Name changer, but not game changer

Sheri Berry Designs is now Sheri McCulley

Since getting into licensing about five years ago, I have branded my licensed products with the name and logo of “Sheri Berry,” based on my childhood nickname.

As my licensing partnerships have grown across product categories and even international boundaries, I’ve discovered that this short, rhyming phrase is similar (though not identical) to names used by other people and companies in what has become an interconnected online world.

So as the number of products with my designs continues to expand, and the importance of creating a distinct identity has grown, I’m returning to the other name my family gave me: Sheri McCulley.

The name may be a little different, but the distinctive look and style of original patterns, illustrations, and products I create will remain. When you see the Sheri McCulley logo, you can be sure it’s by the same little girl who used to be called “Sheri Berry” as she sketched and cut, folded and colored at the kitchen table.

Time Travel Around the World

As many of you know I have been working on the Wee Are the World collection for exactly one year now and I am delighted to say I am finally done just in time for 2012.

I have created twelve children from around the world, each with their own scenes, animals, patterns and traditions. I will share the newest collection sets with you soon.

I have also given each wee child his or her own month to share with all throughout the year. I thought it better to have two styles, for two different designs, for all the different people of the world. These will be available through Lettering Delights graphic sets, which will be easy to print and hang each month for the entire year.

The first calendar style has a scene with the month and days in a basic non-lined calendar. Each month can be printed on an 11 x 17 or reduced to fit an 8.5 x 11. In the image above you can see what each month looks like. The set will also include a cover design of the children around the globe (as seen at top).

The other calendar style has the characters within a circle at top with the month and days in a basic grid calendar below. Each month can be printed on an 11 x 17 or reduced to fit an 8.5 x 11. In the image above you can see what each month looks like. The set will also include a cover design of the set of children in their circled design (as seen below).

As I was working on the calendars it became apparent that I needed to make a grid style as well as the other, as some people prefer boxes for specific notes and appointments. You can choose either or both, as you might just need calendars in many different places of your world.

To get these calendars at LD just click here or go to my Sheri’s Creations sign at top right, which will take you directly to the calendars on the LD site.

Above are samples showing one month from each calendar style. These samples show rounded corners (which I prefer), that can be made after printing with a .25" corner punch.

Remember, you can share the joy of the new year with family and friends by also sending them on this year long trip around the world to enjoy the wee people who inhabit it. It might even be one of the happiest trips they’ve ever taken.

They came bearing gifts

With Christmas past I have presents to share. They are some of the most wonderful gifts I have ever received, and that even includes gifts from my childhood years. When people say a gift from the heart is the most precious of all, I think the saying needs to be rephrased to be a gift from the heart and hand. I was graced with three different gifts this holiday season that were made of Sheri Berry fabrics with the most amazing attention to detail and craftsmanship by all three seamstresses. These women are all worth bragging about, but each too modest to accept bragging rights. I’m going to brag on them anyway. :)

The first set of kitchen gifts was from my daughter, Shelby. She has become quite a seamstress and as you will see later, it is her grandmother who deserves some of the credit for that. She not only carried that gene over to Shelby, but spent three summers taking Shelby and a friend, Rachel, to sewing camp when they were girls.

Shelby and her dad amazed me with the very secretive gift of personalized, one of a kind oven mitts, hot pads and tea towel with fabric that they had specially made from some of my designs. They were able to have the fabric printed at Spoonflower, then Shelby researched and began sewing her very fist quilted fabrics into the over mitts and hot pads. I’m just in awe and I absolutely love the choices she made for the pieces. Now she and I are wanting to make matching retro styled aprons to complete the ensemble. Yes, I am one of those very proud, bragging moms right now.

The next set of handmade gifts were from my mom. She has also been Mrs. Clausing quite a bit the last few weeks and the entire family was lucky enough to be the recipients of the detailed and lovely pillowcases, each thoughtfully designed for each family member. Mom claims these were a breeze to sew, I can’t image that to be true. :) They all have three different fabrics per case and each is nearly too beautiful to use, but I promised her that we will.

All of the fabrics my mom used for the pillowcases were designed and produced for Northcott fabrics, some from the Chinese Takeout collection, some from the 12 Joys of Christmas collection and a few from the Child’s Play with Nate collection, both cotton and flannel. I believe some of those prints might still be available (try eBay and etsy).

Now my mom is starting an apron project. She makes aprons to take on her mission trips and one is coming up in just a few weeks, so my Mrs. Claus from the midwest will not be taking a break now that Christmas is past.

The third set of gifts was actually given to me a few months before Christmas, as I see my friend, Jackie only a few times a year, and those dates never fall around Christmastime. She is an amazing quilter, truly capturing fabric, texture, color and design into beautiful pieces of art. This is something I admire, as it is so different from the art I design and make in my line of work. This gift however, was not quilted, it is a set of four nesting pouches, and they are adorable.

The largest pouch is about 4" by 8" and the smallest is a mere 2" by 4" and they all nest together perfectly. Jackie used the 12 Joys of Christmas fabrics: the stripe, the skaters, the storybooks, the records and the Christmas tree print. Each pouch has lining of a coordinating print and of course zippers and pulls on each. They are absolutely perfectly constructed. Once again, Jackie very modestly acted as if these were simple little projects to sew. I will humbly disagree and will treasure them always.

I have another treasured gift that I was give a few years ago, bearing the Swell Noel fabric on a truly adorable kitchen apron. I will share that gift from the heart and hand in a future post, as it will always be forever treasured by me and needs to be shared with you.

While these gifts were not gold, frankincense and myrrh, they are better than gold to me and will always be handled with the loving care that I know each giver used while creating them.

Have a sugar coated Christmas

It’s that time of year when kitchens in many homes are filled with cooks making candies and baked goods to share for the holidays. Most of those same homes also have craft and sewing rooms with handcrafted projects being finished up and wrapped into wonderful gifts just in time for Christmas.

There is something endearing about a handmade gift. Not just because it is made with love and care, and with detailed thought for the recipient, but because it is one of a kind. It can’t be found in stores or purchased online. Each hand stitch of embroidery is individual, each chocolate drizzle is unique and each handmade gift is wrapped and tied with ribbon chosen for just that gift.

I have also been handcrafting this season with the Holiday Frosting collection at Lettering Delights. I have made tiny envelopes for gift cards. I have made treat tents for bagged candies. I have made individual truffle boxes for chocolate treats. And I have finished it up with borders as mini Christmas tree garland and pedestal wraps.

While I can’t tell you that I have embroidered or knitted or sewn gifts for each family member, or that I have made wonderful homemade candies, I have made the frosting to cover a gift, or tree or tabletop. It is my favorite gift to give; to make handmade creations from paper and it is the best gift I can give from the heart.

So, if you have made all of your wonderful gifts, but need just the right tag, or wrapping, or box to finish off the gifts you can put a little Holiday Frosting on and personalize them yourself for those you love. Because everything is just a little bit sweeter with frosting.

Have a blessed and joyous holiday season.

Oh Christmas Tree, Pink Christmas Tree!

My pink Christmas tree has been in waiting for the last few years for the perfect ornaments to hang from its branches. Well, this year is its time, and the handmade ornaments are from my Holiday Frosting collection with Lettering Delights. The ornaments are made from the Holiday Frosting Ornaments and Holiday Frosting Snowflakes from the print and cut files available now at LD.

These ornaments were not complicated to make, and with enough time to get them done for Christmas, the little tree has been covered with the softness of pink, aqua, gray and moss to match my studio decor. It is almost as though the studio was designed for the tree.

I have an idea this little Charlie Brown, gone pink, tree will grace the studio well into January. The collection was designed to warm the heart during those chilly winter days, so keeping these frosted flakes around for a while will be fine with me.

In addition to the ornaments I wanted a matching box to store them in while not in use. I found a perfect hat box to cover. I then used some of the papers, the gray border with notches and one additional snowflake from the collection to top off the box. Again, not a complicated task at all; just a little time and patience, glue, a pink ribbon to thread through the border around the lid, and printed and cut papers from the LD files.

Each ornament was made with eight equal sides (one design, but multiple colors) of a printed shape (a snowflake or an ornament). In other words to make these, you will need to print out eight pieces of an ornament, all the same size and whatever color combination you prefer. Once all of the pieces are cut out, you will fold each piece in half (facing itself), glue one half to another piece at its vertical center and the other half to another piece on the opposite size at its vertical center, until you have all eight sides glued together. However, before you have glued the final pieces together, use about a six to eight inch ribbon or string folded in half and also glued into the center of the ornament (with the loop up), so that it has a hanger. I actually glued the hanger (aqua string) between the first two pieces at the beginning to make sure I had not forget to attach it when completing the ornament. The paper used for the ornaments is a 90lb. bright white index stock.

The tree topper was also made just like the ornaments, however I simply cut a strip of one of the patterned papers to use as its base to slip over the tip of the tree. This strip was about eight inches long and an inch and a half wide. I rolled it into a tube that would cover the tip of the tree and the end of the ornament. I then glued the strip to itself to tighten the tube around both the tree and ornament.

Now my studio is starting to not only feel like the season, but it is doing so in a style that fits the studio decor. It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

If you would like to make your own berry soft ornaments, please click on my Sheri’s Creations sign at the top, right side of my blog or click here to see the entire Holiday Frosting collection in both the graphics and print and cut sets available now at LD.