Last week, we had our friends Mike and Terrill stay with us as our guests.  We got ready for them by cleaning their “suite” and primping small gifts.  We wanted them to feel comfortable and welcomed.  Even though they were here for work, we wanted them to feel like they could be here on their off hours and relax.  Unfortunately, we had a weekend that was off the hook for us personally.  I would love to go into detail and share with you all, but honestly I’m so emotionally spent from it all, I don’t want to expend any more energy on it.  I will say, the final culmination of the 48 hours of  ”&*?%”  was my husband getting bit by a dog. *sigh*

Anyway, in the midst of the turmoil, the tables were flipped.  Mike and Terrill became the epitome of  house guests.  As I was running my kids from one activity to another, Terrill was busy doing my laundry.  Not only did she work out my piles that were overflowing in the basement, she went and gathered piles from our bedrooms.

Devon was busy trying to finish a whole house remodel, Mike put his painting clothes on and lent a hand.  As I vented and cried to Terrill, she listened while doing my dishes.  At one point she asked me to stop at a grocery store because she needed a few things.  She came out with bags of eggs, milk and bread…to stock my fridge.  I don’t have to tell you the emotional pull going on inside of me.  I wanted to bless them, my guests, with a relaxing weekend.  Instead, they blessed me and my family.  At one point I wanted to argue with Terrill to stop doing all she was doing and I heard a little voice, “It’s more blessed to give then to receive.”  If I was to stop her, I’d take away her blessing in the giving.

It’s hard to receive.  I know in my nature, it’s much easier to dole out the giving, the serving, the doing…not so easy to sit and receive.  I’d say the same is true of Terrill and Mike.  They give sacrificially to many…even when they are tired.  They were an incredible example to me, of being a guest.

A guest is one who can receive, allowing the giver to shower them with gifts and hospitality.  Webster’s dictionary says:

Guest: 2. A person who receives hospitality at the home of another: a weekend guest.

This past weekend, I was a guest in my own home.  I only hope one day to return the favor.

For years, my husband and I have told people, we’d like to have a bed and breakfast or something like that, when we retire. We love having overnight guests in our home.  Usually we host people we know, like our good friends Mike and Terrill who are coming today for a long weekend.  Sometimes we have hosted people we’ve never met.  I know some of you may be freaking out a little here…wondering how we could possibly entertain folks in our home we’ve never met, but I have to tell you, these unexpected visitors have all become lifelong friends…not to mention they bring the world into our home.  We met Igor from Istanbul, Turkey.  Igor is a pastor who stayed with us for a couple of nights and shared stories of life in Turkey…and we introduced him to steamed crabs.

Dinner with Albert, Irene, Todd, Chris Ann, Devon and Kristin

There is Albert from the Netherlands who is a doctor.  He came to do his residency at Johns Hopkins and needed a place to stay for a few weeks until he found an apartment.  He stayed in Baltimore for a year in which time even Chris Ann and her husband Todd, came to know him and his wife.   Devon claims Albert as one of his closest friends.  They are scotch and cigar buddies.  There was also the family we had come stay with us on their way to Brazil.  They were traveling from up north to the south to say goodbye to family.  Here’s a crazy story.  As we were getting to know them and their two little girls, they were reliving their road trip experience so far.  They said, “We spent some time in Minnesota with our best friends.”  We asked them where in Minnesota.  They said, “A little area called Prior Lake.”  We said, “Our best friends live in Prior Lake.”  It turns out, the friends they were visiting are neighbors and good friends of Chris Ann and her husband Todd.  Can you believe it?!  I think that is why we love to have both guests we call friends and guests we’ve never met, stay with us…the unexpected happens!

As I am getting ready for Mike and Terrill, there are a few things I do to make my guests feel welcome and comfortable.  I strive to make them feel at home and a part of the family.  We have our guest room in the basement.  We use to rent it out, so it has an efficiency kitchen and a full bath.  Our guests have their own privacy.  I always prepare two baskets, a snack basket with little treats.  I usually put a couple of granola bars, fresh fruit and of course a few pieces of chocolate in the basket.

I also stock our downstairs refrigerator with water bottles.   Then, a trick I learned from Chris Ann, I fill a toiletries basket, full of items our guests may have forgotten.

Then I write a handwritten note, to welcome our guests and let them know how excited we are that they’ve come to stay.

Years ago, I started a guest book.  My family loves to be the first to run downstairs after a guest has left, to read the message they may have left for us.  It’s a treasure in this home.  It’s a treasure of memories and moments we spent nurturing friendships, old and new.  Even kids have left us notes.

What are your tips for getting ready for house guests?  Have you ever had interesting people stay with you?

It’s not uncommon for blogger friendships to start online.  We first met Laura Tremain on Twitter.  We became chatty – familiar.  Then, while scouting outfits for a Blissdom (blogging conference) fashion post, Chris Ann game across “the dress” – only to realize, it was being worn by none other than Laura, their LoveFeast Twitter friend.  A half a year later, the LoveFeast girls met up with Laura at BlogHer in NYC, to find that the launch of online friendships blossom IRL (in real life).  We will always remember the London and sharing conversation and life stories across the table.  We are excited to have our friend Laura, a writer, a mother and a Hollywood Housewife -  join us at our table today to share more of her story. (picture above Linda, Kristin & Chris Ann, Laura ~ BlogHer 2010)

1.) What is your passion?

I am most passionate about the written word.  My perfect hour is spent alone, reading something brilliant and writing something passable.  Through my blog, I’ve recently become passionate about helping people making baby steps to change their lives, empowering women to live their own fairy tale, whatever that might be.

2.) If you’re pursuing that passion, what or who inspired you to begin?

I am lazily pursuing my biggest passion and dream, which is writing.  I write on my blog several times a week, but really there are only a few pieces a month that I consider “real” writing.  Still, the daily discipline of posting something online has made me a better writer and is a baby step toward a more substantial goal.

There are so many things that I wish I could do more seriously within my literary passions, but I’ve accepted that this season of my life – pregnant mom to a toddler – can’t be all about me.  I know many women can juggle all of this with grace and aplomb, but as I’ve gotten older I’ve accepted my limitations.  Between the blog and a few smaller-scale goals, I hope to give my writing passion a more serious turn in the next few years.

3.) Was there a book you read, or an author you met that was a turning point for you?  That point where a light bulb went off and you knew you wanted to be a writer? Or was it more of a gradual revelation?

I’ve known I wanted to be writer since I was a child.  Starting in elementary school I would devour books, sometimes one a day.  My mom could hardly keep up buying them for me!  Which means that I started pulling from my older siblings’ bookshelf and read some pretty adult things when I was really young.  My parents never censored them from me, though, and looking back I really appreciate that.

When I was probably eleven or twelve, I wrote a fan letter to Judy Blume and she wrote back!  She was very encouraging and this reply from one of my favorite writers sticks out to me as a moment that cemented my life in the literary world.

Since then, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many authors I’ve admired, have watched several dear friends secure book deals, and even walked out of a reading by one of my very favorite writers.  I’m lucky to live in a city and have friends in a community that stays creative and driven.

4.)  What type of book are you interested in writing?  Fiction, non-fiction?  Do you have an idea that you have been percolating on?

It depends on which day you ask me!  When I was younger I wrote almost exclusively fiction, but it was for my eyes only.  Blogging is the first experience I’ve had writing regularly for an audience and it has been exclusively non-fiction.  I like both, but I’m much more gun-shy about my fiction work.

5.)  What is your favorite book read of 2011?

This hasn’t been the most booming year of favorite reads, but I was fascinated by both Jonathan Franzen’s Freedom and Justin Cronin’s The Passage.

6.)  Why do you think it is important for people, and specifically women and mother’s (since you are about to have a new baby any day now)…to pursue their passions?

Because it’s so easy to get lost in everything else.  Our lives are full of To Do’s and they can pleasurably fill a day, a week, a year.  But in the end all of our To Do’s are sort of empty aren’t they?  And who you are in relation to others – a wife, a mother, a friend – also changes over time and can leave you feeling like there is nothing left of yourself.

I love John Wooden’s quote, “Never mistake activity for achievement.”

Thanks Laura!  We are so glad to have you join us at the table!
Chris Ann & Kristin

*GIVEAWAY*  Laura is about to give birth to her baby at any moment!  To celebrate with our friend we sent her a Mother’s Tree Of Life necklace from our LoveFeast Shop.  Guess what?  She’s sharing the love by offering a Giveaway of the same necklace from us (with customized birthstones, of course!) Leave a comment sharing your favorite thing about Fall at her giveaway post to enter ~ the giveaway is going on through Sunday, October 16th.

(UPDATE:  Laura welcomed a little Pirate into the world yesterday evening.)

Do you have a favorite time at the table, like our time at The London?

The first time I met Maggie, AKA Gussy, was last year at one of our BlogLove Events.  I didn’t get a chance to talk to her very long, but later in the year, at a conference, we had one of those heart to hearts that left us knowing we had become friends.  Maggie is full of LIFE and creativity and witnessing how she has taken that and turned it into a successful business, is nothing short of inspiring.  LIFE here at our table is about the real LIFE experience…the tangible…the things that happen away from the computer.

To continue the celebration here at LoveFeast, Maggie has offered to GiveAway* one of her wristlets to a guest.  Today, in order to enter the GiveAway, we ask that you leave a comment and tell us what in your world gives you LIFE.  We’d love for you to join us on our journey by being a part of our community, talking to us on Twitter or just visiting us here on a regular basis.  We really do want to get to know you.

Hi there — my name is Maggie Whitley and I’m the owner/designer of Gussy Sews. I spend equal time working on my blog and my shop. On my blog you’ll find updates on my handmade shop, tips on how I left my day job 1 year ago to focus on my business, and different prompts/projects that help build a handmade community of inspiration & adventuring. Interested in what fills the “shelves” of my shop? All sorts of sassy, girlie, colorful accessories: tote bags (3 different sizes), zipped pouches, eReader cases, headbands + more! — all sporting my signature ruffle.

I absolutely love the different tasks that fill my day, but getting to this point in my life was definitely an unexpected adventure. I’d love to share it with you…

My husband and I live in Minneapolis, MN with our puppy Bauer. But we haven’t always lived here — in fact, we’re originally from the great state Michigan. Zack and I met in college and dated throughout ~ absolutely love at first sight ♥. We were married in June 2008, and just a few months later we moved to Detroit so Zack could pursue a new job opportunity. Just a few months after the move we BOTH lost our jobs. Insane, right?! It was. At first it wasn’t too big of a deal, thankfully we don’t have a lot of debt so we were able to pay all of our bills and keep afloat. But once 3 months passed, then 4, 5, 6 months, quickly nearing our 7th month, we really started to feel sick over this unemployment “status”. We had just graduated from college ~ how is it that we were [still] unemployed?!

Unfortunately we weren’t seeing hope for our little family in Michigan, so after a crazy quick trip to Minneapolis, MN for an interview, I was offered a job… and so we moved in August (2010). In one weekend. It was insane. Seriously insane. Everything happened so quickly but since it fell so perfectly into place we knew it “had to be” :]

The more I live life the quicker I realize everything really, truly, seriously happens for a reason. Life is all about seasons and enjoying them for the sweetness that they really are. With each passing month I’m getting better at recognizing this.

Backing up a little bit –
Right after we moved to Detroit (back in August 2008) I taught myself how to sew. I had recently found www.etsy.com and the idea that gals my age knew how to sew was so fascinating. Off to the library I went… only to return with 30 library books. Throughout the 7 months we were unemployed I put a lot of time into learning this trade. However once we moved to Minneapolis, even though I had a full-time salaried job, I felt like I needed to do more with my sewing business and my Etsy shop. Around January 2010, Zack and I started talking about me quitting my day job to spend more time on Gussy Sews. Actually, we talked about this a lot. It was a really exciting time for us, but this was all so new to us, too. Life was starting to get a little bit scary again…

We started saving for this new adventure and were able to put aside 3 months of my salary as “back up”, and on May 14th, 2010 I was walking away from my full-time job for good ~ Yeow! The following Monday was my first day on my own ~ May 17th. I welcomed the career and life change by skipping all the way to the shower that morning, hah! {True story.}

I use my blog, twitter and facebook to connect with others, and these sites have been so instrumental in building my brand, which has almost turned into a lifestyle.

How would I describe my brand? It is an adventurous & courageous, it’s sassy, fun, girlie and full of love. Someone once told me that my blog and shop can’t exist without each other, and I have to agree. Part of what’s so exciting is that I share the journey of becoming an indie biz owner on my blog, so it’s like my ruffled products are a badge of, “I did it! I did it!”.

Life is enchanting — when you’re able to focus on the daily gifts it brings, instead of the mountains it can place in front of you, it becomes lovely instead of stressful. There are still moments of stress, don’t get me wrong, but I feel like they pass so much quicker now that my focus is more on the journey of life.
Snapshots of my life:

xoxo,
Gussy

This GiveAway is open until midnight Friday, July 29 and to US residents only.  This Contest is Now Closed.

There is nothing like the buzz around the table when the food gets set, the guests sit down and the conversation begins. Today’s guest is Sandy from Reluctant Entertainer.  She believes hospitality is not something that is hard or mysterious, but an act, even with the simplest of gestures, that can make someone feel at home.  She is introducing you to our TABLE a place for conversation to happen and stories to be exchanged. We hope you’re getting comfortable here.  We want you to feel at home. Kick off your shoes and join in the conversation.

Sandy brought a gift with her today to give to one of our guests.  It is a copy of her signed book, The Reluctant Entertainer.  To enter to win*, answer Sandy’s question and either join our COMMUNITY at BlogFrog or follow us on Facebook. (Please let us know which you did.)

I’m so honored to be a part of the LoveFeast Table Journey here today, and the brand new launch of Chris Ann and Kristin’s site.  I’ve always admired these ladies; their passions and inspiration to so many. Cheers to a new chapter, and thank you, Ladies, for letting me be a part of this journey today!

When I entertain, I rely on the abilities of my friends and family.

Like when my family comes to dinner … life just happens.

I’m blessed with a musical family, so someone is always tickling the ivories. Or we may resort to one of our kids’ favorite play lists, or turn on Pandora. Our daughter will occasionally play the violin for our guests, if we get lucky, and sometimes our sons will play background piano music.

Twenty years ago, when my husband and I started to entertain in our home, I wanted to do it all. Not just live, family entertainment, but I’d also run myself ragged trying to cook a full course meal, clean the house, set the perfect table … honestly, I really wanted to “look the part.” I so wanted my kids to behave and for people to look to “me” as a great hostess.
And then life happened and I grew up. As my husband and I started having kids, I started maturing (let’s face it, we’re not as mature as we think when we’re 28!), and I finally realized that entertaining was not about me at all.

Entertaining was about “them.” The people around my table … getting to know more about their lives, their struggles and their victories.

And then I saw how blessed I was, with creative family and friends who could cook and contribute to a meal, bring drinks, or even stop by the store if needed, and I started taking advantage of this. Why should I have to do it all?

Now that I’m a seasoned hostess, I’ve learned that hosting a dinner party means creating community.

It’s when my guests come with a dish, or my family comes with a song, or our gardening friends bring fresh flowers from their yard. It’s when a hostess gift is left on the counter for me, a little sign of “thanks” or a treat, which is often a sign of love. It’s when each person comes with their story. And it all begins the moment our front door is opened …

A dinner party happens when we bring all of these elements to the table and we create what we call “community.” It’s when we share the common life together, our pains and joys.

Through food and connection we become better and stronger and more courageous people.

Entertaining is not about me. It is definitely about them.

And my life is much richer now that I’ve learned this entertaining secret.

What entertaining secrets have you learned over the years?

Sandy Coughlin is a wife and mom of three teenagers, and is the voice behind Reluctant Entertainer, a hospitality blog   dedicated to helping people in search of a lifestyle that says, “I can do this!”. Her book, The Reluctant Entertainer, was recently published and is in bookstores now.

*This GiveAway is open until midnight Friday, August 29 and to US residents only.  This Contest is Now Closed.

FEAST is all about food…meals, menus, recipe, reviews and memories around the table.  Pull up a chair, we want to introduce you to today’s guest, Jamie of Life’s a Feast.  Jamie is one of our long time blogger friends.  We discovered each other quickly on twitter.  She was our FEAST sister across the pond.  We knew when we were planning this week that she was the perfect person to introduce you to FEAST here at LoveFeast.  She is an amazing storyteller and the way she weaves the recipe with the memory, captures all who read.

Today, we are giving away this LoveFeast Canvas made by Red Letter Words. Follow us on Twitter and leave a comment for a chance to receive this gift.*  This canvas is also featured in our SHOP.

LIFE’S A FEAST

An abundance of sweet summer fruit spilling out of crisp brown paper bags across my kitchen table; the heady fragrance weaving through the air reminding me of the summers of my childhood. I stand in wonder at the reds fading from garnet to ruby to rose, the purples royal, the oranges tinged with the evening sun and I understand the magic of the summer bounty of
stone fruits.

Life’s a feast. I often wonder how I fell upon this name for my blog and how it foreshadowed events, how my life and my writing converged, melting into one. Since the first day I sat down and began writing, I have experienced the sweet and the bitter, I have laughed out loud, savoring cinnamon and honey-scented
sensations, candy-coated and sugar-dipped thrills, and I have tasted the salt of my tears heavy on my cheeks. My life has been a series of adventures, a wild ride, a world of discovery that, young girl, I never would have dreamed of living. I wake up each day not knowing what will arrive on my doorstep, unprepared for both the sweet and the bitter, facing each with a mixture of wide-eyed innocence and staunch determination to understand and conquer. I
have indeed learned that Life is a Feast, offering up both the good and the bad, astonishing us with the unexpected, delighting us with accolades, bringing tears of both joy and sorrow.
A chain of strange and unintentional events brought me to Europe and I fell into the arms of an astonishing man with a taste for adventure and the unusual. Together, with our sons, we traveled, tasting what we could, learning as much as possible, experiencing as much as time and our wallet could afford. We taught our sons that life is an adventure and the world is their oyster, excuse the mixed metaphors, and this, I hope, is all reflected in how I cook, how I write and how I live. Life is like the food that we place on the table before them: we
encourage them to taste each dish, grab at each opportunity, for how else will they understand what it is or know if they like it or not?

My lovely friends Chris Ann and Kristin asked me to participate in the re-design and launch of LoveFeast Table and their online LoveFeast shop, I began to consider what I could offer, what I should bring to the table. These are two extraordinary, unpretentious women brimming over with passion and talent, special friends with whom I share, as they say, “a common viewpoint of taking a bite out of life and savoring it”. They suggested I write something about “Feast” and when I took a peek at their gorgeous new space I understood that a celebration was in order. Yet, as I sat and thought long and hard about Feast, what came to mind was how my blog and the blogs that I love reflect each one of our own special, unique lives, the stories told food for thought. When I began Life’s a Feast, I had no idea that the writing, the storytelling would become my passion, the focal point of the blog. I didn’t realize how much my stories would reveal of my own life and reflect my thoughts.

My home is a melting pot and my kitchen reflects the cultural diversity of the life I now live. Sweet and sour, tangy or spicy, each dish I prepare tells a tale of revelation, mirrors one narrow slice of our family life. With each dish a story surfaces and spills out onto the page, spontaneously, almost haphazardly. I am often surprised at how each story unravels as I let it tell its own tale, as I follow it across the page, trusting that it will make sense and eventually find its own natural end. Never one to trust anyone that paints a completely, consistently
happy world, my own blog mirrors my life as it is and illustrates the ups and downs, the sweet, the sour, the bitter and the salty; the bite, the hurt, the whimsical, the joyous. The celebrations and the mourning, the special and the everyday. How can what I write be anything else? A feast spread out before us, piles of food to be eaten with the fingers, offering a hodgepodge of flavors, scents and textures; some crunch and crackle, others so light and ethereal a mouthful melts on the tongue, disappearing into a memory. Certain dishes astonish with the heady, exotic scent of rum or vanilla, some tempt with chocolate, others excite the palate and tickle the taste buds with the spicy, smoky or garlicky. Unattractive blobs of beige stuff may hide an amazing flavor while the most gorgeous, intriguing, intricately decorated treat may be no treat at all, crumbling to bitter ashes in the mouth. But try it all we must or we find ourselves just standing against the wall, alone, empty plate in hand and stomach growling.

And as the food we prepare and the adventures we live, a great blog is a smorgasbord of emotions and experiences, and this is how Chris Ann and Kristin approach their wonderful home, LoveFeast Table. And I am proud to share the inauguration of their new space with them, honored and thrilled to be called to the table. And I am bringing these wonderful little sweet treats, Apricot Tartlets on Puff Pastry. Seemingly such simple little things, they are astonishing in every luscious bite and all dressed up for a party.

Growing up a stone’s throw from the Indian and Banana Rivers, my childhood winters were filled with citrus, sweet, tangy and bitter, such an array of grapefruits and pomelos, tangerines and mandarins, oranges and navels eaten like popcorn. Summers meant huge, heavy watermelons, peaches and nectarines purchased from roadside stands, those wooden, ramshackle set-ups blossoming willy-nilly up and down South Patrick Drive in every available gas station parking lot and stretch of dirt. My dad purchased fresh stone fruits by
the bagful, large, colorful, sweet fruit, hard and crispy, eaten like apples, or soft and ripe, juice dripping down chins and arms. I lived on them, the perfect accompaniment to a good book, tucked in a lunch bag and so refreshing in our battle against the Florida heat. Family trips up north, 24-hours in the car until we reached our grandparents’ house, and I packed a bag of peaches and nectarines along with cookies and lollipops. But my fondest memories of
apricots come from a much later time in my life: after my second son was born, my mother-in-law would bring me paper bags full of the largest, sweetest most delicious apricots I had ever tasted or have tasted since. Was it the event that flavored the fruit or was it the fruit that sweetened the long week alone in a stifling hot hospital room with a tiny baby demanding that I remain calm, head squarely on my shoulders and wide awake all day and night? Either way,
each time I bite into an apricot, the memories flood back and I can’t but love them just a little bit more each time.

My husband asked me to reproduce this recipe, one he heard on a radio program, France Info’s “A toutes saveurs“. I still had puff pastry in the
refrigerator just begging for fresh summer fruit. I twiddled with the recipe a tad
and together husband and I made these wonderful tartlets. The baking brings out an incredible sweetness in the apricots, which, though rather bland when eaten raw, are bursting with flavor after a turn in the oven. I added ground and slivered almonds to half and ground and chopped pistachios to the rest. The puff pastry adds a buttery, delicate backdrop to a wonderful, fruity tart, a crisp outside to complement the tender fruit.

INDIVIDUAL APRICOT
TARLETS ON PUFF PASTRY

I give no precise quantities here; look at the photos and assemble the tartlets “au pif” (as the French say), by instinct. Store-bought puff pastry is fine, but homemade is better, especially for a confection such as this with only 2
main ingredients. Go ahead, be daring, make your own!

Puff Pastry for 6 x 4-inch (10 cm) diameter circles rolled 1/8 to ¼-inch thin. You can find my recipe here.

9 apricots (about 1 ½ apricots per tartlet)
Ground nuts – almond or pistachio

Slivered almonds or chopped unsalted pistachio nuts

Granulated brown sugar (cassonade)

1 lightly beaten egg for egg wash

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a baking sheet large enough to hold 6 x 4-inch tartlets with space around each to allow for spreading.

Rinse and pat dry the apricots. Slice each in half, remove and discard the pit and slice each fruit half in 3 or 4 wedges. Set aside.

Roll out the puff pastry to a thickness of 1/8 to 1/4 –inches. Using 4-inch (10 cm) rings or bowls, cut out 6 circles – or as many as you like! Place on the parchment paper. Using your rolling pin, gently press each circle out slightly to flatten and make slightly larger. Gently brush the edges of each puff pastry shell lightly with egg wash to a width of about1/2-inch.

Generously dust the center of each tartlet shell (all over except for the eggy edge) with ground almonds or pistachios. Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.

Have a second baking sheet and large piece of clean parchment paper ready.

Remove the baking tray from the oven onto a wooden cutting board. Place the large piece of parchment paper on top of the partially-baked shells then place the second baking tray and press hard to flatten.

Arrange the wedges of about one and a half apricots on each partially baked tartlet shell, pushing together. Sprinkle generously with granulated brown sugar then slivered almonds or chopped pistachios.

Return to the oven and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until the fruit is very tender and the puff pastry is puffed and a deep golden. Serve warm or room temperature as is or topped with ice cream.

*Today’s GiveAway is only for our USA guests. Sorry it cannot be shipped internationally. The GiveAway also ends at midnight on Friday July 29th.  The Contest is Now Closed.

*But, we have another GiveAway going on that is open to our international guests.  Visit HERE to enter. The Contest is Now Closed.

We are so excited to introduce to you our first guest blogger this week, Erin from House of Turquoise.  Erin inspires us daily on her many decorating blogs. We LOVE to go there for inspiration and daily eye candy.  She is introducing to you our first category, LOVE.  If you notice, we have created four categories that all of our posts will live under.  LOVE is the category that is total inspiration…art, design, decor, bits & baubles, fashion…you get the idea.  As we prepared for Erin to come, we got inspired to create something new.  The Turquoise Tree of Life Necklace is a new addition to our SHOP.  And guess what?! We are giving one away.  Today, if you join our RSS feed (see the tag at the top right corner) and leave a comment, you will be entered.  There are more fun gifts we will give away this week so come back!

Thanks for joining us today!  Now, here’s Erin…

I’m so excited to be guest posting here today at LoveFeast Table! It’s an honor and a delight to be a part of the launch week! My name is Erin and I run the blog House of Turquoise. Every day I share photos of beautiful rooms featuring shades of my favorite color. Since I started my blog back in 2007, I’ve had some wonderful opportunities come my way and I’ve meet so many really amazing people…including Chris Ann & Kristin! I’d love to share a little bit about my journey in the blog-world with you!

I initially started blogging back in 2003, mostly as a way to journal my day-t0-day life, but also to keep my friends and family up to date. I loved how easy it was to share inspirational things I’d found online. My blog had no theme at all, just a mishmash of things I loved and my life. Eventually the “I love this!” section grew out of control! I was sharing great handbags, colorful bedding sets, shoes I’d love to have, and pointing my readers (well, lack of readers!) where to buy them. That’s when I decided I was going to create a shopping blog devoted to colorful clothes and things for the home, all the stuff I found and loved. It was so fun!

It only took me a month to realize that the turquoise items being shared on the blog were outrageously disproportionate….my obsession was pretty clear. That’s when I started my shopping blog, Everything Turquoise. I didn’t think people would necessarily buy anything I found (although I hoped they would!), I just thought a collection of turquoise things would be visually appealing and fun to look at. Little did I know, people did end up buying stuff. So I eventually expanded my shopping blogs, one at a time, rolling out new colors and combos every few months. Today I have 11 shopping blogs which I collectively call Decor by Color and working on them is my full-time job. Not surprisingly Everything Turquoise is still my favorite, and I update it more than the others with 5 new turquoise-hued items every weekday.

Around the same time I was starting Everything Turquoise, I was decorating a new apartment. I’d scour the web for inspiring images, then spend countless hours going back trying to find the photos. It seemed when I put them in my computer, they were as good as gone. I was having so much fun working on the turquoise shopping blog, I thought it would be just as fun finding, organizing and sharing beautiful turquoise-infused rooms. So that’s when I started House of Turquoise. I had no idea how many other turquoise fanatics would discover the blog and become loyal readers, and in some cases, even my good friends. Moreover, the opportunities that have come my way because of the blog…to travel around the country, meet people in real life that I’ve long-admired, in addition to meeting new inspiring, creative people! It’s beyond anything I’d ever imagined!

Aveda BlogLove Event via LoveFeast Table (that’s me, back row with the scarf!)

My favorite thing about House of Turquoise is knowing that the images I find influence people all over the world. Every day I receive emails from people who say my blog gave them the courage to paint a room or try something new. How awesome is that?! And I’m always hearing from readers who say visiting House of Turquoise is like taking a mini-vacation, it relieves them from their worries and takes them away…if only for a few minutes. I also love bringing opportunities to new designers or photographers. Hearing back that being featured on my blog opened incredible doors for them makes me feel so good!

A lot of people assume I’m an interior designer, as a lot of design bloggers are. Decorating has always just been one of my many hobbies. That’s really what I love the most about my job, it encompasses every single one of my hobbies. Photography, decor, web and graphic design, shopping and bargain hunting, statistics, writing, really everything that I love! Of course working from home and owning my own business definitely has its challenges, but the benefits greatly outweigh them! People often ask me if I want to pursue interior design. Of course you never know, but right now what I love is simply igniting the passion in people and giving them the tools to follow what is in their hearts.

And yes, I honest-to-goodness absolutely love turquoise, I have for as long as I can remember. There’s just something about the color…just looking at it makes you feel instantly calm and gently invigorated! Like a trip to the beach! Not only that, but it goes well with pretty much any other color, the possibilities are endless when it comes to decorating or fashion. What is not to love?!

A million thank you’s to Chris Ann & Kristin for allowing me the opportunity to share my love!! I do hope you come say hello over at House of Turquoise, or visit my shopping blogs at Decor by Color!

Contest closes at midnight July 29th. The Contest is now Closed.

Today we have pulled up a chair at Creative Kristi’s Table.  We met Kristi at the GE Momsperience Event a couple of months ago.  She was so sweet and meeting her left quite an impression.

She has been hosting a 30 days to better blogging series, called Spread Bloggy Love.  Every day she has a new blogger share the tips they have learned along the way.  Today, we shared about creating community and how our friend Gussy has been part of our journey.  Please take a moment to stop by HERE and say hi!

Some of you know, we have been in an 8 month process of redefining our look for LoveFeast Table.  You see, when we started blogging 2 1/2 years ago, we thought we were going to write a cookbook.  That’s what started us on this blogging journey.  We had shared so many amazing meals around the table (over the 14 years we had been friends along with our growing families), we thought we wanted to document them.  We wanted to share not only the original recipes, but also capture the conversations that took place as well as the environment and overall feel that were part of the meal.  We looked at font after font that captured our feel and Kristin sketched it out.  We put a frame around it, because it was part of our story, and created our original logo:

We also picked a WordPress template (this one) because it was easy on the eyes.  We didn’t know about functionality or finding a site that would help clearly communicate who we were.  To be honest, the start of our blogging journey, was just the beginning of discovering who we were at LoveFeast Table and what we were trying to say.

Over time, we struggled to fit ourselves into a blogging genre.  We started with foodies.  Were we a food blog?  We featured recipes, meals and restaurant reviews.  But, we realized we had more to say.  We were the moms of  9 kids combined.  We had kids aging in range from 16 to 4.  Were we mom bloggers?  What about the part that we were both artists who are absolutely in love with anything that inspires.  We decorate, do projects, craft, paint and just plain love anything beautiful.  Were we home and garden bloggers?  We love throwing a party or creating multi course meals for friends.  Were we event planners?  Should we even be blogging since we love “In Real Life” time more?  Can you see our struggle?  Well, because we are dreamers and firmly believe in not boxing ourselves in, we decided we were all the above.  But, somehow, we realized, we needed to be able to better communicate that to you.

Fast forward to today.  We are working on a blog redesign that will clearly define who we are as a Lifestyle blog.  We are getting a new look.  Here’s a peek:

We have five categories we will be blogging under:

LOVE…This will include things we love…art, music, tablescaping, design, fashion, crafting projects, decor, Fancy Friday and bits & baubles.

FEAST…This includes meals, recipes, restaurant reviews, food toys and anything involving the art of eating.

TABLE…This is where we have a conversation.  We will feature guests that join us, interviews, stories about our friends, our journey and our community.

LIFE…This is about the experience.  Things like travel, events we attend, BlogLove Events, Love Bombing and giving back campaigns.

BOUTIQUE…This is our shop.  This shop will be filled with items we discover on our journey.  They are hand picked items that reflect our authentic journey.  These items will be featured in our shop as we discover them.  There may be a limited number of them or they may find a permanent place in our Boutique.  But, we promise they will be beautiful!

Some of you may have stopped over from Pioneer Woman’s site today.  Thank you for pulling up a chair and getting to know a little about us.  We hope you’ll come back again.  We love meeting new people!  If you want to connect a bit more and walk along side us on this journey, you can find us on twitter @LoveFeast, on facebook HERE and of course you can sign up for our RSS feed.

If you’ve come because you just love that necklace, you can click on SHOP or the necklace button on the side and you will be directed to our Boutique.  We love this necklace and know you will too!

Thanks for joining us at the Table!

Chris Ann & Kristin

Fancy Friday is a day where we share the ideas, art, moments and anything that strikes our fancy and inspires us!  As we have been reflecting on this year, we keep coming back to you…our guests, who daily,  pull a chair up to our Table.

We wish our blog had the ability to be more interactive,  (we are working on this behind the scenes…more to come!) but, until then, we want to dedicate this Fancy Friday to you!! We want to hear about you and get to know you better!

In the spirit of Fancy Friday would you answer or respond to the following:

1. What is your name and blog (if you have one)?

2. What is your passion?  Or what is your blog about (assuming you blog about your passion!)

3. Tell us something unique about you!

4. What inspires you?

To kick this off, we’ll start!

1. Kristin Potler…http://www.lovefeasttable.com

2. I am passionate sharing meals with others, whether they are at my Table or I’m invited to theirs!  I love hearing stories and getting to know people better.  I especially love hearing stories of people who are pursuing their passions, because I get inspired by them and it sparks something in me!  I love that synergy and the experiences that come from that exchange!

3. I went to 8 different schools by the 8th grade.  My husband and I have traveled all over the world with our kids.  Between us we have visited and or lived in 9 different countries.  We tell our kids we think our ancestors were nomads!

4. Other people living life “out loud” (see #2.)…color, fabrics, paint chips, textures, art, travel (to name a few!)

1. Chris Ann…http://www.lovefeasttable.com

2.  I am passionate about many things!!  I am passionate about savoring moments and reflecting on experiences.  I love to hear people’s stories.  One of my favorite things to do is linger at a table and have good food and better yet good conversation.  I love good tablescaping, preparing for guests.   I love discovering and experiencing places when I travel.  I love having a life adventure and this blog continues to reveal adventures, experiences and a way for Kristin and I to continue to connect on a daily basis even though we’re miles apart!  Who says a good dose of creativity, some perseverance and a good idea can’t go the distance!

3.  I have a Master Angler Award from the country, Canada.  If you come to dinner at my house, my husband will be cooking, he does the special occasions.  If you come on a normal night, he still might be cooking.

4.  The people, discoveries and experiences we have made blogging this year have inspired me!   The little things inspire me too… a pretty scrap of ribbon, fabric, a gentle breeze, a pretty view, a new experience!  Of course, watching my family grow and experience life continues to inspire me!  As I look toward the new year, wondering what great experiences are around the corner for my family, friends and this blog inspires me!

(This post was totally and undeniably inspired by Gussy!  Thank you Gussy for being a woman who constantly inspires us to Create Community and beautiful things!)