Creating Kindness & Quiet

I don't know about you, but lately I have been longing for an antidote to all the striving and stressing I have seen around me...

and this morning as I savored my cup of coffee, I had an idea. 

Maybe underneath all of the things we are working so hard to create these first few weeks of the new year--goals we are setting, new habits we are forming-- we also have a deep need for two things: kindness and quiet.

Why these two things? Well, I kind of feel like they make everything else possible. 

With kindness, we understand with compassion where we are right now, even if it isn't where we would like to be ideally. With kindness, we also give energy and love to those around us, strengthening them on their journey. 

With quiet (especially interior quiet), we get a break from our worries and have a chance to relax and allow things to just be.

Did you know our homes can help and support us in our need for kindness and quiet? 

Having a home that nurtures and inspires us, surrounded by things we love, is so very kind. Flowers on the kitchen table, beautiful art on our walls, comfy places to curl up with a book…simple kindnesses that mean so much.  

Being burdened with too much stuff, all of it clamoring for our attention, is distracting and disorienting. Having quiet surroundings--not just quiet as in lack of sound, but also a freedom from the noise of clutter and disarray--helps us to live with purpose and clarity. 

So, whatever your goals are for 2015, let kindness and quiet lead the way. Looking for a way to do just that? My workbook Project Home Workbook: 4 Weeks To A Nurturing, Lovely Home is free for the downloading, and will walk you through four simple weekly assignments, creating kindness and quiet all along the way. Download your copy now, & share the link with a friend for a wonderful & meaningful start to 2015. :)

February's Class At The Farmhouse!

It is time for another fun evening of learning and inspiration at the farmhouse!

In February we are having our (Dis)comforts of Home Workshop focusing on clearing clutter, creating comfort and finally discovering a home that nurtures and inspires you--YES, your house can do that!!

It is always such a fun evening, and a great opportunity to learn how to think about your house in a whole new way! We talk about how to create a home that feels good on a soul level, how to manage all of that STUFF (the dreaded clutter and all the stuff you love), and what things often stand in the way of our houses functioning at their best. AND there will be lots of time for your specific questions as well!

If your house has felt out-of-whack, out-of-date, and out-of-sorts for far too long, I hope you will join us! 

Register today if you are interested in creating a whole new feeling of possibility and peace in your home in 2015! Spots are limited, since I want to keep the class small and intimate--so don't delay! (We were completely filled last time…so hurry and get your registration in!)

Here are the details:

When: Thursday February 5th, 2015 at 7:30pm

Where: Locust Hill Professional Center 327 W Baltimore Pike Media, PA 19063 (across from Wawa Corporate Center)

Admission: $25

Click HERE to register

Hope to see you there!

Don't Forget The Icing

Cake is good, right? But cake is even better with icing!

You see, a lot of us have rooms that represent a really solid, moist, delicious cake--but we don't know what to do to add the icing that will make it sensational. 

This is what I call the "top layer"--the decorative elements that when put in place make for a whole new kind of pulled-together, stunning space that is so much more than the sum of its parts. 

The room pictured here was just that kind of thing. 

My clients called me to help them pull the room together.  A lot was already in place: a bed and duvet they liked,  walls freshly painted in off-white, curtains they had just purchased, family heirloom tapestries brought back from India a couple of generations ago...

But how can all of these things be brought together in such a way that the room will really sing?

I knew a few things would make a big difference…and here is the result:

I wanted to make a feature out of the antique tapestries that were so unique--so we had them reframed, and hung them front-and-center over the bed. 

Also, to give the eye a bit of a break from the many patterns in the room, we incorporated a new white coverlet and pillow cases. The additional throw pillows resonate with the colors from the wall hangings. The center pillow is so different with its terra cotta stitching and mirrored details--also from India, I practically jumped up and down when I found it!! :)

New lighting throughout the room was needed, and after I gave them my input for what they should look for, my clients found lamps while on vacation--blue and white to fit with the color scheme.

My clients, who are dog lovers, had a collection of what they affectionately called "Big Dog, Little Girl" prints that they also wanted in the room.  To make it strong visually, we created a gallery across the other walls of the room, grouping these pieces together. 

Simply adding the right details in the right way can make all the different parts come together into a delicious, beautiful result! 

Your Vision For The New Year (How To Attract More of What You Want, & Less of What You Don't)

A vignette of my vision board that I created at this time last year...

It is really hard to get somewhere if you don't know where you are going…but I bet you feel there is somewhere you want to go and all kinds of things you want to create with this glorious new year stretching out ahead of us!

Maybe you want 2015 to be a new kind of adventure, but you aren't sure what that is yet. 

Maybe there is just this nagging in your gut or a longing in your heart, but deciphering what that sensation is trying to tell you is hard amid all of the noise and commotion of everyday life….

Maybe this is the year that you want to embark on a renovation--either of your house or of yourself!

The thing is, if we could only just picture it (whatever "it" is) then maybe we could find our way there.

That's why this is the perfect time of year to make a vision board….

I have found that one of the best ways to figure something out,  to create a way to move forward, is to stop using words...at least for a little while. A vision board is just the ticket in--a way to translate the language of our hearts. 

Have you ever created a vision board before? A vision board is a collection of pictures, a collage of sorts, that helps to "get on paper" what is in our hearts. Because images can speak to our souls in a way that words cannot, gathering pictures that pull at our heartstrings and then displaying that board where we can see it every day, focuses our attention and helps us to create more of what we truly want in our lives. 

This is why I will be teaching a workshop on creating your vision board for the start of the new year: Follow Your Heart Home--Creating A Vision Board For 2015

Join me for an amazing evening of visioning with some scissors, glue, and a few other ladies to quietly encourage one another as we map out the amazing year ahead. (Of course, there will be wine and cheese, too!)

Three of the ten spots available in this workshop are already taken!  If you are interested, please don't delay--CLICK HERE TO REGISTER 

Here are the details:

When: Thursday January 8th at 7pm 

Where: Locust Hill Farm 327 W Baltimore Pike Media, PA 19063 (across from Wawa Corporate Center).

Materials: Poster board, glue, and magazines will be provided! We ask that each participant bring 2-3 additional magazines to share as well for a great variety of images. :)

Admission: $15 until December 31st (from Jan 1st on, cost is $25)

Here's to an AMAZING 2015!!

Taking time out for yourself to become clear on exactly what you want to create in your life is a powerful thing! Hope to see you there! Click here to register now.