Quitting

Does it bother you when you have found a great product then down the road it disappoints?  Well, I have come across that in one of my supplies.  I am not about to start a tirade or rant but just sharing why it won’t be available any longer.

I want to share with y'all that I am discontinuing using ivory tumbled travertine tile for coasters.  It was a hard decision to make but it is done.  Ivory is a classic color for decorating and at the beginning it was all I used.  Read more to find out why I am discontinuing ivory.

I order my blank tiles by the case and this usually means I will get 50 or 60 in a case, depending on which color I have ordered.  When I take the blanks out to rinse before using them, quite often a quarter (or more) of the total tiles are unusable for most designs.  They are way too pitted or dimpled or have some other issue that keeps me from making them into coasters.  Since the coasters are 4”x4” squares, sometimes I can turn them one way or another to make a design work.  However, when multiples are ordered at my shop and I am low (say 20 or fewer tiles) it can get hard to find enough that work.

When I purchase them from my supplier, I must take the whole case.  I am not able to pick and choose which ones I want.  They are still great for backsplashes, etc. where they will be grouted.  In my case, I am not grouting them.  The learning curve is too great for the return and I would have to raise my prices to cover my time and the grout I'd have to purchase.  I feel my prices are where they should be for the quality my customers get.  I am not looking to up my prices.

So, I am phasing out the ivory.  In light of this I have created some listings for some monogram coasters where I have a ~few~ left.  In some of these monograms, I have only four (4) coasters, in one of them I have eight (8).  To see my shop simply go to Cynthia Welch Designs.

If you have your heart set on getting something else in ivory, please PM me with the style number and the quantity desired.  I will see if I have enough in my last little bit of ivory that can be used for your design.  First come, first served.

The next lightest color in tumbled travertine that use is Picasso.  It is a step or shade darker than ivory but still classic in look.  Think of ivory as one shade away from white.  Picasso is basically one shade away from ivory, sort of beige.  Any design that looked great on ivory will look good on Picasso.  If you really must have ivory I have ivory tumbled marble available.  Ivory is the only color I have in marble.

The difference between marble and travertine is that marble offers a smooth finish while travertine is pitted and dimpled.  Marble is not simply travertine with the holes and pits filled in.  It is a different stone.  (Kind of like Coca Cola and Pepsi are both dark colas but different in flavor.)  Marble and travertine are both formed under pressure underground but the processes are different.  To read more on this click  here.  Here is a photo of ivory marble

I also offer a silver tumbled travertine.  It pretty much looks like its name but varies from lighter to dark silver.  Here's a photo.

I also offer scabos tumbled travertine.  Oh my my!  Do I love this color or what?!  It is my absolute favorite color.  It is rich with color and character.  If you are looking for color and character not found in most stone coasters, then this is the color to start with.  The photo below does not really do it justice.

All of the above photos of tiles are representative in nature.  Each tile is unique and will vary in how it appears within it's color family.  No two are exactly alike, as all things in nature are not exact.  Though there are identical twins in humans, there are no identical twins in natural stone.  :D

You know I really liked ivory tumbled travertine.  I wish I could still offer it without so much waste from what I purchase.  However, everyone who buys from me is left with 3 great colors to choose from.  If you know what design you want but can’t decide on a tile color I am more than happy to help with tile selection.

If you have any questions about anything I offer, please let me know.  I am more than happy to help with product selection, color choices, gifts for upcoming holidays and occasions, etc.  You may contact me at cynthiawelchdesigns@comcast.net or PM me at https://www.facebook.com/CynthiaWelchDesigns

Happy Easter,

Cindy

A Weekend in Brandon

This past weekend my family and I had the pleasure of spending the weekend in Brandon, Mississippi.  We applied and were accepted to Vintage Market Days, the first of the VMD events in Mississippi.  This is a craft and vintage show is part of a franchise that holds craft shows in different towns and cities across the country.

We arrived on Thursday afternoon for set up and were shown where our booth was located.  The venue is used for equestrian and cattle related events.  I am not sure what is normally held there but there was absolutely no animal odor!  😃  The venue was neat and clean and already had some booths set up by other sellers who arrived that morning.  It was very cutely decorated all the way from the front entry all the way back.

My husband, our daughter and I got right to work by pulling our Suburban right to our spot.  We took a little over 2 hours to set up our booth which is about normal for us.  Afterwards we checked into our hotel which was only about 1.5 miles from the venue.  We had a nice dinner and rested up for the show to begin on Friday.

We spent Friday through Sunday meeting some very sweet customers who loved the show.  They all had good things to say about their experience at VMD.  Customers liked the venue as well as the booths and merchandise offered.  Our customers were also excited to hear that VMD would be returning in the fall.

In our part of the venue we had live entertainment.  We started off with a young lady who sang as she accompanied herself on guitar.  She had a fellow musician join her on keyboard.  Later that day a young man sang and played the guitar.  Both these musicians sang and played on both Friday and Saturday.  On Sunday, another young woman played guitar and sang.  All of them were very different but all the music was a good addition to the show.  All the music was family friendly and very much the kind you enjoy singing along to.

In our area of the venue we were with the food trucks.  Once they got cranked up, it made it difficult not to get hungry! {smile} There were a variety of food trucks each offering different food.

If you are looking for a girls’ weekend shopping trip or a family getaway this arts/crafts/vintage show is just the thing.  Tickets are good for re-entry so you don’t spend a fortune if you decide to go back the next day.

The next Vintage Market Days in Brandon, MS, is November 10-12, 2017.  You can check out the website for Vintage Market Days by clicking here.

Here's to hoping you have a great week.  My next post will be on Monday, April 1o.  A sneak peak at my topic is report on Market At the Mill in New Roads, LA.  You want to check that out by clicking here.

Painting and packing for the next stop,
Cindy Welch