Behind the blogger...meet Luciane from Home Bunch!

Good morning, hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. I announced  an incredible giveaway yesterday, the winner will be chosen Sat. morning, look at the end of this post for all details. Today I am so thrilled to feature a great and treasured blogging friend, say hello to....

Luciane from Home Bunch

 I cannot speak highly enough of how incredibly kind, gracious and sweet Luciane is. It is no surprise that she runs a very popular "always something great to see" blog, Home Bunch. She features an incredible array of homes from the most dream worthy beach houses to luxurious celebrity homes to very unusual homes that are as eclectic as they come! Rest assured, it is always well worth the click to visit Home Bunch. When I found out she was from Brazil, I realized immediately that is where she got her warm and bubbly personality from ( having lived in Brazil during my young teens,  I think Brazilians are perhaps the warmest, friendliest and most fun loving culture and people). She is expecting her third child, I am so happy for her (and a wee bit jealous) but she doesn't skip a beat in delivering one incredible post after another! Please stop by and say hello to Luciane!

Click on the header to visit Home Bunch and thank you Luciane !

So what inspired you to start blogging in the first place? My husband kept telling me I should do it because interior design and architecture are my passion . He always said I could do it, even when I didn't believe I could. He knew I had so much to talk about with regard to design and he said I should share my ideas and the houses I find online on a blog. The truth is, I think he got tired of me always calling him to see the places I loved! Little did he know that he would be hearing about design even more now! 

How did you come up with your blog name? This is an interesting question. The day I sat in front of my computer, decided I was going to start a blog, I went to see some domain names for sale and nothing really sounded appealing to me. I knew I wanted a fun and different name, not too formal. As I was thinking I asked myself about what I want to see on my blog and I thought: "I want to see a bunch of homes! Oh, HomeBunch!". And that was it. It's easy to remember and I think it's fun to say it. 

 Do you have a favorite all time movie?

I love watching movies and I've seen so many of them. I'm in a comedy mood lately because I cry way too easily if I watch a sad movie and nobody wants to watch movies with a crying person beside you. Isn't it so awkward? Then the person looks at you and you feel so stupid for crying! Having said that, my favorite movie of all time is one that I cried my lungs out! The Notebook. The story is profoundly honest and powerful. Now, please, pass the tissue!

You get to spend a month in the European countryside….is it Italy or France? I love the French countryside, but Italy is my dream! I love the country, the culture, the food and soccer! 

 Favorite meal? I've been to so many amazing restaurants and I can appreciate a good meal, but when it comes to my favorite I must say it has to come from home. Mine goes back growing up and eating my grandma's gnocchi. That's something I will never forget.

Tell us as little or as much as you want to about your family. I was born and raised in Brazil and moved by myself to Canada more than ten years ago. I couldn't speak any English and after being here for a year I met my husband. It was so interesting, but the moment I saw him I said (to myself, of course) I'd marry him. I just felt it in my heart. We got married 8 months after that first date. We're have a great marriage and we're expecting our third child for the end of November. I'm not saying I'm living a fairy tale, I don't even look like a princess, for that matter! But we're very blessed and we keep strong. Life is not easy as everyone knows, but everything we have to face, we face it together, as a family and I know this is what makes us who we are. 

If you could have any career what would it be? I used to be a kindergarten teacher in Brazil and I always loved being around kids. The way they see life is inspiring and I've learned so much with them. But interior design has grown so much in my heart that I know I'm on the right path for this stage of my life. If I can help people feel better about where they live and create their memories, then I know I'm doing something right with this profession. So, I believe I'm already doing what I want to do and that's very rewarding.

Favorite design style? I like traditional with a fun twist. Nothing predicable, boring. A room has to have style, but we should never forget comfort. 

 If you could live in only one color, what would it be? One color? I think it has to be blue. Blue is my favorite color, although I think I'd get tired of everything blue at some point! But blue always makes me feel at ease and calm. So, even if I'm bored with everything being blue, at least I know I'd be calm.

Favorite season and why? Summer! I love where I live during summers. This is a small town on the Atlantic and it feels like a resort when summer comes. You can go to many sandy beaches and eat as much lobster and fresh seafood as you want. The temperature is always perfect also. Not too hot and that breeze from the ocean always cools you down.

Design icon? There's so many people I admire and I learn with in this area, but I don't have only one person to name it as "icon". I see so many new talented people never being recognized and I see many others that just has a name because the media likes them and creates this image around them. My favorites designers are people I visit very often, my blog friends and I always tell them how much I think they're talented and how much they teach me. They're my real icons.

 One place you haven't been that you want to visit? Oh, it goes back to Italy! But also Switzerland, Greece, Japan, Spain, France and England. I love traveling.

What's your number one pet peeve?People that do not appreciate or respect the elderly. That really makes me sick. 

What are the two best things about blogging? The readers that become your friends. I've met so many great people through blogging and that includes you, Tina!. Having a blog is a lot of work if you take it seriously but these people really give me strength and they make me always make me give 100%.

You get to have a private dinner with any two people in the world, they can be from fashion, design world, literary world, Hollywood, politics, etc..your choice. Who are the lucky two? I think I could have a very interesting conversation with Oprah and Paulo Coelho (the author of "The Alchemist" and many other books).

Do you have a favorite saying or quote? "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where you treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:19-21.

Most overrated trend right now?  It's not much about what is overrated right now but how we use the "trendy" things we see. If you don't design a room based on trend it will not look outdated when the trends are gone. That's why I love "timeless" elements, you never get tired of classic. And talking about tired, I'm already tired of ikat fabrics or maybe I was never a big fan of it in the first place. 

 Reading anything interesting that you want to share? Oh, gosh! Interesting? It would be if you're pregnant like me! The last time I was pregnant I read so many pregnancy books and I couldn't see books or magazines that talked about babies for years. This was 5 years ago and I'm so enjoying  being pregnant again that all I can read right now is about babies and breast-feeding. So, I'm not sure if that's interesting for the most people reading this interview, but I'm actually enjoying reading "What to expect when you're expecting" for the 3rd time in my lifetime! Ha!

You are 18 again. What do you do? I was so confident when I was 18 and I was already pretty mature for my age. I actually feel so proud how I lived my teen years. I was so full of life, dreams and energy. If anything, I should never forget how much I believed in myself back then and I should never stop believing that I can still achieve all the dreams I still have. It's incredible, but sometimes I think we leave all that energy, the many dreams behind and we start forgetting  how capable we are. Dreams should not fade as we get older.

What are your plans for the fall? This Fall is going to be interesting. It's weird to have both my kids at school. The house feels empty during the mornings and way too quiet! I have to get ready for my baby's arrival in November and that means, I have to prepare many posts and  finish some projects. These months ahead will be very busy around our house, but I'm looking forward them.

 In ten years I will be…….Healthy with my family. That's all I really wish.

If you could live anywhere on earth and money was no object, where would you go? A shingled summer house in the Hamptons would be fun, wouldn't it? Would you come over? 

Best tip or two for any new bloggers reading this….Don't be pushy. I mean, don't force your blog to grow overnight. If this is a business for you and not only a hobby, make sure you have enough time to devote to it. You'll have to work hard to have a big blog. But what really matters in this business is not how many people are coming to see and read what you posted, but how many friends you're making. That's what really matters to me. It's wonderful to know that people choose to come to see you every day. It's so amazing to know that people take a minute of their day to read your words. 

Don't be afraid or shy to say what's in your heart. Let people know your true colors. There's no reason to pretend. People should like you for who you are and for what you think.

Blogging to me is Is where I'm 100% myself and where I share my story and many opinions.

Give me four words that describe your personality. Discreet, a believer, thoughtful and the most important of all, a mother. By the way, this was the hardest question to answer. Why is it so hard to give ourselves some credit sometimes, huh?


And now a little recap on all the things that Luciane loves.....

How great is Luciane? Pretty too! (That's her in the middle)! So true about not letting dreams die, I love what she said about her family and her advice to new bloggers was fabulous and spot on! Take it from a pro like Luciane, she knows what she is talking about. What she said about design icons...has made me a fan for life! I love how grounded she is, and  she really seems to have her heart in the right place. And Luciane, you better believe I will be visiting you in your shingled Hamptons home! Do you promise to make your grandmothers gnocci? I will dessert and The Notebook! Please stop by and introduce yourself to Luciane, you too will want to make her blog one of your daily visits. Click here to stop over. Have a wonderful day and thank you for stopping in!
Now onto to the giveaway information.....
Today's giveaway is AMAZING with a capital A! Thanks to the generosity of

Safavieh Home 

It is for a stunning painted black French end table with an antiqued wood top! How beautiful is this? I cannot think of any room that wouldn't look simply incredible with this wonderful side table!!

So...how to win this amazing giveaway? Simple! You must leave a comment on Safaviehs Facebook page indicating which item you love from their website. 

FIRST.......Click here for their website and then here for their Facebook page. Good luck and thank you Safavieh!

TO BE CLEAR......

 YOU MUST LEAVE A FACEBOOK COMMENT FOR SAFAVIEH TO BE ELIGIBLE. ONLY THOSE WHO LEAVE A COMMENT ON THEIR FACEBOOK PAGE SAYING THEY CAME FROM THE ENCHANTED HOME WILL BE ENTERED IN THE DRAWING.

I will announce the lucky winner on Saturday morning!