Blog tour

I was very excited when Tina of What We Keep asked me to be part of a blog tour. I always enjoy discovering new blogs, and I'm sure you do too. I'm happy to be sharing three blogs I thoroughly enjoy...two I've followed for a while and one that's new.

The newcomers from Renovation Steinbeck Mountain are Chip and Kevin, a married couple together for sixteen years. They're huge fans of all things mid-century modern. They recently sold their "retirement" home in Palm Springs, a 1959 Alexander, and will be using the profits from that sale to fund the renovation of their current and final home that sits on four acres on a hillside overlooking California's Salinas Valley.

Chip has an EdD in Educational Technology (Pepperdine) and a Masters in Aerospace Engineering (Texas A&M). Kevin has an MFA in Design from Cranbrook Academy of Art. They have a large collection of MCM furniture, most of it designed by their heroes (and Cranbrook alumni) Ray and Charles Eames, Harry Bertoia, and Eero Saarinen.

They'll be taking us through the renovation in detail. They've only been blogging since July, and already I've learned about so many new products! If you want to follow a total reno from beginning to end, this is the blog for you.

steinbeckmountain.blogspot.com

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And then there is the simply elegant HAUSSMITH, written by the slightly mysterious Rachel, a self-avowed mid-century and Scandinavian modern enthusiast. Rachel has contributed to MidCentury, the UK-based magazine featuring the best of mid-century interiors, furnishings and architecture.

I started following Rachel's blog when it was known as CHAIRSMITH, which she says was dedicated to

"chair-related nonsense" and which she published anonymously, written in first person plural. I found it not the least bit nonsensical. In fact, it was one of the most informative blogs I've ever read.  HAUSSMITH is every bit as much a good read, and the bonus is that now we get to know more about the writer.

haussmith.com

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Last but dearest to me personally is Lucy Violet Vintage, a blog I've followed for a long, long time now, for good reason. Simply put, the posts there make me happy. Written by my wonderful friend Kylie...wife, mother, and back-to-school interior decoration student from Australia...the content is always interesting and always straight from the heart, whether she's writing about decorating, renovating, gardening, sewing, or family. And did I mention that she's one of the kindest, most thoughtful and most generous women I know?

Here's how she charmingly describes herself and her blog:

Hello, my name's Kylie. Among other things (none of them terribly interesting...) I write a funny little blog called Lucy Violet Vintage.
I named my blog after my husband's Grandmother, a feisty and fiercely independent woman, who lived in her own home until she passed away a few months shy of her hundredth birthday.
Lucy Violet was as tough as old boots, she called a spade a spade (I was on the receiving end of her cutting but honest remarks more than a few times. Ouch!) but she was also kind, loyal and generous.
She was funny, impossible to shock, a wonderful seamstress, milliner, and gardener, but a terrible (and I mean TERRIBLE!) cook.


I ramble (I'm good at rambling. I'm doing it now) about all sorts of stuff - mostly old, on my blog.
It's a bit eclectic as far as content goes.
I love anything with a bit of age and character.
I LOVE Modernist design (especially architecture) but I'm also head-over-heels for industrial objects, shabby well-worn pieces, and loud and crazy kitsch as well. Oh and I do like me a bit of quirk!
A purist I am NOT!
I also write about renovating our house - it was built in the 1920's and used to be a corner store.

lucyvioletvintage.blogspot.com

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And now, a little about myself...

What am I working on?

Since I'm not a DIY or craft blogger like many of the other folks on the tour, I don't have a project going on right now, although I have several I should be doing. Instead, I'm just plugging along trying to find cool mid-century and modern design to share with my readers

How does my work differ from other work of its genre?

I think my blog focuses on the historical aspect of modern design than some of the other sites I've visited. A great deal of research goes into my historical posts, but I try to keep the tone informal.

Why do I write what I do?

I genuinely love mid-century and modern design. It's what I use to furnish my own home, and it's something I love learning about. And I do learn something new with every post I write.

How does my writing process work?

I read, read, read...everything I can find about the topic I plan to post about. Foreign sites, obituaries, real estate listings, Google books, newspaper articles, vintage ads, business records, census records...anything that can provide pertinent information. Then I combine everything I've learned to create my own narrative.

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I'm always happy when a post is well received and when I see that I have new followers. I want to thank Tina again for inviting me to join the tour. I hope all of you have had as much fun as I have.