Unknown Heroes!
Some heroes go unnoticed or in my case unknown. One of my greatest heroes is a Black Mountain business owner by the name of Stephanie Felder Wildman. I have never met Stephanie and she has never met me but she is my hero.
Whimsical Staged Photo Shoot with Sabrina Greene Rusk Photography
About three years ago I was having lunch with my dear friend Anna in Black Mountain and we stumbled into the most amazing little gift shop. It was full of pretty things, cool things and even really weird things that I love. Nothing was ordinary; it was all extraordinary. The owner wasn't there but the clerk suggested that I sign up for the newsletter so I did.
Summer Wedding Bouquet - McKenzie Botanicals
A few weeks later I started receiving these amazing blogs that combined her shop wears with a story line about unknown persons, Stephanie is apparently a writer as well.
Staged Photo shoot with Angela Kim Couture & Simple- I Do's
The raw honestly with which she writes is simple and relate-able, refreshing even. Like her gift shop, there is a sense that all are not only welcomed but even special, unique and necessary. The pretty, the cool and the weird, the dark & the damaged all live together in harmony.
I was inspired by a woman I had never even met. I walked into a gift shop in Black Mountain, NC. and saw someone doing what I had always dreamed of doing...In my case supporting local artist and incorporating their talent with what I do in floral and event design. At that time I didn't know how and I didn't know when. I don't even know why but I believe I was meant to walk in there that day. I think that seeing Stephanie's shop that day, and the corky signs, and art that made my soul laugh, inspired me on some level to do what I am doing today.
Tuscan themed photo shoot with Stephanie Hensley Photography, McKenzie Botanicals, & Chateau Debris
There are plenty of people out there who will tell you how to live and how to be according to some lofty set of standards that they themselves have no idea how to maintain. That's just not Stephanie, she talks about the broken things, the normal things, the sometimes unacceptable things that shape who we are in this life. When I read her blogs - they remind me of who I am as a person, not as a business owner, mother or wife. They remind me of who I am in this great big world. I am just one of many people struggling with my marriage, my age, my child, my finances, my time limitations , my health, my chronic belief that nothing I ever do is good enough or happens fast enough.
Chifferobe is the name of the shop! I am not afraid to promote it. I am honored for the opportunity to share with others the joy that Stephanie Felder Wildman has shared with me.
Dare to dream & then dare to do, & if you are ever in Black Mountain, NC. visit Chifferobe and put your name on the mailing list. https://chifferobehomeandgarden.com/getting-older-if-not-better/
Tuscan Collection Angela Kim Couture dress design, Florals by McKenzie Botanicals.
