a vibrant outlook

Photo from bhg.com
Lately I have been drawn to a more neutral palette than my usual inclination toward deep, but cozy colors. However, I just finished reading a feature in February's Better Homes and Gardens, and I have fallen in love with the design sense of Elaine Griffin. Bold, earthy and contemporary but classic, Griffin somehow blends and balances trendy colors and patterns with a dose of timelessness.

Photo from bhg.com
The combination of rich orange and leaf green has got me wishing I could paint the walls of our new apartment.

I am sort of on a design book buying binge, so I think I'll add her book Design Rules to my shopping list. I have really enjoyed viewing her portfolio on her website, www.elainegriffin.com.


Since I can't paint, I guess I can get my color punches in the form of artwork, accessories and fabric. Maybe once I find those perfect bookcases, I could paint them a nice juicy color, like Benjamin Moore's Rumba Orange. Doesn't that just sound like a good time?

get it together

This book got me motivated to tackle the large project of organizing my basement. Eliminate Chaos is written by professional organizer Laura Leist. Leist breaks down the overwhelming task of sorting and discarding the junk from our lives into 10 doable steps.
Here is how she suggests you approach each organizing task, large or small, in your home:
1. Dedicate the time...make a date with yourself or your helper and stick to it.
2. Gather supplies:garage cans or bags, boxes, a shredder, and a marking pen.
3. Establish an area in which you can place items as you sort.
4. Sort: items to keep, sell, donate, or trash.(Get the "toss" items out ASAP!)
5. Purge items that are no longer valuable or useful to you.
6. Group like items as you sort and purge.
7. Examine the empty space and make a plan before returning items into it.
8. Shop for the organizational components you will need for your new plan.
9. Install your new purchases, put the items you've kept in their new homes.
10.Maintain your new orderly space. Consistently evaluate to see that the new systems are working for you. If not, adjust them so that they will.

I used this process with my basement, and got through the sorting step, but unfortunately never actually got the items to be donated or given away out of the house. Now they take up valuable storage space down there, and since clutter begets more clutter, my great organizing job is quickly coming undone. I will pretty much have to start over! I really should have followed the 10 steps a little more closely!

Eliminate Chaos has locations around the Puget Sound, and Laura frequently appears at our Renton, WA IKEA to speak on common organizing topics. On July 19th, from 9:00-10:00am, listen to her tips on getting the kids organized for back to school. Most likely there will be information at this event that can also be applied to other areas of your life. If you are a busy mom though, get yourself in gear for the school year early, and be rewarded with a smooth transition that will impact you all year long.

become your own boss

This book: The Boss of You, by Lauren Bacon and Emira Mears, has absolutely positively affected my outlook on entrepreneurship. This is the business guide I wish I had three years ago when I first started thinking about doing my own thing. The two creative and professional women have an incredibly accessible writing style. I feel as if I am in the presence of a friend who really knows what she is talking about- doling out the perfect combination of sound advice, humor, and reality. This is not to say that things are dumbed-down. Quite the contrary. All of the information you need is there, but put into a really relevant, totally relate-able context.


The strengths of the book lie in the outside of the box brainstorming exercises the women implore you consider. I have to admit, that I rebuffed when they directed me to come up with several "customer" profiles, including names, occupations, style of dress etc. Later on though, I understood why this was such an important thing to ponder in such detail, as I attempted to pinpoint who would want to use my services.

I have read my share of the predictable business books. How dry, boring and discouraging they all seem now! Honestly, I could never quite make it past the financing chapters. That was usually the point at which all my hopes were dashed. I even wrote a business plan, and the end result was a pile of words that neither reflected nor resembled my ideals, values, and business goals at the core. On the contrary, in The Boss of You, Bacon and Mears taught me that I really don't need a formal business plan, especially since I am a sole proprietorship who is not looking for funding. I just need to have an intimate and well thought out sense of what I want my business to be. Now I do.

Lucky for me, I will get to meet these gals! Velocity Art and Design's Lab series is hosting them on July 23rd from 6-8pm at their South Lake Union showroom. I am really excited to hear them talk about the book and their own experiences with becoming successful business owners. If you have ever even thought for one second you might want to be your own boss, then you have got to pick up this book! On their blog, you can read a sample chapter, hear more practical advice, and get a sneak peek into other women business owner's success stories.

The best part is that the book makes me feel like I can actually do it. So here I go!

great design basics

A wonderful resource to guide you in creating your ideal home environment is Better Homes and Gardens "New Decorating Book" (2007 edition). It leads you through assessing your style and color preferences and educates about basic interior design concepts and principles. It is full of beautiful color photos to spark ideas and help you visualize your space in a new way. As your first step, it encourages you to create a design inspiration board. On a bulliten board post up pictures of rooms that you like, paint swatches you could see on your walls, fabrics you might use on a chair or pillow, and other objects or magazine cut outs you are drawn to. This will pretty much help you pinpoint your decor style and give you a comprehensive picture of what "home" is to you. I am about to embark on this project myself and will share it when it is complete. Surprised I haven't done one yet? Well, the thing is that my tastes and ideas and preferences are constantly evolving. My hope is that this board will just affirm some of the things I've always been drawn to and perhaps expose some exciting new trends to pursue. Anyway, check out the book if you have the chance. It will surely not disappoint you.