The Heirloom toy box is a project that spans over four generations of craftspeople and tells the story of multiple generations working together for a collective outcome.  It all started when my grandfather, Joe, built a small toy box for his young, great granddaughter as a Christmas present a few years ago. After a new addition was made to the family, the question of a toy box for this new great granddaughter circulated through the family.  Unfortunately, Joe was not able to make a second box due to his health.

After his passing, I was able to recover some of the boards from his small woodworking shop which had been marked for the original toy box, but had been laid aside in favor of other boards from the same trees.  While the plain pine boards looked simple and rustic in nature, they were special to the family because they came from trees that were located in front of my grandfather’s church.  My parents were married there in the mid 70’s and their wedding photos were taken standing beside those trees.

After recovering the boards, I took clues from the original box to design the new one with similar elements but with a feel all its own.  This project carefully saved Joe’s handwritten notes still visible on the wood and followed after his style of workmanship with strap hinge details and simple clear varnish.