Choosing Unique Gifts for Remarkable Hosts

What makes a getaway memorable are the host details infused into a weekend. The aroma of fresh coffee when you wake up in the mornings, sliced fruits and treats appearing between trail walks and afternoon explorations. Every serving feels simple yet luxurious. These extraordinary hosts make it look easy; however, we know it takes thoughtful planning and an eye for specifics. When it comes time to show your host genuine appreciation, only distinct and delightful gifts will do.

You may be up with the sun and outside exploring during your weekend excursion, with meals and delicious samples enjoyed early and often. If your host is the champion of refreshments and vibrant cocktails, give them a trio of personal-sized serving boards to accent their culinary craft. Mini artisan boards are perfect for slicing fresh fruits for breakfast, veggies in the afternoon, at the bar for cutting limes and lemons, and as self-serve boards out on the porch and patio.

How sweet is it to wake to a fresh perk of coffee or the aroma of oven-baked scones? For those who create a cheerful start, return the favor with a boost for their coffee breaks. Handcrafted in natural wood, artisan coasters make an easy and elegant addition to their morning routine.

Friends who keep the door open for us to laugh and listen are true treasures. These hosts create inviting and comfortable spaces as we unwind from business and the family’s needs. Handcrafted doorstops are a unique way to tip your hat to the host whose door is always open for you.

After a summer of welcoming guests, your favorite host may appreciate a few quiet afternoons relaxing on the window seat or taking in the view. Inspire them with a premium gift box crafted from luxurious natural wood. This deluxe gift makes the perfect serving tray in a cozy corner or for breakfast in bed. Send your host a wonderful reminder to indulge in themselves.

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.)

Are Your Client Gifts Saying What You Think?

Updated: August 28, 2023

This is a two-part blog series. This first post is to help you define your intention and clarify the impression you want to make with your gifts. The second post shares ideas and examples to help you achieve that impression.

Part 1 of 2

Every gift leaves an impression; the question is, what statement is your gift making? Is it one that's lasting or last minute? Rushed or refined? Will the shrink-wrapped container from a big box store reflect the way you want your clients and guests to think about you? Before you make a mad dash down the retail aisle or a rush order on Amazon, we encourage you to take a moment to be intentional about the impression you want to make with your gifts and ask yourself these questions:

What is the intent of your gift? How do you want people to feel when they open it? Is it important to be memorable? One of a kind? Is it to impress a new client or to upgrade their experience with you? Do you want the gift to last beyond the occasion? Is the goal to show them you stand apart from the rest and are unique in what you do? No matter the size, your gift can demonstrate that this personal or professional relationship matters.

What unspoken message do you want the gift to send? The beauty of custom-made is what it says on your behalf. Giving a customized gift expresses thoughtfulness, time, and planning. It means you've considered the people receiving it, evaluated what would be meaningful, and that you’re willing to prepare in advance. It represents craftsmanship, exquisite attention to detail, and quality. It radiates value. The art of custom reflects a commitment to training, skill, and the tools to craft raw materials into something beautiful. Whether you send our gift boxes, cutting boards, coasters, or artisan stands, the details are evident. In our business, we handpick the wood, study the grain pattern, and plan where the design will appear. These details take time - and it's time well spent.  

Without saying a word, custom speaks volumes about the importance of the relationship and your commitment to sharing something meaningful and long-lasting. As you look ahead to your gift selection, consider the impact and message you'd like to deliver. And in our next post, we'll talk about different ways to help make that happen.  

Off-Road and Online

Updated: April 6, 2023

Adventure lovers, beach-goers, and trail seekers now enjoy the opportunity to build collaborations and take conference calls on the road. The workspace concept is redefined as the family dog makes regular on-screen appearances, and the back of a pickup truck transforms into a workstation. With the shift to fewer in-person meetings, you may wonder how to stay top-of-mind with customers. The hidden benefit of remote work is seeing your clients in a new light, in more personal and interesting surroundings. It's a great chance to get to know the human behind the email and better understand how to celebrate what matters to them.

As we weave personal travel into our business agendas, deal-making, and day-to-day business decisions move from the mainstream to the airstream. Designs are drawn from the comfort of deck chairs, and strategies are solidified from the shorelines. Successful entrepreneurs drop knowledge from behind the wheel of an RV (@Jesseitzler), while others work from converted Sprinter vans nicer than most apartments. Mini cabins and newly renovated motels are enjoying a resurgence as clients post from locations that tout open hallways, no elevators, and no closed corridors.

All this blending of work and home offers a glimpse into people's passions, a chance to note their travels and tendencies. Tap into these passions as you think about your client gifts. Upgrade their morning java with a beautifully glazed ceramic mug, or add a spark of style to their campfire with a unique whiskey tumbler. Send colorful, handwoven coasters or bar towels that spice up the park table yet require little space to carry. Whatever the favored activity, a nod to your client's lifestyle with a handcrafted artisan gift box reflects genuine thoughtfulness that will last through years of road trips and rendezvous.

For all of our explorers out there, honk if you love artisan gifts, refill your mug for the ride, keep the mints and chapstick close, and set your course for the next destination.

What to Send When You Can't Attend

Updated 02.22.23

In times when you can’t be there to celebrate a special occasion in person, you can still touch people’s lives with thoughtful gestures that speak to their milestone moments. Here are a few ideas to create a unique, artisan gift experience.

Select textures and elements that reflect the person and their event style. What comes to mind when you think of the individual personalities? Is it elegant, casual, colorful, adventurous, or something else? A gift for those who revel in the outdoors will be different than one for those who enjoy glamorous evenings and elegance. Ceramic glazes offer many unique textures, sleek, sophisticated, or earthy, to surprise and delight your gift recipients. Each item that’s paired with the focal piece (such as hand-woven, custom wood, or forged metal) will further elicit the intended feel of the gift. (If you’re looking for client suggestions, read more here.)

Engraving adds a beautiful touch. Personalize the gift box with a date, initials, or a name to reflect the occasion. An engraving lasts a lifetime, and options of script or block text will further enhance your style objective.

Choose a handwritten note. Select a gift tag and add a few genuine words to show you care. It doesn’t have to be lengthy; kind words go a long way.

A bonus option. Depending on shipping and temperatures, include a homemade treat from your region or one of the recipient’s favorite destinations to highlight a particular taste or locale. (Old Bay? Hot Sauce? Chowder crackers?) Simple treats made in their hometown or favorite travel locations can be a fun touch.

When many miles or conflicting schedules separate you from being with friends or loved ones, you can still create meaningful gifts by capturing a heartfelt spirit in the gift design.

Match Their Passion to Make a Memorable Gift

Updated 02.21.23

How do you create a gift experience that tells clients you know them as a person and as a customer? You’ve likely noted your client’s passions by the courses they take, the texts they send, the conferences they value, and even the trips they’ve booked. Whether they’re entering a hotel suite or a meeting room, imagine their delight when they experience a gift created just for them.

Here are a range of options to personalize gifts and create a memorable first impression:

Custom Engraving – A simple, yet beautiful way to personalize is through engraving. Is there a phrase, date, initials, or emblem of significance to them? For a long-lasting impact, hand-crafted cutting boards (and gift boxes) can be beautifully engraved as a genuine gift of craftsmanship. Unique lettering and font styles add to the personalization. This is a straightforward option, with a minimal time commitment, yet it still delivers a custom experience.

Blend a Gift Box – Combine a special element of your brand with an existing gift box. Select a distinct artisan gift box and blend elements together to deliver a more custom feel. For luxury hotels, it may be adding the taste of homemade jams, sauces, or aromatherapy with a hand-poured candle, into an existing gift box. For corporate gifts, it could be the preview of a product sample, a gift card, or unique local flavors to reflect your location. A touch of calligraphy with a personal message on the gift tag goes a long way. This option does require engagement and planning with us in the process to perfect the combination; however, blending creates a sense of craftsmanship and unique gifting without you having to find and coordinate the artisan elements (that’s what we do).

Match Their Passion - Is your client an explorer who likes to hit the trail or walk the beach? Do they enjoy a culinary experience in their kitchen? Perhaps they prefer a black-tie affair? Maybe she’s a whiskey taster, and a sip of bourbon in a cool ceramic cup is the way to go? Custom gift boxes beautifully demonstrate that you appreciate your clients as individuals first. Examples include adding postcards from the national parks, ceramic cups, forged metal slicers, a leather journal, or handwoven champagne towels. All are elements that match a passion. If you know the feeling you want to evoke, artisan gift boxes can deliver. This option works best with advance planning to allow us the appropriate time to select artisan elements to meet your goal. Time to exchange and confirm ideas is part of a successful custom process.

Take the time to give a gift that delights clients at the door. This may be the added touch that keeps them coming back for more.