As the 2012 Memorial Day Holiday nears. Let’s remember that the day is much much more than a family picnic or a paid day off work.

Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service.

Copper Patina Finish

In appreciation of what your soldier has sacrificed, It is time to send your special veteran some special plaque love with a Military Plaque from Atlas.

Being a Veteran Owned Business, Atlas Signs and Plaques takes both Memorial Day and the creation of Military and Service Plaques very seriously. We take particular pride in making our plaques in a manner that will make your recipient proud to display their military wall art.

If you are honoring the memory of a fallen or lost soldier, our heart truly goes out to you.

If you agree that we should be doing more for our veterans, share your thoughts by sending us an email, the go Tell it on a Mountain. And remember, Atlas only sources from the USA.

Celebrate your own history

As National History Month approaches, we were reminded of how much history this country has. But our country’s history is being made every day by you and your family.

This plaque is not aging well

During a recent walking tour of the Rochester New York, Corn Hill Historic District, I saw many plaques identifying the age of the homes. Many of these beautiful mansions dated from the 1830s, which was the period of merchant prosperity following the completion of the Erie Canal. Other homes had plaques which designated Historic Homes that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Too bad that many of the plaques in Historic Rochester were aging poorly and were hard to read.

Make it a personal Historic Plaque

Then it dawned on me. Why wait until you live in a historic home that someone else built more than a hundred years ago to hang a Historical Plaque. Every home and every family is making history every day. Why not record it now? The date your home was completed, even if just last week is an opportunity to celebrate the event with a historic plaque from Atlas.

For your Arts and Crafts Building

Record those little things that have big meaning to you. The names and birthdays of your children and grandchildren, the wedding held in your back yard, where you and your father worked on your first car, the accepted proposal on the porch swing, the totally unsuccessful garage band, get it? They are important dates and events now, so don’t wait 150 years to mount your personal historic plaques.

Every year, cyclists around the world turn to Europe for the three Grand Tours and a host of smaller events. Read on to learn a few of the terms used so you won’t feel out of place wearing your yellow jersey.

The Peloton on a Group Ride

If you’re interested in professional cycling, here’s a quick primer to the terms and events that you might hear about.

• 

  A Sprocket for an Address Plaque

  Stage Race: Each day, the riders have to cover a certain course established by the race directors. These range from short stages (less than an hour) to very long (more than 6 hours). The winner is the rider who completes the course in the smallest cumulative time.

• Tour de France: Considered the biggest of the big. This is the premier Grand Tour and the race that road cyclists dream of. It is a multiday stage race that goes around France and finishes in Paris with laps around the Champs Elysees. The leader of the race at the beginning of the stage wears a yellow jersey (known as the maillot jaune- it is France, after all).
• 

  Plaques for Road or MTB Enthusiasts

  Giro d’Italia: Tour of Italy. One of the Grand Tours. Less history than the Tour de France, but highly regarded. Occurs before the Tour and many of the riders in the Giro do not ride the Tour.

• Vuelta A Espana: Tour of Spain. The youngest of the three Grand Tours. Occurs after the Tour de France. The leader now wears a red jersey. This started in 2010, so you may still hear references to the Golden Jersey, which was replaced by the red jersey. Continue reading →

"Pls-tell-everybody-involved-that-we-LOVE-our-address-plaque"

Atlas Signs and Plaques receives a lot of testimonials and they are fun for us to read because they provide such positive reinforcement that our efforts are appreciated.

I have received it and already installed it. It looks great – thanks

We especially love it when we receive photos of our signs and plaques prominently displayed on a house or business. These are just a couple and they are posted for fun.

The bottom photo was sent to us by a person from DPR Construction. I went to their site and was more than a little impressed by what they are doing around the country.

Example of Manmade and Natural Beauty

Whether you’re a believer or not, you have to admit that Christianity is a symbolically and visually appealing religion. It’s artwork (like the Sistine chapel), symbols (the cross), and traditions like lent, fasting, and communion all contribute in building the word’s most widespread faith.

Today’s blog will focus on outstanding and beautiful Christian decorations in the form of handmade items from etsy.com.

The first Christian home decoration is the Celtic cross. This piece is made with corian substrate and quietly delivers bold detail that is both complex and muted. This allows the cross to gather attention in the way any great religious piece does—through quiet and subtle brilliance. You can find this product and other products from its curator here.

History. Tradition. Art. In many ways Vatican City is one big work of art. Every building, walkway, structure, and memorial is calculated to maximize beauty. This next piece then, could be considered a work of art of a work of art. Using a panorama technique, this photo of St. Peter’s courtyard creates a stunning effect. At 13” x 36” its size and appeal are great. But act quickly, this piece is a limited edition and is sure to sell quickly. Find yours here.

This next piece is what happens when film and art meet. From the utterly outstanding film “The Shawshank Redemption,” this handmade piece from Jenny Moore Designs is a very accurate representation of its source material. In the film this sign hung in Warden Norton’s office, concealing his safe and ledger books. Its message “His judgment cometh and that right soon” depicts God as vengeful, jealous, and wrathful. If you are a fan of the film then this embroidered sign is a must have. It’s listing on etsy.com is here.

In part because of the prominence, beauty, and symbolism of the cross, I couldn’t resist featuring another in this blog. This particular cross uses fleur de lis styling and is inscribed with a transcript of the Lord’s Prayer. This would be a beautiful piece to add to a church, home, or personal space. The Christian religion is  rich in meaning. This wonderful symbol is a fine example of that. You can find the Fleur Lord’s Prayer Cross here.

For the final piece we have a welcome sign from Atlas Signs and Plaques. This sign, called the Proverb Welcome Plaque, is customizable to feature any verse, a multitude of colors, with your choice of raised or recessed lettering. High in style, low in excess this sign uses few “grabby” visual cues while retaining a classic shape that is sure to bring the Lord’s glory to your home. In addition to this welcome plaque, Atlas Signs and Plaques has an entire category of religous signs and church plaques that you can find here.