The gift of true love: a Spencer Peterman bowl

If you really, really like someone, buy them a Spencer Peterman bowl. A dear friend just gave me one, and I think it's one of the best presents I've ever received. The designer scours forests for fallen trees, especially ones that are covered with moss and dirt and just beginning to decompose. Then he takes them back to his studio to handcarve and polish into smooth bowls in a myriad of sizes (mine is 15 inches—perfect for serving a big salad at a dinner party). It's so lovely: There's something poetic about transforming nature's waste into a gorgeous keepsake. Each piece is one of a kind and kiln-dried to suck out the moisture in the wood, so if you take care of it properly (which really just means using common sense, rubbing it down with mineral oil every so often, and not throwing it in the dishwasher), it could last forever. All the better to remind the person you've given it to of what a terrific friend you are.

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