Jack's Inner Child

For as long as I can remember, Jack has always talked about building a train.  It was one of those things that his younger days kept him committed to.  It literally took him at least 1 year to design and create his masterpiece.  I personally think that my grown husband has always secretly wanted one.  By all rights, I believe this one belongs to him.  If someone places a custom order for one of our trains, he would be hard pressed to split this one up.  He would rather start from scratch.  For some odd reason, I think they'll be additions to this one and one day, it will surround my house.  ;)

Last Christmas, we had a customer visit our shop on Etsy, (https://www.etsy.com/shop/2HeartsDesire?section_id=12325196&ref=shopsection_leftnav_1) contact us about building a custom train.  It was the first one we ever did and Jack just couldn't refuse.  What better reason to get started on his journey?

The customer made several requests on ideas, sizes and colors.  It was even themed around a popular children's show.  Here are some shots of the train we created for her daughter's Christmas gift.

All pieces are cut, sanded and painted by hand.



















STARTING FROM SCRATCH

The caboose is in the works!  The lid comes off and the peg people are removable.

Next came the car carrier.  Complete with removable car for an extra value piece and another mode of transportation for its passengers!  Other train cars followed, including a tanker, a wood car and a drum car.  All cars are then connected using a peg system which moves freely around a floor or track.

I'm beginning to see railroad and street signs coming soon...



We also offer the train as individual pieces.  They'd make a great baby shower gift or a gift to celebrate a Baptism or birthday!  Start with the engine as a baby shower gift.  Begin creating a set and add the caboose for a baptism or birthday.   Keep adding additional cars of your choice for any special occasion!

    







 START A COLLECTION
       FOR THE LITTLE
   GUY IN YOUR LIFE!!!

                                                   1, 2, 3, 4, 5 OR EVEN 6 CARS!

 

COME ON IN AND JOIN THE FUN!

My Daughter's Beach Wedding

It's been just about a year, (just another week away), that my oldest daughter tied the knot and married the love of her life.  It was a wonderful event, picture perfect in every way.  Happy  Anniversary Ryan and Milissa!

Needless to say, the preparations seemed endless and naturally my daughter wanted to cut costs any way she could so she enlisted our help, along with everyone else in the family.  Because we are the "crafty" ones, her list was a little long.  We created items from place cards, favors, a lobster trap card box, trays, and sailboats.  There were a lot of little things and extra touches as well and we were busy for months!

The biggest project was the individual miniature sailboats.  She had wanted to use them as seating cards with the guests' names and table numbers on them and then they would double as a wedding favor for each guest to take home.  We took it one step further and painted the boats certain colors to reflect the guest's menu choice.  Black was beef, gold was chicken and pink was vegan.  The guests were instructed to take their boats to their seats and put them by their plate so that when the servers came with the menu selections, they simply had to look at the color of the boat to know which guest ordered which meal.

We expanded upon this idea, made a few adjustments and began marketing them to our customers in our Etsy shop. ( https://www.etsy.com/shop/2HeartsDesire?section_id=15132076&ref=shopsection).  We modified the sails to a heavy card stock that can be printed, which we provide either blank or printed for you.  The customer can choose or request their own colors that coordinate with their theme.   Not only can these be used as place settings with the guests' names and table numbers, but they can be personalized as well with the names of the bride and groom and the wedding date.  If you'd like to use them as favors for each guest, a simple "Thank you" can be printed on the sail or a small personal note expressing your appreciation.  The options are limitless and we pride ourselves in our ability to work very closely with each and every customer to create exactly what they want.

Our Favorite Project

We were commissioned to design, create, build and hand paint a large “treasure” chest to hold wedding cards at a customer’s reception.  We were provided with all the details, from size, floral design and colors and we went to work creating a stunning masterpiece.  Take a look and see how we went about the process.

The very first part of the chest to be built was the top.  My husband began by cutting strips of poplar wood and strategically angled each individual one and pieced them together to form the curved lid.

 

He then created the frame that surrounds the lid, and sanded it to an ultra smooth finish.  In the meantime, while he was creating his magic, I had been working on the design that the customer requested.  She sent pictures of her invitations and reply cards, and I incorporated the pattern into the completed design for the lid...

...and then the border for the sides of the box.  Shown here is just the front, but the design continues around the entire box, surrounding all four sides.

Once the pattern is in place, it's ready to be carefully traced onto the chest with graphite paper and a stylus.  I then worked on the colors according to the customer's preferences and emailed pictures of painted samples for her approval.  She chose bright color variations of purple, orange and pink.  

 

 Here is the completed lid...

 

The expertly crafted chest was then protected with four coats of polyurethane and this is the final, finished chest ready for the customer's wedding.

With pride, we share the customer's comments:

" I received the chest in perfect condition and absolutely love everything about it! The design is even more beautiful than pictures could do justice, and the craftsmanship is impeccable. Truly, I am so beyond impressed with the work you and your husband have done. I can see how much you love what you do, because it shows in your creations.