Castle Toy Chest

Today’s project was a treat.   We made a toy chest! A few months ago when Rachel and I were approached by Lowes to be part of their Creator Team, there was one person I knew would be more excited about it than me… …my dad. My dad LIVES at Lowes.   Literally, they probably have to kick him out at closing time.   So when we were tasked to make a toy chest, I knew exactly where to take my pencil drawing sketch.   I loaded up the car and headed for my dad’s barn where magical things happen.   I had no complaints from the boys.   They are always ready to build something. Reid(8) has a castle with knights, horses and dragons which is very dear to him.   All these pieces have been stored in a basket that is slowly disintegrating.   I thought it would be fun to make him a castle-themed toy chest to store these castle inhabitants. The Coat of Arms pictured above is from one of his recent history projects.   Reid made that himself to describe him/his family.   The moon signifies that he is the second son, the helmet is for our last name which means “helmet maker”, the square frames the color red which is the meaning of Reid and the bee is for fellowship.   I thought it would be fun to re-create it on the front of the castle toy box. The initial measurements were based on the basket that he was using. We bought some oak wood at Lowes and planned out the box measurements. Grandpa fired up the saw and started making cuts.   The boys waited patiently for their job…sanding. The base is a simple box, but we wanted to add the castle-like top.   The front was also a double layer so we could cut out a place to embed the Coat of Arms.   By adding rounded corners formed from stair railing, we added a turret feel without having to add towers.   The second layer of castle-top cut outs creates a handle to pick up what is turning out to be a very heavy box! The Coat of Arms was made by using a small rotary hand tool to create cuts and definition.   Paint was added so that it resembled Reid’s original art. We stained it a dark color. The Coat of Arms was glued with wood glue into place after the stain was dry. All three of my boys had a great time with grandpa “helping” to make the toy chest.   It turned out so well that it is likely a piece that will follow Reid for years to come. Thanks so much to Lowes who not only inspired this project, but provided the materials.   We also would like to thank Lowes for sending our favorite adoption charity 🙂 a little gift for Christmas.   We really appreciate the support!