Inspiration for creating products is really all around you. We are lucky to have a schedule where we are off Monday through Friday. Three seasons out of the year we spend those days in Maryland crabbing, fishing and boating. We are outdoor people and just thrive being out on the water. We also love to travel, and I love exploring what different states have to offer. Based on those loves, I created a product line that includes crabs and fish, yes, it is a small niche market, but it is a passion, and I absolutely love making them. It is probably wrong to have a favorite, but I absolutely adore this guy. The idea just popped in my head when we were down in Maryland, and I knew I just had to make it. We have a quirky sense of humor as well, and wanted to create items that are not to be taken too seriously. These are all inspired by our little slice of heaven. We also wanted to create signs that you will never find in a store.
We create these signs out of select pine wood, and are handmade here in America, which we believe is really important. Even the saw tooth hangers we buy are made in America. So support small business, show off your love of the outdoors, and support handmade in America! Thank you all for your business and support... Dawn and Greg
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I had a request from a coworker who wanted two signs in a certain color and sign design. Absolutely! I love to make something different, and here is how it is done. Here is what you need for this technique:
Here is the reclaimed wood that I used. Now, after sanding the heck out of the wood, I painted them with a rough coat of paint, since these will be rustic, I am not too picky with how well it looks, these get sanded again after the paint dries. My coworker wanted a certain saying and had a rough idea of the design, so I created the design in Photoshop for her and let her see the mock up to make sure she liked it. I measured the sign and then put the dimensions in Photoshop and created the sign design. I colorized the wood in Photoshop and added the design to it so she could get a rough idea of what it would look like. I then did the same thing to the other design. Once I got the ok, it is time to get to work. I use an ink transfer technique for my signs, I am going for rustic, so this works just fine. I have an inkjet printer and I use transparency paper. You will see all kinds of tutorials on adding gel medium with this technique, but I just use the plain old transparency and my ink jet. There are some very important points to note here:
Once your lovely creation has dried, I seal it up good with spar urethane. I let my hubby drill the holes in the one sign, I am not real great with power tools. I just looped the jute rope through and tied a good knot. On the other sign, I put a saw tooth hanger on the back. While these are sealed, they are not to be put outside, the ink transfer does not hold up in rain, I learned that from making my own signs.
So there you go! I love custom orders, so come visit the shop! Dawn |
AuthorHi! My name is Dawn and I am the owner, designer, and creator of The Quirky Image. I just retired after 25 years in the medical field, and am living the dream in sunny Florida with my husband. Archives
March 2018
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