Illinois Cutting Boards

Illinois runs long and narrow from the lake down to the Ohio River, and the lettering designs stack inside that shape rather than crossing it. Every piece here starts as a blank. The blanks are stocked, the Illinois design goes on after you order, and what ships was made for that order rather than pulled off a shelf.

The Illinois board is bamboo, seventeen by five and a quarter inches, cut long and narrow so it holds a wine bottle down one side and a wedge of cheese on the other. That shape is why it doubles as a charcuterie plank and a bar tray. Decorated on one face, working surface on the other.

If you came looking for an Illinois cutting board, this is the piece. It is the one in the collection that gets used weekly rather than brought out once a year.

Slate and Cork Coasters

The Illinois coaster sets are the anchor of the collection. Slate and cork both come as sets of four, in round or square, and both carry the same artwork, so the decision is about the surface rather than the design.

The slate runs four inches and a quarter inch thick. Its edges are chiseled rather than sawn, so every coaster in a set has its own profile, and four foam pads underneath stop the stone dragging across a table. Cork is 3/16 inch and far lighter, which makes it the better desk, camper or boat option.

The Illinois Designs

The artwork runs from a clean state outline to the name in brush lettering, a script signature, IL initials, a word cloud, a floral fill, and HOME with Illinois standing in for the O. Order one design across the whole set or mix the four.

A note before you order: hearts and stars set into the state shape are decorative. They do not mark a specific place.

Slate and Wood Ornaments

Illinois ornaments come in slate and in wood, the wood ones with a twine hanger already tied. The state shape reads well at ornament scale, and the Merry Christmas From Illinois versions do the work of a card and a gift at once.

For someone who moved away, an ornament tends to be the easiest thing to send and the easiest thing to keep.

Illinois City Skylines

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

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

Tumblers, Wall Art and More

The Illinois artwork is not limited to coasters and ornaments. Tumblers and wall art are joining the collection, and full color UV printing opens up designs the laser cannot do on its own. If you want an Illinois piece in a format you do not see here yet, it is worth checking back.

Personalized Illinois Gifts

Custom text is being added across the range, so a name, a date, a street or a family line can go on alongside the Illinois design. That turns a coaster set into a wedding gift with the date on it, or an ornament into a record of the year someone moved.

Illinois 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.

For someone who moved away, their city is usually the safer bet. For someone still in the state, the outline designs read as pride rather than nostalgia.

How These Are Made

Two methods run in the workshop. Laser engraving cuts the design into the material itself, so on slate it comes up pale against dark stone and on bamboo it darkens the grain, with no layer on top to chip or wash away. UV printing lays down full color, for artwork that needs color to do its job.

Because nothing is decorated in advance, turnaround runs one to three business days. Sets ship in a clear bag rather than retail packaging.

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 and wood, and engraved cutting boards.

Close by: Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa and Missouri.

Browse the Collection

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

Illinois Gifts