In the quest for a refreshing change, your home stands as the canvas for creativity. The essence of a stylish makeover lies not just in extensive renovations, but in the subtle art of revamping with elegance. Courtesy of Two Fat Blokes, let's embark on this journey of transformation, ensuring your abode reflects a rejuvenated spirit.
Imagine your living space transforming into a gallery of sensations through intermixing different textures. Introduce a blend of velvets and linens, or juxtapose rugged leathers against delicate lace. This sensory adventure elevates the ordinary, turning your home into a dynamic showcase of tactile beauty. The magic unfolds as each fabric tells its unique story, creating a tapestry of experiences that resonate with every touch.
Consider the strategic placement of mirrors, a secret to expanding your home's visual horizons. Reflective surfaces, strategically placed, can usher in an illusion of spaciousness, turning cramped corners into expansive vistas. Their ability to capture and redistribute light breathes life into dimly lit nooks, transforming your home into a haven of brightness and space.
A rug is not just a piece of fabric; it's a bearer of warmth and an anchor for your room's personality. Seek out a rug that echoes your decor's theme, a silent yet powerful statement of your style. Whether it's the plushness underfoot in the living room or a vibrant welcome in the hallway, a rug weaves comfort and elegance seamlessly into your everyday life.
Elevate your home office from merely functional to a sanctuary of productivity. Harness the power of natural light; let it bathe your workspace, invigorating your mind and spirit. Position your desk to bask in the sun's glow, creating an oasis where ideas flourish, and work feels less like an obligation and more like a passion pursued.
Turn your focus to upgrades that marry aesthetics with practicality. Invest in energy-efficient solutions or consider a chic revamp of your kitchen or bathroom. These thoughtful enhancements not only rejuvenate your space but also contribute to the long-term value of your property, a smart blend of beauty and investment. Remember to take photos and keep receipts to support any appraisal questions if the time ever comes to sell.
Transform your space into a sanctuary where hobbies and relaxation meet, complete with your very own bar in your personal man cave. Adorn this retreat with memorabilia that tells your story, including a custom-made bar sign from Two Fat Blokes that adds a unique touch. Surround yourself with plush seating that invites hours of leisure. Enhance this corner of the world that is distinctively yours, making it not just a room, but a haven for enjoyment and personal expression.
Embrace the charm of upcycling by looking at your old furniture with a visionary's eye – a stroke of paint here, a touch of varnish there, perhaps even reupholstering to give it a new lease of life. This sustainable approach not only rejuvenates your space but also pays homage to the memories embedded in each piece, infusing them with renewed purpose and style. It's not just about saving money; it's about preserving a legacy and creating an eco-friendly home environment.
The final act in your home's makeover involves a simple yet transformative element: curtains or blinds. Select designs that complement your interior while offering control over natural light and enhancing privacy. This change, though seemingly small, can redefine your space, playing a crucial role in the overall ambiance and functionality of your home, making each room feel complete and more intimate.
Revitalizing your home isn't just about aesthetic appeal; it's about crafting a space that resonates with your soul. Each step in this journey should be savored, as it brings you closer to a home that not only looks refreshed but also feels like an extension of your personality. Embrace these tips as you embark on this transformative adventure, and watch as your home unfolds into a sanctuary of style, comfort, and inspiration.
]]>Two Fat Blokes have been busy designing a new range of 1940’s style bar signs, The designs are inspired by London bar signs from Shepherd Neame and Fullers breweries. Matt our lead guru and chief designer worked in London for a design agency that specialises in brewery signs for many years before we started Two Fat Blokes. Pub signs date back to roman times and have need developing ever since. Our new range of Vintage signs all feature a familiar design style with an illustrated style image relevant to the bar name, A bar name in a semi-circular style font, an Established date and a tagline at the bottom of the sign in a dark backdrop. Finally, a black border with a pinstripe to match the main background colour. So, here’s a look at some of the new range and how each one came about.
The Vape Inn
When the smoking ban came in it changed the visit to the local pub or club, gone are the days of smoke filled rooms with men and women puffing away on pipes, cigarettes, then they banned our Vaping as well. We designed this one as the essence of a old Gentleman’s club with the perfect combination of pint of ale and a SMOK vape machine from our favourite vape supplier www.provape.com. If you’re looking for a great range of vaping gear then check them out.
The Pheasant Pluckers Arms
In this sign we use the play on words from the tongue twister – I’m not a Pheasant plucker, I’m a Pheasant pluckers son, I’m only plucking pheasants til the pheasant pluckers come. The image is a Pheasant with a pint and a scotch.
The Tipsy Toucan
Designed especially for Irish Stout lovers, it features an illustrated Toucan as a nod to the Guinness adverts of the early 1930’s and later became synonymous with the brand for many decades. Our design features the Toucan, a pint of the black stuff, a small glass of Irish set against a turquoise background.
The Fire Engine
Designed especially for the winner of Pub Shed of the year for a former fireman now retire. The winner was Kevin at The Engine House with his amazing garden shed that’s as much a museum to the fire service at it is a pub. Featuring a fire engine from the late 1940’s.
The Stumble Inn
A wonderfully simple bar sign using the name as the key element of the sign with the idea of Stumbling into the garden boozer, An ever popular name for the pub shed, a classic maroon background with gold lettering and a pint of amber gold.
The Last Stop
Designed with a play on the main image, featuring the classic 1950’s London Routemaster that ran until 2005 before being replaced by the Boris Bus. The idea behind the sign is the back garden boozer will be your last stop after coming home from work or the pub. Again with a pint of dark ale, gold font and red background.
The Pickled Newt
Another play on words here, Instead as P***ed as a newt we have used the more friendly Pickled as a newt, The name is believed to come from the Royal Navy, In lord Nelson’s time ensigns were known as Newts and it didn’t take much grog to get them drunk. Hence the expression “p***ed as a newt”. Our sign features a newt in a glass of Champagne with a green background and the bottle cork complete with the wire basket.
The Dog House
Probably the most popular name for back garden boozers, This version features a basset hound sat next to a pint and a scotch with a maroon background and gold font. We're bringing out more dog house bar signs so if you have a dog breed you would like on the sign give us a shout.
Smokin INN
When the smoking ban came in it changed the visit to the local pub or club, Gone are the days of smoke filled rooms with men and women puffing away on pipes, cigarettes and cigars.We designed this one as the essence of a old Gentleman's club with a Cuban Cohiba cigar and a glass of Cognac brandy. We researched which cigar to pick via our friends website Swiss Cuban Cigars, if you want to know all about cigars then click the link below for an in depth read on Cigars.
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How can one drink have so many flavours from such humble ingredients.
In fact the sheer diversity and tastes in Whisky are breathtaking.
Two Fat Blokes pride ourselves on knowing a thing or two about booze.
The short answer is Whiskeys are as complex as bar signs.
We both have an extensive Whisky range in our bars, Fat Mat preferring the smoky peaty varieties from the island of Islay with his current favourite being Bowmore and myself (Fat Ash) a big fan of Irish Whisky, my current favourite Tullamore Dew 14 year old.
While researching this article we quickly realised how out of our depth we are when it comes to the World of Whisky so we reached out to our friends at World of Whisky for some help, having read their extensive reviews and helpfully expansion on the subject we quickly realised we should stick to bar signs, something we are truly the experts at.
So our take on Whisky is this – Go read about them from the experts at World of Whisky and come talk to us about your bar signs. Talk about bar signs we have a few Whisky inspired bar signs.
Now we've sorted the drink, how do you drink your favorite whiskey, clearly straight from the bottle is a little common so we need glasses that match the grandeur of theses fine whiskeys, Having done much research we stumbled on a great article written about the subject of glasses, very informative and opened our eyes to the diversity of Whiskey glasses.
Click here to read all about the Best whiskey glasses sets
The Whisky Shack – This bar sign features two glass of the amber gold set against a worn looking parchment backdrop and traditional font for the bar name.
The Whisky Bar – This bar sign features a similar design and style as a complementary bar sign with a direction arrow to help you find the bar.
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With the huge cost of living crisis more and more homeowners are adding their own pub in their gardens. With the average cost of a pint now over £4.23 across the whole of the UK and over £9 in London it’s no surprise that that Britons are looking for ways to save on the cost of their entertainment. More & more British drinkers are building their own garden pub to save on the cost of the booze with a pint from the local supermarket costing just £1.38 it's easy to see how much is saved by having your favourite tipple at home, then there’s no expensive taxis or waiting at a bus stop in the cold.
During the pandemic the popularity of having your own pub in your garden exploded, estimates put the number more than 2 million back garden pubs and bars are now in operation. Many of these bars are DIY built featuring fully functioning bars with large screens, Sky TV, sound systems, pool tables, darts boards, real fires, and a huge variety of drinks for friends and family. The owners even name their bars with many owners having a bar sign featuring their bar name and a tongue in cheek design.
There is a whole industry now set up to cater for the humble pub shed from shed suppliers, bar makers, drinks suppliers and sign makers. When COVID hit, and the pub trips were put on hold. This led to an influx of home bars popping up in gardens everywhere. Across the UK, home bars and pub sheds were being built, transformed, and designed.
There’s even a dedicated radio station called Pub Shed Radio where amature DJ’s broadcast from their pub sheds to the listeners Pub Sheds. Try asking Alexa to “Enable Pub Shed Radio” - As well as a community radio station there are countless Facebook groups for Pub Shedders to get advice and support building their own back garden boozer.
You can either build your own Pub Shed or buy a ready made shed and fit it out yourself. There are no rules on what you can do, build from brick, wood or even old pallets. Many owners fit them out to be just like a real high street pub with all of the paraphernalia associated with a pub, optics, beer machines, fridges, ice machines, TVs’ and of cause a sound system.
The fantastic thing about your own Pub Shed is no rules, If you want to drink late, smoke a fag, play Bon Jovi on Karaoke you can. The community continues to grow at the expense of the British high street pub for all of the above reasons. They even have their own yearly competition to find the best Pub Shed every year called Pub Shed of the Year, The quality of these back garden pubs is unreal. So come and join the masses & build your own Pub Shed for you, your mates and family.
Once upon a time there were Two Fat B@2t5!ds..
The Two Fat Blokes was born out of a simple idea – To make the best bar signs on the planet
Two Fat Blokes Bar Sign Emporium is officially turning Two! We will be celebrating our second birthday in a big birthday celebration from Friday 7th April to Sunday 9th April.
]]>After working closely together for years, the fat blokes became good friends, often bonding over their love of beer, indie rock, and their design ideas.
The Two Fat Blokes was born out of a simple idea – To make the Best Bar Signs on the Planet – Judging by our google reviews we think we’ve hit that goal. We started in our humble garden shed and have yet to move from there. Inside our shed we have made over 4000 bar signs, with an impressive back catalogue of over 1000 fantastic designs. We design and manufacture all our signs in house. So, if you’re buying a Two Fat Blokes bar sign, you’re buying the best. Fat Mat the graphics wizard and Fat Ash started Two Fat Blokes during Covid when we were made redundant, we started TWOFB.com from our ShedQuarters where we still are. Matt designs and Ashley sells and makes them, we’ve added our sister Lisa who looks after the Bar Runners, Coasters & T Shirts.
We now sell our bar signs across the globe, as far as Australia, USA, Canada, India, and South America. The USA has turned out to be a huge market for us with signs shipping daily to the states. We even offer free shipping to the USA & Europe.
We’ve got involved with Pub Shed Radio & Garden Pub Sheds & Nightclubs, we are very proud to work alongside them both. With them we run the Pub Shed of the Year competition which will be back in September.
And best of all, we are rated 5 stars on every platform! We must be doing something right. We’re also the only bar sign company to guarantee our bar signs for five years outdoors – None of our competitors are confident enough to offer this.
Two Fat Blokes Bar Sign Emporium is officially turning Two! We will be celebrating our second birthday in a big birthday celebration from Friday 7th April to Sunday 9th April.
Across this celebration we will be providing free Two Fat Blokes merchandise to every Pub Shed Radio DJ to give away on their shows via Pub Shed Radio! If you've not tried it then just ask "Alexa enable pub shed radio" - Come join in.
As mentioned above, between the 7th to 9th April, we will be taking over the radio station for the Two Fat Blokes Big Birthday weekender. Over this weekend we will be giving away loads of free stuff to celebrate our first birthday, Bar runners, T-shirts and the famous Shot O’clock clock!
A Special Thank You
The Fat Blokes have to thank Ash’s sister-in-law, Rachel, who sadly passed away due to Covid. Her bar build during covid was the reason we made our first bar sign and started Two Fat Blokes Ltd. Without her, the idea would have never been a reality. The Fat Blokes would not be complete without her input and their loyal team, including Liza, Mrs Fat Bloke (Susan), and Elvis the print shop pup. As well as our loyal and lovely customers, friends, and fellow pub Sheddies.
In loving memory of Rachel Turner 19/10/1975 - 13/1/2021
You touched our hearts xxx
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Hell yes of course you should, Who wouldn’t want their own haven without the rules, opening times and expense of going down the pub. Don’t get us wrong Two Fat Blokes Bar Signs were born in the local pub, After many many beers and Covid the Fat Blokes built their own bars and started a company to make their own signs for the Pub Shed community. So if you love entertaining friends and family in your back garden, building a bar can be a great addition to your outdoor space. A pub shed is a perfect spot to mix up cocktails, serve ice-cold beers, and enjoy the warm summer weather when it finally comes back. We have include some of the pubs that entered Pub Shed of the year 2022, we are highly privileged to see your amazing creations. Thank You
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But where do you start? Here's some pointers from people who have done it and found out the hard way. Here are some steps you can follow to build a bar in your garden: Choose a location: The first step in building a bar is to decide where you want to put it. Consider factors such as the size of your garden, the layout of your outdoor space, and the direction of the sun. You'll also want to make sure the location is easily accessible from your house and has enough space for you to work comfortably. It may double as a home office so consider where you would work in your bar. Afterall you don’t want to do a zoom meeting with 200 bottles of booze in the background if your job is in HR or Driving examiner.
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Measure and mark the area: Once you've chosen a location, measure the area and mark it off with stakes and string. This will give you a sense of the size of the bar and help you visualize the finished product.
Power & Internet – Think about where the power is going to come from, you will need more sockets to run fridges, TV(s) , Soundsystem, heaters, lights etc than you think. And while your at it the internet needs to be planned in now be it from a cable running from your router to the bar or wifi extenders. If your paying for a spark to run your power get the internet in while you are at it, Your future self will thank you.
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Bar style – Think about the design style you want be it old fashion country pub, sports bar, Rave cave, or Nightclub. Have a look at what others have done on the facebook groups or look at the Pub Shed of the year to see what the winners have done. You really can do anything that you want so go crazy ITS YOUR PUB.
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Gather materials: You'll need a variety of materials to build your bar, including timber, concrete blocks, gravel, sand, and concrete. You'll also need tools such as a saw, drill, level, and shovel.
Build the foundation: The foundation of your bar is the most important part, as it needs to be strong and stable to support the weight of the build, furniture, guests, fridges etc. You can use concrete blocks or poured concrete for the foundation. This really is the most important part of your build, get this right and the rest will be easier.
Construct the frame: Once the foundation is in place, you can begin building the frame of the pub shed. Cut the timber to the desired size and use screws to attach the pieces together. Make sure to use a level to ensure the frame is straight. Spend time getting the frame right and get your first fix utilities installed before you board it out. Fit a good quality water tight roof such as rubber and add gutters, downpipes and soakaways.
Insulation – Really important to insulate your bar well so that you can use it year-round without spending a fortune on electricity. The best builds have insulation in the base floor as that’s were you will lose a ton of heat. Once you’ve got a watertight sealed build then it's time to board the walls not forgetting the insulation and power sockets, you can use a variety of materials, plasterboard being a popular low cost way or sheets of OSB and ply timber. Your choice.
Decoration - Now the fun can begin, decorate the walls and build the bar counter with whatever crazy ideas you have. Add the bar top: The bar top can be made from a variety of materials, such as wood, stone, or concrete. Measure and cut the material to fit the frame, then attach it using screws or adhesive. Finish the bar: Once the bar top is in place, you can finish the bar by adding any additional features you want, such as shelves, a sink, or a refrigerator. You can also add decorative touches, such as stools, lighting, or plants, to personalize your garden pub or bar.
Finally you’ve got to name your bar, if it doesn’t have a name then it’s just a shed and here’s where Two Fat Blokes Bar Signs come into the mix, decide on your bar name and have a look at the amazing range of modern bar signs and Traditional pub signs from twofb.com. We have hanging pub signs, wall mounted bar signs, outdoor bar signs, bar runners and coasters all perfect to finish your booze haven. We even design custom one off pub shed signs as unique signs just for you.
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Now it's time to enjoy the fruits of your labour, So get your bar fully stocked, turn on the sound system and tune into the community radio station, yes we have our own station dedicated to the humble pub shed, Just ask Alexa "Enable Pub Shed Radio" and listen in to fellow pub shreddies DJ's broadcasting from their shed to yours.
Building a bar in your garden can be a fun and rewarding project that adds value and enjoyment to your outdoor space. With a little planning and some basic DIY skills, you can create a beautiful and functional bar that will be the envy of your neighbourhood.
And who knows you might even win Pub Shed of the year 2023?
We have to say a big thank you to all the entrants to Pub Shed of the year for sharing your bars with us. It is a privilege to see the fantastic builds you have created and we only wish you could all win. All photos in this blog are from the entrants to PSOTY2022
]]>When were not making and designing bar signs you will find us at the Pub, Pub Shed or other hostely enjoying ale and pub snacks.
The UK has a long tradition of enjoying a drink at the pub, and this often involves snacking on a variety of tasty bar snacks. Here are some of the best bar snacks that you can find in pubs around the UK:
Pork scratchings: Crunchy pieces of fried pork skin that are often served as a snack in pubs. They are typically seasoned with salt and spices and are served in a small bag or a bowl. Our favourites are The Snaffling Pig Co.: This company produces a range of artisanal pork scratchings that are flavoured with unique seasonings, such as salt and sweet paprika, and maple bacon.
Nuts: A bowl of mixed nuts, such as peanuts, cashews, and almonds, is a classic bar snack that is enjoyed by many people in the UK. We are big fans of plain salted peanuts; Nobbys nuts are always a go to favourite.
Crisps: Also known as chips by our US cousins, they are wrong of cause but let’s not upset them, crisps are thin slices of fried potato that are often served in a bag or a bowl as a bar snack. There are many different flavours of crisps available, including salt and vinegar, cheese and onion, and roast chicken. Personally, you can’t beat a bag of Walkers Cheese & Onion.
Sausage rolls: These are small, savoury pastries filled with sausage meat and are a popular snack in pubs throughout the UK. You can’t beat a freshly cooked flaky pastry filled with sausage meat and for a twist our local does them with lumps of stilton cheese, Elvis our Black lab is a big fan.
Scotch eggs: These are hard-boiled eggs that are coated in breadcrumbs and deep-fried, and they are often served as a snack in pubs. On our travels we found a pub by the local canal offering freshly cooked scotch eggs still runny in the middle. Yum Yum.
Pickled onions, cheese, and a slab of crusty bread: What’s not to love about a big lump of smelly cheddar cheese and pickles. An absolute favourite in the summer sat in the sun with a pint. Our favorite is Drivers 1906.
Pickled Eggs: Wrong in so many ways but scummy if you find a home pickled egg, The chip shop versions are awful but a proper pickled egg with some chilli’s is just divine. Hunt out the real thing and you won’t be disappointed.
Pop Corn: It’s an American cinema snack and should never be consumed with beer. That's all we have to say on the subject.
Scampi Fries: The most magnificent pub snack of all time is so magnificent precisely because you can never seem to find it outside of the pub. I'm really not sure what they are made of and I probably don't want to know but the effect of a portion of fish & chips in a bag is truly a seventh wondered of the world.
Now it’s back to the Print shed to make lots more Bar sign, Hanging signs, Bar Runners & Coasters for the lovely Pub Shed Community. As usual if you’ve got a crazy idea for a pub sign then send us an email with your madness so we can come up with some of our ideas for your bar sign. ash@twofb.com
All the best from Two Fat Blokes ShedQuarters.
]]>A pub sign is a crucial element of a pub's branding and identity. It serves as a visual representation of the pub's character and atmosphere. Here are some tips for creating the perfect pub sign:
Choose a style: The first step in creating a pub sign is to decide on the overall style and aesthetic. Do you want a traditional look with gold leaf lettering, a gin bar sign or a more modern, minimalist approach with a sleek metal sign? Consider the architecture of the pub, the target audience, and the atmosphere you want to create.
Select a colour scheme: The colour scheme of your pub sign should be cohesive with the overall branding of the pub. If your pub has a rustic, traditional feel, consider using warm, earthy tones like brown, red, and yellow. For a modern, sleek pub, a monochromatic colour scheme with black and white may be more appropriate.
Choose the right font: The font you choose for your pub sign should be legible and easy to read from a distance. Avoid overly complicated or ornate fonts that may be difficult to read and consider the style of the pub when selecting a font. A classic pub may benefit from a traditional serif font, while a modern pub may look better with a clean, sans-serif font.
Use imagery: In addition to the pub's name, consider using imagery on the sign to help convey the atmosphere and character of the pub. A pub with a focus on craft beer may want to include a graphic of a pint glass, while a pub with a cosy, homey feel may want to use imagery of a fireplace or a homely scene.
Keep it simple: When it comes to pub signs, less is often more. A simple, straightforward design will be classier than a cluttered, busy sign. Keep the design clean and easy to read and focus on conveying the character of the pub shed in a clear and concise manner.
Creating the perfect pub sign is all about finding the right balance between style, branding, and function. By following these tips, you can create a sign that accurately reflects your Pub Sheds character.
Two Fat Blokes is the final ingredient for the perfect Pub Sign, we can design and make the perfect bar sign for your pub shed. Have a look on the website for some ideas or better still give us a call to talk about the sign you deserve.
All the best Ash
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In this blog were going to talk about the history of the bar sign and pubs.
We have to go back nearly 2000 years to the very start of the taverna to see where bar signs came from and how they evolved.
The earliest bar signs come from Roman times when the Romans on occupying Britain built roads and “tabernae” – Taverns that sold mainly wine where travellers could get food, lodging and wine. To signify it was a tavern the romans decreed that all such establishments should display an evergreen branch on the outside of the building, tavern keepers took to planning an evergreen bush outside of their taverns which gave rise to the earliest pub name “The Bush”
Over time as places for the common people to stay became more mainstream the name Inn became sonorous with somewhere to spend the night, get food and refreshments. The Inn was effectively the equivalent to the Truck stop but for a horse and carts taking fresh produce to the markets and towns. Inn’s typically had stables and a courtyard with accommodation above the stables and a single room serving booze to weary travellers.
This is where the coach and horses came to be.
Illiteracy was the norm back in King Richard II’s time so Inn’s adapted the practice of hand painted pictorial pub signage so that even if you couldn’t read you could see what the inn was called. In fact King Richard decreed that all houses that brewed and served ale must have a pub hanging sign to recognise that they served ale to the public hence the Public house.
The pictorial pub sign became the standard with many skilled painters employed designing and painting pub signs. Increasingly the signs became more detailed with references to the pub name and local employment or location. Think about the Drovers Arms- Next to the cattle market, The Bell – next to the church or The Ship Inn at the dock side. Two Fat Blokes call these Traditional pub signs.
Then there’s the plethora of monarchy related bar signs, Back when the King Henry parted ways with the Catholic church The Popes Head was commonplace but so as not to fall foul of the King many pubs changed their names to show patronage to the monarchy hence The Kings Head, The Rose & Crown, The George, The White Hart and The Crown.
Pub signs evolved further when the Railways took over from the horse and cart, Public Houses sprung up next to railway stations with names like The Railway Hotel, The Station Inn & The Engine & Tender.
The variety of pub signs and names is endless, today pubs continue to evolve, some evolve backwards by trying to become more traditional especially after the trend of the 1970’s was to modernise them with garish designs and awful concrete exteriors.
The modern day pub comes in all shapes and sizes from the tiny craft beer establishments to large road houses serving food, kid’s play areas and hotel accommodation. From modern trendy bars to traditional countryside pubs with a log fire.
Fast-forward to the pandemic, we could not go to the pub although there was already a well-developed garden bar scene, the pandemic accelerated the trend with over 2.1 million Pub Sheds, Garden Bars & sports bars now in the UK. It’s almost as though we have gone back a thousand years with drinkers opening their own garden pubs.
Two Fat Blokes only see this trend continuing with the cost of a pint in your local now rising to over £8 in some parts of the country, I was out this weekend in my local and was horrified to pay £17 for a glass of wine and a pint of ale. So the new normal is a garden pub with your own personalised home bar signage.
So what’s your Pub Shed called and what’s its story?
Next month we will talk about bar sign designs from the traditional style to the modern style.
Here’s some great examples of traditional signs discussed above.
Many thanks to The Inn Sign Society for help researching the piece.
As usual if you want your very own custom bar sign then head over to www.twofatblokes.co.uk and have a look at the range.
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With the huge cost of living crisis more and more homeowners are adding their own pub in their gardens. With the average cost of a pint predicted to go over £6, it’s no surprise that that Britains are looking for ways to save on the cost of their entertainment. By having your own garden pub, gin palace or garden bar you save on the cost of the booze with a pint from the local supermarket costing just £1.38 it's easy to see how much is saved by having your favourite tipple at home, then there’s no expensive taxis or waiting at a bus stop.
During the pandemic Ashley Turner & Matt Andrews who run Two Fat Blokes Bar Signs were both made redundant from a marketing agency, Ashley had just built his own garden pub and made his own pub sign, so it seemed right to get involved with the rest of the Pub Shed community who were crying out for all things related to their favourite pastime including traditional pub signs. Ashley who previously worked with Matt decided to start their own pub sign business. Matt as the designer and Ashley as manufacturing and sales, the business quickly took off and the guys started to get involved with Facebook group Garden Shed, Pubs & Nightclubs (Over 280,000 members) and Pub Shed Radio (over 20,000 listeners ) - Yes it’s a real thing Amateur DJ’s broadcasting from their shed to yours. Anyway for fun Two Fat Blokes & Pub Shed Radio launched a competition in 2021 to find Britain’s best pub Shed, over 400 entries in the first year with the final winner “Weeties Bar“ in Weymouth.
On to 2022 and the competition has grown rapidly with press coverage from national and regional newspapers as well as radio and TV. This year there have been 1066 entries which were whittled down to three by the judges from Two Fat Blokes, Pub Shed Radio and GSPN UK The finalists were The Stagger Inn Manchester, The Tiger Minehead and The Dog & Ball Portsmouth. A staggering 4400 people voted in the public vote. Voting closed on 28th October 2022
The winner was announced live on Pubshedradio.uk 19:30hrs 12th November 2022
None of the finalist know if they had won until live on air, Ashley Turner the owner of twofatblokes.co.uk, DJ Mupps of Pub Shed Radio & Nick St. John from Garden Shed Pubs & Nightclubs knocked on the door of the winner of Pub Shed Of The Year on the night of 12th November complete with a DJ rig to broadcast live to the nation form the winning pub shed. It was a fantastic night with plenty of suspense for all three finalists.
It was an amazing surprise for John & Anita when the judging panel knocked on the door of the Dog & Ball in Portsmouth. John a Royal Navy veteran built his bar with his wife Anita during lockdown.
As well as winning the much coveted Pub Shed of the year 2022 Ashley Turner from Two Fat Blokes Bar Signs presented John and Anita with a custom bar sign and the Pub Shed of the year 2022 gold plaque.
The pub, named 'The Dog & Ball', took more than a year to build and features its own dart board, wooden décor, country pub-style seating and its own outdoor beer garden and decking area.
Owner John Simmons, 50, built the shed in his garden in Portsmouth, Hampshire, single-handedly, sourcing reclaimed material from salvage yards and a Facebook page for pub shed enthusiasts.
He cut, sanded and fixed every timber and fitting himself, using an impressive 4,500 screws in the process.
His efforts have now been recognised after the father-of-three beat off competition from more than a thousand entries to be named the owner of Britain's best Pub Shed 2022.
John Simmons said: “I started building it last year and wanted to have it completed this summer for my 50th birthday. Sourcing the reclaimed material took the biggest chunk of time.
"I am an avid DIY-er and love a project. Lots of people had been doing this sort of thing over lockdown so I took inspiration from that, and I wanted a haven at home that was cheaper than the pub.
"It’s somewhere I can go and enjoy being with my friends and family, which was really the whole purpose.
"It cost about four figures, which is much cheaper than it would have been had I done a proper build and had to go to shops for the materials."
The Dog & Ball beat off two other finalists - a mini countryside-style pub called The Tiger in Somerset, and nightclub-themed bar The Stagger Inn in Manchester.
All are part of a recent trend for back garden pubs, whose popularity exploded during the Covid pandemic, with more than two million now believed to exist in Britain.
After the initial knock on the door where John & Anita were hosting a party hoping for the door knock, DJ Mupps from Pub Shed Radio then setup ready to broadcast to the nation complete with decks and PA system ready to broadcast live from The Dog & Ball, The party continued on until very early the next morning with much merriment and booze bring drunk.
Ashley Turner, owner of Two Fat Blokes Bar Signs, said: "The quality of bars and diversity of the entries has been phenomenal.
"We ran the competition to showcase the amazing community of pub sheds in the UK.
"The community has exploded during the pandemic and now with the cost of a pint heading north of £6 the trend looks set to continue.
"The Dog & Ball is a perfect example of an amazing pub shed and deserved to win with his amazing hand-built pub."
Pub Shed Radio's DJ Mupps said: 'It was brilliant to knock on the door of the winners bar live on Pub Shed Radio.
'John & Anita were totally gobsmacked to find out they had won. We then went live from the bar broadcasting with a real party atmosphere.'
Nick St John, the owner of Facebook group Garden Shed Pubs and Nightclubs, added: 'Being involved Pub Shed of the year has been the culmination of our ethos to promote and help people build their own back garden pubs.
'With over 280,000 members our group has really got on board with the competition.
'Judging the entries was so difficult - The Dog & Ball is a great example of a proper pub shed.'
]]>Any self-respecting Pub Shed owner should serve a classic cob to watch the Footie with.
The traditional British Cob is worthy of great respect, If you live in the Midlands then you will no doubt understand what we mean when we refer to the Crusty Cob, a bread masterpiece.
Unfortunately, the rest of the UK has other strange ideas on what these delicacies are called.
To list a few that in the opinion of us Midlander’s are clearly wrong, Barmcake, Bun, Roll, Bap, Batch, Muffin, Stotty or even Breadcake.
These are all clearly wrong, I’ve heard some rumours that there even stranger names like, Teacake, Morning Roll and an Oven Bottom.
So it’s important that we don’t over complicate this, while there are regional variations of the Classic Crusty Cob, we are not comparing them and we recommend you come to a good honest midlands booza and try the classic Crusty Cob.
The Cob is an ideal lunchtime snack, the perfect addition to a great pint of real ale. All good pubs in the midlands will serve a Crusty Cob with a choice of fillings. The cob itself is about 110mm (in new money) diameter and the key is its crusty, when you bite into a Crusty Cob it should flake on the outside and be soft on the inside.
It should not be doughy, remember this is a wholesome lump of white bread dressed in a slightly burnt shell.
The jury is out on brown and wholemeal, the authentic version is white. Period.
Now the real controversy fillings
Cheese and slice onion – always the default filling.
It should be a good mature cheddar cheese sliced not grated, 5mm thick with a mild Spanish onion sliced and served on top of the cheese, The roll should be well buttered, margarine or other spreads are not acceptable. We will accept a slice of tomato or lettuce if you must.
Hot roast pork with stuffing pulled straight off the roasted Pig, gravy, and apple sauce with crackling on the side, a delicacy in the Black Country and perfect with a pint of Holden's Golden real ale.
English Ham with English mustard on a well buttered Crusty Cob. This should be a slab of ham, not dandy wafer ham, and definitely not any of your Italian rubbish. Perfect to take down the footy wrapped in cling wrap for half time.
In Birmingham we even have The Cobham Arms, it says what it does on the tin, proudly displaying for all its bar sign telling you what’s on offer.
So now you need to search out the Crusty Cob in your favourite pub or pub shed, sink a few ales, and enjoy this true British icon.
Note – The opinions expressed in this article are mostly in jest and written for fun to show the diversity in the British Isles. Whatever you call it, go and enjoy your choice of bread with a great filling and a pint in your local booza or pub shed. Cheers from Two fat Blokes Bar Signs.
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Two Fat Blokes bar signs, Pub Shed Radio & GSPN run a national competition to find Britain’s best garden pub shed.
With the huge cost of living crisis more and more homeowners are adding their own pub in their gardens. With the average cost of a pint predicted to go over £7, it’s no surprise that that Britons are looking for ways to save on the cost of their entertainment. By having your own garden pub you save on the cost of the booze with a pint from the local supermarket costing just £1.38 its easy to see how much is saved by having your favourite tipple at home, then there’s no expensive taxis or waiting at a bus stop.
During the pandemic Ashley Turner & Matt Andrews who run Two Fat Blokes Bar Signs were both made redundant from a marketing agency, Ashley had just built his own garden pub and made his own pub sign so it seemed right to get involved with the rest of the Pub Shed community who were crying out for all things related to their favourite pastime including pub signs. Ashley who previously worked with Matt decided to start their own pub sign business. Matt as the designer and Ashley as the manufacturing and sales, The business quickly took off and the guys started to get involved with Facebook group Garden Shed, Pubs & Nightclubs (Over 280,000 members) and Pub Shed Radio - Yes it’s a real thing Amateur DJ’s broadcasting from their shed to yours. Anyway for fun Two Fat Blokes & Pub Shed Radio launched a competition in 2021 to find Britain’s best pub Shed, over 400 entries in the first year with the final winner “Weeties Bar“ in Weymouth.
Fast Forward to 2022 and the competition has grown with press coverage from national and regional newspapers as well as radio and TV. This year there have been 1066 entries which were whittled down to three by the judges from Two Fat Blokes, Pub Shed Radio and GSPN UK The finalists were The Stagger Inn Manchester, The Tiger Minehead and The Dog & Ball Portsmouth. A staggering 4400 people have voted so far in the public vote for a final winner of PSOTY2022. You can see the finalists & vote at Pubshedoftheyear.co.uk
Voting closes on Midnight Friday 28th October 2022 -
The winner will be broadcast live on Pubshedradio.uk the partner of Twofatblokes.co.uk.
None of the finalist will know if they are the winners until live on air, Ashley Turner the owner of twofatblokes.co.uk, DJ Tommy Funka the owner of Pub Shed Radio & Nick St. John from Garden Shed Pubs & Nightclubs will knock on the door of the winner of Pub Shed Of The Year on the night of 12th November complete with a DJ rig to broadcast live to the nation form the winning pub shed. It should be a fantastic night with plenty of suspense.
So make sure your tuned into Pub Shed Radio from 19:00 hrs on Saturday 12th November to hear the the team go and knock on the door of the winner.
]]>With the huge cost of living crisis more and more homeowners are adding their own pub in their gardens. With the average cost of a pint now over £4 across the whole of the UK and over £5 in London it’s no surprise that that Britons are looking for ways to save on the cost of their entertainment. By having your own garden pub you save on the cost of the booze with a pint from the local supermarket costing just £1.38 it's easy to see how much is saved by having your favourite tipple at home, then there’s no expensive taxis or waiting at a bus stop.
During the pandemic the popularity of having your own pub in your garden exploded, estimates put the number more than 2 million back garden pubs and bars are now in operation. Many of these bars are DIY built featuring fully functioning bars with sound systems, pool tables, darts boards, real fires, and a huge variety of drinks for friends and family. The owners even name their bars with many owners having a bar sign featuring their bar name and a tongue in cheek design.
To recognise the best of the best Pubshedradio.uk, Twofatblokes.co.uk & the Facebook group Garden Shed Pubs & Nightclubs run a competition for back garden publicans to enter their bar for the converted title Pub Shed of The Year 2022 plus various other prizes for first, second and third places. With 1066 entries this year the judges selected their top three which go to a public vote via the Pub Shed Of The Year website. Each bar is shown on the site for visitors from across the UK to vote for their favourite between 12th and 28th October 2022.
The final winner of Pub Shed Of The Year 2022 will be broadcast live on Pubshedradio.uk the partner of Twofatblokes.co.uk & Garden Shed Pubs & Nightclubs.
None of the finalist will know if they are the winners until live on air, Ashley Turner the owner of twofatblokes.co.uk, DJ Tommy Funka the owner of Pub Shed Radio & Nick St.John from Garden Shed Pubs & Nightclubs will knock on the door of the winners Pub Shed Of The Year on the night of 12th November complete with a DJ rig to broadcast live to the nation form the winning pub shed.
The Dog & Ball - Portsmouth
The Stagger Inn - Manchester
Update 13th October 2022
The National press have picked up on the competition and its now front page news.
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The annual competition to find Britain’s best back garden Pub Shed has been running for three weeks, entries have been coming in thick and fast, so far we have received 757 entries. The quality and diversity of the pub shed community has been amazing from small garden bars, converted sheds, pallet builds & huge nightclubs, from sheds to full blown brick outbuildings.
What do they all have in common?
Every single entry is somebody's’ pride and joy, their escape room from daily life, somewhere away from the household chores, a place to relax. Here at Pub Shed Radio, GSPN & Two Fat Blokes we are dedicated to serving the community that is Pub Sheds. Every single entry deserves to win after all they are already winners simple by being able to enjoy their own pub shed.
The Competition
Pub Shed of the year 2022 is open for entries from 1st Sept to 30th September 2022. To enter you simply need to provide 5 photos of your entry with the name of your bar and your location. During the first week of October the judging panel made up of representatives from Pub Shed Radio, Two Fat Blokes Bar Sign & the Facebook group Garden Pub Sheds & Nightclubs will gather in a smoky room with several beers and whittle the entries down to a final three pub sheds, the best of the best. It’s going to be tough to pick only three as the entries are of such a high quality and range of styles. Ultimately the judges are trying to find the absolute best three bars from the expected 1000 plus entries they would want to go and drink in.
The Public vote
The final three will be notified that they are finalist and then put to a public vote for you our fellow Sheddies community to select your winner.
The Winner
The PSOTY2022 awards will be broadcast live on Pubshedradio.uk the partner of Twofatblokes.co.uk. None of the finalist will know if they are the winners until live on air, Ashley Turner the owner of twofatblokes.co.uk and DJ Tommy Funka the owner of Pub Shed Radio & Nick St John from Garden Shed Pubs & Nightclubs will knock on the door of the winners Pub Shed Of The Year on the night of 19th November complete with a DJ rig to broadcast live to the nation form the winning pub shed.
To enter your pub shed visit pubshedoftheyear.co.uk
Here's a small random selection of entrants
Jacks Den
The Bearcroft Arms
The Alby Arms
The Stagger Inn
The Coach House
The Mini Bar
Tetley Bar 657
The Bramble
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During the pandemic the popularity of having your own pub in your garden exploded, We estimate in excess of 2.7 million back garden pubs and bars are now in operation. Many of these bars are DIY built featuring fully functioning bars with sound systems, pool tables, darts boards, real fires and a huge variety of drinks for friends and family.
To recognise the best of the best Pub Shed Radio & Two Fat Blokes bar signs run a competition for back garden publicans to enter their bar for the converted title Pub Shed of The Year 2022 plus various other prizes for first, second and third places.
We will judge the top three on the following criteria - Features, Effort, Style, Bar Name, Bar Sign, Individuality and most importantly would we want to sit and have a night in your booza.
The Pub Shed of The Year 2022 awards will be broadcast live on Pubshedradio.uk with their partner of Twofatblokes.co.uk.
So time to start getting your bar looking it’s best ready for entries in September. To enter you will need to send one photo of the outside of the bar and four inside. The judges will select their top three which will go to public voting via our voting platform Pub Shed Of The Year 2022 Each of the finalist will be on the site for visitors from across the UK to vote for their favourite.
Visit the website to see last years winners and follow Two Fat Blokes bar sign Facebook page for updates. The completion will open on September 1st for entries, closing date for entries is 30th September 2022.
Last year - None of the finalist knew if they were the winners until live on air, Ashley Turner the owner of Two Fat Blokes walked up to front door of the winner Weety’s Bar in Weymouth.
At 6:15pm Ashley knocked on the door of Iain’s the owner of Weety’s bar much to his joy at winning.
DJ MRJ the owner of pubshedradio.uk said " It was our biggest audience since we started the station 3 years ago with 35% more listeners on our not for profit free radio station"
Iain Said, “He could not believe he had won, I’m so happy to have won with my small bar” “I’ve never won anything before, this is amazing”
Ashley Said “ Twofatblokes.co.uk ran the competition for some fun with our partners pubshedradio.uk, we had 482 entrants, the quality and diversity of entrants was truly amazing and we had over 1500 votes for the finalist in the public vote.
Iain self-built and fitted out his bar which has the Bar Taps from HMS Ark Royal that served in the Gulf war proudly installed on his bar.
Iain won the converted Pub Shed Of The year 2021, a sign package worth over £200 and a bottle of 7 year old Rum.
The other two finalist The Garden Inn Rowley Regis & O’Sullivan’s Bishops Auckland also won a sign package and High Commended awards.
]]>Two Fat B@2t5!ds... We mean blokes started our company in Feb 2021 following redundancy from a marketing agency, while the pay was great we had to listen to corporate management telling us what was good and bad, how to design a great piece of artwork, The pandemic was a blessing for us as we were able to work on an idea that was brewing hence Two Fat Blokes was born.
We make and design all of our bar signs in house, our resident designer Fat Bloke Two Matt studied art and design at Cambridge as a young man, After many years working in the corporate marketing game, Matt and Ash formed Two fat Blokes to do something that we both love, designing Pub signs without corporate interference, no committees, no teams meeting listening to people who liked the sound of their own voices.
So onto our designs, we looked at what the competition was doing and to be really honest they go from bad clip art to truly awful with no imagination. We decided very quickly that no matter what we we're only going to design signs that are brilliant, so much so we would rather spend a few days designing a personalised bar signs that’s perfect than just OK.
We came up with the Signature Series range to give our customers the option to own their very own masterpiece.
Signature Series
These are true masterpieces where you put your trust in Fat Matt to go crazy, to design a one-off masterpiece, Fat Ash finds out about you, your design and some personal information to help him put a brief together. Ash gets your agreement on a final brief so that the final design is truly personal to the owner. We only do a select few briefs; they take weeks to do so we only do 2 to 3 a month. As with any masterpiece they deserve to be signed by the artist. They are considerably more expensive than the premium range but when you see the results you will understand why. All made to our high standards on 3mm Aluminium composite, waterproof, frost proof and UV proof – Guaranteed for five years.
Here's some example so the signature pub signs we have completed for the pub shed community.
The Old Windsor - Designed for a couple who used to live in sight of Windsor castle under the flight path of Heathrow The bar sign features Windsor Castle with the queen at home , a BA Boeing 7474 and a vintage bottle of french wine.
The Krafty Koi - Designed with Billie the dog sat with her front paws on the edge of a pond with the Koi sticking his head above the water and facing forward with his body just visible below the water. Designed using only a photo of Bille the dog to work from.
The Ede & Anchor -Designed with a simple photo of the owners dog put into a Napoleon style uniform with an 17th century anchor in the background with a latin quote about Drink to be free.
The Orchard - Quite a simple concept as the owners bar is next to an orchard, the sign shows bright sunshine with an apple orchard and bright red ripe apples.
The Chequered Flag - The owner is a fan of 1970s Capris and wanted to have a bar sign with a Ford Capri on the straight at Le Mans with the Chequered flag an a suggestion of speed. All done from Matt's own imagination.
]]>We get a lot of requests every month for a custom bar sign with a story. The story behind the bar name is where the fun starts, some are simple like The George & The Dragon or The Dog House but others are far more complex with a deep meaning to the owners. We love it when our customers give us an unusual name and tell us the story behind the name.
If you’re asking yourself, why were pub names always so similar and landlords didn’t call their pub something like “John’s Pub”, allow us to enlighten you. Back in ye olde days, very few people could read. So, if the pub did say “John’s Pub” no one would be able to read it anyway to understand it was in fact a pub. This meant that landlords would have to mark their pub with pictures on their pub signs so people could identify the pub by the picture outside. Any illiterate olden day’s drinker could tell you what a red lion looked like, or a swan. Pub signs started as advertising for the pubs and meant all manner of person could come in and order a beer. So, the names have stuck as tradition and admittedly they are a lot easier to identify if you can see a big hanging picture of a crown outside.
Now with the home bar you can stick with tradition and call your bar one of many traditional names like The Three Crowns with an appropriate set of crowns as the picture or you can personalise your bar with your own custom bar sign.
Top 5 Bar names you have ordered from us.
Here’s a few with some great back stories that we have designed for fellow pub shed owners.
The Sod Lifters Arms
A family member wanted a bar sign specially for the head of the family that represented his love of metal detecting, the sign features a metal detector a cutaway though the earth to reveal some hidden treasures and the hero line Sweep, Beep, Dig Repeat.
The Tank & Anchor
With this sign the pub owner wanted a sign to represent his life, he was clearly a bit of a lad in his younger days with the nickname Tank but then he meets the women of his dreams that would become his wife, now with a family, she had managed to tame the beast hence The Tank & Anchor. Representing the man and the women who keeps her man grounded and on the right track.
Spinning Gins
Wow there’s so much going on with this one, the name first, the bar owner was a bit of a boxer in his youth and used to joke about going out spinning chins, now much reformed by age and the women that tamed him we have a play on words, hence Spinning Gins.
The sign is done in the surrealist painter style of Hieronymus Bosch featuring a bottle of Gin with two boxers on the label, an airplane, a globe, a suitcase, a pair boxing gloves hung up and a spinning top. These items represent the couples love of travel around the world and the gloves been hung up.
The Pig & Pilot
One of my favourite stories behind the sign this year.
For the gentleman’s retirement the family wanted a special retirement present, He was retiring from many years as a river pilot in Liverpool and had got a house with a former pig Stye at the bottom of the garden that he had converted into his own pub.
So the sign shows a riverboat pilot sat on a launch with a Pig to represent the stye, The city of Liverpool as the backdrop to show the Mersey and a number of bottles of beer for a happy retirement. It also features the logo of the pilots association and the hero line “The first to say Good Morrow, The last to say Goodbye” which is the slogan of the river pilots.
So no matter what your bar name is, we have the imagination and skill to design you the perfect bar sign, just tell us the name you want and your story, leave the rest to Two Fat Blokes to dream up a custom bar sign for your happy place.
]]>The garden bar trend is predicted to take over our gardens this year as we extend our living spaces outdoors with space for the whole family.
Research has uncovered the top garden furniture trends for summer 2022, revealing that what we really want is a garden bar. Not a hanging egg chair or fire pit, but a space for Friday cocktails with friends without the premium prices or last orders.
It seems that we're taking our lockdown bars to another level this year, as we find ways to recreate the traditional pub feel at home. Think garden room complete with dartboard and pool table, or clever outdoor seating with built-in ice buckets.
WHAT IS THE GARDEN BAR TREND?
Online garden retailer Two Fat Blokes Bar Signs looked at Google search info to work out the key garden furniture trends predicted to be big news this summer. Based on which items have risen the most in searches over the year, the garden bar proves itself to be the most desired feature, rising by five fold.
'The move to add a garden bar has accelerated at an amazing rate,' says Two Fat Blokes Bar Signs Ashley Turner. He says that many people are using the space they have to add luxury features they wouldn't have space for inside, such as garden bar, home office and hot tub.
'We're seeing more people use their garden as the perfect space for these entertainment features, perhaps because they don't have the restrictions that a formal pub or restaurant has,' Ashley adds.
A garden bar complete with a bar, beer fridge, ice maker, seating, large screen for sports events and sound system to play your favourite tunes or Pub Shed Radio ( Yes it really is a thing)
Fill it with stylish glasses, bar accessories, add your own unique bar name & bar sign, bar runners, coasters and your favourite drinks so you can serve up amazing cocktails and drinks without having to go back inside your home every time one of your fellow drinking buddies needs a top up.
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How good are the companies supplying the pub shed community?
There are quite a few companies to pick from but how do you know if they are any good?
Can you trust them to deliver or are they scammers?
With prices ranging from just a few pounds to many hundreds of pounds and even thousands these are questions you want to answer before you part with your cash.
Making the right choice can be daunting, of cause we recommend ourselves for bar signs but below we have given some pointers on getting it right whether it’s bar sign, pumps, furniture, sheds or other products for your bar. So what should you look for when deciding who and where to buy from.
Trust.
Online Presence
Look for companies that have a proper website with .co.uk or a .com URL.
Is there a real business address on the website?
Are they listed on companies house - Check them out on the You Gov site.
Have they got a real email address not a Gmail or other free email addresses, something like ash@twofb.com or hello@pubshedradio.co.uk
Does the website look professional? Websites are expensive to build and maintain, Scammers and here today gone tomorrow companies don’t put effort or time into good websites and domain names.
Can you see history on the site like lots of blogs going back into the past?
If you can give a say yes to the above that proves the company exists and has been around for a while.
Payments
Do they accept Visa, Mastercard, ApplePay, GooglePay, PayPal Business.
Never ever pay by BACS or bank transfer.
If they don’t accept cards or PayPal Business but only Bank transfers, then run away.
Seriously never pay by BACS – You have no cover from your bank whereas if you pay by credit card or PayPal Business you are covered by them if the company fails to deliver.
Deposits – Deposits are normal for big purchases but again use the golden rules Card or PayPal. You may have no choice for large scale builds but do your homework on your chosen supplier.
PayPal caveat – Don’t pay Friends & Family as PayPal won’t cover these transactions.
Reviews –
Google the business name – Have they got lots of ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️reviews, at least 200 and zero or minimal poor reviews over a long time.
Look at the companies reviews on Facebook, Esty, Not On The High Street, if it’s all or mostly ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️reviews then they look like the people to do business with.
Good reviews show a company that cares about their products and customers
Have a look at our reviews to see what good looks like – Just google two fat blokes bar signs
Facebook Groups – Ask in the groups who has used the company, if they are bad you will soon hear about them from your fellow Pub Shed community members.
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Last summer I had the brilliant idea of creating a bar in my garden, inspired by seeing my good friend Ash from Two Fat Blokes with his bar he had created I set about it. Now there a few things you should know about me, I am a professional business mentor and coach, I have years of experience working in marketing on some of the biggest brands in the world – however: I am also not great with being practical – using my hands and any form of DIY.
Now luckily for me when the idea of having a bar came about, I was having my garden re-patioed so it was easy enough to get the landscaper to put a bit of concrete down, after all even I know you need good foundations to build something.
Part 1 Construction:
When the bar arrived I am sure the instructions were in a foreign language –
Luckily I had some friends who on a hot weekend in 2021 on the promise of a cold beer and a few hours away from their families spoke the language of DIY. We managed to get the shell of the bar built.
I was so excited – for weeks I had been buying bottles of spirits in the supermarket – whichever was on special offer and I was running out of space in the house – I finally thought I was about there – oh how WRONG I was.
A local sparky put power and lighting in and I started to dream about having the lads around for a few drinks – er no.
I am a creative person and after a few pointers from Ash I found some amazing groups on Facebook that had loads of garden bars that were up and running, I started looking for ideas and inspiration – a trip to Birmingham and to the Fat Blokes Bar made me realise I needed a theme, storage, and to turn it from a shed into somewhere I wanted to spend time.
STAGE 2 – The Fitout:
Now like I said I am not very competent at DIY – so again I lit the bat light and with a large payment of beer and merch the Fat Bloke offered to come over and help on the condition I bought everything in advance and I would be his apprentice!!! I have worked on some of the biggest brands in the world, I have run companies and now own my own business, however I can always learn more.
So I screwed, I sanded, fitted something called plywood, went to Wickes and pretended to know what I was talking about as I hunted out yacht varnish (that stuff is amazing). I put in an amp and speakers to listen to Pub Shed Radio ( yes it really exists - Live Dj's broadcasting from their sheds to mine.)
Helped Ash build storage
This man is a genius and he owns a laser – how cool is that..
After a couple of days working together I had learnt so much, the bar now looked like a bar rather than a shed! We painted it and started it to fill it with my whiskey collection and all the bargain booze I had been collecting from Tesco, Asda and Sainsburys for months. I had to add in scampi fries, bacon frazzles and pork scratchings!!!!
Here is a short video of the bar being built here.
Part 3 The Result
Finally after weeks of debate I settled on Café Del Bar as the name, inspired by the legendary Ibiza bar on the beach – I sent off my brief off to Two Fat Blokes and a week later my bar sign, bar mats and runners arrived.
I love my bar, its been a welcome relief from the pandemic, a place where my friends can hang out and enjoy the fruits of my newfound DIY skills and expert drinks choices, whilst listening to the finest music (Pub Shed radio & my random playlists.)
Thanks Ash for your helping building the bar and to the rest of the TWOFB for your design skills for my signage – hmmm maybe I should launch a merch range.
It might not win Pub Shed of The Year 2022 but I'm entering anyway.
This project was one of the hardest I have personally undertaken but also one of the most rewarding – I love my bar – cheers Richard
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During the pandemic the popularity of having your own pub in your garden exploded, We estimate in excess of 2.7 million back garden pubs and bars are now in operation. Many of these bars are DIY built featuring fully functioning bars with sound systems, pool tables, darts boards, real fires and a huge variety of drinks for friends and family.
To recognise the best of the best Pub Shed Radio & Two Fat Blokes bar signs run a competition for back garden publicans to enter their bar for the converted title Pub Shed of The Year 2022 plus various other prizes for first, second and third places.
We will judge the top three on the following criteria - Features, Effort, Style, Bar Name, Bar Sign, Individuality and most importantly would we want to sit and have a night in your booza.
The PSOTY2022 awards will be broadcast live on Pubshedradio.uk the partner of Twofatblokes.co.uk.
So time to start getting your bar looking it’s best ready for entries in September. To enter you will need to send one photo of the outside of the bar and four inside. The judges will select their top three which will go to public voting via our voting platform https://pubshedoftheyear.co.uk/ Each of the finalist will be on the site for visitors from across the UK to vote for their favourite.
Visit the website to see last years winners and like/follow Two Fat Blokes bar sign Facebook page for updates. The completion will open on Sept 1st for entries.
Last year - None of the finalist knew if they were the winners until live on air, Ashley Turner the owner of twofatblokes.co.uk walked up to front door of the winner Weety’s Bar in Weymouth.
At 6:15pm Ashley knocked on the door of Iain’s the owner of Weety’s bar much to his joy at winning.
DJ MRJ the owner of pubshedradio.uk said " It was our biggest audience since we started the station 3 years ago with 35% more listeners on our not for profit free radio station"
Iain Said, “He could not believe he had won, I’m so happy to have won with my small bar” “I’ve never won anything before, this is amazing”
Ashley Said “ Twofatblokes.co.uk ran the competition for some fun with our partners pubshedradio.uk, we had 482 entrants, the quality and diversity of entrants was truly amazing and we had over 1500 votes for the finalist in the public vote.
Iain self-built and fitted out his bar which has the Bar Taps from HMS Ark Royal that served in the Gulf war proudly installed on his bar.
Iain won the converted Pub Shed Of The year 2021, a sign package worth over £200 and a bottle of 7 year old Rum.
The other two finalist The Garden Inn Rowley Regis & O’Sullivan’s Bishops Auckland also won a sign package and High Commended awards.
]]>As the summer months are coming, so are the new design ideas for home bars. Because of the pandemic, garden bars and home bars continue to grow in popularity all around the world, especially in the UK.
Today, thousands of people search the web every day for inspiration on how they can improve their home bar or garden bar. The search term “Garden bar” was searched 60 thousand times already in 2022 and as it hits June, July, and August, it’s no doubt it will be even higher!
In 2019, when Covid-19 first hit, it was a difficult time for all, especially dangerous for those who were more susceptible to health problems, so lockdowns became a regular occurrence, designed to protect those who were vulnerable as well as attempting to contain the spread of Covid.
But this also meant that many people couldn’t see family or friends and were not allowed to meet up in local bars and restaurants.
Many homeowners then took it upon themselves to create their own home bar or garden bar. A statistic revealed that 2.7 million households in the UK created their own unique home bar since the first national lockdown in March 2020.
Home bars continue to increase in popularity because they have the same qualities of going out with your friends and family to the local pub but in the comfort of your home. Home bars or garden bars are a great place to relax and chill with family friends, which also makes them a great social point.
Not only that, but they’re also less trouble than a night out with friends. They can also be used for family get-togethers and birthday celebrations rather than spending money on a night out.
With the increasing amount of garden bars, there’s also an increase in keeping them updated and relevant with the various designs and growing trends available. We’ve compiled a helpful list of some of the growing trends.
The swinging egg chairs are one of the biggest trends for the summer right now. As garden bars are becoming more popular with a 234% search increase in 2021, it's no doubt better for many that own a garden bar.
Swinging egg chairs are often described as extremely comfortable and are ideal for a relaxing, outdoor living space. Their ergonomic shape makes it ideal for comfort and supporting the body as you sit on it.
As mentioned before, garden bars are created to give homeowners a chilled and relaxing area to hang out, all in the comfort of their homes.
What’s better than a bespoke bar sign made for you? Custom bar signs are a great way to personalise your garden bar as well as act as a great social point for conversations.
On the market today, there are many custom/bespoke bar signs made entirely for your choosing. Along with the custom bar sign, it is also worth investing in custom beer mats to match the bar sign and create a warm, professional and sleek atmosphere.
Usually, homeowners will have a traditional theme they’ll go for, like a pub theme or a minimalist theme. Some people even tend to go down the exotic route like a Tiki Bar.
A Tiki bar is a bar that is decorated incorporating a Polynesian theme. A Tiki bar serves exotic cocktails and has an exotic theme and will make the homeowner feel like they're in another country. The term Tiki comes from Māori mythology.
Don't be afraid to try your flare out with a range of different cocktails, Start simple with just a few recipes and experiment to find your favourite. We've recommended Drinks Stuff for your bar supplies like shakers and glasses and our great friends at the Cocktail Pantry for foamer and how to videos.
As a starter here's a link to a great easy to follow book of recipes from Drinks Stuff
Lastly, a fashionable choice for many is adding coloured LED lighting around the bar, as it’ll help create a warm and inviting ambience, especially at night. With multiple colour choices available, your garden bar can go from an exotic theme to a space bar at the flick of a button!
Adding bar stools as well as a comfortable sofa, depending on how the garden bar is located, works effectively allowing you to have multiple guests at once.
Corner sofas are a perfect way for guests to sit and relax while the homeowner or someone else is preparing drinks. Corner sofas are also a comfortable and great way for friends and family to catch up in a comfortable and inviting space.
So, what are you waiting for? Grab a drink, a personalised hanging bar sign and a Tiki torch and head out to your new garden bar!
The annual competition to find the best Pub Shed of the year returns in August in conjunction with our friends at Pub Shed Radio (Yes it really exists just ask Alexa to play Pub Shed radio). With over 500 entries last year and thousands of votes for the final winner we will launching the 2022 competition in August. More to follow on this but meanwhile have a look at last years winners on the website. Pub Shed of the year 2022
]]>All of our stained-glass window graphics are for installation on the inside of the glass facing outwards, so remember, the text will be reversed when you apply from inside.
The best temperature to install your tinted window is around 16 – 27 degrees Celsius. You can install decals at slightly cooler or warmer temperatures without much of a problem though. However, you should try to avoid applying your graphics on extremely hot or cold days whenever possible. This will help ensure your decal stays secure long term. You should also make sure lighting conditions are sufficient to see any dirt or dust, allowing the glass to be properly cleaned prior to installation.
Whether you use the wet method, or the dry method will probably depend on the size of your decal or sticker. A decal smaller than 30cm can be installed using the dry method, which simply means carefully applying the graphic to a clean, dry surface. With larger decals, you’ll want to go with the wet method – which requires making an application fluid out of soapy water.
Things you’ll Need for the Wet MethodTo make the application fluid, simply add 1-2 drops of a mild dish detergent or liquid dish soap to between around 750 millilitres of water and place in a clean spray bottle. It’s important not to use too much soap. One or two drops per 750 ml spray bottle are usually enough to produce a properly functioning application solution.
This is important for larger decals. You’ll need to take a ruler or tape measure and make sure that there’s enough room to fit and centre your graphic. It’s also advised that you use a level and some type of straight edge such as a ruler to ensure your decal is straight and level when it’s installation time.
Before applying your decal, you will need to ensure the application surface, (or simply the glass window), is clean. This is to prevent your decal from not being securely fastened to the surface — due to bubbling, dirt or dust particles. Surface cleaners such as ammonia or other types of degreasers and glass cleaners are not recommended as they can leave residues that will produce air bubbles. These bubbles will form under your decal, ruining the aesthetic and finish. The best thing to use is soap and water. Your application fluid is an effective type of residue-free cleaner you can keep on hand to use.
Pro Tip: Your application fluid can double as an effective glass surface cleaner
In order to apply your decal, first find the protective sheet that covers the adhesive surface. For an inside stained glass decal, the adhesive will be located on the front side. Keep the protective sheet on until you’re ready to apply the decal to the glass.
First, make sure your decal is level and properly centred using a level and/or ruler. For a larger decal being installed using the wet method, you can hold the top of the decal in place with a piece of masking tape.
Make sure the top half of the tape is covering the glass, with the bottom half holding onto the top of the decal. Make sure you are able to lift the decal up from the bottom, using the tape as a hinge. For a larger frosted vinyl, you’ll need two people in order to hold and position the decal in place.
If you’re using the wet method, remove the protective layer and spray the adhesive surface with the application solution. While the decal is wet it will be easy to adjust and move around to ensure it is properly positioned. Use your level to double check the positioning if necessary.
When the graphic adhesive is properly placed in contact with the window, use your piece of plastic or squeegee to push the soapy water out, starting from the centre and working your way out. This will also push out those pesky air bubbles in order to prevent any bubbling.
Once any excess water has been removed from under the decal, allow it to dry for 1-2 hours. After it is dry, carefully remove the tape at the top of the decal, starting from the portion covering the decal and working your way up. This ensures you won’t accidentally remove the graphic. Slowly and carefully remove the tape by rolling it upward with your thumbs. Once it’s entirely removed your decal installation should be complete.
Allow your window vinyl decal to set for 24 hours. Once it has spent a full day without moving, it should be secure for long term use. If you’d like, you can keep the application tape on until this setting process is complete. Once the tape is removed you are now the proud owner of a beautifully installed frosted vinyl decal. Now you’re free to stand back and admire the Fat Bloke’s creativity and your hard work. Crack open your drink of choice and get ready for the summer evenings admiring your new stained-glass window vinyl.
]]>St George is most familiar with the story ‘George and The Dragon’, where George tames and slays a dragon that is demanding human sacrifice. St George’s day is celebrated to mark the anniversary of his death all the way back in 303AD.
St. George was born in what would now be known as Turkey. He followed his father’s footsteps and became a solider in the Roman army, eventually becoming a personal guard to Emperor Diocletian.
George’s story began in the town of Silene. Silene was captured by a dragon and to appease the dragon, the locals were offering human sacrifice to the dragon every day. While St George was visiting the town, a princess was chosen to be sacrificed. George took matters into his own hands and killed the dragon, saving the people of Silene. To express their gratitude, the locals converted to Christianity.
George’s story came to an end when the emperor ordered the persecution of Christians, which St George refused to follow. Following this refusal, he was tortured and executed in 303 A.D. in Palestine, where he is now buried.
Because of his story, St. George is largely associated with Christianity and is now celebrated every April 23rd.
Traditionally, there a few things you can do to celebrate St. George’s day in the UK. A red rose is symbolic in England and has resonance with the story. It is said that after saving the princess, St. George handed her a red rose. Now, a red rose is used to mark many occasions, including St. George’s day.
Fly the flagFlying an English flag is another way people celebrate St. George’s day. Alternatively, have it hanging in a window or make it pride of place in your home bar.
Buy a bar signNow, we’re not going to say this is a traditional way to celebrate St. George’s day, but it is one of the better ways if we say so…
At Two Fat Blokes HQ, we’ve been busy crafting, creating, and manufacturing some new bar signs to celebrate St George’s day! As well as some stained-glass windows and a chalkboard to chalk up how many too many you’ve had. The Full list is below if you’re keen to name your new home bar in time for the summer.
Our collection is celebrating all things British and are the perfect way to christen your garden or home bar this summer! If you already have a bar sign, why not install one of our frosted vinyl windows for some extra character. Our stained-glass window vinyl adds something unique to your home bar that we’re sure all your friends will comment on.
We don’t want to leave anyone out and have covered all bases, creating an English, Irish, Welsh, and beer themed window vinyl.
You can browse the collection here to get ready for St. George’s day! Happy celebrating to all who take part.
]]>There are many directions you can go in when stocking your home bar. You could go traditional and stock an extensive range of just about anything. Cocktail ingredients, a beer tap, your favourite ciders…
Or you could follow a theme and establish a beefy sports bar. Equipped with all the snacks you could want, an entertainment system to watch the matches on, and some comfy sofas and endless beer.
Alternatively, you could decide to be chic and stylish and create a garden gin bar to host your friends. Carrying a wide range of gins, tonics, and pairings to garnish your drinks with will surely keep you busy on the summer evenings, now that its dark past 6pm.
We may be Two Fat Blokes, but we’re not adverse to a refreshing cocktail when the weathers right and we thought now the sun is creeping back out, its about time we drop our list of must haves for your garden bar and introduce our good friend - The Cocktail Pantry.
Liqueurs are flavouring agents that can take your home bar to the next level. It can be a bit tricky figuring out which are going to work best. Luckily, we’ve been busy sampling and have a list for ya’.
Vodka – Stolichnaya Premium - Perfect for a martini.
Tequila - El Jimador blanco – Great in a Margarita
Gin - Tanqueray London dry gin - Perfect in a G&T
Rum – Havana Club 7 year old – Great in a Cuba Libre
Whisky – Irish Jamesons Black Barrel just great on its own
Scotch – Jura 12 Year old single malt – great on its own or in an Old Fashioned.
Mixers are what waters down the good stuff and keeps you from slurring your words for a little while longer.
To finish off your drinks, you’re going to want something special.
Our good friends at The Cocktail Pantry are cocktail fiends, but not too keen on the bar prices. Like us, they jumped on the garden bar idea, and they got thinking (and drinking). After a bit they created their very own cocktail menu and graced us with some of their marvellous creations.
Through their rigorous testing (more drinking), they found the cocktails were slightly flat and needed a bit of extra oomph. Adding egg white didn’t hit the spot so TCP got thinking and created FoamFusion Miracle Dust!
FoamFusion is a vegan concoction you can use in substitute of egg white. It adds texture and body to flat, boring cocktails and gives your drinks the same wow factor you’d find in a bar.
Simply add a small amount (2 pinches) and shake with ice. Voila! Egg free foam, adding no unpleasant taste but lots of depth and texture to impress your friends. FoamFusion is vegan friendly too and an absolute staple for your home bars this summer!
For 10% off 50g and 100g bags of FoamFusion, simply apply code ‘TwoFB’ at checkout, here!
The Cocktail Pantry and The Fat Blokes have decided to team up and create some summer cocktails and some themed bar sings to get your home bars ready for the sun! With every cocktail bar sign purchase, we’re also going to throw in a Boston shaker tin, mesh strainer and Hawthrone strainer, and a packet of FoamFusion!
Below are some of The Cocktail Pantry’s stunning cocktails to get your mouth watering.
Enjoy!!
Put all ingredients into a shaker with ice, Shake like a polaroid picture and strain into a glass.
For a deeper foam, shake with ice, remove ice and shake again before straining into a glass.
For the brûlée decoration hold a flame over a cocktail spoon of caster sugar allowing it to drip on to the foam.
Shake ingredients with ice and strain into glass. Decorate with Pineapple slice or a chilli. For a deeper foam shake with ice, remove ice and shake again, before straining into a glass.
Put everything except port into a shaker with ice, Shake then pour into a glass. Carefully pour port down the back of a spoon onto the top of the cocktail. Decorate with raspberries and blackberries.
It’s not essential to use FoamFusion… but you’re not going to impress your friends without it.
For more cocktail recipes, ideas, and decoration inspiration, take a look at The Cocktail Pantry’s Facebook. Or, if you’re in need of a cocktail masterclass, their Youtube has all you need.
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After working closely together for years, the fat blokes became good friends, often bonding over their love of beer, indie rock, and their design ideas.
Sometime later, after many, many beers were sunk and crisps consumed, COVID hit, and the pub trips were put on hold. This led to an influx in home bars popping up in gardens everywhere. All across the UK, home bars and pub sheds were being built, transformed and designed. Some very close to home. Ash’s brother and sister-in-law built their own home bar in their garden in 2020.
Once it was built, they decided to use The Fat Blokes’ talent and commissioned them to create the very first TwoFB home bar signs. Matt took charge on the design front and Ash oversaw the project with an idea brewing…
Once the first lot of home bar signs were complete, Ash and Matt looked over their handywork and clinked a socially distanced beer in celebration. As they were both on furlough, there was a lot of time for thinking, drinking, and more thinking. With all this spare time, Ash thought why not continue the bar sign buzz and Matt agreed.
Thus, Two Fat Blokes Bar Sign Emporium was born. They quickly did some market research and got an understanding of the wonderful sheddie community they wanted to be part of. Almost as soon as TwoFB began, their employer went under, and the Fat Blokes were now full time sheddies, working closely with the community and looking for other small businesses to work with and projects to dive into.
It was a hasty start, trying their hand at website building, gaining customers, and something called ‘followers’…? Fast forward 12 months and the Fat Blokes have cracked it! Over 5000 followers of fellow sheddies and home bar enthusiasts (and friends). Not to mention the Pub Shed of the Year competition that they run each year or their work as the official supplier to Garden Shed Pubs & Nightclubs & the many competitions ran alongside Pub Shed Radio, and lots of opportunity to work with other local small businesses on the horizon.
The story of Two Fat Blokes has led to a range of over 150 unique products, thousands of happy customers, and two very happy Fat Blokes.
The Fat Blokes have to thank Ash’s sister-in-law, Rachel, who sadly passed away due to Covid. Without her, the idea would have never been a reality. The Fat Blokes would not be complete without her input and their loyal team, including Liza, Mrs Fat Bloke (Susan), and Elvis the print shop pup. As well as their loyal and lovely customers, friends, and fellow pub sheddies.
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Two Fat Blokes Bar Sign Emporium is officially turning one! We will be celebrating our first birthday in a big birthday celebration from 18th March – Sunday 20th March.
Across this celebration we will be providing free T-shirts to every PSR DJ to give away on their shows via Pub Shed Radio!
We will also be doing a quiz on the Sunday night with a special round of questions all about Two Fat Blokes. The winner will get a £100 voucher to be spent at the TwoFB shop.
During this event, every purchase of PSR merchandise gets a free ‘booster’ gift. This will be another PSR bit of merchandise and can be as small as a sticker, or as big as a clock.
Before the big celebration begins, we’d like to have a small recap of all we’ve accomplished in just one year of business.
We started in the humble garden shed and have yet to move from there. Inside our shed we have made over 1000 bar signs, with an impressive back catalogue of over 150 fantastic designs. We design and manufacture all our signs in house. So, if you’re buying a Two Fat Blokes bar sign, you’re buying the best.
We’ve had a lot of interest in our bar signs and proudly ship across the globe, as far as Australia, Canada, Greenland, and South America.
We’ve got involved with Pub Shed Radio and are very proud to work alongside them regularly. With them we run the Pub Shed of the Year competition, as well as loads of other giveaways and competitions.
And best of all, we are rated 5 stars on every platform!
If you’re not familiar with us yet and the crazy, wonderful bar signs we have to offer, a list of our most popular signs are below.
And our top searches are
Our birthday quiz will be all things TwoFB, so if you’re not familiar and want a chance at winning the £100 voucher, you better start studying the TwoFB site and Facebook for clues. As mentioned above, between the 18th and 21st March, we will be taking over the pub shed radio station for the Two Fat Blokes Big Birthday weekender.
Over this weekend we will be giving away loads of free stuff to celebrate our first birthday, including a bar sign worth £100, Bar runners, T-shirts and the famous Shot O’clock clock!
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As part of his wages, Elvis, ever the business pooch, also bargained that for every dog bar sign sold, he should be paid in the form of biscuits and tennis balls. And who are we to say no?
Additionally, with Crufts 2022 just around the corner we thought there’s no better time to showcase some of our lovely dog home bar signs. For those who don’t know, Crufts will be taking place 10-13th March this year, showcasing lots of beautiful and brilliant breeds, but not very much drinking, so probably best you watch it from the comfort of your home bar, like we will be.
When we brought out our range of dog home bar signs, we only started with a few: The Dog & Duck, Three Dog Inn, The Dog House, and The Long Dog. Fast forward to now and our The Dog House bar sign is one of our most popular bar signs, and the dog bar sign collection a favourite for lots of our happy customers.
With Crufts coming up and the nations overall love for their pups, we decided to take Elvis’ request one step further and add to our range of home bar pub signs. As such, we decided to create a bar sign to showcase your dogs in a picture of your choosing. Well, we made two cause we’re so generous. You can browse them here.
Essentially, you can fit a picture of your dog onto either our Old Bull bar sign or The Dog House bar sign to create a completely bespoke personalised shed or bar sign with your dogs face on it. Our personalised dog bar signs can make your pooch the pub mascot of your home bar or shed.
Feel free to send us and tag us in any pics of your pups with their bar sign likeness to our Facebook page here.
Use the hashtag #TwoFBpubdogs.
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We design our signs in high resolution so that they look sharp and real, we don’t use clip art and web images, unlike our competitors. At Two Fat Blokes all artwork is ours, all concepts are our original ideas & designs.
All our home bar signs are made using high quality rigid 3mm thick aluminium composite. Our signs are printed directly onto the aluminium face with latest technology professional flatbed printer. We use UV inks to produce super high-definition images and then seal them to fully protect them. Our techniques ensure the longevity of your bar sign. (Some of our competitors use a home print process called sub lamination on to very thin .45mm material and they don’t seal them, the result is very poor definition and flimsy signs that won’t last in the sun and rain.)
Our bar signs are especially durable for outdoor use: they are waterproof and UV proof, they won’t peel or fade – we guarantee it.
We have invested in the best quality printer and CNC machine.
Our flatbed printer is a MIMAKI JFX200 -2531 capable of printing up to 2.5m x 3.1m in 6 colours...the Rolls Royce of printers.
We cut our own aluminium sheets to make our custom shapes to make our signs using a STEPCRAFT Q.408 CNC flatbed cutter, again capable of sizes up to 2.5m x 3.2m.
We are so confident of our products that all our personalised bar signs carry a 5-year warranty against defects. (None of our competitors will give you anything more than a year – ask yourself why?)
We have completely bespoke options available as well as a massive back catalogue that we design inhouse. You cannot buy a TWOFB design from anywhere else.
We’re proud to serve customers around the world, Two Fat Blokes post internationally, as far as Australia, New Zealand, Jakarta, Canada, USA, South Africa, Germany, Poland, and Brazil. No matter where your home bar is, a Two Fat Blokes bar sign can be delivered.
We also don’t just stop at bar signs; to complete your garden bar we have matching coasters/runners available too.
Shop our range of home bar signs here.
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