Elawa Farm at Your Doorstep

ELAWA GARDEN MARKET’S TAKE & BAKE, the beloved program offering home-cooked meals to the community during winter months, pivoted quickly when COVID-19 first hit. Rolling out a modified menu with comforting food and contact-free delivery, chef Katie Merkle (originally from Lake Forest) crafts delicious quiche, seasonal soups, pies, and other baked goods, like scones and cookies. “The comforting nature of our food is how Elawa can provide nourishment and ‘hugs without touching’ during this time,” says Laura Calvert, Elawa’s new executive director. “When we brought back the modified Take & Bake the first week in April, we received the highest number of orders from the entire year. We were humbled by the response, and we are deeply honored to be able to feed our community and support local farmers through our product sourcing during this time.”

The Garden Market is currently set to open on May 15th, as originally planned. This year customers will find Elawa Farm’s sustainably grown produce and flower bouquets from the garden, savory and sweet items from the kitchen, as well as products from visiting vendors including Moll’s Balls, Chia Leah, Dave’s Tool Sharpening, Eggceptional Eggs, Emil Fresh Baked Bread, Gretta’s Goat, Little Bison Meats, Lolo Pottery, Ludwig Cheese, Old School Timber Works, Sitka Salmon Shares, Tomato Bliss, Zen of Slow Cooking, and more. For more information, visit elawafarm.org.

Send Your Letterpressed Love

LYDIA EVANS has been crafting custom letterpress stationery and notecards through her Libertyville business, Letterpress by Lydia, for the last eleven years. “I love the fine art process of letterpress printing and the enthusiasm of my clients about the handcrafted, heartfelt creation of each piece,” Lydia shares.

“The tactile feel of the de-bossed print on a soft cotton paper is just the most delightful, luxurious way to let someone know you’re thinking about them.” It takes approximately 10-14 businees days for her to produce a project, working with you in-home or virtually.

“I have clients all over the globe that I’ve never met in person and it’s a breeze to complete projects with today’s technology to keep us connected,” Lydia shares. “It is also great fun to print a client’s design, so if you have something you’ve created, or a custom logo you’d like printed, I love printing other designer’s work as well as client’s illustrations and ideas. I also offer digital printing, envelope addressing, and foil stamping services, so all of your stationery dreams can become a beautiful reality.”

Procrastinating gift buyers take note: when you’re looking for the perfect last-minute gift for the letter writer in your life, gift cards can be purchased anytime and redeemed indefinitely. If you’re not sure what he or she would love and think they would enjoy designing their own stationery, Lydia is who you need to know. To reach Lydia and see more examples of her work, visit letterpressbylydia.com.