Welcome to the "Dream Club"

Are you one of those people who have daydreams while watching a design show? One that would sacrifice a body part to have the room you always dreamed of? I know you are one of them, because we all are part of this…I call it “The Dream Club”.

We all have that feeling. The one you get when you first spot something you love in a magazine.  We picture ourselves sitting in our dream room, but then as soon as we lay our magazines down and look at the room we are sitting in, the happiness fades all because we think…”Nah. It’s not for me, and besides I don’t have the money.” We allow ourselves to enter a “comfort zone”. The comfort zone is a zone full of compromise, excuses, and low standards.

That comfort zone is where a lot of us live.  We are not talking just about home design; we are also talking about things like: clothes, cars, shoes, food, careers, and more. Getting yourself out of that comfort zone can be scary I understand that and you might be one step to the change, but the fear drives us more than the desire for change.

Who has hopes and dreams?  Everybody!!  Now let me tell you a secret; you can have that dream room.  For example: the picture of the Home Style Magazine that you loved can be recreated. The HGTV show you just watched; you can have that!! The Pintrest picture walls you share everyday…Yes you can have all that. All you need is to go for it. The first step is to know the home style you envision for you and your family. You don’t need to stick to one.  It’s like shoes. Shoes have so many different styles and we can’t have enough of them, but you would never stick to just flats right? You still have some wedges and pumps and boots oh my.  Similar to shoes, home style décor also has a variety for you to choose from: Rustic, Retro, Eclectic, Minimalist, Classic, and Country Chic to name some of them. All these styles have beauty where you can mix and match continuing with a vibe and a flow you want. All while making your room feel cozy and comfortable. Something to remember is not everybody can afford the décor on HGTV, Home Style or pay for an interior designer.  So here are some ideas for you to follow so you can save money and recreate the room you want with things you own.

Let’s say you saw a picture of a living room on Pintrest https://www.pinterest.com/ and you love it, then again you don’t know where to start:

• Print the picture; having the picture in your hands is going to motivate you to get that room done
• Go around your home and look for things that are close to what you see in the image. Look for vases, candles, mirrors, chairs, cushions, etc. Don’t be perfectionist, with some time and money you are going to slowly make changes, but for now use the things you have at home. Trust me it’s going to be worth it.
• After your done recollecting these items, go back to the living room and re arrange the furniture. Your layout might be different from the picture you have, nonetheless the furniture can be position around what works for you and your space. You can always follow the picture, or you can go with your gut and get creative. The picture is just a paper with guidelines; those  directions can always be changed. This is going to give your space more personality and more of you. Go for it!! And have fun while you’re doing it. 

    Here are some easy ideas for you.

    http://decoratedlife.com/decorating-on-a-budget-fabulous-living-room-ideas-on-a-budget/

Before Happy Hour

        

         It’s Friday and we are all so excited to go home, right? Now, before you pack up from work and head home, I want you to look around your work area and see if your office is in a clutter. How do I know if my office is in a clutter, you ask? If you see lots of papers in the desk, files on the floor, boxes, pens and pencils everywhere then yes your office is in a clutter and it needs to be organized.

         

      I understand that it’s Friday and all we want to do is just to go home, be with the family, and relax.  I know you are ready for that glass of wine, but before you get to all those lovely ideas we need to DE-clutter.

         Your office is your second home; you probably spend 6 to 8 hours in there.  The clutter in your office or working area can create bad energy. Bad energy can bring you lots of stress and not enough focus.

 All this heavy energy and lack of concentration can give you anxiety, bad mood, swings and just overall gives you a feeling like you want to run out of the room. Why go thru all of that when you can fix it. Allow me to give you a few tips I can help you keep your office a clutter-free zone.

              Every day before you go home, put away all the files, close the email and get rid of any unnecessary boxes.

-          Files or Paper work:     Separate them in 3 piles. * DONE * STILL WORKING * NEW.  When you are done separating them place them in a tray or a file box that is already labeled. That way when everything is organized for the following day.  Don’t play the crazy search game on a Monday morning, you will always lose.

-          “Still working” pile: is very important. You need to go thru the file and put them in an order of most important to least important. This is going to help you manage your time better early in the morning.

-          Boxes or packages: find a spot in your office where you can put them away until you have time to get to them. If it will only take you 2-3 minutes to open it and put it away, do it right then. If not, have a designated space to keep it.

     

        Since it is Friday and we are rushing to get to the Happy Hour specials take 15 minutes to clear the “Done” bin before you go. *Remember, if something  only take “2 minutes” to finish, do it right then.* Put everything where it belongs, clear your desk and shut your computer DOWN! Your desk should look like the same every day of work. Why? Well because on Monday when you go back to work your office is clutter free and your day is going to start with a big smile and good and positive energy.

Now it’s time for you to relax and enjoy your weekend. Cheers Everyone

My Favorite Place in the House

       

Do you have a favorite place in your home…? I might be a little bit embarrassed to say this, but my favorite place is probably my bedroom.OK. Let me tell you the truth; I LOVE MY BED! I see my bed and I smile. As soon as my body tumbles on the sheets ans pillows I go to immediate relaxation mode. The softness of the sheets, the cold the smell it makes me feel like I'm in heaven. 

If you think about it, when you are sleeping your body is working hard while you are having sweet dreams. Your body is slowing down your breathing, your heart rate, and your blood pressure. As the muscles start to relax, the tissues are growing and repairing.  Your body’s energy is restoring.  

So many things happen in a bed…but are you taking care of it? I’m not talking just about the mattress; in that case I would have to write another blog on how you can keep your mattress clean. Today I want to talk about the face of your bed.

I like to use cooking and eating as an analogy. For me food has to have a lot of different colors, textures, appearances and pleasurable aromas. (Even though some cheeses with a funky smell can be so good.) Now, who wants to eat the same thing over and over, right? We should do the same thing with our beds. Keep a constant rotation of color palates, textures and your favorite fragrances to “pair” with different moods. For example, if you are a fan of lavender, pair the fragrance with shades of purple, white and green. If you love citrus chose lemon or lime with nice herbs like rosemary, magnolia, peach and raspberry can also be a beautiful scent. For these particular aromas pick some green, blue or turquoise colors. 

 For you to look forward to getting home and relaxing in your bed, it has to be appealing to your eyes. The face of your bed has to have inviting colors, textures and a sweet aromas. You can always find nice natural linen sprays, scented sachets or natural flowers. Not only are these home accents going to give you a soft fragrance, but it will also give you a beautiful touch of décor.  

       

http://www.diynatural.com/aromatherapy-room-linen-spray-recipe/http://www.centsationalgirl.com/2010/06/diy-lavender-eye-pillows

 Now, I would like you to picture a hotel suite you loved. I want you to remember every detail, from how they fold the comforter, to how they placed the pillows. If your mind is taking you back, I want you to re-create it.

    The best and easiest way to give a quick affordable makeover to your bed is with pillows!!  All you need is to go shopping INSIDE YOUR HOME. Go to the living room, TV room, guest room and check those accent pillows that will go with your bedding. Change them and give it a new look without you spending money. Add the new scents that you prefer and Wallah!  Remember, it's all about having fun and utilizing the things you already own.

                                                           

 

To learn a little bit more about sheets, here is a link that will help you decide.

http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/decorating/bedroom/best-bed-sheets

The little red house on the street

Little things in life give you big pleasure; at least this is how I felt this weekend when I had the opportunity to be a part of an amazing experience.

This weekend I went to Tampa to enjoy some quality time with friends and family.  I was asked to join them for a painting session. I was pretty excited to see what we were painting was it a vase, a picture, a glass, or furniture?  There are so many things that you can paint, right? But I never expected to hear that the thing we were painting was a house. Yes a house!

I couldn’t be more excited, especially when I heard the homeowner’s story. Our family friend is part of a realtor company in West Chase Tampa. This group teams up every year with Paint your Heart out Tampa, a volunteer program for citizens, businesses, social clubs, and volunteer organizations. Their main focus is helping lower income, elderly citizens in the community with giving them a touch of paint. Paint Your Heart Out Tampa is responsible for painting more than 2.500 houses around Tampa.

That Saturday we had a very early start and headed over to the house. When we arrived,  I had the pleasure to meet an amazing team. Family and friends of the realtor’s group also joined the team; I was speechless to see how many people showed up to change one families’ life.

  The owner of the house is Mrs. Martha, from Honduras. Martha, a colon cancer survivor, and her husband applied to Paint Your Heart  Out Tampa (Click on the link to follow them on Facebook) 3 years ago. The years had passed and she thought she would never have that opportunity to give her house the needed care. What a surprise she got when she found out that her house was chosen.

Red! Red was the color she chose for her house. (I mean RED) I asked her why she choose such a bright color and she said “ Si la vida me da la oportunidad de pintar mi casita, quiero un color que me de vida y me haga feliz” If life gives me the opportunity to get my house painted I would chose a bright color, a color that will make me happy”

She kept walking in and out of the door to see her house. Every time she glared with a big smile.  Her happiness was our source of energy. That’s all anyone really needed. I couldn’t feel more satisfied. This experience has given me one more reason to love and cherish everything I do, everything I have and how much is there for me to share.  

To anyone contemplating getting involved in charity work; look for volunteer jobs around your area. In the Orlando area http://makingthedifference.us/needs.asp