cool or lame?

10 years ago

UPDATE: Scroll to message 31 for finished photos in the new house!

so i've become fixated on having an oversized old antique or antique-like sign above our buffet in our dining room. it's ever since i started following debi's design diary on youtube. she's kooky and quirky and just awesome. anyway, i absolutely love her old antique sign. see below.

however, it's for the dining room, so i'd like the content to be at least a little bit relevant to the room (food/family...) and another tidbit is our whole family is from boston and we just relocated to texas. so in my absolutely perfect ideal world, i'd be able to find an oversized antique sign for a vendor of something food/family related with ties to new england. i've got visions of nostalgic salt water taffy and fudge signs from an old beach shop or something like that in my head. but i'll NEVER be able to find that!! plus it's gotta be big! the buffet is 80" long!

so the question is... is it lame to create it myself? DIY art isn't lame. and i could easily make it LOOK antique and aged, but it sort of loses the "wow" and "quirkiness" for me if i've painted it myself. But how do i move on from here when i want it so badly? :)

PS: here is one example of a sign i could totally envision recreating. it's not "antique" in that it still hangs in front of a very active business.

This post was edited by maggiepie11 on Thu, May 8, 14 at 16:50

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Comments (38)

powermuffin
10 years ago
I think that it is a great idea. Go for it and then post a picture.
Diane
cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA)
10 years ago
You should see if you can find an old (wouldn't be antique, though, since chain is relatively recent) Maggie Moo's Ice Cream sign (thinking of your screen name here)!
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ghostlyvision
10 years ago
I think it's a great idea also, and very doable. I made a small (24" w) on luan, it's nice and thin so not too heavy to hang. I tried using flashing so it'd be a 'real metal' sign but it was just too difficult (and scary sharp edges) to work with. I gave it a matte spray poly but if I make another I'll do a glossy poly to make it look like enamel.
maggiepie11
Original Author
10 years ago
ghostly - that's a great point you make about the weight because mine would be large. i was originally thinking of using salvaged pallet wood if i go in the salt water taffy or ice cream direction. and i'd stick with matte if i do poly at all. haha

if you're not picky about size/shape, you could probably find an old metal sign cheap and just paint over it. its edges would already be nice and finished. :)
liriodendron
10 years ago
DIY, so you haven't got any serious money in a vintage decorative item that while cool and funky and nostalgic now could well be seen as dated in the no-too-distant future.

Just my 2 cents.

L.
ghostlyvision
10 years ago
Yeah, your super-sized one might be too 'there' all glossied up. lol

Good point, liri.
lynxe
10 years ago
It's the kind of thing I could envision in a kitchen, a pantry, a hallway leading to a kitchen, but not really in a dining room. Since you asked. :)
maggiepie11
Original Author
10 years ago
lol lynxe... i wasn't asking if the concept of the sign is cool or lame in our dining room. just whether a fraud knockoff of the real thing is lame. :) no worries though - i know it's not for everyone.

if anyone's wondering, the dining room is more casual with a rustic farm style plank table. it's part of an open floor plan and is wide open to the kitchen and family room.
4boys2
10 years ago
debi's design diary ..I forgot all about her~What a hoot she is !!
282,000 Handmade signs on Etsy !!
I don't think that each one is an original thought.
Go for it.
It's a place that evokes memories for your family.
Art has always been about inspiration.
At least it's not "Keep Calm Carry On"(765 on Etsy)

It would be a cheap endeavor .
You like it
you like it.
You don't
you dress-up the garage.
User
10 years ago
It wouldn't be a cheap knock off it would be a hand crafted piece of art. I love Cyn's idea of the name change to make it more personal.
maggiepie11
Original Author
10 years ago
thanks everyone! i think i'm going to piece together a beachfront candy shop sign for salt water taffy and fudge from the beach i grew up going to. i can't find a good picture of their signs/logo, but i found a great sign from one of the original salt water taffy places in atlantic city. i'll use that direction but change the name to the local place i remember. by painting my own, i can choose my own colors too!!

i'm not ready to start this project yet, but wanted to factor it in before i decide on a color for the buffet. still working on the chairs. have the top of the buffet sanded, so i'm multi-tasking here. :)

here's the new inspiration sign:

and for full disclosure, my name is rebecca. my screenname is for my beloved 4-legged furry sister who we just lost in november after 13 beautiful years. i'm so glad i chose maggie in my screennames so she's always with me though. :)
Oakley
10 years ago
Not lame at all! I used to paint on fabric just for kicks, and I liked my work so much I hung it in my house and sold some of it at craft shows. It was still art, something I'd already seen in a picture or on a bowl..whatever struck me.

Actually they made me smile. Do it!
4boys2
10 years ago
What really is antique ?
lynn_r_ct
10 years ago
forboystoo... cracked up on both of your posts! Thanks for the chuckle.
Gooster
10 years ago
forboystoo... that is just great. Thanks for the laugh.

In a rustic, casual dining room it will look great, vintage or faux. It will be part of your family's personality.

However, don't go to extremes. I just saw this on Cultivate -- and although the home is beautiful and the details perfect -- this kitchen looks seriously like a restaurant (albeit a great one I'd like to dine at).

Here is a link that might be useful: See First Pic

This post was edited by gooster on Thu, Aug 15, 13 at 16:03
maggiepie11
Original Author
10 years ago
gooster that's funny too! point taken... i'll consider it an epic failure if any guests ask where to form the line to pay. :)
lynxe
10 years ago
"lol lynxe... i wasn't asking if the concept of the sign is cool or lame in our dining room. just whether a fraud knockoff of the real thing is lame. :) no worries though - i know it's not for everyone."

Oops! I should read more carefully next time!

"if anyone's wondering, the dining room is more casual with a rustic farm style plank table. it's part of an open floor plan and is wide open to the kitchen and family room"

In that case, I think the sign will fit right in with your decor.
oldbat2be
10 years ago
maggiepie11 - is that sign from Middleton? Ha!! DD has a summer job at Benson's so let's just say, our freezer doth over-floweth.

Not lame at all, definitely customize it to your tastes. Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery...:)

Good luck in Texas!
maggiepie11
Original Author
10 years ago
oldbat - yup, middleton!

i just wanted to update. it's been 5 months, and i just got around to working on my sign! it's gigantic (8 feet long and 2 feet high), and while it doesn't photograph well on a rainy day up against my windows on saw horses, it looks BEAUTIFUL when we hold it up above our buffet, and i'm really glad i decided to go for it.

the idea was something antique-looking and very nostalgic from home in a color scheme that works in our open space.

here it is!

here's a better representation of the colors:

and as a reminder, here's the buffet it'll hang over:
violetwest
10 years ago
I think your DIY idea is . . . cool!

You have some specific ideas and wants -- make it your own. It's just "decor" right -- your dining room isn't a museum, and the sign isn't part of a curated collection, so provenance isn't really an issue. Your enjoyment is.

ETA: Am dumb. Just now noticed you made your sign. Good job!

This post was edited by Violet.West on Thu, Jan 16, 14 at 15:45
powermuffin
10 years ago
You did a great job on the sign! Looking forward to a picture of it in place.
Diane
mtnrdredux_gw
10 years ago
Reading this post, I was totally against the idea of an ersatz antique.

Then I saw your work. You are talented! WOW

And it isn't faux anything, I think of it an an homage to a place of which you have fond memories.

Brava
melgrek
10 years ago
love it!! Is this referring to Sanborns candies in Plaistow NH?
yayagal
10 years ago
You did an AMAZING job for one who never did it before. I'd love to see your creative dining area, I'm positive people will love being in that room. It's so homespun and perfect.
maggiepie11
Original Author
10 years ago
crap, i knew there were locals on the board. i hope nobody's upset. it's just a name - anybody could have the last name Sanborn, right? but yes, they also have a location on hampton beach. the color and font and logo are nothing alike. my parents took me to hampton beach every friday when i was younger so the memories it invokes make me smile. :)

mtnrdredux - i felt the same way, as you can tell since i posted this in the first place. i obviously felt lame, but i wanted the real thing, and the real thing was simply impossible to find in the size, color, and subject matter i wanted!

i'm really happy i did it though.
User
10 years ago
What you created is far better than the "real" thing, because the colors are absolutely perfect for your walls and buffet. You would never, in a million lifetimes of searching, find anything better with respect to size, shape, content and color. Great job, and please post when it is up!
oldbat2be
10 years ago
Fabulous!!! Gorgeous sign - love it!

With that talent, I'm definitely hoping for you to move back home so I can admire your work in person. I'm changing my vote to UBER COOL and thininking about what I'd like to commission to hang in my own home.

Hmmm. It is rather hard to concisely express what one wants to say. In my case: Do not leave the house if your bed is not made and room tidied. (Too long). I tell them, "You know it's bad luck if you don't make your bed in the morning!". Would love to replace this with a giant sign to which I could point...and maybe look apologetically?
maggiepie11
Original Author
10 years ago
this one's for you ob2b!
glad2b
10 years ago
You did an amazing job! I can't imagine how much work that would have been. Congratulations - how happy you must be every time you glance over there.
Bethpen
10 years ago
Looks great! I can't wait to see it in place,

Beth P.
maggiepie11
Original Author
9 years ago
hi everyone, it's been ages. i've been more on the "Building a home" side as our construction wrapped up. i've been posting pics of our new house there and remembered when i posted a picture of our dining room that i promised a picture of this sign in its new home on this old thread. here it is! you could have easily talked me out of doing this as i was really on the fence, so thanks for the encouragement because i love how it turned out. :)
Holly- Kay
9 years ago
Ooooh Maggie! I love it. Thank you so much for posting!
mitchdesj
9 years ago
it is indeed very sweet !!
patricianat
9 years ago
Incredible job of both the sign and the buffet, and beautiful room!!
ttodd
9 years ago
It's perfectly wonderful! All of it!
User
9 years ago
Now I'm drooling for salt water taffy, homemade fudge...and pix of your new home! Gorgeous!
maddielee
9 years ago
Looks wonderful!

ML
Laurie
9 years ago
The entire room is spectacular and the sign is amazing!

I like the vintage look & the colors of everything. The height of the sign and the spacing between it and the buffet & the items on the buffet are pleasing, feels good. I also love the clock in that room.

Now, I am anxious to see the other rooms!

Laurie