Humble Wood Finds

Do you like wood?? I’ve long been attracted to little things made of wood, particularly those with a delicious patina. I love thinking about the hands that made the items and the hands that have used them over the decades and worn the handles and edges smooth as silk. The things I buy don’t have much monetary value, but I enjoy finding them new homes! For me, it’s a labor of love. Maybe it’s the same for you.

My latest wood find was this very old 10″ wood pestle/masher that would have been originally used with a metal sieve. Surprisingly I found this in a thrift store.

And I’ve long liked chip-carved wood items and this box, made by Irvin H. Herbein in 1955, is a wonderful example. Herbein (1896-1978) worked as a motion picture operator but in his spare time pursued various artistic projects. His chip-carved wood pieces became highly sought after and are rather scarce today.

Isn’t this little toy barrel of clothespins charming? Likely circa 1920-1940. I recently saw a similar set in a historical museum in my hometown in New York. I think this would make a cute Christmas stocking stuffer.

One of my quirkiest wood finds was this tobacciana handmade sneaker set found at a grungy thrift store. Perfect for the jogging smoker in your life!!!

This little box made of various scraps looks like a beginners wood-working attempt and I adore it. It’s on a shelf in my family room until it sells. 🙂

Of course not everything I find is destined for my store. I use this vintage English Rabone wood ruler every day.

And this small antique chip-carved box, likely Dutch Frisian, is usually on a mantel or coffee table.

These are some of my favorite wood finds. I hope they inspire you to look at little wood things in a new light.

Happy hunting,

Karen