Faith and Decor

Last week I did a presentation for high school girls of faith. They are looking forward to graduation and then college.  With that brings excitement, joy, some sense of fear of the unknown and adult life.  This of course applies to all of us. We all can have a sense of excitement, joy and fear of the unknown regardless of our age or stage in life. With that in mind, we discussed how to create a space that invites the spirit. A few of the ideas we discussed:

1.Surround yourself with images of your faith, be it artwork, sculptures or quotes. They serve as a visual reminder of what makes us strong.

2. This does not have to be expensive. You can be create your own artwork by being creative.

3. Keep a journal of your spiritual experiences. This will be a gift to you when you find yourself in a difficult time. Choose a color and style that brings you joy.

I shared with them my list of steps in creating a beautiful space. Check back in to see that complete list!

How to Tidy up your Space

Let's talk organization. Is this something you are constantly working on? I, like about 3 million other folks just purchased The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. I have not read the entire book yet but two tips I have grabbed onto in the first 25 pages or so, is storage is part of the problem! A little here and a little there organizing is part of the problem! As I contemplated this, I must say I agree. As some of you are aware, OrganizeDesign is a service I offer my clients. This service just might evolve in time.

It is time to be more thoughtful in the "tidying up" of our spaces. We have been a society in search of stuff. It has come to define our "success" and our accomplishments. How silly! Our success and accomplishments are in how we treat people, our beliefs and our faith.

I look forward to reading and implementing the ideas in this book. Have your read it?

How to...

How to curb an obsession: First admit you have one and two decide if you want to curb it.

I am obsessed with pillows, rugs, curtains, pitchers and cake plate/stand. As I have said before I love to change my home seasonally, so most of these items are necessary...right? I have light, medium and dark colored curtains, pillows and rugs. This makes it so much easier to change things up.

I cannot explain the cake stand and pitcher obsession. I might need some therapy for that one! What is your obsession?

Planning for Change...

There are lots of things going on this week. New services to add, possible name change, {business, not me ;)}business planning, blog posting, social media updates, possible products to sell, presentations...SO much to think on and plan for in the future. All these things are keeping me focused on what I can control instead of what I cannot. (ie house selling)

UPDATE:My second book has been through its final edit and is now waiting for a cover. Hopefully that will happen today. Book three, more of a booklet really, is a quick look at home staging tips. It is complete and ready for printing. The fourth book is, at this point, just in my head. It will soon take shape and plan to have it ready for purchase by this time next year, if not sooner! Big things are happening and I am grateful for a supportive community of family, friends, and business associates. What is on your agenda today? Whatever it is, enjoy!

Here's whats new...

Two amazing artist friends just purchased an art gallery, and I was honored to assist them with the redesign of the space. Today is their opening day and I could not be more excited for them!

My friends are CrAzY talented, don't you agree?! And yes, that is a piece of cardboard on the right side of the picture. It was a place holder as we did the wall gallery of their beautiful copper art.

We were so close...

As I mentioned a couple of posts ago, we put our house on the market and we had an offer in 9 days!!! Unbelievable! I started packing like a crazy person! I could taste it....the warmth....the sunshine...family. And then after 2 weeks of inspections and a little back and forth...it was over. The buyers canceled the purchase. Even though I was a real estate agent for about 7 years, I was a seller. I was excited, nervous and crazed.

Now what?! I have asked myself that over and over. We are back on the market and we have had showings.

Here is what I know:
It is in the Lords hands.
It has been confirmed to me that now is the time.
I have inner peace.

Here is what I don't know:
Why that deal fell through?
When we will get another offer?
What am I supposed to learn from this?

I want to learn it quickly so we can move on, literally and figuratively. And maybe what I need to learn cannot be learned quickly. Perhaps it is patience and faith, neither can be learned quickly and without some discomfort. I will keep you posted on the move and the growth.

Blizzard...and I'm not at Dairy Queen!

Yesterday, or as my grandson says, "lasterday" we had a blizzard. School was canceled, some stores closed as did some roads. School for today was canceled last night. Is the landscape beautiful? Yes. Does everything look like a freshly painted room? (my frame of reference) Yes. Do I love the 2 1/2-3ft wall of snow the plow leaves in front of my driveway? Ummm, NO! Really!! You can't just make one more trip around the end of the cul de sac and push that into my yard? You put the entire street of snow into my yard.  Oh, well. I guess you get paid either way. No need to be kind. Rant complete!
Now I'll just take a deep breath and focus on the beauty of the day!