Inspired largely by the seasons, trees, hills, wildlife, water, beaches, farms and skies of the Leelanau Peninsula, each artistic ceramic tile custom created by Leif Sporck in Suttons Bay reflects his love of nature and conveys the picturesque beauty of this abundant region. From Wildflowers and Lakes to Fishing and Winter Scenes, you’ll find the perfect personal token (sporcktileart.com).
While the hexagon-patterned Petoskey stone — fossilized coral that’s millions of years old — is a prize to find along the beach, it becomes practical keepsake crafted into cutlery and accessories at Grandpa Shorter’s in Petoskey. Create a gourmet basket around an artful cheese slicer or pair an elegant stopper with your host’s favorite Michigan wine (grandpashorters.com).
Kitchen items crafted from renewable Michigan glacial hardwoods are the calling of Loon Hardwood LLC in Dorr. From wooden spoons, wok spatulas, cheese slicers and cutting boards to bread knives, tongs and table top wine racks, each solid maple and cherry piece is one-of-kind, custom-made by hand and finished with food-safe mineral oil for non-stick texture and shine (loonhardwoods.com).
Robbi Lindeman of Salt Labs in Detroit crafts a unique line of pillow covers featuring harbors, ports, rivers and lakes throughout the state. Designed from vintage prints, maps and nautical charts, the imagery is printed digitally using earth-friendly textiles and processes; do-it-yourself, envelope-style pillow kits are available, too, for the creative hostess you know (salt-labs.com).
Beaulah-based Crystal Crate & Cargo introduced this year its third round of colorways for Michigan towels featuring Northern Michigan artist Glenn Wolff’s designs. Woven onto jacquard looms by textillery Garnier-Thiebaut in the Alps of Eastern France, these all-cotton cloths are lint-free and perfect for drying glassware (crystalcrate.com).
Echoing the character and craftsmanship of 20th-century printmaking, original lithographs created by Petrus Martens in East Lansing with lightfast inks on eco-friendly paper depict top vacation spots and sites in Michigan. Present a signed and framed gift that links your host and hostess to a place they love (martensprintworks.com).
Treat those who are treating you to a revered father-son photography team’s 2014 Michigan calendar or newest fine art release, “Tuesdays with Todd and Brad Reed: A Michigan Tribute.” The impressive 11- by 14-inch, 400-page book is a rich trove of more than 1,000 images expressing the state throughout four seasons (toddandbradreed.com).
Nature lovers will relish any item from Gwen Frostic Prints in Benzonia. Select from journals and notepads featuring the acclaimed Michigan artisan’s signature block print art or a poetry book or coffee mug adorned with one of her woodland etchings (gwenfrostic.com).
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