07 Jan From My Home to Yours: Deborah Main Rings in 2014!

Happy New Year!  I’ve been thinking all week about what I was going to write. Many new year posts have come and gone. Lot’s of reports on 2013, new year resolutions, new year “words”, great photos, etc.  They all have been wonderful and inspiring. In fact, I’ve chosen my word: Clarity.  (more on that later).

But somehow I have not quite been ready for the new year to begin. It feels like I’ve hardly had a chance to even ponder last year…and so much happened during the year that my head is still spinning!! 

So I told myself it’s alright….take your time.  Then all of a sudden the January markets were here (a week early for Atlanta!). In fact, The Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings market actually starts today!  During this cold snap, it’s amazing to think that just one year ago I ventured into that international arena….

Then a package arrived in the mail today, all the way from Lithuania.  When I opened it, I thought: There’s my answer. There’s what I’ve been looking for, reflecting on, trying to define for the new year.  There was this adorable little house with a little candle inside.  I had received this gift from one of my dear Twitter friends, Asta, (of Baltica luxury hardware) half way around the world.

I just couldn’t believe it….I can’t tell you how much that little house warmed my heart today!! 

I lit the candle, parked that house in the middle of my table, and watched it all day while I was working on my website. It stayed there even during our family dinner when my daughter said, “but why did she send it to you?”  I responded, “because she wanted to and she has a giving heart.”  And the other reason, I knew, was because she took the time out of her busy life to snail mail something special. That’s one of the things I used to take time out to do….and that’s some of what I want to get back in my life this new year.

It’s ceramic and the top of the house comes off so you can put a little tea candle in the center of it.

2014 is an exciting year for Deborah Main Designs as we celebrate 10 years in business!

It’s so hard to believe from where Deborah Main Designs started with a sewing machine in my bedroom, to where we are today:  a luxury decorative pillow design house.

There’s a lot to think about and a lot I’ve learned along the way, and am still learning, that I’d like to share with you. So you see it’s hard to jump right into 2014 for me, as I’m not just reflecting on 2013 but on the entire past 10 years.  And I really want to share my journey with you!

Here it is all aglow, like a warm fire. I love how the tiny entry way in front has the light shining through the doorway.

So, hold on new year…..I’m not going to let you put me on the fast track!!  I almost jumped right in, but then I put the pause button on and said “nope”, not going to kick into high gear just yet.  I’m going to take my time and do some more thinking during these winter months.

John Strauss, of Strauss Furniture, another dear Twitter friend gave me the sage old advice this fall: Take your time to get it right.

I learned so much about myself and my business and my life in these past 10 years, that I want to be able to share some of my insights with you. The highs and the lows of being an entrepreneur, a mother and wife that works out of my home & studio.  Somehow, for this year, 2014, I want my life to be calmer, more focused, more in tune with me and my family and my goals.  So get ready…you might see a slower Deborah Main…(I know, hard to believe right?!?!), but this is an important year for me and I want to take my time to “get it right”.

From our home to yours, Happy New Year!

In my personal and professional life everything has to have purpose and meaning. Many of you already know this about me, and some are just learning it. But from family heirlooms, to collectible vintage textiles, French trim, and brooches, everything and everyone in my life has a story.

And that little house says it all!  That candle represents clarity in my house, my home & business. Light inside me and my life, and this is what I seek in 2014 and into the future.

2014 is a big year of change and transition for me, my family and my business:

• Deborah Main Designs celebrates it’s 10 year anniversary,
• my son turns a quarter century old,
• my husband retires from the state to teach and write,
• my little girl graduates a year early from high school,
• and the last BIGGIE, my husband and I will be married 30 years in April!!

So, maybe you can understand why I’m taking my time with the new year.  Time to get it right. My heart and soul are with my family and friends like you, my relationships that mean the world to me.  I wish all of you the most fantastic new year – filled with love, laughter, spontaneity, challenge, joy, and even a little heartbreak – everything that makes you feel alive with gratitude! And please enjoy this post by friend Laura Orange, a fabulous travel writer and photographer.  You can imagined how tickled pink I was when I found this post the day I received my little candle house. And with all the flower boxes both on these real 1/2 timber houses and my little clay one, well, it certainly reminds us that spring is on it’s way.

Photography of Strasbourg 1/2 timber houses in Petite France by, and with permission from, Laura Orange, 2013.

We at Deborah Main Designs wish you a beautiful year! With our brand new website, and all the wonderful opportunities ahead, we look forward to celebrating 2014, and our 10 year anniversary, with you! Till next time, Happy New Year! XOPG