A Keepsake is defined as a small item kept in memory of the person who gave it or originally owned it. An Heirloom is defined as something of special value handed down from one generation to another. Keepsakes can be made from wood salvaged from a variety of items. Some examples I've made are:
- Pens made from over 100 year old Chestnut from a pew removed from the recently demolished Chapel at Prendie High School in Upper Darby, Pa.
- A Flag Box for a passed Veteran made from a piece of wood their loved one handled.
- Pens from broken chair spindles from chairs I had repaired.
- Pens from a window sash from a house someone’s Great Grandfather built in the 1880s.
- Pens from a corbel from a house built in the early 1800s.
- Pens from an interior door panel from a house built in 1810.
- Pens from a hickory shovel handle from someone’s Grandfather.
- Pens from an old beech hand plane that was beyond repair.
- Pens from a broken cross member in a dining room table that belonged to a family’s Great Grandfather.
- Chairs from a walnut tree from a good friend's property.
- Pens from an apple tree removed to make room for an addition.
- Pens from the last 3 apple trees from an old apple orchard that is now the Penn State Brandywine Campus in Media, Pa.
- Pens from a Norway Maple tree removed from the Community Art Center in Wallingford, Pa.
I like a challenge. I would love to make a Keepsake Heirloom for your family.