Cool Connections

Hello My Fab Friends!!!

Have I told you that I love connecting with all of y’all? Yes, I said “all of y’all”!! LOL That is the plural of “y’all” here in my little world. Maybe it is for you too. I want you to know that I don’t think of you just as customers but as friends or friends I not yet met.

I got to see an old friend Saturday and it was so much fun. Well, she is not old but we have known each other about 14 years. She would hate for me to call her old. We got to catch up and it was a special celebration for one of her kids so plenty of really cool people were there. It was just plain inspiring and fun. I cannot say enough how much fun I had.

Saturday evening dd and I went to a “drive in” with dh for his car club. People with all kinds of old or new or --- not quite new or old --- cars, trucks and motorcycles show up at a previously chosen parking lot. It’s free and there are more cool people, vehicles, and since we are in south Louisiana .... plenty of food. Even if it means walking to Burger King or whatever is close by.

Then, today I went to worship my Savior this morning and have some Bible study with more, yes — cool friends. Some of those cool friends went to lunch and invited us to tag along. Maybe one of these days we will be cool too after all this “coolness” going on. However, the coolest thing of all was worshiping and knowing I am loved by the coolest Person of all, Jesus. It is okay to call Jesus cool because he is the King of Cool.

This afternoon I spent time at my Creation Station and have a new design to show for it. You can see it below. It is a fish design on scabos travertine. Scabos is a color of travertine. I just LOVE the awesome scruptiousness of scabos, just so much character and depth. I think it is my new favorite thing about my passion ... I cannot call this work ... work is just too, well, boring and “in the box” type word.

I have been so blessed to find my passion. This passion means getting ...
● my hands dirty, as I did today, in a fun way
● to create something new every day if I choose
● to see the face of a thrilled customer the first time she sees her purchase
● make some awesome new friends
● to work from home in a cozy, sometimes cluttered, but always awesome studio
● to go to some cool craft shows

I still believe it was God who awakened this passion in me. I give Him the credit for any good thing that comes out of this work, oops, passion I have. I sure hope that if you have not yet found your passion that you will ask God to show it to you. Ask Him to give you a passion for Him, for your life’s mission, for other people! He will do it if you ask.

More to come later ....

Blessings,
Cindy

Administrative Professionals' Day

Administrative Professionals' Day
(also known as Secretaries Day)

Date: Wednesday, April 23

Administrative Professionals' Day is fast approaching. Show your appreciation to your staff by giving unique and practical gifts. It's time to place orders to receive them in time! Custom coasters, trivets, plaques and greeting cards are appropriate and unique gifts for your staff. Order now and you have time to personalize gifts for your staff. I would suggest monogram coasters (#1005) or a fleur de lis design. All of my designs are easily searchable and viewable at www.customcoasersbycindy.com.

This is an example of the 1005 style monogram. All monograms available.

This is one example of a fleur de lis design. Other fleur de lis designs are on my website.

Local Pricing & Pick Up
Those in the Houma, Thibodaux, and Morgan City have the following pricing if you arrange local pick up ...

4"x4" Coasters---$20/set
8"x8" Trivets---$25 each
3"x6" Plaques---$10 each

4"x6" Cards $10, pack of 5 identical cards, envelopes included
5"x7" Cards $13, pack of 5 identical cards, envelopes included

Those in the Houma, Thibodaux, and Morgan City area may place orders and arrange free local pick up by calling me at 985-381-3154.

Blessings,
Cindy
985-381-3154
customcoastersbycindy@comcast.net
www.facebook.com/customcoastersbycindy

A Little Bit of This, That and Thanks

Hey Y’all,

I hope you’re weekend is all you hoped it to be. Things I am grateful for:
∙ Supper Friday evening at Boudreaux’s & Thibodeaux’s with our new friends from Michael’s Pickles
∙ Awesome weather the last few days
∙ A busy booth at Southdown Marketplace yesterday
∙ A meaningful worship service on this Palm Sunday at First Baptist Church of Houma

We had a booth at Southdown’s Marketplace yesterday but let me back up a bit. After Oak Alley’s spring festival we had pre-arragned with our friends from Michael’s Pickles from Folsom to meet up again at Southdown. They were planning to come down on Friday to set up and we made plans to eat at Boudreaux’s and Thibodeaux’s in Houma. Let me just say YUM YUM!!

So we went to set up on Friday and the weather cooperated completely! Like we had anything to do with it, of course. We found Michael and Flo and set a meet up time at Boudreaux’s and Thibodeaux’s. I am so thankful that my awesome hubby is able to help set up . He makes it look easy but we both know it’s not. However we are getting it down to a science for us ... starting with packing up his truck to unloading his truck when we are done with the show.

After setting up our booth we met Flo and Michael over at Boudreaux’s and Thibodeaux’s and had some sure ‘nough cajun food. It is a little place here in town that serves good home cooking, cajun style. Check it out sometime. It was so nice to just sit and visit and not have to worry about neglecting customers and friends who stop by our booths. Flo and Michael are genuinely great people and you should check out their booth and their online presence. At facebook: Michaels-Pickles and their website is www.mcpickles.com.

Southdown gives us the shortest commute ever to a festival or show. If it were any closer to our house we’d have in our backyard! LOL One thing we do not get on the short commute is our unwind time and our “debriefing” about the event we just attended ... simply because the drive home is too short. However, this time we got to talk about it in the comfort of our own home in our barka loungers. We’ll their not really barka’s but you get the idea. We were whipped. It was all we could do to eat a bowl of cereal and get a shower after we unloaded.

We had a really brisk day at our booth. The Southdown shoppers were out early and in force, starting at opening time of 8:00 AM. I usually have the help of dh and dd but not this time, till around lunch. Dh worked a shift at the Rotary booth, slinging hot dogs. Dd went to the final choir practice for their presentation this morning.

The morning went very well despite working alone in my booth. Working alone also meant it went by pretty quickly, too. I got to see some old friends and meet some new customers. The customers were all so nice and polite and excited about what we had to offer. It still amazes me when someone loves my work ... I feel like Sally Field won her Oscar for Places in the Heart. Here is what she said in part ...

I owe a lot to my family for holding me together and loving me and having patience with this obsession of me. But I want to say thank you to you. I haven't had an orthodox career and I've wanted more than anything to have your respect. The first time I didn't feel it, but this time I feel it. And I can't deny the fact that you like me. Right now, you like me! Thank you.

It is quite humbling when friends, who I know are ultimate crafters, come by and purchase from me or place an order! It’s like, why are you doing this? You could do this! But I sense deep down they are supporting their friend and fellow crafter even if it is something they could do at home. And for that I am grateful.

It also amazes me when total strangers want to spend their hard-earned money on something I have made. Hard-earned money is hard to let go of and I appreciate our customers purchasing from us when they could have spent their money elsewhere. My dear customers, YOU are so appreciated!!!

For those friends and customers who came by my booth when I stepped away for a few minutes for lunch, I apologize for not being there. Please give me a call or send me an email and we can talk! Maybe we can even have coffee. I never turn down a chance to have coffee, especially if chocolate is involved! LOL

Oh, dh and dd did get to our booth about lunch time and helped the rest of the afternoon. Their help was much needed and appreciated!!

I hope you’ll catch up with us at our next event. We will be at Vintage Garden Café (formerly Sweet Olive) on West Main on Saturday, May 3. The café will be open so shoppers may have lunch while there. They have some good seafood gumbo there. Maybe they’ll serve it that day as well. You’ll want to shop inside as well ... their vignettes are set up so cute to display their items for sale. Be sure to go upstairs as well.

I am thankful for our the choir at First Baptist of Houma for presenting a beautiful program this morning. It so reminded me what Easter is all about, the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. He is the true meaning of Easter! Next week First Baptist is hving the first service ever at the new location on West Park. You have probably seen Covenant Christian School out on West Park near Southern Estates. Our new sanctuary is now complete and ready, well almost, to support all our events, including worship.

If you’re in our area, please join us Easter Sunday at either 8:30 or 10:30 AM for a glorious time of worship. Our worship leader, Ben and our pastor, Steve, have been planning a special time of worship and celebration for this huge event in our church’s life. I would love to see YOU there!

God bless,
Cindy

www.facebook.com/CustomCoastersByCindy
www.twitter.com/Custom_Coasters

Back to the Beginning

Hey Y’all,

I am back today with a little education about tumbled travertine tile, which is the primary stone I use in my coaster and trivet business.

Travertine is a naturally occurring stone that occurs after the earth’s crust comes under high pressure with high heat. It undergoes metamorphic changes in the crust that causes the stone to form. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metamorphic_rock)

In the US, most of the travertine is imported from Turkey and 95% of the travertine comes through the port at Miami. It is then distributed throughout the country.

Travertine comes in several colors. I choose to work primarily on ivory travertine because the designs I make up tend to show up better, and it happens to be a classic color that goes with most decor. However, other colors that I can obtain are scabos, noche or a light gray.

Each tile is unique in terms of mottling or veining. Tiles may have streaks or bands of one or more colors running through the stone. Tiles from the same quarry will have an overall similarity.

The tumbling process leave travertine with a natural finish that has very textured. The stone has naturally occurring pits, dimples, divets, and holes. It has a matt finish with no gloss. You will find the edges rounded or with a worn appearance, giving it an aged look.

Depending on where you shop, the tumbled travertine may be filled or unfilled. The tiles I chose to use are unfilled. It gives a more natural, rustic appearance to the coasters.

Because travertine is a naturally occurring stone, no two tiles will exactly look alike. Of course they are similar but it’s like looking at two fingerprint. When looking at tiles you’ll see they have pits, dimples, similar color and worn appearance but the variation of those characteristics is different from one tile to the next. When purchasing our coasters please understand that those characteristics are what makes your coaster set unique from every other set, even when the same design s applied.

Blessings,
Cindy

From the Alley to the Marketplace

Hey Y’all,

I am writing to y’all with a mixture of emotions. I am glad, thankful, amazed, and dumbfounded. Yes, all those feelings at once. How can that be? Well, let me start a the beginning.

As many of you know we had a booth at Oak Alley this past weekend for their spring arts and crafts festival. (For those who want to know more about the plantation .... https://www.facebook.com/oakalleyplantation.)

We had spent a couple of weeks getting ready for the two day show, our first two day show! As the weekend approached we watched the weather closely, as we always do leading up to a show. We had originally planned to set up on Friday but had a change of plans. Very poor weather was predicted for Friday night .... wind and rain. Way too much for us to feel comfortable setting up on Friday afternoon. We decided to wait and leave early on Saturday morning to set up and prepare for the day of shopping.

We arrived at the beautiful plantation around 7:00 AM and were disappointed to find out we could not park in the vendor parking because it was too wet. Once we got to the grounds ... boy were we in for a surprise! Talk about WET and MUDDY!! Oh, NO! We ended up with a big sloppy mess. On Saturday shoppers were abandoning shoes to go barefoot. Yes, mud squishing between their toes and all. Oh, we determined that holding your arms out like bird wings and tiptoeing does not help your feet stay cleaner, nor does it keep you from sinking in the mud! It just makes you look silly! LOL

We quickly learned that we just had to work with what we had and what we had was mud. BUT we also had the most important fashion item you can have in that situation .... rubber boots! We were wishing we had a booth up front selling rubber boots because we could have made a killin’. Seriously. Many shoppers would have given their eye teeth for rubber boots!

To Oak Alley’s credit, they had their grounds crew out spreading mulch throughout the walk ways. They worked from 6:00 AM - 11:00 PM on Saturday spreading mulch. They got back on the job spreading mulch on Sunday at 6:00 AM. They worked like dogs the whole day. We greatly appreciated their hard work and expressed our thanks that day on numerous occasions.
Of course there were some “Negative Nellies”--there are always a few in every crowd--who wanted to vent to everyone in earshot, expressing their displeasure and disdain concerning the grounds. I am dumbfounded that they thought their negativity would get the mulch out any quicker. :( We did our best to ignore their negativity and stay positive for our sakes mostly, and for those around us. We decided it was what it was and we were not in control of the weather nor getting the grounds in a better state.

We know Oak Alley did not want the grounds muddy any more than the rest of us. I am sure they wanted everyone to have a pleasant experience. The few people I got to meet from the Oak Alley plantation were polite, friendly and helpful even in the middle of a trying situation.

We had an awesome time. We made some new friends, go to see some “new” friends from Frisco Fest at the San Francisco Plantation in Garyville, Louisiana, had some great food. Oh, I forgot to mention the food booths. The food was so good. And this is coming from the pickiest eater in our family. I had the crab cake on a bun with the sauce. It was so delicious I had it on both Saturday and Sunday! The Oak Alley pralines are divine! Dh had some sausage from the booth with the German food and said it was very good. He had the fried fish combo on Sunday and said it was delicious. Dd, the girl that she is, stuck with a burger and fries. The burger was more than she could eat!

Loading up after this show took about 3 times longer than normal due to havign to park so far away. We were so tired lst night we were almost sick. This morning when I turned on my radio I was so relieved .... Lifesongs radio in New Orleans (www.lifesongs.com) was having praise and prayer request day. It was so uplifting to hear some positivity going on ... not being positive just to be positive but because God is at work in our lives!! Yeah! He is in control, and thank God it’s not ME in control! LOL

Our plans are to go back to Oak Alley. We hope to see you there in the fall! We are praying and hoping for better weather but only God is in control of that!

I spent some time today gathering supples I need to work on more coasters. I have a big order to fill for a local gift shop. Plus I need to replenish for Southdown Marketplace in a couple of weeks. I had to get tiles, ribbon, felt pads, ink and much more. Oh, the goodies I have to play with now!! :)

I am looking forward to meeting and visiting with our customers and our neighboring vendors at Southdown. I hope to see you there on Saturday, April 12. https://www.facebook.com/SouthdownMuseum

God Bless,
Cindy

Weddings and Gifts

Spring is officially here and summer will be here before we know it. We all know that this means weddings! You are sure to find those gifts for the upcoming wedding season at Custom Coasters by Cindy. Brides love to receive a personalized gifts and any of the items I design can be personalized for the happy couple. Most designs can take a monogram and/or their wedding date.

Brides are also looking to give unique gifts to their wedding party. I work with brides to accomplish this. One idea is to order a set of 4 coasters and a trivet that matches or coordinates with each other and give this as a gift to each attendant. Several designs will work for both female and male attendants.

I am also able to work out a design for wedding favors to give to each person attending the wedding. As wedding favors, one design can be applied to coasters so that each guest in attendance receives one coaster as a wedding favor to take home to remember the special occasion.

The happy couple may want to order specially designed thank you gifts for their parents or for each other to commemorate the day.

Please give enough advance notice to work out a design and to have it ready for your big day, whether ordering for your wedding party, wedding favors, or for parent/bride/groom gifts. Pricing varies so please ask for a free quote.

Blessings,
Cindy

www.customcoastersbycindy.com
www.facebook.com/CustomCoastersByCindy
http://customcoastersbycindy.blogspot.com/
www.pinterest.com/customcoastersbycindy
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Hello Y’all,

I hope this turn toward the Spring season, and actual springlike weather has you excited! Many of us are turning thoughts toward outside project–yard, garden, spring cleaning and outdoor fix up’s around the house. That is a good thing. However, we don’t want to be all work and no play!! LOL

How about planning a weekend getaway at Oak Alley next weekend? On Saturday and Sunday, March 29-30, Oak Alley is hosting it’s 2014 spring arts and crafts festival. Here is a link with more information: http://www.oakalleyplantation.com/spring-arts-crafts. There is a small admission fee but I believe it’s well worth it.

At Oak Alley I will have some items geared toward those “spring fever” thoughts, some items geared toward Easter, and of course, we cannot forget about our favorite teams, LSU and the Saints. Draft day for the NFL is coming up early in May. You want to have a reminder of your beloved Saints right there on your table, desk, or dresser all year long!

Of course I’ll ample other designs to choose from if these themes do not suit your fancy ... fleur de lis, travel, Paris, flourishes, cowboy boots and hats, tractors, Indian Motorcycle, and more. Many have a vintage theme or classic design that will work with most any decor.

Administrative Assistant’s Day is Wednesday, April 23. Flowers wilt and lunch or chocolates are soon eaten and forgotten. Recognize your administrative assistant with something that lasts year after year.

We know that the end of the school year brings plenty of gift giving occasions and you want to have those gifts on hand as they arise. What occasions do you have coming up?

The end of the school year means teacher appreciation. This includes your child’s school teacher, piano/voice or other music teacher, sport coach, tutor, etc. Don’t fall into the trap of giving another “themed” gift to the teacher based on his or her subject matter ... an apple-, sport- or music-themed gift is old news. Give a unique gift that your child’s teachers and tutors will treasure for years to come.

Graduation time is approaching as well. Surely you’ll be recieing graduation announcements in the mail. You will want to commemorate the graduate’s special day with a unique gift. Why write a check or give cash when you an give a present they will long remember and treasure?

Our products work well at housewarming and hostess gifts. The end of the school year is a common time for families to move or host parties. Treat your hosts to something special, something to celebrate with long after their special event is over. When your friends or family upgrade their home, you’ll want to help fill that space with love by giving them a gift that is pretty and practical.

Start your spring gift-giving list now and visit me at Oak Alley or my website at www.customcoastersbycindy.com. You’ll find the perfect gift and make someone happy! As always, locals in the Houma/Thibodaux/Morgan City area can call me at 985-381-3154 to arrange local pick up or delivery.

Sincerely,
Cindy

www.facebook.com/customcoastersbycindy.com
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Crafting Good Time

Hello everyone! I wanted to report that we had a good day yesterday at Frisco Fest in Garyville, Louisiana! Saturday we were there for 8:15 and the show began at 9:00 AM. At the end of the day we left at 5:00 PM, all secured and ready for more work today. However, the rain we had last night was more than the property could take, at least for a craft show. It was a slosh pit! LOL

We found out when we returned this morning (Sunday) that for the first time since Frisco Fest began, it was a rain out today. We immediately began packing our stuff, fortunately nothing was damaged. It was all washable and many things just needed to be air dried. We were able to spread out everything and it will be good to go. Of course everything will be double checked for quality and make sure it is top notch before our next show.

It was our first time at Frisco Fest and we had an enjoyable Saturday there. Saturday seemed to have a slow start but things began to pick up around lunch. The weather cooperated wonderfully as well. We were overcast a good bit of the day which provided some welcome relief from the sun. The temperature was not too hot, not too cold.

Craft show season here in south Louisiana is cranking up, Frisco Fest being our 2nd so far this season. I am not sure about the rest of the country but not too many people plan craft shows here in the summer ... too much of the 3 H’s .... heat, humidity, hurricanes! LOL August and September are our most active hurricane months so we have to be aware of the added risk when planning events, or planning to attend events, during those months.

Last year we did about 8 or so craft shows. We have enjoyed them and have gotten down a system for packing/unpacking. There is quite a learning curve when beginning a new adventure, including working as a vendor at craft shows. We learned today, too, even though we have been doing this just over a year ... bring some “Pierre” boots. LOL That is what I call rubber knee boots, often called “shrimp” boots down here in south Louisiana. Often shrimp boots are white but, of course, being a girl I have to dress them up a bit. My Pierre boots have leopard spots. (I got mine at Joe’s Boots in Houma, in case you’re wondering. They have other designs as well.) We also decided we need slickers. We were blessed today that we packed during a lull in the rain. I am sure our time is coming where we have to pack in the rain ... we’ll be ready with our rain boots and slickers when Murphy’s rule comes to roost! LOL

I had some very nice neighbors at Friso Fest, Michael’s Pickles. They had some very good cranberry pepper jelly. It was very tasty. If you ever see them at a craft show or see their products at a grocery store, check them out on face book at Michael’s Pickles. Oh, they will be at Oak Alley in a couple of weeks!

We have 2, possibly 3 more craft shows we plan to attend this spring. We are looking forward to them and LOVE meeting our customers and fellow vendors. It is fun to work solo in my studio at my Creation Station but I am thankful to get out and do a crafter’s version of a meet and greet, craft shows! :)

I hope you’ll come out to our next craft show in a couple of weeks at Oak Alley. The great folks from Michael’s Pickles were telling me about their awesome experience there last fall and boasted about how it was a quality event. I hope to see you there!

In the meantime check out my faceobok page at www.facebook.com/customcoastersbycindy or my website at www.customcoastersbycindy.com.

Blessings,
Cindy

Love is In the Air and the Air is Cold!

Hellllooo to Everyone!

I hope your winter is not too cold and that you have a warm corner to enjoy your favorite hot chocolate or hot tea. Our weather has been up and down, warm and cold, but this winter has been colder than most in the last few years. We are having winter weather advisories and we may get an ice storm ... all down here on the gulf coast in the USA. Wow! The air is cold and it makes it exciting but scary too, to think about getting out and about wi th all it can bring! Snow? Sleet? Ice? That are some of the predicitions, but we'll have to wait see if it actually happens.

The actual air may be cold but we have Valentine's Day coming soon to warm our hearts. We often think of our special someone around this time ... boyfriend, girlfriend, spouse--and we should. Valentine's is an awesome reminder of who we love and why. But it doesnt have to be just for boyfriends, girlfriends, or spouses. You may have a special somone you can honor with a special phone call, gift, or flowers, a visit, lunch or dinner.

What I'd like to suggest for your special someone is a gift from Custom Coasters by Cindy. At Custom Coasters by Cindy you'll find a special creation for that special someone. You will find plenty to choose from--coasters, trivets and cards. Almost anything you see at the site can be customized in color and several can have a monogram added, all at no extra charge.

If you live locally (Houma, Thibodaux, and Morgan City, LA) you may place an order through Monday, February 10. If you live out of our area you may place your order through Friday, February 7, to have it for Valentine's Day.

If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at 985-381-3154.

Blessings,
Cindy

New Year: Peace, Joy and Success

Hello Friends,

I hope this new year is bringing you peace, joy, and success in all areas of your life. We have made it through Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s all in one piece! LOL It can get hectic but it is all good when we remember The Reason we are thankful, celebrate Christmas and have hope for the new year.

Talking about the new year, many of us start planning out what we want to do, set goals, get organized and so on. I have set a goal to get my studio in order and have made a start on it. I have done some filing, shredding of old paperwork, boxing of paperwork for storage, and so on. Now to get closer to the finish line by clearing out some boxes and bags with assorted stuff in them and to clear off one of my work surfaces. There is always something to do!

While in my studio I will be doing some experimenting with some new inks, blenders, color combinations and creating some new designs. My hands are itching to get to the design table! As soon as I get some designs done I'll be posting them here.

Here is the latest design in trivets. Of course all colors can be customized. I could probably even sneak in a monogram if you wouldl like it personalized in that way.

I also am making plans for soupcoming craft shows. Two of the shows are a repeat appearanpce for me. We had a terrific experience and met me some really nice people. The first one is at Vision Christian Center. Last year it we experienced some late winter weather in March and we had to run our little portable heater for a while! Brrr. With the weather we’re having it makes me wonder if we’ll have a rerun of that weather. The cold weather did not keep people away though. I hope you’ll mark your calendar and come spend the day. You’ll find plenty of crafts, food, and entertainment.

Vision Christian Center
Saturday, March 8
8:00 AM-4:00 PM
Booth # 18
Bourg, LA
http://www.vcc4square.org/craftshow.php

The other craft show I have been accepted at is Southdown. I was there last fall and had an awesome experience and met some terrific people. I hope you’ll come out and get some retail therapy buying crafts ... better than mall shopping any day! LOL

Southdown Marketplace
Saturday, April 12
8:00 AM-4:00 PM
Booth # 55
Houma, LA
General Information: http://www.southdownmuseum.org/marketplace
Marketplace Map: http://www.southdownmuseum.org/Websites/southdownmuseum/files/Content/1852749/Marketplace%20Program%204.pdf

I hope you'll check out my website at www.customcoastersbycindy.com and my facebook page at www.facebook.com/customccoastersbycindy.

Toodles for now,
Cindy