ABOUT MARIE

Marie tells us about herself and her handpainted boxes:

"I graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Art's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in December of 1991. I then went on to a series of unrelated careers until becoming a stay at home mom in 2002 and working retail to help support my family. Now I want to fulfill dreams, both my own and others, with my paintings. I'm working towards becoming a full time artist and so appreciate the support I've received from friends, family and customers.

The first tooth fairy was born when my son got his first loose tooth. I searched everywhere for a nice boy tooth fairy. Let me tell you there wasn't much out there. Girls get the fairies and boys get things with pictures of sport's equipment. I decided to make what I wanted myself. When I showed people the owl riding fairy I made for him so many people were interested I realized I had the beginnings of a business.

Since then I have expanded to doing many different things. Some of my favorites were jewelry boxes for adult faerie lovers. I've also done other fantasy themes like pirates and gargoyles as well as military heraldry. I love to take someone's idea of what they want and turn it into a work of art made especially for them."

Please email Marie for details on ordering your own custom painted keepsake box!

You can access Marie's blog here for details on each of the boxes shown here.

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These three boxes are looking for their forever home! Contact Marie for prices.

Winged Serpent

A departure from the tooth fairy, I had storing sample vials of perfume in mind when I designed this one. The height is sufficient to store them standing up. It could be used for rings or any sort of trinket though.

The ouroborus , or serpent swallowing it's own tail, has been used in many cultures as a symbol of the cyclical nature of the universe. It is more typically depicted as a circle. Because of the shape of the box I was working with, mine has twisted itself into a symbol for infinity.

Tiny Sailor

Many of the tooth fairies are about transportation. I love imagining all the different ways those tiny beings might get around. After all like Santa and his sleigh they have a lot to carry. The idea for this little sailor came from the poem Wynken, Blynken and Nod by Eugene Field. My grandmother used to read it to me as a child and it always made me think of little elves sailing around in tiny boats on a dark sea. When this fellow finds a home I see adding the child's name as the name of the boat.

Mermaids Treasure

This box was inspired by another childhood favorite The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Anderson. I've always loved mermaids but my favorite part of this box is the inside. Among the shells on the paper there is one real shell I collected on Sanibel Island that makes a perfect and special vessel to hold a tooth like the treasure it is.

The following pics are boxes that Marie has custom made on request or have already found a forever home. I am showing these to showcase Marie's amazing talent! If you'd like something similiar, please email her.