I have been wanting to do this for quite some time...but how can I possibly add one more thing to my busy day? But I honestly believe we should do one thing every day that challenges us and gets us out of our comfort zone. I suppose today was the day I decided to no longer be afraid of this thing called blogging! But where do I start? And what do you want to read about? Do I make this a more personal journey or do I continue to teach you all about what makes Cottle and Gunn my happy place? Do I commit to words and pictures all of my painting tutorials? I think today I will start with something a little more personal. Who am I? What is a Cottle?
My name is Deborah Cottle...most call me Deb or Cottle but I don't really care for Debbie. I was born in Kansas City, Missouri, but now consider Branson, Missouri my home. I actually graduated from College of the Ozarks with my B.A. in Hotel/Restaurant Management. So how does a gal that spent 20+ years in the hospitality field end up in St. Marys, Georgia with a paint brush in her hand? Well my life has had many twists and turns but I am a firm believer in everything happens for a reason. I moved here from Las Vegas in October of 2012 with my little two year old named Maddie and the determination to start my life over after a difficult divorce. (We are good friends now, but back then I was so lost) I arrived in St. Marys and quickly found a job, but I started painting again as stress relief and to make a little more income. Since I was a young child I loved home decor, painting, refurbishing and junking. I come from a long line of junkers in my family.
Shortly after arriving in St. Marys I started selling at a local antique shop called Salt River Antiques. My little space continued to grow and before I knew it, I was also selling paint, teaching classes and painting furniture in Brunswick, Fernandina and St. Marys. My hobby had exploded. It was at Salt River that I met Gunn and together we decided to take our talents and open our own store that we appropriately named Cottle and Gunn. That was March 1st, 2014 when we opened our doors at 219 Osborne in downtown St. Marys, GA. Fast forward a few years and Cottle and Gunn has grown and expanded into our new home at 708 Osborne. Although Gunn is no longer a part of the business the company still bears the name that started it all.
It has been my greatest pleasure getting to know all of my customers throughout the years. You have welcomed me in to your homes to paint your furniture, cabinets and my many live tutorial posts. I have taught hundreds how to paint furniture and have painted well over a thousand pieces of furniture over the past 5 years. I have been to weddings, birthday parties and even a few funerals. You have all become my family. This store has changed my life and the friendships and relationships I have formed continue to bless me every day. I look forward to writing about all of these great friends in future posts.
I am excited to see what the future holds for my little business here in St. Marys. I would have never dreamed when I came to St. Marys a little over 6 years ago that I would have taught in Cuba, painted pieces that have ended up all over the country and met so many amazing people that have become family. Maddie is almost 9 now and we see a very bright future for us in our little town. So hopefully I will enjoy this little blogging thing and you will be hearing from me again soon. Stop by and let me know what you are most interested in. Painting projects, how to's, collections or maybe a little more personal side of Cottle and Gunn.
In the meantime I hope you will see a little bit more of me in these pictures. I truly love doing what I do and it is because of all of you that I haven't truly "worked" in years.
Because I am almost completely computer illiterate, who knows if this will even post. But lets give it a shot. Hope you'll have an amazing week....Paint something and get creative.
xoxo, Deb