Betty Padden has been a professional wood carver for more than 35 years. She is the author of three books—Lettering & Sign Carving Workbook, Carving & Painting Christmas Ornaments, and Carving and Painting Noah's Ark—and is a regular contributor to Woodcarving Illustrated magazine. Betty and her husband, Bob, own the Wooden Apple Signmakers in Auburn, Mass., providing custom carved signs for both residential customers and commercial clients like the Walt Disney Company and Anheuser-Busch. Betty and Bob have offered classes on the fine art of wood carving to students in their studio since 1979.