Gift buying can be a stressful task. Engagement gifts, anniversaries and birthdays. Christening gifts, congratulations and commiserations or sorry you’re leaving gifts. And the worry of finding that perfect wedding present will be back with the knowledge that weddings should be getting back to normal soon. So what can you get that they don’t have already? Something useful or practical, a beautiful piece to admire or something functional?
Preferably something that will be long lasting and treasured, something personal and possibly even an environmentally-friendly choice.
Let us be so bold as to suggest that a carefully handcrafted wooden item can be the answer to all those dilemmas.
Why Wood?
We may be biased here at Westborn Woodcraft, but we feel there are many valid reasons for choosing wooden products as gifts. So let’s discuss a few.
Wood is Good
Well, first and foremost, wood is a pure and natural medium. Nothing artificial there! We have used it for thousands of years for building and making things. It appeals to our senses. In the hands of craftsmen, the results of their skill can turn a simple piece of wood into some beautifully designed object. The highly tactile quality of wood can soothe our mood. It is said that hugging a tree increases levels of the hormone oxytocin, which is responsible for feeling calm. While I’m not suggesting you run outside and find a tree to hug, the evidence says that the connection between us and nature is strong. Surrounding ourselves with wooden objects around the home is an excellent way to make that connection. Not only are those wooden objects good for you, but they are also beautiful to look at and hold.
Sustainable Choice
Being eco friendly might not be your first thought when choosing gifts, but it certainly would be a good choice. Environmental issues are at the forefront of many conversations, and taking a movement towards choosing sustainable as opposed to disposable is a sound investment for our future. For example, we take great care in sourcing our timber.
Choosing wooden gifts will almost always guarantee that they will be durable and long-lasting. It can be practical without needing batteries or updating and never need replacing because it’s worn out. Buying handcrafted wooden products, especially those made from upcycled or repurposed wood and perhaps choosing to shop from local craftspeople, will go some way to reducing your carbon footprint.
A Thing of Beauty
Wood is a natural beauty. It’s a top choice for construction, furniture making, tools and utensils, art and sculpture. We could go on.
In the hands of a craftsman, there is no limit to designs and uses for the resulting products. This is because there are so many varieties of wood. Take two bits of wood from the same tree, and they will be different. The colour, texture, lustre, grain and fleck all come together to make them so unique.
If you look at our products, you will see how beautiful and unique each piece is. That’s what makes wooden gifts so unique.
This pair of candleholders are from the same piece of oak.
Knotty Cubes – Westborn Woodcraft
Keepsake
Wonderful wood lasts! Treated well and kept away from too much water, it will withstand knocks, bumps, and age with grace and character. How many of us might have something wooden handed down through the generations. Handmade wooden tools, furniture, beech chopping boards and so on. These valuable things become treasured timeless keepsakes. Buying a wooden gift for someone shows you have chosen something thoughtful and long-lasting, a gift to keep and treasure, something to keep you in their thoughts.
Personal
If you are struggling to find something extra special, then having something personalised will solve that. Giving something that has been etched with names, dates or a message makes it even more personal, and wood lends itself to being engraved or carved. Just look at our charcuterie and chopping board collections. They have all been engraved with their individual name, and almost all our products can be personalised.
The Brownlow serving tray/boardÂ
