Letter from the Founder

Welcome, Y’all!

I am so thrilled you have made it this far into your experience with Monogramme No. 29. and are reading this note.  I want to personally welcome you and encourage you to have a look around and see the variety of gifts and monogrammed options we offer. This is just a starting point for our little venture!

This letter will get a little personal and I hope you may even find it a bit inspirational. If you like what you read, be sure to check back often and read my blog - “Well I Declare!”  

I have always loved personalized gifts. I remember as a kid growing up with the name Rhonda, I didn’t find many personalized goodies with my name on them. There were always names like Laura, Jane, Samantha, Tiffany, but never Rhonda.  I desperately wanted one of those little license plates for my bicycle with my name on it!  Never happened. I settled for something with just an R!  When I had my daughters, I was sure to name them feminine and somewhat old fashioned names - Jessica and Emily. I have never had a difficult time finding anything with their names and I still think they are beautiful! I also have a son named Hayden. When they were growing up, it was enjoyable to have their names embroidered on anything that will sit still thanks to a friend with an embroidery business.

I am actually a registered nurse and I have worked in labor and delivery for the past 6 years. I became a nurse later in life when I married my darling hubby. I had been a divorced mom, working in the real estate industry during a rough financial period that made it difficult to live peacefully on just commission. My husband asked me if there was anything else I ever wanted to do career wise. We now had a Brady bunch with seven kids, nearly all high school and college age…I needed to work! I said I always wanted to be a nurse, so nursing school it was! I LOVE being a nurse. It has not only helped put all our kids through college, but has been a wonderful career where I feel like I’ve made some small difference in people’s lives. As a labor and delivery nurse, I’ve been able to be a small part of hundreds of miracles!!  

In the summer of 2017, I had an elective surgical procedure that should have been relatively safe and low risk. When I woke after surgery, I realized I could neither feel nor move my left foot.  I sustained a nerve injury to the leg and foot due to the position I was in during the procedure.  This kind of injury is extremely rare and it has been difficult for doctors to determine a long-term prognosis.  During the next several months, I went through a lot of physical therapy and had a brace made for my left leg that enabled me to walk. I have had some improvement, but not enough to work as a labor and delivery nurse.  I’m unsure at this time if I will ever get to go back to the profession I love so dearly.  

I had nothing but time on my hands, and the darling hubs I mentioned earlier knew my love for sewing and that I had always wanted to have an embroidery machine of my own so I could put our family’s names on everything. He went and purchased an amazing machine for me to do just that! I’ve been personalizing gifts daily since then. I finally decided I would not sit around and wait for my foot to heal to be able to do something that I love again…so there occured the labor and delivery of a new business venture: Southern Stitched Designs, now known as Monogramme No. 29. The name came fairly easily for me because I am a southern girl to the core. I love everything about the southern way of life, from being a gracious hostess to giving a meaningful personalized gift for various occasions. I believe having good manners and making others feel special and welcome are key ingredients to integrity and having a good strong character. I believe there’s not a thing wrong with making wherever you live, whether it’s a tiny studio apartment or a mansion on a hill, beautiful and full of meaningful items that show your unique style.  

I am tickled pink to launch this little business and I hope I can continue to be a part of people’s lives in a personal way by monogramming your gifts and home decor!!    Hugs, Rhonda