Heartbroken

There never was a better man. My heart died with Rick this Christmas morning. Please send prayers for his peaceful rest, and know he will fly with the angels, watching over his loved ones ... always. Rick said so often, from the time he first began making ornaments for our family long ago ... It is always Christmas at the Palardy's.

Branching Out

Rick has been working on several projects these past few months. In addition to his scroll-saw plaques, he has been making wooden bases for table-top sewing machines that he and Terry have rejuvenated. He has also recently made an extension table for such machines. Watch for these items to appear at his webstore.

An extension table for a vintage machine
in a wooden base.

This former treadle machine is now a hand crank,
 and needs only this small wooden base
made by Rick. 

Rick's sewing machine base and extension table are made of clear pine, poplar or white oak. The table is also covered with a plexiglas surface to allow smooth movement of fabric for quilters. He doesn't stain or paint these items, preferring the natural beauty of the wood as it ages. But customers are free to embellish the wooden products to suit their own settings.

This base has two storage units with covers;
they add to the sewing surface as well.

Be sure to visit the webstore, or call Rick to talk about your own vintage machine and what it might need to be functional again.

webstore: www.woodentoyandgift.net

shop phone: 978 352 2676

Rick's email: woodentoyandgift@comcast.net

Please share this blog update with your friends and neighbors who might have an old machine in their attic or garage ... we're happy to help owners learn how to restore and maintain those beauties!

Closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day ... New Year's Eve after five, and New Year's Day. HOWEVER ...

We are open on four more days of 2015:

Wed. 12/23 11 - 7; 
Saturday 12/26 11-7;
Wed 12/30 11-7;
Thursday 12/31, 11-5; 

And then we're closed 'til March 1st, 2016.

But when we are at home, we will ALWAYS open for friends and family and customers in need of fabrics,etc. You can always call us at

 978 352 2676. 

We'll be in and out through January and February, visiting folks we've missed this year. 

We're saving on heating costs, but if you're up for a chilly visit, you're welcome to call ahead! heart emoticon Bundle up~

And please leave your phone number for a call back ... we're old fashioned ~ we don't have caller id ... just an old fashioned answering machine that we can hear only when we're home. No cell phones here. Honest.

But we love to hear from you~ the old way. On a real phone. Wire a wire, on a table near a chair. 

Daily Deal #10 Wednesday December 16, 2015

Daily Deal #10

20% off this stitchers' small plaque ... $15.00 - $3.00 = $12.00

http://www.woodentoyandgift.net/apps/webstore/products/show/5973120.

We operate on Eastern Standard Time, and so web store orders placed by midnight our time on the day of the sale will have the 20% of your purchase REFUNDED to your charge card VIA PAYPAL as soon as the order is filled. There will be no tax added for out-of-state orders, and shipping differences(which result because shipping cost is always a 'best guestimate") will be refunded if the estimate is more than a dollar over the actual shipping cost at the post office. Orders will be shipped within two business days, and will normally go parcel post or first class, depending on weight.

Daily Deal #9: Tuesday December 15, 2015

Daily Deal #9: "Dear Santa I was Naughty..."

This plaque is on sale 'til midnight: $25.00 - 20% = $20.00

http://www.woodentoyandgift.net/apps/webstore/products/show/6415625

You can also check our Facebook Page for updates on the Daily Deals!

Day six of the Last 12 Days of Online shopping/shipping~

We're half way there ... day 6 offers this two dimensional scroll saw art ornament for 20% off!

Go to this page to purchase this $25.00 ornament at 20% off, sale price of $20.00!

http://www.woodentoyandgift.net/apps/webstore/products/show/4390216

We operate on Eastern Standard Time, and so web store orders placed by midnight our time on the day of the sale will have the 20% of your purchase REFUNDED to your charge card VIA PAYPAL as soon as the order is filled. There will be no tax added for out-of-state orders, and shipping differences(which result because shipping cost is always a 'best guestimate") will be refunded if the estimate is more than a dollar over the actual shipping cost at the post office. Orders will be shipped within two business days, and will normally go parcel post or first class, depending on weight. 

Twelve online shopping/shipping days before Christmas week!

This past week, Wooden Toy and Gift (and Quilters' Quarters) are offering 20% discounts - one selected item per day.

At our webstores, you can purchase through PayPal; the discount will be applied and refunded to your PayPal account if you order the daily deal item before midnight Eastern Standard Time that day.

Thursday December 10th is the fourth day of this event, and Wooden Toy and Gift's webstore daily deal  is a fabric-backed ornament: it can be purchased in our shop at 59 North Street, Georgetown, MA (just 2 doors north of Perley School, 1/4 mile from Georgetown Square.) It can also be purchased online at our webstore, at this link: http://www.woodentoyandgift.net/apps/webstore/products/show/6509309   http://www.woodentoyandgift.net/apps/webstore/products/show/6509309

Regular price: $8.00
On 12/10/15, daily deal 20% discount
= $6.40 plus tax and shipping.

Each day until December 18th this Daily Deal event will be posted here at the blog, and also at Facebook's Wooden Toy and Gift page.  The link to the item for the day will be included in the post, though at the webstore the 20% will not be seen in print, but it will be refunded to you when the order ships (first class or parcel post, depending on the weight of the article each day.) Please read the details of this two week event in the paragraph below, taken from our Quilters' Quarters blog: 

We operate on Eastern Standard Time, and so web store orders placed by midnight our time on the day of the sale will have the 20% of your purchase REFUNDED to your charge card VIA PAYPAL as soon as the order is filled. There will be no tax added for out-of-state orders, and shipping differences(which result because shipping cost is always a 'best guestimate") will be refunded if the estimate is more than a dollar over the actual shipping cost at the post office. Orders will be shipped within two business days, and will normally go parcel post or first class, depending on weight. 

For those receiving this notice in email, thank you for signing up to follow our newslsetter. Please feel free to forward this to your friends and family and suggest that they, too, can receive these emails each day through the 18th. After that day, the newsletter will return to its occasional (monthly?) schedule.

Important links:
www.Woodentoyandgift.net (web store with all items posted)

Facebook page:    https://www.facebook.com/Wooden-Toy-and-Gift-111508638881608/?fref=ts

email: woodentoyandgift@comcast.net

phone: 978-352-2676

Rick has some new plaques in the shop, featuring American Heroes, Thanksgiving Day, Halloween Images and more. All of his plaques are hand-cut with a scroll saw and sanded to a clear natural finish. Most are or can be by request backed with 100% cotton fabric that acts like stained glass when lit from behind, as in a window pane.

Visit his webstore at www.woodentoyandgift.net to purchase these beautiful gifts, or stop in to see his new display space at the shop.

We are open from 11 to 7 most Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 59 North Street in Georgetown, Massachusetts ("Just two doors north of Perley School." See you soon?

Baltic Birch Plywood Plaques for Needleworkers

Rick Palardy has been making plaques for American Heroes, but is also making decorative plaques for those who enjoy the needle arts of quilting and knitting. Using the elegant scroll patterns of Sue Mey, Rick patiently sits at the scroll saw to hand guide the smallest of blades through the delicate 1/8" laminated plywood made of high quality Baltic Birch wood.

To preserve the pale beauty of this wood, he then coats each piece with three layers of clear polyurethane, allowing the beauty of the wood to shine through the spray which protecting it from curious fingerprints and the sun damage that would otherwise occur in those displayed on windowsills.

Rick backs each plaque with quilt-quality 100% cotton fabric in bright solid colors. Each plaque comes with a a flat, adhesive plastic hook that allows it to be hung in a window. But for those who want to display the plaque on a small table or  shelf, a folding stand is also available, also hand cut from Baltic Birch.


The plaques come in two sizes; small (3.75" x 5.25"), and medium (5.75" x 8" .)  The small plaques sell at retail for $15.00; the medium size sells for $20.00.

The stand, when open, measures 6" x 4.75" and sells separately for $5.00.

 Rick backs the plaques with the primary colors of red, yellow and blue, and the secondary color green. Different color backings can be special ordered; your own samples of fabric can also be used upon request. For special orders using your own fabric sample, please mail or bring  the fabric to Wooden Toy and Gift, 59 North Street, Georgetown, Massachusetts 01833.

These plaques can be seen and purchased at Quilters' Quarters and Wooden Toy and Gift in Georgetown, Massachusetts. They also can be ordered online at woodentoyandgift.net (see website for shipping costs.) You might also find them in other small quilt shops that are making them available on consignment for Rick.

Plaques Honoring American Heroes

For those injured in battle

This is a new division of Rick's Wooden Toy and Gift business; a place where you can find gifts for those special heroes in your life, and in the lives of your family, friends and neighbors, as well as co-workers and retirees.

The goal is to broaden public recognition of the folks who protect all of us, whether they be military, police, firefighters, first responders, paramedics, EMTs, nurses, doctors, teachers, or simply Dads and Moms.

It's important in today's world to remember that we are both protected and served by many people in our world, and it's important to thank them as often as we can. A handshake offered in thanks is a warm way to recognize their service, their bravery, their courage, stamina and integrity. Without them, each of us would be less sure of ourselves.

For a Firefighter Family

And for our Police Officers

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” Mr. Rogers himself was a helper to so many youngsters, stepping in to fill the shoes of wise, kind adults who helped him in his youth.

Made for a friend's grandson, newly entered.

Visit the webstore and look for the new category of gifts being offered: they are delicately scrolled works of art that are made with care, appreciation and dedication to our heroes, whomever they may be. Think of those to whom you feel you owe a gift of gratitude, a measure of respect, and or an appreciation of protection and shared strength.

 If you don't see what you're looking for, let us know. Rick uses his own creativity for some work, and also uses patterns created by the scroll saw designer, Sue May. His work, and her ideas, are all products made in the U.S.A.

Made in honor of our nephew Stephen, KIA 2008, Afghanistan

Be proud of your heroes. Let them know of your respect for them. Drop by the shop to talk with Rick about what you'd like to see for your heroes.  Call him ~(978-352-2676) ~ or drop him a note in an email ~(woodentoyandgift@comcast.net.)  Don't let this opportunity slip by. Heroes don't, and we won't, either.

U.S.Marine Corps 

For a brother who served:
U. S. Army, Korean War Veteran, National Guard

Holiday Hours 2014

Hi everyone,

Quilters' Quarters and Wooden Toy and Gift will be opened sporadically for the holidays: next Wednesday, Nw Year's Eve from 11 to 3 pm, closed Thursday, New Year's day, and open Friday and Saturday, 11 - 7 pm. 

But we will probably be around town on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday of next week; the signs may not say open, but if you need some thread, fabric, needles or pens, we'll be happy to open our shops for you. Just give us a call at 978-352-2676 to schedule a visit; if we're not home, we'll hear your message later in the day and return your call if you leave your number.

Wishing all of you a Happy, Healthy, Safe New Year!

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday		Friday	Saturday

12/28 Closed	12/29 Closed	12/30 Closed	12/31 OPEN 11 am - 3 pm	1/1/2015 Closed	1/2/2015 Open 11 am - 7 pm		1/3/2015 Open 11 am - 7 pm
1/4 closed	1/5 closed	1/6 closed	1/7 OPEN 11 am - 7 pm	1/8 OPEN 11 am - 7 pm	1/9 OPEN 11 am - 7 pm		1/10 OPEN 11 am -   7 pm

Holiday Hours 2014

Hi everyone,

Quilters' Quarters and Wooden Toy and Gift will be closed for the holidays next Wednesday, Christmas Eve and Thursday, Christmas Day.  So that means that we have only TOMORROW, Saturday December 20th, as an official open day.

But we will probably be around town on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday of Christmas week; the signs may not say open, but if you need some last minute stocking stuffers, we'll be happy to open our shops for you. Just give us a call at 978-352-2676 to schedule a visit; if we're not home, we'll hear your message later in the day and return your call if you leave your number.

Post Christmas we will be open our regular hours (11 to 7) on Friday 12/26 and Saturday12/27.  We'll be closed most of the week of New Year's (Sunday 12/28 through Thursday 1/1/2015) with just early afternoon hours on New Year's Eve.

Post New Year's Day we return to our regular schedule of Wed. > Sat., 11-7 pm.

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday		Friday	Saturday
12/21 Closed butOpen By appointment	12/22 Closed butOpen By appointment	12/23 Closed butOpen By appointment	12/24 Closed	12//25 Closed	12/26 Open		12/27 Open
12/28 Closed	12/29 Closed	12/30 Closed	12/31 OPEN 11 am - 3 pm	1/1/2015 Closed	1/2/2015 Open		1/3/2015 Open
1/4 closed	1/5 closed	1/6 closed	1/7 OPEN	1/8 OPEN	1/9 OPEN		1/10 OPEN

Workshop Upstairs, and Showroom Down!

Welcome back to the "New and Improved" Wooden Toy and Gift Shop, now sharing its space with Quilters' Quarters. There is something here for every one.

The smaller tools have been relocated to the new second floor workroom of the barn, and the Wooden Toys and Gifts Showroom has moved into the brighter, renovated (former working space) at the back on the ground floor.

In his upstairs studio Rick has shifted his production to smaller pieces that can be varied and customized. Once known for his original 18" doll furniture, most often admired but not easily sold due to foreign competition with lower prices, he is now being recognized for small and large quality art pieces of scroll-saw work, and lathe-turned natural wood pens and pencils, and a plethora of child powered work trucks and other vehicles.

There is a new and growing supply of small wooden vehicles: collectible models  of sports cars, SUVs and limousines waiting for the new owner's paint brush details.  But they are already quite attractive in their natural wood tones and very safe for little one's hands, though not intended for children under three who might be at risk of putting small items into mouths.
In stock you will find, for the youngest, rolling rattles that clickety-clack across the floor inviting the chase of a crawling baby. For the sand-box-set of toddlers, all wood dump trucks, tow trucks, tractor-trailers with flat beds carrying bull-
dozers, and a new lumber truck complete with rough-cut "log" branches.  The puzzle trucks are as intriguing and challenging to grand-parents as they are to grand-kids.

Simple wooden jig saw puzzles for Valentines are available in sturdy 3/4 inch pine blocks of wood, and there will be more seasonal and holiday-themed puzzles in the months to come.














The newest pieces in the shop are worked by hand on a scroll saw.


Each of these ornaments is backed with quilt-quality 100% cotton. Those without a second layer of wood will allow the sunlight to shine through when hung in a window. The patterns for these ornaments and plaques are purchased from artists here in the U.S.A.  One's name is Sue Mey, and her patterns can be seen at www.scrollsawartist.com, and another is Steven Good, at www.stevedgo.ipower.com

Scroll-sawn wall hangings and tree ornaments range from those with Christmas themes to career plaques honoring police, fire and military personnel. And quilters and knitters will also find sweet sayings in the scroll saw ornament area (and some have found their way into the quilt shop as well.)

Remember, Wooden Toy and Gift is celebrating a Twentieth Anniversary (and Quilters' Quarters First Anniversary) on Small Business Saturday, November 29th (Thanksgiving Day Weekend) from 11 am to 7 pm at 59 North Street, Georgetown, Massachusetts ... "Just two doors north of Perley School." Hot cocoa and tea, brownies and more will be available to those who come visit!

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: