She Couldn’t Take the Handprints Home: The Story Behind Child to Cherish

Some brands start with a trend. Child to Cherish started with a backyard.

 

In Whittier, California, Patrice Lowe grew up the sixth of ten children. Like a lot of families, they pressed little hands into wet cement — a simple, forever kind of mark. Years later, when Patrice returned to that childhood home, those handprints were still there. The new owner even let her try to take them. She couldn’t. Not without cracking the very memories she hoped to keep.

 

That bittersweet moment became the heart of everything we make.

 

Searching for memories

 

Patrice’s childhood was interrupted by loss. As a teenager, she lost both of her parents and stepped up to care for her four younger brothers. She has described those years as a time when her family was “searching for memories instead of creating them.”

 

So as an adult — and as a mother — she set out to create memories for others. Memories that could move when a family moved. Memories small enough to hold in your hands, and meaningful enough to keep for a lifetime.

 

1987: a hand-painted tin

 

In 1987, Patrice designed the original child’s handprint kit in a tin she painted herself. The idea was simple and radical at once: parents shouldn’t have to wait for a classroom project, or leave a precious print stuck in someone else’s cement. They could capture a tiny hand at home — and take that keepsake with them.

 

She brought her prototype to a Nordstrom buyer meeting with her young sons in tow. Nordstrom said yes. That first “yes” helped open the door to specialty shops, department stores, and families who were looking for gifts that meant something.

 

From one kit to a keepsake collection

 

What began with handprints grew into the Child to Cherish collection you know today: handpainted ceramic piggy banks, Block to Grow On milestone keepsakes, christening gifts, holiday ornaments, and pieces designed for baby showers, birthdays, and the quiet celebrations in between.

 

Through it all, one promise has stayed the same — preserve the innocence of a child.

 

A family business, still

 

Child to Cherish has always been personal. In time, Patrice’s husband Gordon and their sons Tucker, Taylor, and Cody joined the work. Design, care, and craftsmanship still sit at the center — because a keepsake isn’t just merchandise. It’s a moment a family decided was worth holding onto.

 

Why this story matters when you shop

 

When you choose a Child to Cherish piece, you’re not only choosing a beautiful bank or a thoughtful shower gift. You’re choosing an idea Patrice built from love and loss: that childhood is fleeting, and the right keepsake helps it travel with you.

 

Memories you can take with you.

Designed by Patrice.

From our family to yours.

 

Shop the story

 

Handprint Kits: https://www.childtocherish.com/collections/handprint-kits

Keepsakes: https://www.childtocherish.com/collections/21-keepsakes

Best Sellers: https://www.childtocherish.com/collections/top-sellers-1

Girl Themed Piggy Banks: https://www.childtocherish.com/collections/girl-themed-large-piggy-banks