Archive for July, 2011
The Winner of “Beautiful Gardens 2011″ Is Elizabeth Bohland!
Friday, July 29th, 2011
"Forest Stump" from Maria Hubard's garden
Over the years Deb and I have enjoyed the photographs and videos you send us showing the ways you use your Carrruth designs. We love seeing your garden decoration ideas and the creative things you do with them in your homes and offices.
Last year we launched a “Beautiful Gardens 2010” contest as a way of sharing these images with all of our customers, Facebook fans, and Twitter followers. We had a tremendous response.
This June we launched the “Beautiful Gardens 2011” contest and invited all of you to email us your images or post your pictures on our Facebook wall. Again, we have had so much fun as each of the pictures has come to us. Thank you all so much for sharing your beautiful gardens with us.
It was really hard to decide between all of the beautiful images but we have finally chosen a winner. Elizabeth Bohland’s picture of her tranquil water garden with William Turtle being serenaded by Turtle Musician won our hearts. You know what we say about William Turtle? He’s not your typical sculpture. He looks you straight in the eye and lets you know what he’s thinking. He looks best displayed near a pond or fountain, as this photo clearly shows. Turtle Musician is truly into his music and is happily playing by the side of the pond. Turtle Musician is a classic design brought back for a limited time…
Elizabeth Bohland's Winning Water Garden
Elizabeth will enjoy a $150 gift certificate for the Carruth designs of her choice. We hope she enjoys her new Carruth pieces and continues to share her pictures with the rest of us.
Have you had a chance to look at the photographs? Find them on our Facebook page or on our Flickr channel.
Next week, we’ll be asking you to share your stories, photos and videos about your pets. Do you have any? Please share them with us by posting on Facebook, leaving a comment here on the blog or emailing us at info@CarruthStudio.com.
And please continue to share Carruth Studio with your family and friends. We appreciate your help!
Tags: Beautiful Gardens 2011, Carruth Studio, Contest winner, George Carruth, Made in America
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A Story For ABC World News “Made in America” Series
Thursday, July 21st, 2011
This arrived by email and it made us all smile. Thought you might enjoy reading this submission to ABC World News for their “Made in America” series.
GREETINGS CARRUTH STUDIO,
We wanted you to know we sent this to ABC World News. Hope to see you on air! Sending waves of support from Key West, Deborah and Tim
“Hello MADE IN AMERICA,
Too often a person goes on their way never really knowing the extent of their contribution to the world.
Today, I am compelled to submit this testimonial in honour of George Carruth, an American-made sculptor who brings joy, understanding and renewal to people he’s never even met. How do I know this? Because Tim and I are two of those people.
We live in Key West, Florida and American-made Egbert has changed our lives.
Growing up as kids we recited, “Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put Humpty together again.”
For the last few years, these words haunted Tim. At 57, his career in the commercial real estate industry was in jeopardy. The Florida market had fallen off its proverbial wall and lay shattered in a thousand pieces. People were deeply frightened which perpetuated paralysis. Florida banks were ice cubes melting into oblivion.
Yet, Tim did not give up. Every day he took one step forward and then another. He was determined to survive the nation’s financial crisis but, sometimes, I would hear him say, “I feel like Humpty Dumpty.”
One afternoon I discovered George Carruth’s online store: www.gardensmiles.com. His art made me smile – spontaneously and wide! I felt delight, happiness and joy. George’s pieces captured the imagination and moved my thoughts away from negativity and fear. As I scrolled through the many choices, I discovered Egbert. There was Tim’s Humpty Dumpty! Yet, he was not broken. In fact, George Carruth’s Egbert H. Dumpty had the most amazing facial expression of happiness, hope and victory. I thought, If Egbert can lift my spirits, I know he will do the same for Tim.
The day Egbert arrived was a particularly discouraging day in the office. Two deals, requiring months of work, disintegrated. The bank called to say a client’s check had bounced. A computer crashed. All in all, it was the kind of afternoon you wonder if the Universe is conspiring against you.
When the beautiful box from Carruth Studio arrived, I knocked on Tim’s office door. He said, “Come in.” I walked in to find a guy who looked like his dog had just died. Let me explain: Almost nothing ever gets Tim down. 
He is an authentic optimist with a passion for life. He takes nothing for granted. Tim is known for saying, “I love life and life loves me. Smile because you can!” On this afternoon, the business challenges had taken a white-shark bite out of his heart. He looked defeated.
Without a word, I put the box on his desk and said, “It’s important you open this. NOW.” Tim took a deep, rather skeptical, breath and opened the package. Egbert appeared. Tim looked at him, long and hard. Then, very precisely and gently, he set Egbert directly in front of him and whispered, “Humpty No More.” Then, Tim looked at me with a passionate fire in his eyes and said, “HUMPTY NO MORE! Thank you for this gift.”
George Carruth’s little Egbert is a powerful talisman, representing an energetic motivational force. Now, everyone in the office has fallen for Egbert. We hear him speak in Winston Churchill’s voice, “Never. Never. Never give up! HUMPTY NO MORE!”
Sculptor George Carruth, his muse Deborah and their American-made sculptures continue to change lives!
Imagination, inspiration, passion and dedication are infused into every piece. We have just ordered more Egberts and we’re going to ask Carruth Studio if it’s possible to reduce the size so we can put Egbert on our key rings and carry him with us for support, wherever we may go!
ABC World News, don’t be a HUMPTY. Profile George and Deborah Carruth on your show.
Respectfully submitted,
Royce Addington
Tags: ABC World News, American crafts, Carruth Stduio, Diane Sawyer, George Carruth, Made in America, Made in America Series
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New Showroom, New Designs and New Colors!
Wednesday, July 13th, 2011
Our new showroom at AmericasMart Atlanta
Deb and I are in Atlanta right now starting the first day of the AmericasMart International Gift & Home Furnishings Market. We exhibit Carruth designs at AmericasMart during their trade shows and then have our showroom open year round here in Atlanta. The Carruth product line is sold by retail vendors across the United States and Canada and we are always eager to meet new vendors and to hear the feedback they offer.
"Chow Time" shown in the new Designer White patina
We’ve been working feverishly to move to a new showroom and prepare the displays. It’s exciting because we will be introducing my newest designs as well as the four new colored patinas. Adding the new colors really changes the traditional look of the Carruth line. We’re really interested to see how the gift buyers react to the new designs and to the new colors.
- It’s been a crazy and busy time for us. Introducing new designs always includes a lot of behind the scenes work for our staff at Carruth Studio. They do an excellent job and we’re proud of them.
A table full of colors and designs
We’ve made things even more hectic as I’ve worked on the development of the new colored patinas. The process of developing the proprietary new colors has been long and arduous. It has involved many hours of testing colors and combinations of colors on different designs. Each paint shows differently at different stages of the process and it has taken quite a bit of time to find just the right look for each new patina.
- I’ve been wanting to add new colors for some time now. In the past we had to rely on directional lighting to help make the details stand out on each piece. Now, with the new finishes, the sculptures seem to come to life–in any environment. People are amazed to discover all of the tiny details I include in each piece. The new colors include “Aged Stone”, which is not too dissimilar from the traditional wash we have used on my work, but really enhances the look and gives each piece more depth and character.
"Silent Night Nativity" shown in new "Designer White" patina
“Designer White” was developed to fit in with the contemporary high design world. We’ve learned that so many of our customers purchase Carruth designs for use in interior decorating that we wanted to develop something that would contrast well with different wall colors and really stand out in interior settings. “Terra Cotta” and “Green” each add a subtle warmth to the designs and will work well both inside the home and outside in the garden.
- Back home the “Beautiful Gardens 2011” contest is taking place. We’ve asked customers and Facebook fans to share their photos of their beautiful gardens decorated with Carruth sculptures. We’re really pleased with the range of pictures coming in. Every day we receive email and Facebook posts with pictures from gardens all over the country.
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"Drinking the Rain" from Teresa Monares' garden
Each gardener has a different approach to decorating their gardens and we all enjoy seeing Carruth sculptures in different settings. Today someone posted a photo of their water garden with some of the sculpture appearing to float above the water (using a garden stake to insert the piece in the water garden itself). If you haven’t thought about using garden stakes to mount your sculptures, that picture will give you some ideas.
We hope you’re enjoying your summer and finding plenty of time to rest and relax as the days unfold. Deb and I are about to greet our first customers of the day right now, so I’ll sign off and get to work meeting and greeting the visitors to the show. Wish us well…we can’t wait to hear the feedback.
"Too Much Fun" from Maria Hubbard's garden
By the way, the prize for the “Beautiful Gardens 2011” contest is a $150 gift certificate for Carruth products. We’ll be choosing a winner on July 22nd so you don’t have too much time left. Post your photos directly on our Facebook wall or email them to us at info@CarruthStudio.com. We look forward to seeing what you’ve done with your garden!
Tags: American Artisan, AmericasMart International Gift & Home Furnishings Market, Carruth Studio, George Carruth, Made in America, new colored patinas
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