10th Anniversary Spirit of Nashville Coffee Table Book

It’s hard to believe that we have been creating Music City poster art for over 10 years now! It all started out as a way for us to showcase our hometown to our clients and friends from other places. Back then, folks from New York and L.A. didn’t know how cool Nashville really was—so we started creating a virtual tour of our city as seen through original illustrated posters. Every year since 2005, we've added between 6 and 16 new designs, each celebrating history and landmarks, music and melody, fabulous foods and flavors, and a wide array of subjects that depicted our rich and diverse culture. Once we had a large collection of poster art, we went to the Metro Archives to dig for historic photos. Then we show our own color photography, gathered stories and quotes from lots of interesting people, and we put together a one-of-a-kind book—a visual love letter to our city.

The book was a smashing success when it was published, and it continues to be a favorite gift for all occasions—it’s the perfect present for a client, or someone who has just moved to town. It is often used by brides as a guest signature book for weddings with a Music City theme. It is the first thing you’ll see on the coffee table in waiting rooms and lobbies all over town. And of course, it is a very popular gift for birthdays, Father’s Day, graduation, and anniversaries.

If you don’t have a copy of this beautiful hardcover book, you shouldn’t wait too much longer to get a copy. This special 10th Anniversary Edition is in limited supply. You can purchase it on our site while supplies last!







People often ask us if we plan to keep creating new Spirit of Nashville poster art. The answer is YES! Each time we experience a Music City Moment, we want to immortalize in art. There are so many themes we still have not covered. Our ready-to-frame prints come in 2 standard frame sizes: 11x14 and 18x24, and they are printed with pride in Nashville on gallery-grade paper. If you haven’t browsed the entire print collection lately, you'll be pleased to see some new designs. See them all in our print gallery.

Local Flavor: Bobbie's Dairy Dip

Ever since 2004, ADG has been creating vintage prints for many of Music City's most iconic sights, sounds, & flavors. After creating all of these prints, we have decided to revisit the establishments featured in our art so we can share a personal blog post about each one. We hope our little shout-out for these Nashville hot spots will inspire you to check them out for yourself… Our first stop: Bobbie's Dairy Dip (5301 Charlotte Ave Nashville 37209)

Established in 1951, Bobbie's is famed around town just as much for its lines (making waiting in line trendy 60 years before the Grilled Cheeserie…) as for its delightfully American malt shop fare. Burgers, hot dogs, chili, & a plethora of desserty goodness is what you'll find at the Dairy Dip. And with plenty (and only) outdoor seating, Bobbie's is a picturesque Nashville summer spot.

I ordered the Guacamole Burger, a notable contender for a city filled with impressive burgers. Smothered in creamy guac & jalapeno peppers, this tasty burger has some kick. Bobbie's' rich, high-quality milkshakes accompany the food perfectly & you will find a wide range of 'specialty' shakes that would send the Sonic Drive-In skating away in milkshake shame.

Try: the 'Spicy' burger with sweet potato fries & a 'James Brown' milkshake

Another Music City Wedding Theme

Here is a lovely example of how to use our Spirit of Nashville postcards to create a special touch to your Music City wedding. It was practically free—but the effect looks like a million bucks!

The bride and groom had both lived and gone to school in Nashville, and that’s where they fell in love. They wedding would be in LA, their new home. The venue was very organic and modern, but also had rustic touches, so they decided to go with a kind of "South meets SoCal" wedding theme. To give the reception a touch of Southern Comfort, the couple picked some amazing barbecue for dinner, and decorated the tables with simple flowers in mason jars. They used Spirit of Nashville postcards to help guests find their tables.

Instead of traditional table numbers, they framed two sets of postcards and had one set on the front table, when guests first walked into the venue, and the second set on all the tables. It was so fun to hear people say, “Oh, we're at the Belcourt Theatre table.” They put college and grad school friends at the “Vanderbilt” table. And, of course, the head table was “NashVegas.” (The couple’s home is filled with Spirit of Nashville vintage art, and they loved incorporating that personal touch into the wedding.)

We think they did an excellent job! This clever use of postcards would work for creating a Music City theme for any event. Now, isn’t that inspiring?

Photo credits: Stone Crandall

Sharing the Spirit of Nashville in China

Nashville-based organizations and businesses often ask us to supply them with Music City prints and gifts to present to visiting dignitaries from other places, or to give as gifts when they travel abroad. Spirit of Nashville art, books and postcards say so much about our great city—they also serve as valuable keepsakes or tokens of friendship.

Recently, our prints were presented as gifts in China by Ken Cheeseman, Head of School at St. Paul Christian Academy, who took a five-city tour of China with a program hosted by Independent Education and the Elementary School Heads Association (ESHA). On this fifteen-day immersion into Chinese culture, he visited with numerous school administrators and teachers. Our prints served as good-will gifts from Nashville, Tennessee.

St. Paul Christian Academy is a junior kindergarten through sixth grade co-educational, private school located in Green Hills. Its mission is to integrate academic excellence with a passion for Christ to develop a strong foundation for young leaders who uniquely shape the world in which they live. The Academy is located at 5035 Hillsboro Road, Nashville, TN. www.stpaulchristianacademy.org

Ken Cheeseman has been Head of School at St. Paul Christian Academy for the past 12 years. Read more about his trip here.

If you need a slice of Nashville to give to a visiting dignitary, or if you plan to visit friends, clients, or officials in other countries, please visit our site or our studio store to pick up some unique Music City gift items to take on your trip!

Decorate with Music City Postcards

The creative folks at Anderson Design Group have a few more home decor ideas that involve decorating with postcards.

Dress up any table with a Music City postcard collage!
Need a way to add color or brighten up a plain glass-topped table? Here is an inexpensive way to create your own table-topper conversation piece. Simply remove the glass, arrange Spirit of Nashville postcards, and place the glass back on top of the card collage. This looks great on a coffee table but can be used on any glass-topped table.

Supplies:

Glass-topped table

Spirit of Nashville Post Cards

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Create a Spirit of Nashville postcard wall border!

If you want a Music City themed room, (great for a guest room!) but painting a giant guitar on the wall isn't quite your style, we have a beautiful yet simple solution. You can add color and a Music City flare to any room by simply adhering our Spirit of Nashville postcards side-by-side to your walls.

Supplies:

Spirit of Nashville Postcards

Poster tack or wall safe adhesive 

Ladder or stool

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Hang a postcard laundry line!

If you like our art but don't have a lot of wall space, the designers at Anderson Design Group have a great tip on how to use our postcards in your home decor. Here is a simple and inexpensive way to decorate a small or medium sized space. All you need is an indoor laundry line, string or wire, wooden clothes pins, and your favorite Spirit of Nashville postcards.

Supplies:

Indoor laundry line or string of your choice

Spirit of Nashville postcards

Wooden clothes pins

How to:

Install laundry line with screws, or nails. Then use clothes pins to attach Spirit of Nashville postcards to the line. The jumbo postcard pack has 60 cards, so you can change your art as often as you like!

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Arrange a Music City postcard bouquet!

Our postcards look great when clustered together. To make a postcard bouquet, use anything made for displaying photos. Or to personalize the bouquet, sprinkle in some photos of someone special.

Music City Wedding Ideas

For a Music City-themed wedding, our postcards make great Save The Date cards or Wedding Invitations. It takes a little work, but we think its worth it!

Save The Date Cards
To create these adorable cards, use customizable rubber stamps to add your information to the back of our Spirit of Nashville Post Cards. Just drop them in the mail...no envelopes needed!

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NashVegas Wedding Theme

The guest book at any event is one of the first things your guest will see. If it is done right, the guest book can set the tone for the event and become valuable keepsake after it’s all over. To add a little spice to your special day try using one of our prints or a coffee table book. Here is what one creative bride did for her Music City wedding...

You can order a Spirit of Nashville print and have guests sign it, or you can put the print in a mat, and have your guests sign the mat. We found these great photos from Style Me Pretty and A Delightful Day

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Pancake Pantry Guestbook/ Table Decor
You can dress up any venue to enhance the Music City theme. This brilliant bride planeed an event at Nashville’s very own Pancake Pantry. She slid our prints under the glass at each table to add an extra Spirit of Nashville touch to the place.

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Coffee Table Guest Book
Here is a unique wedding souvenir idea: Have all your guests sign a Spirit of Nashville coffee table book. Encourage your guests to write all over our full-color 9" x 12" 120-page coffee table book. They will enjoy writing their comments and best-wishes. After the honeymoon, you can read and treasure your favorite Music City Memories for years to come.

Postcards From Around the World

In this day of texting, Facebook and e-mail, it is always a delight to receive a hand-written note in the mail. Sending postcards is a fun and stylish way to communicate... and collecting postcards has become a favorite hobby for people of all ages.


Postcard Swapping & Collecting
A growing number of people all over the world collect post cards. If you like sending and receiving cool postcards, try using this service.  You will find that folks from other countries LOVE Music City!

Supplies:
Spirit of Nashville post cards
Postage

Go to post crossing, fallow the instructions on how to get a post card ID and address, send people across the world Spirit of Nashville cards.


Postcards for our Troops

Our military servicemen and women can always use a card or letter of support from someone in the States. By sending Spirit of Nashville or Art and Soul of America post cards they we can show our appreciation and remind them of home.

Supplies:
Spirit of Nashville Postcard Set or Stationery Note Card Set
Postage
Military Address (Army, Marines, Navy, Coast Guard)