Hello, I’m Cherie and I’m so glad you stopped by to visit me at LightLady Studio. In 2002, my husband and I, along with our 5 kids, moved into an 1860 farmhouse on 6 rolling acres just outside Nashville. At that time “fixer uppers” weren’t exactly trendy. In fact, we noticed multiple farmhouses being torn down around town which hurt our hearts. Some of our friends questioned our sanity but we loved it, it was our diamond in the rough.
As a family, we were drawn to a laid-back, country lifestyle. We wanted a place where our kids could rollerblade and slide down the banister without us freaking out over marks on the floors or scratches in the paint.
LET THE RENOVATION BEGIN
My husband and I wanted to build a cozy and relaxed home to raise our 5 young ones, but we had some work to do. We loved the modern farmhouse decor but weren’t exactly ready to decorate our dream house. We were more concerned with raising our kids and getting rid of the blue shag carpet, blue walls, and brown paneling we had inherited. So between ball games, family activities, and jobs, we renovated. We knocked out walls, replaced windows, gutted the kitchen and bathrooms, and ripped down wallpaper, so…much… wallpaper. It took time, but eventually, we “finished”. At least we thought so.
A BUSINESS WAS BORN
Years of restoring our old house led me to flea markets and antique stores which turned into something cool. I developed a passion for lighting, mostly antique lighting. I scoured markets and basements, so many, that people began to refer to me as the Light Lady. I eventually taught myself how to restore and repurpose the lighting I collected. I fell in love with the art of restoration; it was so satisfying to breathe life into something destined for the trash.
My restorations started collecting around me. I had more fixtures than I could hang in my house, so I decided to sell them on Ebay (I’m aging myself here). To my delight, the antique fixtures steadily sold online and LightLady Studio was born.
For years I was a solopreneur – sourcing, restoring, building and selling vintage and antique lighting. Not to toot my own horn but I’m proud to say, my fixtures landed all over the world – in churches, bars, concert halls, barns, wedding venues, restaurants, retail stores and homes . LightLady fixtures were featured in several magazines like – Better Homes and Gardens Kitchen & Bath Make Overs, Canadian House and Home, Park Place Magazine and Parent Life Magazine. It was an amazing adventure!
But time marches on and restoring and shipping fixtures became more than I was physically able to handle. I eventually pivoted and focused my efforts on designing, sourcing and selling fixtures online, some of which I still do today.
EMPTY NESTER WITH A NEW FOCUS – MODERN FARMHOUSE DECOR
Our children are now grown and the nest has emptied and I’ve got an itch to modernize the decor of this little farmhouse we once restored. I’m starting this blog to record my new adventures in modern farmhouse decor where I’ll dabble in design (actually redesign), antique lighting, and DIY. I’m sure there will be victories and tragedies in decorating along the way and I hope you’ll be there to share them with me. There’s plenty to get done, so let’s goooo!! Bring on the white carpets and glass candlestick holders!
A FEW OTHER THINGS ABOUT ME
MY NAME IS CHERIE.
If I had to guess, I bet you’re thinking my name is pronounced Sherry or Cherry but actually it’s Cherie (Shuree) -rhymes with Marie. I always wanted to find my name on a necklace or a trinket at one of those gift shops but no such luck.
I LIVE IN HENDERSONVILLE, TENNESSEE, JUST OUTSIDE OF NASHVILLE.
Hendersonville is home to Taylor Swift, Thomas Rhett, Ricky Skaggs, and countless other music artists. Dubbed, the City by the Lake, it’s the best kept secret in the Nashville area – well now I guess the secret’s out.
I HAVE A LARGE, CRAZY, AMAZING FAMILY.
I married my Prince Charming, who happens to be my college sweetheart 30 years ago and we have three sons and two daughters. Faith and my family are the foundation of my life. Without them, I have nothing. That’s a heavy statement but it rings true.
In 2016-2017, both of my daughters got married – 2 weddings 9 months apart- whew! It was a whirlwind but I gained 2 amazing sons-in-law. Now we have our newest additions, 3 beautiful granddaughters in total. Everything they say about being a grandparent is true. Each time I look into their little faces, I feel like I’ve gotten a peak into heaven.
I LIKE FINGERNAIL POLISH, HIGH HEELS AND GIRLY THINGS BUT I’D RATHER BE FISHING
My passion is fishing. My grandparents were avid fishermen and I must get my love of fishing from them. I remember toward the end of my grandmother’s life, my grandfather would take her fishing, even in her wheelchair. Now that’s true love!
I fish as much as possible and I’ll admit on a rare Saturday morning when we’re not busy (or fishing), I can be found watching Major League Fishing on tv. I suppose this is why I had a crush on Bill Dance when I was a little girl and secretly still do.
ENTREPRENEUR AT HEART
When I grew up, I always dreamed of owning my own business. I didn’t play with dolls, I liked paper supplies, pens and pencils. I received my degree in Finance from The University of Tennessee. It wasn’t until my late 20’s that I found my creative side – it was always there, I just never recognized it. Merging the creative side with the business side has been an adventurous journey. It’s led me to creating and selling on Etsy, Ebay, Amazon, Wayfair, my own website and now on the blog. It’s been quite a ride.
POPCORN, MT DEW, SHARK TANK AND PROJECT RUNWAY
These are a few of my favorite things – cue music 🙂
So now you know a little bit about me. I can’t wait to hear about you. I’m excited to see where the road takes us!