WHY I LOVE TO READ BLOGS
Hello! My husband has a saying: “Life is never as it seems.” The longer one lives the better one understands that this is generally the case with every human being. The persona we emit to the world at large may not always be as squeaky clean, or as exotic, or as exciting, or as happy as bystanders might imagine. We all have ghosts in our closets and it is probably just as well they stay there. So, it is unlikely that the grass is greener on the other side. However, the dreamer in me wants to believe that some people really do lead perfect lives, are in perfect relationships with beautiful homes, jobs they love and beauty surrounding them. That is why I love to read blogs.
My favorite blogs transport me to those dream worlds, where I’d like to imagine that lives are as lovely as they seem. These blogs transport me, vicariously, if only for a few minutes, into their happy places, their exciting worlds, with beautiful surroundings, often in exotic locals.
Take Desde My Ventana for instance.
This blog, translated from Spanish means “From My Window,” is a beautiful blog written by a woman named Cecilia who lives in Madrid. So right there she’s got 2 things going for her in my book: she shares my name (yes, my given name is really Cecilia) and she lives in my ancestral home of Spain. Since 2009 Cecilia has been bringing to her readers the most beautiful photos of home interiors that she curates from the internet. While she rarely posts original material, she has a way of finding photos of the most amazing homes and gardens in the world. When I visit her site I have a hard time leaving because it is such a feel good place, full of beauty and inspiration. In fact, many of her images I used as inspiration for the renovation of my old log cabin, Stone Hill Cottage. And every time I visit I go Pinterest crazy, pinning away all of the evocative images she presents.
Another one of my daily reads is a blog called The Enchanted Home. This blog is written by a talented Interior Designer named Tina who lives in a magnificent home that she designed and built in Long Island, New York. The building of her home was the inspiration for her blog, which she started writing in 2011. Her bevy of loyal readers have followed her on her house building journey and so much more.
On her blog she shares photos of wonderful parties she hosts, she shares great home design resources and she even provides online interior design services.
Tina also has a great online shop where she curates and sells lots of blue and white porcelain, silver decor pieces, lovely custom embroidered linen napkins and lots more. In fact, I bought this beautiful Silver Filigree Cache Pot from her shop and gave it to my son on his 30th birthday.
Tina is a prolific blogger while seemingly living the busiest life imaginable. I often wonder how she possible does it all. Plus, every Sunday without fail she publishes what she calls “Seven on Sunday,” which is a compilation of 7 things she found interesting that week. I find myself looking forward to it every Sunday morning. To top it all off she is a very sweet and generous person who helps a lot of other bloggers like me by promoting them on what she calls her “Chic Reads” list on the sideline of her blog. I am always amazed by the amount of traffic her blog sends to mine and I am very grateful. Do yourself a favor and visit Tina’s Enchanted Home soon. You’ll be glad you did.
My French Country Home is a blog that I’ve been following for a long time. It’s authored by Sharon Santoni, a British expat who lives with her French husband, 4 kids and several dogs and horses in an old French house deep in the countryside of Normandy in Northern France.
Launched in 2010, Sharon’s blog is for those who love French home décor and long to know more about authentic French country living. She also writes about French cuisine, gardening and living a gracious life in an unhurried, simple way that only the French know how to do so well. And she has a way of making her readers appreciate the beauty in everyday life.
You can even sign up on her blog for shopping tours to French Brocantes where she will share her knowledge of how to buy French antiques.
And best of all, you can even rent her French Country Guest Cottage next time you’re in France!
Last Christmas you may recall my blog post about the book I gave all my girlfriends for Christmas called, My Stylish French Girlfriends. This book was penned by Sharon Santoni and is all about the stylish daily lives of 20 of Sharon’s French girlfriends. You too can get a copy of her lovely book by clicking here. Sharon recently started a new video series aimed at bringing viewers different experiences of French living. She’ll take us along with her when she goes somewhere wonderful. Click below to view her latest video about Le Chateau de Moissac, her girlfriend’s amazing restored French villa. I love Sharon’s liltingly soft, English-accented voice.
These are just 3 of the reasons why I love to read blogs. You can find a complete list with links to all of my favorite blogs by clicking here. I look forward to sharing more of my favorite blogs with you sometime soon. What are your favorite blogs?? I’d love to discover some new ones!
So there you have it: WHY I LOVE TO READ BLOGS
Express Yourself!
No blog post is truly complete without a word from you. I’d be so delighted if you’d leave a comment below.
All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Unless otherwise credited, all photos are the original property of Celia Becker @ www.AfterOrangeCounty.com and may not be reproduced without specific permission.
