Our "Busy"ness

I haven't been able to post on our blog for awhile, and wanted to give you all an update.

 Justin Winters and our daughter, Rebecca were united in marriage on May 22. Many of you already have met Justin, he has been apprenticing here for a few years. He hopes to continue building furniture and cabinetry with us.

Bobby and friends have been attending craft shows...in Hamburg, NY and recently took 3rd prize at the Corn Hill Festival in Rochester, NY. His sales are slow coming, but the show managers and staff love them and their products and give them very positive feedback. He is learning much about business and sales.
 Future craft shows include Harborfest in Owego
http://www.oswegoharborfest.com/
and
Fort Klock in September
http://fortklock.org/

 Mike and I became foster parents to 4 children, and they have greatly affected our lives.
Kaydance (age 5)  is going to make something of herself. She just started summer school and is earning good points to get a purple bike. Every day, we tell her what part of the bike she has earned. Progress reports home from the teacher tell us that Kaydance is doing fantastic. This is her first experience in any kind of school, and we wanted to motivate her to do well. She starts official kindergarten in the fall.
Dennis (age 4) is also in school and is enjoying his day. He gets up ready for school, and is trying to earn a new backpack. He is also doing well there.
Twins  Todd and Amber (age  2 1/2) have been having seizures and we are working on getting their conditions stabilized. Once Amber got used to the meds, she has been a different kid and is exploding with learning new things.

Coming soon are pictures of the latest library that we finished. It is breathtaking!

Craft Show Weekend in New England

     Being that our business started in 1963 in Agawam, Massachusetts, we are very excited to return for a craft show on March 13 and 14.  The show will be in the Young Building at the Eastern States Exposition Grounds in West Springfield, a site not too distant in memory.

     In  1980, our family business won an "Award for Excellence" at the Spring Home Show at the Better Living Center on the grounds. Every time we have exhibited at shows there, it has been a joy to run into some of dad's customers. Many still had the furniture that dad built in those early years, and the stories are just priceless.  Please come and stop by if you can.  We are in booth 222 on the outside perimeter.

You can find a link to the show below, with a coupon for $1-$2 off.  You will also read about other features of the show including a show schedule and certificates being given away.

http://www.deerfield-craft.org/

Robert M, grandson of Robert J Delnero( founder) will be showing off his line of handmade furniture.

 

Tiger Maple Server by Robert Delnero

Fun and Creativity

"Some men throw their gifts away on a life of mediocrity, great men throw everything they have into their gifts and achieve a life of success."
Greg Werner

Two weeks ago Mike and Justin were in the woodshop creating a "new but aged" piece of furniture for a customer.  The piece was inspired by the chestnut hidden TV cabinet on our website, and  a returning customer thought it up.  It will be used in a bathroom and serve as a functional cabinet.

We have always claimed that our customers sometimes are joint partners with us in the creative process, especially those with custom made pieces. 

As Mike and Justin were turning our customer's vision into reality, they too had to engage in the creative process as well.  Mike's brother, John came in the shop for a moment to find the two actually having fun as well.  When Mike came home he told me of the story how John had commented that our furniture making was a passion, and that he realized how much Mike and Justin love what they do.

In an age where stress and rushing around is commonplace, I felt it was just noteworthy, or blogworthy if you will.  The effects of fun in our lives have been studied, and therefore, this positive energy is what I hope to pass on to you. Find something you love and throw yourself into it, or create something based on a need to get you started. 

Be creative!

The picture shows the piece being created!

2010 - What's New For Us This Year?

2009 is over!  I love the hope that a new year brings.  We have been watching a rising interest in our furniture, which has been pretty exciting after the economic slump that I think we were all feeling in various ways.

Our son, Robert is joining together with his friend for some upcoming craft shows:
The 6th Annual Cabin Fever Craft Show in Glens Falls on January 16th  and The Country Folk Arts Show in Syracuse on February 5-7. .  They have had some very positive response from other shows.  Bobby has been working with wood since he was about 5 and his woodworking skills are beyond his age.  He seems driven to make and sell his craft (having his own car with expenses is one motivating factor).
See a picture below of one of Bobby's tiger maple pedestal tables.

As many of you already know, our daughter, Rebecca and her beloved Justin will be getting married in May.  Justin will be joining Bobby and Josh at the Syracuse show with some of our furniture as well as the woodcrafts. Justin is looking forward to a successful show.
Justin is also interested in meeting with architects and interior designers.  Our business would be a great resource, especially those looking for anything that needs to be custom built.  Please contact us if you're an architect and are interested in working with us.

We'd love for you to stop by whether it's at a show or our showroom and say Hi. We'd love to meet you.