Be Still My Salvaged Heart

Southern Accents wanted to design a valentine, and with the help of local artist Leldon Maxcy, we created some gorgeous salvaged wood hearts! Each one-of-a-kind heart is hand crafted from salvaged wood and is ready to hang. The hearts, which are available in two sizes in a variety of color options, have been very popular and make a great gift item for your valentine.

Over the years we have called on Leldon on many occasions to help us out with odd jobs. We weren’t aware of his mad scroll saw skills until a couple of years ago when he brought in some ornaments that he had made for Christmas. We were blown away with the intricate details in the wood that he had created with the use of his scroll saw.

Last year as we were preparing for Southern Makers, we decided that we wanted to build a huge replica of the State of Alabama to use as the stage backdrop. We wanted each county represented and we wanted the backdrop to be a colorful mix of salvaged wood. As the Alabama design began to take shape, we knew that Leldon was the one with the skills to cut out each county and help us create our over sized Alabama puzzle. He rose to the challenge and the backdrop was a huge hit!

After Southern Makers we began getting requests for the state cutouts on a smaller scale. We put Leldon to work and have kept him busy ever since! We currently have the Alabama cutouts in two sizes as well as picture frames and our newest creations, the hearts.

We will be bringing a great selection of our salvaged wood art with us to Southern Makers April 30 – May 1. Tickets for Southern Makers are currently on sale at southernmakers.com. In the interim, stop by our showroom to see the wide variety of wall art that we have to offer.

Framed

Visit Southern Accents showroom in downtown Cullman, Alabama and you will quickly see that we have an immense love and appreciation for finding ways to repurpose salvaged goods. One of the ways in which we repurpose some of our gorgeous salvaged wood and beadboard is by turning them into picture frames. Our salvaged wood frames are available in a wide variety of wood colors and sizes: 5×7 – $25, 8×10 – $35, and 11×14 – $45. Each rustic, one-of-a-kind frame is hand crafted by local artist Leldon Maxcy.

Hand crafted, salvaged wood frames available in a wide variety of colors in three sizes!

Through our collaborations with Leldon, in addition to our gorgeous salvaged wood frames, we also have a great selection of salvaged wood State of Alabama cut outs. These are available in two sizes and a wide variety of color options. Choose from 10″ long for $25 and 14″ for $35.

Hand crafted, salvaged wood, State of Alabama cutouts available in various colors in two size options.

Nothing Wasted

“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” Maya Angelou

This quote speaks right to the heart of the Southern Accents team. Not only do we have a team of creatives at SA, but, we have also surrounded ourselves with creative people who we collaborate with on a regular basis. While the heart and soul of Southern Accents is the rescue of salvageable architectural elements and antiques, we are also all about finding creative ways to repurpose some of the materials that we rescue. This is one of the areas where we can allow our creative juces to flow!

Salvaged wood has become an increasingly large part of our business. As this side of our business continues to grow, so does our pile of wood cutoffs! We hate to discard anything so, we are always looking for ways to repurpose these wood scraps. Thanks to the talents of team member Josh Howe and local artist Leldon Maxcy, we currently have a wonderful collection of salvaged wood items that have been created from some of our wood scraps. You’ll find wall art cutouts of the state of Alabama as well as Cullman county. We have a new selection of custom made wood frames. We also have a collection of salvaged wood items from Josh which include beautiful cutting boards, honey dippers and even a night lamp… all made from salvaged wood.

For all you DIYers… we have something just for you! We’ve started packaging our wood cutoffs into craft packs. Each 12″ x 3.5″ x 14″ Priority Mail box is full of your choice of salvaged wood pieces. Choices include painted wood in colors of blue, white, green, natural, or a multi colored mix. Each pack could contain a mix of wood, beadboard and trim pieces. The packs are ready to ship and can be used to create your own work of art! Give us a call at 877-737-0554. Have your credit card ready, let us know your color choices and your box will be on it’s way!!

Stop by our showroom or visit us online at sa1969.com and take a look at our selection of salvaged wood art and craft packs. Art work starts at $25 and the craft packs are $24.95 plus shipping.

The Artist & The Art – Matthew Mayes

Although Southern Accents is an architectural antique and salvage company, we are also a team of artists, creators, designers, visionaries, builders and collaborators. As such, we revel in an opportunity to meet and collaborate with fellow creatives. One recent meeting was with an impressive artist originally from Florence, Alabama; Matthew Mayes.

Matthew is a self taught artist with 12 years experience in the professional art field. Matthew began his artistic adventure as a child watching the “Joy Of Painting” with Bob Ross. Having experienced many stints in the hospital and schooling at home because of illness, Matthew needed an outlet for his creativity. He credits art as filling this need in his life.

Matthew’s concentration is acrylic on canvas and on hollow core doors. He considers his work to be studies in color, perception, definition and composition. When asked in a recent interview about his process for starting a new piece, Matthew replied, “I start every piece by picking out all the colors (at once) that will be in the painting. I listen to all genres of music, which I use to create different moods while painting. Finally, I listen to my spirit and attempt to present on canvas the message(s) that I believe are flowing through me. There are multiple ways to “minister” to the public. Art is one of my gifts and callings.”

A gift it is! Matthew’s artwork is inspirational. Southern Accents is currently housing one of Matthew’s works of art titled “A Sense Of Peace”. This 30″ x 80″ work, which is available for purchase, can be viewed in our showroom in downtown Cullman. Matthew’s artwork is also on display now through September 4th at the Birmingham Public Library. Visit the central library’s 4th floor gallery to view works from his “Layers of Meaning” collection.

Visit Matthew online at matthewmayes.net to view as well as purchase his beautiful artwork. Matthew is also available for commissioned works.

Piano Keys Unlocking Beauty

A couple of weeks ago we salvaged an upright piano from a structure in Birmingham. The piano was in such a state of disrepair, that it could have never been used to produce music again. This once fine tuned piano seemed to have lost its luster in the dirty abandoned building. Our SA team has usually seen these discarded to the nearest landfill or even to the burn pile. Most upright pianos are bulky, heavy and hard to move. But unlike most pianos, this particular one, for some reason, attracted our interest. Of course a few minutes later, it was being loaded and hauled back to Cullman.

After we arrived back at the store, the instrument that was once carefully constructed by the hands of a skilled craftsman, was now being de-constructed by the hands of an artist. As we began this process, we started to see the beauty of the interior parts and patina of the individual pieces that was hidden inside. We saw the strings tightly pulled against the cast iron harp. We saw the wood wrapped velvet hammers that once created the soft tones of sound when they struck those strings. We imagined the small hands of a child sitting at the keys, carefully pecking out a simple melody. We will never know how many fingers ran across the keys during its lifespan or the amount of pure joy experienced by the many listening ears, but we can appreciate the history of the “pieces” that made up the “whole”. But now, it was our time to create a new history for the piano using our team’s imagination. Our future goal is to adapt these individual parts into a work of art that will be available for future generations to enjoy. Continuing the story of its history by up-cycling its salvageable parts in the present, only allows for its continued appreciation in the future.

Stay tuned for the big reveal as in coming weeks we give new life to a piece of this old piano by transforming it into a useful piece of building art!

We would love to hear your ideas on how you would repurpose all of these piano parts. Visit our Facebook and Instagram page and share your ideas! Tag us with #saaa1969 and #SApianoart.

Written by: Lisa Jones & Garlan Gudger

 

What’s Your Canvas?

Southern Accents famous salvaged wood wall!

Speak of artwork and the vision that pops into most people’s mind would be that of a framed canvas, hanging on a wall, showcasing a beautiful scene or portrait created by an artist via the use of brushes and paints. While a canvas may be the most recognized medium for artwork, art takes on many different forms and the canvas could be just about anything! Photographers, wood workers, sculptors, welders, musicians, chefs and other creatives are producing exquisite works of art from some of the most unlikely mediums.

If you are a regular reader of our weekly newsletter or have visited our showroom in the past few months, you’ve surely already seen our salvaged wood wall. This work of art was created from a pile of discarded wood sitting at our wood warehouse. Artists and creatives visit our showroom weekly seeking old tin ceiling tiles, salvaged wood, old doors, glass paned windows, and salvaged hardware, to be used as a canvas for their unique works of art. We have THE most creative customers! We are always humbled by your passion and intrigued with your many unique ideas.

What’s your canvas? Summer is a great time to allow your creative juices to run rampant! We have a warehouse full of salvaged items waiting to be turned in to beautiful works of art. If you need a little inspiration, check out our Pinterest boards. We’ve pinned a lot of ideas to get you started. Stop by our showroom and talk with us about your next project.

We also LOVE to receive pictures of your finished works. If you have a picture to share, please send it to info@sa1969.com or feel free to post pictures to our Facebook page.

Written by: Lisa Jones

From Rubbish to Rembrandt

What do you get when you combine a sizable blank canvas, a team of extremely creative, talented artists, and access to an entire warehouse full of salvaged goodness… nothing short of an amazing work of art!

This beautiful salvaged wood wall art is a MUST SEE! The wall is located in Southern Accents upstairs showroom.

If you follow Southern Accents on Facebook or Instagram, and you should, then hopefully you have seen a few picture posts over the past several weeks of our salvaged wood wall. We recently increased our office space in the upstairs area of our showroom. This construction project required the addition of a wall which provided an unexpected canvas and got our creative juices flowing! We looked at the wall and immediately agreed that it provided the perfect opportunity to showcase one of the many creative ways salvaged wood can be used. After tossing around a few ideas, Southern Accents owner, Garlan, pulled out his pencil and started sketching on the wall. What transpired from that point is awe inspiring!

We insulated the new wall and covered it with plywood which provided the perfect canvas for our salvaged wood work of art.

Garlan’s vision came to life through the works of one our talented team members, Wayne. The first step in turning Garlan’s vision in to reality was finding the perfect tools. Where many artists use brushes and paints, our tools of choice were a stack of beautiful salvaged wood and bead board, a table saw, and a nail gun. The salvaged wood that we chose looked like a painters palette! Many of the wood pieces were covered with vintage wallpaper. Other pieces were painted in a variety of beautiful colors. The wood was gathered and transported from our wood warehouse to the showroom. Wayne began the tedious task of measuring, cutting, and constructing the wall covering. Piece by small piece, as if putting together a puzzle, the picture began to take shape. The placement of each piece of wood was intentional. The finishing touch was the addition of three beautiful, Greek Key style, embossed tiles. The result is a must see work of art!

The work of art took shape one piece of wood at a time.

We want everyone to know that Southern Accents is SO much more than just an architectural antique store. When you shop with us, you have access to a creative team who are not only available to give input and ideas, but who also have the talent to help you turn your creative ideas in to reality! Stop by our showroom, take a look at our salvaged wood wall art and talk to us about your next project!

The finishing touch was the addition of three tile pieces.