Raised In Cotton

Cheers Bloggers!

Thank you so much for the wonderful discussion on Blogging! I think Joyce said it best that blogging provides a "Mental and Visual Vacation" and I couldn't agree more. So cheers to us that continue to offer a bit of inspiration on our blogs and the gift of the many friendships we have made. Keep Shining:)

So to start your week off, my gift to you~

"Blogging Is The Devil" Lesson Learned

This post is a departure from what I usually write about, but I thought it was a good time to do a bit of reflection.  Please let me know your current views.  As always I Thank You! Carol

Recently a friend I know said to me, "Blogging is the Devil!" I was a bit stunned with her statement but after a lengthy conversation she further explained that visiting blogs always makes her feel very inadequate and unworthy. That it seems if you don't have some incredible house or incredible DIY project or incredible photography or traveled on an incredible trip to post about, why bother? Basically her take was the fairytale world of bloggers was filled with narcissistic personalities that wouldn't know the real world if it bit them in the ass. Ouch right? I tried to justify to her that my reasons of blogging were to connect, inspire, market the business and mentor.  And how I've always been grateful for the friendships and opportunities that have come my way because of blogging. But wait, did her view of blogland have any merit? Do my own blogs fall into that same fairytale world she described? Probably to some extent, but that's because I'm very conscious about putting out the best content I possibly can on my blogs. I owe that to the people who take the time to visit and have been supportive over the years. Also, I understand that blog readers usually are looking for two things, information and inspiration and that is what I always try to provide. That there is enough ugly in the World we live in and being able to escape in blogland for a bit is OK.

Why you blog and the content you offer is a decision that is ultimately yours. But as my friend reminded me of in her assessment about blogland, don't get caught up in the smoke and mirrors of blogging that you feel the need to constantly produce to obtain favor.  In reflecting, a dose of "Real" might be in order for many of us that blog~don't we owe that to our readers and ultimately ourselves?

The internet has fostered a wave of instantaneous gratification and short term memory loss. Basically any fame you receive from the internet can be very fleeting so remembering that and taking things in perspective when you post should be a lesson for all of us bloggers.

 

 

Chair Love Part 2

Remember "The Chair" I posted about a few weeks back? It is now for sale in the shop. I've been on a bit of a chair buying spree as of late and have several in the inventory so this one has now come available for purchase. 

Chairs have always been a good seller in our shop and we are constantly looking for ones with good bones that we can take to our upholsterer. The brown spindle desk chair is a recent find and we had the seat recovered in a brown/tan zebra material. I think the print is a bit unexpected but seems to work well with the style of chair.

We used a sweet bird print to recover this side chair and it quickly sold.

A floral pattern in black, tan and white was the fabric choice for this small chase. Our customer bought the black table along with the chase to use in her bedroom. 

Stop by and visit us at the shop soon:)

 

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Yard Sale Tips

It's Spring and Yard Sale Season! The weather has been really warm and those sale signs have been popping up everywhere in my area and I bet in yours as well. I found this pretty vase recently at a local sale for a few dollars and bought it to use for a Spring table setting. Below is a few tips that I use when hunting Yard Sales~

 

1. Plot your route with a map the night before to save time. 

2. Shop older neighborhoods for vintage finds.

3. Go early in the day for the best finds.

4. Ask the seller if they will be adding more items during the day and then return.

5. Let the seller know what items you are looking for just in case they have something that is not out. 

6. Have small bills available for purchases.

7. Scan the sale quickly for items of interest then move on. 

8. Group items together and ask for a better price.

9. Garage Sale Rover is one of my favorite iPhone Apps to use for searching sales.

10.  Yard Sale Search   to find sales in your area.

Happy Yard Saling!

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Wedding Decor Idea Using Vintage Frames

Recently, I have been working with a couple of Brides that want to incorporate vintage frames into their Wedding decor. Instead of just tacking empty frames on the wall, I decided to do something a bit different and created this concept for them;

I used an old bottle filled with fresh flowers and centered them in the middle of the frame. To further personalize the framed flowers, I thought the Brides could pin favorite family photos or mementos to the wire. 

I really enjoy working with Brides and coming up with simple but lovely ideas that can be incorpated into their special day. The Good News is my Son just got engaged last week and my future Daughter-In-Law is beyond creative. In the next few weeks I will be sharing her ideas along with lots of other Wedding decor projects. 

Also coming up, my friend Matthew Mead will be doing a guest post on Vintage Wedding Ideas!!! Speaking of Matthew, head over to his blog where he has a fantastic giveaway and new video featuring his gorgeous book Flea Market Finds ~Available on Amazon for purchase;)