Happy New Year

As you step into the new year, take a moment to pause and take the road of your choice. Best wishes for a beautiful and wonderous 2012!

The Road Not Taken

by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference

More Beads Please

Yesterday I went to the Bay Area Bead Extravaganza (also known as B.A.B.E.). There were over 200 vendors selling their handmade beads, supplies and tools. My heart was full and soon my wallet empty, but it was a grand day. I came home inspired and recharged and ready to create new work. Working out new designs and with new found loves of vintage buttons has been challenging and rewarding. I love the way the buttons feel with the beads creating textures and color spots. These are some of my newest pieces now available in my Etsy shop! So the hunt continues as I wander down the pebbled road of glass beads in all of their brilliance.

Sacramento Arts Festival

I'm at the Sacramento Arts Festival this weekend, booth #704!! Stop by and say "hello" to me. The show is located at the Sacramento Convention Center, 1400 J Street, Sacramento, CA. There are 225 fine artists and craftspeople with many beautiful wares for sale. See you soon!

Happy Hallowe'en

Happy trick-or-treating and to all a Good Fright!

Favorite Haunts

I thought since it was October, my favorite month of the year, I would share with you a couple of my “favorite haunts.” These places transcend time and the common world of the retail shopping experience, and are more like a magical trip to a forgotten world somewhere between European arts and a Steampunk village shop.  Both venues are in Berkeley, CA.

Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles is our first stop. Every time I walk up the doorway of this place my heart begins to race. I am flooded with visuals: brilliant colors, textures, and objects I have never seen before except here. I love massive selection of uncommon threads, needlework tools and equipment, books, and a plethora of foundation materials to create just about anything from a spectacular Chapeau to a tatted lace doily. And most importantly an extremely knowledgeable staff, that seems to know what you want or need before you do. There is even a lace museum in the same building! With its high ceilings and vast array of goodies and books, you will not ever leave Lacis empty handed.

My next stop is the fascinating Castle in the Air located on Berkeley’s famous Fourth Street sharing other specialty shops as neighbors. Shopping on Fourth Street is never disappointing, and Castle in the Air is on the top of my list as a destination. Amazing seasonal window displays are worthy of more than a casual pause. Once inside the doorway you are greeted by German puppets, miniatures in antique glass cases and an excellent selection of items like heavy crepe papers, real glass glitter, blank books, drawing and calligraphy inks, scrap and just about anything sparkly to create your own wonders. They have classes and a gallery upstairs run by artists that create their own work and are masters at their craft. Many people frequent this place to purchase a gift that one could not find anywhere else including fountain pens in all colors and styles, reproduction classic fairy tales, European greeting cards, hand carved collectibles, paper mache figures, and French ribbon.



Happy haunting and may you discover these places and your own secret nooks on your travels.



The Great Pumpkin Halloween Blog Giveaway WINNER is...........

The Vintage Witch, a.k.a. Julie, is the winner of The Great Pumpkin Halloween Giveaway!!! Thank you to all who participated and shared great memories of your fabulous costumes. Happy Halloween!!

The Great Pumpkin Halloween Giveaway!!

It's time to have another giveaway! Make sure to read the flyer below and follow the Rules for the giveaway. Good luck to everyone!

Be Still My Halloween Heart

The weekend was a blur of orange and black, uplifted spirits, friendly faces and whole barrel of fun. I so look forward to this weekend each year, but find myself a bit let down afterwards. I wish all of my shows were of this caliber and amusement. I was able to go around quickly to some of the other artists' tables and take some photos of their talented offerings. Most gone like a witch flying past the harvest moon on Halloween eve by the end of the first hour of the show. So feast my friends, and savor the delicious works of some of the best folk artists in the country gathered once a year at Halloween and Vine, Petaluma, CA. Be inspired, be joyful, and see you next time. 

Nicol Sayre



Nancy Aldabe

Arbutus Hunter

David Everett

Charles Batte

Christy Silacci

Edgar & Edgar

Maria Grimes

Iva Wilcox

Ho Ho Halloween

Jack Roads

Len Bentham

Katherine Webber

Vergie Lightfoot

Lori Ann Corelis

Amelia Schaefer

Brandi McKenna

Sharon Bloom

Lori Rudolph

Kerry Howard-Schmidt

Fox and the Hare

Sandi Pfeffer & Sue Losey

Halloween & Vine Sneak Peek!

It's my favorite day of the year.............almost. Heading out tomorrow  for Petaluma, CA for the best Halloween showcase of  folk artists around. Halloween & Vine here I come! This is just a tiny sampling of my special creations made just for this event. Please stop by and say "hello" if you are in the area. This is a show not to be missed. Saturday, September 24th.  See you there or catch you on the spooky side.

Labors of Love

Happy Labor Day!  Another busy weekend here at Sharon Bloom Designs. Fall is a my most productive and busy season. I do spend the summer months producing a lot of pieces, but  the shows begin for me in September. I have been having fun mixing new colors, like the green and the pinky orange for this group of owl dishes. For some unknown reason, at least to my conscious mind (!), I have been creating owl images on many surfaces. I like the animal and the symbol along with the fun I can have with patterns and colors. So watch out for more owl stuff and swoop one up!

Button, button.....

Ok, so I went a bit overboard making buttons! I decided to make some of my own, when I could not find ones that I liked to embellish my jewelry and other pieces. Then the light bulb went on and I had one of those lucid moments. Here is the result so far. I made dozens of button shapes ranging from tiny to ginormous (is that a word anyone over the age of 10 should use?). Some have single holes, others multiple, but all are hand formed and imperfect. The way I figure, I will have more to choose from as I am inspired along the way and also have some to put in my Etsy store. There are a lot of options for surface decoration, so I am already spinning at those possibilities! But first these babies need to go into the kiln and to be  bisque fired. Fingers crossed, needle threaded.

Halloween & Vine Sneak Preview!

Before you know it, Halloween & Vine 2011 will be here. It is best Halloween Folk Art Show on the west coast, hosted in an old hall in Petaluma, CA. I get excited about it every year without fail right around January. This year is no exception. I have been making new pieces for months and these are a couple of wall hung sculptures that will be joining me this year. If you never have been to the show, consider coming. It is worth the trip. Here is a link to the official website:  www.halloweenandvine.com At the show you will meet approximately 32 of the greatest folk artists in the country and have a good old fashioned Halloween time!

For The Birds

In my last entry, I posted a photo of this wreath prior to kiln firing. Here it is fully glazed and ready to hang! I made several of these wreath pieces with different themes, but I like the birds so much. There is something magical about taking a piece from the initial idea, then to dimensionality, and lastly making it come to life with colors. I love the process. Sculpting these pieces is fun too and takes me away from surface painting and keeps my hands in clay. Sweet.