DESIGN INSPIRATIONS // Cotton Stem

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One of my favorite people on Instagram is Erin of @cottonstem. Her feed is absolutely stunning and she has the most adorable family including four darling little girls! Erin is also the host of one of my favorite hashtags, #CottonStemHeartsExteriors. You would not believe the gorgeous exterior photos of homes featured here. Start using this hashtag when you post exterior shots of your home. 

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One of my favorite posts by Erin is when she “spring-i-fied” her entryway. She has a ladder hanging from the ceiling and faux florals from Michael’s hanging down from it. Oh my goodness. Amazing!!!!

I also love Erin’s IG Stories. You will find her in her house (showing amazing antiques), hiding out in her shed (so she doesn’t have to cook dinner), and out and about. You will want to follow her and watch her very entertaining videos.

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You also will want to check out Erin’s blog. She has some great posts, including “(Faux) Florals for Spring” and “How to Pick Foolproof Farmhouse Paint Colors”. And if you want to learn more about Erin, be sure to click on the link to “20 Random Facts About Me” for one of the funniest blog posts I have ever read! And lucky for us, Erin was sweet enough to do a little Q&A with me here on the blog. 


Q U E S T I O N S

Leslie Saeta: What made you decide to go on IG and share your farmhouse with others?

Erin Kern: Initially, I planned to use this account as a way to showcase my design aesthetic for potential e-design clients, but since then, it has taken on a life of its own!  Now IG is a place to meet friends, connect with others in the business, and grow my own all at the same time!  Love me some IG.

LS: What was the single best thing you did to gain meaningful followers?

EK: Honestly, I’d say the best way to gain a REAL, genuine following is to be kind and be yourself.  I mean, give the people some pretty to look at, but what we all really want is to know each other and connect…thus the “social” in social media.  I’ve tried to be myself, toot-talk and all, and I think those who are “my people” have stayed…and then brought along their friends who like toot-talk and farmhouse pics, too.  😉

LS: What’s been your favorite DIY project that you’ve featured?

EK: My favorite project and creation I’ve shown (so far…) has to be the book wall.  The meaning behind it, the flow of the installation representing the flow of my life as shaped by literature, and, duh…who doesn’t love a good Jane Austen quote.  😉  Besides my four little girls, this is my best DIY.

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LS: What’s your favorite farmhouse decor item?

EK: Chippy corbels, hollerrrr!!!

LS: What’s been the most rewarding part of being on IG?

EK: It might sound lame, but honestly the validation that my dreams weren’t a bunch of hooey.  😉  I’ve long since dreamed of doing interiors for others, of writing perhaps professionally, of becoming a “brand” of sorts to share my love of a cozy, beautiful home with others…and IG has opened so many dadgum doors I’d have never guessed were there for the opening.  In a handful of months, my life looks so very different from what it once did (in the best of ways!), and I can attribute so much of that to the kindness and opportunity to be found on Instagram.  Oh…and being in a real live magazine.  THAT was pretty freakin’ awesome.  Big time surreal moment for little ol’ me. 😉

LS: My Rae Dunn unicorn….?

EK: Oh man, did you know I used to design and decorate wedding cakes for a living??  So….when I saw the new mixing bowls and CAKE/BAKE pieces, my little cake decorator heart skipped a beat!  Maybe someday my unicorn will come….. 😉

Make sure you’re following Erin on her Instagram @Cottonstem and check out her blog here!

For more real-time updates, follow me on Instagram @My100YearOldHome

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5 Comments

  1. Wood household furniture has something very natural regarding it.

    There is this feeling of comfort, of attribute and also
    of beauty that can be be discovered in wood furniture.
    Wood is born from the planet.

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