Feature Friday - Who Will It Be?

Glad your here! Even though I am brand spankin' new to this blogland (this being my 12th post) I have gotten so much from it.  Meeting others that share the same interests.  Being inspired and hopefully inspiring others in some small way.  Getting comments makes me smile and I'm happy whenever I see a new follower... (I think it's just awesome when I see a new face in my sidebar).  I always go to check out who you are.  I can't wait to see what it is we may have in common that makes me lucky enough to have you follow.  I try to post a comment, thanking you for what I still think is a huge gesture...this following thing. To thank my followers further and to let you know I'm glad your here, I am going to dedicate Friday's as a THANK YOU DAY! 

photo I took from a Target display

 Each Friday I will randomly pick 2 followers from my sidebar and do a feature on you - with a link to your blog. We'll call it...  FEATURE FRIDAY 

Here we go...the first 2 Features to kick it all off:

Maria is from Norway and has the prettiest blog.  She also has some huge talent making the most feminine looking wrist warmers which she calls pulse warmers.  Stop by and visit Maria here at Ide Kroken she's all about girly joy.

Kelly is from Much To Do With Nothing.  She's all about reusing and refurbishing and her reupholstery work is to-die-for.  She shares tutorials, and some amazing furniture transformations as well. She has reached 400 followers and is having a giveaway to celebrate - you'll have to check her out.


   

Interview with the fabulous City.Cottage Store

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I'm so excited to feature and share with you all, the most gorgeous little shop about 10 minutes from my home and how it changed my life.  The awesome Jenny Smith, owner of City.Cottage was so kind to let me do a mini interview. 

I recently found her gorgeous store and fell in love with the charm and beauty of everything there. From the second I walked through the door something inside me changed.  You see, for some time I had been feeling a little blue.  Maybe it was the empty nest syndrome I had been so miserably dealing with...heck, maybe the 45 year old hormones were in overdrive, all I know is as much as I wanted to snap out of it a year and a half of feeling this way was starting to feel like this was the new me and trust me, I wasn't happy about it.

Like I said, from the moment I walked into the sun filled City.Cottage I have felt uplifted and inspired to revisit my love of all things white, casual, cottage and shabby.  I can't explain how inspired and purposeful I felt looking at every square inch of shabby chic goodness.  I finally did leave her store with a handful of adorable robins eggs.  What Jenny doesn't know - is on that day she not only handed me my perfectly wrapped little bag of goodies, she gave me inspiration, purpose and a happiness I hadn't felt in some time. It was that very same week I started my blog.  I'm so grateful...Thank you Jenny.

Ok I digress ;-) enough about me, here we go:

When and what inspired you to open your store?

Other lovely stores.  I fell in love along time ago with a beautiful shop called White On White and everything changed from that second on, I went home painted EVERYTHING white and have not looked back.  People used to come into my home and say you should do this for a living, interior design isn't really where my heart is, it's creating a shop that inspires others to fill there home with beautiful finds, and NOT breaking the bank.

Photo:  City.Cottage

What advice would you give to someone wanting to open a shop?

Do it, dont give up and be patient and if its in the stars for you, it will happen. Also I believe it is a wonderful thing to do something different, that no one has in your town or city, that is what sets you apart and keeps the people coming back.

What is your favourite room in your home?

Well, I just moved into a great loft, with exposed brick, high ceilings and wood floors. It has been super fun finding unique stuff for my own home, and it's a work in progress.  I plan to post it all when I'm done. Recently I found the shabby-est old cubby on Kijij for $60 - dragged it home,  took 5 hours peeling, scraping , cleaning and painting it. Now I am in love with her.  I think you should love every room in your home and make it a place to retreat to.  I think that's why I love Cottage/farmhouse style so much.

When not running your business how do you like to spend your time?

Running my business, lol
Its a labor of love, when you own your own anything in life, it makes it hard to put it on the back burner. But it's all worth it in the end. I do not order anything for the shop, I find it all , paint it all and pull it all together. Thats the fun part for me, seeing it all together at the end of the day, and then seeing someone love it as much as I do in there own home.

Photo: City.Cottage

 

Photo:  City.Cottage

Photo: By Me

44 King Street East, Bowmanville, Ontario