{How Blogs Work}

How blogs work: Just had to share this with you as it is so TRUE!
It is hard for producing your own original content, your own photos and doing your own styling.
Yet there are so many out there that are showing off someone else's feathers. 
Plagiarism seems to become the norm. How do you feel about this? 

Do you share mostly original content on your blog or things created by others? 

Doghousediaries link to photo

{2 Awards from Bloggers I Admire + Update}

Are you also behind on things? Not yet fully adapted to the fact that it is now officially autumn and only 12 weeks away from Christmas?!

A heartily welcome to my newest followers, hope you will make yourself here at home. 

On September 23, I just managed to spot this funny number of 299,999... Just could grab its tail as of course time is racing on with everything. 

But this is NOT what I wanted to write about. Instead, I got 2 awards from special blogger friends that I admire. On September 29, I did receive a cat award from dear Tammy from T's Daily Treasures (click). She is a girl of my heart as she writes so pure about her daily but meaningful treasures of life. Tammy does for sure not fall into the category of The Pretenders. Her blog followers have been growing steadily and she always has something of interest to share with her loyal readers. A pleasure visiting with her. 

Another award I received on October 02, from a very talented blogger friend in Spain. Her name is Véronica from Nikavintage (click). Obviously she also first did receive this award herself and did pass it on to 15 others with this criteria: Give the award to fifteen blogs you think are worthy for their creativity and originality in writing, among other values.

For sure both ladies fall into this categorie of creativity and original content writing. No photos used from elsewhere on the Internet but just genuine moments of their own lives and life style. Please do give them a visit as they deserve it. Those two awards I will not pass on but those of you that write in the personal, creative and original style know that I mean to honor you as well.

The Future of Pro Blogging
For full article, click on above link!

There are two more special bloggers I admire and I will write about them next. Of course our Rose Suite will be revealed to you soon! Stay posted and I wish you a lovely autumn season, if you live in the northern hemisphere. And for the southern hemisphere a lovely spring time.

What is your thought about pretenders and those that constantly use material from the Internet, or worse from other bloggers; scraped content. For me it often feels like wasting my precious time. I'd rather connect with real people that live with real problems and struggles in this difficult time of recession. A joy it is for me to see so many talented women (hey, where are the men...?) out there who show us ways of re-purposing vintage things and creating romantic pieces for their homes. A few of them are selling it to others, while some just use it as an economical way of decorating their home. Also the cooking and baking at times is very refreshing to read and above all, to learn from.

See you soon!

{LOOK: My Christofle Photo was published in The Herald-Dispatch}

For my Zen Cart on line boutique: Mariette's Back to Basics, where I did sell antique and vintage Christofle silver from France, among many unique items, I do often research on line, if the info is not in my Christie's or Sotheby's catalogs, or books I have. I was quite surprised the other day to run into my own photo on line, used (without my permission!) in an article by Jean McClelland who writes for The Herald-Dispatch in Huntington, West Virginia, about antiques. Her title: Knife rests created to protect table linens, now reflect fine living. It was published on April 3, 2011 and my original content: {6 Antique French Christofle Coquille Knife Rests in Box} was from March 1, 2011.

A perfect example of Scraped Content...

Well, she even had the nerve to write underneath my photo (above part of my stolen under title, see below photo in this post): "Courtesy of Mariette's Back to Basics Boutique". Without providing the audience the information, necessary for finding the source (Mariette's Back to Basics).

This is Netiquette at its worst! From my information and foot-work; my photo and by NOT including a link back to my Zen Cart on line boutique: Mariette's Back to Basics, she's surely sealing her verdict as being 'guilty' of plagiarism! IF, just in case it would be true, I had granted her permission to use it, she would graciously have put my Boutique's website together with her the article.

First I thought I have to write her Editor and Publisher, Mr. Ed Dawson, but thinking about it, I decided to just put it here on my blog. Of course Pieter and I have had many instances where we came across our own photo material, used by someone worldwide. Plagiarism is nothing new, but nevertheless it is an act of fraud as it is stealing someone else's work and lying about it. Ms. McClelland tried to be cunning in tricking everybody about having asked permission to use this...

"Ms. McClelland: the article did surely reflect fine living but your behavior however does not reflect fine mannerism!"
Obviously, The Herald Dispatch has removed her article...

This rare set of 6 antique French Christofle knife rests in Coquille pattern, is perfect for saving your precious table linens from getting soiled.