What a custom keepsake is

Some trails aren't in the shop. And some journeys don't fit a single trail at all — a route you put together yourself, one section that mattered more than the whole thing, a ride, a pilgrimage, or a walk that only makes sense to the people who were on it.

That's what a custom keepsake is for. I build the design around your own photo and your own route, on the same ceramic ornaments and mugs you see in the shop. You get a proof before anything is printed, and two small revisions are part of the price.

What you get

On an ornament

• Front: your photo, a title of up to 18 characters, and the year — or no year.
• Back: a stylised map of your route, with your own line of text above and below.

On a mug

• A wrap-around design: your photo, a stylised map with start and finish, up to three waypoints and two place names.
• Your dates and a short line of your own, around 50 characters. Any of these can stay empty.

On both

• An optional symbol — one from my own library, or one you supply that's free to use. No trademarked logos.
• A proof before printing, with two small revisions included.

One thing this doesn't do

A custom keepsake is built around an image you bring — your photo, your own drawing, a picture that means something to the two of you. I don't produce artwork for it, and there's no watercolor option here: the Watercolor Edition exists for the trails already in the shop, for people who don't have a photo.

If you don't have an image, a Milestone Keepsake is the better buy — and it's cheaper.

Bring any image that fits the story, as long as it's something I could put in a shop window.

What it costs

Every custom design starts from the map, and how much work that is depends on what you can give me.

Your GPX file	€65
A map image, route under 500 km	€72
A map image, route under 1000 km	€80
Longer than that	ask me for a quote

A GPX file is the cleanest result and the cheapest option — if your watch or your phone recorded the route, that's the one to send.

An ornament and a mug cost the same to design and make. Once a design exists, extra copies of it cost far less, and I keep designs on file for three years.

How it works

1 · Tell me about it

The route, the dates, and what should be on it. If you have photos, send as many as you like — picking the one that works is my job, not yours.

2 · I come back with a design

Usually one to two working days for the first reply. What you get is a proposal to look at. How fast it goes from there depends on your replies as much as on mine.

3 · You approve it

Two small revisions are included. Nothing goes to print until you're happy with what you've seen.

4 · Production

Your keepsake is designed in France and printed in the EU, the US or Canada — whichever is closest to you.

What works well, and what doesn't

Works well

• A trail that isn't in the shop yet
• One section or stage instead of a whole route
• A route that isn't a marked trail at all — your own line on the map
• Your own photo, your own dates, your own wording
• A stylised country or island outline, with a dot for each place you stopped — very little detail, and it works just as well as a trail line for a journey made in stages

Doesn't work

• A photo on the front and nothing but text on the back. Every custom keepsake carries a map of some kind — a trail, a route, or an outline with your places marked on it. That's what makes it a custom keepsake. Without one, a Milestone Keepsake is the better buy.
• A guaranteed arrival date. Design, production and post all sit between your order and your letterbox, and only the first one is mine.
• Waymark symbols, trail logos or emblems that belong to someone else.
• A photo too small or too dark to print well — I'll tell you before you pay, not after.

Running out of time? Once you've approved the design, I'll send you a print-at-home card within 24 hours — something to hand over while the real one is still travelling.

"This turned out so great! Seller was kind and helpful, provided a preview of the custom piece for approval and very quick turnaround time to process and ship!"

— Verified Etsy review, December 2025 ★★★★★

"Anne was very helpful and made good suggestions when creating this Camino ornament."

— Verified Etsy review, November 2025 ★★★★★