Spring can often bring tumultuous weather – tornadoes of course, so here’s to hoping that it will be mild in that regard as the winter was from a cold and snow standpoint.

For many of us this season brings a new life, a new start, a new perspective.  Even though I live in California, I’m still taking the spring cleaning thing seriously and doing a lot around the house right now, getting dust out of corners, scrubbing appliances and sweeping up crumbs.  When I was a kid growing up in LA I didn’t have much awareness of a change in season because the temperature is pretty much the same year round, but now that I have kids, I’m trying to give them a sense of the seasons as much as I can – by at least showing them pictures of places in the country that have four seasons.

Of course one of the things that I do when spring arrives is decide what great new vendors and products deserve to be showcased here at Cultured Living.  This is a challenging endeavor because of our standards, but every year we do find some items that pass our approval and we can offer to our customers.

These include Jennifer Taylor as showcased with her elegant and regal styles in our dark red with platinum bedding and furniture set called La Rosa or Sandy Wilson’s contemporary furniture and bedding set with an Asian flare, bold colors in cobalt blues and reds (called “IT” and China).  Also of note is Anna Maria Horner’s new Innocent Crush rug and pillow collections as they are very vibrant and colorful.

If any of these new items put a spring in your step, take advantage of our Rewards Program — buy $1500 worth of merchandise and get 7% off on all future orders!  It’s one of the best deals out there, regardless of season!

Here’s hoping that spring – and summer and fall – are great times for all of you.

Until next time,

Lorena Johnson

Most of us have New Year’s resolutions, many of which seem to revolve around weight loss or going to the gym more often. Probably much rarer are those commitments to be better parents, children, friends, co-worker or a steward of the environment. Yet in many, many ways, these are the things we need to be doing more of in the new year. I have seen a twitter post recently reminding me to say “Twenty Twelve,” rather than “Two Thousand Twelve,” since they didn’t say “On Thousand Nine Hundred Twelve” a hundred years ago, so I plan on trying to do that.

Whatever New Years resolutions you have committed to doing in the new year – and whatever you choose to call it, I hope you have a very prosperous and successful 2012, however you measure it. One of the things we here at Cultured Living can help to do in the new year is surround yourself with a wide variety of beautiful home decorations. Whether you are looking for Anna Maria Horner’s new rug collection called Innocent Crush or Suzanne Nicoll’s Centifolia rug, we hope you can find something of interest at Cultured Living. And when you have wonderful home accents surrounding you that lift your spirit, it’s bound to be a great year. Here’s to your New Years wishes and a Happy 2012!

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how important culture is in our lives today, with everything going on in the world, the constant stresses we are all under. It’s that ability to live in relative comfort that distinguishes our country from many less fortunate in the world and it gives us the peace of mind to cope with the challenges we face,
whether they involve raising children (as it does for me), dealing with soaring gas prices (as I think it does for just about everyone), a healthcare system in need of a major overhaul or any of the myriad of other major issues we encounter on a daily basis. I’ve had an urge to try to make a small difference and have chosen to do so through a company called Cultured Living where we try to make someone’s life a little more enjoyable with a bit of luxury to make us feel special in some small way. It too helps provide a peace that is very satisfying.

Some Chinese assign a different set of meanings to numbers and in that culture certain number combinations are considered luckier than others. In general, even numbers are considered lucky, since it is believed that good luck comes in pairs. Some “lucky number” combinations include:

99 — Considered eternal; used in the name of a popular Chinese-American supermarket chain, 99 Ranch Market.

168 — Road to prosperity or to be prosperous together; literal translation is “continuing to be wealthy.” Many premium-pay telephone numbers in China begin with this number. It is also the name of a well known motel chain in China (Motel 168).

888 — Three times the prosperity; means “wealthy wealthy wealthy” (e.g., the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing were designated by the Chinese officials to begin on the most auspicious date possible to ensure the success of the Games for its hosts: August 8, 2008—on the 8th day, of the 8th month in the 8th year of the new millennium)

Often in America the cultural significance of numbers revolve around dates of importance in our history:
7/4/1776
6/6/1944
11/22/1963
9/11/2001

And of course we all have dates in our own lives that carry special importance. In my case, in addition to the last date above almost everyone is familiar with, both my and my husband’s father passed away in September, almost exactly 5 years apart. The holidays carry even more meaning for me than average I think because my daughter was born right around Thanksgiving and my son between Christmas and New Year’s. Add to that the fact my own birthday is December 23rd, and needless to say this is a very busy time for our family!

Whatever the significance of numbers to you and whether you associate any particular numbers with good luck or an exciting future, we at Cultured Living have a range of different offerings that should pique your interest in learning more about numerology. Our numerology wine glasses in particular are very popular throughout the world, with people using them on anniversaries, birthdays, New Year’s Eve and other important dates. Whatever you select, enjoy because we have a “number” of great items to choose from!

- Lorena Johnson, E-commerce Manager for Cultured Living

It seems that almost every week I notice a story on CNN about a dog doing something heroic, saving kids from a burning home, flagging down a neighbor when a woman is attacked or calling 911 when an owner has a heart attack (OK, maybe that is a stretch but you get the idea).  These incidents help to solidify in our minds and culture the deep bond between humans and dogs.

I live in an LA neighborhood of old homes built in the ’20s and ’30s and watch a number of individuals and couples who come into our area from other places in the city to walk their dogs.  It’s clear to me that these people do that as much to provide a nice walking environment for their dogs as they do for themselves.  Their love for their animals is palpable.

For our family we are waiting for that special time in my young son and daughter’s lives when they are old enough both to appreciate a dog and to help to take care of him or her as well.  There have been many tempting moments passing by a pet store and seeing a cute golden retriever or conversations with friends about how much they love their English Mastiff and how great they are with kids.  But we have elected to wait until the time is right before taking on such a responsibility, as we would want such a beautiful creature to receive the best possible home.

Whether they always have the best homes or not, there is also no shortage of movies and items out of popular culture revolving around dogs, from “Old Yeller” to “Turner and Hooch” to “Cujo” (dogs are not ALWAYS friendly).  And in fact just this month “Trouble,” real estate tycoon Leona Helmsley’s dog, was in the news after passing away 4 years after inheriting $10 million (reduced by the courts to $4M).  We sure do love our dogs.

According to the American Kennel Club, the following were the top 10 most popular breeds of dog for 2010:

1. Labrador Retriever
2. German Shepherd
3. Yorkshire Terrier
4. Beagle
5. Golden Retriever
6. Bulldog
7. Boxer
8. Dachshund
9. Poodle
10. Shih Tzu

Cultured Living believes in honoring these very special creatures who play such an important role in our lives.  We have made available to the marketplace a number of unique items in our efforts to do exactly that.  In fact, 15% of the net proceeds from the sale of any dog item within our store will go to animal shelters around the Los Angeles area.  We felt there could be no better way to acknowledge the huge impact these amazing beings have on the human heart.  So go ahead, make a purchase today and let’s help these animals get a fair chance at a loving home.
- Cultured Living

I suppose the same could be said for many of the trick or treating experiences that many of us had as a kid – those “original” years before our teens, something say between the ages of 4 and 10, are unmatched in our memories of Halloween…as we get older, naturally the holiday takes on a very different flavor.  But I can still remember those amazing years of going door to door with all manner of neighbors, friends, cousins and parents of course.  I think when I was going in the ’70s; parents sometimes didn’t even accompany kids in the immediate neighborhood, something that would never happen today.  Now that I have children, the fun of dressing up myself and collecting too much candy has been replaced by the joy of seeing them do so.  Last year, my then 4-year-old son went as a Ninja and my 2-year-old daughter as a pumpkin.  Precious.  Haven’t decided what their Halloween costumes will be this year yet but that will be taken care of before too long.

It’s a lot of fun for me to witness the joy kids get out of going trick-or-treating and I am fortunate enough to live in that rare neighborhood in LA that fosters that type of Halloween spirit.  In fact, over half of the houses in our area participate in Halloween – signaled primarily by a lit front porch.  So I feel very fortunate in that regard.

I have heard that the origins of Halloween or as some say “All Hallows Eve,” go all the way back to the Roman feast of Pomona (no, they did not come to Southern California), but the tradition seems to have gained steam in the late 1700s in northern Europe, where apparently children still have to do something, such as sing a song, to earn their treats.  That would never work in the U.S., right?!  It does seem that Halloween is one of the oldest holidays outside of Christmas, so it’s fun to be a part of something with such an interesting history.  I envision children early in the history of our country coming up with some pretty interesting and original Halloween costumes – as well as ways to “earn” their treats.  I imagine many of them had to travel a fair distance – probably on horseback for the most part, from door to door, so it must have been a lot of work back then.  And remember, there wasn’t much candy at that time either!

And since we adults have replaced going trick-or-treating with throwing a Halloween party, we at Cultured Living wanted to make sure to offer plenty of interesting Halloween decorations with which to spoil ourselves – a form of candy to be sure!  So please check out our Halloween decor today.  Treat yourself!

Lorena Johnson

Ecommerce Manager