Hope Chests!!! I never even heard of the term until about 2 or 3 years ago...sad isn't it? Sad that this is considered a thing of the past now. I think Hope Chests are a wonderful idea. A woman puts things aside until her wedding day. Many items are probably passed down from grandma or great grandma so of course those are highly cherished ;)
It's so much nice to bring a Hope Chest full of blessings into a marriage instead of doing what everyone else does before their marriage...make 5 or 6 different gift registries at various stores and hope someone will actually buy you something off the list. Gift registries can be expensive for others . I mean what is really the differance if someone get's a person a washcloth set at Wal-Mart or Dillards? Dillards will charge probably $40 or more while Wal-Mart $10.
I just think it's sad mothers don't set aside a hope chest for their daughters. I recently was in contact with a young man who told me that his grandmother made him a hope chest and gave it to him when he married his beloved! How neat!!! She had put the basic house hold items in it to help start off their marriage. He was so touched by that and was not ashamed one bit. :)
Hope Chests are very common among the conservative Christian homeschooling community. I have a few penpals who have Hope Chests and I'm kind of jealous cuz I want one now...LOL. :)
I know if Robert and I are blessed with daughters, they will all certainly recieve a hope chest and I know we will have fun filling it throughout the years.
Hope Chest's don't even have to be made of wood. A few ladies I know are using one those huge plastic storage tubs from Wal-Mart. They have decorated it to their liking and are now filling it with priceless gems.
I found a cute site you should check out in your free time: www.hopechestlegacy.com
For those of you with a hope chest, may you mind sharing how long you have had one, what's it look like and what's in it so far??? I would love to know!!!!
Bless you!
Saturday, July 14, 2007
An old fashioned past time --- I love it!
Posted by Dawn at 11:48 PM
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I created a hope chest without the chest hehehe! (There was no way I could afford a chest!) I started it when I was 16 and only had a couple of things in it. Since my family isn't rich I have basically left the Hope Chest up to me - I didn't want to put a financial burden on any of my parents or relatives.
Whilst stationed in Italy I had a lovely small wrought-iron table with a green marble top made and two hand-made wrought iron candle sticks that look like flowers!
In Spain I bought a lovely tapestry for hanging on the wall or draping over a round table.
While stationed in the Middle East I bought two small Persian-looking carpets and a lovely Arabian trunk.
When I was home in Massachusetts living with my Aunts and waiting to come here to Orkney for my wedding I built on the "hope chest" and used lots of cardboard boxes and rubbermaid tubs instead of a wooden kist hahahaha!
I carefully selected things that not only *I* could use in my life as a married woman - but could also pass down to any children we might be blessed with. For some reason I really feel that that is important, so I bought a few things that aren't exactly frugal but that my children will see as they grow up and will have memories attatched to. I have reproduction Victorian hatpins held in this 1898 reproductiong hatpin holder, a matching trinket box, a white ceramic "hens nest", several fine art prints (all found on sale!) etc.
When my mother died she basically left everything to her husband and nothing to us three daughters. He changed the locks on the doors and we haven't seen anything of mom's since, except when my Aunt took us to the house so we could at least get mom's boxes of photographs. So I don't want my kids having nothing to remember me by and pass down to their own children!!
The rest of my chestless hope chest consists of sturdy AMERICAN items - things that would show my precious culture whilst living in a different country - like braided rugs, dishes, folk-art prints, a plain writing desk + matching plain shelf, American folk art hooked rugs, religious art, a prayer kneeler, various American books I grew up with that I want my kids to read, sewing patterns for sewing stuff for the home, various knick-knacks I saved up from my childhood (for the hope chest!),
I also have various wedding gifts from friends and family (blueberry stoneware plates, hand-embroidered dish towels, windchimes, sofa and chair slipcovers, etc.
I also bought for the house curtains for every room here - but not full curtains, just the top part (valance?) because we have huge beautiful windows, I bought a beautiful song-bird wallpaper border + matching shower curtain + the ONE lace curtain I allowed. (I promised Erlend I would not foo-foo the house half to death.) I figured no one would see our upstairs bathroom much so I could throw in some foo-foo lace!!
The ONE THING I really wish that I had known about was the lack of fabric for sewing here in Orkney - and the fabric I do find "doon sooth" is like 3 TIMES as expensive as the fabric back home. I'm on a shoe-string budget now because I'm saving up the $$ to ship my household goods over here - so I can't also buy a lot of fabric on-line. If I had only known I would have worked hard at finding bargans while in America and I would have added TONS of fabric to my hope chest!!
I received my hope chest when I ws 16. My mom still has it, it was to big to move when my huband joined the Navy. My dauther is now 16 and starting hers and we are now trying to figure out how to get it here.
I made a lot of things for mine. I embroidered pillowcases and sheets. Made napkins, place mats, doilies. I made afghans and a quilt. My Aunt also made a special quilt for me. My aunt also gave me a dinner set, and my grandmother gave me her china. I always check out yard sales and thrift stores for pretty china, those single plates or things that hav lost all the matches. I have always wanted to have a dinner set that was all different pieces. My mom also saved some of my dresses from when I was little to pass on.
I also had a few cross stitch pieces to use for wall deorations.
I also kept some toys from when I was little to pass on, dolls, dresses and such.
I must admit it is exciting to get started on my daughters now. She has already started sewing items, making afghans and we hope to be starting a quilt soon.
Have a Blessed Day,
Jana
Dawn,
Like you, I only heard about hope chests not long ago. I think it's so sweet! I didn't even think of marriage when I was a girl. Seeing my mother living on her own, and all the divorced people in our family, I always assumed I would never get married either. Sad, isn't it?
Hi Dawn, I just recently came to your blog and have really enjoyed it. I did want to comment on the hope chest: for those who have boys you can still do a hope chest of sorts but instead of girly items put items such as tools in it. I know we've gotten our oldest son (17) tools so that when he moves out he'll have his own tools, rather then come borrow ours, lol.
I inherited my grandmother's 1940 Lane cedar hope chest, along with her kitchen table and a solid maple dresser from her home. My parents are keeping the chest for now until we can get a house of our own. There is not enough room in our little apartment! While I didn't receive all the traditional goodies to go inside the chest, I am so very blessed to have received it out of 16 grandchildren. :)
~Anna
I love the idea of hope chests and am a bit sad that I did not have one when I married.
My husband and I are planning to put together hope chests for our daughter and any other children we may be blessed with. There are several heirlooms from my family and my husband's that I would like to pass down to our children. I would also like to embroider some table linens, make some quilts, and other similar projects to include in their chests. There are many other things we hope to include, and probably many things we will come across in the years to come. :o)
Hello, So nice to read your blog.
I have a wonderful hope chest. It was my moms first. She gave it to me many years ago. My dad had left it outside and it took a beating. So when I got it I refineshed it. When I was done it looked like the day she bought it. I had to give it back to her for a few years. I didn't have a place for it. But, I just got it back when we bought our first home. My dad again felt outside was a good place for it. I have since fixed it up again and it will stay that way. No plans in ever giving it up.
My pastors wife gave me all her sisters yarn. (she passed about 6 months ago) So at this time my hope chest if full of yarn ready to be used. Plus a blanket my mom gave me. I'll take a snap shot of it for you and post it on my page. If my math is correct this hope chest is 55 years old. Still strong and has many more years to go.
Rebecca
I would have loved a hope chest!! My grandma before she passed away used to give me things for my Glory box (just another word for the same thing!) but they tended to get lost or used as there was no said box!
If the Lord blesses me with a daughter I will be sure to start this for her young!
Blessings
Amy
Wow Ladies...
Thank you for sharing a little tid bit of your life with me.
You all have accumulated some very neat and precious items for the hope chest. ;) Heirlooms are the greatest aren't they? Passed down from one generation to the next....such priceless things :)
Have a blessed Monday!
I plan on starting a hope chest for my daughter and any other children (girls at least, boys if I can) we are blessed with. My parents are definatly of the "free spirit" era, so I didn't really grow up with a lot of traditions.
(Tho' my mom has closets, the garage, and a large chunk of the basement stuffed full of things she may want to "pass on" some day.)
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