From Design to Delivery: How Your Personalised Gifts Are Made in Southland, NZ | Love from Seventeen
Quick Answer
Every Love from Seventeen product is designed, laser-cut, and dispatched from our dedicated studio in Southland, New Zealand. We've been making personalised gifts here since 17 April 2015, and have sent orders to more than 30,000 customers. Standard turnaround is up to two weeks from order to delivery. Read our full story here.
When you order a personalised gift, there's something comforting about knowing exactly where it came from and who made it. We get asked about our process a lot, so this post is our attempt to pull back the curtain and show you what actually happens from the moment you place an order to the moment it lands on your doorstep.
It starts, as most good things do, with a story.
The Love from Seventeen Story
Love from Seventeen launched on 17 April 2015 — and yes, the date is in the name. The business was founded by Kylie, who grew up captivated by all things craft. When she and her husband bought their first home and welcomed two daughters, she set out to style their bedrooms and found the same thing everywhere: mass-produced, throwaway decor that lacked originality and purpose.
She wanted things that were meaningful, keepsake quality, and designed with real intention. So she wrote a business plan, bought an industrial laser-cutting machine, and spent over 365 days testing, tweaking, and prototyping. The result became Love from Seventeen.
What started as ideas scribbled in a notebook is now a dedicated studio in the heart of Southland, whirring out hundreds of orders to customers across New Zealand and beyond. We've been trusted by more than 30,000 customers since we started, and that number still means a lot to us.
You can read the full story on our Our Story page.
How Does Laser Cutting Actually Work?
Laser cutting is what makes true personalisation possible at the level of quality we're after. Here's how it works in plain terms.
Every design starts on a computer. The name, word, or design you order is drawn as a vector file — essentially a set of precise instructions for where the laser needs to cut and engrave. The laser then follows those instructions exactly, cutting through or etching into the material with heat rather than a physical blade. This means every letter and every detail is perfectly crisp, consistent, and repeatable.
Because each piece is made from a fresh digital file with your specific personalisation, no two orders are ever identical. Your name cut in your chosen font in your chosen material is genuinely unique to you.
Cutting vs. engraving: cutting goes all the way through the material to create shapes and letters that stand alone. Engraving burns into the surface to create a recessed design without cutting through. We use both techniques depending on the product — wall names are cut through, while keepsake boxes and guestbooks are engraved.
Precision: laser cutting works to fractions of a millimetre, which is why our products look the same in person as they do in our product photos. There's no variance from hand-cutting or stamping.
The Materials We Choose and Why
Plantation Bamboo
Bamboo is one of the most sustainable materials we could work with. It's a grass, not a tree, which means it grows back rapidly after harvesting without needing to be replanted. It requires very little water, no pesticides, and sequesters carbon as it grows. We use plantation bamboo in two tones — light and dark — and the natural grain of the material means every single piece has its own subtle character.
Bamboo is warm, tactile, and ages beautifully. Products stored carefully and kept out of prolonged direct sunlight will last for years and years.
Acrylic
Acrylic is our other primary material, and it gives us a completely different aesthetic range to work with. Mirror acrylics (gold, silver, rose gold, pink) catch the light in a way bamboo never could. Glitter acrylics add sparkle. Solid colours let us match a party theme exactly. Black acrylic gives a bold, graphic look that works beautifully in modern nurseries and kids' rooms.
Acrylic is durable, colourfast, and recyclable. Because our products are made to last rather than be used once, the environmental footprint per product is low. We also produce very little waste in the cutting process — offcuts are minimal and reused where possible.
See every material and finish option on our Material Colours page.
What Happens After You Place Your Order
Every order goes through the same careful process in our Southland studio.
Step 1
Order confirmed
Your order comes through with your personalisation details. We check everything carefully — spelling, font choice, material selection — before it goes into the production queue.
Step 2
Design prepared
Your name or design is set up as a vector file, sized correctly and checked for accuracy. This is where your font, material, and any custom elements come together before cutting begins.
Step 3
Laser cut to order
The laser does its work — cutting or engraving your product from the chosen material in our studio. No two pieces are ever the same.
Step 4
Quality checked and packed
Every piece is checked before it goes into packaging. Cake toppers are packed with the wooden backing they arrive in for safe storage. Wall names and decor are carefully wrapped to protect the edges in transit.
Step 5
Dispatched with CourierPost
Your order is sent with CourierPost tracked delivery, New Zealand wide. You'll receive a tracking notification so you know exactly when to expect it.
The standard turnaround from order to dispatch is up to two weeks. If you need something faster, our Rush Order Service is available to prioritise your order ahead of the queue.
Why Buying NZ Made Matters
There are a few ways to buy a personalised gift in 2026. You can order something from an overseas marketplace and wait three weeks for it to arrive, unsure of who made it or how. Or you can buy from a small NZ studio where you know the founder's name, the town it was made in, and the fact that every penny goes back into a local business and the people who work in it.
We're proud to be part of Southland's community and part of a growing movement of NZ makers who are proving that locally made, quality products can hold their own against anything imported. Every order you place with us supports that directly.
No unnecessary packaging. We've worked hard to minimise packaging waste — everything that arrives with your order is either recyclable or reusable.
Materials that last. Nothing we make is designed to be used once. Bamboo and acrylic products, handled with care, last for years. A cake topper from your child's first birthday can come back out for their fifth, tenth, and beyond.
Eco-friendly commitment. From plantation bamboo to recyclable acrylic, we choose materials with longevity and minimal environmental impact at the forefront.
How to Care for Your Products
Because our products are made to last, a little care goes a long way. The short version: keep them out of prolonged direct sunlight, wipe clean with a slightly damp cloth only, store delicate pieces (like cake toppers) in their original packaging with the wooden backing when not in use, and keep all decor out of reach of small hands.
The full guide is on our Product Care Guide page — it covers bamboo, acrylic, keepsakes, and everything in between.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are Love from Seventeen products made?
Every product is designed, laser-cut, and dispatched from our dedicated studio in Southland, New Zealand. Nothing is outsourced, and only a handful of our products are imported pre-made for us to personally engrave for you — every piece is made to order here.
How long has Love from Seventeen been making personalised gifts?
We launched on 17 April 2015 and have been making personalised gifts for New Zealand customers ever since. We've now sent orders to more than 30,000 customers.
Is bamboo a sustainable material?
Yes. Bamboo is a grass that regrows rapidly after harvesting without needing to be replanted. It requires very little water, no pesticides, and sequesters carbon as it grows. We use plantation bamboo specifically sourced for its sustainability credentials.
Can I visit the studio or see products in person?
We're an online store and don't have a retail shopfront. All orders are placed through our website at lovefromseventeen.nz and dispatched with tracked NZ delivery. If you have questions about a specific product or a custom order, get in touch through our contact page.
How long does an order take from design to delivery?
Standard turnaround is up to two weeks from the time your order is placed to dispatch, plus CourierPost delivery time. A Rush Order Service is available if you need something sooner.
Are acrylic products recyclable?
Acrylic is a recyclable material. Because our products are designed to last for years rather than be used once, the environmental impact is low. We also minimise waste in the cutting process and use recyclable or reusable packaging throughout.
More You Might Like
See every bamboo and acrylic finish with photos before you choose.
How to store, clean, and care for bamboo and acrylic products so they last.
Common questions about ordering, delivery, personalisation, and custom orders.
Need something that isn't in our standard range? Get in touch and we'll see what we can create.
Love from Seventeen — personalised keepsakes, handcrafted in Southland, New Zealand with love.
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