A New Era

Have you ever loved doing something then faced a situation where you could no longer do that fun thing?  I have been faced with that scenario the last few weeks and am hoping to resolve it one way or another.

When I first started my art business a few years ago I started with 4”x4” tumbled travertine coasters and 8”x8” tumbled travertine trivets.  I have many designs for each saved that I made over the years.  Some of the design themes are inspirational, sports, fleur de lis, holidays, monogram, and of course some that are hard to classify into one category.

For many years I obtained 4”x4” tiles from a local flooring store, Wrights.  They provided excellent customer service and quality products.  After being in business for about 30 years, Wright’s has closed their doors for the last time due to illness.  Just before they closed, I was able to place one last order for 2 cases of tiles.  They are such wonderful people it’s hard to see that “partnership” end.  I am hoping to see them around town.

I obtained the 8”x8” tiles from another local store until the tiles were no longer available, a few years ago.  Well, technically they are available but in sets with a variety of sizes in each set that I cannot use.  However, I recently found a stash at my home that I had put away for “safe keeping.”  They were put away so well that I had forgotten them for a long time!  I am so happy to have found them!  I have a couple of my trivets featured here and will be adding more to my website.

The situation now is that I am having difficulty finding even the 4”x4” at a price that keeps this line of products affordable.  My costs are tripled or almost tripled with the available locations from which I can purchase, or the tiles were not available for order from their warehouses.  I do not want to have to raise prices on my coasters nor face having to offer inferior products just to have this line of products in my offerings.

Considering what I have found I will offer my remaining coasters and when they are gone, they are gone, sadly.  My remaining coasters are first quality and something I would have in my own home.  If this were not the case, I would pull them from my website.  Rest assured, they make beautiful functional gifts for yourself, your family or your friends.

The upside to this situation is that it is moving me toward finding new and interesting handcrafted items to have in my shop.  Sometimes we face one door closing to find another door open.  So this is a new era at Cynthia Welch Designs.  I am proud of the coasters and trivets I have offered but look forward to new things to come!

This is where you, my friends, customers and subscribers come in.  I am looking for input from you!  See my questions for you below.

• What unique, upcycled, hard-to-find, handcrafted items are you looking for?  The unique items you’re looking for may be for decorating your own home.  The handcrafted gifts for family or friends may be for holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, a housewarming or retirement, a wedding gift or other occasion.

• What is one thing you are looking for to complete a vignette in your home?  This “one thing” could be an accent piece or the main piece to get he vignette started.

• What do you usually look for when purchasing a gift for the person who has everything?  When someone seemingly has everything, they are a challenge when it comes to gift-giving.  Do you look for practical and functional gifts or something they love but would never purchase for themselves?

•  When you look gifts, what price range do you typically look for?  I ask this question no to be nosey!  vbg  I ask because I want to try to cover different price points in my online shop, if possible.

• What comes first when looking for décor or gifts … form (beauty and attractiveness) or function?

Now I have 3 things for you to do.  Choose one or more to do right now!  Please share one of the following...

1. This blog
2. My coasters and trivets .... Click here to see my coaster selections.
   Click here to see my trivet selections.
3. My business page and my group!  Click here to go to my Facebook business page.
   Click here to go to my Facebook group.

I hope you have a great day!

God bless,

Cindy

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

All About the Monarch

Featured Product of the Day

Hellloooo fabulous friends! I have a trio of premium travertine products today that work together as a set. All feature monarch butterflies. Let me tell you a little about them.

The first is an 8"x8" travertine trivet that is covered in monarch butterflies and a script background. It is ready to handle hot pots & casseroles straight from the stove or oven. It has rubber feet on the bottom to prevent scratching your surfaces. The top surface will come sealed to help prevent stains from use in the kitchen. Of course this trivet is pretty enough to decorate with on an easel anywhere in your home!



The second is a set of four travertine coasters that have a single monarch butterfly on it. It also has a light script background. The coasters are unsealed so it'll absorb moisture from an iced beverage that condensates.



The final product for today is a travertine plaque (3"x6") featuring butterflies and a script background that is ready to hang. It is a cute addition where you need something small to decorate with.



Normally these beauties sell for a total of $59 when purchased separately. However, if you order this 3 piece set of butterflies, it is only $49.95. Price is good through Friday, September 12, 2015. Shipping is extra. Those who live local can arrange free local pick up or delivery. To receive this special price you must contact me at 985-381-3154 or customcoastersbycindy@comcast.net.

I hope you have an awesome day and hope to hear from you soon!