CIL Giveaway Winner + A Question

Just a quick note to announce the winner of the giveaway sponsored by CIL.  Drumroll . . . congratulations Jordana of White Cabana!  I'll be in touch shortly to connect you with CIL. 

Thanks to everyone who entered (apologies to my non-Canadian readers who were left out of the running this time).  A quick question for you: do you like when blogs host giveaways?  I turn down a lot of giveaway opportunities because I don't want giveaways to clutter the blog.  I happily said yes to this one because it was a good fit but, ultimately, giveaway are a clever way for companies to advertise - something I'm trying to keep to a minimum in this little space I've carved out on the internet.  What do you think? 

Audrey + Gem Prints

You might have noticed Dans le Townhouse has a new sponsor: Audrey & Gem.  Longtime readers will know Gemma: we did a my take/her take DIY project together and have even shared our thrifting adventures (I found my seagull when we were thrifting together).  Some of you even won her beautiful prints in a giveaway we did!  Since then, Gemma has added some gorgeous new designs to her Etsy shop:

But don't worry, Gemma still offers her signature vibrant watercolour prints too:

Isn't she talented?  I especially appreciate how affordable her prints are ($16) and that she welcomes the chance to personalize prints for people, to commemorate an event or celebrate a place.  If you or someone you love needs a dose of something pretty and uplifting, take a peek at her Etsy shop here. 

If you're curious, you can also see some of her art in her own home on her blog, The Sweetest Digs.  For Ottawa folks, Gemma has a second business too (she's one busy Mama!), renting vintage finds for weddings and events.  Check out her Pieces of Love shop here.

Speaking of advertisements, you might have noticed I've scaled back on my sidebar ads.  Although I certainly appreciate the perk of being compensated for the time I spend writing, editing photos and dreaming up cute projects, I just didn't feel good about promoting companies I knew little about.  Now I'm trying to reserve sidebar ads for companies I personally know are completely awesome and have switched gears to do more product reviews so I can actually see and use the products from companies that support my writing. 

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Dans le Townhouse Now Accepting Advertisements

I have politely turned down advertisers for months, including an invitation from the BlogHer advertising network, so I want my lovely readers to know why I am accepting ads now and how this will only improve Dans le Townhouse.

I decided to accept ads so that I can continue to provide the DIY projects you love (like my easy Ikea Expedit Hack and Simple DIY Art) and the fun, informative posts you've asked for (like tips for choosing picture frames or making your own frames for paintings).

Blogging is a lot of work.  Creating a post, when I factor in taking and editing photos, writing content, researching products, and wrestling with the technical end can take anywhere from 1 to 6 hours.  That's not including the DIY project, room makeover or small tweak (which I would have done anyway, so it seems unfair to count that)!  I also continually work to make the blog look prettier, load faster and be easier to navigate.  I love doing this work, though, and I pride myself on creating a blog you love, return to and comment on.

Accepting ads not only means I can continue to deliver an increasingly better blog by being able to spend more time on it (instead of something else that pays the bills and keeps the lights on), but it will also help me to finance projects so the time between DIY goodness will be shortened and maybe I can even experiment with ideas that have been placed on the back burner, at risk of never being completed.  Right now, Hubby & I budget pretty strictly but paint and glitter adds up!  Sponsors will help alleviate the budget burden a tiny bit, so get ready for more DIY madness!

All in all, ads on Dans le Townhouse mean a better blog experience for you.  Plus, because I promise to be super picky and only accept sponsorship from companies I would have blogged about before drafting an advertisement policy (shhhh, don't tell them), you'll find out about cool new things as usual without worrying some sketchy company has me in their back pocket.  And I'll be hooking you up with more giveaway, too.

Because I value your readership and the relationships we've formed through comments and emails, I promise to be up front and honest about what posts/projects/products are sponsored and what impact that has had on editorial content.  And I will also respect your feedback, so if a particular product, company or shop is off-putting or you've had a bad experience, let me know!  I would feel a little disheartened about a blog that had sponsorship from The Brick, you know why, so I want Dans le Townhouse to remain a place you feel excited about visiting.  I love that you stop by the townhouse, and I look forward to your visits.

Do you, or someone you know, have a blog, Etsy shop or company that you would like to advertise?  Dans le Townhouse readers & their friends and family  receive 10% off the first 3 months of ads.  Just to say "thanks" to my fantastic readers.

Check out the details and options on the new Advertise Page.

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1960s Magazine Eye Candy

Over the holidays, when we took a break from looking at this view . . .

. . . Mom & I could be found rummaging about in our oh-so-random vacation rental (see this post for even more photos of the home).

Because of our rummage-y efforts, we stumbled across two vintage home magazines from the 1960s and had a blast flipping through them. 

 My-oh-my, there sure were a lot of ads for paneling. 

House & Garden, September 1968

And thick, coloured carpet.  So much carpet.

House & Garden, September 1968

 
Some of the ads were strikingly familiar.  Without the ick carpet (what was with carpets?) couldn't this be a contemporary advertisement?  Although, contemporary ads seem to show more skin . . .

House & Garden, September 1968

 
There was lots of glorious eye candy too, including a couple of spaces with bold, organic stripes and shapes painted on walls.

House & Garden, September 1968

House & Garden, September 1968

Maybe a bit bold for me, but I can't stop thinking about the two rooms pictured above.  I think the stripes/shapes, painted on a canvas, would look fabulous with all-white walls.  You can see why these 1960s rooms appealed to me.  Mmmmm.  All white walls. 

But the colours used were much bolder than I normally pick.  Take a look at these saturated colour suggestions:

House & Garden, September 1968

I also loved the use of the word "blah," one of my favorite words, in a 1968 ad.  I love it more now that it's a vintage-cool word.

House & Garden, September 1969

P.S.  Because my blogging was a bit sporadic during the holidays and when I went to visit my grandfather I posted a bonus post on Saturday, sharing the anonymous comments I received from the "What I Like About Your Blog" blog hop.

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