Do You Treat Yourself Well at Home?

How do you prefer to live? Do you take the time to treat yourself well at home? Do you do things in your home that make you happy and feel good?

Last week I had a conversation with a client about bringing rituals and ceremony into her home. She had read one of my articles and wanted to bring her “signature” into her environment. To do this she knew she had to better understand herself so that she could customize her personal space.

As we talked about doing this she realized that it was about her preferences. It was about her habits and things she likes that gave her comfort and bonded her with her surroundings. Of course, her favorite things are very different from yours and mine.

If you want to do this, you first have to get in touch with your inner self to see what you need and want to express in your most personal spaces. This type of bonding is done when you repeat something every day and look forward to the special things you do for yourself.

The habits and preferences you practice in your spaces is what personalizes them. What you do can be peaceful and serene and other times can be fun and exciting. Here are a few examples of what I’m referring to:

• Your kitchen can be a quiet place in the early hours before anyone else is awake. It’s where you have a cup of coffee in your special cup looking out into your garden or read your emails. Perhaps it’s taking your vitamins with a crystal or “funky” wine glass. This all depends on how you design your preference for starting the day.
• Your bathroom can have candles around the tub for relaxation and meditation. You can have a special color toothbrush in a special glass. Your night clothing can be hanging waiting for you on a pretty hook. I have a glass that only matches my bedroom color (and doesn’t match anything else in the house) which I take to bed. This is where I take my evening vitamins which I keep on my bedside table in unique containers.
• Any area of your home can contain your favorite things. Like pictures in beautiful frames, your private collections, flowers, personal mementos and sayings.
• For fun or whimsy, games you enjoy can have an area with a table designed in playful colors.
• A ceremony is something you might do when you bring a new piece of furniture into your home—you can bless it and state the intention for it.

When creating personal spaces all your senses come into play. You can surround yourself with your favorite fragrances, colors, textures, sounds and flavors. When you make yourself important enough to nurture yourself, you are creating healing. When this healing is experienced and is repeated it becomes a habit.

As you make changes in your environment remember this is your sacred space and refuge from the world. Be open to the possibilities. Look inside you, the true “interior” design, to see what you would like in your surroundings and then make it happen once your vision is clear. Trust yourself and your choices. It takes a great deal of honesty to get what you need and want. Interior design is a creative process where there is no right or wrong. If it feels right, it is right!

Design from the heart and enjoy the outcome. Remember, rooms have no feelings, you do!”

 

 

 

 

When you have an interesting front door and entry, people want to come in and discover what’s beyond it.

 

-Barbara

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to never miss another birthday or anniversary? Barbara’s Picks member, God’s Garden Treasures, can make that your reality with their Concierge service. Give them the dates and your preferences. They will contact you before the date to discuss your options. They will design a piece of memorable floral art and deliver it on time! How sweet is that?!? MORE!

There could be some legitimate reasons for not buying a home but indecision is not one of them. Indecision is rooted in not having enough information to move forward to own a home or continue renting.

When you consider principal reduction, appreciation and tax savings, your monthly cost of housing could be much less than the rent you’re paying. The principal reduction included in each payment is like a forced savings account that increases as your mortgage balance decreases. Your equity in the property will also grow due to appreciation as the home goes up in value. The equity is part of your net worth and an investment in your family’s future.If you keep renting, at the end of the year, you have had a place to live and a pile of receipts that helped the landlord pay for his house. Deciding to buy a home will give you a place to live that is yours and all the things that come with that.

The income tax savings can be an additional financial consideration if the combined interest and property taxes are greater than the allowable standard deduction.

Trends are showing that both tenants and homeowners are staying in their homes longer. It’s been said that whether you rent or own, you’re paying for the home. Do you really want to buy the home for your landlord? Check out your numbers on a Rent vs. Own and then, call us to help make it happen.

Would you like a trusted advisor to discuss your options with?  Contact Eva Marin, Homes By Eva 

Do you need a website to kick off the new year? Now is the time to begin the process. Barbara’s Picks Member Your Computer Lady even has a special package that includes everything you need for your first year! Get the details!

Watch this amazing master closet makeover by Barbara’s Pick member Classy Closets! I’m ready to move in!

As I was putting my Halloween decorations out this year, I thought what a pleasure it gives me to have these symbols of the holidays. The pieces I’ve chosen have become sweet memories. For instance, I have a large white porcelain pumpkin that matches my black-and-white home. I adorn it with orange pumpkins but my personal black-and-white statement is there.

I also have an orange glass lamp with a black shade that I only bring out during October. I use it to temporarily replace a lamp in my kitchen and then I move it on Halloween night to the table outside my front door to light the way to my surprises for the trick-or-treaters. I pack it away each November 1st until the next year.

For Thanksgiving, I have other accessories. I love using my white, brown and black turkey serving pieces which I set on an autumn-colored tablecloth. I then add a mix of napkins in those colors. It’s also lovely to randomly add autumn leaves on the table. You can use votive or colored candles to make it complete. It’s not expensive to rent a tablecloth and napkins so you have different colors every year. Finally, I place my festive wooden turkey plaque at the front door to welcome my guests.

When I open my cupboard, I am always excited to see the potpourri of colors I store for the holidays. It’s like old friends coming to visit. There are times I introduce new friends into my collection as my family of decorations and ornaments grow.

The holidays are all about color! Much of my collection has no particular holiday symbolism. I simply use the right color for the holiday. If there is a particular symbolism to the holiday, I blend color with those pieces that carries the theme further. When using color only, you can start the holiday early and end late.

The other day I was at an accessory store with a friend. She saw hand towels with a Christmas design on them for her powder room. She asked what I thought of them. I was concerned that people would not want to use them and that, if someone did, the towels would be ruined. I suggested that perhaps colored towels would be just as effective. I recommended red or green, accented with gold or white.  They would be washable and replaceable. Next I suggested that Christmas ornaments be placed around the area for theme and fun. As we talked, she remembered several Christmas decorations she could use in the powder room.

It’s possible to celebrate each holiday with your personal decorations that make a statement about you. Think about the pieces you might have tucked away and how you could use them to decorate for the holidays.

My holiday decorations have become a holiday ritual. “Holiday rituals – activities that invite us to step out of ordinary time – play a strong and important role in emotional health,” says Andrew Weil. He goes on to say, “They deepen relationships, allow the expression of important values, and offer a sense of security and continuity.”

Your rooms will look beautiful and give you a feeling of celebration. So consider what you can do to put you and your visitors in the mood of the holiday. Remember, rooms have no feelings, YOU DO!

On Tuesday, October 17th, AZADI Fine Rugs celebrated the 1st Annual American Dream contestants with a reception at their Scottsdale Gallery.  The art contest aims to encourage children to spread their wings in the world of imagination and build on the essential elements that art and creativity bring to their lives. Open to students age 5-18 at Scottsdale Christian Academy and working in partnership with SCA art teacher Crystal Cruse, the students were asked to submit a drawing based on their interpretation of the American Dream.  A handmade rug was woven based on the winning design. AZADI Fine Rugs has held the American Dream Contest in Telluride for five years, and in Sedona and Jackson Hole for 3 years.  This year they expanded it to Scottsdale. MORE!

Jerry’s Audio/Video offers you the latest in technology! The Edge Media Frame is built to order to accommodate any TV and Horizon Series soundbar. Available in a variety of finishes, the solid hardwood frame magnetically attaches to the ventilated backplate, allowing for easy installation and maintenance. MORE!