At Spencer Peterman, every piece we make is crafted by hand and can last a lifetime with the proper love and care. Our boards, bowls, and salad servers are both beautiful and practical, the perfect holiday gifts for anyone who appreciates both great craftsmanship and hardworking, sustainable kitchen tools.
In this post, we’ll guide you through what makes our work unique (and a great gift!), and give you the scoop on getting your orders delivered in time for the holidays.
Always Sustainably Sourced
Sustainability isn’t just a catchword for us. It’s the core of our business. The logs we use to create our boards, bowls, and servers are locally sourced, often with the help of area tree services. We collect wood that would otherwise be chipped, tossed, or burned, and turn it into functional works of art for your home.
Even the scraps and sawdust from our workshops are reused. Scraps heat our Gill workshop, or become wooden spoons and more in the hands of local artisans. Our sawdust becomes mulch on local farms. Absolutely nothing goes to waste.
Handcrafted and One of a Kind Holiday Gifts
Nature is our creative partner. Much of the wood we use features some kind of so-called “imperfection” caused by events while the tree was alive or by the early stages of natural decomposition, such as spalting, ambrosia markings, or burls. Because these naturally occurring patterns and forms are one-of-a-kind, each board, bowl, and server is too.
In our spalted maple pieces, the spalting effect in this rare wood is caused by naturally present fungi. Where areas of competing fungi meet, “zone lines” are created. These fungi skirmishes leave behind gorgeous lined patterns in the wood that are reminiscent of winding roads, or a child’s drawing.
Our ambrosia maple bowls are adorned with natural markings created by the ambrosia beetle (appropriately, this insect is also a symbol of transformation), which burrows into maple wood, creating striking, one-of-a-kind patterns.
Burls form on trees as the result of a stressor, such as an injury, and you’ve likely seen these bulbous growths on trees before. While burls might appear as an imperfection on a living tree, burl wood is notoriously hard to find and highly sought after for its unparalleled beauty. From these so-called imperfections, some of our most gorgeous works emerge.
And of course, regardless of the wood we use, everything we create is unique because of the human touch and creativity in each piece.
Natural Food Safe Finishes
It’s important to us that our work be beautiful, and also functional. We use only all natural, food-safe finishes so you can use our boards and bowls with confidence.
Our white pearl finish is created with an all natural paint wash that’s 100% food safe, as is our driftwood finish (did you know that our driftwood bowls are one of Oprah’s favorite things?).
Our ebonized black bowls and tossers are darkened with a food safe stain made from steel wool and vinegar. That’s right, simple items found in almost every kitchen. This solution oxidizes the wood, creating an aged effect in a short amount of time.
Our pieces are also treated with a proprietary blend of all natural, food-safe oils. This mix has taken us years to perfect and adds a beautiful, lustrous, and protective coating.
And of course, all of our finishes allow the natural grain of the wood to shine through.
Lasting Pieces for Your Home
We are proud that our work gives new life to logs that would otherwise be chipped, tossed, or burned, and we’re proud that our work lasts. With proper care, our boards, bowls and tossers will serve you for decades.
You can find care instructions and FAQ here, and our very own wood conditioners here.
Choosing the Right Gift is Easy
Trying to decide which board, bowl, or tosser set is the right gift? We’ve got so much to choose from, you’re bound to be able to find the perfect thing for anyone on your list.
Here are a couple things to keep in mind:
Our products come in a range of price points, so there’s always something that fits your gift-giving budget.
Our boards, bowls, and tossers also come in a range of sizes to meet your needs. We often get questions about bowl sizing, so to envision the size and function of our bowls, look no further than our bowl sizing guide.
With a range of finishes, you can create a gift set of match bowls and tossers, or mix and match different finishes for a beautiful contrast!
How to Order for the Holidays
If you’re in the area, we welcome you to do your holiday shopping in person at our showroom in Gill, MA or our stall at Boston Public Market.
For online holiday gift ordering, we encourage you to place your orders as soon as possible, especially since every piece is made by hand in our workshops.
We do have order deadlines so that we can ensure your package arrives on time:
–Orders going to the West Coast must be placed by December 1st, 2022.
–Orders shipping to the East Coast must be placed by December 8th, 2022.
Gift orders placed after the dates above cannot be guaranteed to arrive before December 25th. However, if our order deadlines have passed and you’d still like to place an order, contact us! If the product is available, we are happy to rush your order (for an additional expedited shipping charge).
