Gift-giving can be a hard, even grueling, task. How can you be sure you pick something your recipient will actually love? One way of making your gift count is by personalizing it. A personal gift will most likely be cherished. Luckily for us, we don’t even have to be crafty.
Gift brand, Hereafter, aims to create products that can be held, appreciated, and remembered. Founded by designer Yvonne Leung, the small brand offers handcrafted wooden keepsakes that are both unique and sustainable. Their products include hand-bound journals, Christmas ornaments, and wooden cards. They also include customized and personalized items (our favorite is their wooden keepsake boxes).
The items are made in Hereafter’s studio in LA. “Most Hereafter products start out as slats of wood,” explained Leung in an interview with Etsy’s blog. “We laser cut the slats with the designs and break them down into individual pieces. We also hand-stain our walnut keepsake boxes to make sure the engraving pops against the dark color of the wood.”
According to Leung, her business grew over time, beginning with a simple idea: making a unique wooden card, made to last. She then started selling her products at local craft fairs, after which she expanded with sales to online shoppers and store owners. “At first it was all me, but now I know what I’m good at and I have a team that helps me by doing the things that they’re great at,” she relayed. “For me, it’s inspirational to give other people creative freedom. Usually I’ll have a seed of an idea in terms of what I want to see this season, and then I collaborate with my team to bring those ideas to life.”
Over the past decade, the business has grown its product line, created new designs, and introduced special offerings that help people find gifts of love for almost any occasion. As a small company, they also look at their impact on the environment from the moment a new product or design is considered through development, manufacturing, sales, and delivery.
They’ve also committed to donating at least $1 from each online purchase to timely initiatives including social justice, civil rights, women’s rights, and international aid. All in all, their products make for the ideal gift.
Shop for their unique keepsakes here and here.
