This shadowbox was made solely from materials that I reclaimed from my great grandfather’s house built in 1898. The glass, window and sash are all original material from the house. (The window is in a photograph of my great grandfather holding me when I was three days old. He died a couple of years after the photo was taken, so I never got to know him.) The shadow box frame, shelves and surrounding walls are made from the floorboards of the house. I got the hinges from a screen door. I used an insulator from his barn to make the handle.

While reclaiming wood from the house, I found several bottles and jars, like the two Vicks jars in the shadowbox. The salt and pepper shakers and ink pen in the shadow box were turned from reclaimed wood from the house. The file box belonged to my grandmother and holds recipes, many handwritten by her and are still being used. The thimble was also hers.

It took five years to reclaim the wood. Many more boards and beams have been used during a recent remodel of my house. It was a long, arduous task but worth every minute. This old wood now has a new life!