Christmas gift ideas in wood: made-to-order pieces from a Gaspé workshop
A wood and resin board game, an engraved cutting board, a sign for the cottage. These are gifts made to order at our workshop in Saint-Siméon-de-Bonaventure, and they are built to be kept.
Looking for a Christmas gift that did not come off a warehouse shelf? Atelier Multidécor makes wood and resin board games, laser-engraves cutting boards, boxes and coasters, and pours epoxy pieces, all made to order.
This post is a list of ideas, not a catalogue. Every piece starts with a conversation: the material, the text to engrave, the size. The workshop's schedule then decides what can be ready for the holidays, and we tell you plainly on the first call.
Why give a piece made by a Gaspé craftsman?
Félix Gagné's workshop is in Saint-Siméon-de-Bonaventure, on the Baie-des-Chaleurs. The same team draws, CNC-machines, laser-engraves and hand-finishes every piece. A gift from the shop has three things a mass-produced object does not:
- it is made to your size and your words: a name, a date, the map of a bay or a village;
- it is made of named materials: maple, walnut, cherry, slate, resin, not an anonymous "composite wood";
- it comes from here, for families in Bonaventure, New Richmond, Caplan, Carleton-sur-Mer, Paspébiac and across the Gaspé.
The ideas below start from pieces the workshop has already made. They are custom projects: each request is reviewed before it is accepted, depending on the work already in the shop.
| Idea | Process | Materials | What you can personalize |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cribbage board | CNC cutting, resin pour, hand finishing | Maple and resin | Map of a place, resin colour, engraved name |
| Backgammon set or game board | Marquetry, resin pour | Wood and epoxy resin | Wood species, colours, size |
| Engraved cutting board | Laser engraving | Hardwood | Family name, date, recipe, pattern |
| Engraved box or frame | Laser engraving and cutting | Hardwood | Initials, message, pattern |
| Coasters | Laser engraving | Wood, slate or glass | Initials, map, logo |
| Cottage sign or plaque | CNC machining and laser engraving | Hardwood, slate | Cottage name, family name, year |
| River table or wall art | Epoxy poured in layers, hand sanded | Walnut and epoxy resin | Dimensions, resin colour |
Every idea is made to order. Whether it can be done, and when, is confirmed on the first call, based on the workshop's schedule.
Custom board games: the cribbage board and others
Cribbage is played with cards and a drilled wooden board. The workshop turned one into a collector's piece: the top is a map of the Gaspé Peninsula cut in maple, with turquoise resin for the sea. With a custom board game, you choose:
- the map: the whole peninsula, the Baie-des-Chaleurs, or the village where the family has always played;
- the wood species and the resin colour;
- the engraved text: a family name, a date, a dedication under the board;
- the game itself: the workshop has also made a second cribbage board in slate-blue resin and a backgammon set in wood and resin marquetry.
A game of cribbage is played to 121 points, and a tournament board has one hole per point up to the 121st, the game hole. A board built for play, not just for display, needs that count, and we check it at the drawing stage. A custom cribbage board takes several workshop steps: machining, pouring, curing, sanding. Order it early.
Laser-engraved cutting boards, boxes and coasters
The workshop's 80 W CO2 laser engraves on a 36 x 18 in (915 x 458 mm) bed. It marks hardwood, slate, glass, leather and acrylic. For a personalized wood gift it is the most flexible process: the file is prepared once, then engraved on one piece or twenty.
- A hardwood cutting board engraved with the family name, or with a recipe in a grandmother's handwriting.
- An engraved wooden box for jewellery, playing cards or keepsakes.
- A set of wood or slate coasters engraved with initials or the outline of a lighthouse on the coast.
- A frame engraved with a wedding or birth date.
Our guide to engraving materials and objects explains what each material looks like once engraved. For any text, send us the exact wording in writing: we check every name and date before the machine starts.
Epoxy pieces: the big gift
For a gift that marks a milestone (a new house, an anniversary, a retirement), epoxy makes pieces no other material can. The workshop has made a walnut and epoxy river table, and wall art in wood and turquoise resin.
- An epoxy river table, coffee table or side table, sized for the room.
- A wood and resin wall piece in the colours of the sea.
- A poured serving tray or game board.
Epoxy is poured in layers, and each layer cures before the next. These pieces take the most workshop time. If you have an epoxy piece in mind for Christmas, call as soon as the idea is clear: we will tell you whether the schedule allows it or whether another occasion is the better target.
For the house and the cottage: signs, plaques and carved reliefs
An engraved cottage name, a house plaque, a CNC-carved relief: these pieces stay on the wall for years. The workshop has carved a northern gannet in relief and wooden medallions.
- A cottage sign with the family name, in CNC-machined and engraved hardwood.
- An engraved slate plaque that holds up outdoors under shelter.
- A carved relief of a bird, a boat or a stretch of coastline.
For a larger format, such as a shop or B&B sign, the process is the same as for our custom wooden business signs. A memorial plaque follows the rules in our guide to the engraved commemorative plaque.
How to order a made-to-order gift from the workshop
A gift order follows the same steps as a cabinetry project, only shorter.
- Describe the idea by phone or email: the piece, the material, the text to engrave, the quantity.
- The workshop confirms whether the piece can be made and whether the schedule allows it for your date.
- You receive a quote. Nothing starts before you approve it.
- Pick the piece up at the workshop in Saint-Siméon-de-Bonaventure, or have it delivered within the Baie-des-Chaleurs. Elsewhere in the Gaspé and in Quebec, delivery is discussed on request, case by case.
The holiday season is often busy at the workshop. The earlier the request arrives, the more room there is in the schedule. A piece that cannot be ready for Christmas can become the gift for another occasion, and we say so from the start.
Looking for gifts for your clients or staff instead? Engraved series for businesses follow a different process, described in our post on engraved corporate gifts.
The points in a game of cribbage and the game hole follow the glossary of the American Cribbage Congress.
Have a gift idea to make?
Tell us the piece, the text and the occasion. In business since 1994, the workshop tells you plainly what can be made, and when. Phone: 418-534-4167.
Frequently asked questions
Can you make a custom gift for Christmas?
Yes, depending on the workshop's schedule. Every piece is made to order, and the holiday season is often busy. We tell you on the first call whether your piece can be ready for the holidays. If it is not realistic, we say so instead of promising it.
Do you deliver gifts outside the Baie-des-Chaleurs?
Pieces can be picked up at the workshop in Saint-Siméon-de-Bonaventure or delivered within the Baie-des-Chaleurs. For the rest of the Gaspé and Quebec, delivery is discussed on request, case by case, depending on the piece and its size. Ask when you order.
Do you make wooden board games other than cribbage?
The workshop has made two cribbage boards in maple and resin, one of them with a map of the Gaspé, and a backgammon set in wood and resin marquetry. For another game, describe it with its dimensions. We will tell you whether CNC, laser and resin can make it.
Can you engrave a name or a date on a wooden object?
Yes. The laser engraves hardwood, slate, glass, leather and acrylic. Send us the exact text in writing. We check every name and date before engraving, because an engraving cannot be erased.
How much does a custom wooden gift cost?
The price depends on the piece, the material, the size and the workshop time. An engraving on a simple object and a river table are not comparable. Describe your idea and you will get a quote before anything starts.
