Have we outgrown our blog?

Tattered Rose has had a blog for over 10 years now.......but it seems like we hardly ever post anymore.

Some time ago, we started our monthly-ish newsletter for customers who signed up for it in the store. This is where they can get the inside scoop on what's happening and new at Tattered Rose.

Then came our Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/tatteredrose/

And then Instagram, because everyone told us we really SHOULD be there:

https://www.instagram.com/tatteredrosecanada/?hl=en

And now, we are om Twitter:

https://twitter.com/TatteredRoseAB

So, as you can see.....we are spread quite thin in the "time" department and so our little blog sometimes suffers from a bit of neglect. 

But if you are ever curious as to what new things we have in the shop or what we are up to, you can always check one or more of those other places, besides this blog.

Better yet....come into the store in person. It is bursting with lovely things....literally. Some really cool & different clothing we never had before. New displays and things to inspire you.

Bye for now, my lovelies....and no, we haven't outgrown our blog. We'll try to be here as often as possible.
♥

Friendships

Friendships are complicated because people are complicated. We all have different friendship styles and different ideas about friendships...some of us like to keep in touch on a regular basis while others could go years not making contact with a particular friend. We have different friends who fill different "needs" in our life.....some friends are for shopping & coffee but not much more. Others are for having a good laugh and fun. And then you have that one friend that you can confide in about anything and know they won't judge you.

But what happens when you lose touch with one or more of your friends and it bothers you? What if YOU seem to be the only one who initiates contact? Should you take it personally or be sad about it? Well, that's complicated too but ultimately, it depends on how much you want to continue to be the only one making the effort to keep the friendship going.

Having moved MANY times in my life, I have made many friends, from all walks of life. Through having my shop, I have met more people than I can remember and some of those customers have become friends. 

But even with all of these friendships, there have been times in my life that I felt alone....maybe it felt like that because a friend didn't seem to call me as often (or at all) as I called. Or maybe I felt like it wouldn't be fair to anyone to dump my problems on them and so I remained quietly to myself, dealing with my own hardships or sadness.

If you are lucky enough to still live where you went to school and have friends who still live where you live, I am a little bit envious but realize that I wasn't mean to remain in one place forever. I have experienced a certain amount of travelling and living in different places, being in different marriages and relationships and I kinda like that about me. It has been interesting so far, I must say.

But that can make it difficult to stay in touch with a friend you made in high school or collage or even a workplace. Like you, they are busy with their own lives and hardships. They have made new friends where they are so the need to reach out to you may be diminished or even completely gone.

Being sensitive doesn't make it easy to deal with "lost" friendships, especially when you are going through something where you really could use a pal to help you get through the hard times what ever they may be.

If you are a loner, and are comfortable with your own company, you may not feel the need to have a lot of friends but it is always nice to have at least one true and fulfilling friendship, aside from your spouse. Your spouse won't always understand your dilemma, being from a different species and all. 

I sometimes feel like I am the one who reaches out to friends more. But that is the way I am. I think a lot and act on my thoughts. For example....if I am thinking about a particular friend and some fun times we had, I will often be prompted to email or pick up the phone to make contact with that person, only to realize that they are not in the same place or thinking the same thing at that moment. And I must accept that because to be hurt by another person's behaviour is a no-win situation. You cannot control what another person does, only how you act.

Some friends you don't see for a long time but when you do reconnect, you can just pick up where you left off, as if no time has passed. Perhaps these friends are not meant to be in your daily life or even that often but remain in your heart forever.

So, if you ever feel like you have no friends.....you do. It's just that they are temporally disconnected, to quote Bill Murray in "What About Bob". Try not to feel bad about it.....and just get busy doing the things you love to do or need to do. Hug your spouse or play with your cats. Create something, bake something or watch a movie you love. Go for a walk. Practice your photography. Tend to your garden. Read a book. Go shopping. Clean your oven.....anything that gets your mind off the feeling of loss. Before you know it, you will be so fulfilled and busy, you won't have time to feel sad about that elusive friend. And maybe you will make a new friend.....you just never know what is around the corner. Isn't that exciting?

Tattered Rose on Film

A long time ago, when the shop was located in Winnipeg, MB we were frequently sought out and/or discovered by wardrobe people who were working on films & TV shows that were being filmed locally.
That was a very interesting time.....and I will never forget 2 things:

1. The time a wardrobe person chose several of my own designs for a movie starring Ann-Margret and Penelope Ann Miller.

2. The day Robin Williams walked into the store and I got to joke around with him like he was just a regular guy. 

That kind of thing doesn't seem to happen so much here in Edmonton.....I am hoping it will again one of these days! 

Tattered Rose is waiting for you, all you wardrobe people and movie stars!
♥

Follow Your True Heart

(Photograph by Breanne Marie; Makeup by Chelsea; Hair by Dani; clothing by Carol Simon)

Have you ever wondered how or why Tattered Rose got it's name? I've been asked many times so here is a short version of my story.

I grew up on a small farm in northern Ontario with 3 brothers and two parents (my much older sister was off doing her own thing already)

Being a middle child, I didn't get that much attention except for the attention I could grab by being a silly, funny girl.  My Dad used to call me his "funny one" and that made me feel loved. To me, he was a pillar of strength and honesty.

I observed the way he lived his life. Worked very hard, never complaining about how much he had to work to keep his family going. He came from a long line of farmers and so he always had a garden planted where we could eat raw veggies from the ground topped of with a serving of fresh raspberries for dessert if we were hungry.

My Mom was a fixture in the home...she cooked and cleaned and worked very hard too but my Dad was less accessible and therefore more of a mystery to me. The clothes he wore were functional and never new, it seemed. He would wear shirts with patched and mended holes because he didn't believe in buying new things just because the old ones were a bit worn.

I would often "borrow" my Dad's work shirts and work boots to wear, even though they were way too big for me. I loved the feel of them but it wouldn't be until much later that I would realize it was the humble nature of these mended clothes with years of patina that would be forever in my heart and soul.

Throughout the years, I have worn new clothing and in the past 21 years, most of the clothing I purchased for the shop has been new. But I have always known that tattered, ripped, frayed, lovingly worn clothing is where my true heart lies.

And so it is with great enthusiasm and pleasure that I let you in on my plans for the future of Tattered Rose. Even though it has been stated before, it has become more clear than ever that Tattered Rose must once again live up to it's name.

So we will have LESS mass produced & new and WAY more vintage, one-of-a-kind, pre-loved, faded grandeur in our humble little shop. But don't worry....it will be unlike anything you may have ever thought you always wanted but didn't know until you saw it....in Tattered Rose.

We are SO very pleased with this detour from the norm that will lead us right back to our humble beginnings. Consider it a restoration of design....and there will be something for just about everyone (including new)

We hope you will come along as we explore this facet of our design aesthetic which has recently been a little bit under-explored.

With love,

Tattered Rose
♥

A Shop With a View

So thankful for the view from the shop....even when it's raining or snowing, it is a beautiful view to behold!

Brave Belts @Tattered Rose

Brave new belts.....where no woman has gone before. 

Made in Canada by skilled artisans....the best leather & buckles!

Our newest shipment arrived today and we could hardly wait to put them out and then display them.  So gorg!!!

To Pop-up or Not........

Exclusive Couture from Tattered Rose

This is one of the outfits we had at the St. Albert based Sarasota Show Homes Pop-up event this past weekend......we were in the master bedroom.

It was something I've wanted to try for some time, or should I say try again. You see, many years ago, with my "western" shop there were many occasions that I travelled with my husband at the time, to set up at various locations and pow wows to sell our wares and expand the customer base. It worked quite well but I hated it. I hated the packing up, the set-up and take-down every day, the standing there for long days of talking to so many people my head was spinning.....And then there was the packing up again and unpacking back at the store once we returned. It was exhausting and a LOT of hard work. I am by nature a quiet, shy person so this was WAY beyond overload for my sensitive soul.

BUT, it did work for the business. It allowed us to sell and make money and garner new customers who didn't know about the bricks & mortar shop in Winnipeg, called Way Out West. Many of them became repeat customers.

When that marriage/partnership was over, so was my pop-up existence for it was never me who wanted to do them.

Time has passed and when a recent opportunity came about to be part of this collective of local vendors at Sarasota Homes in St. Albert, well I thought "Why not give it a shot?" So I did. Thankfully, my wonderful husband (a different one from the time I owned my western shop) helped me load and unload the clothing and props I had chosen to represent Tattered Rose, the bricks & mortar store located in Edmonton.

The results?

That's complicated but for this venue, it was obvious that I wasn't there to merely sell small trinkets. My main intention was to meet new people and potential new customers. Most people going through the show homes were there for both the homes & the vendors, to buy small things like jewellery but they weren't really looking to buy couture or other clothing.

I met new people, handed out business cards, got a few new names for our monthly newsletter and sold a few smaller things. I do not consider it a mistake because it was something I had to do. However, I realized that it really isn't my cup of tea.

I like being in my beautiful shop, greeting and chatting with customers who want to be there. You can tell at a glance what I am selling and it isn't only about things...it is about much more than that, for me. It's personal, it's not just business.

♥