Why We sign our Trugs

If you turn Fernwood Cottage trugs & garden stools over, you'll see that we sign & date them (we'd sign our other items too if space allowed!).  This is a very old craft tradition. 

• It let's you know that we stand behind our work.  This isn't just a "brand" ~ Fernwood Cottage is where we live & where this was made.  The artisan was so confident that it is a good, solid, well-made item, he's put his own name on it.  He's convinced that this represents the best of his artisanship, so much so, like any master artist, he wants you to know who created what you're holding in your hands.  You can track him down if you wanted to!
• It let's you know that real people touched this.  Not robotic arms, not mass-producing machines.  Each item is unique & stands on its merits.  
• It let's you know that we hope that you'll be looking at that date, many years from now, & feeling good about your purchase after so many years of loving work.  

Here's the imagined scenario that drives our quality standards & artisanship, and, ultimately, why we sign our work:

One day, many years from now, you grab your beloved trug & head out into the garden with your grandchild to pick green beans.  You talk about lots of things ~ how the rain has helped this year, that the green beans will yield another flowering.  Then, when your trug is filled, you both take a side of the handle & carry it into the kitchen.  Your grandchild steps up on the stool at the counter & takes the wooden spoon from its drawer, knowing that next they get to help you bake the biscuits that will go with the green beans for supper.  They will remember these times.  So will you.  When you are but a memory, they will do the same with their grandchildren & tell them stories about how they were handed down this very trug, this very spoon from their grandparent.  "Don't believe me?  Check out the date underneath."  "WOW!" An heirloom, a legacy is born.  

Hands create, hands work, hands touch other hands down through time.

We are blessed by God to be able to glorify Him, using the talents & vision He has granted us, by transforming one of his amazing creations, a tree, into something of beauty & use.  It is our sincere prayer that a Fernwood Cottageware item will bring love, joy, years of meaningful work, & family connections into your life.