sounds just like a regular guitar. It is best played sitting down for ease of use.

I am very impressed and I wonder what he will think of next to make.

Cheers

Ian's Guitar

Guitar number three in progress. Matt is making this one for my brother Ian. The last coat of lacquer is done and as soon as it is dry Matt will add the strings.

The scary serpent now finished

Ok folks, this is a musical instrument and it is called a Serpent. You play it like any big brass instrument (trombone, euphonium, tuba) and because it is curved, there seems to be better sound coming from it than from the Squarpent he made previously.

Matt decided to paint scales and fangs on the thing so it would have to be the scariest looking instrument in the band.

Now we just need to find someone who can play a trombone to give it a blast and see what it is supposed to sound like. Any takers???

Cheers