New Designs on the Way!

Well I'm finally getting back on track...I've spent the past year focusing on my family life and have finally settled into a very happy NEW place in my life. During those times of trials and tribulations, my creative juices were stagnant. In order to paint and be creative, I have to feel it...I must feel happy, alive and undistracted. Divorce and moving does not equal happy, alive and undistracted, to say the least!

HOWEVER...I am now settled into a healthy and fulfilling marriage to a man who makes me feel very happy and very much alive! He DOES tend to distract me somewhat from my work...but that's a good thing considering I haven't always been able to balance work and family very well on my own. I'm now able to maintain a healthy balance between work and my personal life and it feels GREAT!

Thank you to all of my supportive friends who have seen me through to this point. I am blessed indeed!

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!

Busy, Busy, Busy!

Life has been very busy here and the summer has flown by, sadly enough. We've moved into our beautiful new home, I've closed my wholesale division and have been busy with preparing my current, as well as new- artwork for my licensing partners. Couple all of that with managing the summer activities of four children and...well, you get the idea!

I'm loving the fact that my days and nights are no longer consumed with billing, inventory control, shipping, etc... and that I can spend my energy creating new designs. I'm also preparing to take on new interior design clients in my new home state, which will require some legal preparations/licensing, etc...

In the interim, I've been decorating my new home. Interestingly enough, this interior decorator has the most difficult time decorating her own home! I guess you'd say I'm my own worst critic. Pair that with the fact that I'm meshing my fiance's furnishings with my own and you've got quite a challenge. When I first saw Eric's log home, I was very happy to see that it wasn't all decked out in buck heads, hunting rifles and bachelor pad furnishings. He has classic taste and had some great decorating guidance from his mother who has exquisite design sense. However, being a girl who loves to change the wall colors with her mood, I was a bit disturbed by the fact that I would never be able to paint the walls. I would forever be living with log walls, wood ceilings,...log / wooden EVERYTHING! But as time went on and I spent more and more time here, I realized that this was the warmest and most relaxing environment in which to live. These log walls surround me with warmth. I have also realized that the fact that I can't paint the walls actually reduces my stress level a bit when it comes to decorating my home. I will never have to worry about choosing the perfect paint color or whether or not new furnishings will coordinate with existing wall color. I won't obsess over which color to paint the kitchen, next and how it might coordinate with adjacent rooms! It's actually quite a relief as I can take a mental break from color selection when I am in my own home.

Eric has been building our home over the course of the past two years. There are still interior doors to be hung, curtains to go up, etc... He is also building our kitchen cabinets and island from scratch- right down to making the crown moulding from raw wood! He is quite talented and motivated, but has to do all of this in his "spare" time, making it a longer process than we might like, but saving tons of money in the process.

I know you're curious about how the decorating has been coming along, so I'm inserting a few photos here for you. Keep in mind the kitchen is unfinished (cabinet drawers need facing, doors made and installed, as well as the island isn't built) and we're still selecting the finishing touches for our home. A log home with lofts and high ceilings calls for some unique furnishings to be hung in some very high places. Those items will be selected over time and through our travels, but we have a great start otherwise and our individual furniture has actually meshed very well. Life is good, and I'm loving the country living!

New Home, New Studio!

Yep! I'm getting a brand-spankin' new studio! I've just hired a builder and will be building it from scratch. I'm so excited! The building will look similar to the photo seen here and will be placed right next to the beautiful log home my fiance built himself. Yes...that's right...I'm engaged folks! I know, I know...I've kept you somewhat in the dark and am jumping around a bit here, so as difficult as it may be, try to follow me...

I met a wonderful, extremely handsome, intelligent...(he has his MBA from George Washington University), witty, strong...(well, you get the idea) man named Eric - back in October while going through my divorce. Now, I certainly didn't plan on rushing off and marrying the first nice guy I met after divorcing a husband of 18 years, but Eric has turned out to be the love of my life so I'm jumping back on the horse much sooner than I ever intended or expected! I was perfectly prepared to date many jerks before meeting "Mr. Wonderful", but was fortunately spared those experiences.

Eric began building a log home on a beautiful 3 acre parcel in rural Pennsylvania about 2 years ago. He's done everything himself (with the help of his father) while working a full-time job. He is now working on the finishing touches including kitchen cabinets made completely from scratch. He's amazed me with his artistry and talent. I'll include some interior photos soon, but have included an exterior photo here for you to see the house in progress. (Eric would want you to know that the foundation will be covered in stone and that much landscaping is in the plans, too!)

Between the two of us, we have four children...my two boys and his two girls. That's right...we're a modern day "Brady Bunch"! So, needless to say, we have limited space for my studio in the home...which brings us to the need for a separate studio on the property.

So I think I've brought you full circle. If not, I'll add a few footnotes in the morning when I'm a bit more bright-eyed (and the glass of wine I'm currently drinking has worn off!) and can properly proof-read my ramblings.

In a nutshell...life is good and we're plugging along here at Sherri Blum Designs. The boys and I will be moving to our permanent home in Gardners, PA with Eric and the girls in early to mid June. The studio construction is slated to begin in early July and I promise I'll keep you posted on the progress and will include lots of pics! I'll end with stating that I truly believe in divine intervention and that God himself sent Eric to me when I needed him most. I'm happy...our four children get along beautifully and are happy as well. Life is good, folks and good things really do come to good people!

My New Life!

I can't believe my last blog post was in September! Shame on me! I'm sure some of you have been wondering if I had dropped off the face of the Earth in the past 6 months...well, actually I did...sort of. I've begun a completely new life. I've divorced my husband of 18 years (don't worry, we're still friends!), uprooted my sons and my business and relocated to my home state, Pennsylvania. It's been quite an emotional roller-coaster with many tears, some laughter...and quite a few adjustments for all of us.

I'm fine. Each day I'm feeling less fear and more pride and confidence. I wasn't sure how all of this was going to work out for us, but generally all went as well as can be expected. My children, of course were my main priority and the boys have adjusted beautifully. They are quite remarkable young men! And as for Sherri Blum Designs, well so-far, so-good. You see, my ex-hubby is the VP of his company. Sherri Blum Designs really didn't need to "bring home the bacon" for my family. I had simply reinvested my earnings right back into new product and developing the company. Now, however, SBD must support me. It was quite a scary thought, especially in light of our country's current economic woes. However, we're actually one of the companies that is keeping afloat. I'm able to support my family with some "life-style adjustments" of course. It's actually turned out to be quite a good life lesson for the boys and we're all building character through this experience. We're happy and healthy.

So there is the story of the missing six months, in a nutshell. I'd like to ask you to continue to support Sherri Blum Designs if possible. It is my hope that the company will continue to grow and prosper. Please browse the site when shopping for birthday gifts, shower gifts, or simply when you're redecorating. We will continue to provide new products, short lead-times and unsurpassed customer service. And thank you to those of you who have emailed, called and provided concern and support over the past several months. Your kindness is appreciated more than you could imagine.

Instant Murals Licenses Sherri Blum Designs!

We have some exciting news to share with you...Instant Murals has licensed several designs from Sherri Blum Designs to create vibrant and beautifully detailed "peel and stick" artwork for children's rooms!

At the 2007 ABC Kids Expo, I was approached by Jeff and Kirsten Dalton, owners of Instant Murals Designs. They enthusiastically explained their great products to me which included "rub-on" and "peel and stick" artwork and told me that they wanted me to design some products specifically for them. Since they live only about 1 hour from my home, we were able to meet in person a few times throughout the course of the past year and plan the first of our product designs. They were completed just in time to be introduced at the 2008 ABC Kids Expo!

These products are repositionable vinyl and can be used on their own as wall art, arranged as a border, used to decorate lampshades, headboards, mirrors...you name it! These would also make great accessory packs to coordinate with my collection of artwork, clocks and rugs.

You can see our current line of products by visiting: Sherri Blum Instant Murals.

We'll be continuing to grow this collection with some exciting new products and themes over the course of the next few months. I'm very excited about this new venture and can't wait to share the next series of designs with you!

Mama Mia!

Well, I'm back from a whirlwind experience at the ABC Kids Expo in Las Vegas. What a week! I'm going to try to fill you in on all the highlights, but it will need to be broken down into a few different posts. Yes...it was that kind of week!

We arrived safely in Vegas on Saturday morning and immediately went to the Convention Center to begin set up. It took us 11 hours to assemble our booth walls and hang all of the wall art, clocks, bedding and rugs that we brought with us. In the event that you've never participated in this show, you need to know that the powers-that-be do not turn on the air conditioning in the Convention Center during set up hours. They save that for the actual show hours. Therefore we were doing some hard labor in 103 degree heat...and did I mention it took 11 hours?!!! Fortunately, we were sharing a large "peninsula" booth with some other great ladies who kept us laughing and happy through the process.

Meet the ladies of Mama Mia Showroom!

And what a fantastic, dynamic group of ladies they are! Last year a few of these great women decided to open a new showroom in Atlanta. In those few short months they've created a great stop for buyers and have created quite a buzz with the great products they offer as well as the infamous "Mamatinis" they provide during the shows! I joined this showroom in January right around the time we all decided that we should consider exhibiting at the ABC Kids Expo as a group. I have to admit that I was a bit nervous about sharing a space with 6 other strong-minded women for 5 long days. I had only corresponded by phone or email and was hoping that everyone would get along well throughout the show. Well my worries were soon put to rest. These women are smart, supportive, kind, funny and just all around wonderful. I'm honored to know such a great group of women entrepreneurs. When we weren't fighting off the buyers (ha! ha!) we were sharing ideas and experiences, brainstorming the next great product ideas for each other, and helping each other to grow in any way we could. By the time the show ended, I was happy to be heading home to see my children, but at the same time a bit sad that I'd be leaving my new friends. While I'd love to fill you in on all of the wonderful qualities of each of these individual women, I don't have all day! So I'm going to list them here and hope that you'll visit their individual sites to learn a bit about them yourself.

Suzanne Longacre: Suzibella

Casey Baca: Four Peas

Diane Sam: Moboleez

Heather Nolte: Glamajama

Isabelle McPartlin: Iszi Studios

Shelly Meintzer: Lil Ladybugs

Wendy Armbruster Bell: Pump Ease (Diane's friend and honorary "Mama" for the week!)

Pat Martinek: Martinek Bebe (Pat is part of Mama Mia and exhibited behind us. Great lady and breathtaking products!)

So thank you, ladies (and all of your supportive husbands and boyfriends) for a wonderful week in Vegas. It was so much better for me this year because of the great support system you all provided. Looking forward to seeing you in Atlanta soon!