I have wanted to carve since I was a young teenager, but didn't know how to start. There was no internet and few books on the subject. For our first Christmas, Charles gave me a small woodcarving kit with an Exacto knife and blades and a little booklet on how to get started. I had never told anyone I wanted to carve, so that made this gift even more special. I taught myself to carve, learning the hard way. I carved hard woods like ebony with that Exacto knife and dull blades. But I never gave up. I didn't think I was creative, though. All I did was take other people's designs, or pictures of animals, and carve that. It didn't occur to me that taking a 2-dimensional picture and turning it into a 3-D carving was creative.  Then came the day I wanted to carve a warrior angel for my son and his wife for their wedding present. I couldn't find a picture of what I wanted. So, I created what I wanted.