Signs Never Sleep

Merry Christmas from Blackwater Folk Art: Metal Folk Art Signs

Blackwater Folk Art is a company doing great things with a little scrap scrap metal and alot of whimsy.  It is very common to see small signs with clever or cute sayings on them everywhere you turn in a gift shop.  What is unique about Blackwater does, is their use of recycled scrap metal.  Currently "going green" is the HOT thing for many consumers, and Blackwater Folk Art was doing it long before it was "cool".

See more of their work here.

Here is a description off of Blackwater Folk Arts Website"

"We are proud to be crafting handmade products in the United States. We have a commitment to produce home and garden art with quality materials and original designs that will provide you and your customers with years of enjoyment. We use salvaged and recycled metals from old barns and buildings to produce our vintage-looking signs and wall art.

We are a family run business, sort of an "overgrown cottage industry"! We hope that our products make you smile and that they reflect the simple pleasures of life that we enjoy! "
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Custom, hand-painted gift signs from Shabby Shoe Signs

Shabby Shoe Signs is a company that specializes in one thing.  Creating charming , hand-painted signs for home, garden, or anywhere else!  These signs are made from recycled wood, and are painted and distressed to look like family heirlooms

This is just the type of company we love to highlight here at Signs Never Sleep, because Karen has decided to specialize in one type of sign, and is doing it extremely well.

Karen does both stock and custom orders.   Her stock signs start at $15.99, as do her custom orders.   Link

Tiki Bar Signs and Pirate Signs from Mada Sign Designs

Mada Sign Designs is run by two veterans of the theme-park industry, Cindy Bothner and Staci Hay.

Cindy worked for the Disneyland Sign Shop and Walt Disney Imagineering for 20 some years before retiring. She worked as a Scenic Artist, Production Designer and Field Art Director on Attractions for EPCOT Center, Dinorama Animal Kingdom, Disney’s California Adventure and Disneyland

Staci has a background in Graphic Design, designing Logo’s and Sign’s for the commercial and private sector. Staci also worked for Walt Disney Imagineering as a Scenic Artist on the Disney’s California Adventure project.  Link

They have a wide selection of sign designs, and any of them would make a terrific gift.  The average price seems to run about $160.00 to $250.00 and the signs are a generous size  (most being around 30" x 15")

CopperSignShop.com: Dimensional Metal Signs in Copper

The Copper Sign Shop is run by Whitney Potter Design out of Sonoma County California.  They produce fantastic address marker and custom signs out of expressive copper with wild patinas.  What they have to offer is extremely unique; from the metalwork, to the hand-hammering, to the terrific coloration of the metal.  Really top notch work, that is a terrific example of a craftsman really focusing on a niche product and really perfecting it.

"Our signs are made of real copper. Copper is a beautiful metal. If left to its own devices it will usually turn a nice brown, but in ocean front settings and places where there is air pollution it sometimes turns greenish or even bluish. These are all natural patinas which develop over many years. We can accelerate the process in the shop by applying concentrated chemicals to the copper. What takes decades to achieve in nature can be done in a few days and you don't need to wait years for your sign to turn green (which it might never do on its own).

We don't usually paint our signs (although we are happy to if that's what you really want) because we think copper is a beautiful, honest, natural material which just gets better with age."  Link

Trailsigns.net: Old-Fashioned, Wooden Carved Trail Signs That Make Terrific Gifts!

Trailsigns.net is a terrific place to buy the gift of a sign for someone.  They create classic, wooden-carved Trail Signs, starting at only $20.00.  Ordering from their site couldn't be simpler, and takes only a few minutes.

For$20.00, this is a great gift that could be used for so many occasions. 

Going over to someone's house for dinner?  How about giving them a sign instead of that bottle of wine? 

Someone letting you borrow their ski-house for the weekend?  This would be a terrific thank you.

Need a stocking stuffer for someone and want to give them something they will keep forever?  A Trail Sign would be perfect!   Link

~contributed by J.D. Iles

Decorative tin beach signs: Folk art signs: Signs for the seashore: Signs of whimsy

To simply describe Blackwater Folk Art as a family run business in Milton, FL that produces folk art out of scrap metal is to totally miss the point.  This is a company that allows their art to lead the way, and they work to produce and market it.  Their website is full of items that are so whimsical and optimistic, that frequently you forget they are scrap metal.

The folks at Blackwater do a terrific job at taking scrap pieces of tin and breathing life into them.  They take the dings, rust, holes, bends and other imperfections, and turn them into part of the piece they are creating. 

They produce a number of items, but we of course found them because of their signs.  These signs are extremely well executed and fill the exact niche in the marketplace that they are supposed to fill.  These are "cute beach signs" and "whimsical signs" at their best, and would compliment any beach house, lake cottage, or sun deck you would choose to hang them by.  They are also very reasonably priced (everything being between $15.00 - $35.00) and could be the perfect gift for the beach bum in your life.   Link

A personalized street sign makes a great christmas gift

Traditionally here at Signs Never Sleep, we talk about the best in carved, sandblasted, or dimensional signs, but with the holidays coming up, we feel it is important to point out that a personalized street sign can make a simple, fantastic Christmas or holiday gift.

One of the best places to by a personalized street sign online is mudpie4me.com.  The signs start at well under $15.00, and they have an easy to use sign design program that allows you to see what the sign will look like prior to your order.

A custom metal street sign is a terrific gift for a little girl or boy, sports fan, or homeowner.  A great gift or stocking stuffer under $20.00.

Happy Holidays!

~contributed by J.D. Iles

A sign for your lodge or cabin? Matthew Henry's Lodge and Cabin Sign Series is terrific!

Matthew Henry is an artist and sign-maker out of Elkins, West Virginia who creates classic, rustic signs for homes, lodges and cabins.  He uses a variety of wood including pine, cedar and birch, and when the natural color and texture of the wood is combined with his elegant designs, they are truly works of art.

One of the things that I enjoy about Matt's wooden signs the most, is they are very affordable to someone looking for a sign for their home, fish camp, or vacation retreat.  Here is Matt's explanation for the collection:

"My idea for the collection for the Lodge Sign and Cabin Series came about after having created a few commissioned pieces. I began to see that as a stylist I could create inexpensive, classic wooden signs for people to personalize that would not compromise the integrity of my work as an artist. After all, each piece that I make from this collection is truly a unique piece of art. When hung at your home (or peaceful place away from home), it becomes the cornerstone to your place that I hope will be treasured by the future generations of your family." 

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