Need a gift made?

OH, FOR the days when getting all your holiday gifts was as simple as dashing off a letter to the North Pole or handing a list to Santa at the mall. Shopping is arduous and making your own gifts is time-consuming (and perhaps too crafty for your modest talents). 

So we’ve made a new kind of list – a guide to the clever “elves” who’ll happily create personalised gifts for you that convey whatever message you wish to impart. 

Just remember to get any bespoke orders in soon to guarantee they’ll be delivered in time for the big day. 

 

CYRANO DESIGN

Actress Woranuch “Nune” Bhirombhakdi launched a fad when she posted a picture of herself online holding a phone with her picture on the cover rendered as a cartoon. Thousands of people immediately wanted one of their own, which was great news for Salinee Rattanachaisit of Cyrano Design.

It also helped when singer Phunkorn “Dunk” Boonyachinda showed off his mobile case and a scarf, which also had custom decorations by Salinee, who previously worked as creative director on the TV show “Tee Nee Morchit”.

She does the drawing, giving her Instagram and Facebook customers a comical, cheery face, and then prints it on the phone case or a cushion or other accessory. 

Be prepared for a long wait, though, because the highly detailed process can take six months for an iPhone or Samsung case (Bt1,850 and Bt1,950). And she only accepts orders twice a year, 50 customers at a time. Get in line now for the February rush. To have a silk polyester scarf personalised (Bt4,550) or a canvas or silk polyester cushion (Bt2,800), you need to wait until May to order.

“Getting someone a custom-made gift shows a lot of caring,” Salinee says, 

 “and I’m very grateful to be part of people’s meaningful memories, so I commit myself to doing my very best for every one-of-a-kind piece.”

Supplied with a photo, she draws a portrait in black gel ink on paper, capturing the distinctive characteristics. It’s done freeform, deliberately avoiding any sophisticated techniques. Watercolours and other elements are next applied and then minor adjustments in the composition are made using software. 

“A police officer once got me to rush an order for his wedding anniversary,” Salinee giggles. “He wanted his and his wife’s picture done on a large piece of silk polyester – him in uniform and her in an apron because she’s a baker. He sent me a photo later of them celebrating their anniversary at a hospital because his wife was undergoing an operation. But he said my work brought her a lot of joy.” 

Okay, so you’ve left it a bit late for this holiday season, but Salinee always has a supply of pre-made gifts on offer – phone cases, scarves, cushions and brooches bearing images of big-eyed little girls. They’re sold in the BeTrend zone at Siam Paragon.

Facebook and Instagram: Cyrano Design

 

 

THE BAKER’S ROOM

If you really want to sweeten up a pal or a loved one, the Baker’s Room currently has a wide, first-anniversary selection of delectable cakes adorned with fantastical 3D fondants, three different sets of Christmas-theme cupcakes and all sorts of cookies.

Atinuch Narksavaek, Jannawee R Serireongrith and three of their friends – all trained at Le Cordon Bleu Dusit Culinary School – are doing the baking. They spent a year developing their own recipes but continue to utilise traditional French techniques. It was just about this time last year when the quintet built their bakery on land owned by Jannawee’s family.

“I opened my first bakery at home while I was still in school, offering made-to-order cupcakes with icing fondants in different designs, and they sold very well,” Atinuch says. “So, when we graduated, my friends and I opened this patisserie and added cakes and cookies. The feedback’s been great – we’ve even had orders from the fan clubs of celebrities like Davika ‘Mai’ Hoorne, James Jirayu and One Direction.”

Fine local ingredients mix with New Zealand sugar and French chocolate in desserts that are light, wonderfully textured and not overly sweet. The coconut cake, cheesecakes, crepe cakes and soft cookies are the big sellers. For a customised cake, you have a choice among chocolate, butter cream, vanilla, coffee and “red velvet” and you can design your own decorations.

It’s Bt500 for a basic pound cake, Bt1,000 for one bearing a photo-print and around Bt1,450 for a cake with those 3D fondants, the price varying according to the volume of detail.

For this Christmas and New Year there’s a Classic Christmas Cake, a Minions-friendly cake and a printed Rilakkuma in mixed flavours, ranging from Bt450 to Bt1,000. 

Facebook: TheBakersRoomThailand

 

 

YIM LEK LEK

New online gift store Yim Lek Lek offers handmade greeting cards, notebooks and personalised cartoon portraits. Neungruethai “Pla” Suwannachom, who’s studying product design at King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology and is a genius at making 3D models, earned instant acclaim with the birthday cards she made for friends and this past June took her talents online. 

Pla already has more than 6,000 followers on Instagram thanks to her lovely designs, top-quality paper in different textures from Canson and Renaissance and an ability to match a gift to any occasion.

“Most of my classmates have pages on Facebook and Instagram selling clothing and home decor, so I got into it too,” she says. “I love all kinds of paper crafts. Everything I offer is handcrafted and very detailed, and I try to make the cartoon characters closely resemble the person in real life.”

Pla spends a day or two on each order, starting with a sketch from the 

 submitted photo – the faces tend to take on the characteristics of Japanese comics, but the hairstyle and clothing are very close to the original. 

“I’m thrilled to help people design a gift,” she says. “I put a lot of heart and creativity into it because I want the recipients to smile when they see themselves in a cartoon version.”

Against a blue, pink or green backdrop, Pla pastes the finished picture embellished with balloons, Ferris wheels, cars and the like. 

Her prices start at Bt200 for a hand-cut card and rise to Bt300 for a notebook with a customised cover and Bt350 to Bt550 for a portrait in a wood-grain frame. 

Instagram: Yim.Leklek

 

 

BEAWELRY

The Beawelry line of jewellery that Nattapon Maneepairoj sells can be engraved with a personal message. He’s got rings, charms and bracelets in 18-karat or 14K gold, with diamonds, genuine-colour stones, anti-tarnish sterling silver 925, brass with rhodium, as well as Swarovski cubic zirconias.

The “bea” in Beawelry refers to a gigantic bear doll standing in front of the shop on the first floor of Siam Center. Inside Nattapon uses a laser to inscribe the jewellery in minutes. There’s an iPad set up for customers to select a template to match the occasion, whether a holiday, birthday, graduation or a declaration of love – even an apology. You can come up with your own design too, and you also get to choose the lettering font.

Beawelry is a new line from Sawang, a long-established OEM (original equipment manufacturer) for many brands in the US, Germany, New Zealand and Australia. “The line represents both the youthful energy and the traditions of jewellery-making,” Nattapon says. “We work closely with a German company to ensure the finest craftsmanship in the polishing, assembly and finishing. We incorporate a modern design that gives the classical motifs a youthful spirit. 

“Our motto is ‘Bear your heart’. It’s an easy way to express your inner feelings to a loved one because the pieces can be personalised.”

Rings are delivered to the intended recipient on the arm of a stuffed Beawelry doll. An 18k-gold ring arrives on a bear with a diamond-shaped Swarovski zirconia for a nose. 

The necklaces and bracelets are adjustable and charms can be added in the form of letters, numerals or and envelope bearing an engraved message. For Christmas there are charms in snowflake and snowman shapes. And you can buy the bear doll “delivery man”, 15 or 22cm tall and with or without the crystal nose, for between Bt990 and Bt2,990.

www.Beawelry.com and (02) 658 1068