Arts and Crafts for the Garden

A garden is often much more than a plot of ground where vegetables and flowers are grown.

Gardeners make it an escape, a place for reflection where the act of touching the soil and sustaining life brings peace and balance into a chaotic and jumbled life. Gardens can be enjoyed alone, allowing for deep thought or head-clearing weed pulling. Gardens can be the place where values are passed to the next generation and where boisterous families spend time together in the age-old ritual of planting and then gathering the harvest, once again ensuring that winter will give way to spring. And so, beginning the process once again.

Bronze Poppy Address

Gardens are far more that food, they are, at times, both therapeutic and symbolic of the cycle of life.  It can be a little magical planting a seed that is almost invisible in size, and watching as it morphs from a hard little pellet to a bountiful harvest or a beautiful flower.

Blossom Tree Address Iron

Atlas is fully in tune to the garden and the mystical effects it can have on the gardener. We might just have the perfect custom gift waiting for you to pick for that special gardener on you list. Each and every one of our plaques is created specifically for the recipient. You choose the plaque, size, shape, and a message that has a special meaning to the gardener. So many choices, and there is still time for a personalized gift.

Use your favorite phrase

Making a Holiday Christmas gift selection for someone you really care about is usually more difficult than buying for a more casual acquaintance.

Men are easy to buy for, Just think flannel! The real difficulty is finding a Christmas gift that has meaning and a degree of personalization for your spouse, mother, grandmother, sister, or aunt. Finding the perfect gift is what makes giving fun. You are willing to put a great deal of thought and effort into your shopping, and you desire a gift that is truly special and memorable. Fortunately, Atlas Signs and Plaques can get you out of the mall and make this season unique.

Keep the Peace

Think custom, think one-of-a-kind, think of the past and to the future. The best gifts are intimate and have a special meaning to the recipient. Our suggestion is a plaque from our “Phrase Crazy” category. We can create a plaque with a bit of poetry, a favorite quotation, song lyrics, or a phrase or word from you childhood that made Mom a little crazy. All you have to do is dredge up some memories and let us create the best gift ever.

Celebrate the Day

Think outside the box. How about a plaque that designates a special place or room as a gift for Mother? Is your Aunt a product of the Peace Movement? How about a Peace Sign Clock? Honor your grandparents’ special day with our Carved Initials on a Tree Heart Plaque. The point is; if you use your imagination, Atlas can create a gift that will be treasured by those that you care deeply about, or be appreciated and valued as a gift from a Secret Santa as well. There is still time, but hurry!

Birds on a Branch Address Plaque

The shape of a plaque can be as important as the written word

We make the sign shape fit the message, define an era, and draw attention to your message. An inspirational message might be placed on a plaque shaped like an open book, a sign discouraging solicitors could best be placed on a shield shape to show authority, your neighborhood or condo association could vote an eared sign as the unifying standard, your  business might be defined by an “old world” look, your seafood restaurant by a scalloped design, or you may just like a specific shape for your gift to Mom. Whatever your desire and reason, Atlas Signs and Plaques can create it. We are not hampered by such out of date concepts like molds or straight saw-cuts, and can give you whatever shape and size you desire. Just to make it easy, you can go to our shape page to see some ideas that will fit your vision. When you contact us, just tell us what shape you are thinking and we will go from there.

Monogram Wedding Plaque

One of today’s “buzz words” is “Communication” . Signs and Plaques can enhance the effectiveness of your message using shapes. We have expectations when we see certain shapes. Think of the most obvious which might be the octagonal sign that just screams “Stop”. When we see simple rectangles or squares, we expect information, regulatory messages, or warnings. (We could really share some stories of ignoring some of those warnings, but will save them for another time.) The shape of “No Passing”, “Yield”, and “Railroad Crossing” signs are deeply ingrained into our psyche. We recognize and process the message before we read the words.

Not wishing to limit our discussion to traffic signage, we have other expectations when we observe signs with less universal meanings and we become “tuned in” to local, or state standards. Most states and many communities have standard sign shapes to designate historic sites, scenic routes, or even neighborhoods. Corporations often use shapes as part of their identifying logo. Most of us would recognize by sign shape, Chevrolet, The Weather Channel,  Disney’s Micky Mouse, and Mini Cooper. After a short time, we become aware of the shape and seek them out when looking for specific areas, companies, franchises, or events. The shape of the sign can speak to the observer. We often react to the shape, but do so without thinking much about it.

The designers at Atlas think about it for you. Bringing the shape, font, and message into harmony. Your Arts and Crafts Bungalow Style Home would not look correct sporting

Art Shack Name Sign

an address plaque with a complex shape and frilly typeface, nor would your Victorian Home be harmonious with a hard rectangular address sign combined with angular modern numbers. Our goal is to give your signs the impact that you desire with the use of shapes and fonts that convey feelings, mood, and importance.

No Girls Allowed

You already made a special room for the Man (or small boy)

Define His Space

Now it is time to define the area. For men, it can look like an ordinary room (or basement) to the untrained eye. But since looks can be deceiving, an official sign is absolutely necessary to keep out those that are not privy to the 007 secrets that lie within. While poker chips, beer, a wide screen, and Macallan may not be top-secret, they do represent the essence of masculinity and should only be shared with the lads. (just to preserve the illusion that the man is the leader of the house, and has earned his “guys night”).

Boys need their private area too. But they get hungry while saving the world from tyranny or playing  Xbox, GameCube, or PlayStation. So give them their private area, but allow Mom to enter with cookies and snacks to keep up their strength.

Atlas Signs and Plaques can give you a truly custom, metal finished sign that will look good and keep out the unwanted from those masculine areas. A great Christmas Gift Idea.

And we will send you a plaque from our Mini Collection for free!

Remember “Show and Tell” from grade school. Here it is all over again, but better because you receive a prize just for Showing a photo of a sign or plaque that you received from Atlas Signs and Plaques. You can also Tell us a little if you like.

We will send you something from our Mini Collection. Only catch is, we decide what we are going to send you. We love to see our Signs and Plaques in action. Some might say that we just get too excited about signs and plaques, but we don’t agree. We just like doing what we do, and seeing them up and working makes us happy. No hidden agenda, no cost to you, we pay the postage, no tricks, honest. We just like having fun.

Skull Clock in a Home

The first picture that we have is from Karen. It is only coincidental that she is an Associate of Atlas Signs and Plaques, and designed the Skull Clock for her own home. We think it was just for Halloween, but do have our doubts.

This is a limited time offer, and we will only make a short post when it ends. You do agree that we can use your photo and your comments without charge or restrictions. Please don’t have any identifiable faces in the photo. We will not show your full name, or address, to anyone, nor will we sell it or give it to any third party. We are serious about confidentiality.

Attach the photo of the sign or plaque that you received from Atlas to an email to us. Be certain to include your name and address so we can send you your gift. As we said we won’t share that with anyone.