Please Allow Me to Introduce Myself [About Me: The Chick behind SoChick!]

  I wrote this nice long post about myself.  In it, I was going to tell you how I grew up with my Dad, who is US Army Retired, in Sleepy Hollow, NY.  I was going to tell you that my grandmother aka Nan was a huge influence on me, having raised four sons, she did an amazing job of helping raise her only granddaughter of 11 years... me. I was going to mention how my Mom is from the mid-west but I grew up visiting her in Virginia Beach, VA, which is partly where my love for the ocean comes from. She, too, is retired from the Army.

   Then, I was going to tell you that I went away to college in North Carolina (ECU), met my husband and moved to Texas (after he got out of the USMC); Texas is where we had our first daughter; moved to Georgia (where hubs grew up, and his parents still live) and became a huge college football fan GO DAWGS!; started vacationing at Fripp Island, SC every summer (sometimes multiple times a year); then moved back to Morehead City, NC (where my Dad has a summer cottage, in which he and my stepmother live full-time now that he's retired again.) and finally ended up back in Havelock, NC (about 15 miles inland from the beach), where we welcomed our second daughter and sort-of started out in the first place...

Source: dailybitsofbeauty.com via Dara on Pinterest

After writing that post I thought, that's a whole lot of background and makes for a novel super long post... so I did what anyone would do, I deleted it. [pause ... cricket, cricket]. THEN, I thought, but all of that really makes up who I am, my style, way of being... me! Doh!

I will write another post that goes a little more in depth of how I really got started with SoChick and where my love of sewing came from, but for now I want to give you a better idea of the gal behind the biz.

  Hi, I'm Melissa *wave*:

Taken in Savannah, Ga this past spring.
Note: That's a SoChick! Handbag hiding in the pic.

I'll be 28 in September and have been married to my husband, Joe, for almost 9 years.  We've got two beautiful girls, my chick-a-dee's, Trista (8) and Natalie (2); two dogs Marilyn (a 5year old Boston Terrier) and Conrad (a 2year old Standard Poodle); and a big fat Carolina Panther black cat, Jack Bauer.

Marilyn Louise

Conrad the cool Spoo

Growing up in a small town 30miles north of New York City, Sleepy Hollow, to be exact (have you heard of Washington Irving? How about The Headless Horseman?), I've got a soft spot for ghost stories, legends and lore... which may be part of the reason I'm so enamored with the South.  The Carolina Coast with its stories of swashbuckling Pirates, the lowcountry of South Carolina steeped in history and legend, and iconic cities/towns such as Savannah, GA and Charleston, SC all do something to me.  Beyond that, though, I love the easy-going way of life, the traditions, the architecture, style and grace of most things southern.

 My Nan's house was across the street from The Old Dutch Church in Sleepy Hollow... I could see it from her bedroom window:

Source: holy-ny.com via Melissa on Pinterest

I love my family, my dogs, spring, summer and fall (Winter not so much, I saw enough snow growing up thank-you-very-much), college football, living near the coast, the beach, sunsets, gardening, and daydreaming of my forever home.  

Source: southernliving.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Southern Living, Better Homes & Gardens, and Coastal Living are among my magazine subscriptions..  and are often the reason for my above mentioned daydreaming.  

Source: dotfrank.com via Melissa on Pinterest

I heart Dorthea Benton Frank novels, Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum Series, and James Patterson's Women's Murder Club Series as well as his other works.  I'm a hard worker, loyal, caring; a jeans and flip flops gal, yet feminine and classy- not to be confused with being high-maintenance...though I'm sure I easily could be if I were to, say, win the lotto *wink*... I think kindness and a touch of class can bring you far in life.  And when I say "class" I don't mean the amount of money you have, or what social circle you run with, I'm talking about your overall way of handling yourself, your morals, values and general way of being.. there's an old saying "Money can't buy class"... I believe this to be true.

Source: anthonyyyy.com via Melissa on Pinterest

  I'm a down-to-earth gal and fairly easy to get along with.  I know how to kick my feet up and have a good time, enjoy dates with my husband (though too few lately) and Mommy-Daughter pedicures/shopping trips (which I'd like to see more of as my chicks get older).  And, though I don't have much of it, I really appreciate vintage-mod decor and am amazed by what people can do with it. I love nostalgia, oh, that warm-fuzzy-feeling of remembering; I heart tulips, daisies, and sunflowers for that very reason.  

Source: tokketok.com via Melissa on Pinterest

I often develop an emotional connection with items; if looking at a handbag, fabric swatch, painting, photo, or trinket brings me to that happy, nostalgic place, I'm way more likely to buy it and hold onto it.  But, I guess that in my line of work, I am more apt to try to convey that feeling into my products, too... I love to create, I enjoy sewing, reading, crochet, baking (at times) and such.  My taste in music is crazy, I appreciate stuff from the 50's and 60's, I adore Elvis, Otis Redding and the Righteous Brothers.  I like Rock music as much as good ol' Rock n' Roll; I'll dance to Pop, sing to Country and just about whatever in between.

I hope this gives you a peek of who I am without boring you to pieces with how long it is. *wink*  I'm glad you've stopped by, be sure to follow me @TheSoChickChick, bookmark this site, and visit my shop! *HUG* 

XxOo~ Melissa