Charge on 428

The Mold & The Molding

The Mold Tamer cruiser is destined to be a real head turner.

John Polito from Polito Home Inspections Inc. approached me a couple weeks ago about his retired Mt. Morris Police car. His new business, The Mold Tamer, and that old cruiser, seemed like a perfect fit to go a little wild with.

 Working with a small gif image from his site, www.moldtamer.com I was able to dig up and tweak a couple of images that fit the bill. I then mashed them up with a shield and a "tech" type style to finish the look. With a stellar graphic produced to my specs perfectly from SpeedPro Printing, I was able to quickly assemble the advertising. Prepping the rig is another story...

There were thick plastic bumpers on all four doors obstructing the workable area. Normally
moldings are stuck on using an automotive
grade double stick tape. Apparently they used what ever they had laying around to re-
adhere the loosened appendages. Let's just
say- the adhesive was a bear to remove, taking me several hours and a trip to the spray-n-wash to clean it up. Thankfully I was pumped up with excited anticipation for the final product to let that get me down.

Red-Hot Lake Lady

Livingston County News 6-12

One again I feel most fortunate to be involved with a rewarding project such as this. The firemen I dealt with while developing the graphics for the fire & rescue boat were extremely relaxed and professional. Although I'm sure they had received multiple quotes, I was able to secure the job as well as give a little back to the community. Conesus Lake is now a safer place to enjoy all she has to offer.

Semper Fi - Pie In The Sky

Good Gracious- I'm proud to be an American!

It's the land of freedom and prosperity.

A place where one can forge off on one's own and make a living doing such fun things (like this project) and get actually get paid for it.

Our local Marines recruiting office was recently remodeled by a friend of mine. He also owns the building in which the office is located. I was honored that he thought of me to help him to fulfill the requirements of his tenants- The US Marines!

I must admit, it was a bit of a challenge to acquire the proper paint colors necessary. All I was provided was a PMS color number, which is mainly for inks. Fortunately I had an insider at a local print house who had the PSM color chip book. I was able to borrow it for a few hours so my local Sherwin-Williams could electronically reproduce the two colors. Problem solved. Oddly, the "silver" and "gold" were very similar. Not for me to judge though. I just do what I'm asked to do as well as I can, and I feel satisfied with the outcome- and most importantly- so was the customer!

All in the family

 This project was fun and interesting due to the level of planning and personal association.

The signs were commitioned by my aunt and uncle to represent the family homestead.
I was proud to be considered for this project. They certanly finish the entrance off nicely.

Let's Go Kart

  Spring has sprung, the birds are chirping and motors and engines across the state are roaring to life.
The batteries are charging, the oil is getting changed and the cleaning and polishing is at a frantic pace.
I'm witnessing this first hand across the street at Minnehan's Fun Center, where the bats, clubs and most importantly, the go karts are coming out. In the off season, the center bought eight new karts for their circle track. The cars are all painted in an array of solid colors but are nude as a newborn baby. The owners approached me to label them with  NASCAR like branding and their logo. I was happy for the opportunity to do so, but I concocted a way to expand on that idea, and bring in community sponsorship into the mix, thereby taking the financial burden off of their shoulders. I designed a multi-tier order form, offering a sign for the track's fence as well. To my surprise, all the business' that wanted to be involved, took the full sponsor package.
The first of the decorated karts is complete. Only 4 more to go...

A Smartphone Synced a Website

  Thankfully I have a smart IT guy with the clairvoyant four-site that advised me to get on board with the brilliants that is all things Google.
   As I conceived signblazersigns.com I stressed that an "ease-of-update" theory must be a priority. I wanted control over the loading of new photos. That's why we decided to use Picasa as a photo gallery. We skinned over the stock page format to seamlessly blend with my site. I then built category folders within Picasa using the free software provided. All I had to do is load all my photos from my camera to my laptop once a week or so, and they were viewable to the word. Little did I know at the time that the process would get even more streamlined.
   The upshot in the game plan came as I discovered the Android powered Motorla smartphone. This devise allows me fantastic freedom and ease of accessibility beyond any expectations. I carry a handheld pipeline to the heart of my company website (this blog included)!
  The current procedure:
     1. Choose the subject (a sign etc.) and take a photograph.
     2. Tap the screen to expose the menu- choose the "edit" option. At that point I can do some simple alterations such as: crop, brightness/contrast, etc.
     4. Then save and name the pic.
     5. Choose "share" from the menu an select "Picasa", then the desired album and "Upload"
     Vuala-- For the world to see!

   There's also many alternate ways to configure Picasa albums via PC or from the phone. I recommend setting up your albums from the PC in order to take advantage of the broad visual interface. The small screen is very limiting until used in the above described manor. After the initial learning curve, I found the process easy to retain and fluid.
   This has not been an advertisement for Google. What this has been is an illustration of a well executed plan using a free service and a handheld device.
   Happy Picing!