Memorial Day Treats

We thought this would be a great treat to share for Memorial Day.These fun looking cupcakes are great for parties, family and friends, or just because.

Let us not forget the real meaning of Memorial Day - behind all the gatherings, parties, and festivities - take a moment to remember all those who have supported our country and have served our Nation.

Signs USA wants to thank all those who have served and are still serving our nation.

Red Velvet Cupcakes
Makes 24 cupcakes

3 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
6 tablespoons red food coloring
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Line cupcake pan with cupcake liners and set aside.

3. In a small bowl, sift the cake flour and set aside.

4. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, cream the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

5. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

6. In a small bowl, whisk together the red food coloring, cocoa, and vanilla.

7. Add to the batter and beat well.

8. In a measuring cup, stir the salt into the buttermilk.

9. Add to the batter in three parts alternating with the flour. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, but do not overbeat.

10. In a small bowl, stir together the cider vinegar and baking soda. Add to the batter and mix well.

11. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl, making sure the ingredients are well blended and the batter is smooth.

12. Divide the batter among the cupcake cups. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.

13. VERY IMPORTANT: Allow cupcakes to cool completely on a wire rack.

White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
Makes 3 cups

12 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 brick (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 tsp. salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
4 1/2 to 5 cups confectioners’ sugar

1. Melt the white chocolate in a medium bowl over a double boiler on the stove top. Remove the bowl from the oven and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until it is smooth. Set the chocolate aside to cool.

2. Place the cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low-speed until well combined, 30 seconds. Stop the machine.

3. Add the melted white chocolate and blend on low-speed until just combined, 30 seconds.

4. If you decide to add the peppermint extract do so at this point, otherwise, skip to step 5.

5. Add the confectioners’ sugar and blend on low until the sugar is incorporated for a few more seconds then increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until the frosting is fluffy. Approximately 2 more minutes.

6. Add up to 1/2 cup more confectioner’s sugar if needed to make the frosting able to be piped.

7. Top with fresh berries to create a fun and colorful look

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Custom Door Plates to Fit Every Property

Door plates, as small of a sign as they are, are vital for communities to have.  It’s a must have for every community to direct prospective and current tenants; but they can also be used to embellish your community’s appearance and branded image.  Your door plates can easily match your community colors, include logos, and are available in many different shapes and sizes.

Doorplates come in a variety of materials to accommodate your needs.

• Plastic: Exterior durable engraved signs adhere to doors easily.  These signs come in a myriad of different colors, and can be quite inexpensive. 
•  Acrylic: Acrylic signs are great for indoor or outdoor purposes.  They give a more polished appearance and you can design them to have multiple layers of color and dimension. Acrylic signs are very versatile and can be designed in many ways.
  • Printed- numbers, logos and colors are printed directly to the material either top-surface or sub-surface (print on the back of the sign to show through the face).
  • Layered- allows the use of many colors and creates a dimensional look.

  • Custom Routed – Allows your door signs to have a unique shape outside the ordinary rectangle

• Poly-grade Aluminum: Great for indoor or outdoor uses, exterior durable, and resistant to water damage.  Made with a Solid Black Thermoplastic Core we print directly to the surface with UV ink to prevent fading. These signs can also be layered together or router cut to shape for a more unique look. 
• Simulated Wood: Also known as Sign-foam is used for exterior doors.  It has a 3D appearance with the numbers recessed into the face and can be made to look like wood or stone and painted any combination of colors. 
• Stone- Materials like Avonite can give your doorplates a rich look and mimic the appearance of marble or granite at a fraction of the cost.

*All of these materials are exterior durable and weather resistant. 

In designing your door plates you can choose from a myriad of shapes and sizes.  There are square plates, round/oval plates, or custom shapes that incorporate curves and dimension.

In addition to designing your shape, don’t forget to pick your colors and logo.  Also, if you are required to have ADA compliant signs, you can also include Braille.

Door plates are easy to install and adhere to the doors or wall with industrial strength double-sided tape and silicone.

Cover Up!

Architectural graphics encompass walls, windows, floors and more. But there’s no reason to stop there. Practically any blank surface can be turned into a full color mural or advertisement. Whether you’re looking for a long-term installation for a retail store or restaurant or temporary graphics for a special event or remodeling zone, full color graphics can be utilized everywhere.

Ideal for Restaurants, Retail and even Corporate environments

Wallpaper carries a certain stigma in interior design, but 3M carries a variety of materials that are self adhesive and even re-positionable. Perforated films are ideal for windows, allowing patrons to see an advertisement from the outside, but from inside your vision is unobstructed. There are even materials now designed to adhere to brick and other rough surfaces without peeling away.

Floor graphics are an ideal way to advertise in a place where everyone looks. They are made from special non-skid materials that allow for wear without making the surface too slick to walk on. The graphics can either be die-cut to shape, or made to cover a large area and there are different grades of floor graphics depending on how long you plan to leave them up.

Lead your customers to merchandise or just make an impact

Whether you’re applying small graphics to a grocery floor for impulse buy items, or creating an apparently seamless floor mural, there are perfect materials for every project.

Windows, walls, floors and doors, full color graphics are proven to increase sale and awareness in a fun and innovative way.

The “Do’s” and “Don’ts” of Being A Trade Show Exhibitor

Attending any type of trade show as an exhibitor or a guest is quite an experience and can be a fun opportunity.  Trade shows are a great way to network with other businesses and people.  However, as an exhibitor there is the challenge of creating ways to attract attendees to your booth to learn about your product or service.  While attending a recent trade show I observed the exhibitors and while some used extreme methods to gain attention, others just sat back and waited for prospective clients to approach them. 

Besides lights, music, or visual displays, most exhibitors also like to give away a variety of “freebies” to gain attention.  Popular giveaways range from food, to items such as pens or key chains, and even money. Some exhibitors just offer their literature or coupons to promote future purchases.  

There are both pros and cons to giving away promotional items at a trade show.  Giveaways do not devalue you or your product, but may not be helpful in attracting people to your booth for the correct reason. 

Pros:  

• Pens, pencils, key chains, coasters, etc are great for people to take with them because it is something they will use in their daily activities.  They will remember your company and possibly use your services or products in the future.
• Prizes and giveaways are incentives that influence positive thinking and a positive image of your company

Cons: 

• Some attendees may just come to your booth for the freebies.
• One of the biggest downsides to offering free food is that both attendees and other exhibitors will come up and take free food without even looking at you, your display, your products, or even give thought to who you are or what you offer.  Sometimes however, offering food does work, and other times it doesn’t.  Unfortunately it is the nature of the beast.

Even though some people may not even pay attention and are just looking for something free, these giveaways or incentives could bring additional prospects that may not have noticed your booth in the crowd without such promotions. 

If you have the budget to give away something make it something that is useful to the attendee.  

Pens with your Name printed on them are a great reminder of your company for others.

 

Give them something they can use daily so they will know that you are their preferred company for their next purchase. There are also many ways to gain attention without spending a fortune; get creative and have fun with it!  Create a theme, add bold elements to your booth that stand out, or dress in themed, fun attire!

Special Effects

Special effects aren’t just for the movies. They can be used to attract new tenants, welcome homeowners to their subdivision or spruce up a corporate business park. Now, we’re not talking about explosions or impossible fight sequences; we’re talking about monument special effects!  

Glass tile isn’t just for kitchens anymore. Use it to bring color and dimension to your entry sign.

 

Things like glass tile, stone, metallic paint and dimensional letters can all go a long way to making a tired monument look brand new and improved. At Signs USA, we use creative materials to give your property a cohesive look throughout. It’s the budget friendly way to give a property a whole new appearance.  

And don’t just think that you have to stop at the monument. You can carry this new look through the entire property by adding the same theme and materials to the leasing and amenity signs, directional signage and basic traffic signs. Even apartment communities need constant branding, so why not tie your monument, your signage, your paint colors and your overall architecture into one ‘wow’ design that will have your community buzzing?!  

Real Stone or Carved Foam Stone can be used to enhance your monument

 

Signs USA can help with that. We have the materials and the expertise to give your property a whole new look, so call today and find out what our creative designers can do for you!

Signs USA Presents: The Ugly Monument Contest!!!

Is your monument old, faded, stained from sprinklers, or just plain ugly?

Now is your chance to enter to receive a new monument half off!  That’s right, we are willing to pay for half of your monument and give you a new, sharp-looking monument to enhance your community. 

Visit our Signs USA Inc. Facebook Fan Page (
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tampa-FL/Signs-USA-Inc/115057865183275
) and upload your picture to enter the Ugly Monument Contest.  Just for entering our contest we will give you 10% off of you next purchase for any type of sign just for entering.^*

Let your monument look fantastic and attract prospective tenants to your community!

^*Conditions apply.  See our Facebook Fan Page for official rules.