Home Decor Interview:

Rhondi from "Rose Colored Glasses"

If nothing else, Rhondi from "Rose Colored Glasses" is the perfect neighbor.  She takes great care of her home, is fun to be with, and her writing style leaves you begging to come over for coffee and conversation.

Rhondi is an optimist, hence the title of her blog, and that suits us just fine.  Rhondi has so much to be grateful for, and she loves life the way we all should.

We picked Rhondi to interview because of her next-door-neighbor charm and healthy outlook on life.  She has a host of interesting hobbies and is no stranger to decorating her home.  Please welcome Rhondi and enjoy this exclusive interview with her.

1.  Hi Rhondi, thank you for joining us today.  Please take a moment to tell us about your "Rose Colored Glasses" blog and anything else you'd like to let our readers know about yourself.

Thank you for wanting to interview me. Ever since I can remember I have been interested in decorating, sewing and gardening and I began this blog simply as another creative outlet. My idea was that it would be just like visiting my home and sharing a cup of tea and chatting about this and that. 

My home has always been very important to me and sharing it with others is something I love to do. So at Rose Colored Glasses I may show you my latest quilt, or what's blooming in my garden or something new I've done in my home. The name Rose Colored Glasses came from the fact that my glasses are pink and that I always try to be optimistic, looking at the world through "rose colored glasses" so to speak.  I have been married for 40 years and we have 4 children, 4 wonderful grandchildren and 2 of our children are married.

2.  While you write about all aspects of your life, we'd like to focus on home decor.  What are your favorite things to decorate around the house, and what are some of your favorite accessories to decorate with?

I love to rearrange furniture, and have been known to switch out rooms, put the dining room furniture in the living room and the living room in the dining room. I also enjoy putting all new displays of things I love on my tabletops, bookshelves, mantles, and counters.
 

I love to decorate with quilts, on a wall, or hanging over the back of a chair. I love to change the accent colors in my rooms for a whole new look. 

For example, just by putting new yellow covers on the red pillows, removing all the red flowers, books and other red accents and replacing them with yellow or green, I take my living room from winter to spring with no cost! 

Just putting a different color quilt on the wall changes the entire look of a room.  Plates and pillows are also favorite accessories, and of course books! 

3.  One hobby you talk about a lot is your love of reading.  This is understandable, as books allow us the chance to escape and visualize.  But they also make for great decor, don't they?  For example, I use leather bound classics in my husband's office.  How have you used books as decor in your home?

I use books under lamps, teapots, vases, anywhere I want to vary the height of the displayed items.  They also are great just piled on a table, giving color to the room. It's amazing how changing the color of books in a room can give you a whole new look. A stack of large coffee table size books makes a wonderful side table.

4.  Speaking of books, you've talked about how you love to write in a journal.  Please tell us more about this hobby of yours, and why would you recommend this hobby for people reading this right now who are looking for a way to use arts and crafts to document their lives?

I have written in a journal for years and it is such a great way to record the everyday events of your life  as well as the milestones. I have just recently begun to journal more creatively. 

Most of us who like to decorate our homes have collections of magazine clippings for inspiration. 

So now I take those pictures and glue them in a large spiral bound sketch pad, leaving room to write.  I find that I am much more inspired to write when I am writing on pages filled with beautiful photos of rooms or things I love. 

As well as recording the daily things I put poems, inspiring sayings, anything that pleases me. 

It's very relaxing to sit down with a cup of tea and some old magazines and just tear out anything I like.  Then it's fun to cut the pictures to size and arrange them in a pleasing manner in my journal.  Many people like to draw or paint in their journals but this is an easy way to be creative for those of us who feel we aren't artists.

5.  Since you've just passed the 2-year mark for your blog, please tell us a bit about how you've enjoyed the experience thus far?  If you could do it all over again, would you do anything differently?

When I started to blog I had no idea where it would lead me.  As most bloggers have found, it's the friendships that we make which are the biggest reward.  I also think writing a blog has helped me refine my personal decorating style. One of the things I did when I first began was leave comments on blogs I liked and that helped me to make connections with lots of wonderful people.  As far as doing anything differently, I can't think of anything. 

6.  Let's talk about another of your hobbies: quilting.  Where did you learn this skill, and how often do you get a chance to quilt at home?

I learned to sew when I was 11 years old.  How I started quilting is an interesting story. Ever since I saw a TV show about Freddy Moran, a quilter who didn't start quilting when she was 60, I decided I wanted to try my hand at it.

Then sometime later I saw a quilt at a quilt show and wanted to make it but no one could tell me anything about it, so I just forgot about it. 

About 2 years later an old friend came to visit.  She had taken up quilting and brought some to show me.  There was the quilt I wanted to make!  I ordered the pattern, and spent every waking minute working on it.  I did the whole thing by hand and finished it in 3 months.  I was addicted!  Now I sew as often as I can and many days I will sew all day long. I try to quilt every day if I can.

7.  We noticed you're good friends with another blogger we've interviewed, Mary from Across the Pond.  Isn't it great how blogging has enabled you to meet others in your area who share your similar interests?  What are a few of your other favorite blogs to visit, and who are some of your best friends in the blog world?
 

There are so many wonderful blogs and I have made so many friends, I feel if I try to list them I will leave out someone important.  I will say that Kim at Dear Daisy Cottage has probably influenced me the most in blogging.  Penny at Comforts of Home and Mary at Across The Pond and Donna at Dobco came to my home for lunch when I had a get togehter for other bloggers who lived near me.  That was so much fun to actually meet each other!

8.  Rhondi, thanks again for this interview.  Before we go, please tell

us about your plans for Christmas, and any home decorating plans you have in store for 2010?  Happy holidays to you!

It's going to be a very quiet Christmas this year.

Our TV room really needs a freshening up.  It's the only room we've done nothing to, so I would like to get that done next year.
 

Rhondi sounds like a great friend to have, and it's so heartwarming to hear stories of Rhondi meeting up with fellow area bloggers we've also interviewed.  The internet has brought so many of us together, and we hope you all enjoyed getting to know Rhondi.

Please take a visit on over to "Rose Colored Glasses" and say Hello.  Heck, you can even stay for a cup of tea.
 


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