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

From the Work Table: Monday

I hope this evening is finding you well. I started out slow today (too much antihistamine last night) but got busy later in the day and actually got several things designed and photographed. Today's designs are featured in this post. I hope you like them!

This first post is of an 8"x8" travertine trivet. It has a distressed finish with plenty of vintage charm. It has four rubber feet on the bottom. This trivet is eye pleasing and practical at the same time.

This next post is of a coaster set that can be for anyone. It will look good in a den, office, study, library or man cave. It features a compass on a script background with a distress finish. Each coaster has felt pads to protect your furniture. Coasters are 4"x4" and this one is shown in travertine. Also available in tumbled marble.

This next set of coasters reminds us to lean on the Lord for understanding and wisdom, featuring Proverbs 3:5-6 and a cross.

This next set features a teapot with a colored background this is mostly blue with a little beige. It is feminine and pretty, looking good in a dining room or a living room.

The last set of coasters featured from the work table this evening is another design that remindes us to trust in the Lord's understanding. It has a colored background giving it a unique finish.

As with any product that starts with stone, no 2 stones are exactly alike. The designs are all done by hand, not a machine. Please expect variations in the stone, color, and design. It is not a manufacturer's defect when this occurs.

I will be adding these desigsn to my website this week. I hope you'll stop by my website at www.customcoastersbycindy.com to see all my work. Have a blessed week.

Toodles for now,
Cindy
customcoastersbycindy@comcast.net

Football Season

Football season has arrived and the wonderful, awesome, good stuff that goes with it. It signals the start of fall, though here in south Louisiana, we won't really feel fall weather for quite a while. However, football energizes us and gets us "happy, happy, happy" as Duck Commander would say.

In line with the topic of football and Duck Commander, I want to let you know it's time to order your coasters and trivets for football parties. You know how friends can get excited and forget about their beverages on tables and other wood surfaces. You want to protect your furniture even during fun events like football game parties. And of course you want to be the first of your friends to have coasters for your beloved team(s). Trivets are great at protecting your counters and tables from hot pots and casserole dishes. We can create trivets that coordinates with your team coasters or your kitchen.

I currently have designs for the New Orleans Saints and LSU. Take your pick or get a set of each. The sooner you order them the better chance you have of getting them for the first regular season game. Plus, if you order in August, you get your name in the drawing for a free set of coasters with your monogram on them.

Here is a link to the LSU and Saints coasters ... (You may have to cut and paste the link into your browser.)


Fleur de lis coasters ... (You may have to cut and paste the link into your browser.)


For the men in your life who love to duck hunt, I have two designs of ducks that I can use to make coasters. One is a duck floating in water by reeds and one is a flying duck that I make to look just like a mallard. These coasters would look awesome in any man cave or hunting camp. These coasters, along with any other coaster order, qualify you for the drawing if purchased by August 31, 2013.

I will be posting pictures of the duck coasters by Saturday evening. They are not yet uploaded due to technical difficulties with my camera, which is being repaired.

Please feel free to call or email me with any inquiries at 985-381-3154 or at customcoastersbycindy@comcast.net.

Toodles for today,
Cindy