Alaska Gifts

Alaska has the most recognizable outline in the series and the hardest one to shrink, so the panhandle and the islands get as much attention in the artwork as the mainland does. Nothing in this collection is decorated before it is bought. The blanks sit ready, the Alaska artwork goes on once the order lands, and the piece that ships was made for it.

As Alaska souvenirs go, these are the ones that stay out on the table instead of going in a drawer.

Slate and Cork Coasters

Slate and cork each come four to a set, round or square, with the same Alaska artwork on both, so you are choosing a material rather than a different design.

Slate measures four inches across at a quarter inch thick, hand chiseled at the edge so no two pieces match, with four foam pads on the back. Cork is slimmer at 3/16 inch and weighs almost nothing, which is why it tends to end up on desks rather than bars.

The Alaska Designs

You will find the plain outline, the outline with the name in brush lettering, a script signature, AK initials, a word cloud, a floral fill, and HOME and HOME SWEET HOME using the state as the letter O. Each set of four carries one design, so if you want a mix, order a second set in another design.

One thing worth saying plainly: where a heart or a star sits inside the state shape, that placement is decorative. It does not mark a town.

Ornaments for the Tree

Alaska ornaments come in slate, wood and leatherette. Slate is dark stone in a 3 or 4 inch round, wood is light with a twine hanger already tied, and leatherette is a thin, shatterproof disc in black, blue or brown, the one to hang low if there are kids or cats near the tree. Merry Christmas From Alaska versions come in all three materials, which cover the card and the present together.

These are the pieces that come back out every December.

Cutting and Cheese Boards

The Alaska wine bottle board is bamboo, seventeen by five and a quarter inches, cut long and narrow in the shape of a wine bottle, so it works as a cheese board, a charcuterie plank or a bar tray depending on the evening. Decorated on one face, working surface on the other.

It is the piece people reach for when they want an Alaska gift that gets used rather than displayed. If you came here looking for an Alaska cutting board, this is the piece.

Alaska City Skylines

Plenty of people are homesick for a city rather than a state. The Anchorage skyline is engraved on slate ornaments, wood ornaments, a bamboo board and a leatherette wall sign of its own.

For someone who left a specific place, the skyline lands harder than an outline of Alaska ever will.

Wall Art and Water Bottles

The Alaska artwork is not limited to coasters and ornaments. The wall art is a 10 by 10 inch leatherette sign with a sawtooth hanger, in blue or brown. Alaska designs include the Anchorage skyline and a Last Frontier design that pairs the state outline with a grizzly bear crossing the state map.

That Last Frontier design also goes on a 32 oz insulated stainless steel water bottle in black or white, for the trail, the boat or the commute.

Alaska Gifts by Occasion

A coaster set covers a housewarming or a closing gift without guessing at anyone's taste. The bamboo board suits a wedding, an anniversary or a host who actually cooks. Ornaments handle Christmas, a first apartment, a graduation move. A set of four is a fair thank-you for the neighbor who watched your dog.

If you are working through Alaska gift ideas, their city is the safer bet for someone who moved away. For someone still in the state, the outline designs read as pride rather than nostalgia.

How These Are Made

There are two ways a design gets onto a piece here. Laser engraving cuts into the surface, which on slate reads pale against dark stone and on bamboo burns a shade darker than the grain. UV printing puts down full color for artwork that depends on it.

Since each piece is made once the order is in, turnaround is one to three business days. Coasters and ornaments ship in a protective sleeve, and cutting boards and wall art in a plain box, so plan on wrapping anything meant as a gift.

More Ways to Shop

All fifty states sit on one page: Shop by State. If you would rather browse by product, there are state coasters in slate and cork, state ornaments in slate, wood and leatherette, and engraved cutting boards.

Also worth a look: Washington, Oregon and California.

Browse the Collection

Filter by product if you know what you are after, or scroll the whole Alaska collection if you do not. The coaster sets are the most forgiving place to start.