Saturday, 13 November 2010

Huge selection of new knives!

Wow, I can't begin to tell you how busy we've been in the last couple of weeks between crafting, photographing and listing ... but I hope you'll agree, it's been well worth it because the new knives are both beautiful and wonderful to work with.

There are far too many to show them all here so I've just picked a select few ...

Above: Walnut Bushcarver Pro with rough out blade


Above: Bog Oak Bushcarver Pro with combination blade. The main blade is suited to rough-out work and the flattened tip is designed for finer detail. The handle is carved from ancient bog oak wood, naturally preserved for thousands of years and stained a warm, deep brown by the tannins.

Below: Burr Oak Bushcarver Pro with combination blade. I adore burr oak because of its simply stunning colours and markings.



Above and below: Rowan Owl Character Knife with detail blade. This Wildwood knife has a convex flat detail blade and a rowan wood handle which has been intricately carved with a beautiful owl, full of character.

Below: Another Character Carved knife. This time it's a Blackthorn Eagle Character Knife with detail blade. Can you see the colours in the handle? They range from pale creams through to rich red-browns.


Above: This is my favourite knife of them all from the news ones added. The handle of this Burr Oak Wildwood Carver with detail blade has such a wonderful range of colours and such depth to it that it's impossible to capture in a photograph. It's one of those rare pieces which would give you pleasure to work with every time you pick it up.

Below: Walnut Wildwood Carver with rough out blade and wonderful markings on the handle.


Above: Burr Wych Elm Wildwood Carver with rough out blade
Below: Bog Oak Wildwood Carver with detail blade

The prices for these knives start at £25 and they would make the perfect gift for the crafty person in your life ( ... or even for yourself ... !). Please don't forget though, if you're ordering from outside the UK you'll need to take the last recommended posting dates into consideration as they're currently around three weeks away for outside of Europe.

As always, if you have any queries regarding the knives please feel free to email me, Lou, at enquiries@wildwoodknives.com.

Thanks for looking :~)

Wednesday, 10 November 2010

Very special Ogham staves in boxes ...


It's been an absolutely beautiful day today - inbetween days of dreary greyness and seemingly neverending rain! We decided to seize the moment and skip off to the woods to enjoy the sun while it lasted and to also photograph these very special ogham sets with their rowan bark boxes. I love the way the woods look in the background of these pictures ... you can almost see the Fae folk flitting here and there!


These wonderful sets contain the original 20 ogham sticks, each one handcrafted from the traditional corresponding wood. Truly correct ogham sets are extremely rare, if not unheard of but we have gathered each and every type of wood to create these beautiful tools to divination.

We work and play in the ancient Celtic heartlands of Britain where the Durotriges and Atrebates tribes ruled in prehistory. These ogham staves are handcrafted ritual tools with real Celtic soul and they retain the feel of their natural spirit.

The staves are stored within a beautifully rustic rowan bark box. Bark has been used by many cultures throughout time to make containers and this sturdy box has been crafted with natural materials including cedar root which is used to sew the join.


Each set is priced at £100 plus postage and packing and you can find full details (including a list of the woods lower down the page) here.

Autumn colours ...





Saturday, 6 November 2010

Pumpkins, fireworks and new items in the shop ...

We've had a busy, busy couple of weeks! Samhain saw our little ones carving out the pumpkin with great enthusiasm! Did you have a good Samhain?

Then, last night was Bonfire Night here in the UK so there were plenty of fireworks. Littlest One was too scared of the bangs and fizzes so we hid behind the door together and peeped out into the night where the slightly Bigger Ones were enjoying it far more :~)




It's also been a busy time for the Spirit of Old shop aswell and we have several new items freshly listed ...

Below: Alder Raven/ Bran dream pendant in a birch bark box listed here for £50
.

Above: A very, very special burr oak moon-gazing hare dream pendant in her own birch bark box. You can find her here, priced at £80. She's hard to part with as she's just so beautiful!

Above and below: Two Avalonian bog oak Goddess pendants with spirals on their bellies. Spirals have been used for millennia as a symbol for life and life force. You can find the Goddesses here, priced at £35 each. It's lovely to think that this wood is 6,000 years old and still being treasured. If only it could share its memories!


Above: A new Avalonian bog oak rune set which you can find here for the special price of just £40 which is £10 off the usual listing price of £50. This is very special wood to work with for divination and, who knows? Perhaps it will share its thousands of years of wisdom :~)

As always, thanks for looking!

Sunday, 31 October 2010

Happy Samhain!

When the year is turning to harvest,

and the wind invites you to ride,

light fires on every hilltop,

and greet those beloved who died.


Happy Samhain!

Wednesday, 27 October 2010

Etsy and Folksy Ravens

We've very recently started listing a few of the website items on Etsy and Folksy just to try something different and test the waters a little. Two newly-crafted Raven dream pendants were ready for listing today so we've added the one above to Folksy and the one below to Etsy. For now, they're available through those sites rather than the main Spirit of Old site but if you'd like to purchase either and you're not a member of the sites please email me at enquiries@spiritof old.co.uk.


Above: Rowan Raven dream pendant and birch bark box listed here on Folksy.com, priced at £60. This dream pendant is crafted from pale-coloured rowan wood and is carved into a beautifully detailed raven. Rowan has long associations with witchcraft and protection.

Below: Alder Raven dream pendant and birch bark box listed here on Etsy.com, priced at US$115. Ravens and alder are both traditionally associated with the Celtic god, Bran. Amongst the Celts, the raven was a very sacred bird and they have long been seen as protectors and birds of prophecy.



Both pendants are handcrafted from wood gathered within the Wessex area of Britain. They are threaded onto cord thonging and filled with mugwort which was respectfully gathered from next to the prehistoric site of Stonehenge in southern Britain. They also rest upon a bed of mugwort within a birch bark storage box when not in use.

Mugwort has been used for millennia to aid clairvoyance, lucid dreaming and astral projection. Our ancestors drank tea made from the leaves and it has also been used in incenses or smoked to induce visions. The pendants are infused with the energies of this potent ancient herb from both inside and out and are charged with the spirit of the ancient people of Stonehenge.

They are perfectly suited for those seeking night-visions and dream journeys but are also suitable for everyday wear, a special talisman or a beautiful gift. As an alternative to wearing the pendants, they are also ideal for hanging near the bed for a dream charm.


My walk to photograph the ravens today took me past trees which were full of the colours of the English autumn and I kicked my way through their fallen leaves ... I adore this time of year ... the golden sun was simply breathtaking and you can see it casting its light in a few of the above photos. It's a time for teapots filled with steaming tea, picnics of hot soup and fresh bread and cobwebs covered with morning dew. Keep a look-out for plenty more photos as the weeks go on ... :~)

Tuesday, 26 October 2010

Shapeshifting fire flames ...

Can you see the bird of prey in the shapeshifting flames above? He has his wings outstretched, ready to swoop.