HAPPY CHANNUKAH!

ECONOMY

year of the

4.

"'

HERE AND NOW

$65

One Of A Kind

2 years at $125, 3 years at $175
Call to subscribe: 248.351.5120

New local boutiques, businesses and brands you may
not know — but should.

In state only

By Lynne Konstantin

41Ire

DETROIT
JEWISH NEWS

;74,1 1_1PE•,

OFFFIZINCri

Weekly Swim Lessons!

4 months - 12 years of age
4:1 student-to-teacher ratio
30-minute weekly lessons

Small classes, Big impact

Your children will get the attention they
need in our swim lessons.

Our pools are 90 degrees!

Location, times & details car
be found on our website

goldfishswimschool.com
FA LIKE US on Facebook!

swim school

rzcaogioacc1=036firtith

1778370

We need our communities support! We are family owned and
operated and are active members in the Jewish community.

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I I

ap

1For

WE ARE FULL SERVICE AND
WILL PUMP YOUR GAS,
CHECK YOUR TIRES AND
FLUIDS

FRANKLIN AUTO SERVICE
32725 Franklin Rd.

Just S. of 14 Mile Rd by Cider Mill

248-626-2080

Visit our website at www.franklin-autorepaircom

44 December 2012

I RrD THRUM

ANYTIME OFFER

$10 OFF

FULL SERVICE
OIL CHANGE
......

Includes new oil filter, up to 5 qts any motor oil,
20 point vehicle maintenance inspection,
chassis lubrication, top off fluids.
Plus tax. Most Vehicles Limited time offer. I
Not valid with other discounts/offers. Must
present coupon at time of service write up.

...

.

Coolant, Battery,
Suspension, Tires,
I FALL/WINTER
Wipers.
I PREP CHECK . With coupon. Expires 12/07/12.

FREE

,11150

LOCATIONS

I

I

DARRELL'S FIRESTONE

in downtown Farmington

248-477-9090

Vi 'our website for more specials and coupons
www.darrellsfirestone.com
1790430

a my Sternberg began her entre-
preneurial career as an artist at
a young age: In high school, her
hand-painted sweatshirts and other
pieces of clothing were in demand
with her classmates and friends, and
she honed her unique customiza-
tion techniques.
"I've always loved drawing and
painting and doodling on anything
I can get my hands on," says Stern-
berg, who started taking art classes
at the Birmingham Bloomfield Art
Center when she was 7 years old.
The West Bloomfield mom of
two college-age daughters began
her career at Eastern
Michigan University
as an art major."But
I realized that I did
not like being graded
on my hobby;' she
says, and she soon
changed her course of
studies to English and
journalism.
Working as an as-
sistant editor in the
educational technol-
ogy department of a
Chicago publisher un-
til her first daughter
was born, Sternberg's doodles sat
on the backburner; as her kids got
older, she went to work in various
local retail shops, making occasional
customized paint pieces for friends
and their kids along the way.
Finally, a little over a year ago,
Sternberg listened to the longtime
faithful urging of her mother-in-
law, J udee Sternberg, and went
into business for herself, creating
Artworks by Amy, LLC. Buying
stock from a growing assortment of
vendors, Sternberg custom hand-
paints everything from piggy (and
purse and tzedakah) banks to pencil
boxes and camp clipboards to step
stools, rocking chairs and larger-
scale furniture out of her home, with
her living and dining rooms dou-
bling as packing and shipping areas.
Meeting with clients who choose

the designs they want, from flowers,
princesses, sports, a favorite book
or pretty much anything the child
or parent is interested in, Sternberg
creates heirloom-quality works of
art that are completely intended to
be well-used and hands-on adored.
Whether created as charming
little personalized party favors, or as
a little girl's prized possession, like
a sweetly painted diminutive doll
bed, replete with blanket and pil-
low, Sternberg gives her customers
exactly what they want. Last sum-
mer, she worked with a mom and
her 10-year-old daughter to create

a desk that incorporated all of the
girl's favorite colors and patterns,
plus a special quote that her parents
had picked out for her.
Often, clients will bring her an old,
weathered piece of furniture, and
Sternberg will renovate it, breathing
new life into something that had
sat for years in the basement, like
a scratched-up and water-stained
pine dresser that she sanded, then
coated with chalk paint, and waxed
before distressing it."It's a favorite
piece of mine," she says.
And she loves giving them what
they want. "I love that my gifts make
people happy," says Sternberg."' get
to use my creativity, and have fun
with it, while working."

For more information, go to
artworksbyamy.com.

www.redthreadmagazine.com

