Tooth Fairy Boxes
Making the magic of childhood come alive
Each Tooth Fairy Box is made in our Lincolnshire workshop, using locally sourced English Oak. We understand every child is unique, and each Tooth Fairy Box is as original as your little one.
We believe in creating fairy-tale moments that will be treasured forever.
As grandparents, we understand how special those early milestones are, and losing a first tooth is certainly one of them.
Our lovingly handcrafted and personalised Tooth Fairy Boxes will help you bring the magic of the Tooth Fairy alive, transforming the moment into a beautiful childhood memory and will remain a precious keepsake for generations to come.
As a finishing touch, each box is supplied with a personalised letter from the Tooth Fairy, on handmade paper, and accompanied with a matching wooden bowl and cup for your child to leave a snack for when the Tooth Fairy comes to collect.
Let us create the magic, so you can focus on celebrating the moment.
Watch it being made
Our Personal Touch
When we personalise a Tooth Fairy Box, we do not just print on the box. We laser engrave and then resin fill so that the personalisation is fully embedded in the wood and will remain perfectly clean and crisp for generations to come.
You can see the engraving process in the
How we make Tooth Fairy Boxes section
About Us
My name is Duncan McKenzie and I make personalised Tooth Fairy Boxes in the Lincolnshire village of North Scarle.
It all started for me when our own girls were young. Christmas was, of course, really special with letters sent up the chimney to Santa and snowy footprints around the tree on Christmas morning, but so was the Tooth Fairy.
When time came for them to lose their first teeth, I made them both special Tooth Fairy Boxes and a tiny Tooth Fairy snack set so that they could leave her a slice of apple and a drink.
When the Tooth Fairy came, she would always leave a little thank you note which I would write with the sharpest pencil and tiniest handwriting that I could manage. I remember so well the excitement the next morning when they appeared with a new letter and a 50p coin.
I am not sure who enjoyed it more, me or the girls.
Both of our girls have recently started their own families and so I now have the whole experience to look forward to again.
All the wood is locally sourced English Oak. We don't use any exotic imported wood. All of the Tooth Fairy Boxes you see on the website are entirely handmade in the workshop at our house.
Yvonne with grandson Harry
Before toothfairyboxes.com we both had careers in industry. I had a manufacturing company for most of my working life and wood turning was just a weekend hobby.
Yvonne had her own acupuncture business that specialised in fertility and pregnancy and so young children have always been a big part of her life.
When we retired from our careers the wood turning became more than a hobby and we now find ourselves in the very enviable position of being able to work together doing something that we both really enjoy.
I am the one who is always covered in sawdust and responsible for everything that happens in the workshop. If you have any questions about any part of the process, I can be contacted at duncan@toothfairyboxes.com.
Yvonne is responsible for all of the admin. If you have any queries regarding ordering, lead times, or shipping options, then Yvonne is the person to contact at yvonne@toothfairyboxes.com.
How we make Tooth Fairy Boxes
From log to finished Tooth Fairy Box typically takes between 3 and 4 years and we have split the process up into a number of short video clips.
They are not too technical and are designed for anyone curious to know a bit more about how they are made from start to finish.
We hope you find them interesting.
Turning a Tooth Fairy Box
Engraving a Tooth Fairy Box
Making The Snack Set
Seasoning, Drying and Preparing the Wood
FAQs
How long does it take to process an order?
All of our Tooth Fairy Boxes are handcrafted from scratch. Each one is completely unique and so we cannot hold finish stock ready to order. We generally aim to complete orders within 1-2 weeks and will occasionally suspend the Etsy shop for a week or two should the order backlog become excessive or if we are waiting for the oak to complete the kiln drying process.
Where do you get your wood?
All of the oak is locally sourced. When we say local, we mean really local - usually either from people in the village or close-by. We also know some local tree surgeons who get in touch when they have been working with oak. I am also a regular visitor to the local supplier of firewood and rescue no end of oak that would otherwise be destined for someone's log burner and is ready for a new lease of life. None of the wood I use is imported or exotic.
Why are all the boxes made of English Oak?
Over the years we have made boxes from a variety of tree species including beech, cherry, maple, yew, ash, eucalyptus, walnut and many others. Some do not survive the kiln drying process, and some have a grain pattern that is either uninteresting or too complex and so interferes with the legibility of the engraving. English Oak is absolutely perfect in terms of appearance, durability and workability. We could of course make stunning Tooth Fairy Boxes using exotic imported species but we value our rainforests and so this has never been an option for us.
What part of the tree do you use?
Although the Tooth Fairy Box is only 6cm in diameter, nearly all the wood we use comes from branches that are between 10-15cm in diameter. This gives us the flexibility to choose only the highest quality and most attractive section for the box.
How long will the box last?
We honestly don't know but the short answer is - a lifetime and beyond. All the oak we use goes through a process of stabilisation. This renders the boxes incredibly durable and almost impervious to the changes in temperature and humidity that could deform or damage a box that had not been through this process. We fully expect our Tooth Fairy Boxes to be dropped in the bath, stood on, and misplaced in the garden. Knowing that the box may get some rough handling over its lifetime, we have purposefully left the walls of the box thicker than you may find, for example, in a delicate jewellery box. So, how long will it last? We honestly don’t know but we intend its lifetime to be measured in generations rather than just years.
Is there a restriction on the length of name you can engrave?
The online shop has a limit of 10 characters but we can engrave a longer name if we reduce the size of the characters. Please email duncan@toothfairyboxes.com if you have any questions regarding this.
Can you engrave in foreign languages?
Yes we can do this, but we do not yet have a process in place where we can do this directly through the Etsy shop. As above, please email with the foreign language text and we can hopefully accommodate you.
Do you ship internationally?
Yes we do.
Do I need to do anything to look after the Tooth Fairy Box?
When we stabilise the wood it becomes almost completely inert and so there is very little benefit in applying any wood nourishing products. A coat of wax polish every now and again should keep it in pristine condition for generations to come.
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Getting in Touch
If you have any questions about what we do, you can email Yvonne directly at yvonne@toothfairyboxes.com, or drop us a line using the form below.
Duncan's mobile number is 07831 221961 and you are more than welcome to WhatsApp or call him should you wish.
He does, however, spend a great deal of time in the workshop where it is not always practical for him to answer the phone and so you may need to leave a message.
Whichever way you want to get in touch - email, WhatsApp, or phone, We'll get back to you as soon as we can.