Perfect Gift for the Person Who Has Everything

With Mother's Day, Father's Day, and the wedding season fast approaching, we're all finding ourselves searching the net for the perfect gift for many different occasions. So to save you all some time, I'm going to share with you one of my best kept secrets and what I truly believe to be the very best gift for anyone on your gift-giving list! (At least all the grown-ups!)

Crystal Imagery is a glass sand-carving company that has been providing high quality sand-carved glasses to such esteemed clients as The House of Representatives, The Senate, The CIA, ATT, Wells Fargo and many branches of the military - for over a decade. They have recently created a complete line of glassware and barware products that will thrill gift-recipients with the most discriminating taste! Not only are their products beautiful, but they will endure hundreds of rounds in the dishwasher. Unlike the hand painted wine glasses, screen printed whiskey glasses and lightly etched beer mugs you might find elsewhere, Crystal Imagery's products are hand-made by highly skilled artisans who deeply carve your monogram, logo or one of their stock designs - right into the glass. The beautiful designs will never wash off or fade.

  
In the images, the "white" area is actually where the background is carved away from the glass. The lettering and scrolling are untouched glass that is then left raised above the carved background, providing a 3D design that will never wash off or fade away.

Check out the site at Crystal Imagery and be sure to click on the various links to see the entire collection. They have humorous gifts for women such as the Diva Set, Goddess Set, Not Tonight...Collection, Mommy's Sippy Cup Set and more. These designs, deeply carved into wine glass sets are a really fun way to keep tabs on your own wine glass at a party and much classier than those cheap wine glass dangles!

Searching for the perfect gift for a man in your life? Crystal Imagery has a Name Your Poison Set, Skull and Crossbones Set, Pick Up Lines Set, and more which can be carved onto whiskey glasses, wine glasses, beer mugs, coffee mugs and just about anything glass or ceramic of your choosing.

Do you want to give the wedding gift that will be the favorite and most talked about? Then check out the Monogrammed Glass page or consider giving a Bridal Party Wine Glass Set for use on the actual wedding day.

I know that many of my readers are designers. Why not give a set of monogrammed glasses to your best clients as a gift? Or better yet, encourage clients to stock their home bar with these unique and beautiful products.

I'll let you in on another little secret. This wonderful company is owned by my husband's family. Since marrying him, I give Crystal Imagery glasses for just about every occasion now. With their vast selection, it's easy to find something for any gift recipient. And I can personally vouch for their attention to detail and fantastic customer service!
Now I've just saved you hours of running from department store to department store. Not to mention the additional time you would have spent scouring the internet for that perfect gift! What on earth are you going to do now with all that spare time on your hands?! Maybe you should buy yourself a set of glasses and kick up your feet to enjoy your favorite wine or bourbon, eh?
So tell me, which set is your favorite? Do you have suggestions for additional designs?

Cowgirl Boot Fetish?

Hubby thinks I've got a problem...he thinks I'm developing a boot fetish. I recently added a new pair of boots to my fleet and he gave me "that look". You all know the look I'm talking about...puzzled, slightly concerned and definitely amused at the fact that you've bought yet another of whatever it is you happen to enjoy collecting.
Now what my dear new hubby of only 17 months doesn't understand is that buying a new pair of boots isn't something I just do on a whim. He is also a bit naive (as many men are) about what makes us women tick. Don't worry...I intend to train him well over the course of the next few years and enlighten him to the fact that shoes and clothing aren't something we women take lightly. We express ourselves- our personalities, our goals, and our style by carefully selecting each item we place on our bodies each day. And my style just happens to be heavily defined by my western boots. I pair them with a nice pair of jeans, pretty shirt and a smart jacket each day and step out feeling good about the image I'm presenting. Classic, yet approachable -and just a tiny bit eccentric.
While I'm aware that western boots have made a style comeback in the past couple of years, "cowgirl" boots are not a new interest for me. In fact, I've been raised wearing my boots.

My family was in the horse business all my life and I spent the majority of my days and nights wearing manure covered boots.  They were normal to me and even into adulthood, I just feel better wearing them. They define my style and personality very well. And if you get a good pair, they're arguably as comfy as a pair of sneakers!  (The image below was a new pair I received for my 13th birthday. Pardon my dorky brother in the background!)

 Two pair of boots in the top image are actually over 20 years old- and yes, I've worn them through a barn or two in my life. In college, my roommate teased me about my western boots...until one day shortly after graduation I arrived at her home to find a pair of boots in her closet. So I'll take credit for converting her, too.(You know who you are, Linda!)  And I've even dressed my boys in boots over the years. While they are now "big boys" of 17 and 12 years, when they were toddlers, they often wore boots. I've kept their "baby boots" and even have them nicely displayed in my log home. Where other moms keep their baby's shoes, I've kept my babies' boots!

 And what I hope my dear new hubby will realize after he reads this post, is that purchasing a new pair of boots is not something I do without deliberation. They've been a very important part of my life and my style since I was a toddler. And most importantly, he should also feel very honored. Because what would I buy for the man I love most in this world to show him that he's my one and only soul mate? A pair of his very own BOOTS, of course!

 What is the one item that you feel helps define your style? Take a look in your closet...do you see a pattern or a theme? Share your story!

Crazy Summer

I realize I've been very sporadic with my posts this summer. I have to admit it's been a whirlwind summer and I've simply had to prioritize everything and something had to give. It's been a great summer though...I've had my wedding reception, we've honeymooned in St. Lucia, I've taken my oldest son to visit three universities and have vacationed with my mother. I've spent lazy days at the pool with our four children and have worked on some great new business ventures.

I apologize for the lack of communication this summer, but promise to be more diligent once the kiddos are back in school and I have from 9-2 each day to work without interruption. I'll fill you in then on the wedding reception details and the honeymoon and all the other great things going on in my business world, as well.

In the meantime, I'll leave you with a couple of my favorite pics from the wedding. I only have a couple of them available today, as the photographer will be sending me more finished photos in the coming weeks.

Enjoy the rest of your summer!

My brothers, Jay and Tod.

Luke gave his Momma away.

Anyone know a "sun dance"???

Well our wedding reception is finally upon us. You may recall we were officially married by a JP in our home on October 1, but we couldn't have our families and friends there easily on short notice and on a weekday morning. So we promised our brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews, along with our very closest friends- that we would have an outdoor reception for them in the spring, at Eric's family lodge in the mountains.
When I was dating Eric, he talked often about the "cabin" in Breezewood, PA that his father and he had built themselves on a 300 acre parcel tucked away in the mountains. He spoke of it as if it were a magical place and his eyes twinkled when he told me how excited he would be to take me there soon. Now, I've seen plenty of cabins and "get away" spots before, so I smiled nicely and told him how excited I was to see it. Well I have to say, that when he finally drove me up the picturesque mile-long driveway, this "cabin" took my breath away! It is so beautiful and really is a magical place. Every detail was attended to when this family built their vacation spot. Much love went into creating a special place for special family gatherings. Once there, I could see why this place meant so much to my new fiance. So I looked at him and said, "this is where we should be married!" You should have seen the smile on his face and later, the same smile on his father's face when we told him of our decision! This "cabin" as they call it (it's truly more of a 6 bedroom lodge!) was built with the sole purpose to bring family together. What better place could there be, to celebrate our love and family than this! So, while we were officially married in our home last October, we will renew our vows this time in front of all of our loved ones. This will be a perfect opportunity for us to thank those closest to us, for their support and love over the years. The people in attendance are those who have seen us through the rough times and have helped us get to this new, happy and loving place we are today. We have much to be grateful for and have the perfect location in which to celebrate.
So, final preparations are being made. The only concern we have now is the weather. We have a tent for the tables and caterer, but really want the ceremony to be outside on the lawn. We would also love for our 21 children in attendance to be able to play outside at this wonderful mountain retreat. So, if you happen to know a "sun dance", now would be a great time to do it! The Breezewood weather report is calling for rain!

Regardless, rain or shine, our day will be magical. With such a unique and true love, wonderful people and a magical location, we can't help but have a memorable day.

The Wedding

I pride myself in being a stickler for the details, but since meeting my dear sweet husband, I seem to be more easily distracted and miss a few at times. Now, mind you- his charming personality and rugged good looks are a pleasant and welcome distraction, but a distraction nonetheless! Therefore, the fact that I'm just getting around to posting our wedding photos three months after the fact, will be blamed on him!
Our wedding took place on October 1, 2009 and the location was our own home. I couldn't think of a better place to marry Eric, since he himself built our home and it is a beautiful log home with great atmosphere, to boot! Present for the ceremony were our parents and our four children. We wanted this ceremony to be intimate and magical and to be focused on our new family and the bond we were promising them. The day was MAGICAL  to say the least. It was relaxed, intimate, beautiful and full of tears of joy and laughter. I couldn't have asked for more.
We will be having an outdoor reception this May to include our extended family and friends and to celebrate our marriage with all of them. I will be posting soon about that, and will be recruiting your input on the decor, etc...
Since we hired the photographer for the May reception and really wanted to keep the October wedding as private as possible, we simply gave the camera to the kids (hence the reason many of the photos seem to be taken from a shorter perspective!) and the kids did a wonderful job of capturing the wedding.
As you look around our home, you'll notice that some doors are not yet hung and the kitchen is still being built. Eric is building the center island and kitchen cabinetry himself and as we all know, these things take time. I would actually be surprised if we are able to complete the kitchen within the next year, as raising four active children and running two companies tends to leave us with a lack of time for construction! So please keep in mind that this beautiful home he built for us, is still under construction.

 

Exchanging rings (Ethan was "ring bearer")

One of the kids turned on the TV trying to find a "crackling fire" screen saver, during our first dance.  Leave it to kids to interrupt the romance!

Time for a toast!

 

Dancing with our kids was so much fun!

 

We had to laugh at our wedding cake! The "lacey" frosting on the sides of the cake started to droop! 

 

Funnier yet...the Judge dated our marriage certificate for October 1, 2010 and we didn't even realize it until the following week when I took it to attempt to change my name on my driver's license and social security card. The certificate wasn't valid and so I had to run to the JP's office to get one with the correct date and start all over again!

Enjoy and thanks for visiting!

Mirror, Mirror, On the Wall...

Yes, I've got Disney on the brain...we leave tomorrow, in fact!  But no, I'm not the self-absorbed wicked step-mother who is obsessing over her beauty (or lack thereof) in the mirror, and scheming against her beautiful step-daughter! I do have two beautiful step-daughters, but I celebrate their beauty. I will, however, use this opportunity to brag a bit and show off my pretty little step-daughters- with a pic of us wearing our tiaras!

(This was taken last year on our way to a Medieval Times event...I highly recommend taking the family. We loved it!)

This post is actually about MIRRORS!
I love to add mirror to home decor, but in less expected ways. Most of us have mirrors on our walls, and if you do, take a moment now (yes, right now...I'll wait for you) to ensure that your mirrors are hung in an area where they reflect something attractive. If they don't, then you might want to consider finding a better location. If you've got something really special and beautiful in your room, wouldn't it be nice to see it twice? (In the reflection of your mirror, silly!)

While I like a few mirrors on the wall, I actually prefer to hang precious artwork on the walls and to use mirrors in more unique ways. (I am an artist, afterall and do need to support my trade!) So let's look at a few other ways in which to use mirrors, shall we?

 

Mirrored Backsplash (I love the pretty little accent rosettes at each point!)

 

Another beautiful mirrored kitchen backsplash from Canadian House and Home

 

Mirrored Chargers will add class and elegance to any dinner table!

 

Look at this beautiful wedding reception and notice how the mirrored chargers reflect the candlelight on the tables!

 

I go crazy over mirrored side tables like this one...I don't own one yet, though!

 

If you don't want a whole table, why not just a cute table topper like this one from Front Gate!

 

If you must hang more mirrors on the wall, consider these precious little shell mirrors in large doses to make a huge impact.

 

And this one is a surprise for my mother-in-law...she spotted similar hand mirrors  used in a showroom display and has been talking about them and trying to find them, ever since. Boy, and I going to score big ol' brownie points for finding them for her at Z Gallerie! When she reads this post, I'm sure she will share a comment about this great find! Wouldn't these be ADORABLE on a wall in a little girl's room? (I'm determined to use them in a future design plan!)

Last, but not least...this princess does enjoy being swept off her feet by the prince once in a while. In my fairytale, my prince would be riding a large white steed (I did grow up on a horse farm, afterall) but realistically, I'm better off hoping he at least picks me up in a super cool limo. And since pink is my favorite color, I'd like it to be in this cool pink limo with, of course, lots of fun mirrors inside to reflect the big smile on my face! Just hoping my dear princely hubby finds that reflection to be one of beauty! Afterall, it's HIS opinion that matters most.

Wedding Plans!

Well the time has finally arrived...my wedding date is October 1 and only three days away! Eric and I will exchange vows infront of the beautiful stone fireplace he stacked, in the warm and lovely home he built for us. Our parents and our four children will stand with us as we make our promises to one another. I couldn't think of a better place to marry than in this home.

After we exchange vows, we plan on spending a couple of days in a stunning resort that is near and dear to my heart. I'll be writing about it upon our return and will provide some great photos, too!

So....the next time you hear from me, I'll be Sherri Blum Schuchart (pronounced "Shoe-heart".) I know it's a mouth full, but I'll wear it proudly!

Decorate With Vacation Souvenirs

Summer is in full swing in the Blum household...it seems we're running to swim team practices, lacrosse practices, meets, tournaments, birthday parties and playdates constantly! I am so grateful to have my boys home more and to have quality time with them. However, with that comes the challenge of keeping my business running while doing it! I have to admit, it's only the second week of summer vacation and I'm exhausted! I find myself doing the billing and filling orders at midnight. I literally need a vacation from my vacation!

I'm looking forward to a much needed family vacation we have planned in July. No phones, no faxes, no internet and no TV! It will be culture shock...but will be relaxing! So I found it appropriate to share this little article with you. I wrote this last year for another publication and thought I'd post it here to help get all of you through your summer vacation craziness! Enjoy!

Decorate With Vacation Souvenirs

Along with the end of the school year and the lazy days of summer, comes the much anticipated fun family activities and vacations. While on these outings, we often purchase many little souvenirs in the hopes that they will be a constant reminder of what a great time we had on those unforgettable vacations. In reality, those souvenirs often end up tossed in a closet or drawer and eventually thrown away. Rather than randomly purchasing some useless trinkets while on your vacations, with a little planning you can bring home souvenirs that will truly be treasured.
By choosing your treasures wisely, you can not only use the souvenirs to decorate your child’s room, but you will also be providing your child with a much needed summer craft project and educational activity as well.
No matter where you plan to venture, sit down with your child before each vacation to discuss where you are going, the types of activities you might be participating in, the environment and local cultural flavor of the area you will be visiting. A little research on the location should be very educational for your child and will help him or her to set some fun goals for his/her trip activities and should help to build the enthusiasm and anticipation for the vacation. To further this enthusiasm, select a craft project from some of those listed below so that you might plan a bit of a scavenger hunt for while on your vacation. Then when the vacation is over and your project is completed, you will have a souvenir that will stand the test of time and be a constant reminder of the location you visited, family vacation memories, and the quality time spent together creating this lasting treasure. What more could one ask for?!

Going to the beach? I don’t know a family who doesn’t spend much of their beach time collecting shells, sand dollars, pebbles, and drift wood. Use those natural treasures in any of the following ways:

1.Arrange the shells, sand dollars, driftwood and pebbles around a postcard depicting the vacation location and mount them in a framed shadowbox to hang on your child’s bedroom wall. This can be the beginning of an ongoing gallery of vacation memories over the years.
2. This same shadowbox can also be converted into a fun tabletop for a bedside table.
3. Those same beach items can be used, along with some collected sand, to fill a decorative clear jar which can merely be capped off or turned into a unique lamp base.
4. Make a beach treasure wreath by gluing the items on a large cardboard circle or foam wreath form, or use craft wire to attach the items to a grapevine wreath.
5. For an older child, you can make tea candles of the small clam like seashells. Remove the candle and wick from tea candles and place them into your shells and melt them so that they fill the shell evenly. Arrange these on a plate to make a candle garden for your dresser top.
6. Use clam shells as a change holder or for scented potpourri.
7. Create a seashell mobile to hang from the ceiling in your child’s room.


If you have several vacations and various locations planned for your summer, the following ideas will be useful in creating a nice décor item that will tie all of those vacations together or might even help to create a summer vacation theme for your child’s room.

1. Use the photos taken while on your trips or postcards gathered from each location to create a desktop collage by arranging them under a glass desktop protector.
2. Use those photos or postcards to create a mobile or framed wall collage. You might even consider filling out the postcards first with your memories of the vacation.
3. Make a goal of collecting leaves from local vegetation at each vacation spot. Press the leaves and frame each one in matching frames to represent the various vacation locations visited throughout the summer or over the years. You can also label the framed leaves by using a paint pen on the frame’s glass.
4. Collect a pin or charm from each vacation spot to arrange on a bulletin board or in a shadow box to be hung in your room or attach these to decorative ribbons which can be hung on a wall or suspended from the ceiling.
5. Collect stones, shells, twigs, sand, etc. from each location. Once you are home, purchase matching decorative jars to represent each location. Fill the jars and use a paint marker to label the location and date on each jar. Glue a few of the pebbles or shells to the jar lid to add some flair and arrange these jars on a long shelf or table top. This can be an ongoing tradition over the years.
6. Use postcards or photos to decoupage a table top, trinket box, wood lamp base, flower pots or photo frame. Just about anything can be decoupaged!
7. Sketch out and paint a map representing your travels onto a blank canvas floor cloth. Don’t feel that your map needs to be accurate, the whimsical feel of a hand drawn map will add to the charm of the rug. Decoupage photos of your family onto the map representing each location’s best memory. Add several layers of polyurethane to protect the floor cloth. Once dried, this can make a nice bedside rug in your child’s room or made into a wall hanging, and will bring a smile to his face each morning when he wakes!
8. Collect hats from each vacation and display them on a high shelf in his room.
9. Collect t-shirts or pennants from each location. Use these to create a window treatment or duvet cover for your child’s room.

With a little planning, you can ensure that your vacation souvenir purchases will be useful, appreciated and will last for more than just a few days. And when summer vacation is over, your child can relive those fond vacation memories easily by taking a few moments to admire her beautiful vacation masterpiece!