The history behind the hope chest:
A hope chest, dowry chest, cedar chest, or glory box is a chest used to collect items such as clothing and household linen, by unmarried young women in anticipation of married life. The term "hope chest" or "cedar chest" is used in the midwest or south of the United States; in the United Kingdom, the term is "bottom drawer"; while "glory box" is used by women in Australia. This is what I have in my hope chest.
A couple Christmas dishes.
A teapot from my Great Grandmother and a homemade bar of soap.
A table runner and pillow cases made by my Great Grandmother. She did such an awesome job on my pillow cases and table runner.
A quilt made my by other Great Grandmother, and a couple sets of white curtains. The white curtains were given to me by my Grandma. I've used them in my room and for plays my sisters and I have put on.
A patriotic table runner I made, and a jar from my Great Grandmother. She stores macaroni hers. The cool part about the jar is it has measuring notations on the side. It can hold up to 2 cups.
A set of tins from my Great Grandmother, and a toothbrush holder. The tins match so I could line them up. I'll probably store tea in the tins like my Mom does with her tins. :~)
A couple candle holders from my Great Grandmother (I have a matching candy dish, but I can't find it) and a set of salt & pepper shakers. I bought the salt and pepper shakers at a flea market or antique store. I saw them and I knew I would want a set for my hope chest.
This is a "welcome" pillow I made. It is about 10 inches long and 5 inches high. I made it to put by my door someday. It was one of the first things I put in my hope chest. It was with the patriotic table runner, salt & pepper shakers, and curtains for the longest time.
These are little figurines for fall. The 3 tall ones are from a sweet lady who moved away and the 2 short ones are from my Great Grandmother.
This isn't the best picture but it is what I got. It is a ribbon and a beaded garland. The garland is from a wedding in which I was a flower girl. I had it over my bed on the curtain rod with the ribbon for a while. I switched it out recently for a dark green balance.
This is what I have in my hope chest. Have you ever had or started one?
