Although I never met him, I had a very artistic and imaginative great grandfather named Gustave A. Hillebrand from Stewartsville, MO.
Grandpa Gus had a little woodworking shop where he made the most intricate and lovely tiny furniture . He used only hand tools and smoked Mixture 79 tobacco in a pipe while he worked. When one of his grandchildren visited, he would sometimes swap out what he was working on and say "I was just working on this for you!"
Today, every member of our family has some of these little chairs and tables. Some have intricate inlays and are pretty amazing. There are also handmade boxes, little wagons, cradles, and even brooches and other jewelry.
Luckily for me, my aunt had a box full of seconds and damaged chairs ... some had water damage, some were broken, others unfinished, or assymetrical. I've always loved miniatures, and this box started me off on a little project to work with my long gone great grandfather. I introduce to you The Chair Sprites!