Alsace Nutcracker

Alsace Nutcracker

Jun 12

 

Here’s a great boxwood antique nutcracker from the Alsace region of France.

 

I keep a secret stash of boxwood on hand specifically for these great older boxwood nutcracker restorations.

 

This one came into the shop missing a nose.

 

 

 

 

Here’s a quick picture of it on the bench with the new boxwood in place and the reference photos I was using:

 

 

 

Finally, here it is fully restored with the new nose carved and blended to seamlessly match the original:

 

 

 

 

I love getting the opportunity to work on these great old boxwood pieces.

Man on a Donkey

Man on a Donkey

Jun 04

 

 

Here’s another fun rare piece.

 

This one was quite a challenge.

 

As you can see, lots of missing parts and a lot of splitting on this one.

 

*Note – Click on the pics for a larger view:

 

 

 

 

Here are a couple pictures of the piece with most of the new parts roughed in:

 

 

 

And here are a couple pictures of the piece fully restored:

 

 

 

This piece took a looong time to restore. I am very fortunate the owner was patient.

 

This piece came out great and the owner was absolutely thrilled with it.

 

One of a Kind

One of a Kind

Apr 02

 

 

Here’s a great commissioned piece that started out as a really cool idea.

 

Turns out one of the Nutcracker Collectors’ Club members collects wine corkscrews as well.

 

They contacted me to see if I could create a crossover piece that would combine their collection of Nutcrackers with their collection of corkscrews.

 

They provided the following piece as a base for the custom work:

 

 

 

 

They also provided these pictures for reference and inspiration:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s a clay mock-up I did of all those ideas applied to the piece so I could work out the details with the customer.

 

 

 

 

Here’s a picture of the original piece being prepped to have the arms, corkscrew, and wine bottle added.

 

 

 

 

Here’s  an “in process” picture as the new wood pieces were added and carved.

 

 

 

 

Here are a couple pictures of the piece all done and looking like it’s always been carved that way.

 

 

 

This piece came out great and was the subject of its own article in the Spring Nutcracker Collectors’ Club Newsletter (Vol. XXXIX, Issue 2) that was mailed out in March.

 

Groden

Groden

Nov 24

 

 

Here’s another great Groden sent in by one of the Nutcracker Club members for repairs.

 

This one had the typical feet and base damage with some damage to the hat and face as well.

 

 

 

 

Here’s a picture of the piece with all the new wood added before the carving and blending:

 

 

 

Here’s the piece all done and fully restored:

 

 

 

 

These pieces are very rare and I’ve been very fortunate to have worked on so many.

 

2021 Nutcracker Convention

2021 Nutcracker Convention

Oct 02

 

 

Congratulations to Mike and Linda Pickwick for hosting a great Nutcracker Convention last weekend!

 

As always, it was great to see old friends, meet new ones, and get an opportunity to buy pieces for our collection.

 

The whirlwind of a weekend started off Friday evening with Mike and Linda graciously opening their home to everyone for up close personal tours of their collection and  a nice Italian dinner.

 

The convention was held at the Hampton Inn Danbury on Saturday. There were lots of great pieces available to bid on in the silent auction in the morning:

 

 

 

 

 

A couple people brought their collections to show off as well as sell outside the auction:

 

 

 

After the auction and meeting at the hotel, everyone was invited back to Mike and Linda’s to spend some time before going to dinner.

Here are some pictures of Mike and Linda’s fantastic collection:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We ended the day at Armando’s for dinner. Said our good byes to everyone and headed back home to Ohio Sunday morning.

 

We had a great time and can’t thank Mike and Linda enough for their hospitality and for hosting such a great event!

 

Squirrel Nutcracker

Squirrel Nutcracker

Aug 21

 

 

Here’s a really nice Squirrel Nutcracker carved in a quarter moon configuration.

 

This is a really unique rare piece from the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum.

 

This piece had a large chunk missing from the mouth and a couple smaller chips around the hinge:

 

 

 

 

Here are some pictures of the piece all fixed and ready to be sent back to the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum to be put out on display:

 

 

 

 

I really like this piece and enjoyed restoring it.

 

Evil Mad Scientist

Evil Mad Scientist

Aug 14

 

 

Ok, maybe this isn’t formally called an Evil Mad Scientist, but that’s what it was called while here at the shop.

 

This great piece came in from the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum with a couple chips (hair) and needing the eyeglasses re-repaired.

 

 

 

Here are a couple pic’s of the piece all fixed and ready to be put on display at the museum:

 

 

 

I’ve never seen one of these and really enjoyed restoring it!

ANRI Indian

ANRI Indian

Jul 31

 

Here’s a really nice ANRI Indian that was sent in for repairs by The Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum.

 

The piece had some damage to the mouth.

 

It also had what appeared to be nail polish spilled on the rear lever.

 

 

 

Here are some pictures of the piece repaired and with the nail polish carefully removed:

 

 

 

 

This piece really came out great and was a lot of fun to restore.