We love when customers bring in unique pieces for us to engrave. Well, love might be a strong word. We should say, it challenges us, and we like a challenge.

Recently, a customer brought in handmade serving trays. Someone took planks from an old barn and made a border around them to create the trays. Then, they brought them to us to engrave. Well, see for yourself how it went:

These kinds of artisan pieces really inspire us to create our own new products, especially for the holidays. Below are some ideas we've had, including custom snowflake ornaments, dry erase boards, acrylic awards, and print marketing materials.

The ornaments and acrylic awards were crafted by us; all we started with was a sheet of acrylic. The rest were designed and produced in shop.

We hope these pieces inspire you to create!

Making awards and keepsakes seems simple, but we would not be able to do it without key things we learned in school from some fantastic teachers. Here are some examples of how we use the subjects in school to help us make quality products for our customers:

• Science - The machines we use for engraving utilize lasers, diamonds, air pressure, extreme heat, and observation.
• English - We constantly edit and spell-check our work, analyze conversations with clients, and effectively communicate with team members to complete our projects.
• Math - While designing a project, we have to make sure exact measurements are taken, double-check that angles are accurate, and problem-solve issues that arise.
• History - We keep records of all previous jobs and customers. This way, when someone asks about their previous orders, we can look into our archives and find pertinent information.
• Social Sciences - We come into contact with people of many cultures and backgrounds and constantly analyze client behavior.
• Art - We use a variety of artistic methods and applications to design our products: painting, Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, CorelDRAW, aesthetics, color theory, etc.
• Technology/Computers - Our machines have complicated user interfaces that we utilize every day and we use computers to design, communicate, market, and analyze our work.
• Health/Safety/Physical Education - Within our workshop, we have potentially dangerous chemicals, sharp tools, and mechanical dangers that we make sure to manage safely. We are also often on our feet to finish our projects.

So, I guess what we're trying to say is "Thank you!" to our teachers for giving us the skills and knowledge necessary to do our job.

Beginning this month, we are offering vinyl vehicle wraps through our division AEgraphics. If you are not a car aficionado, a vinyl wrap is like a giant sticker put on a vehicle, except these stickers hug the vehicle's every contour, so it seems like the sticker has been painted on. The vinyl wrap process is done in 3 stages: design, production, and installation.

Design
This is where our graphic designers get the exact measurements of every part of the car where the vinyl will go, then design how it will look. Sometimes, people only want a decal on their tailgate, a window covered in an advertisement, vinyl lettering for their business, or racing rally stripes down the middle of their sports car. Other times, people want their car to have a new color or design from hood to trunk.

Production
This stage is when the design is printed on giant, sticky paper called vinyl. Each design for each little part of the vehicle is printed and laminated to add an extra layer of protection to the design. The life expectancy of vinyl is around 7-10 years with no damage to the original paint.

Installation
This is when we actually put the vinyl on the vehicle. The process needs controlled conditions, such as a certain air temperature, humidity, and even lack of dust. Any imperfection, like rust, chipped paint, or scratches could prohibit this installation. Wrapping a car takes about 1-3 days. We can also remove old designs to make room for the new vinyl graphics.

Vehicle wraps are perfect for businesses with fleets, to advertise your side-hustle, or to add some flare to your new ride.

Vehicle wraps aren't all we can do with vinyl, though. If you want to decorate your nursery, waiting room, or business with lettering on the walls or windows, we do that (see pictures below). If you want to do vinyl instead of wallpaper (it's much more easy to remove), we do that, too. If you want your own whiteboard, we can do that, too. Even if you want to do decals for your man cave or wrap a refrigerator, we can do it. The possibilities are only as endless as your creativity.

Keep updated on our status here.