WELCOME TO NATURE'S HEIRLOOMS ... Crafters of historically/regionally themed birdhouses & America's finest affordable handmade nativity crèche display stalls.
Steven Barrett . . . History Evangelist & Founding Artist/Crafter
8 Cemetery Road, Hadley, MA 01035
(413) 584-6131 / spbarrett77@yahoo.com
www.naturesheirlooms.com
WE HOPE YOU ENJOYED OUR WEBSITE!
If you like a special birdhouse or creche stall, give us a call. If by chance the item's been sold, don't let that deter you from owning a truly memorable keepsake item your children, grandchildren and great grandchildren will enjoy for years.
Just give us a call or send us an email and I'll do what I can to make sure you will as soon as possible receive what caught your fancy or would like us to build from your own inspirational storehouse.
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www.naturesheirlooms.com
West Street Town Common -- Looking North -- Hadley, MA, (Photo taken by Ruth Barrett)
There's nothing like stepping out of the back of a Maine seaside cottage early in the morning. (More about this cottage inside.)
"Dad, would you please make me a birdhouse," asked our youngest daughter Kim before graduating from college. "I don't care what you make, it'll be fine." I knew I couldn't just make a generic "fine" birdhouse for Kim, but what would it be?
It so happened that I'd just come across a picture of our old house in South Amherst, built in 1861 by one of the many Dickinsons in famed poet Emily Dickinson's extended family.) In case you're wondering why the house's portal opens in that particular spot with a window painted on it, no less (!) --that's where the kitchen is!
Over time, many of the "homes" you'll be visiting are awaiting "final construction," new owners or already owned. However, don't let that dismay you from special ordering a similar item .
Our Newest Item!
Wholly unique rendition of our sixth President -- John Quincy Adams' birthplace in Quincy, MA (built by his father and our second President, John Adams, c. 1764.) JQA was born there in 1767, and during the late 1770s, his father wrote most of the draft of what was to become the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Constitution, which is the oldest continuously operative document of its kind and said to be the inspiration for our National Constitution.
HOME SWEET EQUITY, there's a secret hole on the back for enterprising birds seeking to feather their nest with coin's n' paper. Perfect for a bookcase, desk or bureau.
Nativity Crèche Stalls ...
THIS BIRCH-TRIMMED ALPINE is one of my favorites for all the "extras" I put into it from the all natural birch trim to the back window which opens to a pastoral scene.
Ever since I was a very young boy and my parents took my brothers and I to Oberammergau in Germany on a vacation (during the Fifties) while our dad was stationed at Nourasseur Air Force Base outside of Casablanca, Morocco, I've been fascinated with the highly detailed nativity creche stalls built by the many family woodcarving firms, some of them centuries old.
A decade later I was fortunate to have lived in Wiesbaden (Hesse) West Germany,when my dad was stationed there from 1962-65. My parents took their three sons, (myself the youngest) to many places on day-trips, but the trips I really enjoyed the most were our outings to the Alpine resort towns of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Chiemsee and Bertchesgaden. Whenever we stayed at Garmisch or passed close by enroute to another interesting site, we'd invariably stop into Oberammergau to look at all the wood carvings and watch the experts at work in their many family-owned Holzschnitzer Galereis spread throughout the town.
All woodworkers have their strengths and mine lie in the designing and constructing of the creche stalls. I leave the design and carving of the figurines to the pros.
Anybody who purchases a creche stall from Nature's Heirlooms is definitely buying one as comparable, if not exceeding the standards set by the long time masters in Bavaria. Domestic buyers will also save greatly with us, too.
Shipping and handling costs, not to mention any taxes and other import duties add considerably to any imported craft's overall price, but nothing to its real value.
What if you could own or give an all-handmade heirloom calling to mind and heart a love of nature and honor our nation’s early architectural heritage?
Would you also like to own or give a treasured naturally rustic nativity crèche display stall?
Do you have loved ones or special friends who would like very much to have a keepsake remembrance of their homes or past residences?
Do you have a special child, or more, in mind who’d love to have a dollhouse modeled after the home she grew up in, or a particular building containing historical and/or architectural significance?
Would you like to have any of these crafts, knowing they were all handcrafted in the United States by a New England-based craftsman?
Nature’s Heirlooms, founded and owned by artist Steven Barrett, of Hadley, MA, is the place for sophisticated buyers seeking to purchase high heirloom quality historically/regionally themed birdhouses, personalized dollhouses, and nativity crèche display stalls, equal to any created by internationally famed crèche stall crafters of Europe.
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Self-styled ... "History evangelist" and founding artist and crafter, Steven Barrett, has been building crèche display stalls for the past five years (and decorative birdhouses for four), respectively.
"Styling yourself as a 'history evangelist' will certainly result in a few arched eyebrows among the ranks of professional historians," Steven admits. "On the other hand, I'm not just in the business of building and selling historically themed birdhouses, etc., I have a very strong desire to increase the number of people becoming more interested in conservation efforts to help save our architectural heritage and aviary wildlife.
Historically Themed Birdhouses
“I first began building decorative birdhouses after a close friend of mine suggested building them to 'diversify' my sales opportunities. However, after getting started with making the birdhouses in much the same way I craft the creches, from scratch using all natural material (with some rare exceptions), I decided it was time again to think about transistioning into a newer line of birdhouses simply by “... tapping into a natural source for inspiration, building replicas of historic New England homes, meeting houses, etc., and not-so-famous, but no less important to most potential customers: their homes.
