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.

Chippy Old Farm House Discovery

Deserted, Beautiful Farmhouse Facade Near Greenville, NC

A picture is worth a thousand words, you've heard that saying probably what, a thousand times right? Today I present a picture to you that I took just a few hours ago. This sort of thing happens to Susan and I all of the time here in Eastern North Carolina. And it's one of the reasons we moved here from Chicago. Often times we'll be driving along on a country farm road trying to make good time by cutting through an unknown area and we will stumble upon an old house like this one. When we do, we just have to stop the car, take it all in for a moment and then take a picture.

I'm always dumbfounded by empty old houses like this. Isn't it just gorgeous? Doesn't it kind of remind you of Gone With the Wind? A house like this would not sit long in Oak Part or Wilmet or even in the Bucktown area of Chicago. Are you kidding? Don't you just wonder who lived here? What story would this house tell you if it could talk? Wouldn't you just love to step inside and see it? Wouldn't it look great with a new coat of paint and possibly a new roof? Not to mention central heat and air?

Sprawling additions added over the years are very common in NC homes.

There are hundreds, if not, thousands of old homes like this all over Eastern North Carolina. They are tucked away between farm fields, forests, creeks and streams. Many of them come with barns, pack houses and tenant houses. Many of them inhabited by bats, raccoons, mice not to mention ghosts. A few of them even have men that live in them who pay no rent and do not own them but are just allowed to live on the property to keep looters away and to just be there for what ever reason. Others come complete with their own family grave yard and even other may have a slave grave yard too.

Preserved filling station near Maury, NC

This is the Coastal Plains of Eastern North Carolina. If you look on a map, it's the part of NC that is jetting out into the Atlantic Ocean. It's mostly flat with occasional hills. There are a lot of farm fields, streams, creeks and an occasional river. It's warm most of the year. It's farm country and has been for hundreds of years. The family who once lived here, who I know nothing about, are long gone. The descendants from the original farmer who worked this land have multiplied and scattered to the four corners of this country to pursue their dreams and careers in the trades, technology and liberal arts.

I've always had a passion for history. Houses like this are one of the things that inspire me to create things that look old, distressed and weathered. Pieces like my Large Wooden Letters have been sanded and distressed to look great sitting in a freshly painted living room. Especially in newer homes because it gives you a historic accent item in your space. It makes you ask similar questions about the piece like I did about the house above. Where did you get that? What was it used for? And it links our lifestyle to the lifestyles of the past.

There is a society of folks, like Susan and I who are interested in saving this little bit of American History. They are folks that purchase properties like this to  restore and preserve these great old structures. Here in our state, Preservation North Carolina is a great resource if you are interested in seeing more homes like this that are actually on the market.

If anyone reading this blog happens to know the history of this particular house I'd love to hear about it, please leave a comment or contact me.

New Halloween Signs Y'all

I know it's the middle of August and you're getting the kids back in school still y'all, but before you know it, those same little hobgoblins will be ringin' your door bell. So I've been working feverishly on some creepy signs that I think you'll have fun decorating your living spaces with this fall. Here's a brief run down of my All-Hallows-Eve treats:

Witch on a Stick
Nothing says creepy like a black flying witch y'all. And she's a big girl too, allmost waist high, perfect for the front of your house.

Boo, word sign
This word says it all doesn't it? It's the simplest of decorations for the scary night. This would make a great hostess gift too.

Vampire Bat
This guy is just menacing, don't you think? This piece was inspired by old book illustrations of bats from the turn of the century.

Pumpkin Head
This is inspired by those vintage paper machie pumpkins you find in antique stores. This would be a great piece for your front porch or to put next to your treat bowl.

Moon Face
This is a fun piece that comes straight from the corner of a Ouija board. You southerners will recognize it also from the Moon Pie box.

Shown with my random starts, see below. Stars are not included with Moon Face.

Star Set
These go great with the Moon Face. They are just quick cut random starts. They are also available in larger sizes. These are 4" square in size.

Email me if you want a larger size at
slippinsouthern@gmail.com

Bite Me Vampire Fangs
With Vampires being all the rage these days I could not resist making this y'all. This is a totally funky and fun image & word sign. It's loaded with different meanings.

Black Crow
This handsome fella comes from a vintage BB-gun target practice poster. Just luv'ed his shape, minus the target naturally.

Dead Skulls
I've always loved "Day of the Dead" imagery so I took the typical halloween skull and "Dead-Headed" it. It's shown here with 5 hot colors perfect for this unique holiday. But you can choose from any of our 16 colors.

Voo Doo word sign
What Halloween wouldn't be complete without looking to New Orleans for Voo Doo inspiration? This is in my usual Slippin' Southern style word sign. If you have another great Halloween word idea just let me know, I'd love to hear about it! (Email me at slippin'southern@gmail.com)

I have two more items that I'm finishing up, pictures coming shortly, they are:

Spooky Owl--This one is understated, a simple image of an owl, quietly sitting on his branch... watch it--he's watching you.

Menacing Raven--This little Poe-esque Raven is looking over his shoulder, with his classic curved beak.

All of these are available Now in my Etsy Shop y'all, just click here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/SlippinSouthern?ref=si_shop

First Friday for the Monkey Man

Downtown Raleigh, NC

Last Friday Susan and I ventured west of our studio in Snow Hill to Raleigh to meet Beth who has included our signs in her gallery space at Design Box, which is a workspace, art gallery and design shop all rolled into one. And last Friday was First Friday. I know that makes no sense so I'll explain. In downtown Raleigh, on the first Friday of each month all of the downtown galleries, museums, and art studios feature an open house event where art enthusiasts are welcome to drop in and take a look around. Many of the local restaurants, bars and clubs also join in by offering specials too. And there are a lot of restaurants and bars downtown y'all.

Contemporary Art Museum, Raleigh

When we arrived in the warehouse distinct, I dropped off Susan in front of the Contemporary Art Museum to find parking since they have great benches for sitting outside. Parking was my next challenge, I later found out that there were several lots just up the street but I spent 20 minutes looking for parking on the street, something I'm totally used to coming from Chicago.

Art enthusiasts gather outside during First Friday's

On the street, there's so much people traffic. There's tons of pedestrians walking from venue to venue, mostly couples and groups. There's also lots of people like myself trying to find parking. Many driving vintage cars and scooters which I thought was very cool. This too reminded me of mine and Susan's days in Chicago gallery hopping on Friday nights, something we used to do when we were in college, you know, before we had kids. 

Art lovers easily get around via Raleigh Rickshaw Company

Oh, and here's something you don't see in Chicago on a Friday night, bicycling art enthusiasts. A group of about 20 cyclists all of a sudden peddled up in front of Design Box, parked their bikes and all wandered in. Another great way to get around First Fridays is by Raleigh Rickshaw Company which operates till 3 a.m. Remember my parking problem? This is a great way to get back to you car at the end of the night.

Slippin' Southrn signs hanging at Design Box

Once I made my way back to Susan we walked over to Design Box. Inside it was pleasantly crowded, we sort of had to weave our way through the crowd to try to find Beth, who we have never met. The gallery space is small but jam packed with many artists and interesting things to look at and buy.

Then all at once I looked up above all of the heads of the visitors and I saw my little signs, just before you enter their work spaces. This was the first time I've seen my work hanging in a store. Like old friends, each of them I knew personally. Peanut, Howdy, Hey Y'all, the Monkey gang was all here. And folks were really looking at them, studying them, touching them. I felt very pleased, I tried not to stare at them too much. I tried not to let anyone know that "I did them".  As if by me looking at them in some way, someone would figure out that I created them. Then I made my way past them. I tried to look interested in other things and other artist's work. And there were a lot of other artist work on the walls.



Barrel of Monkeys by Slippin' Southern

Then a woman approached me from behind and gently asked, "Excuse me, are you the Monkey Man?" I smiled and said, why yes I am, and then I extended my hand. She went on to explain that she had just purchased my Barrel of Monkeys and she just wanted to meet me and say hello. For me, this was the crowning moment of the trip. The thought that someone wanted to meet me was exciting and made me feel so complete. Like I was doing something right. Like, hey, this Slippin' Southern thing is actually going somewhere. Thank you lovely customer, where ever you are, you made my evening! I truly hope you enjoy your Monkeys.

Coquette Brasserie in North Hills

  

After our First Friday experience we left downtown and went to North Hills to have diner at Coquette Brasserie. I know we should have stayed with the whole First Friday theme but that's not how we roll, we always break with the plan and do something different. By now the diner crowd was thinning out, yet we managed to be seated next to a couple that had a 10 year old boy with them that banged on the banquettes like Ringo Starr during our entire dinner. Other than that, our diner was decent but I wouldn't go back.

Beth told me on last Friday that she needs more signs so we are definitely going back for another First Friday next month and I think this time we'll stay in the neighborhood for diner and drinks.  If you see us, ring your bike bell and say Hey Y'all! 

Slippin' Southern Explores Wilmington

Wilmington boardwalk near our hotel

Last weekend we decided we needed a little getaway from the farm fields of Snow Hill so our family drove down to Wilmington to hand-deliver a lovely order to one of our newest retailers that has just started carring our signs in the downtown historic waterfront district. We blew into town around 2:00 pm, very exhausted since we had just spent the last few days producing three new large retail orders plus getting out many of our lovely Etsy customer's orders too. And we've done it all during this fabulous heat wave we've been having on the East coast.



A Proper Garden, a great place to shop y'all

 Once we arrived downtown, which we knew little about, we went straight to Ann Street and into our newest retailers great brick and mortor location, A Proper Garden, which  is very charming. It's a little garden, a little historic, a little artsy and Lotta cool. After exchanging introductions with Peg, the owner, a great fun lady, and wandering around her cute shop then popped across the street to Elijah's and took a table at the bar which overlooks the beautiful Cape Fear River. We were starved, hot and wanted to take in the waterfront for a moment and this was the place to do it. While sippin' martinis we sampled their wonderful oysters Rockefeller, Oysters Elijah's (over flowing with crab dip) and some nice, chilled. peal-n-eat shrimp. While I was relaxing here I felt totally relaxed and that there must be so much to explore here. I wanted to jump up and see it all and at the same time, just sit right there all afternoon.

A little further down the boardwalk near Elijah's

If you are a water-lovin', southern crab like me, yes, I'm a Cancer, you'll love the downtown waterfront. I was totally in my happy place here. All of the shops, hotels and restaurants in Wilmington sit right on the river and are connected by a very nice dock-like boardwalk. It would be possible, but not on a hot day like ours, to walk from any of the hotels all the way down to any restaurant you wanted. On this weekend, there were several weddings going on so brides maids and groomsmen peppered every establishment we went in to.

I love staying in hotels. I love the crisp cool sheets, the quiet seclusion and the fact that no one in the world knows where I am when I'm there. Across the river from our hotel room sat the majestic USS North Carolina, a WWII battleship that was totally restored with proceeds from the school children of NC along with the help of a few investors. We didn't bother to tour the ship on this visit since the heat was unbearable but we do plan to come back when the weather gets cooler this fall. I also love touring battleships, the USS Alabama in Mobile is a great ship to visit too, I went there many times as a kid.

The Dixie Grill, a great place to get grits in the city

On Sunday morning we got dressed and did what Susan always wants to do in a new town, get a good cooked breakfast. And in Wilmington, look no further than the Dixie Grill on Market street. The experience begins as soon as you drive up to the door. The look is very 60s throwback. There is a huge Peter Max 7-Up sign just inside and all of the walls are covered with kitchy paintings for sale by local artists. The service was phenomenal. We loved that we were seated in the kitchen so we could see the cooks making everything. This place is atmosphere on steroids, booths, lots of vegetarian items on menu too, Plus, on top of everything there was live music too! I felt like we were in a hip eatery or diner in Chicago, it was one of the most surprising places we've seen in NC, no offense Bojanles'.

NC Aquarium Aligator saying Hey Y'all

Our plan for this overnight trip was to see a little of the town the first night and then go out to the beaches the next day. But it was so hot that we decided to do something that was a little darker and cooler.... so we went to the NC Aquarium. And just as I had hoped, it was cool, dark and very interesting. It's located out on Kure Beach at Fort Fisher. Among the many exhibits we saw, I was most impressed with the alligators in the atrium entrance including an albino alligator. Also on the inside, there was an Open Oceans Exhibit that let you actually hold live sea urchins, star fish and touch horseshoe crabs.

Susan and me enjoying Sweet Tea at the Dixie Grill

I have to say, since our home is in the middle of a corn field, Wilmington is now added to my list of new happy places to visit in North Carolina. It's got water, food, drink and so many things to see y'all, we will return for more very soon, heck, I'm even thinkin' of a second home here.