The Stamps

Each issue of Bon Vivant has a collection of ink stamps serving as chapter headers and adorning the back cover. Every stamp is a physical item we found on that issue’s journey that we feel represents what we discovered along the way. Back at BV headquarters, we hand pressed most of the items into indigo ink, then onto paper to create each stamp.

As you can imagine, some items work better than others, and some require us to get creative (i.e. the Alaskan benchmark from Issue 6). But when all is said and done, we love the personal connection to each stamp and the keepsake that made them; great little Easter eggs strengthening the identity of every issue.

Four different types of grasses or plants arranged in a row, each with distinct shapes and textures.

Issue 1 - Wood Fire Cooking

1 - Pheasant Feather
2 - Apple Wood
3 - Sage Brush
4 - English Lavender

Various rubber stamps, some impression marks, and a circular seal.

Issue 2 - Baja

1 - 10 Peso Coin
2 - Nopal paddle
3 - Seashell from Playa Los Mangos
4 - Corn with Husk

X-ray image showing various metallic objects including scissors, a screwdriver, and other tools.

Issue 3 - Pasta

1 - Pasta Fork
2 - Pasta Wheel
3 - Homemade Rigatoni

A black and white image of a meat cleaver, a knife, a cow skull, and a plastic netted bag.

Issue 4 - Texas BBQ

1 - 3# Cleaver
2 - Smoked Beef Rib Bone
3 - Cow Skull Bolo Tie
4 - Smoker Grate

Black and white image of four different leaves, side by side.

Issue 5 - Pizza

1 - Rye Stalk, Janie’s Farm, Ashkum, IL
2 - Grandma Pizza Cross-Section, Professor Pizza
3 - Maple Leaf, Montpelier, VT
4 - Fresh Oregano, BV Garden

A coin with the text 'Top of Hardling Ice Flcid', a leaf, and a gear-like object arranged in a horizontal line, all in black and white.

Issue 6 - Rocky Mountain High

1 - Harding Icefield Summit Benchmark
2 - Aspen Leaf
3 - Ski Pole Basket

A bunch of dried chili peppers, a leafless tree, and a sliced open chili pepper, all arranged in a row.

Issue 7: Southwest Road Trip

1 - New Mexico Chile Ristra
2 - Joshua Tree
3 - Hatch Chile Cross-Section