Sunday, October 18, 2009

The Power Of Our Blogs!


She's baaaaaack!
Wearied by the illness of her mother, who received a cancer diagnosis the previous August and died two months later, Rachel Ashwell poured her heart out on her blog. And an interesting thing happened: a fan base, in hundreds of comments from women among them bloggers Shabby Chick or Cottage Flair or the Whispering Poppies, poured their hearts out right back.


Yes her blog HERE and fellow bloggers helped her revive her business!

The Madame at The Bunny Ranch resplendent in her Shabby Chic room
She is a huge Rachel Ashwell fan and she decorates as her hobb
y


Bankrupt and still eschewing a style 20 years, yes 20 years old, Rachel (rises from the) Ash(es)well is doing it again!
I can guarantee everyone of you has owned a white slip cover, and had some cute flea market tea stained tat in your house sometime during these last 20 years (and still may have it!).
Chic Chick Decor, Mid Century Modern, Urban Hipster, English, French, Swedish, Belgian, Tuscan, Cottage - whatever has happened lately, or in the past twenty years in interior design, cannot compare with the impact Shabby Chic has had on populace decorating.

From The New York Times:

Most in the home furnishings sector have cut back on both inventories and on advertising any new ideas or products, as dumb as that sounds, until after this horrible recession passes.

For her part, Ms. Ashwell acknowledged that a rest would have been nice, but “even though it was looking to the public like I was walking into the sunset, that was never the idea.” Target, she points out, is its own business, undiminished or affected by her company’s bankruptcy. And along with her “new” stores, and new business plan, she has a new book, “Shabby Chic Interiors: My Rooms, Treasures and Trinkets,” a book that looks, well, pretty much like all her others: there are the same unmade beds and the same chipped white furniture, and there’s Ms. Ashwell in her trademark blue jeans, looking not a day over 30.



Read all about it in this New York Times story HERE

7 comments:

Helen said...

Ms. Ashwell has always been a favorite of mine .... thanks so much for this post!

La Maison Fou said...

Great, so good to see her back! Love her Shabby style!
Leslie

Janean said...

You can put a little "shabby" in any decor style...or call it a new name, like you mentioned.

Renée Finberg said...

very special post V.
xx

Amy said...

AAhhh!!! Bittersweet!

Diane Dorrans Saeks said...

V-

Thank you for this.
Missed it last week in Times.
Amazing that she could keep the name...and simply now apply it to a new partnership.
She hardly had a moment to breath...and woosh, she is back in biz. Incredible.
Penelope Green's NYT feature is full of sly wit.
thanks.
cheers, www.thestylesaloniste.com

GYPSYWOMAN said...

oh, my goodness! how wonderful to read and hear of her again! cannot tell you how many years i followed her - and her shows, even when they were aired at 5am - yes, i didn't miss a one - thanks so much for this update!