There are many ways that we can decorate your items to make them more lavish and uniquely yours. Feel free to browse our gallery to see items we've made before and get some ideas. If you already have something in mind, drop us a line and we'll see what we can do for you.

      Visit the Gallery.

Understanding design elements When you place an order request for most of our items you will see that you can select from "border decoration", "simple decoration" and "elaborate decoration". To make this potentially more confusing, these items can be combined. When we use the term border we are generally referring to a design element that is long and repetative - something that you might expect to see around the border of a scroll, and many work very nicely as a border around the edge of a table, plate or rim of a cup as well. When we use the term simple design we are referring to an item that is made up of few and simple lines. An elaborate design is a more intricate picture or pattern and/or one that incorporates shading. Sometimes, what you want may include several of these types combined. If you are having a hard time judging which you think your decorative element falls into, make your best guess - we will be in touch with you to discuss your order anyway and we can adjust it if appropriate once we are clear on your desires. The image to the right (which is not to scale) is an example of how you can combine elements, and would be considered a 9" border pattern and an 8 sq in simple design.

Painted Designs - Available on wood, leather and textile items
Whether you choose a single color design or a multi-color pattern, this is a nice way to add colour and personal touches to any of your items. Common elements are border patterns, logos, arms and devices, or other pieces of original artwork.

Burning - Available on wood and leather items
While the process of burning your design into your wood or leather product only introduces one colour, it does lend depth and is a very permenant way to mark your items with the patterns or designs of your choice.

Stains and Seals - Available on wood items
A common option available which adds a simple but nice touch to your items is the way in which it is finished. You can choose to keep the natural grain of the wood and go with a clear seal, or have us stain your wood in any of our commonly available colours and then finished with a clear coat. We use Minwax brand wood stains and seals for best compatibility.

English Oak	Vermont Maple
Rosewood	American Walnut

We have two clear coats available - Polycrylic and Spar Urethane. The spar urethane is best for outdoor applications and sheds moisture as well as providing UV protection to your wood. However, the spar urethane also has a tendency to "amber" wood products, meaning that it will lend a yellowish tint to your product from the get-go (though it is truly only noticable on unstained wood, it does not drastically effect the look of any of the above stains). The polycrylic has been chosen for its crystal-clear finish, but it is technically only suggested for indoor applications as it is not quite as weather-proof.