Scroll Saw Village

Here’s a little update for those of you who take the time to follow my modest blog.

As you know, I haven’t been posting as frequently as I normally do. For that, I apologize. So what’s the deal? Have I been slacking? Nope. I’ve been working on a project that’s been keeping me pretty busy, lately. I’ve been working hard on redesigning the website. I’ve even added a feature or two that I think you’ll really enjoy. “What is it,” I hear you saying. I can’t tell you. Its a surprise. A New Year’s surprise! So, make sure you stop by on January 1, 2009 and find out what the special surprise is. I think you’ll like it.

Anyway, I’m still around and will continue to provide more Scroll Saw Goodies. Even if it is less frequent right now. But the end result will be worth it.

I hope you all are having a wonderful Holiday season. Be safe in your travels, and Happy Scrolling!

—Travis

It’s looming…Black Friday. Here’s an opportunity to support Scroll Saw Goodies and get something for yourself at the same time. Why spend Black Friday scrambling for amazing deals and fighting for mall parking spots when you can shop in your pajamas from behind your keyboard? We already know that Amazon provides great service and so many products, you can easily and safely fulfill your entire Christmas list.

So, what’s the catch? When you purchase something for yourself or as a gift for a loved one through one of SSG links/banners, we get a small commission. That commission allows us to continue to provide great content, purchase equipment and bandwidth for the podcast, and help expand SSG. So in the end, you win both ways. You get great your Christmas shopping done early and you help support an online resource that continues to bring you great content!

Here’s the deal. The Black Friday banner on this post has some incredible deals for a short time. So if you’re looking to stretch your Christmas dollar, definitely check this out. It’s for limited time, so you’ll have to act fast. I’ll also have an Amazon banner at the top the website through the end of Christmas. This will take you to the regular Amazon website where you can find everything under the sun. If you’re looking for something specifically scroll saw related, you can check out the SSG eStore where I handpicked a lot of scroll saw related goodies.

There’s other ways to support Scroll Saw Goodies, too. Most of them don’t even involve the wallet. And in many ways, these are even more important to our success. You can read this article to find out more information.

Thanks for listening to my sales pitch. I try to keep these things to a minimum, so this will be the last you’ll hear about it for the year. Thank you for your continued support and I look forward to what the next year brings. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Holiday Season. Stay tuned for more Scroll Saw Goodies.

Scroll Saw Goodies turns 1 years old today! Can you believe it? Time really flies when you’re having fun. It has been a great ride and I look forward to what the next year will bring. I want to thank all of you that have taken time to read this blog. I had a great time looking at your galleries, your projects and ideas. What started off as a way to bookmark some of the great scrolling resources I have come across has quickly become a great resource in it’s own right. I have written 213 articles (as of this post) covering a wide assortment of topics and information for scroll sawyers. From tips to tutorials, galleries to new ideas and inspiration. Lets not forget the free scroll saw patterns! Hundreds and hundreds of free patterns available at your fingertips. I have highlighted fantastic books and hand picked a lot of great products I believe my readers would like (available in the SSg estore). I started a new podcast for scrollers that I hope will become a great resource as well. I even have a few other ideas in the works that I hope the scrolling community will really enjoy. But you’ll have to wait!

Ahhh. What a year. I must have done something right, because a lot of you have really enjoyed what we have to offer. Here’s a few numbers for you statistics hounds out there.

• 33,473 Visitors to the website.
• 21,637 Are new visitors.
• 11,836 Are returning visitors.
• 97,214 Total page views.
• 184 Subscribers to the email updates.

• 63% are from the US
• 8% are from Canada
• 4% are from the UK
• 3% are from France
• 2% are from Australia
• 1% are from Germany
• 1% from Italy
• 1% from Spain
• 1% from Brazil
• 1% from Netherlands
• The rest come from pretty much everywhere else you can imagine.

• 82% speak English
• 5% speak French
• 3% speak Spanish
• 2% speak German
• 1% speak Portuguese
• 1% speak Italian
• 1% speak Dutch
• 1% speak Turkish
• There are a lot of other languages, but too many to list.

Here’s to the next year! Continuing to provide even more Scroll Saw Goodies! Now lets eat some cake!

First, I want to thank all of you for the kind words and encouragement. There are a lot of you just as excited about this podcast as I am, which is quite a relief. I was afraid no one would listen! Hopefully we’ll be able to discuss a lot of great scrolling topics in the months ahead.

I received a few emails from people wanting more information on how to use the podcast. I’ve put together a little tutorial to show you different ways of listening to the Scroll Saw Goodies podcast. Steve Good has also put together a great video showing you how to subscribe to the podcast with iTunes. You can see his video here. If these videos don’t quite answer your questions, feel free to email me with specific questions. I’ll do my best to answer them for you.

I’m already in the planning stages for episode 2, which should be out in a couple of weeks. Until then, we’ll get back on track tomorrow with our daily dose of Scroll Saw Goodies from the web.

I’m rather pleased and excited to announce the Scroll Saw Goodies Podcast! What is a podcast? A podcast is like a radio show for the internet. We’ll be discussing all things related to this wonderful hobby of ours. You can listen to the podcast by clicking the POD icon above or by clicking here. If you have iTunes, you can subscribe by copying and pasting the RSS feed url at the bottom of the page, or by clicking here. It’ll take a little time before Scroll Saw Goodies podcast is listed in the iTunes directory, but as soon as it does, I’ll make a convenient subscription button that will do the work for you.

This podcast is episode 0. It’s mostly an introduction to podcasts, what to do with them. I’ll also introduce you to the Scroll Saw Goodies podcast and let you know what you can expect from future episodes. It’s a short one, running about 10 minutes. I’ll post the first official episode tomorrow! So keep an eye out for that!

Listen to Episode 0 – An Introduction to Podcast and Scroll Saw Goodies Podcast

I love books. I read mostly informational/how-to books, but I love ‘em! So, I’m always on the lookout for new books to add to my library. The great thing about the scroll sawing hobby, there is no shortage of books to look at. So I thought I’d start a new feature on this blog. Introducing, Book Of The Week. But wait, Travis, you already have Book Of The Week. While it is true that I have highlighted a new book each week for the last 17 weeks, it wasn’t a regular blog feature. You’ll still be able to find the Book of the Week in the upper right corner of the website, but in addition, I’ll write a quick article each week talking about that book. I’m hoping to expose my dear readers to a wide variety of resources for scrollers, as well as archiving these recommendations for future readers.

What kind of books do I cover? I’m glad you asked. I cover a wide variety of books I feel you may be interested in. I cover pattern books, intarsia, clipart, business books for crafters and the list goes on! I hope you enjoy this new feature and I invite you to take a look at the previous Books of the Week.

Happy reading!

Sometimes life gets in the way of your hobbies. I’ve been renovating my basement in a desperate attempt to beat my in-law’s vacation to our humble abode. I’ve been working nonstop to create a comfortable space for them, which leaves very little time to enjoy my hobbies. But fret not. I haven’t quit. I’ll be back in the saddle before you know it, bringing you many more Scroll Saw Goodies. Until then, I invite you to look through past entries in SSG. There is so many great projects, tips and tutorials to keep you entertained for quite some time.

I’m a little behind, but here are the results are in for our little poll. It looks like weather doesn’t play much of a part in your scrolling habits! 54% say that weather doesn’t make a lick of difference. The rest is pretty evenly split between weather being too cold scroll or too nice to be stuck indoors. Here are the results!

Do you scroll more or less during the Summer months?

• More – Shop is warm, I’m scrolling! – 18% (6 votes)
• Less – I’m outside enjoying the weather. – 27% (9 votes)
• Makes No Difference – I’m still scrolling. – 54% (18 votes)

Since October, 2007, I have written nearly 160 articles related to scroll sawing. I write everyday, excluding weekends and holidays. There has been a lot of great articles, too many projects to count, and a lot of practical advice. It has been a fun ride, but I decided to pull back on the reins a bit. Am I quitting the website? Heck no! I’m just going to dial it back a bit. Instead of getting your daily dose of Scroll Saw Goodies, I’ll only be posting when I stumble across something worth sharing. I’ll be posting less frequently, but I think I’ll be delivering better quality content.

Why the sudden change in format? The answer is simple. I want to avoid burnout. Blogging as much as I do is still fun, but its starting to turn into work. I spend between 10-15 hours a week, researching and writing articles. Nobody wants one of their favorite past times to become a chore, and I’m no different. So by pulling back a bit, I’ll be able to get a little breathing room and continue to pursue this wonderful hobby.

Another reason to pull back a little, is to free up some time to work on some other websites. I have a two websites in the design/planning stages that I’m pretty excited about. I’d like to continue to develop these ideas. Don’t worry, I’ll keep you posted on the status of the new website. I think you’ll enjoy it.

With that said, be sure to check back often for new articles. You can also have the articles delivered to your email account by signing up on the left sidebar. Be sure to spread the word about Scroll Saw Goodies. It is a wonderful resource for beginner and advanced scrollers. I know I wish I had something like this when I first started out!

Happy Scrolling!

—Travis

Well, it can’t be said that scrollers aren’t generous! When asked what they do with most of their scrolled projects, 67% say they give their creations away. Isn’t that nice? There’s nothing like a handmade gift. I’m happy to report that nobody admitted to throwing away their art. 10% sell their items, either online at craft shows. 7% chose “other”, which makes me think what “other” is. Hrmmmmmm. We received 64 votes total. The results are below.

What do you do with most of your finished projects?

• Keep Them – 9% (6 votes)
• Give Them Away – 67% (43 votes)
• Throw Them Away – 0% (0 votes)
• Donate To Charities – 4% (3 votes)
• Sell Them Online – 1% (1 vote)
• Sell Them At Craft Fairs – 9% (6 votes)
• Other – 7% (5 votes)

That was so much fun, lets do it again! Now that its getting nice outside, does that mean you’re in the shop doing more scrolling? Or are you more inclined to spend your summer days outside sipping lemonade and watching the life go by? Or maybe it doesn’t make a lick of difference. Summer or winter, scrolling is scrolling! The poll is posted in the side panel. Cast your votes now!

Do you scroll more or less during the Summer months?

• More – Shop is warm, I’m scrolling!
• Less – I’m outside enjoying the weather.
• Makes No Difference – I’m still scrolling.