Author Archives: AtlasSigns

Keep Calm and Carry On – Unique Gifts Ready to Ship in Time for Christmas

A bit of nostalgia, and a great, ready to ship, holiday gift idea.

Put the finishing touches on your Christmas shopping, and purchase your Keep Calm and Carry On Plaque from Atlas Signs and Plaques on Etsy. These hanging plaques look as though they were formed from the remains of a downed Messerschmitt, but they are made of space age material, and coated with real aluminum. Wonderful wall art, they are ready to hang and take the edge off the most frantic day.

“Keep Calm and Carry On” is a phrase dating from World War II. The story is that this slogan originated on a poster that was issued by the British Ministry of Information as a reminder to keep the famous British “stiff upper lip” as England prepared for the inevitable German invasion. The full scale invasion never came, but the blitz did. Bombs blanketed England forcing the population to run for cover and endure incredible hardships as the reign of terror continued for years.

Despite the poster’s somber wartime beginnings, this bit of calming wisdom endures in a complex world. Atlas brings this famous inspirational poster to life as a plaque that says far more than its five simple words would imply. Massively appropriate for today’s busy life and chaotic economy. Take a hint from the Brits of WWII England, and “Keep Calm and Carry On” when things seem to be getting worse. Whether it is the economy, your kids, job, or trying to do too much with too little time, just hang this in the kitchen, or office to put things in perspective as you contemplate that all previous generations have had troubled times. They survived to prosper, and so will you.

The poster was printed by the millions, and was a reminder that the human spirit endures despite setbacks. As Winston Churchill said “Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference”. In other words, Keep smiling in the face of adversity.

A Shopping Lunch at Nordstrom, Woodfield Mall

Nordstom Cafe. Ok, but predictable.

Joe – Great shopping, too bad we have to drive 2  hours to find a decent department store.

Marie – Quit complaining. I drove, paid the tolls, and you found boots that you couldn’t find in Madison. I know this isn’t Barney’s but it is worth the trip.

Joe – How about the lunch? We often stop at a Nordstom Cafe for lunch. They have them at most of the large stores and I, at least, have found them convenient and a nice place for a shopping break. The concept is part buffet and part traditional restaurant. For starters, you make your meal choices, pay, and then get escorted to a table where your server brings water, takes your beverage order, and delivers your meal. It seems to work.

Roma Tomato Basil Soup and Grilled Chicken Caesar SaladMarie – It works ok, but maybe we have been there one too many times. I ordered the Roma Tomato Basil Soup ($3.50 / cup) and the Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad ($9.25) to stay on the light side so I could keep up my shopping speed after lunch. The soup  was as good as always, but that is the problem. I am starting to think that it is so consistent that it must come from a can. And come on! where are you going to get fresh ripe tomatoes in this country in November? The real issue was with my salad. To me, grilled chicken means warm chicken. It is November in Chicago, and I don’t need a refreshing cold salad with cold meat. I don’t know if cold chicken (and I mean ice cold) is the intent or if the kitchen screwed up. In any event, I would normally ask, but I was so disappointed that I only ate a few bites. Oh well, only eating half the soup and a few bites of salad left me lean, and open to eating again later.

Joe – I fared better with my choice of the Soup Du Jour and the Lime & Cilantro Chicken Salad ($9.75). A nice selection of chopped greens with a few black beans, pumpkin seeds, roasted peppers, and corn that looked like it was just cut from the cob. It was nicely dressed in a zesty cilantro lime vinegarette and had just a little bit of heat from an unknown source. And, my chicken was warm. I give this salad high marks for flavor and because it met my expectations.

Marie – Overall pretty low marks from me, not totally based on my choices for this lunch, but by the Nordstrom Cafe’s lack of imagination in their menu. It seems to be almost universal in mid-range restaurants these days to stay with essentially the same menu through all four seasons.

Joe – I couldn’t agree more. In all fairness though, Nordstrom Cafe did have a Cranberry Turkey Sandwich on the menu. I guess that should satisfy those of us who desire seasonal choices. Even McDonalds makes extensive seasonal changes, but I guess they have to work harder for my dollar meal. I will return to Nordstom Cafe, but will lower my expectations based on your experience today.

Marie – If you go to Nordstrom with me, you will be dining at their cafe alone. I will take my new shoes to another lunch location.

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Casting a Long Shadow on a Late Fall Bicycle Ride, Jefferson County Wisconsin

November Bike Ride, Jefferson County WI

November Bike Ride

That long lonely highway. Casting a long Shadow. Jefferson County WI, November 28, 2010.

The early afternoon sun is casting an elongated version of my bicycle across the pavement and onto the unmowed ditch.
The road is mostly devoid of traffic. Certainly no one else on a bicycle on this popular route. Temperature in the mid 40s with a stiff south wind and almost no warmth from the sun sitting low on the horizon. The fields have been stripped of their bounty leaving the land looking barren and lifeless, when in fact, it is just biding time until the spring planting. The only sound that can be heard above the breeze is the noise from grain drying on the larger farms, where it will be stored on site as feed, or join the mountains of corn at the local grain elevator waiting to be turned into ethyl alcohol.

Strange, 41% of the USA corn crop going to heavily subsidized plants to make one of the most inefficient fuels imaginable. The concept of burning our food only reminds me of Sherman’s devastating march through Georgia in November of 1864. Almost 150 years ago. The first definition of total war as he destroyed the southern economy and burned the confederate crops behind him. Who are we waging war on this time?

World’s Smallest Sign meets World’s Largest Address Plaque

worlds-smallest-and-largest signs meet

Shown with an almond for scale.

lilliputian vs. Goliath, Teenie Weenie vs. Humungous, Petite vs. Mammoth.

Photo of the world's smallest and largest men

Small and Large

Pictured is perhaps the world’s smallest address plaque against what might be the world’s largest residential address plaque. The minuscule measure a scant 1½ x 2½ inches and the monster 24 x 18 inches.

Curiously, both are address plaques of the American Craftsman style available from Atlas Signs and Plaques. The smallest demonstrates the incredible detail possible using modern techniques, and the largest shows just how legible an address plaque can be when made big enough to see from a distance. Both address numbers are in the popular Copper Patina finish that is so fitting on homes in the Arts and Crafts, Bungalow,  Prairie, and Craftsman styles. The use of the appropriate Arts and Craft Font adds the final layer of authenticity to your home or business.

Atlas Signs and Plaques Noticed by Copper.org

Who Doesn’t like to be acknowledged?

Atlas Signs and Plaques was recently featured at Copper.org in their November ’10, Issue #43.

“The Copper Development Association Inc. is the market development, engineering and information services arm of the copper industry, chartered to enhance and expand markets for copper and its alloys in North America.” They are a terrific resource for and about all things copper.

Each monthly issue of their online newsletter carries articles as diverse as using copper in historical renovations to artisans utilizing the properties of copper in ways that are beautiful, thoughtful, and beyond even six thousand years of history.

After cruising the site, I picked up more information than I knew existed about copper.

Did you know that copper has been used by man for over 6,000 years? or that copper has antimicrobial properties that make it a natural for health care facilities as a prevention for hospital acquired infection? These are just the surface of the information available at Copper.org.

You can also find the world-wide standards for copper alloys, download data on copper tubing, become informed on the green properties of copper, and even find experiments and information for kids. This is one of the most informative websites I have seen, and the fact that it is about one of our favorite metals here at Atlas makes it even better.