Posted on 4 Comments

Thinking outside of the lawn

A few years ago, while ordering business cards and signage for his Clarkesworld booth before a science fiction convention, Neil had the idea to put one of his posters on a lawn sign.

He had no intention of displaying it on the front lawn. Rather, the rigid design made it perfect for propping up in his display, wherever he might like it.

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As it turns out, it was a fantastic idea. Between conventions the signs were not in use, so we started decorating with them. This led me to wonder how they’d look with a photograph printed on them.

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I experimented with one of my favorite family photos from Ocean City, and it was really perfect.

After I while I forgot all about the lawn sign thing, but recently I’ve been struck by a desire to see how some of my photography transitions from the computer screen to a large print. I rarely print my images at all, let alone at 12″x18″.

C+N's Birthday

I was getting bored with my kitchen decor, so I decided to print a couple of kitchen lawn signs. They’re held up with masking tape. We’re high-tech over here.

And then for kicks, I ordered one of the larger sizes (18″x27″) for use in the family room. With these signs, I had the epiphany to try double-sided printing: twice the fun!

C+N's Birthday

The downside to using lawn signs to display art is that they have a corrugated texture to them. That, however, is not a deal-breaker for me. I love having large, rigid, double-sided prints of some of my favorite photos, and I love how I can do it without breaking the bank. A little bit of texture seems a small price to pay.

I’ve been thinking about how easy these signs make seasonal decorating, and I just ordered a new sign: Autumn on one side, Christmas on the other. These are the images I used:

Fall 12/31

29 cup full of love

We order our lawn signs from Vistaprint. The large ones are currently $20 (or $23 for double-sided printing) but they are constantly running sales. If you like this idea, and think you might want to print some of your own lawn signs, I’d love it if you used my affiliate link: Click here.

I just noticed when you click that link they offer you $10 off your first order. I don’t know if that’s a forever deal, but it works as of this writing!

(This is not a sponsored post, BTW. I just happen to enjoy the lawn signs I have purchased over the years, and I thought you might like the idea, too. Feel free to order lawn signs elsewhere, if you prefer!)

I’m having a lot of fun with these. They are relatively inexpensive (ever priced canvas prints? Or framing? Yikes!) and I can switch them around on a whim. Plus, someday I probably will spring for a fancy print, and it’s nice to have a cheap-ish way to try out different images before committing.

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Posted on 4 Comments

4 thoughts on “Thinking outside of the lawn

  1. I love this idea! Thanks.

    1. You bet. My new sign came and I love it!

  2. Cool idea. I’ve had good luck with Google and “vistaprint coupon.” It seems there’s always a discount to be had, sometimes a significant one.

    1. I actually had my most recent lawn sign sitting in my shopping cart for a few days, when they emailed me a 25% off coupon to use on it. I find they often reward indecision 😉

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