Funny Coffee Beans Newest Design

Just thought I'd post a quick note to let you know that the next design (FCB07) of the Funny Coffee Beans collection has been completed. I've posted a picture of the stitch out on the site, but am including it here in case you don't have time to visit the web site right now.

This one took a little longer to perfect, but I think he's a cutie. Perfect for decorating napkins or kitchen towels, especially for that bachelor you know who loves coffee!

Have started the next design, so please stay tuned. As soon as it's ready, I'll post it here.

In the meantime, the placemats that I posted about last month have become a hit, even before they've been added to the web site. As soon as the new set is completed (first set has been sold), I'll upload a photo to the site on the Kitchen Decor page - http://www.sharianndesigns.com/kitchen-decor.html .

With the holidays arriving in less than 7 weeks, now is the time to plan those gifts. If you have something special in mind, give us a call so we can make you a hero for gift giving! Why not choose something that can't be found in the stores that everyone else will buy.

In the meantime, enjoy the beauty of the Fall season!

Holiday Project

Late last week, I realized that it was October and my new Christmas projects were not completed for the web site. In my defense, my excuse is I've been busy working on my new design set, working around the garden getting rid of weeds that seem to flourish, researching a new hobby (being mom to orchids) and also getting some carving done on a gourd I'm eager to finish. Does that work for a good excuse? It will have to do for now!

So, I gleefully sorted through my stash of holiday fabrics and realized I was lacking in some contrasting fabrics...sure, any excuse to buy more fabrics, right? This is spoken like a true fabricholic :)

Before heading out with my debit card polished and ready, I put some finishing touches on the pattern I created in EQ6. When I originally created this project in my mind in the spring, I hadn't completely decided on the embroidery designs I was going to use. Yes, I know, the time to complete this project should have happened in July, but with the move and setting up the new house, there were too many distractions.

After printing out one of the images of the project, along with the yardage I needed, it was time to head out to audition all the possible candidates for this fun project. It didn't take much effort to find the right selections, which seemed to eagerly jump into my cart. Although I may still need to hit another store or two "just in case", I think I made some jolly selections.

With fabrics happily in hand, I headed home and began the process of laundering everything so I can begin cutting these festive fabrics into strips, squares, rectangles and hst's. Soon I'll be busy embroidering the designs, which I purchased from Embroidery Library - http://www.emblibrary.com/EL/new.aspx?date=071311 - check out the stackable designs. They are so cute!

Here's a sample of 8 placemats I finalized in EQ6, complete with the embroidery designs I selected.

On another note, the next design in the Coffee Bean collection is ready. For a coffee bean, she's rather stylish, don't you think?

The next design is in the works, so it looks like I'll have to bring out the extra embroidery machine so I can multi-task between both projects!

Hopefully you are having an equally creative time, and if not, remember, the holidays are less than 11 weeks away!

Shari

Coffee Bean designs

After having some difficulties with my digital camera, I was finally able to upload the newest design in the Coffee Bean collection. I feel that it resembles many of us coffee lovers checking our email!

While I was back in Illinois during August, I worked on design #6, and it should be ready sometime this week. So please stay tuned :) And I have some cute plaid trimmed towels that I plan to embroider these designs on for the web site. Those will be posted on the site on the Kitchen Decor page - http://www.sharianndesigns.com/kitchen-decor.html .

I've also been gearing up for Christmas, my favorite holiday of the year. I have a new machine embroidered lace ornament that will be uploaded to the Holidays page - http://www.sharianndesigns.com/kitchen-decor.html.

I hope you'll check back often to see all the new things that are being added to the site! In the meantime, have a terrific week.

Changes To The Web Site

Time just seems to move by much too quickly these days! It's now September, we are moving closer to the end of summer and the beginning of my favorite season, autumn. Although we are now Floridians, and won't see the glorious colors of the season in the Midwest, we'll be able to enjoy less humid air, slightly cooler temperatures during the day and a crispness in the air in the evening.

I'm moving away from some of the embroidered gifts I've offered and will be concentrating more on my baskets and carved gourds. I will still digitize new embroidery designs as well. I won't be offering aprons or embroidered frame inserts any longer, so those items will be removed from the web pages. Since the response to our variety of embroidered towels is wonderful, I will continue these, as well as adding new sets in the coming weeks. The lace ornaments will also remain as lots of customers have not only ordered them for their own holiday decorating, but also as gifts.

My new set of embroidery designs that is in the works, Funny Coffee Beans, is such a fun group of designs for those who love anything coffee! These designs can be used on towels, aprons, covers for small kitchen appliances, napkins, a quilted wall hanging or anything else that suits your fancy! Below is one of the latest designs that I've completed so far.

There will be 30 designs to this set when completed, 10 small (4"x4") filled designs and then 10 designs in redwork in two sizes (4"x4" and 5"x 5").

Finally, our fax option for ordering will be available as of September 13, which will make ordering either designs or one of our other products easier. Of course, you can still reach us by phone to place your order!

Have a terrific week and I hope you'll check our site often for new gift ideas.

Shari

New Location

We have moved to a new home in a new state!  It will take a little while to get unpacked and completely organized, but it’s an exciting new adventure.

Over the next couple of days, I’ll be making some necessary changes to the web site, such as address and phone.    In the meantime, we’re enjoying the sunshine and warmth of Florida!

We’ll chat again very soon,

Shari

New Year and New Changes

Can it really be true I haven't posted to my blog since last September? I've been extremely busy, but I had no idea it has been that long.

I have added a new basket to the web site and thought I'd give you followers a peak at it here. This basket has a hardwood base and is woven with flat oval and round reed, in a combination of natural and smoked reed, in a pretty double arrow pattern. It's perfect for fruit or other things you need to store in a decorative basket.

I like this pattern by Dianne Gleixner so much that I need to make a basket for my own kitchen in blue and natural.

And for those that emailed me about the embroidered picture frame inserts, the page is back on the site! As soon as I have some free time, I'll be adding a few more designs.

Free time is going to be very limited in the next couple of months due to our buying a new home in Florida. We'll be busy packing and moving down there in the coming weeks, so I'll post here when that takes place. All my quilting projects and gourds have already been moved into the new house. We aren't sure who will be moving down first, my DH or myself. My DH has applied for a transfer position to Orlando, but hiring is notoriously slow with the government agencies, so I may be down there first while he continues working here in Illinois and trying to sell our current home. There's so much involved that it sometimes seems overwhelming!

Well, I hope to be back in a week or so with more news. Until then, I pray the snow stops falling and that I'll have time in between packing to create some new baskets or embroidered treasures to share with you.

Stay warm :)

Learning New Techniques

It's hard to believe I haven't posted since the beginning of August. Summer is now behind us and the crisp and colorful days of Autumn now greet us. This is my favorite time of the year! I love to take long drives or walks with my husband just to gaze at the rich colors of the leaves against the contrasting skies of varying shades of blue. Soon it will be time to start planting for the spring that will follow yet another unpredictable winter.

One of the most fun adventures I've had recently was attending classes at the Michigan Festival of Gourds. Those that know me well are never surprised at the arts and crafts I pursue. I've been decorating gourds in different ways for over 12 years (maybe longer), but I've been needing to be challenged so I could take my gourd art to a new level.

Not only did I get to meet one of the best teachers and unbelievably gifted artist, Bonnie Gibson, I took four of her classes during the festival. Before leaving for the festival, I took three gourds, two of which I drew out my designs based on the skills I was about to learn. In the first class, Bonnie taught us how to carve 3-D feathers into our gourds using our rotary tools and a variety of burs. Since I've carved Eagle feathers into antlers many times, I had a feeling there wasn't going to be much of a difference carving on a gourd. There are some differences; first is that gourds have a rounded shape, whereas many antlers have simpler curves. Another is that antler is made from bone and gourds are "woody". No matter, this experience is going to lead to buying lots more gourds!

Below is a picture of the gourd I've started with overlapping Eagle feathers. I've drawn out other elements I'm planning around the gourd, but for now, I want to show you the "before" picture of the feathers.



Hopefully you can see the defined, but not completed, feather on the right and the uncarved feather on the left. There's a lot of work yet to do before this will satisfy me!

The next class was all about carving faux basketry into our gourds. I love basketry, especially those coiled with pine needles from South Carolina. The first gourd I saw of Bonnie's on which she had carved this technique was something I knew I had to learn to do. While trying to adjust to a Dremel for this technique wasn't easy, I'm learning to adapt. I've used a Dremel for roughing in carvings on antler, but have always preferred my high speed air carving tools for the majority of the carvings!

Below is my gourd that has the center carved out with the "coils" visible. Of course, this needs further sanding and then the burning technique will give the coils the look of basketry. If I achieve what I'm after, the basketry will look real. There's a second circle on the backside for the same technique and then two other circles which will have another carved treatment on the opposite sides.



If you look closely at the top border area, you'll see that has also been carved out. There's a matching border beneath the basketry area that needs to be carved and made ready for another technique, Inlace Inlay. My third class was learning how to carve recessed areas for inlays. The Inlace is a pigmented resin product that gives the same illusion as stone inlay that jewelers produce.

My 4th class was all about learning to do 3-D carvings with cutouts. I didn't take a picture of that gourd as it still needs quite a bit of work. Plus, I need to finish drawing in the designs that will go around the rest of the gourd. With this technique, you actually cut through the gourd to create voids within the design. I chose a design with cardinals, birch trees and leaves as I love birch trees and our oak trees here are home to several "families" of cardinals. Hopefully I'll find some time very soon to continue working on this wonderful technique!

I hope the balance of September will be good for you and that you'll find something that can inspire you to learn new techniques.