Traveling Designer :)

The end of this week finds me traveling north to work on my client's cottage in Maine. Long days beautifying and restoring historic, character-filled rooms followed by a lobster dinner any night I can get my hands on one...

It is hard work but someone's gotta do it! :)

I hope you have some wonderful plans for this weekend as well. 

If you haven't yet, please follow me on Instagram! I will be putting up pictures each day of my travels, and hope to see you there. 

Blessings to you, dear friends!

So, I pushed her...

This morning at the bus stop my daughter was quiet and surly.

Ahhh, I love teenagers.

I was leaving for my morning walk, and was trying to talk to her about her day, but getting only mumbled words and grunts in response as she stared at the pavement. 

So, I pushed her. 

Don't worry--you don't have to call social services. I only sort of accidentally-on-purpose body checked her...and she pushed back--a smile starting to creep across her face. 

"Mom, STOP!"

"Stop what?" Totally innocent. I have no idea what she is talking about...so I push her again. 

"STOP!!"--she's now laughing. And she is actually looking at me. 

Then the bus comes, and we are off, starting each of our days with a totally different energy-- a win in the mom column! (I'll take each one I can get these days.) 

In the past two weeks I have had the opportunity to work on a few different rooms that were sort of like my teenage daughter--totally lovely in every way, but difficult and stuck in their grumpiness. And when I see a theme emerging, I just have to share ...

Sometimes when we are stuck in a pattern, doing something different, doing something physical can change our whole mood and help us to see a whole new set of possibilities. That is the REVEALING part of what I do.

The room above was just fine, the furniture having been arranged by me with my client a few years ago when they had first moved into the house.

But now things are starting to change in the household--a new doorway is being put into the room to improve flow in the house, children are getting older and needing a space to do homework close to mom, and my client and I looked at each other and agreed it was time to change things up, to give the room a little shove. 

Let the redesign begin!

I know it can be hard to see in photographs since all of the elements are essentially the same, but the way this room felt when we were done was totally different. We moved all the existing furniture, opening up the room and switching out a small desk (not pictured) for a new table from an upstairs room. This table is now the perfect place for the homework computer. 

Then this little table found a new home, too: 

Nestled into the window, we created another cozy spot to sit and study or play chess--something else the family loves to do. 

And then we sat back and took it all in. Everything was the same, and yet it was totally different! No more grumpiness--just lots of smiles and possibility. :)

So, if you feel things are a bit stuck in a rut, don't hesitate to shake things up a bit. Move things around, try new configurations, explore new possibilities, and see how much things can change in a few short hours! 

A Cozy Corner--Your Homework For This Month!

The beautiful colors outside as well as cooler temperatures remind us that change is coming...and very soon we are going to be spending A LOT more time indoors. How can our pending "hibernation" be an opportunity to pamper ourselves??

You guessed it! This is our quick assignment for the month!!

 Now, calm down! This is not about going nuts and feeling we have to deep clean the whole house from top to bottom-- NO! This is about carving out a special place somewhere in your house that is just for you--a place that will hopefully make the long winter months ahead feel a little less dreary.

Where is there a cozy place in your house that you like to spend time, maybe kick back with a book, curl up with a cup of tea, daydream & look out the window? Maybe a comfortable chair in the living room, a quiet spot in your bedroom, or even just your favorite place to sit at the kitchen island...

Here are some simple steps to take to make your cozy corner all the better when the winter winds whip:

1. Take 15 minutes and remove the clutter here- this is your spot to relax, and clutter is SO NOT relaxing. Throw away, put away, or give away anything in this area that does not make you smile or bring you joy. I mean it. REALLY.

2. What would make it even more cozy and comfortable?-- Let's improve on a good thing! Do you need to move a better reading light next to your chair? How about a little table to set your mug or glass of wine on? Would a pillow for your back be just the thing? Is there a basket or drawer at arms length to store the book you are currently reading or your journal?

3. Treat yourself to a special touch or two-- Since we are pampering ourselves here, luxurious things are in order! A plush, warm throw, a lovely scented candle, a small vase of fresh flowers.... whatever would make this spot feel more special to you, treat yourself to these little indulgences.

Remember these assignments are supposed to be fun not overwhelming! I hope this encourages you to carve out a place of your own which will warm the winter months ahead!

He looks at me like that all day long...

I haven't named him yet, but I know he makes me smile. 

This funny little Scotty dog was a find I came across this past weekend on a family antiquing trip. For just $5 I scooped him up, knowing that he would add a touch of whimsy to my new office--a pretty important thing. :)

This week I want to remind you how important it is to have things in your home that make you feel good. The things you choose to surround yourself with should make you smile from your head to your toes.  

p.s. what do you think we should name him?? 

A couple of friends have brought this up recently...

In the past month, a couple of friends and clients have mentioned an article to me that I wrote back in 2012...and to be honest, it has been on my mind, too.  

We get the message all too often that we are consumers, and our homes certainly reflect that we readily live into that identity--with our closets and pantries and basements FULL of stuff we have bought and now have to manage. 

I hope this week's article--the one from 2012-- helps to bring you more peace and elbow room!

So, do you belong to Costco? Do you frequent Sam's Club? Do you delight in having a year's supply of toilet paper and canned beans at arm's length at all times?

Shopping at these stores can be fun~ we feel we are saving money AND preparing for Armageddon all at the same time. How efficient! But because I spend a lot of time helping people manage the items in their homes, I would like to invite you to think about buying in bulk in a different way...

At this time there are two things of which I would like to remind you:

First, despite what the media may tell you, you are NOT a "consumer," but a human being. Hopefully you know you are so much more than your ability to consume and accumulate...

Second, as you shop for your needs week in & week out, keep in mind your goal is not to run a storage facility, but to create a home.

If you are wooed by the thought of saving some coin, and made giddy by the thought of all that abundance right on hand at home, let's think about the real costs involved in investing in palettes of paper towels and tons of toothpaste:

• Carrying inventory (which is what you are doing, just like a store or factory) requires time...time to make sure it is stored properly, that it is used in a timely way, and that it gets used at all...it is easy to forget what is on those shelves way down there in the dark basement.
• Carrying inventory requires space-- space that could be used for other productive things, or enjoyed with other activities. How many of us feel our houses need more space? Create some elbow room by not having so much of it occupied by things you aren't currently using.
• Carrying inventory has a built-in percentage of waste--we are busy people with lots of things on our minds. There will always be a portion of things that we are storing that we simply forget about. We will buy duplicates. The product will get dusty, spoil, pass its expiration date or just become undesirable as it waits on the shelf. It will end up in the trash unused.
• Carrying inventory ties up cash in things that aren't currently being used, which maybe can make sense if we are investing in something like real estate or gold, but we are talking about things like shampoo and soda. Enjoy your money now, or put it in the bank so that it is there for a rainy day. Don't tie it up in things that are readily available at the corner store that you won't need for months, or maybe never at all.

Allow the stores to provide a wonderful service to you: let them store your stuff until you need it! You are right to think that your house is much like a factory or machine that needs supplies to run efficiently. However, from Benjamin Franklin, to Henry Ford, to current day Toyota manufacturing  processes, it has been proven that efficiency does not include managing inventory, but rather what is called "just in time" or "lean" practices. We can employ these same ideas, and have less waste and more time to do the things we really enjoy.

The product our little cottage factories (our homes) should produce in abundance is comfort and peace, providing an environment that supports how we want to live. Don't manage inventory, enjoy living!