Sticks and Stones, OAK PARK

With pieces that have been featured on The Martha Stewart Show, hung in the White House, and chosen by Oprah to bestow upon Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes to celebrate their joint invention of the cotton gin, Sticks and Stones has made one-of-a-kind art ubiquitous. The company's master photographers have compiled a gallery of artistic photographs depicting natural and structural images that represent each letter of the alphabet, which customers can peruse to craft a framed heirloom. Once finished, a panel of judges approves the message masterpiece, which, regardless of semiotic weight, gets framed and shipped. Lauded by numerous other celebrity and media outlets, these letter-based and individually tailored decor concoctions make ideal housewarming, wedding, and new-baby gifts.