Loving What You've Got

Today's post is a candid look into my thoughts towards my home.  I want to be open and real and put it all out there in the hopes that my little story might help someone else. I've been having an unhealthy relationship with my house. I've spoken negatively about it to others, not felt proud to be its owner and have secretly delighted in the thought of eventually moving out of it one day in the near future.

I have the wonderful privilege of often times working in some very expensive and beautiful homes -the kind you see in magazines. And while my clients hire me to transform their already lovely homes into something even more beautiful, arriving home after spending my days there has sometimes left me feeling a bit deflated when it comes to my own home. For 3 years (of the first 3.5 years that I've lived in this home) I have disliked many aspects of it and could easily list a hundred things that I'd love to change from landscaping to structure and finer details like the doors, kitchen flooring, etc.

Nearly four years ago (before we were married and before I moved down here from Toronto) we had planned to buy a beautiful, new home together. I was so excited about going through that selective process and anticipation of our first home together as a couple.We did begin the house hunting process within a new home development but quickly realized with the housing market in FL being what it was at that time, it just didn't make sense. So, we currently live in what was my hubby's grandparent's  3/2 home and the home he grew up in, which includes some of their vintage furniture (thankfully I was able to talk him into dontating the ugly floral sofa)-sentimental for him, not so much for me. During our first married year I did have some limited resources to change the paint colors and make some very minor changes, but not much else. I had started to wonder if it would ever look and feel the way I had envisioned. Working in the design industry doesn't help I suppose. Likewise, I love reading design magazines and blogs but after seeing such beautiful transformations and not always having the time or personal design budget for such projects myself, it at times has made me feel that my house is inadequate. That was until about 6 months ago.

So what all of a sudden changed you might be wondering? I had to make the decision to see things differently. I read the book 'The Secret' for the first time 6 months ago after hearing about it for so long and realized that this was an area that I really wanted to work on if I was ever going to love my home. If you haven't read the book, it is all about bringing what you want into your life by visualizing it, the laws of attraction, power of positive thinking and not only dreaming of it but whole heartedly believing you will in fact receive it without a single ounce of doubt. I'm not into new age stuff, I believe in God and the power of prayer, but I thought this couldn't hurt, after all it's about changing your thoughts in a profound way.

Every day I started to focus on what was 'right' with our humble little abode. It's 50-year-old flaws started to become charming, and little by little I started to see the older hand-me-down vintage furniture from P's grandparents (that I was dying to get rid of before) as wonderful DIY transformation opportunities. I've even changed my design style a bit to allow for more vintage charm and have even embraced our 90's oak kitchen cabinets which I may or may not paint out at some point.

What's funny is I am always able to have this positive point of view within so many other areas of my life but was having such a hard time when it came to our home. I think it had to do with something deeper though-pride. Even though they've seen my portfolio, I felt that if clients or even my new friends saw our home they'd wonder how it was that I was a Designer. LOL. But the truth is that we spend our money on world travel, not home renovations. Hopefully one day we will have enough for both. For now, it is just us two so we like the freedom of travel. ;)  As I spent more and more time writing my books (and this blog) and less time working in large, elaborate homes in favor of smaller and quicker design projects for the everyday home owner, I started to feel more myself. You may have noticed that I added an  e-Design services page to this blog. I really enjoy creating mood boards for DIY home owners and those that are just looking for some fresh inspiration for their home. While I've always worked within all budgets, somehow I am enjoying working on the smaller, more challenging homes so much more. Hmm, maybe because they remind me of my own home and all of the endless possibilities!

Once I stopped fighting my house and started shifting my mindset, I started seeing so much more possibility. Part of it was embracing the fact that we were NOT moving any time soon, so I just accepted it and I am now embracing what I do have. I love that we have a home with a new roof that keeps the heavy Florida rain out day after day each summer, a floor plan that allows us each to have our own home offices while still making room for guests and a kitchen that is small yet is the hub of so many wonderful meals. I may not have my dream kitchen, a stunning backyard for entertaining or a large walk-in closet to house my clothes, but to me this is home. It is where we laugh together, work at our own pace, live boldly and love deeply.

It's so easy to find all of the imperfections in our home, our life or ourselves. but as I learned in the secret and more importantly my relationship with my home, the more that we dwell upon what we don't want, the more it will actually appear in our lives, because we are in essence calling upon it without even realizing it. This is because in life whether it's something we desire or dislike, what we focus on and think about is what will come our way. So, why not focus on what we do have, what we do love, which aspects of our body that we're most proud of instead of the ones we always feel still need improvement.

I'm not suggesting that we cannot think about what we'd want to improve upon-we should. However, instead of saying 'I really need to lose 10 lbs' or 'I have to quit smoking'. Think of it in a different way- 'I'm working towards a more fit and healthy body. I'm detoxifying my body now for a future of health so I can enjoy my life and my family.' Then, visualize what you want to look like. In the case of weight loss you can cut out images from a magazine if that works for you or pull out an old photo of yourself from years gone by. This involves focusing on what will be instead of everything that isn't right at the present moment.

How about YOU? Have you had to shift your thinking about your car, job, house, your body, spouse/children or another relationship that wasn't everything that you wanted or dreamed it would be? Have you read The Secret? Did it help you in a positive way? I'd love to hear from you!



P.S. Sorry for the long post, sometimes background information is helpful when telling one's story. I'm trying to work on making future posts shorter so you won't all fall asleep. *wink*

Frugal and Fabulous Find

I was out running some errands today when I decided to pop into my local Marshall's store. I was hoping to find some inexpensive decor items or at least some inspiration for a DIY project. I stumbled upon something else instead in their shoe section.

I love the comfort of a flat shoe, being 5' 9" tall I don't really need the extra height (although I do enjoy a stylish and comfy pair of pumps, who doesn't ?) I am always on the hunt for a cute new pair of ballet flats or sandals at a discount. Living in Florida I pretty much get to wear sandals year round and gladiator sandals have become my favorite style. They stay on your feet well and are generally very comfortable and never seem to rub on my feet. You might remember me sharing my other pair in my Favorite Things post last October which I also got for a steal at Ross and wear regularly.

So, you can imagine my joy when I came across the pair of snakeskin (replica) patterned nude gladiator sandals shown above. Now, as you can see they started off with this strand of pearls which I guess for some may be a welcomed added little detail but for me, I wanted something with a simplistic look. At just $12.99 I knew I had to grab them since they had my size and I visualized what they would look like without the pearls.

I got home, pulled out a pair of scissors and snipped the clear fishing line type threading that held the pearls onto the shoe. Voila-here are my new inexpensive pair of stylish little flats. :)

When it comes to clothing, shoes, accessories or even furniture, don't write anything off if it doesn't appear the way you'd like at first glance. Often it's as easy as a snip with the scissors or using a stitch ripper to remove some embroidery. I once bought a beautiful set of drapery panels for a model home client and upon getting them into the home I realized the rod wouldn't fit through, the rod pocket was too narrow. There was a second set of stitching below. I was able to use the stitch ripper in my took kit to remove the thread and it opened up to double the width for the oversized drapery rod to fit through.  Just be sure to look at the overall cost, any additional materials needed and time involved. In today's case, it took me a mere 30 seconds, so it was a no-brainer.

What things have you transformed on a budget? Feel free to link to your blog posts or tell us all about it, I'd love to hear from you!

You can see some of my other frugal transformations here: My Office Chair, Vintage Foot Stool and Serving Tray.

Making the Most of Your Day

Do you struggle to get everything done in a day? Are you sometimes left feeling like the things most important to you get put on the back burner? Do you want to live a more intentional and productive life? This post is dedicated to getting more out of your day and making the most of the hours you have available to live a more joyful and fulfilling life.


Over this past month I've been thinking a lot about this. I was so excited for 2010 to come, after all it's not only a new year but also a new decade. I wanted to really push myself to make the most of this year and make some necessary changes so I could fulfill all of my goals this year. I started to realize that I don't always use my time in the most efficient or productive manner. Sometimes I'm SO focused on marketing for my business or on work itself that I let other areas slide and then feel overwhelmed by them later. I've now declared this month to be a more organized and effective month. Below I'll show you some of the areas I want to improve so I can get more out of my day.


If you are in the same boat and want to join, you'll need to begin by getting a sheet of paper and a pen or your word document up and listing the things that are most important to you. Do you want to be more successful in your career? Do you want to become more fit, more spiritual, have a stronger sense of family unity or have more fun? Think about what really makes you feel alive, fulfilled, happy and connected?

Some examples of day-to-day items might be creating something new everyday and feeling inspired, making sure all the beds are made in your home or the dishes are done before coming home from work so you'll feel less overwhelmed, perhaps it's making sure you hit the gym every single morning so you can start your day with more energy. Once you create your list (it can be as long as you want) be sure to re-assess the list and place the most important areas at the top of your list in descending order.


Whatever is most important to you needs to start taking priority in your life TODAY. There is no sense in pleasing everyone else and feeling miserable yourself.  We are no good to anyone if we are not good to ourselves.


After you've acknowledged the areas you'd like to focus on, you'll need to create a plan of action. If you want to make a point of working out each morning, this may involve you asking your spouse to stay home with the kids or helping them with their school gear in the morning. Perhaps you can relieve him from evening duties by allowing him to go to the gym, or do something else that he loves, helping you both become more fulfilled. This will all depend on your current schedule and what will fit best in each day and may involve some juggling and will definitely involve a shift in your day-to-day routines.


Hold yourself accountable by writing the changes you'd like to see in a journal on a daily basis and checking them off if you were able to incorporate them into your day. After a week or month has passed by, look back and see how much  more you've accomplished. For some, depending on what your goals are, you may need to go to bed earlier, get up earlier, pre-plan specific meals, outfits or kids' lunches the night before or it may mean cutting out TV or net surfing time. If you really want to make the most of your day, these things should still be more important that what you are sacrificing.


As for me, I have some very specific areas that will make my life run smoother, become more productive, less stressful and overall an even happier person. I like a clean and organized home, but when I get really busy I tend to push some of the lesser important things like laundry aside. It's easy for me to do so because we both have many clothes and towels to get by on even if I were to leave the laundry for a while. Later, it's frustrating though playing catch up and I'm left searching for clothes that I want to wear but aren't available to me. That doesn't let me feel my personal best.

I also like to work out about 5 days per week and feel an increase in energy and flexibility and strength when I'm doing so. When I push my gym workouts aside to complete a project or consistently go to bed late and get up late, I miss my workout opportunity and  I don't feel as good about myself or feel as energetic. In order to be my personal best, these were two areas I really need to amp up.

What will I sacrifice? I need to stop working, web surfing, blogging and reading until 2 or 3am (any other late owl's with me on that?) which then forces me to wake up later the next morning. However, because I believe sleep is essential to overall health I won't cut that out just to get up when my alarm goes off and as a result it causes and endless circle of later nights, later mornings and less productivity. Enough is enough, I NEED to reclaim a regular routine by going to bed no later than 11pm so I can get up early and complete the household cleaning, laundry and get to my gym workouts that I really need and want. I don't want to spend my whole weekend doing household chores anymore or rushing around before company pops over because I've misused the hours in my week.

Is anyone else with me? How about you? Are you looking to make the most of your days but feel something has held you back? Join me this month and get back on track! I'll check back in with you in March to let you know how it has changed or improved my quality of life and what the extra time allowed me to accomplish.

Tray Chic!

As many of you know, I'm an Interior Designer and I love to transform existing items in my home to make them more customized to our color scheme or overall feel in a room. It's also a great way to create free projects which saves money while reusing and repurposing.

I have a dark espresso color serving tray that we received from my bridal registry a few years ago that has worked well until recently. Now that our new coffee table is the same dark espresso color as the tray, I thought it was time to paint it a lighter color so it would blend in better with the other items and at the same time, stand out.

I used some existing Behr paint that we had left over after painting our living room last year, so the tray now matches the wall color which is a great way to introduce a little bit more of the same sand-like color in the form of accessories. I gave it a light sanding and used three coats of latex paint (as I'm out of primer currently) and it turned out great!

BEFORE:

I was so excited to get started that I forgot to get a before picture of my actual tray. I pulled this one of the web as it looks identical in color and design, so you could get an idea of the transformation.

AFTER:

I love quick little weekend projects. I started this last Friday night and it was completely dry and ready to use by Sunday morning. I used a pale blue vase, a set of sand dollars, two books, one dark sand colored, one covered with white wrapping paper as well as a strip of cream and blue damask scrapbook paper. It is topped with a silver crab that I got for a $1 at a garage sale two weeks ago, that Potterybarn sold for $28 last summer! It's the perfect centerpiece for our new coffee table.

I was so inspired to paint last weekend that I bought a small white satin tester size paint can this weekend for $2.99 and was able to completely change the look of our bathroom undercounter space with just two coat of paint. It was a light beige color previously and white just looks so much more crisp and clean. It also matches the white framed mirror and some other accessories.

I hope I have inspired you to re-visit your old paint and find something wonderful to transform!

Have a wonderful Week!

Makeover Part Deux: My New Office Chair

It wouldn't be fair if I only TOLD you about my office chair and that you couldn't SEE it for yourself. I used the remnants of my fabric from this office chair transformation to complete the look of my vintage footstool, so it was very economical. Above is the finished set!

BEFORE: This chair was purchased on craigslist, I knew I could replace the fabric and it was in mint condition. Cost $30. Bought fabric from Calico Corners' sale for $4. Total= $34

The first photo is how I purchased the chair, then underneath the plaid was another layer of colorful fabric (which came with the chair when it was purchased by the original owner). It was very clean but did not match my decor. I wanted something in a transitional style fabric.



This was very simple to do. I measured out the fabric so there was about 3 inches all the way around an then started stapling each side from the middle towards the edges. Don't get too close to the edges though so you can create a little triangle to pull the corner fabric in. This will ensure that the corners look clean vs. bunched up.

I'm very pleased with my new chair!

Do you have a makeover that you are proud of? Share the link to your site/blog with us in the comments below!