Liebster Award

Liebster, (Liebste) meaning kindest, dearest, beloved, cute, endearing in German.

Well, thank you...I haven't been called so many nice things in quite some time. 

The Liebster Award is a blogger peer award.

It's a way for bloggers to learn more about each other and help you grow as a blogger and also to help form your blogging tribe. Rules for the Liebester Award vary but I’m following the rules that Suburban Bitches used when they nominated me (um, months ago....thanks for the nomination!!!XO). 

So, I'll be answering the 11 Questions which were posed to me, and then I'll be nominating a few of my favorite bloggers and asking them 11 Questions.

Here we go!

{used with permission from Autumn Kimball}

1. Favorite flavor of ice cream? I'm a chocolate girl through and through, but I am hooked on Blood Orange Gelato OR anything Ben & Jerry's. 

2. Where is your dream vacation? I studied abroad in Siena, Italy. I'd love to go back to Tuscany. And actually, I'd love to take a group of friends and clients on an Antique buying tour in Europe, starting in Northern France near Caen and ending with rug buying in Turkey.

3. What is one piece of clothing that you can’t live without? My Toms. They're indespensible to me. 

4. Do you have another job outside of your blog? I am an Interior Decorator and LOVE taking on client projects. As a Designer and Decorator, I pride myself on finding my client's style and making their vision happen. I'm not the sort of designer that has a signature style and I work hard to incorporate the client's personality in to the space (not my personality, if you read me). 

5. Favorite curse word or phrase? Son of a Bitch. (I'm also known to insert other words into the phrase, such as: Son of a Gunderson, Son of a Troglodyte, Son of a Nutcracker, etc. It seems to keep my kids on their toes because they're never quite sure what will be coming out of my mouth, for instance, when I stub my toe, which happens frequently). 

6. Last movie you cried at? Breakfast at Tiffany's. I always cry at the fire escape scene, the Buddy Ebsen scene in the park and of course...and who wouldn't cry for poor CAT in the rain at the end. 

7. What profession would you chose other than the one you currently have? Romance Novelist...sort of like Joan Wilder in Romancing the Stone, HAHA!!! I'd love to have been an Architect or own my own Book Store or Furnishings Shop.

8. What keeps you blogging? Connecting with people. Because I've moved so frequently, blogging has given me the opportunity to connect with friends old and new alike. And it's totally an outlet for me. I love to share my ideas and think about things that people in my immediate (real life) circles may not want to discuss...I know I can discuss just about anything here whether it be a Malachite Lamp Shade or my new favorite Rug or how I'd decorate the Impending Princess Royal's Nursery....yes, I think they're having a girl. 

9. Where do you see the future of blogging going? I think blogging is here to stay, but I think it is evolving into a product driven direction. For example, successful bloggers now collaborate with large companies with product lines, paint lines, their own lighting designs, etc. For Home Design Bloggers especially, I think it will be about putting your stamp on a product or in my case, I'd like to have a collection of my favorite pieces that I'd share with my readers. 

10. Blogger burnout is trending right now after the New York Times article. Ever experienced it? All the time. Because I have 4 kiddos and am frequently working on other projects, I have to fit in time for my blogging. If I have a busy week, it's the blogging that slides, not my kids. So burnout is a real thing. I always have ideas to blog about, it's finding the time to actually do it that is difficult. I need an intern ;)

11. Favorite Instagram account to follow? That's so hard because I have so many favorites and find so many to be so visually inspirational. I guess I'd have to say TheEveryGirl. I would like to take Commona My House to an online magazine format like The Every Girl.  I'm a huge fan of following SinclairandMoore, KimballCreative, JennyPrinn. Rosa Beltran Design, FloretFlowerFarm and Anna Spiro. 

Ok, here are my Liebster Questions for my nominees to answer: Vanessa of Entre Nous, Amber of Averie Lane and Rachel of Maison de Pax. 

1. If you could have a vacation home anywhere in the world, where would it be?

2. Who is your favorite blogger? Instagrammer? Pinner?

3. Who is your Famous Design Alter Ego?

4. What's your favorite song and why?

5. How would you define your style?

6. Do you have a signature ANYTHING? Article of clothing, color, drink?

7. Best Vintage or Decor Find of all time?

8. What's a completely random thing about yourself that not very many people know about.

9. What's your favorite blog post that you've ever written?

10.What talent do you have and what talent do you wish you had?

11. If you could select a mentor who would eventually turn over their company/business to you to run, who would it be?

Go here to see my responses to the Liebster I received back in March of 2013...it was a slightly more revealing 'interview' back then ;)

P.S. I'm answering my own questions, too:

1. If you could have a vacation home anywhere in the world, where would it be? CT Shoreline

2. Who is your favorite blogger? Instagrammer? Pinner? Blogger: Emily Henderson. Pinner: Vanessa of Entre Nous. Instagrammer: Autumn Kimball

3. Who is your Famous Design Alter Ego? I'd say a sort of Emily Henderson/Suzanne Kastler/Nate Berkus/Mary MacDonald

4. What's your favorite song and why? This is a REALLY tough question for me, because I have had several favorites over the seasons of my life.  "Le Vie en Rose" brings tears to my eyes every time. But I think one that keeps coming back is "Love me Like a Song" by Kimmie Rhodes and Willie Nelson. I love music... it is a tender song. I used to listen to Johnny Cash records with my dad when I was a kid. This sort of has similar guitar riffs with that Cash/country feel.... I could imagine June Carter Cash singing this with Johnny. 

And I do love Willie.

5. How would you define your style? Eclectic. My style is layered, collected. It depends on the architectural style of the home and I adapt accordingly. But I'd say overall, Traditional with a quirky kick. I don't over-think it. I do what I like and don't worry about trends, staying pretty classic with contemporary accessories and I LOVE contemporary and modern art pieces.

6. Do you have a signature ANYTHING? Article of clothing, color, drink? I wear Bulgari Perfume. And typically red, red nail polish. 

7. Best Vintage or Decor Find of all time? An Antique Tiffany & Co. Silver Compass for $25 at a Thrift Store in Philly while I was in college. 

8. What's a completely random thing about yourself that not very many people know about? I secretly wanted to be a backup singer to Bob Marley when I was a kid. WEIRD, yes, maybe a little. I thought it would be cool to be the one white chick on stage. This backup singer wish almost came true when in Philadelphia, I had a second call back in auditions for being a backup signer on the Lenny Kravitz tour. I wore pig tails and sang "ME & BOBBY McGEE". They said I had the "chops" but was "too cute".

9. What's your favorite blog post that you've ever written?my very first post, on my Gram and why I had finally after years of thinking about it and even writing draft posts, launched my blog.

10.What talent do you have and what talent do you wish you had? I can sing. And I wish I could record. And I would like to be more talented with languages...I'd like to be fluent in several languages.

11. If you could select a mentor who would eventually turn over their company/business to you to run, who would it be? Maybe Martha Stewart...most definitely,  Robert Redford.