For the past year I was told I could not do something. As frustrating as it was, I was too busy to do anything about it. My goal for the new year was to make a big change. I found someone who told me I can do it. It was a lot of work but the beauty of this change is now I can do what I wanted to do all along. When I got to the point when the end was near and the change was going to take place, it was exhilarating!
Frustrating situations can lead to growth, strength and inspiration. I put the following quote on Facebook…
Art by xo Julissie inspired by Claudia Jacobs’ quote.
“When someone keeps telling you you can’t do it, find someone who believes you can & shows you how.”
Later that day I had a lovely surprise appear on my Facebook wall. Artist xo Julisse was inspired by my quote and created an art piece and turned me into a winged caricature.
Always listen to your inner voice instead of someone else’s limited point of view. Magical things can happen, including a winged messenger showing up to lead the way.
Claudia Jacobs Designs of Goshen Receives
Best Of Houzz 2014 Award
Annual Survey and Analysis of 16 Million Monthly Users Reveals Top-Rated Building, Remodeling and Design Professionals
Claudia Jacobs of Claudia Jacobs Designs has been awarded “Best Of Houzz” by Houzz, the leading platform for home remodeling and design. She was chosen by the more than 16 million monthly users that comprise the Houzz community.
The Best Of Houzz award is given in two categories: Customer Satisfaction and Design. Read more
A Mini Home Show – Get Your Home in Shape with Claudia Jacobs Design – “Fall Back in Love with Your Home”
The Builders Association of the Hudson Valley held a Mini Home Show on Saturday. A full house of homeowners joined in as Claudia Jacobs presented “Fall Back in Love with Your Home”. Charming and knowledgeable, Claudia gave an hour presentation of tips on how to get your home to look and feel special and new again. Have you ever felt that you were loved by your home? Claudia revisited this concept with some simple changes to rekindle the love again, like when you first moved in. Read more
How we live now can define our living space: Time and time again after meeting with clients in their home whether for decorating or staging I hear the same comment when it comes to one room, “We never use the dining room. What a waste of space.”
The formal dining room is probably the most underutilized room of the home. If one were to take a poll, majority would probably say they use it maybe once or twice a year. That is a lot of equity in a room that is hardly used. Read more
Real Estate Home Staging Tip: Uncover your Hardwood Floors
A great selling feature of a home for sale are beautiful hardwood floors. Many beautiful hardwood floors end up being covered with area rugs which hide the floors.
Take a look at this before and after photo of a bedroom. While walking through this home during a staging consultation I suggested removing the area rug in the room for the listing photos. The seller told me how much she likes the rug. Although it is a very nice rug, we are not decorating the room but staging it. Once the rug was removed the hardwood floors shine for the photos which can be an online attention grabber for the potential buyer.
Decorating with throw pillows is a great way to add pops of color, pattern or texture to a room. Throw pillows can land on a bed, sofa, chair or any kind of seating. Large floor pillows can be used as additional seating.
How much is too much? During a recent staging of a beautifully decorated home I noticed in one of the rooms an over abundance of pillows. The room had a lovely view to sit and mingle with guests to enjoy the view and each other’s company. The only problem is that there was no place to sit. All of the seating was overloaded with pillows. Unless the party plan involves a pillow fight, there is no point in overloading a room with pillows on each seat.
Pillows should be to scale to the furniture. A large sofa needs larger pillows. A small seat should have a small pillow.
Alternating smooth pillows with a textured pillow can add an interesting look and depth.
Embellished pillows can be fun but can be scratchy. A pillow should provide comfort so if anyone is going to sit in the chair it should be comfortable; some overly embellished pillows are not comfy.
Of course all rules do not apply to a bed. A mixture of sizes, textures, shapes can add depth and visual interest and comfort to a dressed bed. Make sure you have a place to put all the pillows when getting into bed.
For the last few years I had the privilege to spread the word about a special project that sends greeting cards to our troops.
Michelle Wvhs, organizer of Project CARD ONE, says “There are plenty of cards to share and we can always use more to distribute. All of my card angels are fantastic and have been receiving the cards throughout the past year!”
“Their beautiful words of hope, strength and gratitude mean the world to our soldiers. I appreciate all the helping card angels that have supported our project”, says Michelle.
‘Pay it forward’ to honor service men and women by sending and saving this year’s holiday cards. Another benefit, it is going green for such a wonderful cause.
To participate in Project CARD ONE, please donate used or new holiday cards. If sending used cards, tear off the decorative front to create a postcard, then either write a personal message to a service member or leave blank. No envelope is needed.
CKO KICKBOXING of WARWICK HOLIDAY CARD DRIVE for OUR TROOPS Deadline is December 6th
PROJECT CARD ONE is collecting cards this year to support CKO of Warwick’s mission to remember our troops at the holidays.
Cards can be mailed to ML Project Card One 2013, PO Box 68, Greenwood Lake NY 10925 or drop off (*no mail please) please at Warwick Valley Humane Society, 48 Public Works Drive ATTN: Michelle.
Cards will also be accepted after the CKO deadline into 2014 for this ongoing project.
For more information on Project CARD ONE, please contact Michelle Wvhs at mikil43@verizon.net.
Start the New Year fresh by clearing the energy of your home!
Saging, also known as smudging, is something I do a few times a year, especially for the New Year. It clears the energy of the house. Let’s face it; we all have good days and bad days. So does every person who lives in or enters your home and every person you come in contact with. Each person carries energy and leaves a trail that remains in your home.
