When I was younger, there was a certain quality to children’s toys. Things were sturdy, made to last, and everything wasn’t “Made in China.”
It wasn’t long before everything shifted and the beautiful handcrafted doll houses that were once made locally in a toy shop were all outsourced to other countries, and made of plastic.
What Happened to Quality Children’s Toys?
When I was a kid, I longed for the day that I’d have my very own wooden doll house. I loved doll houses so much and I collect money from my birthday and Christmas each year, and I’d purchase little doll furniture and lay it all out in my bedroom, pretending to set up a little home.
I collected kitchen items, living room furniture, baby nursery items and bathroom fixtures. I never got my dollhouse, but when my daughter turned three, I purchased one for her and I gifted her all of the doll house furniture that I’d stowed away in my parents’s garage for all those years.
The doll house that I purchased was made by Melissa and Doug. When my daughter was little, I purchased a lot of Melissa and Doug. I truly felt like their products were some of the only ones that reminded me of my childhood and were made to withstand a rambunctious three-year-old. Sure, they had a hefty price tag when you compared their items to a Barbie or a pack of Shopkins, but the quality of the item was so well worth it. Here we are six years later, and we still have that same dollhouse!
Just last night we went through my daughter’s room and did a massive clean out. We tossed out random Barbie shoes, mini-plastic baskets and everything else small, round and plastic. However, all of her wooden toys stuck around for either her or for the donation pile. Why? Because they weren’t on their last leg–because they lasted and withstood years of use.
That’s why when Southbend Woodworks reached out to me and asked me to review one of their beautifully handcrafted pieces, I immediately agreed.
I must say, when I landed on their site, I was a bit thrown off. Many items had a college theme to them.
It was then that I found out that that one of their specialties is hand making college-themed items for children from popular universities such as The University of Alabama, Boston College, Indiana University, Michigan State University, Norte Dame, Penn State, Princeton, Purdue, Saint Mary’s College, Stanford, and the University of Michigan.
They make beautiful handcrafted pieces that mirror your favorite university, but also everyday items from cute stepstools all the way to wooden rocking horses.
If you’re like me and your university isn’t featured on their site, they have a plethora of items for you too.
I fell in love with this tricycle as well as this little duck stool.
The company wanted me to see their products up and close, which is one of my favorite perks of doing this. They sent me their wooden duck step stool, which has a significant history.
I was also fortunate enough to have a custom made wood puzzle created for my little niece, Lydia. I hope my sister isn’t reading this because this is one of my Christmas presents for sweet Lydia.
As you can see from the photos, the products are of the highest quality. It is hard to tell the quality of a photo from the internet, but let me assure you that both the wooden duck step stool and the custom wooden puzzle that I had made are absolutely beautiful. You can tell that a ton of time, effort and dedication is put into the craft of piecing these works of art together. The wooden Duck Stepstool weighs a ton, which is a true sign to me that something is made of the utmost quality.
Best of all, I get to give the wooden duck step stool away to one of you! That’s right- this duck step stool isn’t for Justin or me (haha), or for Barb— it is for one of you awesome readers!
Stick with me a minute longer and I will tell you how to enter to win!
Southbend Woodworks also offers s wooden step stool for every college/university noted above, so that means that your child’s bathroom can mirror your favorite university or your alma mater! The wooden step stool is also available in the colors: blue, dark green, purple, coral, red, pink and orange.
What’s even cooler is that Southbend Woodworks can customize just about anything for you!
If you are looking for a quality toy, a stepstool- or really, anything made to last this holiday season, look no further! Southbend Woodworks has got your covered!
Furthermore, they are offering my readers a 10% discount on any of their products through the end of the year. Simply go to www.SouthbendWoodworks.com, pick your item/s, and then at checkout, enter “ASHLEY16” and you will automatically receive 10% off your purchase.
Now, for the details on the duck step stool for those who wish to enter the giveaway!
Entry is simple! Leave me a comment on the Facebook post that lead you here (or click here), and tell me what your favorite item was that you saw! That counts as your entry and Barb and I will pull a winner from those who left a comment in a Facebook Live video on November 21st!
Be sure to swing by Southbend Woodworks on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Etsy, Houzz, Ebay, or Amazon and give them some love in the form of a follow, or a proverbial high-five.
Also, a birdie chirped in my ear and told me that they are going to have a killer Thanksgiving Sale between the days of November 25th-November 28th, so be sure to subscribe to their newsletter as they provide VIP deals to their subscribers— and like I said, I may have heard there might be some pretty awesome deals coming up. *wink* *wink*
If you think anyone else might enjoy this post, please share it! Also, if you wouldn’t mind giving me a vote by clicking the brown button below on your way out– I’d be more than grateful! Thank-You! 🙂
First of all, I absolutely agree children’s toys are not what they used to be! My mom has some of the toys from her childhood still at her house and those things are going to last for years to come! And those rocking chairs…so cute!