TRUCKS !

One of the things that Rick enjoys the most is making wooden trucks for children. As with most of his woodworking, Rick uses select quality Eastern White Pine for the truck bodies. And for most of his trucks, he also uses the pine for the wheels. Some of the wheels are cross-hatched with 'treads.' All of the trucks are sanded and rubbed to a smooth finish that allows the natural beauty of the pine to show through.

These trucks don't stay in stock for long. Most visitors who have little ones at home are drawn right away to the wooden hutch that holds the trucks. One visitor picked up the monster truck, and carried it throughout her tour of the shop, saying "I don't know who I'll give this to ... maybe, I'll keep it at my house for whoever comes to visit me."  That was such a wonderful idea!

The five piece puzzle truck is one of the first trucks that we had in the shop. Currently, it is out of stock, but Rick plans to have more made by the end of September. The overall length of the tractor and car carrier trailer is about 20 inches.It is made with purchased maple wheels, of a size that might be a swallowing hazard for toddlers under the age of three.  When fit all together properly, the height is about 7 inches, and the width 1 3/4 inches. The three cars that fit together form the body of the trailer and comprise the puzzle: they will only fit together one way. This invites little ones to use trial and error to put the cars back onto the flatbed. That's the kind of play that we know is so important for eye-hand coordination and problem-solving skill development.

What child doesn't like to have a dump truck to play with in the yard or on the beach? This truck measures 7 inches in length by 6 inches in height and 4 inches in width. To avoid pinched fingers, the dumper does not lift and dump. The cab of the truck has two wheels, and the dumper has eight wheels (two sets of doubles on each side.) These wheels are made by Rick of Eastern White Pine, and are shaped carefully to allow smooth rolling on a rug or in grass.

This flat bed trailer will carry either the dump truck (above) or the bulldozer (as shown here and below.) The trailer, tractor and wheels are all made of Eastern White Pine. The tractor has ten wheels of its own: two single tires at the front and four double sets support the goose-neck connection to the trailer.  The trailer has four double sets at the rear: eighteen wheels in all for this piece. The tractor and ten wheels measures  7  inches in length,  4.5  inches in height and  4  inches in width. The trailer, with it's goose-neck attachment and eight wheels measures 14.5  inches in length, 4  inches wide. When linked together by a wooden peg assembly, the overall length is 20.5 inches.

The bulldozer has four single, wider wheels. It's length is 6 inches, height is 3 inches (plus 3/4 inch dowel for exhaust) and 5.75 inches wide. The blade is 1/2 thick, 6 inches wide and 2.25 inches tall, and lifts up and down via a wooden peg system.

The VW dune buggy will be a favorite at the beach or in the sandbox. The vehicle and its wheels are made of Eastern White Pine. Extra-wide wheels with no tread support the bug's body, which features a cut-through window shape. This makes it easy for little hands to carry and move through the sand or the foliage. Here it is shown sitting in a bed of English Ivy (unfortunately not included :)

The Monster Truck has Very large wheels cross-hatched for tread. The wheels themselves are 2.75 inches in diameter and 3 inches thick, making the overall width of the truck and tires 8 inches. It stands about 7 inches high and about 7 inches in length. Made of Eastern White Pine, this truck delights both toddlers and older children alike.


Stop into our shop to see our trucks ... you never know when you might need one on hand for a special gift.  Or visit our webstore at www.woodentoyandgift.net and purchase via PayPal.

Christmas in July 2013

Christmas in July!

59 North Street (2 doors north of Perley)

Georgetown, Massachusetts

Come to our shop in Georgetown, Massachusetts. We're having our annual Christmas in July celebration on Saturday and Sunday, July 13th and 14th, from 9:00 am until the crowds dwindle.

We'll be displaying things on the sidewalk out front, and the shop itself will be AC cool!

Take a look at how we're advertising street-side this weekend:

And, surely you remember this little guy? We're giving him a better role than he used to have in the way-back-when days...

Come on in - we are a smoke-free environment, and it is still Kool inside! We'll give an additional 10% discount on any one item to the first person who knows his advertising name...





It wouldn't be Christmas in July without a train on the table, right?

 This will be our first weekend for accepting Visa, Mastercard and Discover! Come on, shop with us~ buy them all; we can make more.

Online shopping? Visit our webstore at www.woodentoyandgift.net. PayPal does not understand discount weekends, so to honor our Christmas in July sale for our online customers, we will include a refund check of ten percent of the order (post-tax) with your package. Looking for something special? Email us before October 1, 2013, at woodentoyandgift@comcast.net, to let us know what it is you would like. We will do our best to fulfill your dreams before Christmas! And if you email us the penguin's advertising name before anyone else does, we will send a check with your order for the additional ten percent discount prize.

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.

Buying Local, Buying American

   I remember being a child and hearing and singing this jingle on radio and television commercials:

 "Brown eggs are local eggs, and local eggs are fresh!"

Later, a television infomercial would feature Joe the Grocer, a healthy, hearty man who would appear on Sunday mornings and talk about local gardens and the produce that could be bought there.  I remember him advising us that fresh produce was grown locally and handled by the farmer and the customer, period.

Why am I reminiscing about these two sound bites from the past? Because their messages rang true to me then, and still do today. The message "Support Small Businesses, Local Businesses" today has a different ring to it,  but the truth is still the same. Buying local is the responsible thing to do.

People voice their displeasure at the number of jobs that have been lost in the past two decades. Manufacturing sent overseas for cheaper labor expenditures means lower prices for consumers and higher profits for the owners of those industries, all do to the lower cost of living and level of quality of life for those overseas workers.  But if people here would listen to themselves, they would hear an honest call to shop local.  

Manufacturers of similar goods produced here in the United States, created and developed by workers living here in the  States  ~  where the cost of living and the quality of life is recognizably higher ~  have high labor costs and so must set higher prices.  It is the same for small local businesses. We pride ourselves on our 'first world' lifestyle. We buy, when we can afford to, American-made products. And when times are tough, some of us turn to cheaper imports. But that never helps things here in the USA. We need to spend our money here.

Our economy right now is still sluggish, following the recession that, like a bad storm that didn't earn a name , whirled through the States leaving behind destruction, broken factories and different expectations. But our dreams and beliefs remain the same: we are The United States of America. We have skills, and raw materials, and creative thinkers, and yes, dreamers. But our dreamers are not without plans to achieve those dreams. We set achievable goals. And we strive to meet them.

Our goal, Rick and I,  is to see our dream come true. We've long believed that, post retirement, we would have time to create the toys and gifts that we believe can bring people to the realization of their own dreams and creative strengths. There is another song lyric that I remember: 

I believe the children are our future, Teach them well and let them lead the way. Show them all the beauty they possess inside. Give them a sense of pride to make it easier. Let the children’s laughter remind us how we used to be. Whitney Houston, The Greatest Love

We know that many people of the world make toys and gifts. But what I want you to know is why Rick makes his toys and gifts the way he makes them.  When our first child was young, she would often bring a new toy to her Daddy, saying "Please fix this, Daddy." And Rick would do his best not to let her down.  Sometimes it just needed a battery, but more often the plastic had cracked, or something had fallen off, or a joint had failed, and it "didn't do what it was supposed to do."

Rick decided then, so many years ago, that children were best served when they were given toys that encouraged them to think, to create, to imagine and pretend. Toys that would allow children to return to them again and again and always have a new experience in their play. And so he decided to make his own, for his own, and for all children.

Rick believes in his products. He believes that our children and grandchildren need toys that have value. Rick believes that toys that run on batteries and only "do what they are supposed to do" (and never do anything different) require little originality and imagination from children. He believes that toys need to encourage the next generations to be original and imaginative. Rick makes toys that are biodegradable in time, but valuable in their durability. He makes toys of renewable resources (wood) and doesn't treat them with false finishes (brightly colored and potentially toxic paints and stains.) Instead, he lovingly sands and rubs them smooth to bring the wood's natural beauty to the eye of the beholder. 

I remember more lyrics from that song:

Everybody searching for a hero, People need someone to look up to ...  I decided long ago never to walk in anyone’s shadow If I fail, if I succeed At least I’ll live as I believe  ...

I am so proud to work with Rick in our shop, making my quilts, writing my books, and enjoying Rick's tenacity in fulfilling his dream of providing toys with quality and integrity to children. Rick does make beautiful things of beautiful wood, and that does make people happy. I'll be writing more about the why and the how of Rick's Wooden Toy and Gift shop at this blog, and I hope you'll visit us today and sign up to follow us by email. 

See the 'submit email' button in the right side bar. If you are not local, you can visit his online store at  www.woodentoyandgift.net. Don't miss out on any special offers advertised here on the blog.

I'm asking you to do this because I believe that you share Rick's values, our values ~Toys that are:

·         MADE IN USA. Everything we sell is made by Rick or Terry, right here in Georgetown, Massachusetts.

·         NON-TOXIC.  A little non-toxic acrylic paint is used on some gift items; otherwise, wood is left natural.

·         RENEWABLE RESOURCES. Wood comes from American Trees, which grow abundantly here in New England.

·         BIODEGRADABLE.  Plastics will still be in landfills hundreds of years from now. Wood will decompose.

·         DURABLE, HEIRLOOM QUALITY IN A CHILD'S WORLD.  'Nuff said!

·         ENCOURAGING IMAGINATION, INSPIRATION AND ORIGINAL THOUGHT. Because kids can think!

      *Though our wooden toys are not indestructible, they have the potential to last for years and become treasured hand-me-downs for the next generation. If one has an unfortunate accident, Rick will always answer the call: "Please fix this, Daddy..."

Wooden Furniture for 18" Dolls

As we wrote in a previous post, Rick often works with select quality Eastern White Pine, and sands and rubs the wood to a beautiful natural finish. He doesn't use stain on the woods, instead leaving them "unfinished," which is a misleading word. He prefers to sell the items in a non-toxic state, leaving the choice of natural or color to the customer. In the case of the motorcycle, we know of two that were changed: one was painted to match Grampy's purple motorcycle, and one was treated with several coats of clear spray varnish to enhance the beauty of the wood and the durability of the heirloom.

Rick finishes his doll furniture, also made of select quality Eastern White Pine, in the same way. He designed the picket fence bed many years ago, and made a headboard for a twin size bed to match. The full size headboard was soon purchased, and though he hasn't made another, he would if asked; one customer asked for a bureau, and Rick made one with deep drawers to hold doll clothes. Because these dolls have many outfits, one bureau was not enough. So Rick made an armoire to hold fancy dresses and shoes.

He's made a 'pedestal table' and arm chairs out of high quality plywood with carefully scroll-sawn patterns in the chairs' backs. To complement the table and chairs, he's made a china hutch with linen storage benath and a grandfather clock with working movement: the only battery powered item in his collection!

Terry dresses the table with a 100% cotton, washable table cloth, coordinating napkins and seat pillows. It makes for quite a display when the table set, hutch and grandfather clock are used together. Tea sets of old can be purchased at many gift shops - plastic sets for younger children are available at many mall toy store chains.

Due to the small cabinet door handles, these pieces are not recommended for children under four. But once your children are interested in the 18" dolls and their accompanying stories, this furniture is a very good investment. Children playing with tea sets and dolls often become very creative in their thoughts and vocabularies. Many hours of good old fashioned fun will take place around this table!

It's important to note that these pieces also nicely accommodate a family of teddy bears~ He even made a park bench to allow the dolls or teddies to chat about books outside.

Visit our webstore at www.woodentoyandgift.net to find these furniture pieces, or drop by our shop to see them in person. We'd love to introduce you to our dolls and teddies and have you join their tea party!

Trophy Golf Cart

Rick enjoys making toys for kids ... toys that don't require batteries, but do encourage imagination. But once in a while, he likes to make toys for grown ups. The item we're going to share with you today is just that: a shelf-sized golf cart and golf club bag.The cart and bag are made of two naturally-contrasting woods: ash and black walnut.

If you're a baseball fan, you know ash as the wood that is used to make baseball bats White ash is light in color, not too heavy in weight, but powerfully strong.  Besides the baseball bat, it is also used to make hockey sticks, and because it is easy to steam-bend, it makes great sled runners, snow shoes, boats and canoe paddles. Black ash is not black but rather a beige color, that retains its beige evenly over time, unlike most woods which will take on a yellow or gray hue with age.

 Instead of a mild contrast between white ash and black ash, Rick chose to strike the more dramatic contrast between white ash and dark walnut. The black walnut is a hardwood often used for its fine grain and natural dark beauty. It  contrasts with the lighter ash beautifully without any stain, which makes it perfect for our uses.

 Rick spent many hours crafting this miniature golf card and bag. The wheels of the cart are made of wood, but their outer tires are a hard rubber, and they were purchased to mimic the look of a real golf cart.  Not intended for the rough and tumble playtime of a child, this trophy of a cart was designed for golfers who love craftsmanship. It has several small parts that would of course be a choking hazard for a small child.

As with all of his beautifully worked naturally blended pieces, you can see Rick's Trophy Golf Cart here in our shop in Georgetown, Massachusetts, or online at our web store: www.woodentoyandgift.net. He made two, with the light and dark woods in reverse order. One has sold, and the other is a treasure waiting to be bought.

Rocking Motorcycle made of Eastern White Pine, gentle to the touch

A board of Pinus strobus (eastern white pine) having a dovetailed joint cut in it. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Newsletter # 3:

People are always curious about what kinds of wood we use in our products. We use a variety of woods, enjoying the contrasting colors when pieces are made of more than one type.

Many of our pieces are made of Eastern White Pine. But not all Eastern White Pine planks are equal. Our wood must be carefully viewed and pass the test of 'select' wood ... that means that there are few knots, widely spaced, and the planks are straight.

If you have ever gone into a lumber yard and watched people choosing boards for their D.I.Y. (do it yourself) projects, you may see some setting a pile of good lumber to one side, and of 'rejects' to the other. At first glance, you may not recognize the flaws in the 'reject' pile ... but a woodworker would quickly show you how to hold a board and look down its length for a straight line indicating that the board has not warped or twisted since being cut, and then to turn it over scanning the back, edges and front for loose knots that would cause a saw to jump, or be in the way for positioning joints such as the dovetail joint in the photo above.

The Rocking Motorcycle made here in our shop is made of select Eastern White Pine; the body has to be 'built' by joining several lengths and thicknesses of pine planks with glue. The body pieces are then shaped with sanding, resulting in a very smooth, gentle-to-the-skin touch. Each wheel is made of more than twenty separate pieces of pine. The wheels do spin on their axles.

Its rockers are made of Hard Maple. Hard Maple is often cut from Sugar Maple trees (the ones that people tap in late winter/early spring to gather maple syrup.) You can tell the difference between a board of hard maple and a board of soft maple by finding a smooth edge of the wood and firmly pressing your fingernail against it. If you can leave a mark, it's soft maple. If you can't, it's hard. The rockers will get a lot of wear and tear, and so the wood needs to be hard to hold its arc shape.

Even though the motorcycle has three times the quantity of pine in comparison to the quanitity of maple in the rockers, that smaller amount of maple will cost more than the larger amount of pine. But it is worth it for the life of the rocking motorcycle. This piece of 'furniture' will last for decades and will become a family heirloom to be shared from generation to generation. That is said with this caveat: even though it is a toy, it must be cared for like a piece of furniture. Leaving it outside in the rain will age the pine, may warp the wood, and weaken the joints. Lifting its full weight by the handlebars to move it from place to place will also strain the wood along the grain. But given the right care and treatment, this rocking motorcycle will delight many for years to come. It is an investment for your family, and has been made with a loving labor.


Remember, you can see images of the rocking motorcycle at our website. It is also currently being featured on eBay. See the right side margin for links our webstore and Etsy and eBay. Or drop by the shop, if you're local. If you're coming a distance, call us at 978-352-2676 and leave your name and number or email and we'll set up an appointment for you.

And one last thing - if you want to receive an email each time we update this news, just 'follow' us at the links in the margin.  Thanks!