Welcome to my Monthly Musings. I thought it would be fun to start a monthly post recapping highlights, random thoughts, and news of interest. I also love hearing from you, so please comment below with feedback and suggestions!
Image by Slim Aarons
First, Jessica from Lycette Designs and I would like to announce the winner from the Cheeky Needlepoint contest we launched earlier this month… There were so many good ones from which to choose! It was a tough decision, but everyone loved Meg Hosler’s “I may not be a good example, but I’m an excellent warning!” Here were our top five #cheekyneedlepoint favorites:
- Meg Holser, “I may not be a good example, but I am an excellent warning!”
- PreppyPuppy, “The bigger the hair, the closer to God.”
- Marie, “Too Fabulous for Your Negativity!”
- Bibbylady, “Blondes prefer gentlemen.”
- JeanScottKnight, “Don’t Mistake Endurance for Hospitality.”
Congratulations, Meg! Jessica will reach out to work with you in creating this fun new canvas!
Who else is feeling overwhelmed by Snapchat and now the new Instagram Stories? I do have a Snapchat account (theglampad) but I have no idea how to use it and honestly, zero desire to do so. Maybe I’ll jump on the Instagram Stories bandwagon eventually. I do love Instagram for daily inspiration and for meeting incredibly talented people. Here is an article questioning if Instagram Stories can compete with Snapchat. What do you think?
On a related note, I have been mourning the old Pinterest due to the irritating changes they implemented this spring. A new algorithm forces loads of advertising through your feed and hides the content of the accounts you actually have chosen to follow. You can read more (and rant) here. I really, really, REALLY miss the old Pinterest. However, I am still active, and you can follow me here.
via Cooking Classy
Speaking of Pinterest, I have been on the lookout for easy and delicious One Dish dinners… I found this one, which looks yummy. My 14-month-old son keeps me so busy these days, and I have found it difficult to keep up with cooking. We tried Green Chef, and while the food was delicious – and all organic! – the recipes were just too time consuming. Does anyone have any super-easy recipes to share or super-speedy home delivery options?
Image via Mad Men
I have finally started to accept sponsors! All sponsors are carefully screened and only selected if they receive my personal endorsement. Please allow me to introduce you to my fabulous new sponsors…
- JingleNog: Christmas is just around the corner and it is not too early to start shopping now. Each of JingleNog’s unique and exquisitely detailed Christmas ornaments and tree toppers are carefully handcrafted by artisans in Italy and Poland using the old world methods of mouth blowing and hand painting glass. They are BEAUTIFUL!!
- Annechovie: I have followed artist Anne Harwell McElhaney, founder of Annechovie, for years, and I was thrilled to welcome her as a sponsor. Anne also lives in Florida, which inspires her beautiful work. Read more about her fabulous new Palm Beach inspired series here.
- Sukhi Rugs: Sukhi provides high quality handmade rugs that are only made when you order, so they’re customizable. Sukhi works directly with the artisans, ensuring they receive excellent working conditions. This allows lower prices for the consumer. In Nepali, Sukhi means happy!
- Best Prices for Furniture has assembled a network of furniture dealers who discount mid-to-high-end home furniture. The dealers have been in business for many years and all offer white-glove, in-home delivery. More than 100 brands are represented including Brown Jordan, Hickory Chair, Lane Furniture, Maitland Smith, and Visual Comfort.
- Sequins & Lipstick offers fun, sassy, shiny, personalized items that make you smile when you use them. So wear your favorite lipstick (or sequins), use your personalized napkins, burn the fancy candle, send a handwritten note on your pretty stationery! This is my new one-stop destination for party supplies and gifts.
Please contact me if you are interested in becoming a sponsor!
Spring Musings 2018: Tastemakers, Auctions, and Designer Furniture
Fall Musings: From Designer Dogs to French Aptware
August Musings: From Princess Diana to the Return of Chintz
May Musing: Books, A 1970s Time Capsule, and Pippa Middleton’s Wedding
Great links!! xo K
Great post !
Andrea, we've been using Veestro home delivery for the past 3 months and absolutely love it. It's vegetarian, organic, and the meals are already prepared. Simply heat or microwave and eat. Tasty and satisfying. The meals look small, but, amazingly, they really stick with you. Not meant to be diet food, but we have all lost weight – 9 pounds for me and 20 for my brother. But I should mention that I also gave up sugary foods. My digestive system loves me for it. 🙂 The company is out of California. Cost works out to about $8 per meal. Totally worth it for the time savings, convenience and great meal options, not to mention the good taste.
This sounds PERFECT!! Thank you!!!
XOXO,
The Glam Pad
Oh, you are too fun! so glad I subsribed, sibcribed, sicribed, (just enjoyed my 2nd relaxation tonic of the evening, pardonnez-moi-doctors orders). You are very clever an on the mark. And, love those 'In-the-Know' discount sites! merci!!!
GREAT post – I love your musings and hope you keep doing this regularly!! xoxo
I miss old Pinterest and old Instagram. It is all getting too much and I wonder why I subscribe to anyone at all when they force-fed me ads and people I don't know at all…
Hi Andrea,
Jessica reached out to me yesterday and told me that I won the needlepoint contest. Wow!!! Very flattered. I actually read this quote years ago, many years ago, but cannot remember who the originator was. I googled to try to find out, thinking it was Mae West, nope. Seems my name just keeps showing up with it. Anyway, very excited!