Custom Keepsakes

What a custom keepsake is

Some trails aren't in the shop. And some journeys don't fit a single trail at all — a route you put together yourself, one section that mattered more than the whole thing, a ride, a pilgrimage, or a walk that only makes sense to the people who were on it.

That's what a custom keepsake is for. I build the design around your own photo and your own route, on the same ceramic ornaments and mugs you see in the shop. You get a proof before anything is printed, and two small revisions are part of the price.

What you get

On an ornament

• Front: your photo, a title of up to 18 characters, and the year — or no year.
• Back: a stylised map of your route, with your own line of text above and below.

On a mug

• A wrap-around design: your photo, a stylised map with start and finish, up to three waypoints and two place names.
• Your dates and a short line of your own, around 50 characters. Any of these can stay empty.

On both

• An optional symbol — one from my own library, or one you supply that's free to use. No trademarked logos.
• A proof before printing, with two small revisions included.

One thing this doesn't do

A custom keepsake is built around an image you bring — your photo, your own drawing, a picture that means something to the two of you. I don't produce artwork for it, and there's no watercolor option here: the Watercolor Edition exists for the trails already in the shop, for people who don't have a photo.

If you don't have an image, a Milestone Keepsake is the better buy — and it's cheaper.

Bring any image that fits the story, as long as it's something I could put in a shop window.

What it costs

Every custom design starts from the map, and how much work that is depends on what you can give me.

A GPX file is the cleanest result and the cheapest option — if your watch or your phone recorded the route, that's the one to send.

An ornament and a mug cost the same to design and make. Once a design exists, extra copies of it cost far less, and I keep designs on file for three years.

How it works

1 · Tell me about it

The route, the dates, and what should be on it. If you have photos, send as many as you like — picking the one that works is my job, not yours.

2 · I come back with a design

Usually one to two working days for the first reply. What you get is a proposal to look at. How fast it goes from there depends on your replies as much as on mine.

Before I start on the design, either of us can still call it off — an email is enough. Once I have started, that is the point of no return for the design work, and once your design has gone to print, nothing about it can be changed.

3 · You approve it

Two small revisions are included. Nothing goes to print until you're happy with what you've seen.

4 · Production

Your keepsake is designed in France and printed in the EU, the US or Canada — whichever is closest to you.

What works well, and what doesn't

Works well

• A trail that isn't in the shop yet
• One section or stage instead of a whole route
• A route that isn't a marked trail at all — your own line on the map
• Your own photo, your own dates, your own wording
• A stylised country or island outline, with a dot for each place you stopped — very little detail, and it works just as well as a trail line for a journey made in stages

Doesn't work

• A photo on the front and nothing but text on the back. Every custom keepsake carries a map of some kind — a trail, a route, or an outline with your places marked on it. That's what makes it a custom keepsake. Without one, a Milestone Keepsake is the better buy.
• A guaranteed arrival date. Design, production and post all sit between your order and your letterbox, and only the first one is mine.
• Waymark symbols, trail logos or emblems that belong to someone else.
• A photo too small or too dark to print well. I check every photo before I start on the design. If yours won't hold up, I'll tell you straight away, and you can send another one or call the order off. Not sure about yours? Ask first, using the form further down.

Running out of time? Ask me for a print-at-home card. I make these individually and only when you ask, so it is not part of every order. And I can only make one once your design has gone to print, not before. From that point it takes up to 24 hours: a PDF of your own keepsake, a frame to choose from, and lines for a handwritten note. Something to hand over while the real one is still travelling.

Ordering for Christmas?

Order by 30 November and nothing about the design has to be rushed: there is room for a proof and for changes. Into the first week of December it is usually still workable, if you answer quickly when I come back to you. Order earlier than you think you need to - in the weeks before Christmas nothing is usual, in production or in the post. I still cannot promise a delivery date: design, printing and post all sit between your order and your letterbox, and only the first one is mine.

After that, the card carries it. See above - it is created individually and only when you ask, and it holds whatever the date. The keepsake follows when it follows.

 

"This turned out so great! Seller was kind and helpful, provided a preview of the custom piece for approval and very quick turnaround time to process and ship!"

— Verified Etsy review, December 2025 ★★★★★

"Anne was very helpful and made good suggestions when creating this Camino ornament."

— Verified Etsy review, November 2025 ★★★★★