The Pine Grove Art Exhibit of Wooden Toy and Gift

I'm posting a few photos here of the exhibit we set up in a Rowley school's Art Gallery Alcoves.

As one of her former co-workers explained, 

The Gallery is named in memory of Pat Marshall (thus the Pat Marshall Link Art Gallery)  and it was originally called the Link gallery, for the fact that that space "linked" all the wings of the school, and as a gallery, we hoped it would "link" the school and community. Pat was a much loved teacher, assistant principal, and then principal at Pine Grove.  She cared deeply about her staff and students and always put them first.  Pine Grove became an award winning school under her leadership.

Many of these wooden items are already listed for sale in the webstore at www.woodentoyandgift.net, and others will soon be added. (The quilts in the background of each alcove will be added to Quilters' Quarters web store soon - www.terrycrawfordpalardy.com)

Here's a look at some of the trucks placed in the "Under Construction" alcove display:

Art Exhibit ~ Reception open to public, Tuesday October 21 5 - 7 pm

Tonight! Don't miss it!

Come to our open house at the Pine Grove School in Rowley, Massachusetts to see Rick's art exhibit installed in six alcoves throughout the corridors of the school.

On Tuesday, October 21st, 2014 we will be hosting visitors from 5 to 7 pm. Walk with us through the hallways to hear Rick talk about the scroll saw work and other projects he has done.

Light refreshments will be provided, along with tea and coffee, water and cider. There are many different selections of Rick's art to see.  He will, of course, display his wooden trucks and cars, with a backdrop of a construction zone quilt made by Terry, his wife.

In another alcove, small plaques of scroll-sawn bird silhouettes and flowers will be on display. Each of these cuttings is backed with a colorful fabric that makes each plaque look like a stained glass ornament when hung in the windows.

Some of his art is holiday related: Halloween images cut from Baltic Birch Plywood will be shown in front of a Halloween quilt; Carousels of wood bearing a ghost, pumpkins, and witch along with wooden flying bats will also be seen in an alcove.

The art will remain at the school through the month of November, and on Tuesday the 25th of that month, it will return to Wooden Toy and Gift at 59 North Street in Georgetown.  That following Saturday is Small Business Saturday, and is Wooden Toy and Gift's 20th anniversary.  To celebrate that milestone, Rick has been re-structuring his workshop and Toy and Gift shop.  The new display area is still on the first floor, but in the new section of the barn at the back. Some of Rick's tools will forfeit that space so that children and their parents don't have to climb to the second floor workshop, where Rick will be setting up more space to continue making wooden toys and gifts!

We look forward to seeing you at the Pine Grove School on the 21st of October, and of course, back at our shop for our Anniversary Celebration on the 29th of November.

Remember to shop local, shop small, buy American and enjoy all that we have to share with  you!

Stitchers' Delights

Rick does make beautiful things of wood that make people happy. I'm Terry, his wife and partner, and Rick never fails in making things that I, a quilter, absolutely love. And so it stands to reason that other quilters or stitchers of other talents will also love these. Take a look at some of the special work he is doing on stitchers' behalf.

Rick's quilt racks are made of his favorite wood for furniture: Eastern White Pine, select quality. His choice of planks have few knots visible; sometimes, though, customers want a knotty-pine look, and he will choose wood that has visible knots. As you can see in the picture, the racks have five rods: three at the top are one inch diameter dowels, and two lower rods are a three-quarter inch size. The racks shown stand thirty-one inches tall, twenty-nine and a half long, and eighteen inches deep. 

Originally, the intent of the lower rods was to 'tuck in' the bulk of the quilts hung over the upper rods. I choose to use the lower rods to hold small baby quilts or matching pillow covers. Because some stitchers make or collect crazy quilts with lace embellishments, Rick also offers to cover one or more of the rods with white pvc piping. Although he carefully sands and smooths the dowels, varying humidity levels in homes can tend, over time, to raise the grain slightly; in turn, that wood grain might snag an aged fabric or delicate trim. 

Rick enjoys making special pieces of furniture for special people. He also has a whimsical side and likes to make plaques that appeal to different artists, professions, services and more. We shared the disability awareness plaques with you in an earlier post. 

But these plaques are what I call a "stitchers' delight" as they make use of many familiar sayings that quilters and other needleworkers can relate to. "Any day spent sewing is a good day," is one that most of us can say is true.

"May your bobbin always be full!" is a way of leaving a stitcher with good thoughts in mind, and optimistically a needle and fabric in hand. "Sew much fabric Sew little time" is a sweet play on words that stitichers will appreciate.



I think my favorite, and the truest one that fits my lifestyle, is the one that reads "When I learned to sew I forgot how to cook." Rick is the chief cook and bottlewasher in our house; he may have to make a small plaque that holds that saying as well.

These plaques are all scroll-saw cut from one eighth inch Baltic Birch Plywood and hand-filed and then sanded to a smooth natural beauty. They can be hung as ornaments in sewing corners, windows, doorways or on trees. As with all of Rick's creations, they are left without stain or paint. They measure three and a half by five inches; they can also be mounted in a plexiglas-sealed frame, like the disability-awareness butterflies, if customers want.

Visit our webstore (www.woodentoyandgift.net) to order online, or come by our shop to see these sweet, delicate plaques that pay homage to the stitcher in your life. Or email us at woodenoyandgift@comcast.net to special order a framed plaque. Let us know what color fabric (or natural wood) you would want in the background. 

Angels in your Pocket

All who know Terry know that she never starts her day without an angel on her shoulder. Sometimes she also has one in her pocket. For years she carried one in her school bag as well. And, of course, her guardian angel went with her virtually everywhere.

After Rick made the beautiful butterflies for the disability awareness plaques, Terry asked him about making angels. Within minutes, Rick had located a pattern for various angels online, and soon after that, he was at work.

The dear little Pocket Angels are painstakingly cut from 1/8" Baltic Birch Plywood with a scroll saw, and then carefully filed by hand to a smooth finish. Each one measures approximately 1" square.

Rick then downloaded more angel patterns. He's made one that is about the size of the butterfly (4" x 4"). It might be hung in a window, or on a wall. It might also decorate a Christmas Tree. In a frame, it could, like Rick's military, firefighter and disability plaques, sit on a shelf or desk.

That Rick makes these angels happily adds a special sentiment to the treasured pieces of wood. They are made with love and care, and they bring that love and care with them, where ever they go.

You'll find them in our shop, or at the online web store. I'm sure you and whomever you choose to give them to will love them as much as Terry and Rick do.

Remember, everything that Rick sells in his shop and his online web store are always made right here in Georgetown, Massachusetts, using select quality wood. Wood is a renewable, biodegradable product and all of Rick's products are hand polished to reveal the natural beauty of the wood, without added stains or paints, and so are non-toxic to you and your community. We are proud to say that everything we sell is MADE IN THE U.S.A. !

Visit our webstore to order these angels online: http://www.woodentoyandgift.net/apps/webstore/products/show/3988960

Or come on in to see us: just two doors north of Perley School in Georgetown, Massachusetts.