Friday, October 18, 2013

Saturday Spotlight: Brenda from Cozy Little House

Hi, everyone!  Myself and (Kris) Junk Chic Cottage wanted to do a regular feature on our blogs, something unique that hasn't been
 done before.   So we came up with an idea to 'spotlight the real life behind the blogger' in a more personal way.
There is so much talent and inspiration in blogland, and we thought it would be fun to bring you a closer look at the person behind the blog.

Every week on Saturday we will spotlight a blogger and have them tell us a little bit about themselves and their blogs.  You will be able to see and read about each of the bloggers on both Kris's and my blog. 

I'm so happy to have Brenda from Cozy Little House as my guest today!  She is a blogger that I admire-she always has a positive attitude even though she's been through some difficult times.  Her style is colorful and fun, and she hosts a weekly linky party.  Please sit back, relax, and enjoy getting to know Brenda better!

Hi, I'm the blogger behind Cozy Little House. And Susan has asked me to tell you about the blogger behind the blog.

I've had this blog since the spring of 2009. Unfortunately, during a move from Wordpress.org back to Blogger, some crazy things happened, and I lost 1500 posts. So I just started over at the end of July 2013 and kept right on going!


I tried to come up with some photos of myself, but I'm the one always behind the camera. So this is all I have!


And I found one from when I was very young. I had a rather unconventional childhood. I really don't have photos of myself during that time.

I am divorced. My girls are grown and in their thirties. I have two Yorkies that I refer to as the pupsters. They are Charlie Ross and Abigail Rose. They are seven years old. They keep me hopping. And they are spoiled absolutely rotten.


I rent a 1010 square foot house built in 1934 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. When I was going through my divorce in Texas, my oldest daughter, a real estate agent, purchased it so I could rent it from her. (Bless her for that!)


I moved in two years ago this month. Scared half to death that I couldn't make it on my own. My confidence dipping low. But I can now say I have found my way. And it is in no small measure that my readers brought me to where I am today. In so many ways, my blog saved me. Truly kept me going.

I have a Bachelors degree in Professional Writing in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma. And I feel I am finally using that degree again.


Knowing I didn't have much money to start a garden my first summer here, my readers sent box after box of cuttings and bulbs from their own gardens. I'm sure the postal service wondered what was in all those big boxes from all over the country.


I opened them to find irises, day lilies, hostas, all kinds of perennials. And now I have a garden, thanks to them. Which is very important to me.

When I walked in this house for the first time, my daughter and her husband had worked and painted and had my appliances delivered. So all I had to do was move in. I love my hardwood floors (the boards are probably an inch wide, and I imagine they are the originals), and my beautiful white woodwork. They don't make houses like this anymore!

My most recent big project was decoupaging my lower kitchen cabinets. They were white and very plain. I'd already removed the top cabinet doors. My kitchen is tiny, so I wanted to do something to incorporate my personality.



So I decoupaged favorite images, favorite poems and quotes, lots of birds and flowers, which everyone knows I dearly love. And I did it all rolling around on my garden cart.

You see, in early July of 2012 I broke both sides of my right ankle, and had surgery. I still wear an ankle brace. There was no way I could get down there to decoupage without some help. My little garden cart was perfect. I just rolled along and glued!


That injury has set me back quite a ways in doing things in this house. But I'll make up for it!

I love color. The primary colors are my favorites. So you will see lots of color in my home. Like many bloggers, I love to move things around. And "shop the house."


You'll see lots of quilts in my house. Many I made myself over the years. I also love to decorate with vintage tablecloths and treasures I find in junk stores and such. And things I've made or sewn myself.


This old house is in a neighborhood of other wonderful old houses from the thirties. All different, all unique. No cookie cutter houses here. My house exterior is pretty plain. It is really just a little blue box, as I like to call it. All the action so far is inside.

I spend my days online, researching, writing, blogging, editing photos, etc. And often I can be found outside with my camera while the dogs sniff around the yard. I love nature and taking photos of birds. It brings me serenity to be outside, whatever the season, to enjoy the abundance of beauty that nature provides us.


I managed to get this shot a few days ago. It is a red-bellied woodpecker. I was amazed that he/she stayed there looking out that hole for so long! Normally I just have seconds to get a photo.


I'm a homebody to the core. I don't go out much. About once a week to run all my errands. Because really, where I want to be is home with the pupsters. And of course, all of you reading blogs!


I want to thank Susan for asking me to participate. And tell you all who I am and what I'm about. I truly enjoy this series she and Kris are doing. It's so much fun to learn more about bloggers I read every day.

Brenda, thank you so much for sharing more of your story with us!  Please visit her at Cozy Little House then hop over to Kris's blog to read about Anne from Dream Designs by Anne!  :)

39 comments:

  1. Love your little house! It is lovly on the outside, and gorgeous on the inside!!! Love your decorating! Also, great bird picture! And I also want to know - where do I sign up to have people send me cuttings, etc., to use in your garden!!! We have a huge row of pine trees that have all died out at the bottom, and we are trying to fill in the empty space. We have been buying hydrangea, grasses, etc. to fill in, but it is so darn expensive!!! Anyway, I am glad for you!

    I am just rambling through different blogs tonight, it is such fun........ I could spend hours here too! Wish you the best of luck!!!

    Hugs from Michigan,

    Diane

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  2. Love your little house! It is lovly on the outside, and gorgeous on the inside!!! Love your decorating! Also, great bird picture! And I also want to know - where do I sign up to have people send me cuttings, etc., to use in your garden!!! We have a huge row of pine trees that have all died out at the bottom, and we are trying to fill in the empty space. We have been buying hydrangea, grasses, etc. to fill in, but it is so darn expensive!!! Anyway, I am glad for you!

    I am just rambling through different blogs tonight, it is such fun........ I could spend hours here too! Wish you the best of luck!!!

    Hugs from Michigan,

    Diane

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  3. Brenda is a lovely blogging friend and I have followed her journey since 'way before. She takes the best photos and has helped many with her honesty and her strength in overcoming some really tough problems (or how she is living with the problems) with courage. I love her colors in her home, often redecorated but still using the same vibrant colors in different configurations. I am so pleased to that you spotlighted her.
    Joy

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  4. Thanks for introducing us to Brenda! I'm following her now via Bloglovin!

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  5. Thank you Brenda for sharing the personal side of your life with us. I loved getting to know you better. Your pups are adorable and so is your cozy little house.
    Kris

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  6. I loved reading this about Brenda. I'd missed her kitchen redo! How fun! I also didn't realize all her garden stuff came from blog readers all over the country. Isn't that wonderful to walk out your door and see things blooming from friends all around the country? So great! I love reading how happy Brenda is now because there were times she was really desperately down...and I've been there too and reading that she is in a good place and I'm in a good place gives many hope that no matter what happens...things can get better. Love that Brenda!

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  7. Lovely to meet you and get to know more about you Brenda. I look forward to visiting you at your 'Cozy Little House'.
    Thank you for another great Saturday Spotlight Susan.

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  8. Enjoyed that post very much! It was fun to get to know the blogger behind the blog!

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  9. Brenda is one of the nicest ladies in the great big blogosphere, and when my little blog debuted in May 2012, Brenda was the one who cheered me on, gave me great pointers and welcomed me on her 'Welcome Wagon' series! I love her style, her spunk and her sweet heart! So happy to see her in the spotlight here today; her story is like a child's bedtime favourite that you never grow tired of reading!

    xo
    Poppy

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  10. Behind the blogs we are all the same women with diferente problem.But with nice energy to share.Love your blog!:))kiss

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  11. love brenda's blog:) how cute is her kitchen....and the pups?!

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  12. This is wonderful as her colors are all very Mary Engelbreit primary colors. Very artsy looking to me!!!

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  13. Yeah! Brenda has spotlighted so many other bloggers that it's great to see her being spotlighted here! I've been reading her since before her divorce and admire her courage and independent spirit so much. Her pretty rooms always cheer me up. One thing she didn't mention about herself is how she has helped bloggers start blogging. Almost a year ago she spent several days, hours and hours, her pupsters protesting in the background, on the phone helping me set up my blog. I mean from the ground up. Such patience you would not believe that was poured out on this tech-ignorant woman. And then turned around and included me in her Welcome Wagon on my very first post!

    Which, by the way, introduced me to so many nice bloggers who became friends from the start.

    Thank you for spotlighting Brenda. God bless her and Cozy Little House!
    Dewena

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  14. Brenda and her cozy little house are an inspiration. I love her garden photos and the backstory makes them that much more appealing. ~Ann
    Tarnished Royalty

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  15. I have been following Brenda ever since she introduced herself to me via her Friday Welcome Wagon post. Brenda is wonderful for showcasing so many new bloggers and she really is the head of the Blogland Welcome Wagon.

    I learned even more about her today so thanks for featuring her.

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  16. So happy to see Brenda featured here! She has done so much to promote so many of our blogs! It is great to see her happy and thriving :)

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  17. I know Brenda!!!! She designed my blog header and has been a tremendous help with all things "blog"! I think she's a very strong woman and I admire her ability to live her life the way she chooses. Her nature photographs are so great. Love the latest one she shared on this post. She reminds me to take time and take in what's around us and be thankful for what we have. Her dogs are lucky to have her there with them all day. I bet they are all so close! Brenda has such a big heart too. Thanks for sharing her blog and letting us in to her world a little bit more.

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  18. Love Brenda at Cozy Little House, thanks for this fabulous interview with her!

    Mary @ Redo 101

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  19. Brenda brightens my day, love her blog and nice to meet you.

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  20. Thanks so much for inviting Brenda over. We go way back in our early days of blogging. She is a fun and talented blogger with the ability to decorate just about any space with bright beautiful colors! Her blog is always interesting to read.

    XO,
    Jane

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  21. Brenda's story is very inspiring. I love her little cottage which is so full of personality! I love the way she highlights so many bloggers through all her features.
    Mary Alice

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  22. So nice to see Brenda featured since she's usually the one doing the featuring! Thanks for the interview, I've known her for a while and there were new things I learned about her!

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  23. How nice of you to feature Brenda! I think we all love her, her home and her spirit! She knows alot about everything too! :) This was a great idea to start this weekly feature.
    Be a sweetie,
    Shelia ;)

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  24. Great post! Such sweet house and how wonderful that readers sent flowers to start a garden! Love the little pups too - my grand daughter's name is Abigail Rose too! Hugs, Leena

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  25. I really like the way you decorated the cabinets...I'm going to do that with all the wonderful ephemera I have collected. I just started my blog in September. I have four followers! I am divorced, also, so I could really relate to how you felt when you were first on your own. It is overwhelming at the time, isn't it? Ten years ago, I bought an old bank building. I live upstairs and have an antique shop on the ground floor. I didn't know anyone here when I bought the building. There were many times when I thought, "What have I gotten myself into?" The town people were not too welcoming. Very small town with 1500 people. I really like the town. I worked full time for the first five years and ran the shop on weekends. Anyway, the point is that I felt a kinship with you when I read your piece. It makes your blog even more interesting!
    Ginene

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  26. This is such a wonderful way to get to know our favorite bloggers even better! I'm a Cozy fan....from the very beginning! She's a smart lady with a giving and caring heart. Thanks for the great feature! Sweet hugs!

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  27. Very pretty home ~ so warm and welcoming. I love all the color too!

    Thanks so much for sharing ~

    xo
    Pat

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  28. I really enjoyed learning a little more about Brenda and her wonderful blog.

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  29. I used to look forward to reading Brenda's Cozy Little House blog, but my ipad will not let me read it anymore. I had her blog on my Bloglovin page. Her blog will come up for about 15 seconds, then immediately disappears. After many tries over several days I gave up. Wish i knew the reason and how to fix it :((

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  30. Nice story about Brenda..It's always nice to know a little more about your cyber pals...

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  31. Brenda you have made your house a home! Love all the colorful detail!Love your sweet fur babies!
    xx
    Anne

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  32. My husband died in November so I am learning who I am after 36 years of marriage. It is so different. I enjoy photography and it cheers my soul, so I do get out as often as possible for hikes. I post the joy I capture on my blog. If I did not get out, I think I would fall apart.

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  33. What a wonderful and inspiring story. Brenda you are a very strong and courageous woman. I love that you rediscovered yourself. I love your pupsters. I know to well about loving and spoiling pups. My husband and I have two mini doxies and they are so spoiled and the love of our lives. They make us so happy. We figured we got them to love and spoil. They truly have both but we don't care. They so well behaved. Much luck to you.

    Cynthia

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  34. Your home is adorable and filled with life. So wonderful getting to learn more about you and your life. How clever to decoupage your cabinets! Genius!
    Hugs,
    Patti

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  35. You made a beautiful new life in your cozy home. I love the decoupage in the kitchen and all the pops of red. Your fur babies are adorable. Thanks for sharing your life story.... it is so nice to get to know you more.

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  36. It's good to see Brenda featured here. I've been following her blog for over 2 years now. I love her honesty, courage and her sense of humor. She's struggled through some challenging times and handled it all with style and grace. She's honest and I love reading her perspective on life. She's also extremely creative. I love her lively and colorful home and love seeing and hearing about her spoiled pupsters. Brenda writes and shares about daily life and I love the variety of topics that she discusses. She is also warm and welcoming. Best of all....how brave and creative to decoupage the kitchen cabinets!

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  37. Brenda, I was so nice to get to know you, behind the blog. Your home is lovely and I can see why the pupsters are spoiled. They are adorable.
    xoGinger

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