Rene' is a down-to-earth 20-something blogger who resides in Greenville, South Carolina. Though she works for a laboratory in the manufacturing industry, she likes to spend her free time cooking, shopping for vintage items, and working with her husband to update their 1980's home. A self-professed foodie and a big fan of thrifty living and home decor, Rene' truly is a Domestic Lady.
I had the chance to ask her a few questions about her blog, her decorating services, and her personal opinion of crafting and DIY projects. Check it out!
How long have you been blogging? Why did you decide to start a blog?
I have been blogging for about 2 ½ years. A good friend told me she thought I should do it. I took about 25 seconds to think about it. And then I started blogging a day later. It really was that fast. It’s great as a hobby. But it is incredibly time consuming, so I usually limit myself to 1 or 2 posts a week.
What are your favorite topics to blog about?
I like writing about make-ahead recipes. Sharing tips to make cooking easier is also at the top of the list. Our home is about 20 years old and is in desperate need of updates, so my husband and I work on cheap chic DIY projects around our house, which I also love to share. The biggest one we ever completed was laying 1,200 sq ft of hardwood floors.
What have some of your most popular posts been about?
My all-time most popular post has been my Healthy Brown Rice Broccoli Chicken Cheese Bake. It has been a hit on Pinterest, and I get lots of traffic from that one recipe. The recipes I developed for Fresh Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie and the Best Ever Sugar Cookie glaze are also great. One reader favorite has been How to Update Oak Furniture Without Paint. It really appeals to Pinterest followers because the updating does not involve paint!
Unlike most home design bloggers, you seem very firmly against crafting and DIY projects. Why would you say that is?
I am definitely not against DIY projects as long as the finished product looks polished and (mostly) professional. What I am against are design TV shows and blogs that portray major projects as being quick and easy that are actually incredibly hard and really best for professionals to complete. I would rather take the time to save a little extra money and pay a professional than to have unfinished projects all over my house.
And I don’t do crafts simply because I am not crafty…at all.
What do you find personally appealing about vintage pieces?
I love filling my home with vintage pieces because they can be rough around the edges, but the roughness just seems to make them more beautiful. This is a great metaphor for people too. If we learn from the tough experiences in life, we become a more beautiful person on the inside.
What would you say is the most enjoyable part of the process when working on a new decorating project?
When I work with decorating clients, my favorite part of the process is incorporating family pieces and other meaningful items around the home into the new design. Many times just mixing up the existing pieces in a home fills it with new life. So if you feel like your home needs refreshing just move some furniture around and declutter, declutter, declutter. Clutter makes a home feel smaller, messy, and unorganized.
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Thanks so much to Rene' for chatting with me and answering my questions! Make sure to visit her blog or follow her on Facebook.
Interview with The Domestic Lady, Rene' Peery Beagle by Sarah Marchant