Saturday Spotlight: Life Behind the Blogger

Jane from Bluebird 1959

Hi Everyone!  I am beyond excited to have been asked by sweet Kris to be part of her Saturday Spotlight: Life Behind the Blogger series over at Junk Chic Cottage.  It is such a fun series and I love learning more about bloggers that I have followed for years and others that are new to me.  Thank you Kris!

Hmm...about me?  The basics: My name is Jane, the blogger behind Bluebird 1959.  I live in a small town in southeastern Wisconsin, with my husband of 33 years.  We also have one daughter, 24, who just recently moved to Virginia to pursue her graduate degree at Virginia Tech. This past Sunday we adopted a new puppy named Palmer.  He will be guest posting on my blog from time to time. Check out the first installment of Pawsin' With Palmer.  

 I work part time in the reading department of the high school my husband, daughter and I attended (not simultaneously, ha ha!).

I am a home decor blogger and I like to share the different updates, projects and and things I have going on around my house.  I have tried many variations of home decor over the years, but always come back to vintage and farmhouse style.  It's just me. It's in my DNA.  You see, as a kid, my parents would sell "antiques" and other assorted junk to help supplement my dad's mail carrier salary. They would buy estates full of all sorts of treasures and sell them at the local flea market on Sunday. It was so fun to sort through the ever changing things they would find.

My dad was definitely an American Picker kind of guy and was forever finding deals and bringing home treasures. Our house decor and furniture was an ever changing kaleidoscope of finds. (At one point, my older brothers refused to move another bedroom set  up to my room because I had had so many!)  My dad had so much enthusiasm for his finds that it was hard not to get excited about them. 

Out of the five of us kids, I think I am the one who caught the biggest antique bug and I still enjoy hitting up flea markets, junk shops and thrift sales.  Looking through my blog archives, I do tend to haunt those places quite frequently.

 

Color wise, I love dark, jewel tones, which sometimes makes me feel a bit lonely in blog land! I've tried to go to "the other side" and I was miserable and uninspired in my own home.  I love the bloggers - like Kris - who have a neutral palette.  There is so much beauty to it and I get the simplicity and convenience of a neutral scheme.  For me - for my house - though,  I am a color craver!

However, I have started to embrace some toning down in my decor, especially in my wall colors.  I am really liking a fresher, cleaner and airier feel, and I have made some dramatic changes to our first floor that I will share in a reveal soon.

On a personal level, after a freak health scare last year (which I have shared on my blog), I have been on a weight loss journey and have lost nearly 110 pounds.  I feel so much better and continue to work at my progress. 

Before:

Early this summer:

I hope you have enjoyed reading a bit about my story and I hope you will pop over and pay me a visit at my blog....the door is always open!

Thanks, Kris, for the lovely invitation to be part of your awesome blogging series.

Jane is as sweet as ever and you will love taking a trip over to her blog Bluebird 1959.  Thank you Jane for doing Spotlight this week and sharing yourself and family and that sweet little Palmer.  Just adorable.

Happy Saturday Everyone.

Have a great week end.

Kris

:)