Chaletmomma

I’m thrilled to share this month’s feature my friend Kim Jenkins with you.

Kim welcome to the Chalet please introduce yourself - Hi Meryl - Happy to be here - Hi everyone I’m Kim. I have been married to my husband Tom for 34 years. We have four children, Blake 34, Lindsay 32, Carter 28 and Olivia 24. We have six grandchildren, Easton 10, Reagan 8, Wyatt 8, Kinsley 5, Willa 4, and Camden 3.

Kim can you tell us a bit about your growing up years? I was born in Edina Minnesota and moved to Wisconsin when I was 12. My parents divorced when I was 7 and I have a brother Chris he’s 2 years younger than me. My favorite childhood memories are of spending summers with my Grandparents Bob and Jean Vaughan on their farm in Prior Lake, Minnesota. It was a magical time.

Your followers on Instagram, customers at Lulu and Olive Vintage located in Roost Mercantile in Pewaukee, WI or your on-line Lulu and Olive Vintage shop know you’re passionate about Mid-Century furnishings. Can you share what draws you to vintage items and specifically Mid-Century? I was married young and my love a vintage started out of necessity really, raising four kids on a tight budget and wanting my home to be pretty and welcoming. I would find pieces that I could paint or up-cycle. I was more of a shabby chic girl at that time. So my love for mid-century has been a process that started probably 10 years ago. I just love the bold colors of mid century design, the clean lines, the pottery and the glass items! You just cannot find that same quality and beauty these days. And if you can find these pieces at thrift stores or estate sales you can have fabulous design on a shoestring budget too!

Did you thrift growing up? I did not grow up thrifting or rummaging. My love for that didn’t really start until I was married and had kids. And even then it was not at the same scale as the thrifing I do now.

Kim you’re on the hunt not only for yourself now but, to fill a need for your customers as well. I love when you share a thrift haul in your Instagram stories. Yes, Meryl you’re right - I am constantly looking at what my customers are buying from the shops and seeing how to find more of the same. Nothing better than knowing a specific item will go to a great home!

Kim happily in her shop space at Roost Mercantile

I ask every interview regardless if they are an Interior Designer or not - Did you decorate your bedroom while growing up? Oh yes I did!! I can remember going to target and buying accessories for my bedroom and rearranging my room, picking out paint colors!

Kim’s Livingroom including the Stencil she hand-painted

Where and What you went to school for. What was your day gig before you became a vintage shop owner? I went to a technical school for nursing right out of high school. I got close to finishing the program but, I ended up quitting. I had gotten engaged and couldn’t think of anything but getting married at the time. Before we had kids I worked at a daycare and then once I started having babies I pretty much stayed home with them. After a few years I did start working as a nursing assistant second shift at a local hospital. I’ve always loved helping people! After working in the hospital I also worked in my kids school for a bit during lunches and as an aid to a special needs student. I never had a full-time job and I’m so thankful I was able to be a stay at home mom. And up until very recently I was watching my grandkids too.

When did you decide to start Lulu and Olive Vintage? I’ve always loved the creative process whether it was creating art, painting furniture etc. My business started 15 years ago. My girlfriend Penny and I started selling vintage finds periodically in a space on her property called the Cottage. After a few years of doing that we found a brick and mortar store and we went in business together as Twirly Birds. We were in business together for 8 years then life started getting crazy with kids getting married and grandkids coming along. We decided to dissolve our partnership but, remain dear friends to this day!

That’s when Lulu and Olive Vintage was born. Lulu and Olive is named after my two daughters Lindsay and Olivia. We would call Lindsay - Lindsay Lou and shortened Olivia to Olive. As you mentioned I currently sell at Roost Mercantile in Pewaukee WI. I have a ton of fun keeping the shop stocked with curated vintage goods! I also sell on-line through Chairish.

How long you’ve been in your home and do you have a list of projects you’ve tackled? We have lived in our house 30 years this summer, and basically have touched every surface, from flooring to knocking down walls, painting, windows, bath remodels, roofing, siding, landscaping etc.

Wow Kim I hear you…. I love knowing you and Tom have stayed and made the house your own over all these years. What would you say out of all the projects you’ve done is your favorite? I think my favorite project is my bathroom. My brother Chris Vaughan is a general contractor - how lucky am I?- and he has helped us so much. We’re currently in the middle of redoing our kitchen - so that may very well be my next new favorite when we’re all done!

A little peek at some shelves in Kim’s kitchen!

Can you talk a bit about your decorating process. What is your design philosophy. My process usually starts with some sort of inspiration, whether it’s a piece of art or fabric. I usually pull colors from those pieces and work my way from there. I also love to collect pieces that I want for a particular room whether it’s pillows, art, accessories etc., and when I feel like I have a good collection, I start the decorating process. So for example I’m redoing my daughters bedroom it’s becoming a guest room. I have already collected art, a rug, a mid century side table, campaign chest and a vintage gold chippy mirror. So now I feel I have everything I need to execute my design plan. I’d say my philosophy is that I always work to strike a nice balance between vintage and modern.

A few moments and spaces in Kim’s home including - the campaign chest she painted pink, some of her mid-century collectibles and a bedroom gallery wall.

The swan wallpaper and geometric design runner say High Style

How has Social Media specifically IG impacted your brand? I really have enjoyed this platform! I’m growing slowly and that’s ok with me. I have met some lovely people, a few in real life and more that I would love to meet in person! I draw a lot of inspiration from so many friends on here! As far as my business is concerned, it has definitely helped with sales, and even just getting eyes on my new shop space.

Kim I can’t say Thank You enough for saying yes when I asked if I could interview you my dear! Before we close let me ask you… What’s your To Do list for the rest of 2023. At home I’m hoping to wrap up my kitchen reno. I’m on the hunt for the perfect tile backsplash and flooring. And the guest room redo. For the shop I’m thinking about beefing up my on-line presence but, my first love is really brick and mortar - I recently moved my locations and now have 2 locations in Roost and they are doing really great. Actually there was a news story last week about the Lynndale Farm Shops and it took place in my space.

Friends here’s the link for the news story Kim just mentioned. You can find Kim on Instagram and Lulu and Olive Vintage on Charish. Give her a follow on both!

Til next time be well and I’ll see you over on the Gram!

Images: Kim Jenkins

I’m so pleased to introduce this month’s feature an incredible creative, entrepreneur and friend Sandy Devaney.

Sandy I’m so happy you could take the time to pop by the Chalet and chat with me. Hi Meryl! Thank you so much for reaching out to share a bit about The Collected Garden. My name is Sandy Devaney and I live in Cranford with my husband Bob, and our two sons. Cranford has such a strong sense of community with beautiful homes and a great downtown ranked #1 by NJ.com.

Oh Cranford is absolutely delightful. I so enjoyed the Cranford Historical Society Garden Tour last June.

Here are some images from Sandy’s garden on the day of the tour June 11, 2022.

Will you share a bit about your youth. Both my husband and I grew up nearby so we were very familiar with Cranford. As a child I loved spending all my time outside – the 1970’s in the Burbs! My mother Michelen had a garden that bordered our yard, and she filled it with vegetables and flowers. My mother learned much of what she knew about gardening from our older neighbor Mrs. Traut, who had a tidy bed of perennials in her yard. Mrs. Traut shared her plants with my mother (as a gardener always does), and ultimately some of them now live in my garden. My mother shared her plants with me when I moved in, amazing to think some are probably 80 years old? I think that part of my childhood and visiting my Gram Kate helping in her tiny rose patch probably created an interest I wouldn’t find till much later in life.

**Tulips and Rananculus bouquet for** **Larger Cross**

“I truly believe nature is the very best mood booster”

— Sandy Devaney

Sandy while I know you’re a gardener I’ve seen snippets of your home on Instagram and you have an eye my dear. You are so sweet to notice the very tiny “non-flowery” bits on my IG. I always say there are so many incredible and talented accounts in the Design/Decor lane–I will stick to the flowers! My mother loved antiques, decorating (which involved lots of wallpaper!), and really any and all things to “make a home”. I used to say she was ”Martha” before Martha...As a child I spent so many weekends at dusty flea markets staring table high at “old stuff" and watching my mom negotiate a deal. I remember telling her when I was teenager, “I will never have any antiques or wallpaper when I have a house someday” Famous. Last. Words. Which of course, cracks me up! I love all of it–and every time I visit my Mom I am always trying to get her to part with something.

Tell us where and what you went to school for and your career path. I graduated college with a degree in Elementary Education/Fine Arts. I realized I wanted to change my major as I enjoyed all of the classes in my Fine Arts minor far more than the Education classes. In my Junior year I was accepted to F.I.T. for Jewelry Design but ultimately did not pursue it. The reason I share this is because looking back, it’s so interesting to see the threads that ultimately reveal themselves far later on. After graduating I was an elementary teacher for a year then worked for Tommy Hilfiger for several more. After I had my son Jack, I made the choice to be at home and raise my boys.

Please share the garden journey of your home and business The Collected Garden. As a new mom with two very young children, I was looking for something that was just mine. I wanted something I could do after they went to bed, and give me a creative outlet. When we purchased our house it had no plantings of any kind. There were no foundation plantings, no flowers, no trees–just an overwhelming blank slate. I borrowed the neighbors roto-tiller and carved a bed on the edge of the front lawn. I wanted a pollinator garden so the boys Jack and Will could play in the flowers/dirt, and watch the birds and butterflies. Lots of plants and flowers died and just as many thrived. 23 years later, and that first garden bed is now filled with roses, perennials, annuals, and pollinator friendly plantings.

I named my business The Collected Garden for two reasons. The first because of what I have created here, several different gardens on a small suburban lot. I have a perennial garden, white garden, side hydrangea/shade garden, patio garden, and the cutting garden with Minnie the little greenhouse. The other reason it is called The Collected Garden is that much like a collected, layered interior over time, I believe that gardens have those same characteristics as well. A garden of any size is grown and layered through collected flowers & shared plants, garden statuary, lighting, a cozy dining area, and so much more. My favorite spot is our patio because it functions as an outdoor dining and living room in the warmer months. Morning coffee on the weekends and dinner outside a few nights a week. My husband Bob has a fire going most nights he is out there. We have just added an Ooni pizza oven so I’m really looking forward to pizza nights with friends this summer.

So what are you currently working on? I am excited for this upcoming season. Flower arranging workshops, small event work, and growing on additional space are all happening this year. I’m currently creating Friday Flower Bouquets for Dreyer Farms and Larger Cross. This is actually a lean time of year - flower wise - until the abundance of summer kicks in.

**Dahlia, Nasturtiums, and more from last weekend sale at:** **Dreyer Farms** **and** **Larger Cross**

I am also working on the website for The Collected Garden and hope to have it up by the fall. So I have a spot “for everything” that is not on IG, maybe a blog, and definitely a place for “mini pop-up” sales.

Tutorial

Mapping the Garden

Sandy I’m super excited for your website and I’ve already signed up for your Postcard list. Yes, my newsletter is just a postcard. You know me, I keep it light and brief. Just a fun little note to pop in your email with a heads up on things, or just share some thing I think everyone might enjoy.

Readers can sign up by emailing you: thecollectedgarden@gmail.com

I’m curious do you have a gardening philosophy? I do not have a specific gardening philosophy, but maybe more of a belief? I always say “I truly believe nature is the very best mood booster”... By that I simply mean bring a tiny bit of the outside in–and see how it changes your mood and makes you feel. Maybe everyone doesn’t want to garden, or feels intimidated “they’ll fail”--you can’t and you won’t, because that’s not what gardening is about. Take a clipping of a few herbs, or snip a stem of that hydrangea by your driveway, bring it in and enjoy it! When you make that connection and see how you feel, there’s a really good chance you just might plant something–and just like that, now you’re a Gardener!

Thank you so much for having me Meryl! It was so nice meeting you last year, and then finding your lovely account on IG. You are the sweetest and generously show your support to so many in the IG community.

Sandy you’re making me blush!!! I love your passion and the beauty you share in the world. Friends go find Sandy on Instagram and give her a follow. Her blooms are currently for sale at Dreyer Farms 831 Springfield Ave, Cranford NJ and Larger Cross 3 James Street Oldwick, NJ. Check websites for hours.

You might enjoy revisiting the post A Garden Tour - that’s how I met Sandy.