This jewelry cabinet started with a hike in the woods, collecting sticks and branches that spoke to us, imagining how the woman this box was being gifted to would like those certain pieces and why. We were told she is a world traveler and thought about how she would probably love to be on the hike with us; exploring, collecting, learning, and taking such an intentional role in the creation of something she could own for many years.
We have salvaged piles of scrap wood, metal hinges and parts and varnishes from old projects and dumpsters, knowing we could use them someday, rather than have them be wasted in a never ending and always growing landfill. It feels good to make something out of what would have been discarded.
Creativity, learning, expressing, trial and lots of error, and time slowing down for a project built by togetherness. The box is finished, but its journey has just begun. It will soon be filled with treasures collected from her travels, thousands of miles away from each other, probably also created from items found on a nature walk like the one we started with. We can only imagine. We send this jewelry cabinet away empty and yet so full. Full of love and the good feelings used to make it.
Thank you for giving us a project that we could do as a family. Homeschooling, work, and family life all wrapped up in an artistic and naturalistic jewelry cabinet.
(Big props to Amaya for her videography at the end. Couldn't have done it without her <3 )