Have you ever wondered where the ideas for our Trendy Tree Exclusive Signs come from?
Most of the time, they begin with a simple conversation. We share an idea with AI, describe the colors, style and details we have in mind, and then wait to see what it creates.
Sometimes the first image is right on the money. Sometimes it is nowhere close to what we pictured!
We may be able to tweak the colors, background or arrangement until the design is exactly what we were looking for. Other times, we have to scrap the image and start over. But more often than not, the finished design turns out even better than we imagined.
And then there are the signs that begin with something more personal—a photograph, a family memory or even an oversized skeleton sitting in the foyer.
Here are a few examples.
These beautiful sunflower signs began with flowers grown by Maggie, Carrie’s daughter, in Carrie's backyard.
Of course, sunflower photographs are not difficult to find. But we know these particular flowers were Maggie’s, and that makes the finished signs a little more special to us.
We used photographs of both her bright yellow sunflower and her deeper rust-colored sunflower as inspiration. AI helped transform each flower into a warm, rustic sign design while keeping the sunflower as the star.
These signs may look like pretty fall sunflower designs to everyone else, but to us, they will always be Maggie’s sunflowers.
This Halloween sign was inspired by the oversized skeleton that sits in Carrie’s foyer during Halloween.
Yes, it really does sit there watching everyone who comes through the house!
Looking back, perhaps we should have used the photograph where the dog was staring very uneasily at it. The dog did not seem completely convinced that the skeleton belonged there.
The finished sign keeps the seated skeleton as the focal point, but adds a decorated Halloween setting and the wording:
I’ve Been Sitting Here Since September.
That seems about right! We love starting Halloween early)))
The gingerbread house sign was inspired by an actual gingerbread house that Jeannie and Carrie made together many, many years ago.
And here is a little gingerbread-house tip you may not know: if you pack one carefully, you can store it in the freezer and bring it out again the following Christmas.
You really can—we did!
Our little house made an appearance for more than one Christmas before it was finally retired. The original photograph became the inspiration for a colorful gingerbread-house sign filled with candy, peppermint trim and sweet Christmas details.
The sign brings back memories of making that house together, which makes it feel like a little keepsake from Carrie’s childhood.
Ideas for our exclusive signs can come from almost anywhere—a flower growing in the backyard, a holiday decoration in our homes, an old family photograph or simply a thought shared during an everyday conversation.
AI helps us turn those ideas into artwork, but there is still plenty of choosing, changing, tweaking and sometimes starting completely over before a design is ready to become a Trendy Tree sign.
We hope you enjoyed this little peek behind the scenes.
And if you have an idea for a sign you would love to see, please share it with us! We are always looking for inspiration, whether it comes from our own homes and memories or from suggestions made by our Trendy Tree customers.
You never know—your idea might inspire one of our next Trendy Tree Exclusive Signs.
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