Good Monday morning! I want to share a little with you this morning. We have just had Thanksgiving and it seems everyone is anxious to get to Christmas. We all need a little more joy in our life right? How about, as we move toward Christmas, that we remember Who we are celebrating this season.

Many are also looking to take a new path in the coming year .... leaving behind the mixed emotions of 2020 and looking with cheer at a new year. {Hey I am a poet and didn't know it! LOL} Many are looking for new opportunities at work or personally, new relationships - personal or business, and much more.

My hubby and I have already decided a thing or two about the coming year. One big thing for Cynthia Welch Designs is that we are cutting back on shows. At this point we are keeping only one show on the calendar. More on that show as it gets closer. Shows are awesome ways to meet new customers and other artists. They are also a LOT of work to show & sell our merch in a very short time.

This change will give us more time to develop in other areas. It'll give us more time to work on new handmade merch ideas, build our skills in the ones we decide to try & keep. It will also give us more time to concentrate on our local followers and customers.

I will be keeping my booth at Joe's Boots of Houma. This booth is one of our mainstays. You will continue to find a great selection of merch and fair prices. As long as it continues to work out for me and Lagniappe Shoppe in Thibodaux, I will continue to have merch there too. 95% of my merch is not duplicated so you will find different amazing pieces in each location ... Joe's Boots of Houma and Lagniappe Shoppe in Thibodaux.

This coming year we are wanting to develop new items that are handmade by me, hubby and our daughter. I have an online course I signed up for to learn a "new to me" painting technique. I have specific thing I want to try my hand at. It will help beautify your home and will be handmade by me. I'll share more on that project and the painting class in other posts. Dh has already started on seasonal project. He is making and selling pallet Christmas trees. He has another project he wants to work on to have available this spring and summer. Dd is getting more involved in The Barn, my shop, developing her own projects. When she has something ready to show you or tell you about, we'll do so!

What would you love to see us develop or start making? We love suggestions from our friends and customers. Drop us a line at cynthiawelchdesigns@comcast.net and share your idea(s) or leave a comment below.

God bless you,

Cindy Welch

Happy Tuesday peeps! I hope you are having fabulous fall weather and a fabulous Tuesday. So what is going on today in The Barn? Well, let me tell you! November 20-22, 2020 we are attending Market At the Mill in New Roads, LA. It is beautiful show in a very vintage venue. It is held in downtown New Roads in the Cotton Seed Oil Mill. Let me tell you, this very vintage venue has a soaring roofline and is wide open for events such as this.

Cynthia Welch Designs will be bringing merch that ranges from smalls, to mediums to bigs. Smalls are things that are typically smaller pieces of home decor. Examples would include coasters, vintage small bowl that would hold jewelry, a candy dish, tea towels, etc.

Mediums are bigger than a small (duh!) but smaller than furniture. It might include something like a decorative wood ladder, galvanized bucket, oversized candlestick or vase, etc.

Large merch would include merch like furniture, trunks, wall art, milk can, etc.

I encourage you to take a day or weekend during November 20-22 to browse, shop and even purchase Christmas gifts!  It is the perfect outing for a girls day (or weekend) out and away.  

There is Best Western in New Roads that is a short drive from the Mill. There are plenty of restaurants to choose from for dining. St. Francisville is only about a 15-20 minute drive from New Roads. There is plenty to keep you busy in the charming town of New Roads.

Have questions? You can PM me on Facebook if you like!

God Bless,
Cindy Welch

Happy Tuesday afternoon Peeps!  Do you know you are special to me?  YES ~ you are!  I appreciate everything you do to make this world a better place … a smile, the community service you do, your dedication to your job, your place in your family … it all adds up to someone pretty special doing special things!

I am writing a blog entry today due to some special big news that I want to share with you.  Oh, and to piggyback on my excitement over this news … I have disco music going on!  LOL Yes, I have some positive energy going on here and the disco music fits this afternoon!  LOL

As you know I have a booth at a business I own with my husband, Joe’s Boots of Houma.  It is my premier location in Houma.  A friend, and fellow vintage lover, Paulette of Delillah Jane Designs has some space in this booth as well.  We love this business, have been friends longer than we’ve been active in this business and will remain friends no matter what.

Before I ventured into having a permanent booth anywhere, dh and I did a lot of weekend shows.  We have done local, out of town and out of state shows.  We still have a love for those shows which include the franchise Vintage Market Days, Market at the Mill, etc.

Now we are venturing over to some new territory for us … having a booth in Thibodaux, Louisiana, while keeping our booth in Houma.  As of this morning I signed a contract to have a small booth in Lagniappe Shoppe now located at the icehouse in Thibodaux!  Yes!  Ashli of Lagniappe is investing in Thibodaux with this revitalization of the old icehouse on St. Patrick.

I have been over there a few times and the store is coming along quite nicely.  I love the vintage vibe from this building and the fact that it’s a landmark.  I believe you’ll love shopping there.  Last Saturday and this morning a friend and I got meet some others who will have booths there as well.

My booth will be near the entrance and will feature the things I love, and sometimes I love them so much it’s hard to part with them!  {very big grin} I will post pics of my booth with merchandise as I make progress. However, I am posting a pic of how my booth sits now.  It is empty and lonely but won’t be that way for long.

Lagniappe will be opening on Thursday, November 5.  Yes, that is correct ... in just a few days.  Next week on Thursday is the first day it’s open to the public!  You’ll want to be there the first day to take it all in.  The grand opening is scheduled for Saturday, December 5.

Shopping my booths at Joe’s Boots of Houma and Lagniappe in a Thibodaux will be a unique experience.  Almost everything I have is one of a kind.  You will rarely see repeats of something.  This means different merchandise at each store, but it will all be vintage, upcycled, well-loved, and ready to make your home its forever home.  It also means that when a one-of-a-kind piece sells, it's gone forever.  It's important to act fast!

If you are looking for something in particular, please feel free to contact me.  I am happy to assist you by letting you know if I have what you’re looking for.  If you want to make an appointment for a consultation at one of my booths, I am also available for that as well.

I look forward to seeing you at Cynthia Welch Designs, now located in Joe’s Boots of Houma and Lagniappe Shoppe in Thibodaux.

Much love,

Cindy Welch

Let’s Talk Silver and Silver Plate

Let’s Talk Silver and Silver Plate

First let me say I am not an expert, just a silver-plate collector.  I love looking for silver-plated pieces that have that beautiful patina.  The more patina the better in my book!  LOL  I wanted to have this discussion here, because for one thing, because it's a little longer than I usually make a post to my Facebook page.  Also, it has been a long time since I posted here, last summer!

There is a difference between silver and silver-plate.  One more has more value than the other.  Do you know which one has more value?  There are simple ways to tell the difference between the two also.  You can learn more here at this link:  https://antiquesilver.org/is-your-antique-silver-solid-or-plated/

Today I want to focus on how we can use silver plated items in our home.  I will include some visual ideas also in the form of photos and links.

So, what can we do with silver plated items?  There are a lot of ways to use it.  Of course, the first thing that comes to mind is using trays, bowls and flatware as serving pieces for family occasions and holidays.  However, it’s not limited to special occasions.

I have included 3 photos of how I use some silver-plated trays in my home.  In all three photos you will see I use the trays to anchor a vignette.  I have left the patina on each tray.  It is my opinion and preference that the patina adds more character to silver-plated pieces.  No two pieces will tarnish in exactly the same way.  Did you know there is a way to take a shiny piece of silver-plate and accelerate the tarnishing process?  YES!  Here are a couple of videos to show you how.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC3JEr6y4PY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJ5zN6SiNTw

One photo is from my den where we use a trunk as a coffee table.  I love how the old trunk and the patina-bearing silver-plate is an amazing mix of textures and finishes.  It holds a painted metal cross, a compass and a candle.

Another photo is from my den.  The tray sits atop a wood cabinet that is painted dark.  I love the look of the painted wood and the silver-plated tray that is full of patina.  The tray holds a few things that add some texture and memories.  It holds a bag of cotton, a sea shell hand painted by a friend, a photo holder, and a decoupaged clay pot with a votive in it.

The last photo is from our living room and features a vintage wood side table that holds another silver-plated tray.  This tray holds a photo of our daughter from a few years ago, a genuine delft piece and a travertine coaster I made a few years ago.

You can group anything together on your trays.  If you use things you love and that hold good memories, it is certain to look good.  Decorating this way does not take an interior decorator’s degree.

You can take other pieces besides trays and do similar things.  I have a 4-tiered silver-plated display and storage piece that I will be using in my booth.  I will use it to display my dish scrubbies that are for sale.  In your home you could use a piece like this to display dish towels in your kitchen, soaps, and other grooming goodies in your bathroom, etc.

If you already are using silver-plated pieces in your home, post a photo and/or a comment to share your ideas with us.  I would love to see how you’re using it.

I have some silver-plated trays and a child’s cup in my booth at Joe’s Boots of Houma.  You may view them anytime during normal store hours.  I also have some pitchers and another child’s cup in my workshop, The Barn.  If you are interested in seeing the pitchers or the other cup, let me know.  You can text me at 985-381-3154 or DM me on Facebook at Cynthia Welch Designs (see link below).

I hope you'll like and follow my Facebook page found at the link below.  It is the best way to keep up with what is going on.

https://www.facebook.com/CynthiaWelchDesigns/