About +

Images in Bloom is an art and handcrafted business that sprung from the creative spirit of Steve and Barb Bloom.  Our business started with a spark of curiosity… Could we actually take our skills , knowledge and abilities to make products for others that we have found relevant , useful and products we would have purchased ourselves?

Driven by the economics of unemployment we each began to develop our works.  Steve studied everything he could about soap making, and quickly found his stride, making gardener’s soap – a pleasant minty fresh soap with great natural ingredients and rich lather, and corn meal for a scrubby experience.  Gardener’s soap quickly became a best seller and the foundation for a soap business that continues to grow today.  He is a member of the Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild, and is a certified soapmaker.

It all began in 2010 – Since then we have expanded the business, and established a small niche for our products.  Our soap and products are in a number of galleries and shops around the Northern Ohio area.

Barb’s silk and wire crochet have been juried into a number of fine art events in Ohio and Michigan.  Barb paints silk in the french resist or serti method.  This begins with white silk, a design is drawn on the silk with a substance known as gutta (or resist).  When dry, the coloring book image is then painted with specific dye or paint intended for natural fabrics such as silk and cotton.  The finished piece is then steamed and washed, now colorfast and hand washable.  She also offers wire crochet jewelry with a dense beading, and earrings made from dyed silk cocoons. Barb is a member of Textile Art Alliance ( an arm of the Cleveland Museum of Art) and has participated in the fall fashion sale since 2012.

You can find us at a number of art fairs in the region, as well as a number of shops in Northeastern Ohio.  And we also maintain an online shop at http://www.imagesinbloom.com/store

Together we love the opportunity to use our skills, create wholesome, well crafted products that make life bit more special.  In the beginning of 2016 we moved our production space to a studio in the ArtCraft Building, located at 2570 Superior Avenue #605, Cleveland Ohio.  I am delighted to report that we outgrew our little space and in May 2019 we moved our studio to an 1100 square foot studio on the other side of the building at 2530 Superior #402. We now have fabulous views of Lake Erie and Burke lakefront airport . This is where production of our work occurs.  We also offer classes, and host guest teaching.

Steve and Barb have been married since 1980, make their home in Parma Ohio and each hold degrees from Cleveland State University.

And  a recent interview:

https://voyageohio.com/interview/conversations-with-barbara-and-steve-bloom/

Interests:  Business development, marketing, web design, community development, personal development, entrepreneurship, education