About us

I have been making things and crafting for as long as I can remember. I love to make something wonderful or clever out of “nothing”. My husband and I have a joke that he always thinks inside the box, and I think, “What? There's a box?! What should I make with it?”

With my first baby, over 25 years ago, funds were tight, and so I began making toys for her. I still remember the first one made from a formula can and some juice lids. 😊 Creating something that brought her joy and helped her learn through years of play was a feeling I loved.

When our sons arrived over 10 years later, I began making things once again. I could walk through an entire toy store and leave with nothing. Yes, it was cute, but it was not engaging, they did not allow for open-ended creative thinking. I wanted toys that allowed our kids to explore and discover. Toys that inspired their imagination, helped them learn, and think big.

Then the recession hit in 2008 and my husband lost his job. We lost almost everything and learned a lot about what really matters. I learned a lot about how little you need to be happy. Those years were hard, and yet we found happiness in our children and “the little things.”

During that time, I decided to try opening an Etsy shop out of necessity. Risking $100 I invested in supplies and started a small toy shop Woodland Toy Company. That shop kept us afloat until my husband found a job in Oklahoma City, OK. We packed up our kids, the few things left to our name, and left family and friends behind to start again on our new adventure.

Over the years making safe, unique, and natural toys has become my passion. Toys are supposed to be fun, spark imagination, and build brainpower. Little by little Woodland Toy Company grew. Over the years our kids started helping and we became a family business.

Right now, Woodland Toy Company is closed so we can focus on our next adventure, Acorn to Oak, available only on Amazon. We are excited about this opportunity. Today we work alongside our kids, now 27, 17 and 14 on this new chapter in our journey. Helping them learn that hard work and dedication is how you achieve your dreams; and pay for college. :)