There's NOLA Place Like Home

Etsy.com, the web site that hosts our retail shop, Slippin' Southern is currently asking all of its shops for photos for a promotional video that they will be producing in the weeks to come. You can read more about their video project here: (http://www.flickr.com/groups/1947114@N24/pool/). 

The photo criteria was simple, submit a photo of yourself with your art near a famous local landmark. Since we recently moved our studio to New Orleans, Louisiana USA (NOLA for short) this was a no-brainer for us... 

We decided our tactic would be to shoot our new Big Red Gator sign in Jackson Square Park. Unfortunately, minutes into the shoot we quickly learned that you need some sort of permit to shoot any photos that are "staged" in the park if you are using signs. Fortunately, this turned into the setback we were looking for. It forced us to walk around the park and into the French Quarter to search for new backdrops to take pictures with.

Not only did we get our money shot, outside, but everybody just had to stop and ask us, "Hey, where were did you get that cool life-size red alligator?" Our answer always was, "Well at Slippin' Southern of course!" 

Later, we grabbed some coffee at Antoine's Annex (here's the link to the famous restaurant http://www.antoines.com/). As creative endevors go, we got this idea as we were walking around with our big honkin' gator to shoot a "Gator Cam" video. We call our little film short "There's "NOLA Place Like Home" featuring Slippin' Southern's exclusive "Red Gator."

The hardest part about making a video in the French Quarter is making sure that we didn't run into tourists as we all were walking down the street with the life-size gator. And if you ever find your self shooting a video of a reptile walkin' down the street, remember it takes three people, a prop handler, a videographer and a spotter (the spotter is the most important person in the crew).

The Big Red Gator sign will be hung outside our studio in the weeks to come. He is a big fella, if you are interested in purchasing one this size email us at SlippinSouthern@gmail.com. If he's too big for your wall, you might like our smaller Preppy Gator in our shop shown here.

Another funny thing is that a person walking down the street in the French Quarter with a 6 foot alligator looks normal to tourists that are already overwhelmed with the sights of the tourist mecca. Most people didn't give it a second thought and probably assumed that we had purchased it in a nearby shop. We also had several folks say to us as we were shooting "Hey, I really like your gator!"

We've been trying to think of a name for our new Red Gator, something Southern, if you have any ideas we'd like to hear from you... leave us a comment here!

Laissez les bon temps rouler, y'all!

This DIY advent calender  lets you customize an old family tradition.

Family Advent Calendar

Everyone knows children can't wait for Christmas. That's a fact, Jack (Frost). But advent calender kids can. The advent calender brings the family together through the simple act of giving during the whole month of December.

Christmas advent calender traditions date back to 19th century Germany. It's traditionally the count down in anticipation to the nativity. Original displays of the Christmas calendar consisted of drawing chalk lines on your front door from December 1st all the way up to the 25th. Since then, advent wreaths with candles, hanging pictures on the wall of the nativity, and the first printed advent calendar in the 1900s have all furthered the design. The standard design for "advent calendars" is always changing (as enduring traditions of the past two hundred years tend to do). One of these designs is the "wooden advent calender" taking the shape of a tree.

As this Advent calender tree is used up, other nostalgic holiday items can be added.

How the Advent Calender works:
25 gifts are randomly placed on the tree. The more unique the better! Each day, starting on December 1st, a gift is removed from the tree and opened by a family member. If there are multiple family members participating, odd and even days are recommended. The application of this item is virtually limitless. Memorable photos, secret messages, cards, foreign candies, gift cards, little boxes with goodies inside, etc, will all make any cold December day warm for your loved ones. There's something so special about a little gift in the morning before work or school.

It's recommended that whatever small item does hang is numbered (either 1-25), and that these numbers aren't put in order. Part of the fun of this calender is that days aren't arranged consecutively and there is a "search" feature as part of the experience.

With this clothespin tree you could create a different tree every year.

So start a new creative tradition in your home with the Christmas advent calender, it's a great family tradition that you'll enjoy making year after year!

The Color Palette of Slippin' Southern

When you order wall art from Slippin' Southern, you can specify any of our 25 colors from our color palette. We have assembled enough colors to cover most wall art applications but we occasionally need to add a new color when customers ask. We can also custom mix a color if requested.

Shown above is our Slippin' Southern Finish Selector which is FREE to all retailers with their first wholesale order. You may order additional Finish Selectors for $25. 

We have given each of our permanent colors a name with a Southern theme or one that reminds us of an experience that we have had over the years traveling about in the South. Some of them are easy to recognize while others are a little more quirky... but that's OK, that's what make us Slippin' Southern.

Slippin' Southern color palette shown on the
last picture of most listings in our shops

Some new colors such as silver, gold and copper do not yet appear in our listing palette but are available in our Finish Selector shown above.

Here's the list our colors with a brief explanation of their origin. Each color also links back to an item in our shop so you can see how it looks on a sign.

Aunt Betty's Silver
Named after my Aunt Betty who always keeps her silver polished

Barbecue Red

A historic, deep, warm red, used in home interiors at the turn of the century, 
also the color of  barbecue sauce (There are currently no items listed in this color)

Barnwood Red

Our classic red, just think of a barn

Biscuit Cream

linen, natural, architectural, a great choice for a natural look

Cast Iron Black

Black like cast iron urns and kettles

Chimney Brick Orange

This is a customer driven color, a cross between red and orange
(There are currently no items listed in this color)

Coach House Green

Dark khaki, a hybrid of green and brown
(There are currently no items listed in this color)

Coastal Blue

Deep dark blue waters of the ocean where whales swim

Driftwood Grey

Like wood that you find along the beach, weathered and worn and natural

Florida Orange

Couldn't you just eat one right now?

Front Porch Blue
Color that many folks paint their porch ceilings in the South to create a sky effect when you look up

Gulf Blue

The color of the teal waters of the Gulf of Mexico, down around Pensacola, Florida y'all

Historic Yellow

Reminds me of the color that a lot of historic houses were painted back in the day 

Key Lime Green

The color of your lime in your drink during cocktail hour

Moonshine Copper

I'm told back in the day, they used a lot of copper to make moonshine. It makes a great name for a color.

Muddy Brown

You know, like mud, just very brown

Oyster White

Rustic, worn white, similar to the inside of an oyster shell

Papa's Suit Blue

Our answer to classic navy, named after my Papa's old suit. Often a customer requested color (There are currently no items listed in this color) 

Passion Pink

The darker companion to Sweet Heart Pink

Patina Green
The color copper turns into after it has been outdoors for many years, "patina" green
(Note: See second picture in listing for Patina Green, first picture is Gulf Blue)

Sunflower Yellow
This is a no brainer, good old bright yellow, like on a summer day

Swamp Green

The color of green ponds and wetlands, the kind of place where you see gators and crocodiles swimming

Sweet Heart Pink
Light Hearted, young, girly, fun, perfect color for Flyin' Pigs

Uncle Larry's Gold

Named after my Uncle Larry because he has a heart of gold

Wisteria Purple
Sometimes you just have to have purple, when no other color will do

St. Louis Cathedral, New Orleans, LA. Photo: Gregory Morris, Slippin' Southern

Now it's week two for me of living in the Crescent city and here some random thoughts on the place. I hope you find this entertaining, especially you Mr. Google... remember me?

Photo: Chris Graythen/Getty Images

A few things are becoming more clear. One is why they call it the Crescent city, it's because of how the river bends into a crescent right in front of the French Quarter. The city police use the crescent symbol along with a star to make up their logo, that's pretty clever for local law enforcement, don't you think?

Another big symbol here is the Flue-de-lis (French for flower of the lily). It's everywhere. And the symbolic meanings behind it date back many centuries and relate to so many different things it boggles the mind. Like no other city, New Orleans uses the symbol to decorate their homes, brand their Football team and promote fried chicken. Regardless of its history and what the symbol was originally designed for, today it stands for the essence of New Orleans. So I think I need to create a Fleur-de-Lis sign to keep up with the huge demand, watch for that coming shortly...

M. A. Hadley Pottery Fler-de-lis plate

What's still a mystery to me at this point? The term Who-dat. you see this everywhere, at the time of this bloggin' I'm not sure where the term comes from. I can imagine just about every other person I see on the street here saying it with a total striaght face. I know, it wouldn't be a mystery if I just Googled it but I love it when the reason comes to you naturally, in conversation with your neighbor. Maybe one of my readers could fill us all in on this one!

I'm also getting used to the city sounds here y'all. And for a big city, New Orleans' sounds are very charming, especially late at night, after everyone has gone to sleep and you're walking down the hall and here one of these sounds. Of course there's always the local traffic which sounds the same in any U.S. city with trucks, buses and what not. But beyond that, here you hear Riverboat horns, an occasional Calliope playing old show tunes, Freight Train horns, (the quiet kind, not the obnoxious kind).

Also like all big cities, roads and highways, are never done, there's always a percentage of streets and bridges that are always under reconstruction. And like other big cities, New Orleans has picked some real doosies downtown to work on all at once making traffic that is simply trying to cross the business section of downtown take forever.

I took a drive along I-10 today to get over to Walmart which is only 2 miles from my studio, but it's across downtown. I was struck by how many homeless people there were living under the I-10 Express ways that tower above the city. There must have been hundreds of people of all ages going about their everyday life, but just living under the brides. It was much more people than you would ever see in Chicago.

We had our first parade in front of our studio tonight. At about 10:00pm a flash-parade of people all came down Royal Street dressed in sort of punk-party outfits. By the time I got my camera out it had passed by the windows.

Just when you thought everything has been done on a T-shirt y'all!
This sanctified design fills my heart with joy.

Finally there are two signs I've got to make right now, a Flue-de-lis and a Slippin' Southern Gator for my studio. The Flur-de-lis will be in multiple sizes, I'm still thinking about what color to show it in, but you'll be able to order it in any of my 25 colors including metallics (silver, gold, and copper).

(P.S. Hey Y'all, is anybody reading this blog? If so give me a little shout out! Please leave a comment, even if you're just pointing out misspelled words, that's fine too -- Gregory :)

The Suites at Market Square

One of the many dazzling show rooms at High Point Market

High Point Market (April 21-26) is now behind us, it's Saturday Night and I'm sitting in my bedroom watching a re-run of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. My legs hurt, may bags are still not unpacked, I have four large boxes of all of my show samples in my living room downstairs and my night stand is covered in receipts from diners, lunches, gas stations and dozens of other places I spent funds on this past week while we exhibited our hand-made signs in High Point, North Carolina.

We crammed as many signs as possible into Booth #4038

Just getting there was challenging enough. High Point is only a three hour drive from our studio in Snow Hill, NC. We opted to not rent any trucks or trailers and simply take our own two POVs filled with our samples, our walls to display them on and ourselves (Me, Susan, Greyson & Tate).

Our Beach and Coastal walls had many new signs

All was going well when about an hour into our drive I lost my battery and my alternator and had to leave my truck on the side of the expressway near Cary on Thursday night. We then all climbed into our other truck and went on to High Point with only the booth. After getting my wife and daughter safely in the hotel in Winston-Salem, my son and I drove back to Cary and picked up the samples from my truck and brought them back to High Point. My son and I never slept that night. Then at 8 a.m., we went over to the dock and started unloading and setting up our booth.

This amazing building looks like a ship hull split in half, it has a mote too

High Point is an odd town in that it has a population of just over 100,000 and twice a year it hosts The High Point Market which brings in another 100,000 visitors each time. And it's crazy. You can tell just by walking down the street that everyone is from out of town. They dress different, wearing clothing that you've never seen before, at least not in my little town of Snow Hill. The eye wear, the shoes, they are just fabulous. And every person you see is a character, you can almost see their trade written right on their face and clothes. And they are all here, decorators, architects, designers, business men, blue collar workers, food service folks, artists, salesmen, gift shop keepers and the list goes on and on. There are so many people here at once that all of the hotels are full, many people, including us have to stay in neighboring city's. We stayed in Winston-Salem. As the show winds down you can switch hotels closer to High Point as some folks start to leave.

This guy played jazz guitar in the IHFC lobby every night, he was a true artist!

The first 3 days are the best, lots of parties every evening, outdoor concerts, jazz bands playing in all of the bars, show room girls walking around in sexy outfits, people handing out brochures and flyers to entice you to come to their showroom open houses. There are lots of free drinks after 4 p.m. in the show rooms, lots of free things to do and see. As the week gets longer though, things begin to wind down, people start leaving, the parties get fewer and by the end of the week it's like just going shopping at Target, you go in, you see things you grab lunch and you just go back to your hotel room and do it again the next day. And you start thinking to your self... I really need to get back to my studio, orders are piling up.

New Fresh Crabs Sign from Slippin' Southern

So what did we accomplish at Market Square's six day long market? We picked up many nice new customers, wrote lots of orders, and embarked on some exciting new opportunities with a couple of large retailers that we are really excited about. We also had fun meeting many other great exhibitors including Steve and Donna Hayden, Sabrina's Chair Apron from Grace and London.

Samantha of Grace & London was next door to us at the show

Donna & Steve Hayden brought some awesome signs too y'all.

Want to meet us at our next show? We'll be at the Atlanta Gift Mart (July 11-18).
And this time we are shipping everything... no trucks y'all.

Flamingo Coral & Keylime Pie: Two new colors added to our palette

Next week, Slippin' Southern will be setting up our booth at Market Square in High Point, North Carolina (April 21-26). We've been feverishly making many new signs to roll out at the show. In the process of making the new signs we're introducing two new colors to our palette bringing our current color palette to 24.

Slippin' Southern's color palette.

Our color palette has grown quite a bit from it's humble beginnings last year. I think I started with about 12 when I had only a dozen or so signs at the opening of my Etsy shop. Throughout the year as more signs have been added I've had the need for more colors. During Christmas I added silver and gold. My great customers have also helped me in suggesting and requesting great colors for many of my signs.
 
The first new color is Flamingo Coral. I wanted to call it flamingo pink but it's really more coral than pink. I've used it on a new scallop shell, a medium sized whale and a new star fish.

The other color is Key Lime Pie. It's a bright, sassy, yellowish green. I used it on a new supper-sized "Barrel of Monkeys" Monkey wall sign, a Minnow School set and a small Rooster.
 
Along with new colors my Beach and Coastal section will have several new signs including new fish, new star fishes and new shells. I also have several new farm stand styled signs that feature vegetables like tomatoes, artichokes and carrots. We also have several signs that are English themed for the 2012 Summer Olympics! All-in-all, it's a lot of new items, I just hope we can get it all done by this weekend y'all!

We will be rolling out all of these items in our Etsy shop and on our wholesale site soon after the show so stay tuned for more. And to our Retail Shop owner friends if you can make it, stop by and say "Hey" to us at Market Square, High Point y'all.

Slippin' Southern at High Point:

Building: Suites At Market Square

Space Number: M-4039

Website: www.shoptrumanpony.com

Yes, I do custom signs...

Yours truly gluing letters to a Wrangler 20X custom sign in my studio for The Working Guy's Store.

My custom signs usually start with the question... "Do you make custom signs?" I always get this exciting feeling inside when I'm asked. The feeling of endless creative possibilities, what great graphic adventure am I about to embark on? What will this new customer want me to create for them? Their company logo really big? A famous cartoon character for their family room? A giant animal... you just never know.

I usually never ask what some custom signs are used for.

Many times it's simply taking one of my existing signs like my "Hey Y'all" sign and writing another word like "68 Chevy" or "Snooze". Or it's as simple as taking my Labrador dog sign and flipping him in the other direction. I've also matched custom colors as well as Pantone colors. My signs can also be made to go outdoors in harsh weather with my "Coastal Core" protection option.

Custom sign for a family game room.

Sometimes customers do want their logo for their office lobby to impress visitors. Sometimes they want a sign for their trade show booth. Sometimes it's for their game room. Or sometimes it's for their child who is now off to college and needs the team mascot for their dorm wall.

Hat from "Cat in the Hat" for a family game room.

Whatever it turns out to be, I approach my signs two different ways. The first is to simply cut the sign from plywood and carve any needed details right into the wood. I offer 22 colors and I can also mix custom colors if needed. All of my signs are usually feature a distressed finish that really makes them look aged.

Custom sign for a therapist's office.

The second approach is to cut letters and shapes from a thinner, 1/8" plywood and attach it all to a larger backboard. Most shapes I hand cut in my shop, however, sometimes I send them out to a laser cutting service if the shapes are too small or too detailed for me handle. With either approach it takes about 3 weeks for me to complete a sign before shipping it.

A very large custom sign for a farmers market in Boston.

If you have a special sign you'd like to have made, I'd love to hear about it and I'd be happy to give you a price for making it. There's really nothing that I can't do. When you're ready to pop me the question, please let me know your requirements on these points too:

- How large would you like it to be?

- How do you plan to display it, i.e. hanging or attaching to wall, etc?

- Are there any special colors needed?

- And, where is your sign shipping to (city and Zip)?

Just pop me an e-mail to: SlippinSouthern@gmail.com

Here are a few more signs that I've recently completed.

Wrangler 20X retail dispaly sign.

Sign for a Carriage company.

Logo sign for Vungle's San Franciso office.

My Gator tricked-out with sneakers and cap for Gator U-Haul in Florida.

Florida Gator's Logo for a gift to an alumni.