Deck the Halls
A staple of the holiday season is the act of decorating your given space with ornaments and items that have a special meaning to you. Whether it’s the stockings your family created years ago, the tree topper that’s been passed down through generations or the very first ornament you ever bought for your kid, the holiday is full of small objects with grand meaning.
These items are often handmade, but a number of them are also purchased almost at random. One way to make something that will last and be personal is to get a custom made ornament. This year, we’ve been lucky enough to be contacted to create custom Christmas ornaments for two different customers so far. In both instances, we pulled out all the stops to ensure the final product would be something special the customers would appreciate for many Christmases to come.
Iowa State Legislative Services Agency Ornaments
When we were contacted in October to make a custom Christmas ornament for the Iowa State Legislative Services Agency, we were excited to create something the agency members would cherish.
The agency is a regular customer of ours, but this was the first time they’d requested we make a Christmas ornament. The general idea for the ornament was to get a shot of the front of the Iowa State Capitol Building and allow that to serve as the majority of the ornament face. Our artists presented a number of options for the design. Some of the first designs were done in the form of a typical challenge coin with the image stamped into the front of the circular coin shape, or a circular coin with the primary dome of the building cut out in a cut-to-shape fashion. But the design the agency liked the most featured the entirety of the building in a cut-to-shape outline presented in high-relief 3D.
In fact, they liked the design so much that within very little time of placing the order, they requested another set of ornaments. These were designed after the Iowa Governor's Mansion. Terrace Hill is the 18,000 square foot mansion positioned on a hill overlooking downtown Des Moines. It’s a remarkably impressive sight, and the opportunity to represent it in a Christmas ornament was something our artists jumped at.
When creating custom coins, we’re designing a product that’s intended to rest on a flat surface or sit in a pocket. Christmas ornaments, however, are meant to hang from the limb of a tree. This difference leads to a very specific consideration: balance. It was pointed out that an early version of the Terrace Hill ornament had an uneven weight distribution. Because of that, it was said that the ornament would spin once placed on the tree. The hanging point was edited and the spire was removed from the building’s tower to combat this particular problem.
501st Legion Christmas Ornaments
The 501st Legion is another repeat customer, and their fun Star Wars fusion challenge coins are always a joy around the office. To make matters even better, their products are almost always put to use for a good cause. The 501st embodies a lot of the very best aspects of the holiday season as they work to spread cheer and evidence their good will. That’s why when repeat customer Nick Harrison came to us looking for a set of Christmas Ornaments, we were excited to help.
Spreading Holiday Cheer
Ornaments ordered from Signature Coins come with a ribbon included. Because we’ve spent a lot of time creating race medals, we’ve become well versed in different types of ribbon, and whatever option you choose, we will be able to provide.
As the the holiday season ramps up in earnest, Christmas trees are going up all over the world. As you start the process of decorating your own tree, whether it’s around the house or at the office, consider creating custom ornaments this year. Anything you create will be cherished by your friends, family and coworkers for multiple holidays to come.
If you’re more interested in planning ahead, don’t panic, We’ll create your custom Christmas ornament at any point throughout the year. If you’re interested in pursuing this option, simply let a member of our sales team know and they’ll be happy to assist you in placing an order.
However you and yours are celebrating this year, we here at Signature Coins want to wish everyone a safe and joyous holiday season!
