signs
Last Day of the Signs By Andrea Sale!
Today (December 16th) is the last day to take advantage of my "Buy More, Save More" sale on my painted wood signs at SignsByAndrea.com.
- 10% off one sign, 20% off two signs, and 30% off three or more signs!
It's also the last couple of days to order a sign and have it shipped in time for Christmas!
So don't wait any longer! Order now!
At midnight tonight, all my signs are going back to full price and I will be shipping out the last of the holiday season orders by Tuesday, December 20th. Then I'm taking a painting break until after Christmas to be with my family.
It's been a great (and busy!) season. Thank you so much to everyone who has ordered already! I hope you've been pleased with your hand-crafted signs. You've helped make 2011 a successful year for me and my family!
Happy Holidays to you all!
New Website & HUGE Signs by Andrea Sale!
Wow! I've got all kinds of news! A new website, changes on A.Steed's.Life., and a BIG, HUGE, ONCE-A-YEAR SALE.
Over the past several weeks, my own personal webmaster (aka Ben) has been hard at work helping me put together a brand new web site for Signs by Andrea. My sign business and Zazzle poster sales have grown so much over the past year, it was time to give them both the attention they deserve. To do this, I'm separating my blog into two separate websites:
- AndreaSteed.com will remain my personal journal and crafty blog.
- SignsByAndrea.com will now be dedicated to news and information about my signs and (de)Signs, as well as a great source of inspiration for all sorts of home decorating tips and ideas.
I think you'll find the new website is easy to navigate and offers a much more pleasant shopping experience. Now you can personalize and add any of my signs to your shopping cart instantly, pay online, and track the status of your orders. It's fabulous. I'm beyond excited. :)
And this new website couldn't have come at a better time (nothing like a deadline to get us going).... Beginning today, I'm offering my HUGEST sign sale of the year. It's time to start getting your shopping underway and get ahead of the holiday rush. This is the one sale you want don't want to miss. It doesn't get any better than this:
So come on over now and check out the newly launched SignsByAndrea.com and tell me what you think!
Fall Sign Sale - Trick or Treat - Count Your Blessings
Looking for a fabulous new addition to your fall decor? How about a custom Sign by Andrea? For a limited time only, these seasonal custom-designed hand-painted signs are only $20!*
Trick or Treat? - black w/white lettering - 2ft x 6in - $20
- order -
Count Your Blessings - brown (as shown) or black w/white lettering - 2ft x 6in - $20
- order -
*$45 regular price. $20 fall special runs through November 9th, 2011. Both sign designs are also available with optional beveled edges (+$5).
Don't forget to check out my other personalized sign designs when you order so you can combine shipping costs. It's not too early to start thinking about holiday gifts!
Linking up:
Mondays - Craftomaniac, Polly Want a Crafter, Dittle Dattle, DIY Showoff, Sarandipities, Keeping it Simple, The Girl Creative, Making the World Cuter, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Skip to My Lou, DIYHSHProject,
Tuesdays - Stories of A to Z, Sugar Bee Crafts, Not Just a Housewife, Today's Creative Blog, BellaBeforeandAfter, Linda-Coastal Charm, TrendyTreehouse, Crayon Freckles, Tip Junkie,
Wednesdays - WomenWhoDoItAll, Sugar and Dots, Someday Crafts, BlueCricketDesign, 733Blog, CreationsByKara, SassySites, GingerSnapsCrafts,
Thursdays - Delightful Order, The Shabby Chic Cottage, Somewhat Simple, Katie's Nesting Spot, Paisley Passions, Fireflies & Jellybeans, 733Blog, House of Hepworths, SavedbyLoveCreations, A Glimpse Inside, Momnivore's Dilemma,
Fridays - Tatertots & Jello, At the Picket Fence, The Shabby Nest, My Romantic Home, Creation Corner, Whipperberry, Serenity Now, Simply Designing, Someday Crafts, Just a Girl Blog, Lovely Crafty Home, 504 Main, Bacon Time with the Hungry Hungry Hypo,
Saturdays - PerfectlyImperfectBlog, Be Different Act Normal, NV CraftEnvy, FunkyJunkInteriors, TheDIYShowOff, Iheartnaptime, LovelyLittleSnippits,
Fall Front Porch
Friday was a gorgeous day, so Paxton and I sat out on the front porch decorating for fall.
I dug through the garage to find a set of four pots to create this stacked potted design (just put a smaller pot upside down inside each of the two pots you can see in order to have a strong base for teh next pot and the pumpkin to sit on. Then I filled the empty space inside the pots with grocery bags and covered it with a piece of burlap fabric before adding the little pumpkins and flowers.
The pumpkin is decorated with a vinyl "S" & spider decal (tutorial on that coming soon), and I decided that since those candlestick holders had sat in a bucket in the garage for several months, it wouldn't hurt anything to use them in some outside decor. :)
I made the wreath with a metal hanger and strips of frayed burlap, following this great tutorial.
And then I added a seasonal 3ft custom "Trick or Treat?" sign over the door. I think I'll replace it with a Thanksgiving-themed sign in November and then a Christmas-themed sign in December and continue to change it out as the year progresses.
For a Friday morning sitting on the front porch enjoying the weather and using all stuff we already had on-hand, I think we did okay. :) Ayla was excited to see it when she got home from school and now likes to walk in through the front door whenever we get home from being out. :)
Linking up: TheLetteredCottage, DIYbyDesign,
Mondays - Craftomaniac, Polly Want a Crafter, Dittle Dattle, DIY Showoff, Sarandipities, Keeping it Simple, The Girl Creative, Making the World Cuter, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Skip to My Lou, DIYHSHProject,
Tuesdays - Stories of A to Z, Sugar Bee Crafts, Not Just a Housewife, Today's Creative Blog, BellaBeforeandAfter, Linda-Coastal Charm, TrendyTreehouse, Crayon Freckles,
Wednesdays - WomenWhoDoItAll, Sugar and Dots, Someday Crafts, BlueCricketDesign, 733Blog, CreationsByKara, SassySites, GingerSnapsCrafts,
Thursdays - Delightful Order, The Shabby Chic Cottage, Somewhat Simple, Katie's Nesting Spot, Fireflies & Jellybeans, House of Hepworths, SavedbyLoveCreations, A Glimpse Inside, Momnivore's Dilemma,
Fridays - Tatertots & Jello, At the Picket Fence, The Shabby Nest, My Romantic Home, Creation Corner, Whipperberry, Serenity Now, Simply Designing, Someday Crafts, Just a Girl Blog, Lovely Crafty Home, 504 Main, Bacon Time with the Hungry Hungry Hypo,
Saturdays - PerfectlyImperfectBlog, Be Different Act Normal, NV CraftEnvy, FunkyJunkInteriors, TheDIYShowOff, Iheartnaptime, LovelyLittleSnippits,
Dated Wall Art Wrapped Canvas
When I saw that Zazzle was finally releasing a line of wrapped canvas products, I nearly did a backflip! I love their print quality on canvas, but don't particularly like the idea of using a regular frame with the canvas prints. There's just something so clean and crisp about artwork on a gallery-wrapped canvas-- and now it's available!
I knew immediately I would be adding some wrapped canvas artwork to my own (de)SignsByAndrea Zazzle Store, starting with my popular "Dated Wall Art" design that features family birthdates and a wedding anniversary - or any special dates you choose to feature!
(Click here to see my original Dated Wall Art Tutorial or here to see a tutorial on how to customize artwork at Zazzle.)
Currently, there are four Dated Wall Art design styles you can choose from and for each design you can:
- personalize them with your family's own special dates - birthdays, anniversaries, milestone occasions, etc.
- customize them to pick the colors and fonts that will work best with your own decor.
- choose your ideal canvas size. The natural size of the canvases are designed to be 11" x 14", but you can have them printed larger or smaller if you wish.
Every canvas is truly as unique as you! Pretty cool, huh? Here they are:
The Original
Modern
Colorful
Distressed
Watch for more wrapped canvas designs coming soon!
Wedding Gift Personalized Sign - B'ivrit - in Hebrew
My cousin Yasmin is getting married in a few days - in Israel, where she grew up and has lived most of her life. She's my only girl cousin (out of 10 grandkids) and so we've always shared a special bond - even though we only see each other one in a blue moon.
Since I couldn't be there for the wedding, I'm having to live vicariously through my mom's photos on Facebook, which though it isn't at ALL the same, will have to suffice.
I wanted to send Yasmin a special gift though to let her know I was thinking about her and to celebrate her new married life. So of course I decided to send her a handmade personalized sign for her and her new husband. Obviously, an English version wouldn't be quite right for their home in Israel, so with the help of my aunt (to get the spelling just right), I designed a Hebrew version of my "First Names w/Wedding Date" sign for them:
1ft x 6in - Black - Custom Personalized Sign Design
The large font is their new last name and beneath it reads their first names. Remember, Hebrew is read from right to left!
Linking up:
Craftomaniac, Polly Want a Crafter, Dittle Dattle, DIY Showoff, Sarandipities, Keeping it Simple, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Skip to My Lou, DIYHSHProject, | Stories of A to Z, Sugar Bee Crafts, Not Just a Housewife, Today's Creative Blog, BellaBeforeandAfter, Linda-Coastal Charm, Crayon Freckles, Tip Junkie, | WomenWhoDoItAll, Sugar and Dots, Someday Crafts, BlueCricketDesign, 733Blog, CreationsByKara, SassySites, GingerSnapsCrafts, | Delightful Order, The Shabby Chic Cottage, Somewhat Simple, Katie's Nesting Spot, Fireflies & Jellybeans, 733Blog, House of Hepworths, SavedbyLoveCreations, A Glimpse Inside, Momnivore's Dilemma, | Tatertots & Jello, At the Picket Fence, The Shabby Nest, My Romantic Home, Creation Corner, Whipperberry, Serenity Now, Simply Designing, Someday Crafts, Just a Girl Blog, Lovely Crafty Home, 504 Main, Bacon Time with the Hungry Hungry Hypo, Addicted to Decorating, | PerfectlyImperfectBlog, Be Different Act Normal, NV CraftEnvy, FunkyJunkInteriors, TheDIYShowOff, Iheartnaptime, LovelyLittleSnippits,
Numbers on the Mailbox
While I was out of town for the month of July, traveling with the kids, Ben enjoyed 3 1/2 weeks of solitude at home. That's a lot of time for itty bitty handyman projects!
Among many nice little surprises, I came home to shiny new doorknobs on all our outside doors (yes, he changed the locks while I was gone!), new shelves in the pantry, and a brand new mailbox. And, if you have seen our old mailbox, you know that this was a WAY overdue project - as in we probably should have done it the day we moved in 4 years ago.
So, since he very nicely waited for me to get home to add numbers (because he knew I'd want to paint my own street number sign like the one by our front door), I figured it was time I got on that project before another 4 years passed. We were looking for a make-it-better, but it-doesn't-need-to-be-perfect look, so within a 5-minute conversation we made a quick design decision and I got to work.
Here's a look at our old mailbox, the new mailbox I came home to, and then new mailbox w/a snazzy new paint job on the post & a brand new street number sign.
Though I certainly wouldn't be opposed to some color at the street (I do love these colorful mailboxes), Ben is a little more conservative in his outdoor decor choices, so we opted for a make-it-blend, not too fancy monochromatic look. So all I did was make two beveled 1ft street number signs, give the post a new coat of paint, and slapped that baby back together. I started at noon, and was done with the whole shebang by dinner (didn't want to miss any mail!)
Yes, some flowers would look nice at the bottom of the post. Maybe someday! One project at a time...
Here's some more mailbox curb appeal for your day!
- turquoise & red mailbox
- unusual mailboxes (some silly stuff here!)
- mailbox makeover (I won't lie...she did it better than me!)
Except now I really want one of these:
How's your mailbox looking these days?
Linking up:
Delightful Order, The Shabby Chic Cottage, Somewhat Simple, Katie's Nesting Spot, Fireflies & Jellybeans, House of Hepworths, SavedbyLoveCreations, A Glimpse Inside, Momnivore's Dilemma,
Tatertots & Jello, At the Picket Fence, The Shabby Nest, My Romantic Home, Creation Corner, Whipperberry, Serenity Now, Simply Designing, Someday Crafts, Just a Girl Blog, Lovely Crafty Home, 504 Main, Bacon Time with the Hungry Hungry Hypo, Addicted to Decorating
PerfectlyImperfectBlog, Be Different Act Normal, NV CraftEnvy, FunkyJunkInteriors, TheDIYShowOff, Iheartnaptime, LovelyLittleSnippits,
Craftomaniac, Polly Want a Crafter, Dittle Dattle, DIY Showoff, Sarandipities, Keeping it Simple, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Skip to My Lou, DIYHSHProject,
Stories of A to Z, Sugar Bee Crafts, Not Just a Housewife, Today's Creative Blog, BellaBeforeandAfter, Linda-Coastal Charm, Crayon Freckles, Tip Junkie
WomenWhoDoItAll, Sugar and Dots, Someday Crafts, BlueCricketDesign, 733Blog, CreationsByKara, SassySites, GingerSnapsCrafts,
Creative Customers
I love my customers...and their great ideas. :) I wanted to share some of the signs I've made recently that all had a special "touch" that came straight from my customers' great suggestions.
For this First Names with Wedding Date sign, the customer requested their monogram instead of the ampersand (&). I LOVE this look, and I'm sure I'll be doing more of this tweaked design!
This custom design sign was made for a vacation cottage given as a gift at Christmastime years ago, which has appropriately been named "Christmas Cottage." We picked a rugged cottage-style font to match the name and the decor.
This brown Family Memories sign is a 2ft Personalized Sign with a paper overlay and beveled edges. I love how my customer took the basic design and made it her own by choosing a phrase that would become a great centerpiece for a collage of family photos (which I hope to show off soon when she sends me an in-action photo!)
The former military couple that received this custom painted sign loved the personalized touch of army-style lettering to remind them of when they met and married.
An inspirational quote on a 14" custom sign is a perfect reminder to add to a shelf or small wall. My customer sent this sweet sign to a family member battling cancer.
A newly married couple received this three-color 3ft custom sign with a quote that is special to them. I imagine that it's going to hang above a bedroom door or headboard.
A wife gave this custom quote sign to her husband for his birthday to display in their vacation lodge. I love the punchy red color and two-font design she chose!
My 1ft Monogram w/Overlay sign is defnitely my most popular design. Usually, customers choose black or brown painted backgrounds with white script. This time, my customer opted to reverse the colors and try the antique white background. I love the contrast between the white paint and natural wood and how the imperfections of the weathered wood is spotlighted even more!
When you order a sign from me, I want it to be just perfect. If you have a suggestion or an idea for a special twist or tweak to your design, just say so! A little bit of you and a little bit of me put together can make those sparks of imagination turn into a fabulous treasured piece of artwork!
ALL SIGN STYLES - SIGN GALLERY - SIGN SUGGESTIONS
Linking Up:
Craftomaniac, Polly Want a Crafter, Dittle Dattle, DIY Showoff, Sarandipities, Keeping it Simple, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Skip to My Lou, DIYHSHProject,
Stories of A to Z, Sugar Bee Crafts, Not Just a Housewife, Today's Creative Blog, BellaBeforeandAfter, Linda-Coastal Charm, Crayon Freckles,
WomenWhoDoItAll, Sugar and Dots, Someday Crafts, BlueCricketDesign, 733Blog, CreationsByKara, SassySites, GingerSnapsCrafts,
Delightful Order, The Shabby Chic Cottage, Somewhat Simple, Katie's Nesting Spot, Paisley Passions, Fireflies & Jellybeans, 733Blog, House of Hepworths, SavedbyLoveCreations, A Glimpse Inside, Momnivore's Dilemma,
Tatertots & Jello, At the Picket Fence, The Shabby Nest, My Romantic Home, Creation Corner, Whipperberry, Serenity Now, Simply Designing, Someday Crafts, Just a Girl Blog, Lovely Crafty Home, 504 Main, Bacon Time with the Hungry Hungry Hypo, Addicted to Decorating
PerfectlyImperfectBlog, Be Different Act Normal, NV CraftEnvy, FunkyJunkInteriors, TheDIYShowOff, Iheartnaptime, LovelyLittleSnippits,
Tutorial: Customized Family Poster (+notecards & postage stamps)
I'm a sucker for anything personalized, and I love the iconic look of these little cartoon-like silhouette people. So I created this design for "Customize a Family" posters and notecards that can be personalized to look just like your family! ...and bonus! if you order the notecards, you can also buy matching postage stamps!
It's so easy and YOU can do it! :) 'Here's how it's done:
Click on the orange "Customize It" button below the product image. This will allow you to really make it yours! You can change the sizes of the people, make more men or women, delete any extra people (or animals), and change the fonts and background color of your final product.
Create your family. Just click on each person and use your mouse to change the size of each person to match the ages and sizes of your own family members. You can also use your mouse to move the people around to create a different order in the lineup or even make additional people.
To add a person to your "family":
- Click on the picture of the gender you want to add.
- Click on the "edit" link on the right-hand side of the menu.
- Choose "copy" to copy that image.
- Go back to the "edit" link, and choose "paste" this time. Then use your mouse to position the person appropriately and size it accordingly.
To delete a person (or animal!):
- Click on the image you want to delete. This will highlight it in the menu on the right.
- Click on the "X" next to that image name.
To change the background color of your poster:
-
Click on the "edit" link, and at the bottom of the drop-down list, choose "background".
- Pick your color from the palette OR type in the hex# for any color you'd like.
To add YOUR family name to your personalized poster:
- Click on the text for the last name to highlight it.
- Then click on "change text" to enter your name!
-
If you wish to change the font, you can then click on the "f" image that looks like this:
The natural size of these posters are 14" x 11", but you can change it to nearly any size you wish! Just choose your poster size by clicking on "Choose Your Size And Frame" and typing in the dimensions you would like. You can even add framing options!
And there you have it! An adorable personalized Customize a Family poster or notecard to represent your sweet little family! Here's mine:
What will yours look like???
Dated Art in Action
You've seen my gallery wall and my Dated Wall Art artwork in action at my house. Here's another version I found on the web this week at the Glitter and Grits blog:
I love how Heather used the format of my Dated Wall Art poster, but then added her own twist, featuring her & her fiance's birthdays, their wedding date, first date, and engagement anniversary. What a great idea! And let's not forget that fabulous white painted frame around her gallery wall...it grounds it perfectly! Well done. Thanks for sharing how you used your (de)Signs by Andrea poster in-action.
She's not the only one either! Check out these great ways others have used this design & idea:
365 Days of Pinterest Creations
ixoye307 on flickr
