Custom Signs

Merry Belated Christmas and early Happy New Year Wishes to all you amazing Changing Room Champs and Chums!  

It's the day after Christmas and the stockings around here are no longer hung by the chimney with care. In fact, most of the decorations are dismantled, tinsel taken down and halls are no longer decked. 

Part of me breathes a sigh of relief when it's all over. Is that disrespectful or sacrilegious to say out loud?

This year especially. 

I just wasn't 'feelin' it'. 

It's been a long year with lots of people I know really struggling with some hard stuff and somehow the commercialism of it all this holiday made me struggle too. 

I'm optimistic that 2014 will be a year of HOPE. 

I promised to post some signs that were custom Christmas gifts for some clients this year. I only took pics of a few. 

They were fun to do and you always keep me guessing as to what styles and sayings you'll request. 

 Awwwww. So presh.
This old barn board was taken from my friend Jamie's great Aunt's 100 year old barn(?) Her daughter Kirsten surprised her by bringing it over to me and asking Ken to cut it, put it together and then have me stencil a quote that she saw on Pinterest. 

There were 6 long boards all different widths and lengths. He cut them down to this:

 Here's the stencil.

It didn't show up very clearly but the "BE THE GOOD" was in a light buff/tan and the other wording was in white. In person, it's more pronounced.

This sign below was actually a leaf from a dining room table that Haley (new friend and DIY-er) brought to me after she had painted and distressed it. She wanted to surprise her Mom for Christmas by painting the name of the lake their cottage was on. I cut a stencil for it and filled the entire leaf with wording.

This one was another Pinterest 'knock-off'. They showed it online in black with white lettering and a slightly different font. We flipped the colors and Ken built me the slatted wood frame. I stenciled it for a client who lives in Colorado who wanted it for above her bed in her master bedrooom.

 This one is touching to me and I don't even know the whole story.  My friend Peggy, who's battling breast cancer right now ordered it for Christmas for her husband. We'll go out for lunch soon so I can hear the meaning behind the two dates (I have an idea) but I think the phrase says it all. For better or for worse, right? 
All in. 

 On the back:

 This one was for the mother in law of two of my clients. A great reminder of the love of a family this time of year and always. 

I haven't been painting in my garage (other than sign making) but I will be starting back up in January. I have a waiting list right now, but hope to make some headway and crank up the heaters for some more furniture transformations.  Usually January is a slow time for me with clients, but you've already been emailing me the day after Christmas with your remodeling requests, so it might be a busy new year! Can't wait to see some of you again and meet some new Champs in 2014! 

BEFORE

 AFTER