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Monday, February 4, 2013

12 Ways To Help Improve Your Life



Grab a cup of coffee and sit back and enjoy.......
As the New Year marches on we all tend to think about ways to improve our lives. Many of the ideas we have pertain to better health, and weight loss.



Trust me I really need to lose some weight for better health. I have to admit I am not very disciplined when it comes to this. 


I am not sure if it has something to do with being a creative soul or not. 

I know when you have a creative mind you often will tend to be a mood worker, or at least that is how it is for me. I hardly ever get in the mood to exercise.(go figure!)



I came up with an idea the other day that I am going to try out, and see if it works for me.

One thing I have discovered about myself is if I don’t enjoy doing something it helps if I put it into small increments of time, then I will be more likely to do it.


It dawned on me that I can take at least one hour out of every day, and do something that nurtures me. It does not have to be done in one full hour, it can be broken up throughout the day.



Sometimes we forget the little things in life that truly help us along the way so I thought I would make a list as a reminder.



To be on this list it must nurture the body, soul or mind.

The one criteria is I will always start out my day with prayer, and I must do some form of exercise at least for 30 minutes a day. These are non-negotiable for a better quality of life.


With that being said I am going to use one hour out of my day for self improvement. Here is the list of things that I can do  to help me attain this goal.


I won’t do all of them in one day, but the list is made to help remind me there is always something I can do to self-improve in each and every day!!…….


1. Start each day off with a prayer of thanksgiving  and ask for guidance for the day.


2. Exercise ( this has to be done at least 5 days, half hour a day)


3. Menu planning (incorporate organic products)


4. Grooming ( facial, manicure, hair masque etc, all done at home)


5. Read books pertaining to better lifestyle and health, anything to do with self improvement. Don’t forget daily    devotionals and bible reading.


6. Organize something


7. Gardening (breathing in the fresh air and making something look beautiful is always a plus in any day)


8. Writing, journaling, creative writing, or even a blog post.


9. Enjoy the company of a friend whether it be a phone call, email or just a cup of coffee. Make sure you have outside influences in your day.


10. Make sure you hug a loved one daily and tell them you love them!!


11. Laugh every day, even if you have to just read a joke    to  laugh, make sure you laugh every day!!


12.  Give back  in some way (Community, elderly,  or a child).


I have to thank my group of friends for helping me come up with this list.  I have found my friends to be a valuable part of my life and I am truly grateful to all of them.

I don’t know about you all, but I think if I do some of these items every day I can only improve  the wonderful life God has blessed me with.


As the saying goes.......

   “This is not a dress rehearsal" 
(Next in line is the final act then a curtain call)


What are some of the things you do to improve your life on a daily basis?
Posted by Kathysue at 5:22:00 AM 21 comments

Friday, February 1, 2013

How To Get Back To YOUR Design Roots

 



In my years of consulting I use to ask my clients specific questions while having a conversation with them about their home.

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While I listened I would pick up on what I would call,“Buzz Words.”


These were words that they would repeat unknowingly in our conversation that would give me clues to what  the elements, and the feeling they needed to have in their home.

Basically I was getting down to their design roots for their home.


Since I am working on my very own home I felt like I needed to give myself a consultation.



I was losing my way a little bit in my family room re-do. This is a very easy thing to do when we have so much available to us in the design world.



We are all inundated with so many visual images that entice us that sometimes we go astray.

It is so important to stay true to who you are, and try not to be swayed. When doing this exercise on yourself, you have to be completely honest with yourself or it won’t work.



It was time for me to get back to my design roots so I marched right over to Pinterest where I have been pinning images that are pleasing to my eye.

Yesterday I spent quite a bit of time going back to my own design roots so to speak. 



I made copies of the images that were some of my all time favorites. You are seeing a sampling of them throughout this post.


Under each picture I wrote what I liked and disliked in the image. It is just as important to realize what you don’t like as much as what you do like.


I then went back and wrote down all of my own personal buzz words. 


These are elements, and the feeling a room must have for me to feel like it will meet my needs for a well designed room in my own personal home:


Results:


  • Light and bright
  • Uncluttered
  • Clean lines
  • Fresh and Crisp
  • Patterns  in geometrics, stripes or checks but very few checks
  • High contrast in some elements
  • Not to matchy or contrived




Next I wrote down a list of elements, and how many times they were repeated in the images I was using. This helped me to see the importance of each element.

ELEMENTS:

  1. Black urns 2
  2. Green 2
  3. Black lampshades 3
  4. Black spool chairs 3
  5. Greek Key motif 3
  6. White gourd or urn lamps 5
  7. Framed coffee table 5
  8. Basket 5
  9. Large bright artwork 5
  10. Touches of Blue 7
  11. Two Patterns 7
  12. Lanterns 8
  13. Trimmed out furniture pieces 10
  14. Blue striped or plaid rug 10
  15. Green plants 12
  16. Black and White 13




I found this list to be very interesting. I learned a few things about myself…….

There needs to be touches of black and white in the room, for high contrast.


I seem to like a blue and white striped or plaid rug.
 (This was a big surprise because I was recently telling someone I don’t like plaid fabric for my family room. Apparently I enjoy a mega plaid on the floor.)



Most of the green found in my rooms were in the form of live plants and flowers.

I also realized that I have to have lanterns and brightly colored artwork.



One of the many reasons I love the design world is we are constantly on the learning curve.



I hope this little exercise I did for myself can help you all in any future decorating projects.

The one crucial detail I have to emphasize is to be perfectly, openly honest with yourself. 

Try not to think about any particular project, just clip the pictures that speak to you for any reason and then analyze what you like or dislike about them..

Here’s to honest, back to your roots decorating!!!

I am participating in.....


 
Posted by Kathysue at 10:10:00 AM 28 comments

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

A New Fabric Has Arrived!!

   

There are a couple of new kids in the running. I just received this fabric………


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essex sky blue

Then another new puzzle piece came to mind after seeing my friend Sherry’s post on Mary McDonalds new collection for Schumacher. 

I fell in love with a fabric, and a pillow she had on her blog post today……..



Just look at this fabric made into a lumbar pillow………..

I don’t know about you all, but I think I am in LOVE with this pillow!!!
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essex sky blue
Don’t they look happy together?!

The plot thickens!


I am leaning more, and more towards some solids and geometric prints. 

If I could just  find the perfect combiner fabric that has all my colors in it with a touch of black!


 (This makes me smile!)

Be sure and visit my last post to see the other 6 combinations of fabrics that are in the running but falling behind now that I have seen this pillow!

BTW: I am ordering my fabric for the sofa and ottoman tomorrow!! I am very excited!!

Also for those of you that have already chimed in, Combination #1 has double the votes of any other combination. 

TO BE CONTINUED..........
 
Posted by Kathysue at 1:36:00 PM 11 comments
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