The Wonderlust Journal » gifts

Yvette Van Boven’s Recipe Illustrations

Eliza Coleman — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 01:37:35 +0000

If I knew how to draw and stuff, I would make these for all my friends and family for Christmas. How sweet would that be? Ask them their favorite go-to recipe, illustrate it for them, and frame it! Voila! I would love to have a series of framed illustrations in my kitchen of my favorite recipes!

I looked around on Etsy and didn’t see anyone who offers this service. If you can draw, I advise you get on that hole in the market asap. You’ll be getting commissions til the cows come home, I can’t think how many blogs would love to feature that, and like, Martha Stewart Living magazine.

Yvette van Boven is the artist behind these illustrations above, that lead me on this whole chain of thought, and she has a new cookbook out that looks delightful. It’s called Homemade, and it’s a mix of recipes and diy how-tos for the kitchen, like how to make ice cream without an ice cream maker, and its decorated with her illustrations and photography.

Scrabble Love

Eliza Coleman — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 14:10:54 +0000

Above and Beyond >> A Homemade Ascot and Ascot Guide

Eliza Coleman — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 00:39:00 +0000

I would say I pride myself on giving pretty good gifts (although not on remembering actual dates of birthdays or to put things in the mail on time, which does in fact matter just a little bit), but when I come across people who make homemade gifts like this, I am just amazed.

This, all these images, are images of a gift this girl made for her boyfriend’s birthday. Not only did she sew him an ascot (so he “will be well-equipped if time travel is ever invented”), but she designed and made this accompanying suite of materials to go with it.

It even includes a little according booklet showing how to tie an ascot.

It might not be the most practical gift ever, but just the fact that she would take all that time to think of, design, and make something so detailed is so touching.

Details on how she (Livy, of the blog A Field Guide) made it here.

You’re Just My Type

Eliza Coleman — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 15:17:00 +0000

What a cute idea.

Pencils above from Paper Pastries

Or, personalize your own pencils here.

Limited Edition Cookbook

Eliza Coleman — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 14:58:00 +0000

I am actually allergic to pork, so this is a bit of an odd post for me, but I am well-aware of the popularity of the current bacon-added-to-everything and I can fully appreciate, on a conceptual and aesthetic level, Paper Pastries’ distillation of the trend.

A well-designed bacon-recipe book of 7 letterpressed recipes. They must be good if they chose only 7. A limited edition of only 13, each book is hand cut and bound.

Would make a great gift for a designy bacon-lover! Here.

i made this for you

Eliza Coleman — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 06:45:00 +0000

I think it’s probably common knowledge by now that I love (love) letters, general world-brightening acts of creativity, and clever sentimentalism, so I find this couple, of the blog Something’s Hiding in Here, to be beyond cute. In fact, I can’t believe they exist in the real world and not an Indie movie starring Zooey Deschanel.

Here, a few of the things they made for each other in their “i made this for you” project.

Shauna had been working on a big project, so Stephen made this sign along her route to work out of paper cups to cheer her on.

Stephen carved Shauna’s initials into a tree in a park where they walk their dogs… love how old fashioned and simple it is. Swoon.

Shauna took out this ad in one of Stephen’s favorite magazines, Uppercase.

And in my unending love of creative public defacement in the name of love/beauty, I of course really like this one. Stephen went out and spray painted hearts on a billboard that faces their loft. He said she was quite surprised when she woke up the next morning and saw it out their window.

found via the wonderful pixelsandarrows