Tantalizing Tastes of Summer

Warm weather brings a bounty of fresh fruits, exotic flavors, and refreshing beverages. Exploring new serving styles and experimenting with flavors is the kind of artistic expression that inspires us this season. From mocktail stations to gourmet dessert boards, mix and match these festive ideas for new ways to sip and share at your next summer soiree.

Artisanal Beverage Boards:
Instead of the traditional charcuterie serving board, create a luxurious beverage board. Arrange an assortment of artisanal syrups, flavored salts for glass rims, citrus twists, gourmet garnishes, and even small chocolates or macarons that pair well with the beverages. It adds a visually appealing and indulgent experience for friends and guests to sample.

S’mores Sophistication:
Elevate the classic s'mores experience by offering a variety of gourmet ingredients. Include flavored marshmallows like salted caramel, churro, or toasted coconut, different types of chocolate such as Wilbur buds or white chocolate, and add-ons like sliced strawberries, caramel sauce, or nut butter. Create a self-serve s'mores bar with a variety of toppings and fillings. Peanut butter cups, sliced bananas, crushed peppermints, or sprinkles make delicious and colorful additions. Invite your guests to get creative and enjoy customizing their unique combinations.

Mocktail Serving Station:
When you need a splash of afternoon hydration, transform a handcrafted gift box or serving board into a unique mocktail station. Include a variety of premium non-alcoholic spirits, like Hella Bitters & Soda spritz, sparkling waters, Little Saints plant-based mimosas, or Athletic’s alcohol-free beer. Skip the measuring and add Herb and Lou’s frozen infused cubes to your choice of spirit or seltzer. Complete the celebration station with lemons, limes, and oranges in textured ceramic bowls: specialty drinkware and a book of creative recipes make cheerful additions. A mobile, artisan serving station makes it easy to carry refreshments inside or out, and it’s a unique way for friends to enjoy a tasty beverage experience - with or without alcohol.

Whether you’re roasting, toasting, or coasting, enjoy a new twist on traditional summer favorites. (Shop our handcrafted serving boards here.)

Refresh & Refill: Stylish, Sustainable Gifts

The effort to blend style and sustainability is a journey. We know that you value the impact of giving beautiful, unique gifts, and, at the same time, you expect eco-friendly qualities. Where does a sustainable effort show up in our gifts and product design? Here’s a look at what environmentally friendly means behind-the-scenes, and the commitment it takes to deliver a stylish and sustainable gift experience.

There are two parts to an environmentally-friendly effort, the material of the gift itself and the packaging and shipping. The gift aspect is a more straightforward part of the process because we work in an artisan industry. Hand-picked wood, hand-woven materials, and artisan-made elements attract makers who want their pieces to be earth-friendly and enjoyed for generations. (We’ve learned a lot of good tips from artists.) Our original gift box fill was replaced with recycled paper years ago, which was an important step. Turns out it was just the tip of the iceberg. These days, we extend our eco-friendly preferences to how other partners and vendors package their goods. We’ve come a long way, and there’s more work to be done.

Eco-friendly should be tastefully designed. While technology and sustainable processes have improved, we still find great products that aren’t paired with attractive, sustainable packaging. This lackluster appearance doesn’t work inside a luxury gift box. Last year, we finally found gift wrapping in colorful recycled options (not just brown). It’s taken time for the industry to catch up to the design piece.

Effective and affordable wrap is essential. Our number one goal, and non-negotiable, remains that gifts arrive in beautiful condition. Corners and cups must be protected as we plan for boxes to be dropped or handled with less care in shipping than we prefer. We’ve improved our wrap and packaging materials and are transitioning to plant-based peanuts. And we finally found sustainable packing tape that sticks and fits our brand’s look and feel.

If you’re wondering if shipping is a real cost, this is your answer. This effort isn’t “free.” Packaging and handling preparation takes time, costs more, and requires quality products.

A reminder that your voice matters. The more you request sustainable, eco-friendly options, the more alternatives, better pricing, and stylish designs will be available to all of us.

Rolling Residences Add a New Twist to Home Design

Summer vacations are hot on our heels, and modern-day "mobile" homes (#vanlife) are headed toward scenic destinations. As our lifestyles intersect with travel and workations, sports vans and pop-tops are equipped with accessories and custom pieces that add a new twist to artisan home design.

Originally, handcrafted cutting boards began as a kitchen essential for food prep, then evolved into serving boards for home entertainment. Next, what started as a kitchen tool morphed into an option for countertops. The beauty of natural wood gained popularity in kitchen remodels and interior design.

Now, as remote workstations become the norm, vans, RVs, and buses are retrofitted for extended living. That same cutting board concept has taken another turn. This time we're making dual use cutting boards used for meal prep and as custom sink covers, part of custom van conversions. The cutting board continues to have practical use and adds the style of rich wood grain to an already upgraded interior.

Part of the fun of artisan craftsmanship is seeing the different ways a design is used in beautiful and functional forms. The pictures below start in our workshop (left) as the custom cutting board sink cover is made and ends in the “kitchen” of the camper van. Also, a customer’s kitchen countertop, made of individual pieces of rough-cut lumber, is shown on the far right.

This is an example of craftsmanship and creativity leading to three different products (cutting board, kitchen countertop, and van kitchen accessory). There’s a similar look and feel for all, however, each is used in a unique way. We love when our customers take our contemporary artisan pieces and create their own design ideas. You never know where the creative road will take you.

Welcome Gifts: Create an Atmosphere of Anticipation

Scenic trails, cozy blankets, and crackling campfires are what we imagine when we’re dreaming of a weekend getaway. The door swings open, you step inside, exhale, and leave your worries behind. There’s a gorgeous view to enjoy as you embrace the cabin comforts and anticipate the weekend ahead. A beautiful gift box is there waiting for you. It’s an unexpected surprise, an invitation to explore new tastes and treasures. Each element inside the gift box hints at the excitement to come. Isn’t this the way all weekends should begin?

The way we welcome our guests sets the mood for an entire experience, whether it’s the start of a relaxing retreat or a thank-you to lifelong friends in your wedding party. Here are three ideas to inspire your gifts as you welcome friends, family, and guests.

The flair of local flavors - Highlight local artisans from the region with savory treats made by small businesses. It could be the scent of pine, cinnamon spice, or palo santo candles paired with snacks like caramels, chocolates, or pretzels made by a family business. A sample beverage from a nearby brewery, coffee beans, or a sip of spirits (bonus for a catchy name or creative label) is another way to spice up your gifts.

Bring back memories - Include at least one piece that lives beyond the sips and snacks as a joyful reminder of the experience. It could be engraved wood coasters, a festive pin, distinct ceramic cups, or a handwoven towel. Give your gifts in a handcrafted wood gift box to leave a lasting impression.

The karma of kind words - Take the time to include a personal note. Jot a few words on the back of a scenic postcard from the area and include a second one for them to share, leave your message on a beautiful hand-illustrated card, or add heartfelt thanks inside the day’s itinerary. You might be surprised at how many times these notes get pinned to a corkboard at home, used as bookmarks, posted in the office, or shown proudly on a refrigerator. Your words are appreciated, take the time to say something from the heart.

The magic happens when you infuse your personal style throughout the gift experience and create an atmosphere of anticipation for what’s to come.

If you’d like ideas on how to reuse these beautiful gift boxes you can get a copy of our free guide here. These deluxe wood boxes can be found on our Specialty Series page.

There's Nothing Like Watching Their Faces Light Up

We watched her smile, slowly turning the gift box around to admire it from every angle. When it turned to the front and she saw the engraving, she gasped with surprise and delight. There’s nothing like watching their faces light up when you give a memorable gift. We rarely get to see the reaction first-hand when a gift box is opened. It’s usually shipped to destinations far and wide or delivered for a reveal at a later time. We hear about the excitement in texts or phone calls (sometimes both!) from those who send the gifts. In this instance, we were fortunate to be there for the experience - and how fun! Do you get stuck deciding what to give that’s meaningful and unique? Do you wrestle with how to leave a lasting impression? If so, we’ve got some ideas and inspiration to help make your selection easy.

Personalization is what makes a gift unique; it’s the gorgeous wood grain, the artisan elements, and the craftsmanship that makes the gift recipient feel special. In the case of this gift box, the venue is perched high in the Catskill Mountains, surrounded by cabins and firepits and an incredible view. With that setting in mind, we selected long matches for their campfires and ceramic tumblers with an earthy glaze pattern that inspires thoughts of mountain peaks and walking paths. Tucked inside is a mini ceramic air plant pot with an artful design that reflects the distant mountains, and a candle fills the air with a woodsy aroma. Engraving is another way to personalize a gift. Imagine an inspirational quote, a favorite music lyric, or in this example, a logo etched in the wood for a finishing touch. This gift box is made from natural hardwoods (black walnut, and white maple) right down to the beveled handles. The entire design is with the customer in mind. While it may be easy to grab generic, off-the-shelf items, if the recipient doesn’t remember you (and never uses your gift), you’ve missed an opportunity. Or worse, you’ve made the wrong impression. A personalized gift sends the message that they’re important to you.

Is it a gift they’ll love each time they use it? That’s the goal of a memorable gift. Is it a handcrafted beauty, distinct in style? Is it reusable? Does it reflect the texture of natural materials? Consider these ideas, and light up someone’s day with your gifts. We encourage you to take a few moments to determine the impression you’d like to make. Then, we invite you to shop our Gift Box Collection, Specialty Series, and the Marketplace to make your memorable gift selection. It feels amazing to receive a gift like this, and it feels pretty darn good to give one too.

How Memories of Main Street Create Meaningful Client Gifts

I used to love going down to the Rock Box when I was a kid. It was a tiny store on a small town main street selling rocks of all sizes, shapes and colors. The owners knew me well because of my frequent visits and let me wander free, picking up all the rocks to feel the quartz edges and touch the cold, smooth surface of the colored stones. That experience left a lasting impression on me, a reminder of the joy that comes from connecting with beautiful natural elements.

Today, we’ve expanded on the wares of the little rock shop by working with artisan elements of all shapes, sizes and colors. The feel of woven fabrics, the look of natural wood grain, and the touch of ceramic textures, are a few of the different ways we like to evoke a memorable gift experience. Often, it’s about adding depth and dimension to a gift, the result of a subtle touch or detail to magnify the focal pieces.

Adding dimension to a moving target takes a careful eye, a consistent evaluation of the landscape, and old-fashioned practice. If you understand the broader context, and the art of creating a custom gift box, you can scout the options and identify pieces that complete your preferred look.

Here are two things we strive for in our selection process:

Enhancing with color – how can we add color in ways that enhance the style yet don’t overpower a gift box? Consider pieces that are made from natural, woven or milled fabrics, and bring a unique sense of touch. Fabrics can be light and airy, bulky, silky or rough, depending on the look you’re aiming for. Special thread styles and even fringe can be part of the mix! These pieces can amplify a gift theme, yet minimize the space required inside a gift box. By rolling, folding or tucking them into artisan pieces, they add flexibility too.

Variety in textures - Adding elements such as, wood, metal, fabric, or a special glaze can create a more interesting visual effect. Many times, textures can be layered, such as floral elements resting on wood grain, or glaze drips on ceramics. Perhaps a wool fabric, which brings a much different feel than silky linens, is in order. Mother Nature is also your friend, offering pine cones, evergreens and the delicious smell of eucalyptus. An eye-catching combination of these can go a long way in creating a compelling style.

In the end, the goal is to understand a client’s needs and the experience they want to create. We hope our artisan gift boxes transport people to a wonderful place, maybe a feeling of adventure or celebration? Or maybe to a favorite old shop on main street.

Here are a few other blogs related to this topic:

Creating Festive and Functional Gifts

Let the Textures do the Talking

When Small Details Make a Big Impression

Now Boarding...How Cutting Boards Serve Up a First-Class Gift

Updated April 6, 2022

If you’re tired, dare we say “bored,” of traditional gifts, welcome a new friend to the neighborhood with a new look, and make it a block party! A chopping block kind of occasion.

The standard cutting board has a fresh, new gifting style, thanks to the finishes, wood, and tools now available. Even color combinations can vary depending on the wood, adding a deep, rich appearance that highlights the artisan appeal. Red oak, mahogany, and maple are a few of the woods we use but take your pick. 

If you want to add a personal touch, pair your cutting board with a unique accessory that matches a specific style or passion. 

If cooking is a favorite pastime, a veggie chopper (or cheese cutter), matched with a cutting board is a thoughtful option for crunch time decisions. 

For folks who love the taste of limes, we pair our handcrafted boards with an iron-forged slicing knife to keep it dicey. (Given our #ruggedstyle we like to use a strip of leather to tie pieces together.)

Small is mighty, despite what some may say. Having a compact cutting board handy for quick jobs like slicing lemons, onions or cherry tomatoes is perfect. It’s still big enough to be useful, yet small enough to tuck away. Custom edging can make a big difference too, creating a sleeker look.

In terms of maintenance, a splash of Howard Cutting Board Oil will do the trick every three to four months to keep it looking spectacular. Beautiful and easy! (Any of the cutting boards shown above can be added to our gift boxes using the Custom page form.) 

The good news is that custom tools and wood options have elevated the old idea of a cutting board. There’s no need to be a chip off the old block anymore.