In this guide
If you are a guest
Staying for the weekend? Bring something useful and small, then send something better afterward if you want to.
- A cabin logbook, for recording who came, what was caught and which year the dock flooded. Start the first page yourself.
- A good local item: coffee from a nearby roaster, or jam from the farm stand on the way in.
- A printed photo from your last visit, in a frame that can take a little damp.
- A new card game or a complete jigsaw. They always need one.
If you want something about their lake
The strongest lake house gift is the lake itself. Everyone in the family knows that shape, and few have ever seen it on a wall.
Our Custom Lake Map canvas starts with your lake’s true shoreline and islands from USGS map data, in an antique chart style with blue water. Your family name goes on the land around it, with a star and HOME on your spot if you give us one.
For the lake
Custom Lake Map Canvas
Your real lake’s shoreline and islands in an antique chart style, with your family name. Proof included.
from $99See it on Etsy
Lake Map Print with Family Name
Your real lake with the towns and roads around it, your family name and EST. year, in 3 styles. Free preview included.
from $45See it on Etsy
What to get right on a lake map
- Use the family’s word for the place. Our home word choices are Lake house, Cabin, Cottage and Camp, or none. Families feel strongly about this, so listen for what they say.
- Add the county or nearest town if the lake’s name is common. Many states have more than one Mirror Lake or Long Lake. If we find more than one with that name, we message you and ask which one before we draw anything.
- Find the spot: in Google Maps, press and hold the house or dock (right-click on a computer) and copy the numbers. It is optional, and it is the detail people walk up to the wall to check.
- Pick an extra line if you like: WARMER ONCE YOU’RE IN, EVERY COVE KNOWN BY HEART or BAREFOOT SINCE and the year.
A proof is included on the lake map. We send you the finished chart by Etsy message within 1 business day, before printing, so you can check it is the right lake.
Where it can hang
Lake places are damp, which matters. Canvas and paper are made for indoor walls and covered spots that stay dry, so keep them away from the dock and the open porch. The lake map comes in 30x20 in, for above a desk, console or bed, or 36x24 in, for above a sofa or fireplace. It comes with no frame or in a wood picture frame.
If the place has a name but no map
Some lake families care more about the name and the year than the shoreline. The coordinates canvas has a lake house style in a weathered wood look: Our favorite coordinates, your lake in big capitals, your coordinates and THE JOHNSON FAMILY with your year.
For the couch on a cold night
Lake houses get chilly once the sun drops. Our family name woven throw has a Lake House design with a low sun over blue mountains, dark pines and a lake with a small canoe, and your family name across the top. For the duck hunters in the family, there is a mallard throw with a marsh at first light.
Name and year
Coordinates Family Name Canvas
Your family name, the exact coordinates of home, lake or beach house, and your year.
from $69See it on Etsy
Family Name Woven Throw with Est. Year
Your last name woven big in cotton, with fringe on all 4 edges, in 6 designs.
from $89.99See it on Etsy
A closing gift for lake buyers
If you are an agent or a friend marking a purchase, the coordinates or lake map will suit. The year on it can be the year they bought the place. The buyers may not have moved in yet, so hand over the box and let them choose the wall.
Beach people have their own version. See our lake and beach house signs.
Questions people ask
What do you get someone with a lake house?
Something about their lake and their family: a map of the real lake with the family name, a canvas with the coordinates, or a cabin logbook if you want something small.
What if the lake isn’t well known?
Most named US lakes and reservoirs are in the USGS data. If we can’t find yours, we message you before anything is made, and if we still can’t map it, we cancel the order with a full refund.
Can a canvas hang on an outdoor porch?
Only on a covered spot that stays dry. Canvas and paper are not weatherproof, so keep them out of the rain.
When should I order a lake map for Christmas?
For Christmas delivery in the US, order the Custom Lake Map by November 30, which leaves time for the proof.
Orders go through Etsy. Each See it on Etsy button opens our shop, The Kind Porch, where you personalize, pay and message us.