Blogs and Magazines: Friends or Enemies?

This week we saw another big design magazine go away. Metropolitan Home is gone. This trend is starting to get really noticeable.  At first it seemed that the publishing powers-that-be were just trying to use their arbitrary muscle to decide what we do and don't read.  But now with several design publications gone, I've got to begin to question what is really going on here.
In the blog world I feel there is an underlying sense of guilt that maybe bloggers are having a detrimental effect on the big design magazines.  And I've got to admit there has been a little bit of a feeding-frenzy excitement surrounding this past year's proliferation of blogs, (including my own humble attempt).
So maybe a time of reflection is what we need.  One thing I know for sure; bloggers love magazines.  It's obvious we absolutely devour every word and photo.  We own extensive collections of them and use them as our reference libraries.  We know the writers and editors and photographers like family.
So which is it?  Do blogs hurt or help the magazines?  Can we live in a world with no design magazines and only blogs? 
This is my take.  Blogs are an additional fix for decorating junkies, not a replacement one.  We still really, really want our magazines.  No monitor in the world can replace a beautifully photographed magazine, pure and simple.  The big culprit here, I believe, is the crappy economy and the fact that sometimes luxuries, however small, go first.  I just think we didn't realize that the magazines really do count on our support in the form of purchases to survive.
I will continue to do my part by still visiting my local Barnes and Noble every month, buying a big stack of design magazines and devouring each and every one!  ( Hopefully the kill-off will stop soon. )

My Fancy New Curtains!

Everybody who knows me knows that I am a fabric addict. I love many different kinds of fabrics; cotton prints, linens, silks. I love them all. In fact one of my famous lines is "So many fabrics, So little time"!

Sometimes when I receive the notice that a fabric I have in my line will be discontinued and I haven't had a chance to design something with it, I will buy some yardage and hold it until the right room or project comes along.

This was the case recently when I had on hand a gorgeous silk damask that I had admired and bought after being discontinued. I wanted a change from the green striped silk that had hung there for several years, so I finally sketched up a design. I wanted a dressy look since this window is on the front of the house and is in my office. I added a ruched-cuff heading and lots of fullness in width. I also splurged on heavy English bump interlining which gives body and richness to silk like no other interlining.

My sketch for the workroom

The finished product!

I think they will be a nice dressy look for the holidays. Thanks for looking!

(P.S. the wall color is not quite as orange as it looks in this photo!)

Monday Motivation

"The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work." Emile Zola

A great thought to ponder... so off to work I go!

My Pink Ribbon Post

In Honor of my Mom: A Breast Cancer Warrior

Mom and Me

As we enter Breast Cancer Awareness month, I just want to honor my mother, who has fought breast cancer into remission twice in the last thirteen years. I have watched her bravely face the traumatic diagnosis, a radical mastectomy, a stem cell transplant, radiation, chemotherapy, and all the other sickness and fatigue that comes with this horrible disease.

Because I know that cancer can wait in the wings for the rest of her life, I prefer to use the word warrior instead of survivor. It is a battle that she has fought alongside so many other brave, strong women. I hope everyone will support efforts to find new treatments and, quite possibly, a cure.

A Peek into a Current Project

What I've been up to lately!I guess everyone thinks I have disappeared! No, I am just working on a very large, whole-house project, which these days are few and far between. The family has moved out and our crews are busy at work. I will keep you up to speed on the transformation I promise.

Monday Musings

My husband and I decided to take a drive up into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park this weekend. Since we live within a half-hour's driving distance you might think we do this often. We don't. Because of the beauty and majesty of our mountains, it is one of the top vacation destinations in the country. We locals are proud of our mountain heritage and it is the rare East Tennessean who takes the privilege of living here for granted. That being said, most of us rarely visit our precious National Park because of the traffic and the tourist-trap kitsch.

But we decided to take advantage of a beautiful late summer afternoon and headed up with a small picnic. What a blessing! The cool air and curvy roads brought us back to why we are so proud of our mountain home. As we rode with the sunroof open and the wind in our hair, we laughed and talked and made plans for the future just like we did so many years ago. Life is far from perfect but it is still good.

photo credit: flickr/ben pierce

Southern Chateau Evolves

I love my blog. I really do. But lately it seems that somehow it was not completely relevant to my life. Design is a huge part of my life, there is no doubt about that. But it is just a part. I often feel that to just report on decorating and design trends was not representative of me as a person. I am a designer, yes, but I am also a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a sister, and a daughter. Real design is this way as well. It does not exist in a vacuum, as many magazines and blogs would suggest. It is part of a greater whole, which is life itself.

As a result of much thought, I have decided to let my blog reflect me more as a person, not just as a designer, because my craft as an artist and designer springs forth from my inner self. I always appreciate my readers and especially my commenters because then we are connecting! Please hang with me. This blog will bring design and decoration thoughts, but my human experience as well.

Thanks to all who read.

Carol

photo credit: flickr