Vintage Housekeeping. Again.

Vintage Housekeeping

If you are eagle-eyed, I do believe that you may have spotted that the BrocanteHome logo has gone back to “Vintage Housekeeping” instead of the “Vintage Well-Being” tagline I had here in the first six months of this year. You see, I, Alison Joanne May, am a woman in the habit of constantly re-inventing my own perfectly good wheel. And I am also a woman perfectly willing to admit when the shoes don’t fit my proverbial feet.
Heck yes, People: I get things wrong. In fact sometimes I get things so spectacularly, shockingly wrong, it is all I can do not do inflict a little corporal punishment upon myself. While changing the tagline on your website might not be up there with selling your babies’ kidneys, in the whole scheme of my world, it is pretty high up on the list because it meant I lost both purpose and focus and a person needs focus and purpose if a person is to keep on turning up at her desk everyday with some understanding of what she is supposed to be doing!
When I first made the change it seemed like the most excellent of all excellent ideas. I described Vintage Well-Being thus…

What is Vintage Wellbeing? – It is not diets and botox, it is eating three wholesome meals a day and seeking out the best foodstuffs you can afford. It is not chemical peels, Paleo or aerobics, it is gentle stretches while you wait for kettle to boil and face-masks conjured up from store-cupboard basics.
It is a walk in the woods with a pram or a dog. Holding hands on the beach. Creating a bedroom that feels like a sanctuary. Spending entire evenings in the bathroom. It is routine and ritual. Journalling instead of gossiping. Asking for help when you need it (and accepting it even when you don’t).
It is organic housekeeping, candlelight and self-help books. It is sea-salt baths and early bedtimes. It is holidays at home. Blogging, seasonal scrubs and board games at the kitchen table. It is fresh bed-linen, fresh flowers and fresh ideas.
It is about visualising a healthy future, creating a home that reflects the very essence of who you are, and living a sustainable lifestyle that ensures the future of both our bodies and our creative minds.
It is all this and it is so much more.
This then is the Brocante way of life…

And it is Housekeepers. It really is. But BrocanteHome was always about creating a home that feeds our spirit. About having a home that acts as a springboard for self-improvement and creativity. About creating a sanctuary inspired by the routines and rituals of yesteryear. And while “well-being” encompasses all that and more, I suspect it rather fails to capture the essence of what Brocantehome has always been about in the eleven years it has been on-line.
And so my lovelies, Vintage Housekeeping it is. Welcome home…x

9 Comments

Margaret says:
June 23, 2015 at 1:11 pm
Dear Alison, whatever you call the site is fine by me,the content has always been wonderful and inspiring
Valerie says:
June 23, 2015 at 2:04 pm
I think Vintage Housekeeping is a lovely tagline that suits the heart and soul of BrocanteHome, but I still love it when you venture into other realms too! Glad you are back and feeling a bit better Alison. And… I have to say, I would love to see a memoir from you someday. You’ve gone through so much over the years I’ve been reading your blog – and much of what you’ve gone through has been only hinted at, I have the feeling there’s a rich story in you, if you ever want to bring it out. I’d love to see a novel too! Maybe the Bridget Jones of Vintage Housekeepers? Hahaha. If you ever want a beta reader, please call me!
Isabell says:
June 23, 2015 at 2:05 pm
I saw your post about changing it to vintage well-being originally; both are lovely terms, vintage housekeeping and well-being, but if it doesn’t fit with you, in glad you changed it back! Sometimes other people, while convincing, do not always have the right answers/suggestions for us 🙂
Lynn Dirk says:
June 23, 2015 at 2:13 pm
Uhh, yeah, what Valerie said!
Kathy says:
June 23, 2015 at 2:15 pm
Hi Alison, I’m happy whatever you decide to call your lovely site. I’m just so very pleased you have returned to us with your lovely, inspirational words. I do admire the way that you are not afraid to question yourself – as you have with changing the name back to “Vintage Housekeeping” – you are truly authentic! xxx
Mimi xx says:
June 23, 2015 at 9:02 pm
I prefer Vintage Housekeeping, as I think it is most true to the essence of Brocante Home. Having said that, I love that it is continuing to evolve, and the well being aspect could be thought of as housekeeping for the body.
Just an aside, is there going to be some info on the forum soon?
Karla Neese says:
June 24, 2015 at 5:05 pm
I agree with Margaret – whatever you call it is fine with me because I’m here for the long haul and have been since the beginning. Lovely is named so many different ways.
lynne says:
June 25, 2015 at 10:32 pm
I could not be happier that you are going back to Vintage Housekeeping, which is what got me on board in the first place. I have loved everything you’ve published in the meantime, but I have missed the housekeeping. I hope you are finding peace with your life decisions and that there is brightness ahead. I admire you so much for your tenacity. Thanks for sticking with us!
Angel Jem says:
June 26, 2015 at 7:15 am
Doesn’t a vintage home kept according to the principles of vintage housekeeping rather feed into our well being? The satisfaction of a job well done, a peaceful and organised nest and puttery treats as rewards to self (even if only for having got a hot meal on the table after a frazzled week as a working Mum) impact on our well-being and those who share the domicile.
I like the new header, by the way, and I’m glad you are back on track. Big smiles from Liverpool here!!

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Vintage Housekeeping. Again.