I completed my first wood burning back in February 2019 using a $25 pyrography pen that I found on Amazon. The pen was cheap and the tips were all bent by the time I had finished, but I was only using it to try my hand at wood burning before I invested in something more expensive. I enjoyed the process, though my hand did not. Because of my muscle tightness, it was extremely painful and difficult to open my hand for about a week afterward.

Time passed and I had not tried investing in a high-quality wood burner until March of 2020. To my surprise and amazement, my three youngest art students combined their allowances and gave me a check to help pay for a Razer-tip Wood Burner for my birthday. Since their generous gift covered half of the $200 burner, I decided that the first three wood burnings I created with it would be gifts for them. I made wood burnings of their favorite animals with their names on 8"x8" wooden panels. I loved working on those, but I especially loved seeing the boy’s surprised faces when they unwrapped them. These boys are precious and I'm extremely blessed to have them in my life.