A is for Ayden

One of the beautiful people I met a few weeks ago at the Metrolina Expo was Penny. She has a grandson coming this summer and is throwing her daughter and son-in-law a baby shower later this month. 

***SPOILER ALERT! If you are Penny's daughter or son-in-law, or in any way want to be surprised at the shower when you see this sign, do not read any further! : )

His name will be Ayden and their theme for his room is UNC... otherwise known to Tarheel fans as Carolina Blue. It's not royal blue. It's not cobalt blue. Not navy or robins egg or sky. It's Carolina. 

The plan is to hang the pallet-style sign above his crib. The worrier in me tried not to go crazy over the thought of my child standing up in her crib and somehow knocking that sign down. It's heavy! We used our braided natural rope – three strands for extra security. But that was mainly for looks. A sign this large needs two, evenly spaced hangers, distributing the weight on both sides. So I've included plenty of heavy-duty hangers to be sure that thing never comes down! If possible, I'd even suggest using a few long screws and actually screwing it directly to the studs. Of course, that requires a working stud finder, and as my husband likes to say, ours just seems to always point to him. ; )

To be sure the design would work for him as he grew, we settled on a pattern of large chevrons in a variety of blues from navy to Carolina blue, then Birchwood White and Carolina Blue again. The background is a weathered gray, natural to the reclaimed wood we used. It muted the blue just enough to give it a nice, worn look. We also decided to leave the grain showing through in some places. It says "boy" without necessarily saying "baby".

The final touch was the letter! A is for Ayden, of course! It's a 24" tall letter cut from 1/4" material, painted navy to match the navy chevron. We went the extra step and added spacers to make it float one inch off of the background. Since the angles of the chevrons competed with the lines of the letter, it was important that it stand out. 

We think it turned out beautifully! And we can't wait until Ayden's room is complete so we can show you the final pictures of it in place! Hopefully in a few years we can even show you the transition as it grows with him!

For more information about custom orders like this one, contact us through the link on our page!

Happy Junkin'!

Liz

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