Using two pieces of scrap wood, I was able to create this adorable Tooth Fairy box to keep baby’s first teeth.
My girls are too old for the Tooth Fairy. They won’t admit it because they still want the cash (and they are still losing molars), but even my 10-year-old gives me a skeptical look when she finds money under her pillow.
I’m not telling them anything. If they’re willing to humour Mom, I’m totally willing to accept it.
I will admit that I haven’t been the best about keeping their baby teeth, and certainly sub-par when it comes to labelling whose was whose – so I have a small collection of tiny pearly whites tucked away in my jewelry box.
I saw an image of a tooth box the other day on Facebook (a much fancier version than mine) and couldn’t resist giving it a try. It turns out, one of my friends from Oregon had taken her children along to her appointment at Main Street Dental cosmetic dentistry and decided to make her little ones a tooth fairy box to help them understand how important it is to look after your teeth.
They are not the only people with a tooth fairy box I know either! An old colleague of mine made her daughter a tooth fairy box after their trip to a Dentist in Santa Monica to encourage her child to be more proactive with brushing her teeth and flossing.
What good ideas! So, let’s get started…
Tooth Fairy Box
- (1) 2×6 scrap approximately 6″ wide
- (1) ¼” plywood approximately 6″ square
- (1) 2″ hinge
I copied a tooth silhouette by literally holding a piece of printer paper up to my computer monitor and tracing. This allowed me to resize the tooth to fit within the parameters of my scrap 2 x 6″ board
I used a Sharpie and pressed through the paper every ¼” or so to transfer the outline onto my boards; one on the 2×6 and one onto the ¼” plywood.
To cut my Tooth Fairy box I used my scroll saw. You could cut this with a jigsaw if that’s what you have, but a scroll saw makes it easier.
Kid’s will lose 20 baby teeth by the time they turn 13 – as adults we have 32 teeth – so I needed to figure out a way to fit 20 little holes into my Tooth Fairy box.
I ended up tracing half-circles from a tester pot of paint to create an approximate oval that is equal on both sides. I then used a ruler to mark dots on/near those lines at the same spots on both sides.
Pretty close anyways.
I have a drill press that I almost never use, so I couldn’t resist putting it to work on this project. I checked that the depth wouldn’t go past half the thickness of the 2×6 board and drilled holes at/near each marking. For the molar spots, I used a slightly larger drill bit to accommodate the bigger teeth.
If you don’t have a drill press, don’t worry – you can use a regular drill. Attach painter’s tape to your drill bit at the depth you want your tooth holes to be and then carefully drill each hole to that marking. Easy-peasy.
Once both tooth shapes were cut, I clamped them together to sand the edges. This ensures that both tooth shapes are smooth and flush to each other.
Attach your 2″ hinge to the side of the 2×6 tooth with the included screws. Because the 1/4″ plywood is so thin, screws will go right through it (ask how I know this). Instead, line up your hinge so that your tooth shapes are even and attach it to the cover with clear Gorilla Glue.
I tried to clean up the drill holes by attaching a piece of sandpaper to my drill bit and running it in each hole, but I didn’t have much luck getting the bottom clean and crisp. If you can think of a magic way to get a better look (short of buying a Dremel, or other specialized tool), I’m all ears.
I used two coats of white paint on my Tooth Fairy box and then did a light whitewash to the inside.
I drew in lines (sorry the ink bled in a couple of spots) with a black pen ready for inserting dates.
For the cover of my Tooth Fairy box, I found a Silhouette image of a Tooth Fairy with a monogram, so I cut it from adhesive vinyl and attached it.
I used clear Gorilla Glue to attach a piece of ribbon to the front cover and to the side of my Tooth Fairy box and then used a dab more to cover the ribbon end with a cute button.
A velcro dot would work just as well here.
It’s so cute!
A simple way to use up bits of scrap wood and a nice keepsake of your babies (although if I’m being honest, keeping baby teeth almost seems like I’m preparing for later DNA testing – clearly I’ve watched too much CSI).
Let’s think positive – I’m a Mom and it’s my duty to keep every little thing my kids ‘shed’. (lol)
Go have fun in the garage!
Have a great one!