Customer Creations

Tribute to Handmade Instruments & the Artisans Who Make Them

“I have a unique musical instrument, which I display on my wall,” William tells us. “It is a hand-crafted Mountain Dulcimer. The plaque explains the history of the instrument and credits the designer who built it.”

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Honoring Our Veterans

V-J Day, a day in history that marks the end of WWII. V-J Day stands for “Victory Over Japan Day,” the historic moment on August 14, 1945 when Japanese Emperor Hirohito cables the U.S. to surrender, agreeing to the terms of the Potsdam Declaration. August 14, 1945 is also the day photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt snaps one of the most famous war pictures ever taken, published in Life Magazine with the caption, In New York’s Times Square a white-clad girl clutches her purse and skirt as an uninhibited sailor plants his lips squarely on hers. What a moment, right?

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A Hole in One Deserves an Award

Fun Facts about Hitting a Hole in One

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Tribute to a Family’s Best Friend

… He was removed from his owner for cruelty and neglect,” Richard and Helen Frederick tell us. “When we saw him all by himself in the cage, he was so skinny, a real raggedy dog. We adopted him and quickly grew to love him so much. He was such a part of our family for so many years that when he passed away quietly, we carefully buried him in his favorite place, a cool shaded spot against our home, and wanted to have a permanent marker of some sort.”

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PlaqueMaker is My Go-To Place Now!

After a five-year process, VFW Post 5181M in Dove Creek, Colorado finally receives delivery of an Army issue, self-propelled artillery machine for display. After members decide an informative plaque is in order, Bob De Groff creates the design online.

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Living Memorial to Beloved Family Pets

“Our beloved Kaasama passed away recently at the age of 15. Kaasama was a Shiba Inu we rescued from a Missouri puppy mill when she was about four years old,” Jeni tells us. “Her name means ‘Lady Mother’ in Japanese, a name that combines her kennel name, ‘Lady,’ and she is the mother of Kobe, our other Shiba dog. Interestingly enough, we also adopted her on Mother’s Day!”

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Friends and Family Are Forever!

A few years ago, one of Kristen Case‘s good friends was diagnosed with breast cancer. She survived a double mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation. “She thought she had it beat, but this past year the cancer came back,” Kristen tells us. “She fought really hard, but in July, Barb passed away.” Barb’s husband, her sons and many of her friends were by her side through the good and the bad. “It was one of the hardest things I have ever had to go through with someone.”

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Lawrence Township Remembers Coach Bell

the entire community along with teachers, students and athletes took part in a halftime ceremony, naming the school’s stadium in recognition of their longtime teacher and coach,

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Lost? There’s a Sign for That!

The Frost School in Rockville, Maryland is a nonpublic special education school serving children and adolescents who live in the Washington, DC metro area with emotional, behavioral and autism spectrum disorders. Founded in 1976 by the non-profit Family Foundation, The Frost School offers a variety of programs designed to integrate specialized academic instruction, counseling, transition services and behavioral modification strategies that are customized for the students themselves.

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Dungeons & Dragons – Do You Have Bragging Rights?

It’s all part of the wildly popular fantasy role-playing game, Dungeons & Dragons –D&D for short- a storytelling adventure with at least 20 million enthusiasts worldwide, and counting.

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Custom Laser Engraved Plaques for Collectibles

Mike Andreadakis creates high-quality custom models for collectors, often using custom lighting and paint to feature the intricate details of the design. He displays the models on custom-built stands that include an informational plaque.

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Honoring Community Service

Here’s a lovely idea on how to do it! Tammy Holloway is the Program Director for Snack in a Backpack of Blue Ridge, Georgia, a nonprofit organization that provides nutritious food to local children in need. Funded entirely by private donors and local businesses, the program is dedicated to reducing childhood hunger in Fannin County, serving more than 400 students in seven county schools.

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Honoring a Fallen Game Hero

Kei Preston recently shared his custom plaque creation with us, which has a fabulous back story. We’ll let Kei tell you about it:

“This plaque is designed as a thank you gift for a friend …

… He was the ‘game master’ for our Dark Heresy campaign (essentially a Warhammer 40k variation of Dungeons & Dragons) and he did an exquisite job. The story arc he had laid for us was intriguing, his ability to react to our unpredictable whims was impressive and his use of sound effects and voice modifiers was phenomenal. Paired with his stellar voice acting, the experience was really unforgettable, largely due to his performance.”


“Laughs and close calls were shared during our campaign …

… He also role played our commanding officer, allowing us to ask questions and interact with him in such a way that did not disrupt the game. When our campaign was over, his character went missing and was presumed dead.”


“To thank him for his top notch performance and guidance, my other friends and I pitched in to award him the equivalent of the Medal of Honor posthumously with a plaque honoring our fallen commanding officer.”

Kei and his friends chose PlaqueMaker for our affordable price, especially when ordering an individual plaque. The plaque is totally personalized with words written by Kei, along with the Rosette of the Inquisition, which is the fictional governmental organization their characters worked for. Our design team helped Kei with the plaque layout and also made several changes at his request very quickly.


“We love the final product! Thanks again everybody,” Kei tells us. You’re quite welcome!


Create easy design tabletop or card tournament game award plaques for your next champion. It’s easy to customize with winner’s name, tournament name and a special message.


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Timeless Love Songs

Recent PlaqueMaker customer William W. Burrows shares a story he’s written that describes the artistic work of North Carolina-based Windsong Instruments and the hand-crafted instruments they make. “They are true works of art, hand-crafted the same way as it was done 300 years ago,” William says. “Many people, including myself, purchase these custom-made, authentic old-fashioned dulcimers to hang on the wall as room decorations. One thing was missing – a plaque that explained the significance of the musical instrument.”

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LED Light-Up Signs

… and her uncanny ability to give just the perfect present, drawing oohs and ahhs from her family. At the time, Kori exclaimed what an easy gift idea PlaqueMaker’s LED Light-Up Signs really are, “affordable and personal, can’t get any better than that!” and how appreciated each glowing gift is by the recipient.

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Crystal Paperweights for a Job Well Done

The year is 2013. Cryptic Studios, a leading developer of very popular online role playing games such as City of Heroes, City of Villains, Champions Online and Star Trek Online, just completes the launch of Neverwinter, a new adventure that “combines fast-paced combat with over 25 years of Dungeons & Dragons lore.”

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Military Plaques

PlaqueMaker’s extensive clip art gallery has thousands of logos, seals and other artwork for every branch of the military, including the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines as well as the Coast Guard, the National Guard, POW-MIA and more.

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Happy Anniversary, French Academy!

One hundred years ago today, Mary W. French Academy was founded as a liberal arts school for all Decatur, IL Public School students. The K-6 program focuses on reading, writing, speaking, and on local, state and national history, using hands-on teaching techniques and practicums, supplementary curriculum materials and innovative practices. The Academy creates a positive environment for children to explore their self-worth and develop self- confidence, including responsibility, respect for others, and good citizenship.

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The Graduate Loves It!

A few months ago, we shared Kelly’s story and asked her to send us a picture of her son, Jonathan after he receives the beautiful black granite paperweight. “I’m thrilled to have this special keepsake for his graduation that is permanent, personal and customized,” she told us then … and it looks as though Jonathan agrees with her!

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Beautiful People, Beautiful Reminders

“I ordered this stone for my son’s memorial garden on Sunday, August 9. The proof arrived in just a few hours and I requested a change,” Debra Riendeau tells us on our Facebook Page. “The changes were made and the stone shipped by Wednesday, August 12. It arrived along with its stand on Monday, August 17.”

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