Kitchens are for more than just cooking — they’re a favorite room for talking, laughing, and sharing. Many people today have mixed and matched counters, floors, appliances, sinks and kitchen wall art to complete their kitchen!  Here are just three bold new ideas to really make your kitchen the talk of the neighborhood.

1. Be colorful.  A lot of people are choosing to use a wide array of colors in their kitchen.  Cabinets don’t have to be just white anymore.  You can mix up your colors in lots of ways.  Add some color as a backsplash behind your stove to complement the color of your cabinets.  Remember, everything doesn’t have to be all the same color!  This is a great example of using different shades of blue on the cabinets to create a very special kitchen

2. Choose distinctive counter tops.   There are many products out there that you can choose for your counter tops.  One of the hottest and newest ideas is using stainless steel.  This will definitely make your kitchen stand out, as in this kitchen.  Another popular option today is using concrete for the counter tops.  One definite advantage to utilizing concrete is that the final product can be tinted or stained to make an exceptional look.

3. Get creative with lighting.  There are some amazing new fixtures on the market today that will absolutely complement your decor in your new kitchen.  Lighting isn’t just functional; nowadays it can be part of the overall appeal, with many different colors and designs to choose from.  There are millions of results when you search for kitchen lighting; so take your time and choose the most appropriate for your kitchen.  But have fun with the lighting and don’t just settle for what everyone else is doing.

4. Incorporate unique kitchen wall art.  Alabama Metal Art has the perfect piece for your kitchen, whether it be a complete renovation or a minor re-do.  A personalized kitchen wall art piece will definitely stand out on that freshly painted wall, and best of all it will be one of a kind!

Whatever you choose to do, make sure you design your kitchen to fit your family and their lifestyle.  Don’t follow all the trends and ideas to the letter and because then the space might be impractical.  Keep in mind that your kitchen has to be functional and easy to clean-up if your family is very active and on the go!

We came across this great article that gives us ten things to consider when remodeling our kitchen.  This list is the top ten trends according to the authors.  We especially agree with #10 which they state Add Interest.  Alabama Metal Art continues to deliver high quality metal kitchen wall art at a very reasonable price.  We agree totally with the authors to not forget the little things during and after your kitchen renovation.  There is no other way to add interest in your kitchen than a one-of-a-kind metal kitchen wall art piece designed by you and our team.  Imagine it being the icing on the cake of your new renovation!  It will be something that will always be cherished and be the center of many conversations.

There are many other trends in the Kitchen 2.0 as some are referring to it.  One consistent element that most designers keep referring back to is making the finished product unique and personal.    Refrigerators will get more “smart”, other appliances will continue to evolve but there is still the necessity for conversation pieces in your kitchen.

Check out the article and let us know what you think about the list by leaving us some comments on our Facebook page or don’t forget about us on Google +.

Eat well, Laugh often, Love much

Kitchens tend to become the gathering places in most homes for friends and family. It is known to be a place where memories are made. Alabama Metal Art gives you the opportunity to create a personalized, unique piece of custom kitchen wall art. We offer three unique designs, with two different font options along with multiple beautiful finishes. Each of the custom kitchen wall art pieces are cut from high quality steel so they are durable, yet lightweight and easy to hang. These unique wall art designs will make your kitchen even more personal as your family and friends gather. Your personalized wall hanging will enhance the look of your kitchen. Personalized kitchen wall art makes wonderful gift ideas for the woman in your life.

Alabama Metal Art also offers a variety of unique personalized products for other areas of your home.  These products are durable, made of top-quality metal, and powder coated for use indoors and out.  Each individual order is truly a custom crafted work of art based on the wishes of the customer.  Each piece is crafted one at a time and manually walked through the individual stages of the process.  To fully understand how unique and well-crafted our products are you should visit the Alabama Metal Art Facebook page to see some of our most recent work.  You may also visit our Testimonial blog to see how many of our satisfied customers have taken a minute to leave us a kind word.

Besides visiting us at our Facebook page you can also find us on Google +.  We at Alabama Metal Art are continuously striving to innovate our product line.  Check back with us often to see new and innovative products that our customers have inspired us to create.  You can also give us a call at 888.760.0006 to begin working on that unique piece of art that you have dreamed up.

After Christmas Sale:  Save 10% after Christmas is over!

Once Christmas is over give yourself  the gift of personalized metal art while saving 10% with the Alabama Metal Art AFTER Christmas sale.

Order between December 25 and January 31 to get 10% off your order!

(use coupon code BLOG10).

Most items are shipped within 2 weeks of your order!

Click on the PRODUCTS tab above to see our product catalog.

There is nothing as personal as your name.  We can take that name and create a personalized piece of metal wall art for your home or a unique personalized gift for that special someone. Visit our on-line metal art product catalog to see the various wall art designs and decorative finish options we offer. Use the discount code mentioned above when you checkout to take your discount.

{Discount code applies to any product available for purchase on-line except for Mailboxes.}

Offer valid between December 25 and January 31.

Patina finishes are a colorful and unique way to complete any piece of personalized metal wall art.

The unique variation of color that comes from the patina process (in addition to the personalization requested) serves to make each piece of metal art truly one of a kind. Patinas can be used on steel, stainless steel, aluminum, copper, cast iron, and brass.  The reaction each type of metal has during the patina procedure creates its own unique set of colors. The personalized pieces shown on our metal art products page are generally manufactured using 12 gage steel.

Japanese Maple patina

Depending on the patina chosen, there are different methods for applying patinas to the various metal options.  One method is a “cold” application.  With the metal art piece at room temperature the patina solution is either sprayed onto the work piece or alternately applied by submerging the part into the solution.

Antique Pewter patina

A “hot” application is another method. In this case the metal artist creating the finish alternates between applying heat and the patina solution. This alternating application of heat and solution is repeated until the desired color level is achieved. If you watch the “Who is Alabama Metal Art” video at the 50 second mark you will short video segment showing the application of the Japanese Maple patina.  This is an example of a patina that requires a “hot” application.

Patina hot application - Japanese Maple

Patinas can cure for a few minutes or a few days.  This variation in time is managed in order to achieve different and unique outcomes.  Once the desired color is acquired the metal art piece is neutralized in order to halt the process.  A protective clear coat is then applied to preserve the decorative finish.

Patinas can be a tedious process, but the outcome is well worth the effort.  To see the patina finishes (as well as the other powder coat paint and wet paint options) we offer please visit our decorative patinas and finishes page.

If you are interested in having one of our decorative patina finishes applied to a personalized piece of metal wall art please contact Alabama Metal Art to see what we can create for you!

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For businesses the ability to easily be identified by their customers is so important.  A custom sign is one way to solve this problem.  Well established, or just starting out, most successful businesses know the importance of good signage.

Custom Business Sign for Piano Studio

Custom signs not only help customers find the business or store they are looking for but they also serve to reinforce brand awareness.  Special fonts and logos can be used so that the visual branding of the business is consistent.  Take the “Par Lounge” sign shown below.  The image of the golfer and the specialized font both match this business’ already established logo.

Par Lounge custom business sign

In addition custom signs can be used to enhance the inside of a business showroom or office.  The “Martin Foot Specialists” and “Britta’s Tea Room” signs are two examples of this.   These two signs both used established “Name Art” designs offered by Alabama Metal Art and were personalized with business names rather than a family name.  These Name Art pieces work well in areas (inside or out) where larger signs are not appropriate.

Name Art designs personalized with business names.

Businesses and organizations often have needs for special signs other than for name, location, and brand awareness.  Take this “Secret Garden” sign for example.  This organization had a playground constructed where all the playground equipment and supplies were donated by local businesses and residents. This custom sign was developed as a means to recognize all those that so generously donated their time and money.

Custom donor sign

Custom signs are not confined to the business world. “The Farm” sign shown below was shipped to Canada where it will be displayed on a family farm. “The Secret Garden” sign above and “The Farm” sign below share a similar feature.  On each sign the lettering and the floral detail (Secret Garden) are attached in a way so that they appear to “float” over the back plate. This method of construction allows for the lettering and back plate to receive separate contrasting decorative finishes so that the writing is more easily seen. In addition this method creates a 3-dimensional look that gives the sign some “depth” and character.

Custom sign for family farm in Canada.

Whether it’s at home on a family farm, on an office wall, or identifying a store front custom signs come in many forms and serve a variety of purposes.  If you are in need of a custom sign for any reason contact Alabama Metal Art to see what we can create for you!

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Design Contest:  Win $250 plus your design manufactured by Alabama Metal Art.

We are excited to announce our new design contest!   Win $250 plus your design manufactured by Alabama Metal Art. Hand drawn or computer generated designs will be accepted. So practically anyone can enter!

Click here to find out how to enter our Spring 2012 Design Contest!

Alabama Metal Art has so many TALENTED and CREATIVE clients!  We regularly get asked, “Can you make this custom piece using my design?”  And within certain manufacturing requirements the answer is usually “Yes, yes we can!” So this Design Contest really came to life in large part due to the creativity of our existing customers. With this contest we can turn your design concept into a reality.  Because in addition to the $250 cash prize the winner will also receive their own design cut out of metal!

Custom address sign. Hand drawn design on left. Custom metal sign on right.

 The images included in this blog post are just a couple of recent examples of our customers’ creativity.  We welcome both hand drawn designs as well as computer generated files.  We have even had customers bring in designs for parts as large as 6ft wide cut out of thin plywood and sometimes cardboard!  However, for the best results we recommend that any hand drawn designs are sketched out with a black pencil, pen, or marker on white paper.  The custom address sign shown above is a great example of this! All hand drawn submissions for our design contest should follow this example (i.e. clean lines, not a “rough” sketch, black and white copy).

"RHEA" custom music sign. Computer generated design on top. Custom sign on bottom.

Computer generated designs are welcome as well! The “RHEA” music note sign above was presented to us in PDF format.  We also can accept the following formats: DWG, DXF, AI, JPG, PDF, GIF, TIF, and BMP.  When using any graphics software we recommend avoiding drop shadows and special shading.  Just as with hand drawn designs crisp clean lines always help us create the most accurate representation of your design.

Designs submitted by e-mail will be accepted for the contest up until 8am on Monday, March 19, 2012.    Click on the following link for all the details regarding our contest:  Spring 2012 Alabama Metal Art Design Contest.

As noted in the “Design Criteria” section in the link above: we will accept designs of any size up to 50″ x 24″.  Please note that the design you submit does NOT need to be a full size representation of your part.  Hand drawn designs can be created on standard 8.5 x 11 letter size sheet.  On your design just add a notation showing what the overall dimensions of the finished part needs to be (Example:  reference the 20″ vertical dimension on the “3345″ address sign shown in the first image above – this design was sent to us on 8.5×11 paper but the completed address sign was actually 20″ tall).   We will use the overall (vertical and horizontal) dimensions you provide to scale your design up to the appropriate size.   Note that 50″ x 24″ is the maximum size of the finished part.  You can design your piece to be any size and shape within that 50″x24″ window! Also note that the designs submitted do NOT have to be personalized with a name or initial – we definitely welcome any personalization you want to use in your design – but personalization is not a requirement for this contest.

We recommend that hand drawn designs be scanned on a computer and e-mailed to info@alabamametalart.com.  Anyone near Florence, Alabama is welcome to hand deliver their design.  If you do not have access to a scanner, please contact us by phone or e-mail to find out how to submit your design by mail.   (note: any designs hand delivered or submitted by mail must be delivered to Alabama Metal Art no later than Friday, March 16th).

Anyone with any questions regarding a custom metal sign or our design contest can contact us by e-mail at info@alabamametalart.com or by phone at 888-760-0006.

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Decorative metal panel creates unique look as a custom railing inside the home.

The options are limitless in the type design you can have in your panel(s). Our design team will work to accommodate your personal taste.  If you like scroll work, a repeatable design, a forest scene, an ocean scene, or any scene special to your family — whatever suits your personal preferences and offers the best accent to the style of your home we can make it happen.

This also goes for the exterior of your home. These panels are a great alternative to compliment your lawn and garden or anywhere around the exterior of your home. What a great way to make your home and garden stand out from the rest with your own uniquely designed fence or porch railing. The panels can also be modified to use as a garden gate, walk thru gate, or a driveway entry gate. Again, we can design and fabricate these pieces of scenic metal art to your specifications.

Typically these panels and gates are built using 1/8” steel sheet, however if you have another type metal in mind that is no problem. In addition to steel we also work with stainless steel, galvanized steel, copper, and brass. These material selections offer plenty of options to help create different looks and satisfy your unique tastes. Once the decorative panel is cut out we add strength and stability to the panel by welding on a frame using structural or decorative metal. After fabrication is complete the steel railings or gates are then powder coated to provide an attractive coating that is also very resilient to outdoor elements. Powder coated parts typically have a life span that is three times or more that of an exterior paint.

If you have any questions about our custom decorative panels or gates you can visit our web site at: www.alabamametalart.com , e-mail us at info@alabamametalart.com, or if you prefer to speak to someone over the phone you are welcome to call us at 888-760-0006. We will be happy to answer any questions you might have.

Customer testimonials, reviews, and stories 

At Alabama Metal Art we love to hear from our customers!  Whether you ordered from us recently or have had your personalized metal art for quite awhile, let us know about your experience. If there are ways we can improve our service, we want to hear that too!

This Blog has been created to make your feedback easy.   To leave a review or testimonial (a rave or a rant) just look for the “LEAVE A REPLY” box at the bottom.   After typing in your feedback just click on “Submit Comment” and you’re finished!    (If you don’t see the “LEAVE A REPLY” box just click on the “COMMENT” link located at the top right of this.)

 If you would like for us to include an image with your feedback, feel free to e-mail your picture(s) to info@alabamametalart.com. We have very creative customers and we love to see how they display the art we create!

Here are some comments from some of our customers:

•  From Tracie in Oregon (after receiving her custom “Belle Riviere Maison” sign):  WOW…FANTASTIC WORK…  The sign is so perfect, really beautiful and we both just love it….Very creative!

Modified Somerset Scroll design – shown as shipped to customer.

•   From Tracie in Oregon (after installing her custom sign):    Hi David, I have included a few photos of the sign, Belle Riviere Maison, it is so beautiful and we just love it.  Amazing art work...  Thank you again, David. Take good care, Tracie.
  

  Modified Somerset Scroll design - attached to gate by customer.

•   From Linda in Texas (in response to an e-mail with 2 proposed design options):     Thank you Chris for asking.  Now that’s customer service.   I like the Script “J ” on the Brunswick Crest-1.    Thank you again for your attention to detail.
• From Beth in Minnesota:  Thanks.  I saw it on Facebook.  I love it.  I am sure my assistant will love it too.  (So happy to be done with her gift ahead of Christmas). 
  

  Custom metal name art

•  From April in Vermont:   Thank you David…it’s a wedding gift for my cousin and his new wife…I love your work!
• From Cara in Pennsylvania: (after receiving an Expedited order on time…)   Chris, I received my order today and it is perfect. I am certain my husband will love it. I plan to display in on our shelves in our living room to enjoy for many years to come. Thank you again for expediting this order. I will order from you in the future and will pass the word along to family and friends.
•  From Tina in Iowa: Just placed an order with you a few days ago for a present for my hubby. My coworkers and I can’t wait to see it… You’d think we were little kids waiting on Santa!!!!  :)

If you have a design or technical question about any of our metal art products please visit our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page or go to the Contact Us page to find out how to e-mail or call.  Thank you for visiting our website!

Holy herd of metal cows have MOO-ved into Florence, Alabama…

If you live in our corner of the world, the northwestern corner of Alabama, and you’re riding around looking at the beautiful fall colors, you might see some cows. LOTS of cows. But the cows we’re talking about don’t move – they are metal cows, decorated in a variety of colors and styles.

"Moo-ses" at Trinity Episcopal Church

It’s a fundraising project for the St. Francis Fund, a charity started by Trinity Episcopal Church in Florence with the goal of raising and giving away a million dollars to charitable projects in the Shoals.  Businesses and individuals all around town “adopted” these metal cows, for a fee, decorated them and then displayed them. There are even maps, telling the story of each metal cow, and encouraging people to see them all and vote – with money – for their favorite. (All of the money collected goes to the St. Francis Fund.)

You’ll see a little bit of everything as you examine the Holy Herd of St. Francis.  There’s “Moo-ses,” at Trinity Church, and “Moo-La,” at Merrill Lynch; the Children’s Museum has a cow named, of course, “Moo-seum,”

"Moo-seum" in front of the Childrens Museum at Deibert Park

and Craig Construction Company has “Bull Dozer.”  Our favorite is “Cow Patty,” adopted and decorated by Patty and Greg Lewis.  There are 34 of these cows, altogether, and one reason we know so much about this great project is that the cows were all manufactured by Alabama Metal Art.  Charity organizer Mary White came to us with sketches, and we took it from there; we manufactured two sizes for the cows and one cow’s head that sits on a stand, for smaller gardens. The metal cows were furnished to the St. Francis Fund in basic black, and the adopted owners decorated them the way they felt best expressed their individual personalities.

At the end of the month, most of the cows will find a permanent home at Deibert Park, a popular city park in the center of Florence that’s a favorite with walkers, joggers and dog owners. It will be a reminder of this great fundraising idea!

When someone wants to know what we do, it’s easy to talk about personalized signs and art for the home and garden.  These days, we can also talk about being involved with a herd of metal cows that raised some money for good causes in our area.  Holy Cow!