Wooden Toy and Gift Diversifies~

The winter weather will soon come to a close, and the construction will soon after begin to take place, making more room in the Wooden Toy and Gift Shop by opening the second floor of the shop for quilt classes.  As the snow melts, some flowers will begin re-appearing in front of the house and the shop.

Rick is consolidating and diversifying simultaneously. His original 18" doll furniture is dwindling in number as customers hear about his 33% markdown and have been finding their way in to purchase the remaining pieces. There are still a few pieces left in stock that could be put on layaway for birthdays and holidays yet to come, but it seems likely that by December 2014 they will all have been bought or reserved, so come in now to make arrangements so that your little one can enjoy this furniture for years to come:

    

His new collection of scroll-sawn plaques made of Baltic Birch Plywood is also growing. In addition to the Military and Public Service plaques, the Butterfly Disability Awareness plaques and the Retirement/Career plaques, he is branching out into Spring  Flower plaques, which can be viewed hanging in the shop door window, just above our old-fashioned brass turn-key door bell (please make sure you ring it as you enter, or let your little one do it for you.) 

 

                     
                                                                
                                                        

They are attractive inside the windows as well, with the sun shining through and giving the look of stained glass to the color backing (which is quilt-quality cotton fabric.)

                                                
                                            

Rick will soon add a larger plaque incorporating all four: rose, tulip, sunflower and daisies. Individually, they are beautiful, and as a  larger piece, they are strikingly eye-catching.  Stay tuned for the reveal.

Of course, Rick is also still adding to his line of toy trucks, made of quality Eastern White Pine in its natural, smooth, hand-rubbed state.  He's added a new one for this year: an ATV on a trailer pulled by a monster truck with oversize wheels. The trailer can be tipped back by pulling a dowel to allow the ATV to roll off, just as a real one might! 

Remember to visit at www.woodentoyandgift.net to see these pieces with prices. And check out what new arrivals for spring are coming in to the Quilters' Quarters by visiting us: AtQuiltersQuarters.blogspot.com. 

Be well - remember to play with toys now and then - and thanks for coming in to see all of ours!

~ Rick and Terry Palardy

Winter has set in with a ferocity here in Northern Essex County. We're only ten miles from the New Hampshire Border along the Atlantic Coast, but the air is dry and cold this week. Zero degrees overnight, four above in the morning hours, and still in the teens in the early afternoon. It will drop again, but we might have some above freezing temperatures over the weekend.  Might~  that is the key word.

The barn has been very cold these past few weeks, and the snow has been frequent, requiring time from Rick for clearing the driveway, steps and sidewalk out front. His time for working on his scroll saw in the shop has been limited by these climate factors. But he has been gathering patterns and will be ready for some steady work hours when the freeze relents once again.

Here is how our inventory looks now ~ The rocking motorcycles are all sold (one is on layaway but will no doubt be picked up by summer.) The doll cradles, beds, pedestal tables, school desk/chair, and small lap desk have also sold out.

 ~ There are a few pieces of the 18" doll furniture left. We still have three Grandfather Clocks, one each of the Single and Double A-Frame Porch Swings, two Side Chairs, two Chests of Drawers, two China Hutches, two Armoires , and the two toddler-sized Push-Me-Pull-Me sleds. When these last large pieces are gone, they will not be replaced, so purchase or layaway now to hold these items for Valentine's Day, Easter, Birthdays and other gift occasions. Email us at woodentoyandgift@comcast.net for sale prices and layaway details, or stop in to see us.You can also call us at 978-352-2676 to leave a message and we'll return your call.

Rick will continue making various wooden trucks and vehicles as they are not cumbersome and take up less space in the shop. He'll replace the turtle puzzle and other small items that have sold this season. And he will focus more time on the scroll saw plaques and ornaments as they are easier to ship and store.

In the other room, the Quilters' Quarters is beginning to grow with new wooden/Plexiglas fabric cabinets, more bolts of fabrics, interfacings and battings large and small. The thread drawers are full to capacity with many bright colors and all three brands (Coats/Clarks, Mettler and Gutermann.) The Quilters' Lending Library has an assortment of comprehensive books and magazines for borrowing, and there are other new books for sale as well.  Terry has begun scheduling individual coaching lessons to help quilters and non-quilters choose or design patterns and select fabrics, color schemes, sizes and threads.

The shop hours are now established and predictable: Wednesday through Saturday, 11 am - 7 pm. Other hours can be arranged to fit your schedule; call the shop at 978 352 2676 or 6758 to let us know when you could come by. Individual lessons can be flexible as well.

Remember: the "No Parking" signs out front  are for school hours only (Mon - Friday, 8 am - 4 pm.) Parking is not restricted on the other side of the street (and parents picking up children are often parked there from 2:30 to 3:00 pm, but otherwise it is quite clear.) Evening and weekends you can park on both sides of the street. Our driveway will also accommodate three or four vehicles as well, all of the time.

Rick and I always look forward to seeing friends and family, neighbors and visitors.  Come by and see the changes. We're always open to suggestions!

Be well, and be warm.
~Terry and Rick

Holiday Shop Hop December 14th; Santa Tours the Town collecting Toys for Tots December 15th

Baltic Birch backed with gold stars on red cotton

We're going to have a wonderful weekend in Georgetown, Massachusetts~ Small Businesses like Wooden Toy and Gift and the new Quilters' Quarters will be offering refreshments, entertainments, discounts, door prizes and more on Saturday, December 14th.

Two layers of Baltic Birch backed with brown cotton fabric

And on Sunday the 15th, Santa will be touring the town, visiting every street in every neighborhood with the U.S. Marine Corps' Toys for Tots campaign.  Each year, Georgetown residents donate over three thousand gifts to the toy collection. The Georgetown Fire Department sponsors this parade of apparatus and vehicles to gather the toys right from the source: Georgetown families.

Fire Department Christmas tree backed with red and green cotton

Wooden Toy and Gift helps the fire department by collecting donations in our shop and placing them in the Marine's hands as they come by our shop.  We make our own donations to them on that day as well. 

A new collection of ornaments at Wooden Toy and Gift

The beautiful wooden rocking motor cycles have all been sold, and many of the large pieces of 18" doll furniture have also found their way into homes that treasure their dolls.  Rick is making more small items now; he has a collection of scroll sawn ornaments, plaques and figures for sale in the shop. 

Two layers of Baltic Birch with red cotton fabric

Terry has expanded the Terry's Thoughts and Threads  portion of the shop to include Quilters' Quarters, a place where townspeople and others can find fabrics, notions, threads, batting, ribbons and trims that we used to be able to buy in our five and ten store called Cressy's. We lost that wonderful resource several years ago, and now Wooden Toy and Gift and Terry's Thoughts and Threads are stepping up to replace the goods that stitchers have had to travel out of town to find in recent years. 

Frosty the Snowman and a little girl sculpting him; open design

Enjoy this "Most Wonderful Time of the Year" and join in the celebration this coming weekend.  Santa will be glad to see you street-side offering your donated new, unwrapped toys to the Marines that ride with him each year in Georgetown.  And we'll look forward to seeing you on Holiday Shop Hop Saturday!

Away in a Manger, open design

Merry Christmas, everyone!

with love and care,

Rick and Terry

Baltic Birch backed with green cotton fabric

Remember, you can buy Rick's beautiful scroll saw work in the shop, or order online at www.woodentoyandgift.net.

You can also visit Terry's Thoughts and Threads portion of the shop at  www.terrycrawfordpalardy.com.

Fall Season is ending; Winter changes are ahead.

We've had some time this fall to think about the changes ahead for Wooden Toy and Gift.  The larger pieces, including the rocking motorcycle and 18" doll furniture are dwindling in numbers. They continue to be sold with a 30% discount to lucky buyers who will  have items in the limited collection designed and made by Rick. The shop will be adding more plaques, puzzles and small wooden items in place of the larger ones.

Please stop in to see us on Small Business Saturday (November 30, 2013. We'll be celebrating the new Quilters' Quarters with door prizes and discounts on fabric, batting, sewing notions and more. And of course, we'll be serving hot cocoa and home made cookies.

Visit our webstore at the www.woodentoyandgift.net site to find which items are still in stock and on sale. Or come visit us and save shipping cost! We'd love to see you.

Fall Clearance Sale!

The beautiful weather has seen Rick and Terry out front this weekend. With a multi-family yard sale next door benefitting a young girl's college fund, Wooden Toy and Gift has again set up the canopies and is offering a great price on the larger wooden toys that Rick makes.

Rick is going to begin focusing on the smaller, more detailed scroll saw work, creating  plaques for many special occasions. Weddings, births, retirements, homecomings ... college, military and public service affiliations ... disability awareness butterflies and angels, large and pocket size ... along with the smaller-sized trucks and puzzles that intrigue and inspire creativity and imagination in young children ... these are the items he will continue making. "Beautiful things that make people happy" is still his goal; toys that allow kids to think and enjoy playing with for years ... things that will last from generation to generation ... these are the things that are worth the time and care he puts into his work.

And so, from now until the larger items are sold out, Rick is offering them at a 1/3 discount. This may be the last chance for shoppers to acquire the large rocking motor cycle and the 18" doll furniture pieces:  his  pedestal dining table and arm chairs, the armoire, china hutch, grandfather clock, bureau and picket fence bed will all become collectors' items of
limited numbers. You really don't want to miss this pre-holiday clearance sale!

In place of the larger items, space in the shop will be refurbished to accommodate a woodworker's and a quilter's dreams ... for several years now, Georgetown has been without its Five and Ten Cent hardware/general store in town. When Cressy's closed downtown, a piece of Georgetown's history was lost. The place where local shoppers could stop in and find almost anything they were looking for had met the needs of local quilters for many decades. While Wooden Toy and Gift can't physically accommodate all of those varied shoppers, there is a small group whose needs have not been met by the other retail stores in town: stitchers have had to go out of town to find those essential little notions to begin or finish their quilts and fabric needs.

The second half of Wooden Toy and Gift known as Terry's Thoughts and Threads will expand to fill the open space. Fabrics, threads, needles and pins, batting, trims, patterns and books will begin to appear in the first floor shop, and sewing lessons will be offered in the space.  In time, the second floor will become a quilters' studio where lessons for beginners and small groups of quilting friends can gather to share ideas and skills with an end-goal of producing small quilts that will be donated to those in need. As the disability plaques honor those who face and meet challenges, the charitable quilts will warm those in need of a bit of comfort and love.

A little bit of the town's history will be reborn ... memories of the centuries past will be reawakened as Terry shares her knowledge and care of treadle machines ... . Rick will continue to honor the accomplishments and courageous battles of those who face illness and those who face challenges in protecting our way of life. And together, they will continue to use all that they have to fulfill their retirement dreams of hosting local shoppers in the little shop "just two doors north of Perley School" in Georgetown, Massachusetts.

Watch for the clearance sales, and listen for news of the quilt shop's opening. There will be updates here at the WTandGNews.blogspot.com, at www.WoodenToyandGift.net, at www.TerryCrawfordPalardy.com. and on our Facebook pages for Wooden Toy and Gift and Terry's Thoughts and Threads.

And watch for a new book that will surely follow all of these events ... the Happily Ever After years of Rick and Terry's retirement are coming true~