Amanda Bleile started toy making as a way to reduce the number of plastics and toxins in her children's toys. She has since grown into a business, Tiny Wooden Treasures.

By Tiffany Goodwein

From framing houses to building Tiny Wooden Treasures: One woman’s journey into toymaking

Jan 3, 2022 | 11:28 PM

CYPRESS COUNTY, AB– On any given day, Amanda Bleile can be found cutting, sanding, and creating wooden toys for kids to enjoy.

But Bleile didn’t start out making toys. A red seal carpenter by trade, Bleile framed houses for a living, and the art of toy creation didn’t come to her until she became a mom.

” About three years ago, just after our youngest was born, I was bringing up all the toys from storage and I was kind of overwhelmed with the amount of plastic that was in our living room,” she said.

Disturbed by the possible chemicals lingering in her children’s toys, Bleile wanted to find a more natural option. For the young mom, it was a photo on Pinterest and a conversation with her sister that got her building.

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She started creating small wooden soother clips. Addicted to the ability to create, it quickly snowballed from there. From wooden rainbows to bears to trucks to full-on playsets. Bleile quickly went from full-time mom to toymaker with her business Tiny Wooden Treasures.

” I just love the creativity and freedom that I have. Most customers will send me a photo, and there is no measurements, no blueprints, and I just love being able to have that challenge of bringing it to life,” she said.

Bleile even makes wooden gyms, otherwise known as Pickler Sets which have become a huge hit with children here in the city.

” You can make a jungle gym with them kind of. You can climb up it. You can go over it like this, like a triangle,” said Bleile’s young son Lucas Swenson.

Each toy is crafted with a labor of love ranging from a few days to a couple of weeks. They get drawn, cut, sanded, and painted before they are delivered for kids to enjoy.

Unlike plastic toys, Bleile says wooden toys are not only more natural and biodegradable, but they also have a longer shelf life.

“They stand the test of time. I have a toy that my Grandpa gave me, and I still have it,” she said.

That toy built by her grandpa, who was also a carpenter, has since been passed along to her own children. It’s another generation, and another memory, and for Bleile, that’s something she hopes will continue for her own creations as she cuts and sands and makes joyous wooden memories for children in our own region.