Webmaster, Author at Round Trip Studios - Custom Laser Engraved Gifts

RTS Design Insiders get free stuff!

We need a Muse, you like free stuff… sounds like a win-win!

We have A LOT of awesome ideas. And with every awesome idea comes a flurry of activity. From planning, designing, tweaking, re-designing, testing, re-testing (you get the idea) we may end up with an amazing high quality personalized gift worthy of a spot on our retail line.

Now, since all of our best products are personalized, you can imagine how many “test products” we have in our house with our name, our kids names, and our pets names engraved on them. It’s time to share the wealth.

By becoming an RTS design insider, we will give you the opportunity to have access to our products that are still in our testing phase – free.

Here’s what our latest design insider got (for free!)…

Our design insider, Julie, provided us with the name and birth statistics of our most recent new product, our New Baby Embroidered Baseball! In return she will get to keep this awesome personalized gift when it has finished its promotional tour.

Here’s how it works:

We have a great idea that we want to test – this could be a new product, or a new design for an already established product, or (knowing me) some crazy new idea that I just want to try out.
We post an RTS design insider cue to comment on Facebook and Instagram.
We ask for specific information that has to do with our idea. For example, the baseball was great for someone that knows a baseball loving family, with a new baby boy, and could give us all the important birth stats.
You comment with all the requested information. If the request isn’t a great fit for you, tag your friends so they have a chance to get free stuff! Did you figure this out? Your chances double if you comment on both Facebook and Instagram!
We choose randomly from the list of all the comments that contain exactly what we asked for.
We reply to your comment to say you are the chosen RTS design insider, and ask you to message us so we can communicate further.
Then we will design our product with the information we got from you. If it passes our rigorous standards then we will make it available to others via our retail line. We will use it for pictures and promotional material and when we are done with it, you will get to keep it!

Here’s what you have to be cool with…

The information you give us will be photographed and these pictures will be shared to help promote the product and the business. Typically this means they will be used on our social media platforms, website, and e-mails, but we can use them however we see fit. Cool?
The testing process has no timeline. Sometimes we finish testing quickly, other times it takes a while. Do not expect to get the product by a certain date. You will get it as soon as it is ready to be given away. Cool?
We may not tell you what the idea is until the testing phase is finished. Like all great ideas, they are best kept under wraps until they are perfect and ready to be unleashed into the world. So, you may be in the dark longer than you’d like. Cool?
When it’s ready, you must be able to pick it up from our GTA (Milton or Oakville Ontario) location. We can ship it to you if needed, but you will have to pay for shipping. Cool?
Our testing might not work the way we expect it to. Wait, what? Our awesome idea turns out to be not so awesome? It happens. Even if our testing does not end in an RTS worthy product it still may be cool to you; but if testing doesn’t work at all, we won’t have anything to give you. Bummer yes, but we will try to make it up to you somehow. Cool?
No refunds. It’s a free gift people. If you’re not happy with it, please tell us so we can improve it, but please don’t expect to get compensation for any of our test products if you don’t like them. Cool?

If you want more inside information and occasional perks, join our email list!

Custom Laser Engraved Rolling Pins

Who doesn’t love homemade cookies? Now imagine if you could engrave those cookies with a special message? Now you can!

The perfect one-of-a-kind gift for the baker in your life, our laser engraved rolling pins are handcrafted with Canadian Maple hardwood and personalized with the recipient’s name or your own message, creating a memorable gift that’s sure to be cherished forever.

Our laser engraved rolling pins look beautiful on display in the kitchen, but can also be used to make delicious and beautiful cookies, pie crusts and more, for any occasion.

We had a lot of fun testing out our custom engraved rolling pins and creating these gorgeous “Peace, Love, Joy Believe” cookies.

To ensure your cookies come out as wonderful as these ones, there are a few steps to follow when using your personalized rolling pin:

First, we recommend using laser engraved rolling pins on non-rising cookie dough (see our favourite recipe below). Recipes that use baking powder cause the cookies to rise or spread and may cause the message in your engraved rolling pin to become distorted or disappear.

We also recommend using powdered or icing sugar to keep the dough from sticking to the pin. Roll slowly and evenly from the bottom to the top of the dough to ensure the engraved message doesn’t stretch on your dough.

Lastly, we recommend always baking on parchment paper to prevent your cookies from sticking.

Worried about cleaning your custom engraved rolling pin? It’s actually easier than you think. Avoid leaving your custom rolling pin submerged in water. Simply clean it with regular soap and water, using a toothbrush to get dough out of the small laser cut letters.

To keep your custom engraved rolling pin lasting a lifetime, we recommend re-sealing wood with a natural beeswax finish (https://roundtripstudios.com/product/beeswax-wood-sealer) to prevent the wood from drying out.

Feel free to include our favourite cookie recipe in the card delivered to your gift recipient:

Round Trip Studios’ Fabulously Delicious Gluten Free Cookies

Ingredients:

½ c butter cold and cubed
1 c sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups gluten free flour blend
½ tsp salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In an electric mixer combine cold cubed butter and sugar. Mix on medium for 2 minutes, or until butter and sugar are just combined.
Add egg and vanilla and mix for 1-2 more minutes.
Add dry ingredients slowly to the butter sugar mixture. Continue mixing on medium until dough starts to form a ball.
Place dough on a lightly powdered sugar-coated surface. Roll dough out to ¼ – ⅓ inch thickness.
Cut dough with cookie cutters into desired shapes.
Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Bake cookies for 9-11 minutes or until edges just begin to brown.
Remove from paper and allow to cool.

On Trend: Live Edge Decor

Live Edge decor pieces add warmth, interest, and an organic calming element that fits into any style of room. With its increasing popularity, “live edge” is a design term worth knowing.

When most people think of live edge home decor they think of beautiful, heavy, expensive dining tables. Essentially, “live edge” means that the edge of the wood has been left in its natural state without being processed. When a tree or branch needs to be removed, either because it poses a danger to the public, or to make way for new development, the artisan who handcrafts our personalized cheese and charcuterie boards is already visualizing how best to bring out the natural character of each piece. Once the wood is cut to the desired thickness, it is kiln dried, leaving all of the natural elements intact. Sometimes during this drying process, the bark separates from the wood, leaving behind the unique contours of the tree trunk. These two outcomes allow us to give you the option of choosing a personalized engraved live edge board with, or without bark.

With or Without Bark -Which is right for me?

To decide which style of personalized engraved board is right for you, it helps to consider what you will be using it for and how often. If the board will be used more as a display piece in the kitchen, then with either with bark or without will work. If the board will be used regularly for hosting, then it may be better to choose a board without bark. Like any natural wood product, the more it is cleaned and used, the more likely the bark is to separate from the wood. For this reason, our restaurant clients often choose live edge boards without bark. If you do choose a board with bark and it does happen to separate from the wood, it can always be glued with a non-toxic wood glue.

Whatever your choice, our live edge products are beautiful and functional; and with a personalized engraving they are also incredibly meaningful. They are unique and interesting and are always great conversation starters. Of course, they are most often used for food presentation but also make a lovely centerpiece for a coffee table, buffet, or dining table. Add a tall slender vase with fresh flowers, and a small interesting sculpture or box and you’ve instantly created a stunning vignette that is grounded by the natural beauty of live edge wood.

So browse through our design styles or contact us if you want to create something totally unique. We are always excited to design something new! And don’t worry, you will have a chance to review and alter the design if necessary. All of our new designs are emailed to you for approval before we start engraving. We want you to be completely happy with your order, and we welcome your ideas and input on all aspects of the design. If you do like what we do, please write us a review and be sure to tell your friends. We love hearing the stories of how our gifts have been received!

Shop Now!

Laser Engraved Personalized Cutting Boards

Personalized Cutting Boards Make Great Gifts

Gifts are an important way to celebrate life’s amazing moments, but let’s face it – some people are impossible to buy for. We all strive to give gifts that will be cherished for years to come, yet we are also busy, budget conscious, and some of us need a little help with ideas. Whether you have seen something you really like, or want to create something entirely unique, we can help you create that handcrafted, one of a kind gift that is truly cherished.

Handcrafted Personalized Cutting Boards

Our Canadian made solid wood personalized cutting boards make an excellent wedding or shower gift. We have many designs to choose from, and every one of them can be personalized to celebrate the special couple and the best day of their lives.

Personalized cutting boards, like the one we created for our client in Milton, Ontario. Its message of love brought tears to our client’s eyes. It is a unique keepsake the bride and groom will treasure for a lifetime. Our natural beeswax and mineral oil finish helps to preserve the personalized cutting board and this loving message.

Easy Ordering Process

The ordering process for personalized cutting boards is quite easy. Choose your product type online. You can shop by product, or by occasion type. We also have live edge products available and if you don’t see something, just ask! We can have our local woodworker custom craft a board for you. After choosing a product, you can customize the engraving on it by either choosing from our drop down options or filling out our custom order form. We love creating new designs. The more information you can send us initially, the quicker the design process will be.

Once you have chosen a design style for your personalized cutting board, our designers may contact you via email if they have any questions or need clarification. Next, they will email you a design file in PDF format so that you can see exactly how the engraving will look. The PDF will include an outline to indicate the approximate size of the product and show you the placement of the engraving. At this point, you should double check all spelling and dates to ensure accuracy. Once the product is engraved, we cannot make any changes. (and double check the spelling and dates). You can make any changes that you’d like once you have reviewed the initial design. Don’t like the engraving in the corner? It can be moved! Our designers work with you to ensure that you are 100% happy with the design before we engrave it.

After everything is approved and you are happy with the layout and design of your personalized cutting board, then we head into the studio and engrave your one of a kind gift for you. The only thing left to do is seal it with our natural beeswax and mineral oil finish. All in all, the process takes about two weeks (though we do offer rush processing as well). Voila! A timeless keepsake that will last for generations to come!