The Creative Road to a Custom Sign Shop

The Palette & Ink story began during a recession when I was juggling 3 jobs and my husband had been out of work for almost a year. I impulsively painted a calendar on a window above my daughter's desk while she was on her honeymoon. Being a new bride with a busy photography business, I knew she would love a blank calendar and lots of lists to help her stay organized. When I posted pics of the calendar on social media, I unknowingly stumbled upon a little business opportunity and started creating calendars and chore charts on chalkboards for etsy customers!

WEDDINGS~ Palette & Ink shifted into the wedding business when I started doing photo shoot styling as part of my wedding photography job. I saw firsthand how beautiful signage can elevate an engagement session or wedding from simple to stunning.

CUSTOM CALENDARS & CHORE CHARTS- Nothing thrills me more than being beautifully organized, so I totally get where my customers are coming from. I home-schooled all three of my kids and pieced together 4 jobs simultaneously, so I know the importance of good planning systems and love turning organization into a thing of beauty.

THE ATELIER~ We are in the Bay Area, on a quaint one acre suburban "farm" outside of San Francisco. Four generations live here and we each have our own house and share a family vegetable garden, orchard and beehives.
We're blessed with an attached shop where Bob the Builder does the carpentry. We also have on-site storage for our frames, mirrors and packaging supplies. The hub is our sun-filled atrium filled with my grand piano, tons of plants and a two story tall fiddle leaf fig tree that grows right up out of the ground.

RECLAIMED, REPURPOSED & REMADE~ We're always on the hunt for vintage and upcycled frames, and make frequent trips to local flea markets and thrift shops. We embrace the little imperfections and natural patina that can only come from years of use. We proudly use as many recycled materials as possible when packing, and are thrilled to repurpose old materials into beautiful works of art. We'll paint a sign on just about anything requested!

TEAMWORK~ I started the business with Bob's help. He's a master carpenter and custom stair builder and a rare artist at his craft. We added Nichole as our primary artist and she now works from home so she can care for her growing family. Raimee also works from home while caring for her two boys and is a highly gifted administrator. We all enjoy creating together as a team and have a great work flow that allows them to put their family first.

LET'S CONNECT! We take particular pride in connecting with our customers on a personal level, determining their unique style and needs, and going step by step through the creative process together. I try to envision where their signs will be placed and how they will function. Our designs evolve from a collaborative process that produces a one-of-a-kind design every time. When you receive your sign, we truly want it to take your breath away and absolutely thrill you!

INSPIRATION~ Our work is inspired by two things. #1. I really get a thrill from the creative side of wedding design. It's important that our signs help tie the entire wedding day together, from the invitations, colors and venue choice to the flowers, paper products and even the menus. We are thrilled to help tie it all together cohesively and help create a perfect, one-of-a-kind wedding day that reflects each and every bride and groom! And #2, what works in my own home- I NEED fun & creative organization in my life!