Gingham Home & The Meeting House

Helllooooo. It’s me. Long time no talk, but what’s new? After almost two decades of entrepreneurship, maybe it’s time to face the facts: I’m a sporadic blogger at best. If blog posts ever start appearing here regularly, start asking questions. I will have been kidnapped by aliens and replaced with a much more focused robot, who’s not cooking and teaching kids and trying to keep the wheels on this good ol’ life.

Seriously, though. I do wish I was better about writing.

I’m writing this post because a friend challenged me to at least TRY (die trying, I will), to document some of what’s happening with the new business and life. I feel like every time I update it sounds like SO MUCH, but really it’s not–it’s just because the updates happen so few and far between. At any rate, here goes:

• Because people always ask, YES, I’m still doing consulting work for Day Designer. I love Karen and the team at Blue Sky (the company that acquired Day Designer awhile back), and look forward to trips and meetings with them. We just got back from the Go Wild conference in Austin, which has got to be one of my favorite girl-time trips of the year. Good people, those women are. Love them.
• The Meeting House – WHAT, you ask? The heck is that? Good question. I’m so glad you asked. It’s a building in Carlton Landing, Oklahoma, that our good friends just purchased. There’s a lot of heart behind this, and I could write so much more (and should, good golly), but for the sake of time, I’ll give you the elevator pitch: we’re partnering up to open a bed and breakfast in the Meeting House building, and we’re going to call it The Meeting House (rocket science, this naming thing). Goal number one would be to get the rooms for rent open first, goal number two is delicious coffee and goal number three is wine. We’ve talked with all the officials, filled out all the applications, and I’m doing some design work on it! Oh, and my sweet husband started an instagram account to document these adventures at themeetinghousecl.
• Gingham Home! We launched pillows! 100% linen, buffalo check, hand painted by yours truly. Gonna be honest here: sometimes, I wonder what I’m doing with this. This is 110% dream chasing, following my gut, doing research, sourcing, partnering, dreaming. Lots and lots of dreaming. Lots and lots of ideating. There is absolutely, positively a vision for what I want it to be, and I’m pouring lots of prayer and bootstrapping in that direction to make it happen. The pillows are available on Etsy! We’re currently sold out of pink, but have a few more on order (along with another surprise or two)! And as always, if you want to keep up with my adventures here, I’m instagramming over at Gingham.Home.
• Design Work – I’m really excited about this. I haven’t rolled out anything just yet, but in order to help finance some of the other projects we’re working on, I’ve cleared some of my schedule and will be taking on a few new consulting clients beginning in July. I’m still working out the details on packages (my current clients pay me monthly, and I want to offer new clients a few entry price points). Trying to figure out what that looks like, but it will be business coaching, branding, interior design, and a combination of all three of those things, when required.

And on that note, I leave you with two images: one, the Gingham Home pillows, available on Etsy!

And two, the inspiration board for The Meeting House!

Question: if I just blogged like this–no editing, very little organization, all bullet-point on potentially kinda boring progress stuff, do you think it would be ok?