Desiree of Chic Coastal Living
I love Desiree, though she lives far away, all the way down in sunny Florida, we feel like we know each other, she is so friendly, warm and kind, the quintessential Florida girl. A teacher, an avid runner and blogger, Desiree is someone who likes to keep busy and stay active. Yes, that's her below, just add pretty to her long list of attributes...its hard to like someone who looks like she does AND eats nachos and salsa every single day but her personality and kindness trumps it all and I love her! Her blog is based upon chic coastal living, and always infuses some kind of coastal vibe with whatever she is posting about. Her positive energy just radiates off of everything she says and does and its infectious! She talks about everything from clothing and accessories to great houses and interiors to recipes. We have a love of Tory Burch, Mexican food, The Hampton's and three boys in common. If you are not already a fan of Chic Coastal Living, I urge you to pop on over and say hello. She is a real gem. Now lets get to know her a little better......
Click here to visit Chic Coastal Living and thanks Desiree for participating!
CHIC COASTAL LIVING
So....... what inspired you to start blogging in the first place? I just happened to read a blog one day...I can't remember how I found it, but I read, Hooked on Houses and started to visit Julia's blog everyday. I did a little research on how to start one and Voila....here I am! The truth is, I've always dreamed of having my own website. It's been something I've wanted to do for many years and I'm so grateful that starting one was so easy! If I would have known how easy it was to start, I would have been writing a long time ago!
How did you come up with your blog name? I love the idea of coastal living and really wanted to have those two words in my title. Since starting a blog literally took me two minutes, I needed to come up with a name super fast! Yikes! I love the word chic and looked it up in the dictionary and it means, smart and stylish. That's it! Smart and stylish coastal living! Chic Coastal Living!
Do you have a favorite all time movie? Oh my! There's so many chic flicks to choose from but I would have to say, Something's Gotta Give. I watched that movie about 100 times when we bought our home 6 years ago. I loved the design aspect and of course the location of the home. That movie really inspires me in life and was a great starting off point for writing my blog (6 years later). (You can only understand this if you have design in your blood).
You get to spend a month in the European countryside.....is it Italy or France? Oh it will have to be Italy! My husband is Italian and his family is from southern and northern Italy. In our home, food brings us together and it would be a dream to travel all throughout Italy and eat to our hearts content! We find so much excitement over dipping Italian bread in herbs and olive oil!
Favorite meal? Mexican all the way! I can eat chips and salsa everyday! Not sure if this counts as food but I also love coffee. I just started drinking coffee when I turned 40 this year and I see what all the HYPE is about....it really keeps me awake! I get so much done after a few sips of my favorite pumpkin latte!
Tell us as little or as much as you want to about your family. Well, do you have an hour to spare? Just kidding! I am so blessed to be married to a handsome, wonderfully smart guy that I met when we were teens, 18 and 19. We've been married for a little over 18 years and have three boys ages 16, 13, 11. My boys are, thank You Lord, smart as a whip, 'A' students and athletic. They're involved in many school activities and sports. This keeps me very busy! We eat dinner together every night and enjoy going boating and snorkeling on weekends. We also have a beautiful extended family that we spend time with, as well!
How did you come up with your blog name? I love the idea of coastal living and really wanted to have those two words in my title. Since starting a blog literally took me two minutes, I needed to come up with a name super fast! Yikes! I love the word chic and looked it up in the dictionary and it means, smart and stylish. That's it! Smart and stylish coastal living! Chic Coastal Living!
Do you have a favorite all time movie? Oh my! There's so many chic flicks to choose from but I would have to say, Something's Gotta Give. I watched that movie about 100 times when we bought our home 6 years ago. I loved the design aspect and of course the location of the home. That movie really inspires me in life and was a great starting off point for writing my blog (6 years later). (You can only understand this if you have design in your blood).
You get to spend a month in the European countryside.....is it Italy or France? Oh it will have to be Italy! My husband is Italian and his family is from southern and northern Italy. In our home, food brings us together and it would be a dream to travel all throughout Italy and eat to our hearts content! We find so much excitement over dipping Italian bread in herbs and olive oil!
Favorite meal? Mexican all the way! I can eat chips and salsa everyday! Not sure if this counts as food but I also love coffee. I just started drinking coffee when I turned 40 this year and I see what all the HYPE is about....it really keeps me awake! I get so much done after a few sips of my favorite pumpkin latte!
Tell us as little or as much as you want to about your family. Well, do you have an hour to spare? Just kidding! I am so blessed to be married to a handsome, wonderfully smart guy that I met when we were teens, 18 and 19. We've been married for a little over 18 years and have three boys ages 16, 13, 11. My boys are, thank You Lord, smart as a whip, 'A' students and athletic. They're involved in many school activities and sports. This keeps me very busy! We eat dinner together every night and enjoy going boating and snorkeling on weekends. We also have a beautiful extended family that we spend time with, as well!
If you could have any career what would it be? Not sure if you know this, but I'm a 3rd grade teacher. I stayed home for 12 years with my boys and have been teaching for the past 6 years. While I love my job, I know I would have thrived in a career in design. I've been designing since I was 6! My dream is to design beach bags! I guess, I could possibly have the best of both worlds one day!
Favorite design style? Coastal chic! Lately, I've been leaning towards the California modern coastal chic look if you can imagine what that means. Clean lines and the feeling that you are on vacation. That's what I love!
If you could only live in one color what would it be?
It would have to be white! The 'perfect white' from Restoration Hardware! It's what my walls in my home are painted right now.
Favorite season and why? I would have to say summer!
Design icon? Jackie Kennedy ~ she's was so beautiful and always had such a remarkable poise about her. It seems like she loved all of the design details in life that I do!
One place you haven't been that you want to visit- Hawaii! I was just looking up resorts this morning for next year summer trip! I would love to go to the new, Disney Aulani Resort in Oahu!
What's your number one pet peeve? Hording. I don't like clutter.
What are the two best things about blogging? I think the best thing about blogging for me is being able to share what I truly love about design in all aspects and meeting wonderful people on the other end, like you Tina!
You get to have a private dinner with any two people in the world, they can be from the fashion, design world, literary world, Hollywood, politics,etc....your choice. Who are the lucky two? I would love to have dinner with Michelle Obama. I think she has great style and is a wonderful mother. The other person would have to be Martha Stewart! She's the one that got the ball rolling for many of us!
Do you have a favorite saying or quote? The Lord is with you.........I want people to know that they are not alone. My faith is very strong and is the most important thing in my life.
Most overrated trend right now? At this time, nothing comes to mind but if you were to ask me a few weeks ago I would have said zig-zag lines...but this week or actually today, I love them!
Reading anything interesting that you want to share? I am reading Little Bee right now for my book club. I heard that its a great book and I'm excited to see what happens!
You are 18 again. What do you do? I would want to know what I know at 40! Haha!
What are your plans for the fall/winter? Thanksgiving is only days away and I'm looking forward to having dinner with my family in the Keys. We always look forward to being together and enjoying each others company. I am also training to run a marathon with a few of my friends. This time of the year in Floirda is perfect for running. I would say my biggest goal right now is to not get hurt and finish the race that will take place in January!
In ten years I will be....................enjoying quality time with my family and in good health.
Design icon? Jackie Kennedy ~ she's was so beautiful and always had such a remarkable poise about her. It seems like she loved all of the design details in life that I do!
One place you haven't been that you want to visit- Hawaii! I was just looking up resorts this morning for next year summer trip! I would love to go to the new, Disney Aulani Resort in Oahu!
What's your number one pet peeve? Hording. I don't like clutter.
What are the two best things about blogging? I think the best thing about blogging for me is being able to share what I truly love about design in all aspects and meeting wonderful people on the other end, like you Tina!
You get to have a private dinner with any two people in the world, they can be from the fashion, design world, literary world, Hollywood, politics,etc....your choice. Who are the lucky two? I would love to have dinner with Michelle Obama. I think she has great style and is a wonderful mother. The other person would have to be Martha Stewart! She's the one that got the ball rolling for many of us!
Do you have a favorite saying or quote? The Lord is with you.........I want people to know that they are not alone. My faith is very strong and is the most important thing in my life.
Most overrated trend right now? At this time, nothing comes to mind but if you were to ask me a few weeks ago I would have said zig-zag lines...but this week or actually today, I love them!
Reading anything interesting that you want to share? I am reading Little Bee right now for my book club. I heard that its a great book and I'm excited to see what happens!
You are 18 again. What do you do? I would want to know what I know at 40! Haha!
What are your plans for the fall/winter? Thanksgiving is only days away and I'm looking forward to having dinner with my family in the Keys. We always look forward to being together and enjoying each others company. I am also training to run a marathon with a few of my friends. This time of the year in Floirda is perfect for running. I would say my biggest goal right now is to not get hurt and finish the race that will take place in January!
In ten years I will be....................enjoying quality time with my family and in good health.
If you could live anywhere on earth and money was no object where would you go? Trust me. My husband and I talk about this once in awhile! I would buy a spacious beach house in the Hamptons! I always say if I won the lottery, I would be on a plane the next day buying a beach house!
Best tip or two for any new bloggers reading this.......Write about what you love , write everyday and learn how to use programs to make great collages.
Blogging to me is inspiring and a huge blessing.
And now a little recap on some of what Deseiree loves.....
Desiree, besides being just a little intimidated that you are training for a marathon but still eat chips and salsa everyday, the fact that you love Somethings gotta give and watched it almost as many times as I have, means you have more than redeemed yourself in my eyes...lol!! Love what you said about if you were 18, oh yes...if we only had our wisdom then on what we know now, youth really is wasted on the young don't you think? And I would love to sit down with you, Martha and Michelle...now that would make for an interesting dinner! How wonderful does this girl sound? Grounded, so into her family, smart,REAL, and has her priorities in check, that is how I would describe Desiree. Please visit her at her so beautiful blog, Chic Coastal Living and say hello. Thank you all for stopping by and Desiree thank you for being a part of my Behind the blogger series! Wishing everyone a beautiful day!
Blogging to me is inspiring and a huge blessing.
And now a little recap on some of what Deseiree loves.....
Desiree, besides being just a little intimidated that you are training for a marathon but still eat chips and salsa everyday, the fact that you love Somethings gotta give and watched it almost as many times as I have, means you have more than redeemed yourself in my eyes...lol!! Love what you said about if you were 18, oh yes...if we only had our wisdom then on what we know now, youth really is wasted on the young don't you think? And I would love to sit down with you, Martha and Michelle...now that would make for an interesting dinner! How wonderful does this girl sound? Grounded, so into her family, smart,REAL, and has her priorities in check, that is how I would describe Desiree. Please visit her at her so beautiful blog, Chic Coastal Living and say hello. Thank you all for stopping by and Desiree thank you for being a part of my Behind the blogger series! Wishing everyone a beautiful day!
Such a great interview! Love getting to know her better. Desiree seems to be such a fun person to be around with!
ReplyDeleteWishing you both a very blessed week!
xo
Luciane at HomeBunch.com
I will be popping over to visit this wonderful gal! Thanks for featuring her here. xo Diana
ReplyDeleteAnother great interview Tina! I will check her blog out.
ReplyDeleteWOW, that was splendid! AND HER COLLAGE is just gorgeous Tina! YOU ARE AN INCREDIBLY HARD WORKER, my friend! The impeccable posts you produce just bless my heart!
ReplyDeleteNow off to go to finish up parent conferences until tonight at 8:00!!!!
Have a wonderful day dear one, Anita
great post!
ReplyDeleteGreetings,
ReplyDeleteVery nice interview. Desiree does indeed sound like a great lady. There are so many things to admire about her. She sounds like a devoted mom, a loving wife, an inspiration to her students, well founded in her faith and, wow, a marathon runner (best of luck to her on her run). I felt pretty smug when I recently finished a 17 mile hike at Yosemite, :).
I can totally relate to her love of chips and salsa, because it is probably my biggest weakness. And about coffee, when I did my post on the 5 things that make life worthwhile, everyone put coffee in their top 5. No wonder Starbucks has been so successful!
Tina, I'm sitting here sipping my Peet's, enjoying some homemade pumpkin bread and reading your post. Some times it's just the "simple and sweet" that makes for a great day. Hope you have a wonderful one...
Great interview, Tina. I will be headed that way!
ReplyDeleteHave a nice day.
Teresa
xoxo
Thank you, Tina, for introducing us to Desiree. She seems very sweet and I can't wait to check out her blog! Hope you have a very Happy Thanksgiving! xx
ReplyDeleteDesiree is really beautiful inside and out. I think she and I have similar tastes. I love her blog...she is so stylish.
ReplyDeleteTina she sounds like a doll...love hearing her upbeat perspective, and with my husband being a marathon runner, I appreciate the discipline and commitment it takes to get the job done. She is awfully pretty too. Anyone who loves Somethings gotta give, one of my favorites too and coffee, is a friend of mine-) Will go visit her, thanks Tina and hope you are off to have a wonderful and relaxed positive day filled with good energy.
ReplyDeleteA word about your "Annonymous" poster - what a COWARD! I agree with you Tina - PUT A NAME ON YOUR COMMENT! I don't really care if your or anyone else's blog is real. It's my way to have a mini-vacation or live vicariously through someone else. I personally don't have the means to be able to build a beautiful home like this, but I am very happy for those that can. I am not an envious person and that is what I get from "annonymous". Envy is not a good thing. And why are you judging? If you don't agree or like what is on the blog - MOVE ON! My name is: Marcia Kraus
ReplyDeleteGreat interview. I think we all need to encourage her to go for it with her idea to design beach bags.
ReplyDeleteGreat interview! I am off to check out her blog now!
ReplyDeleteP/S: Come by and enter my current giveaway for a chance to win a $65 gift cert (for some pretty designer pillows) if you like!
Jessie
www.mixandchic.com
Desiree is such an upbeat and great blogger. I love visiting her blog and seeing all of the great coastal finds. Not to mention the chips and salsa diet...I too could eat those daily, along with pizza.
ReplyDeleteHave a great day!
Tina, you simply must STOP w/the blogger interviews! I just can't add any more to my reader...there aren't enough hours in the day:)
ReplyDeleteSeriously gorgeous blog. Thank you for sharing.
Wishing you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving!
PS..I, too, am SO glad you found the identity of Ms. Annonymous Nasty Pants. But it makes me sad that you had to deal w/it at all. Hopefully, your sleuthing w/this commenter will discourage/end similar comments.
PPS...I am leaving an "annonymous" post only because I am not tech savvy and do not understand what the other options mean. As in will my email address be shown, etc.
Dawn
I follow Desiree's blog too, so it was fun reading your interview. Plus, YOU GO GIRL!! Good for you for investigating and getting to the bottom of your anonymous poster.
ReplyDeleteI am a big supporter of this blog and love it-Again the questionnaire should skip the political part of who you would want to dine with-I am not an Obama supporter and this really turns me off -I don't think this is a political blog-just a place to go see beautiful things and get away from it all-Tina I really hope you remove that from your questionds-Thanks for listening to me...Linda
ReplyDeleteI so enjoy Desiree's blog, I am a lover of beach elegance so it is fun to see what she puts on her blog. I am a Mom of three boys too!! We should start a club!! They say we will have a special place in heaven, we Mom's of three boys!! Thank you for sharing more about yourself, Desiree! I always love getting to know more about bloggers that I follow along with, Happy Tday, Kathysue
ReplyDeleteI agree Tina - she does sound wonderful! What a nice interview yet again. Desiree - best of luck on the marathon in January - I'm impressed!!! :)
ReplyDeleteReally enjoyed this interview...I really feel like your questions give a window into each blogger's life!
ReplyDeleteOK, Desiree is my kind of gal!!! I'm heading to Dallas, TX tomorrow for Thanksgiving and we'll be meeting family for Mexican food within 2 hours of touching down! :)
ReplyDeleteLove getting to know Desiree and I'll sign up for those beach bags when she is ready to design them!!
Happy Thanksgiving, Tina!
xoxo Elizabeth
Great interview! I look forward to Desiree's getaways each day.
ReplyDeleteLoved this interview, what a terrific sounding blogger she sounds like and lucky her to be going to the Keys for Thanksgiving, we were there in Sept. and loved it!
ReplyDeleteCount me in to the three boys club (plus one daughter) and I too could happily have a daily portion of nachos and salsa!
I will go visit her, coastal interiors are my favorite so this is a must visit for me. Thanks- and so happy that nastiness is behind you Tina. It was disgusting and I hope whoever was the culprit saw your almost 200 voices of concern speaking out against her deplorable behavior.
All the best to you.
I've been loving her blog for quite a while now and what a wonderful interview :)
ReplyDeleteThis one is really a delight Tina, I have enjoyed Desiree's writing for quite some time. You two do have some things in common, wow, no wonder you hit it off! (I would probably kill for some chips/salsa right at this moment!) I like what she said about Martha Stewart starting things, I don't generally give her credit for being such an influence on the internet side of things and I should.
ReplyDeleteHope you have a fab week!
tp
I wanted to thank you again Tina for including me in this series! It was so much fun and I love the collage you did! Hahaha! You are very creative and a huge blessing to have in the blog world! and a big THANK YOU to everyone for your kind comments! You all have made my day even better! God bless you and Happy Thanksgiving! xoxo, Desiree
ReplyDeleteLovely to meet Desiree! Will have to pop on over in a bit - SO far behind today!!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteShe seems to be a beauitful person both inside AND out, and I am always impressed with anyone who speaks so highly of their family and strong faith as she did. She sounds like a great person. Good luck on the marathon, that is so inspirational.
ReplyDeleteWhat fun and off to check out her blog! xx
ReplyDeleteDesiree has it all, a nice family life, good looks, the talent and the career and the desire to run a marathon! I will be checking out her blog~she seems like a winner!
ReplyDeleteAnother great interview that I thoroughly enjoyed! Thanks! I'll be popping over to visit Desiree's blog.
ReplyDeletelove this interview! so detailed! I love her coastal blog!
ReplyDeleteShe is so pretty and young looking! Must be all that running and those nachos:-) Loved this interview, you are right warmth and kindness seem to come right through. I like her take on living and she seems to be "the whole package". Such a nice post.
ReplyDeleteI know I like this girl, I could live in a all white world, love what she said about being 18 and having the wisdom of a 40 year old and loved Jackie Kennedy. Shes a keeper....can see why you featured her. I also enjoy her blog, she has a great take on coastal style.
ReplyDeleteHi Tina, Great interview! I am headed to her blog to say hello.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Sherry
Yes, I love Desiree's blog, lovely to learn more about her too. I am so excited to hear that you have learned the identity of your spiteful anonymous commenter and although I am desperate to find out who she is so I can take revenge and spread the word of this insidious evil, I will respect your righteous decision to rise above it and hold your head high. However, should the evil and deluded and clearly disturbed and jealous perpetrator ever return, PLEASE reveal their identity and let the world be the judge! You have shown yourself to be of such superior character and integrity through this whole sordid and sad ordeal, and should be very proud. This is why we follow your blog and will support you always.
ReplyDeleteDear Tina-
ReplyDeleteVery nice interview, she really does seem like such a sweetheart of a person. I will have to visit her blog.
I want to tell you Tina, I may be overstepping my boundaries but since I was a psychology major I love to analyze situations and yours captivated me, as disgusting as it was, I was curious as to who could do such a thing. You are such a nice, and giving person I was concerned first for you and wondering why someone would be so hate filled and mean.
If you look back at your post before this one, the one where you say you know you they are, you drop it appears a few "clues" in your post. If you also look at the comments, you will see one person picked up on that one or two clues which I find very very interesting. If you connect the dots, you might see where I am going with this. It is something worth looking into to see if you agree, or you may have already noticed this yourself. Just wanted to make you aware just in case.
Keep doing what you are doing, so many love you for it, including my self AND my husband! (hes a builder and loves following your home progress) Happy Turkey Day!
Cretive and stunning indeed! And yes I can feel the good energy!
ReplyDeleteNope, in 10 years your beach bags have taken you to your next adventure - your own Chic Coastal Living Stores! Wouldn't that be fun!
Hugs to you both,
PS I would also love to have dinner w. Michelle - like so many of your blog friends. Have you noticed, Tina!
I've never been to Desiree's blog but I will now. Wonderful interview as always!
ReplyDeleteWho doesn't love learning about people. I love your questions.....you are so sweet to invite bloggers to be interviewed on The Enchanted Home!!!
ReplyDelete