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Bearden
Four West High athletes sign college letters
Wednesday, Feb. 7, marked the beginning of the NCAA signing period for football, soccer and water polo. These four West High School athletes signed letters of intent to play their respective sports at the next level. Among them, Zion McCray and Jason Eskridge will be teammates at Union College in Barbourville, Ky.
More: Who signed where on National Signing Day?
HALLS
Family business puts stamp on Knoxville
Ali James, Shopper News correspondent
Set in Stone Sisters was a concrete garden décor business started by two sisters, Lucinda Price and Marianne Wilson. “My daughters, started it as a hobby in 2011,” said Laverne Wilson. “I had retired for the second or third time and decided to help them at their market booth.”
Laverne Wilson had a passion for rubber stamping and making cards and began stamping images of flowers and birds onto travertine tiles to sell at the market.
“People were walking out with the coasters and not the garden décor,” said Chelsea Price, Wilson’s granddaughter. “They were a better price point and cheaper, and you always need a coaster and you don’t always need a piece of concrete.”
Laverne Wilson’s daughters had full-time jobs, so she decided to keep up with the demand for the coasters and take over Set in Stone Sisters. She produces the collectible coasters from her Corryton home, with Chelsea working right alongside her. Marianne and Lucinda help when they can.
The coaster designs expanded to feature landmarks, iconic buildings, schools, theaters and churches as well as vintage advertisements in and around Knoxville, Maryville, the Great Smoky Mountains, Oak Ridge, Clinton and Norris.
Over the years, Laverne Wilson has designed around 150 stamps, which are produced locally. And she estimates she has a library of over 350 photo prints that can be applied to the coasters.
“Most of them are from postcards, and our customers sometimes send us their old pictures,” said Wilson.
Chelsea Price helps with production as well as handling marketing, event merchandising and social media for Set in Stone Sisters. “If you can get us a picture we can put it on a coaster,” she said. “Custom orders are not really our bread and butter anymore. But we still love to do custom images for wedding favors, Valentine’s and birthday gifts – we even made 150 for a family reunion.”
The duo even created coasters for a client using his photos from a trip to Germany.
Recently, Laverne and Chelsea decided to launch their neighborhood collection. “South Knoxville is the first neighborhood we did,” said Price. “People from South Knoxville have a lot of pride, and we also had a lot of requests from Halls.” There are 24 neighborhood designs in the collection.
They have also produced large corporate orders for the Pat Summitt Foundation and keep busy post-Christmas fulfilling wholesale orders.
Coasters retail for $6 each, or four can be purchased for $22, and magnets retail for $3.50 each.
Set in Stone Sisters coasters and magnets are currently available at Knoxville Visitors Center, Ijams Nature Center, Nostalgia, The Shoppes and Fountain City Station, Bradley’s, Knoxville Chocolate Co., Tea and Treasures.
As Set in Stone Sisters has grown, it’s taken over two rooms in Wilson’s house and part of her garage – where they sand and clean the tiles. Once the market season starts again this spring, the duo will be hard at work six days a week as the company continues to grow.
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OPINION
Some days, nachos are the healthy choice
Leslie Snow, Shopper News columnist
In 1854, there was a cholera outbreak in the Soho district in London. Nearly everyone got sick except a small group of brewery workers who drank beer exclusively, never touching the contaminated water. Not a good time for teetotalers. That bit of trivia has been bouncing through my head ever since last week’s unfortunate Super Bowl party.
I know it’s not normal, but I don’t like Super Bowl parties. They’re awkward gatherings that start at an odd time of day, on a strange day of the week. On any other Sunday, when 6:30 rolls around, I’m in my comfy clothes, relaxing. But on Super Bowl Sunday, I’m expected to socialize around a television set and eat adorable appetizers shaped like footballs until 11 o’clock. On a school night.
A few years ago, I started a new tradition, the Leslie-Snow-Exclusive-Super-Bowl-Party. I send an invitation to my husband, and any offspring that happen to be home, and we make mostly healthy snacks to eat in front of the TV. What separates my party from the traditional Super Bowl parties is that 1) you get to wear your favorite sweat pants, 2) you can watch the game without making small talk, 3) you can go to bed when you’re tired.
This year’s private party looked to be a good one. My husband accepted my invitation and agreed to root for any team that wasn’t the New England Patriots. We decided on the menu, and I wore a new pair of lounging pajamas that were both attractive and comfortable. It was a promising beginning.
While we were getting ready, I teased my husband about his protein-centric appetizers. He decided to bake chicken tenders with buffalo sauce and make Italian beef sandwiches. He also wanted clam dip and potato chips. I wanted to eat healthier, so I made low-fat stuffed jalapeno poppers and served fresh fruit and celery with yogurt dressing for dipping. Clearly one of us was taking the healthy eating more seriously than the other. Lucky for my husband, I was there to point out my healthier food choices. And he loved that.
Everything went as planned. The food was delicious, the game ended just the way I hoped, and I was in bed by the time the winning coach was doused with Gatorade. It seemed another private Super Bowl party was successfully in the books.
Until it wasn’t. In the middle of the night my stomach woke me up and I was faced with a horrible realization; I was going to be sick. And I was. All through the night.
The next morning my husband tried to comfort me. “Poor you! You had such a rough night.” I agreed. “I can’t figure out why I’m the only one who got sick,” I cried, pitifully. "We went to the same Super Bowl party. We ate the same food. Why did I get sick?”
That’s when I saw the imaginary lightbulb go off above his head. “I didn’t have any fruit. Or vegetables. I focused on the chicken tenders and the Italian beef like a normal person.” He looked quite pleased with himself. “You might want to lay off the vegetables in the future. They can really knock you for a loop if you’re not careful.”
Then he brought me a glass of water and I rolled over and went to sleep. But I learned my lesson. Next year, when the next Super Bowl rolls around, I’m eating nothing but nachos and wings. And I’m going to drink a lot of beer. I hear it cures cholera.
Leslie Snow may be reached at snowcolumn@aol.com.
FARRAGUT
Pysanky egg decorating finds new popularity in West Knox
By Margie Hagen, Shopper News correspondent
Think decorating eggs is only for Easter? Artist and teacher Jordan Byrd will change your mind with her exquisitely designed display eggs and jewelry. Using a 5,000-year-old process called Pysanky or Batik, Byrd uses the traditional method to craft her art.
Pysanky is a Ukrainian word and literally means “to write.” Prayers for good health and success were written on eggs and given as gifts. Each design and color signified a different meaning. Today, Byrd translates that into a variety of designs.
What started as a two-hour 4-H class when Byrd was 12 has turned into a thriving business for the West Knox artist. She fell in love with egg decorating as a hobby, so when her parents encouraged her to start selling her creations, Byrd found her calling; now she works from her home studio and sells in galleries, art shows and online at her website, insidethebyrdsnest.com.
It might seem like eggs are too delicate for everyday jewelry, but Byrd uses a certified green plant-based sealer called ecopoxy. “Each piece is coated until it is practically indestructible,” says Byrd, adding, “The chains will break before the eggs do.” She used her then 2-year-old daughter to test for durability, noting, “If she couldn’t break it, I knew I had the right formula.”
Where does one get a rhea or emu egg? “I try to get goose and other eggs locally at farmers markets,” Byrd says. “But I get the exotic eggs from a bird breeding farm in California.” She checked them out beforehand to make sure the birds were raised humanely and uses only infertile eggs.
Byrd uses the wax resist process to produce the desired effect. A fine-point tool called a kista is filled with heated wax and used to draw the design. The egg is then dyed, with the wax “resisting” the color. More designs and colors are applied in stages; an egg can take anywhere from six to 40 hours to complete. Custom pieces can be made for special occasions or businesses.
Teaching others about the art is a big part of keeping the tradition alive; Byrd holds classes at Pellissippi State Community College and the Appalachian Arts Crafts Center. Go to their websites for details.
Byrd will be participating in the Dogwood Arts Show this year for the first time. “I’m very excited to be included in that show,” she said. She’ll also be branching out on a national level as a guest teacher at a weeklong artists' retreat in the Adirondacks in April.
Being talented at what she does and truly loving it makes all the hard work worthwhile for Byrd. “I feel very lucky to be living my dream,” she says. “I count my blessings every day.” You can see informational videos and more of her work on Facebook: insidethebyrdsnest and on YouTube, or call 615-293-7695.
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NORTH/EAST KNOXVILLE
Five Fulton seniors sign with Ky. college
By Ruth White, Shopper News
Five of Fulton High School's finest football players signed letters of intent to play at The University of the Cumberlands next year.
The players – Jaquez Booker, Coryean Davis, James Davis, Joey Smith and Robquez Thomas – have earned two region championships, four playoff appearances, one state championship – and a four-year record of 42-10.
Head coach Rob Black spoke briefly before the signing celebration, stating that he and his staff were "super proud of the five quality individuals" heading to The University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Ky. Black called them "some of the best kids in the school, academically and athletically."
Jaquez Booker was a three-year contributor and two-year starter. He had 81 career tackles, six tackles for loss, 14 receptions, 178 yards and two touchdowns. Jaquez was named to the Region 3-5A team.
Coryean Davis was a two-year starter on defense and leading receiver his senior year with 60 receptions (a school record) with 865 yards and seven touchdowns. Coryean played in the Toyota East/West All-Star Classic and was named to the All-Region 3-5A team and was on the 3rd Team All-PrepXtra.
James Davis overcame injuries to become a major contributor his junior and senior years. He had 114 career tackles and represented Fulton at the Border Bowl, on the All-Region 3-5A team and 2nd Team All-PrepXtra.
Joey Smith had 44 catches, 669 yards and five touchdowns for his career. He had 51 career tackles and three career fumble recoveries. He was named to the All-Region 3-5A team.
Robquez Thomas was a big part of the receiving corps his senior year with 12 catches, 158 yards and one touchdown.
The Fulton auditorium was filled with family, friends, staff members and teammates all joining in the celebration.
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