Our crew have been busy installing the plywood backing for the vaulted ceilings in the Copper Crown at the Hazwelnut Inn. The grandeur of the space is quickly coming into focus. They will begin stapling on the diamond lath tomorrow, which means the sculpting will start soon. Stay tuned…
Boot base coats finished
The old woman’s shoe is coming along quickly, with the base coats now finished. The final paint and glazes begin this week. It won’t be long until this giant boot is ready to pull out of the shop to make room for new projects.
Sign Invitational 2026
When I was in Las Vegas last week, many of the sign makers I met asked if we would bring back the Sign Invitational. After some discussion with my good friend Jim Dawson, who co-hosted the fun contest in years past, we decided we would.
The Sign Invitational’s purpose is to inspire and encourage creative sign makers to create a sample dimensional sign for their showroom. The sample signs of those who take up this challenge will be displayed at next year’s International Sign Association EXPO and will be judged by attendees to the show. In the past, this display was popular with more than two thousand signmakers casting a vote for their favourite. We’ve invited some of our friends who are among the best signmakers in the world, and then opened it up to anyone else who chooses to participate. There will be a maximum of twenty sign makers allowed on a first-come, first-served basis.
In years past, the pieces were very large and extremely elaborate, but over time, the cost to transport the pieces across the continent became prohibitive, especially for smaller shops. The solution was to downsize the pieces enough to be transported inside a checked bag. The smaller envelope will undoubtedly still allow plenty of room to be creative.
Each participant is asked to adhere to the following guidelines…
All entrants are asked to create a double-sided, dimensional pub sign which hangs from a supplied post and bracket. The name on the sign will be “__________ TOAD”. You can fill in the adjective to suit your theme. Examples would be “Ugly Toad”, “Loyal Toad”, etc. Be creative with the adjective and the theme of TOAD! The maximum size for your sign is 16” wide x 24” tall.
I hereby challenge all of my sign-making friends to participate. Here’s the design you need to beat…
