Real Home - Wedding Vows

My sweet sister got married last year in a beautiful December ceremony. For her husband's birthday, she wanted to create a custom wall art piece with their wedding vows. I absolutely loved the idea. What a wonderful reminder of that important day and the promises they made to each each. I am thrilled with the way it turned out!

If you would like to create a custom piece like this for your home, send me an email with more information. To see the rest of my wall art, check out the shop!

Custom Subway Sign Gifts

Last November, my cousin-in-law asked me to create custom subway signs that she could give to her siblings for Christmas. She put together a list of names, places and events, as well as words and scripture that represent each family. She recently sent me the pictures of the finished products, which I'm excited to share here!

She wrote, "I attached two pictures, the one of my brother and sister-in-law who are expecting their first in May, and the other of my sister and brother-in-law and nephew. The reaction I got when they opened their gifts was perfect. I was able to write a note to each, and just having them read that and then open their gifts truly made my Christmas."


I just love personalized and meaningful gifts. What a special memory for both the gift giver and receiver! If you would like more information on creating a custom subway sign of your own, feel free to check out my etsy shop or contact me directly.

Giveaway Winner

Thanks to everyone who stopped by and left comments for this giveaway. Time to announce the winner! Lucky #20, amicon08!


Congratulations, Courtney! Send an email to krubooks@hotmail.com to claim your prize!

Audrey Hepburn Print GIVEAWAY

Since starting my "Favorite Things" Wall Art Collection last April, one print has clearly claimed the title of Miss Popularity. And who else is more deserving of this honor than the infamous Audrey Hepburn? It's with much excitement that I am now adding two new versions of the best selling "I Believe in Pink" print.


The NEW Black Background print: Edgy and bold, dress it up, dress it down


The NEW White Background print: Bright and fun, would look great in teen's room or colorful bathroom



Don't forget, the ORIGINAL Pale Pink Background print: Soft and Sweet, perfect for a nursery or little girl's room


Such a joyous occasion is certainly a good excuse to do another GIVEAWAY, don't you think? Next week, one lucky winner will be getting a free Audrey Hepburn wall art print from my etsy shop. It gets better - you can increase your odds with THREE chances to win! Leave a separate comment below for each task you complete:

CHANCE #1) First, leave a comment on this blog post saying which Audrey Hepburn sign you would pick if you won, and what you would do with it.

CHANCE #2) Head on over to the KruBooks Facebook page and "Like" KruBooks. Then leave another comment on this blog post saying you've completed this step. If you already "like" us, you can just leave a message to say that.

CHANCE #3) Share the link to this giveaway blog post in some way - as a Twitter update, facebook status, or in your own blog. Don't forget to come back and leave another comment saying you've completed this step as well!

**Note: You can leave a separate comment for each task you complete so you have three chances to win!**

Giveaway closes at 8:00 AM EST on Thursday, February 23rd. The winning blog post number will be announced that same day. Must have a US mailing address to be eligible.

Good luck!

"You Are My Sunshine" Wall Art

Introducing the newest member of my Favorite Things Wall Art Collection - "You Are My Sunshine"


Last week, my sister-in-law told me that her sister (my other sister-in-law) used to sing this song to her twin girls when they were babies. I couldn't resist adding these sweet lyrics to my collection - wouldn't this print be perfect for a nursery or playroom?

The sign measures 11.75x36 inches and is printed on heavy coated bond paper. Custom colors are available for an additional fee.

Just in time for the holidays! Order your "You Are My Sunshine" print now!

Real Home - Baby Nursery

In May, a friend of a friend asked me to design her wedding album. She and her husband have been married for three years, and are now expecting their first child. I had a blast working with Heather on her album. She is such a sweet girl - I like to now consider her my virtual friend :) Here's a link to her blog to see the post she wrote about the album.

A couple weeks ago she asked if I could help with some wall art for the nursery. She liked the Rod Stewart "Forever Young" print, but wasn't sure if the colors would work. So she sent me some pictures of the room decor and the corner where the sign would be hung. I did a couple variations, with different shades of grey and yellow. But when she found this beautiful grey frame at Michaels, I knew a cream background would be the perfect fit. I matched the yellow accent to the pillows and ribbons in the room and...voila!

I'm so excited to "meet" Heather and Christian's sweet little one. Now that the nursery is ready, Baby can come any time!

Real Home - Custom Subway Sign

I always love showing off my client's subway signs. I was thrilled when Emily sent this picture of her freshly framed custom wall art. She picked a quote from her favorite TV show (One Tree Hill - love it). The sky's the limit when it comes to these things!


Check out my etsy shop to see more fun wall art!

Wall Art GIVEAWAY

My first ever blog giveaway! How exciting!

Most of my work revolves around designing custom wedding albums, but I also have a KruBooks etsy shop. I sell some cards (especially around the holidays), and I also sell city and custom subway signs (you can catch up on my past subway sign posts here). This week I am introducing a new line of wall art I fondly call my "Favorite Things Collection." This line includes favorite quotes, lyrics, sayings, and verses. I am starting with four so far, but I'm sure more will be added down the road.


Check out this link to see bigger pictures and read descriptions of the newest collection. Of course the Favorite Things Collection would not be complete without the "My Favorite Things" Sign!


The signs measure 11.75x36 inches and are printed on heavy coated bond paper. Custom signs are also available so you can proudly display your own favorite lyrics, quote, saying, or verse. If interested in this option, send me a message for more information.

So that's the introduction, now on to the GIVEAWAY! This week, one lucky winner will be getting a free wall art print from my etsy shop. This can be a City Subway Sign or something from the new Favorite Things Collection. It gets better - you can increase your odds with THREE chances to win! Leave a separate comment below for each task you complete:

1) Check out the Etsy Shop then leave a message on this blog post saying which sign you would pick if you won.

2) Head on over to the KruBooks Facebook page and "Like" KruBooks. Then leave a message on this blog post saying you've completed this step. If you already "like" us, you can just leave a message to say that.

3) Share the link to this giveaway blog post in some way - as a Twitter update, facebook status, or in your own blog. Don't forget to come back and leave a message saying you've completed this step as well!

**Note: You can leave a separate comment for each task you complete so you have three chances to win!**

Giveaway closes at 8:00 AM EST on Friday, April 8th. The winning blog post number will be announced Friday morning. Must have a US mailing address to be eligible.

Good luck!

Real Home - Custom Subway Sign

In July, I posted about a friend who ordered a custom sign as a first anniversary gift for her husband. In December, sweet wife Mallary contacted me about doing another anniversary gift sign. She wanted to include "all the places and important dates/firsts in our life" - and what a fun list she has! The first line is their wedding date, and the last line is the month their first baby is due!

Congratulations, Mallary and Kurt! Can't wait to see pictures of sweet little Ben!


If you are interesting in making your own custom subway sign, shoot me an email or check out my etsy shop!

Real Home - NY Subway Signs

I love happy clients! Jill ordered my NY Subway Print 1 and NY Subway Sign 2 in August. She was kind enough to send a picture of the finished product hanging in her lovely living room:


Looks great! If you've ordered a subway sign from my etsy shop and would like to have it featured on my blog, just email me a picture. I'd love to share!

First Anniversary Custom Sign

A couple weeks ago I was contacted by an old high school friend who was coming up on her first year wedding anniversary. She asked if I could create a personalized sign for husband - complete with their wedding date, last name, first song, and special places. She was especially excited because it fits with the traditional anniversary gift for 1 year - paper! I thought this was such a neat and thoughtful idea. What a sweet wife!


I've sold quite a few custom signs in my Etsy shop, and it's always fun to see what people decide to use and how they turn out. They can be semi-personal (street names from the city you live in or your favorite vacation spot) or uber-personal (all the cities/street names your family has lived in or the names of your grandkids). The sky's the limit! If you are interested in making a sign for yourself or someone else, shoot me an email for more information.

Featured on NBC Los Angeles

Happy Friday everyone! I have some great news to share this morning. As you may remember, I've been selling these subway signs in my Etsy shop since December. I started out with the Cincinnati signs, and eventually designed NY and Toronto signs as well. Yesterday I released my newest creation, the LA Subway Print. A few hours later, a freelancer for NBC Los Angeles contacted me to ask if she could feature the print on nbclosangeles.com. Of course I was more than happy to oblige!


You can check out the NBC Los Angeles post here. Thanks to Alysia Gray Painter for featuring me. This Friday is off to a great start!

Subway Signs

A couple years ago, Brent and I were watching What Women Want and saw these posters with Cincinnati neighborhoods hanging in Mel Gibson's NY apartment. Then we started seeing them in other movies like I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry and Just Friends. We loved the look and thought they would be cool personal touch in our home. I did an extensive search but couldn't find them anywhere online (though I did find a whole bunch of other people looking for them - so I knew I wasn't crazy!).

* Edit - I was told you can find similar signs on www.subwaysigns.com for $279 each. They have a lot of other cool vintage subway signs as well...check it out! *


So this year for our anniversary, I decided to make my own posters in the same style. I made them for Brent, and then thought maybe I should sell these in my etsy shop too.


In the shop, you can purchase the Cincinnati trolley signs for $50 each, or get your own custom subway sign for $75. I was contacted by an interior designer in Canada (Carol Reed Interior Design) about creating a custom Toronto sign. I checked out Carol's site and was amazing with her work! She bought the print for a bachelor's condo she was finishing up, and recently posted picture on her blog. I thought it would be fun to share the finished product!


If you are interested in the Cincinnati or Toronto prints, check out my etsy shop for more information. And if you have a custom project, send a message...I would love to help!