April 10, 2008
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1) From My Desktop
2) The Creative Workshop - Creating Happiness Spaces
3) Creative Dozen - Unique Accents
4) About “The Home Dec Lady"
5) Legal Stuff
From My Desktop
Hello to all you faithful readers and visitors,
I was hoping by now to see some spring flowers or even some bare ground. However, I fear I was somewhat optimistic. We still have about 2 feet of snow here even if it is almost the middle of April. However, the days are longer and the sun is higher so life is good.
The creative workshop today brings up the theme of creating happiness in your home. Home is your base to regroup and get ready to face the world again tomorrow. To that end, it should be a place of peace and enjoyment. We all know how to create a kitchen, bedroom and general living area. However, how many of us think about creating a space for happiness?
We raised six children so it was really hard at one time to have private space other than our bedroom. Now, since my children are no longer home, I have the luxury of space. I have seveal happiness spaces, a quilting room and a small space I have set up in a guest room for watercolor painting. My husband on the other hand, retires to his outside woodworking shop when he feels the need for rejuvenation and privacy. We also love having friends over to play cards. Because of this, we changed a formal living room, (which our grandparents called a parlor) into a card room. We have set up a permanent game table, along with a buffet for holding and serving food. We also had room to set up a conversation area for breaks in between games. No TV or computer allowed in this room!
The secret to creating happiness spaces is to have a place that is set up in such a way that you can just go there and use it. No complicated set up or breakdown is necessary. There's a reason we watch too much TV or sit in front of the computer for too long. Think about it. It's there. In our face. All the time.
Use this same "in your face" principle to create happiness spaces in your home. Even if you can only carve out a corner of a bedroom at this time, you'll find your free time is much more enjoyable if you can spend time doing what you love rather than watching TV or using the computer just because it's there.
I hope you enjoy the "Creative Workshop" and that you are able to put some of these exercises and ideas to good use. You will find creating happiness spaces will make a big difference in your day to day physical and mental health.
Your Friendly Neighborhood (even if I am half way around the world!) Home Dec Lady,
Gloria
The Creative Workshop
Creating Happiness Spaces
When was the last time you took time to think about what makes you happy? Last week? Last year? Never?
Many of us spend our lives on a hamster treadmill. We run from task to task, place to place, job to home, and never take the time to reflect on where we are in life or where we are going.
This is a terrible shame, as life is short and we waste most of it away without even thinking about how we are living. This month we will try to get off our treadmill and really think about creating happiness in our life and home.
When you think of it, we really can only depend on ourselves to create happiness for ourselves. If we really want to be happy, we have to make it happen. Below are some suggestions on how to create happiness spaces in your home.
The first step is to become aware of what makes you happy. If you live alone then your only consideration is what you love. If you are part of a family, your happiness is interwoven with the ones you love.
What are your sources of happiness? Look through your memories to find times you felt really alive and full of joy. Were you on vacation exploring nature and taking pictures? Were you playing bridge with friends? Were you taking a class in stained glass or other creative activity? Were you alone or were you with others or a special someone? Think about patterns and discover what really makes you happy. This exercise may take only a few minutes or a week or more.
Once you have some thoughts about what actually makes you happy, consider how you can create space in your home to pursue this path. What interests would you like to engage in? Entertaining? Music? Family Activities? Do you have a place set up where you can just walk in and do what interests you without having to set everything up?
Consider your surroundings as they are now. Did you arrange things when you moved in and have never changed anything since then? Have your interests changed? Have your children grown from toddlers to teens? Maybe they have left home. Have your surroundings changed to reflect these interests and lifestyle changes?
If you have a formal dining room that you rarely use, consider using the space to create a happiness place. Do you have a formal living room that you only use during the holidays? Could you add some buffets or armoires for storage and create a more useable family space?
Are you happiest when you have a private place to relax and recharge your batteries? Consider setting up an easy chair with a nearby table and ottoman. Let it be known that when the door is closed, this is your private time and you are not to be disturbed.
To make happiness spaces in your home, set it up with specific activities in mind. Whether it is entertaining, family activities, creative projects or peace an tranquility you seek, find a spot where you can indulge in what makes you happy. At this time in your life, you may be only able to squeeze out a corner from a bedroom or transform a closet. It may only be a small island of space, but you will find the benefits associated with this space may transform your attitude toward life and even your health.
Make it as easy to walk into your happiness space as it is to walk into a room and plop into a chair to watch TV. Make your home a place where happiness happens.
Dare to Dream, Dare to Hope, Dare to Believe, Dare to Live!
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* Re-evaluate goals and ambitions * Explore interests * Tap into (under-recognized?) strengths * Invite challenge * Revel in freedom * Enjoy life... your way!
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What Type of Life Will You Retire To?
Creative Dozen - Unique Accents
How do you get an original look in your home that makes people look twice? With unique accents! Accessories don't have to be expensive to be noticed or make a statement. Check out the ideas below to gain some inspiration on making some changes that may perk up your home after a long winter.
1. Collect some beautiful, old salad vinaigrette sets from yard sales and flea markets. Fill them partway with colored water or flavored vinegars. Arrange them on the windowsill for a colorful display.
2. If you love to take baths, take the time to make a wall arrangement you love at the place your eye rests. Art, mirrors, wall scones, floral arrangements will all work well.
3. Also be sure to place a clock that matches your bathroom theme in the room. If there's any place that it is easy to lose track of time in, it's a soothing bath.
4. If you have a country style home, vintage finials ( the fancy carvings on top of posts and banisters) of various shapes and sizes make an interesting accent when clustered on a tabletop or shelf.
5. Old metal birdcages painted to match your decor make interesting plant holders. If you're not a gardener, check out the silk plant department of your local florist or craft store.
6. If you have a budding artist in the house, set up a permanent easel. This is a great way to show of children's art and their work can be alternated with other pictures or photographs so the easel art will always be continually changing.
7. If you have more books than shelves, pick up some wooden ladders of various heights at yard sales. Paint them to match your decor and set them up in unused corners to hold your books.
8. Vintage suitcases can be stacked at the end of your bed to hold extra bedding and out of season clothing. They can also be stacked as end tables if you have no room at the end of the bed.
9. Photos are much more interesting when framed in vintage style frames and arranged in a large grouping on a tabletop. Bring out some of those old black and whites that show life in a slower time. Let everyone enjoy looking at some of the stylish photos of the 20's, 30's and 40's of your ancestors times. To add another note of interest, place an antique camera at a strategic spot in your collection of photos.
10. Just because your computer is modern, your desk accessories don't have to be. Old inkwells, perpetual calendars, ink blotters, sealing wax, and other antique accessories add interest to a stark modern computer station.
11. If you live in the country, an umbrella stand holding a collection of unique walking sticks would make an interesting and useful accessory.
12. Beautiful terra cotta pots can be found in garden centers. These lovely clay pots come in all sizes and decorative styles. They can be used to hold kitchen utensils, pens and pencils, and numerous other items around the house.
About the Home Dec Lady:
If you enjoyed this newsletter, visit my website and learn to develop your creativity and create the home you dream of by using my **free** online home decorating workbook.
To find out why and how I am building a web business visit the Mysite/Myself page on my website. I am having fun and building a good income at the same time. If you would like to do the same, check out this page while you are visiting my online home
Take the time to visit this site if you can use an extra $500 to $1000 a month
Do you already own a website? Is it producing income for you? If you would like some hints to increase the income from your site download this *free* Affiliate Masters course. Read what other website owners are doing to increase their monthly income.
All products recommended on this site have been actively researched and used by me. I only recommend products and services I use myself, and hope you find some new and interesting ideas for developing and using your God given talents and creativity.
Your feedback is always welcome and appreciated! Feel free to email me and let me know of your comments and suggestions now while your thoughts are fresh in your mind.
Please feel free to pass on this issue to friends and associates --just keep the entire message intact and unaltered.
Published Monthly “Creative Home Decorating" is a newsletter geared to the individual who dreams of creating the perfect home atmosphere of peace, harmony, comfort and relaxation.
Designed to help the frustrated decorator and creatively challenged, this ezine will inspire you to jump in and take a chance on your inborn talents. By doing this you will grow from the inside out.
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Gloria Daniels, Publisher
http://www.home-decorating-room-by-room.com