Photo Shoot for my new Website (including the bloopers)

This week I completely re-arranged my living room for a photo shoot.  My Web Designer/Brand Manager recommended that I get more ‘lifestyle’ feeling photos that say more about me than just a ‘head shot’ for my new website. So since my dining room is not yet finished, I couldn’t be photographed sitting on my sofa in the middle of the room (where it is now), so I pushed it up against the wall. . . and left the right side blank for copy since these photos will be on my new website.

 Sofa is custom made, Fabric: Poly/cotton velvet from Pace Fabrics

I didn’t know if he would want me sitting on the Barcelona, so I moved it into the dining room too. Here it is set up with lights from another angle.

Wall Colour; BM Natural Linen 983/CC-90

Here is my awesome team, Marvin Magallanes at Cielo Brand Associates, Jennifer Houghton, my photographer and my friend Jill McDonald from Reflections Interior Designs who came to spend the day with me to help out!

Above photos by Maria Killam

You can see I left my raspberry wreath up on the mantle, until I do something spring like with it, I like the hit of colour. Can you believe just one photo took 3 hours?  This is a sneak peek of the process.  My idea, and it was bad (but that’s why I have a stylist now) was to do something casual like this photo of Sarah Richardson:

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So I got into my favourite jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt just like she was wearing. . .

She took one photo and it was back to the drawing board (my closet). . . eeeeeeek! As you can see by this shot, the lighting hadn’t yet been adjusted.

This dress looked really awful as well because your eye goes straight to the big pattern on my chest. Definitely NO.


Here are two of the final photos. Marvin ended up picking the outfit that worked the best in the end.  An excellent art director as well as web designer!

Photography by Jennifer Houghton

Which one do you like?  

If you would like your home to fill you with happiness every time you walk in, contact me.

Related posts:

Who else wants an Inspired Website?

What every Designer should know about Photography

Does your Blog Header Reflect your Personal Brand?

New to this Blog? Click here ; Follow me on Facebook and Twitter; Become a True Colour Expert

How to Choose Paint Colours

When I was asked to join a few of my other talented blogger friends to answer some question on selecting paint colours I started thinking I don’t do that a lot on my blog.  You know the endless lists in magazines where designers say what their favourite colours are and why? When I was a new designer I would faithfully write down designers ‘favourites’ thinking it would help me in some way—it really didn’t.

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Each situation is still unique and the quickest way to become knowledgeable in choosing colours for you or anyone else for that matter is: 1. Having a selection of colours in all the different undertones painted on larger samples, 2. Seeing a lot of colour.  If you are committed to getting comfortable with colour (fast), I would travel everywhere with a fan deck and match the colour on the walls. In restaurants, at your friends homes, in public spaces.  Then you can say ‘That’s what Kendall Charcoal looks like’ and so on. 


However, we can’t resist reading ‘the favourites’ anyway can we?  PK on Room Remix spread out the questions over four days of posts, Question #1; What are the top 3 things everyone should do/consider when choosing a paint color? Question #2; What are Three of your Favourite Neutrals?

Can you guess which one this is?

Question #3 and #4
3. Do you have a favorite “statement” paint color, and what are some of your other go-to colors that aren’t necessarily neutral?

4. Any tips for choosing paint if your trim is natural/stained wood (oak, cherry, maple)versus enamel?
Question # 5 hat is one paint color that you’ve never tried, but really would love to (either in your home or someone else’s)?

Lonny Magazine via Pure Style Home

Thanks PK, it was fun to be included!

Then the Stylish blogger Award was going around blogland this week. Thank you to Trell at Polka Dots, Paint and Cake Batter for including me on your stylish list as well as Carol from Sofas & Sage and Kelly from Arte Styling!

Okay so 7 Things you don’t know about me:

1. I fall asleep at concerts and theatre productions.  If the dialogue or the music doesn’t grab me, I’m gone. . .

   (source)

2. I am not a cook. If it was up to me, I would eat a power bar.

3. I have a secret sweet tooth (so I make sure not to keep any sweets in the house—it’s the only way I don’t eat it).

Sweetapolita

4. I can’t see one foot in front of me without my glasses.

5. I love a good debate, is that evident from reading my blog? It’s why I participated in so many Landmark courses over the years.  If you want to have a loooong tongue and you want to learn how to communicate in a way that brings out the best in other people, this is the course for you.

6. I prefer white wine over red.  Much to the chagrin of the planet.  I’m usually the only one at the dinner table with a glass of white wine. I know some people say that’s like kissing your sister, but I don’t care.

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7. The only do-it-yourself kinds of things I do well is painting (cause I know how to cut in) and installing a light fixture.  That’s as handy as I get.

Have a wonderful weekend my lovelies!

If you would like your home to fill you with happiness every time you walk in, contact me.

Related posts:

Should you pay for a room to be Re-painted if you Chose the Colour?
The 80/20 Rule also Applies to the Most Popular Paint Colours (and how to paint up your large colour samples)
The Colour of Wood vs. Wall Colour; How Important is it Really?

New to this Blog? Click here ; Follow me on Facebook and Twitter; Become a True Colour Expert

Why are some Homes harder to Decorate than others?

I have had lots of conversations with clients who have said “I have decorated many homes with great success over the years but this house has me stumped.”  They call me because they need an objective opinion to get past something they can’t see on their own.

Image via Inspired Room 

Here is a great example of what I’m talking about. . .

See this lumpy green furniture below (lumpy to me because of the chair 1/2 from the 80’s—truly, even though this chair style is comfortable, the scale is too big for most homes in general) well this was in my last house. I wasn’t ever very happy with the whole room and I think I only showed this living room once on my blog because it did not represent 'my look' and we were renting so I had just pulled it together without a real plan. I hated the large in-your-face orange brick fireplace the existing carpet, drapes. . . the list goes on.



However when people walked into the room from the front door (this is exactly what you saw--above), they barely noticed the furniture because it practically blends right into the green hedge outside (sigh, I miss all the windows in that house).  Really, your eye goes right past the furniture and straight outside the windows. And then if you were standing in the living room (below), the huge, overpowering (high contrast) brick fireplace totally dominated the space visually.



So my green furniture?  It was almost in the background because there were so many other elements that overpowered it.

  Photos by Maria Killam

Then, fast forward—we move the same furniture into a new space and suddenly, you walk into the room and all you see is the back of it all, eeeeek (below) not to mention it had totally faded in spots from the sun in the old living room. Now I had already decided I was starting again in the new place because I was never in love with my old furniture and it wouldn’t have been my choice (it had been given to me in a break-up, don’t ask :).



Anyway, I got so depressed (okay I’m exaggerating but those of you that are highly affected by your surroundings understand) sitting in this room before my new sofa arrived (below) I barely spent any time in it for the first 3 months that we lived here, I just sat in my new office upstairs which was the first room I decorated. See the pink standard sheers that are 4 inches too short?  Brutal.

(Not finished yet) Interior by Maria Killam

So, if your furniture looked great in your last house and here it’s not quite right, this might be the reason. And this is just one of course, there are so many other ways that a new house can twist your normally good aesthetic into a pretzel and make you wonder if you even have a creative eye at all (trust me this occurs to me often in my house, I’m too close to it and—have I mentioned this already?—there are way too many options because I’m in the business).

The lesson here is to pay serious attention to the first thing you see when you walk into any room because whatever you’re looking at many times is the focal point of the room and it’s not always the fireplace (below) even if you have one. I wrote a great post long ago that elaborates on this further, ‘10 Ways to Save money NOW by Creating a Focal Point’.

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Bottom line, if there’s something in your house that bothers you and you can’t quite put your finger on it, email me for my on-line rates or find a designer you trust to help you. Trust me it will save you time, money and a lot of angst!

What bothers you about your house?

If you would like your home to fill you with happiness every time you walk in, contact me for on-line or in-person consultations.


Related posts:

Virtual Colour Consultation; Before & After
2 Questions to ask before you Renovate vs. Decorate
Danger; The First 24 Hours after you Take Possession

New to this Blog? Click here ; Follow me on Facebook and Twitter; Become a True Colour Expert

What makes a Design Blog Interesting?

I have mixed feelings on whether yesterday’s post should ever have been written. There was lots of lively debate in the comments and even a few cranky ones mixed in to the long list I received (I also lost a reader according to her comment).  Also, two emails arrived saying “Wow your sisters must be upset about that post”.  And here’s the thing, I read it to one because it was mostly about her and she said “sure no problem'” because actually I’m committed that we come to a solution that works for us all (and so is she).  My other sister was mentioned (so I didn’t read it to her in advance) and she was cranky, and we worked it out. She is the real writer in our family and she offered to write a post from their point of view, so I agreed. Stay tuned for that one.

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I wrote about ‘decorating for family’ because I know a lot of designers (and anyone who sells time) struggles with maintaining a balance with their family and friends and I honestly didn’t know the best way to handle it.  What makes me a good colourist and a designer is that I analyze everything and I do the same thing with relationships.  If I wasn’t writing about design, I would write a relationship blog because what makes people tick inside them fascinates me just as much as colour does.

And I also love a lively debate once in a while, I always learn something and I think what makes relationships great is when you work through the issues that push your buttons and get to the other side.  And forgive.  And forget. And forgetting is hard.  We hardly remember the argument that we had but we sure remember how we felt when the event or argument happened.

So what makes a design/or any blog interesting?


As Copyblogger says in this post, The first rule of Copyblogger

1. “Great content comes from craft, care, and attention, not talent.”

Image via This is Glamorous 

2. “It comes from obsessively focusing on what your reader wants. What’s bugging her? What problem is she having a hard time solving? What does she want more than anything? What’s she dreaming about? What wakes her up at 3 in the morning? What makes her feel like a beautiful and unique snowflake?”


Since a huge number of my readers are designers, I think that my post attempted to help them (and me) in the family = free conversation.  But what about all the rest of my readers who don’t care about that (because it’s not what you do) and had opposite opinions?

Or then there’s the other side of it (this part is for the bloggers reading this), written by Mike Duran; who asked this question:

3. “What kinds of comments are you looking for on your blog? Are you looking for “amens” and “attaboys”? Or are you really looking for dialog?” and then he quoted Copyblogger (like we all do):

source

“In the blogging world, buzz mainly finds you in your blog comments. When you hit a hot button, that’s where you first find out. When you look at great blogs, it’s not uncommon to find that the comments become even better than the post itself — so let them.


If you’ve written something that’s whipping up controversy, don’t hide from your comments. Embrace the buzz, both positive and negative. Learn from it. Dive in and chat. Your readers will thank you (and become even more loyal on account of it)” 


4. To have a good blog, pretend that your perfect client is on the other side of the desk while you’re writing.  Write to her.  So when I’m writing posts about money, I’m talking to the designers that attend my workshops.  When I talk about “How to have a great blog” I’m talking to other design bloggers.  When I talk about design, colour and atmosphere, I’m talking to my future clients, readers that love design in addition to designers and bloggers.

Image via the Beautiful Shelter 

I created this blog because I’m passionate about colour and design and because it took me so long to figure it out on my own, if I can, I like to make it easier for everyone else. And sometimes I write ‘about me’ because whenever I read a personal post on a blog that I follow it makes me feel closer to the blogger and it makes her blog more interesting to me.

There was lots of talk in the comments in yesterdays post (almost 100 by the time I’m posting this) analyzing my relationship with my sisters and whether it’s ‘healthy’ or not so let me be clear, for the record.  I love my sisters deeply, we are very close and at the same time, we most certainly argue and occasionally hang up on each other, but it generally never lasts long. Is our relationship perfectly healthy? Well that is up for us to decide and for you to analyze, should you care to.

source

Over to you, what makes a blog interesting?

If you would like your home to fill you with happiness every time you walk in, contact me for on-line or in-person consultations.


Related posts:

3 Things I Learned about Design while Decorating for my Mother
6 Uninteresting Things about Me
10 Things I Hate/Love/Share about me

New to this Blog? Click here ; Follow me on Facebook and Twitter; Become a True Colour Expert

Decorating for Family; How Much is too Much?

My youngest sister, her husband and two small children are moving even further into the country than they already are, Abbotsford to Yarrow. This is happening in February. And when they move they will need help decorating their house. The last time my sister moved (about 7 years ago) we spent many weekends over the years shopping and painting furniture together so that her house would be great.

Two of my sisters both love Blue Source

So that’s generous right? However, do I do all this in the true spirit of ‘freely-giving-without-expecting-anything-in-return’? 

Nope.  I do not.

Do I expect my generosity to be reciprocated?

Yes I do.

Because in the end, if you’re a human being, you generally expect something--no one wants to always be the giver or the taker (maybe).  Anyone that is in a service oriented business eventually gets to the point where they have to draw boundaries when helping their family.

Williams Sonoma Home

My mother is the only person who I will do anything for without expecting reciprocity because she is my mother. When I moved this summer, I ended up having a huge argument with my sisters because they did not come over to help me pack. And our conversations about this topic are always the same.  Where they resent me for feeling like they don’t have a choice, like they should jump when I need something because I have helped them sooooo much, they can never (in my world and theirs) do enough to pay me back. It doesn’t matter that they both have toddler age children—that excuse is not good enough :)

My sisters don't want to feel like they always 'owe me' (and I get that) because it's pretty hard to reciprocate enough when design advice is on-going and never-ending, we need a solution that works for us all.

My Chiropractor Brother-in-Law is actually pretty good at setting boundaries with family (and friends).  When he gets asked for advice, he lets people know that the appointment is free but that you need to schedule one and come see him in his office which I’m pretty sure cuts down the number of people that would take advantage of the offer down to family members. 

Dash & Albert 

My sister called me this a couple weeks ago in tears because she feels like she can’t ask me what kind of sofa she should buy or even discuss what the colours in her new house should be because she doesn’t want to have to deal with me getting cranky doing it for free. So yesterday when both of them (the other one is about to renovate her kitchen) said, “Is it okay that I’m asking you this?” I said “You guys are driving me nuts, yes already :)”

What do other designers do?  Well so far from the discussions I’ve had, the ‘free thing’ doesn’t work. Any designer who has been in the business for more than 10-15 years is at the point where they simply do not help their family anymore. It’s an easier way to maintain the relationship. And then there are no gray ‘I’m doing all the giving’ conversations to deal with. It’s fine if you only have one sibling, but I have three, and a mom and I’m the only one that got the (designer) creative gene.

 

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So here’s my take on the whole thing. If I spend my time (for free) helping my sisters decorate their homes, this takes me away from my already paying clients, which doesn’t work for me. And if they come up with a budget, I can turn it into a great living room (even if it is IKEA) and still have my fees included. I’m sure my sister would rather have a ‘designer’ looking living room with a low to medium price point, rather than medium to high end furnishings purchased without understanding space planning, focal points, colour, scale, texture and balance.

And even after you buy all the right pieces, the look and feel which equals atmosphere doesn’t really enter the space until the accessories and lighting have been placed just right.

Decorpad

I love my sisters and I want them to have beautiful homes, so I’m torn. Bottom line, we’ve pretty much worked it out and basically, they are going to pay me because they get that this is my profession and I can’t work for free but it’s still uncomfortable because we are so close. And obviously every single casual conversation will not be billed.

So I’m putting it out there for your feedback too.  How do you handle designing (insert your service profession here) for your family?

If you would like your home to fill you with happiness every time you walk in, contact me for on-line or in-person consultations.


Related posts:

A Bad Day in the Life of a Colour Designer
Ugly Costs the Same as Pretty
Why you should be Nice to your Suppliers

New to this Blog? Click here ; Follow me on Facebook and Twitter; Become a True Colour Expert

Review of Last Years Goals and a New List for 2011

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Have you ever noticed, no matter where you are in life right now, there’s always a higher bar to reach and when you compare yourself to where you think you should be (or even worse, to someone else), that’s when you get cranky?  Well that is how I’m feeling right now at the beginning of 2011.  If I knew two years ago where I would be now upon starting my blog, I would have been ecstatic!  But now I’m here and I just see where I’m not, compared to other bloggers and designers who I think are light years ahead of me. Whew. Does this even make sense at all?

   I miss Calvin & Hobbs

Anyway, here is my review of last years goals and a new list for this year:

1. Last year I said my dream was to buy the house we were currently living in and renovate it, but the owners finalized their plans to re-build and we moved out in May.  They have torn this house down and built a new one and so far it looks amazing.  The views from this house were so fabulous, I can understand why the woman that grew up in it would want to retire there. I’ll have to drive by and take an ‘after’ photo when it’s finished just for fun to show you.

Photo by Maria Killam

In the meantime, we are renting – AGAIN. However it won’t be forever.

2. I said I wanted a paint company to sponsor me and I wanted it to happen now.  Well it took the whole year but I have one now and I’m thrilled to announce it’s Benjamin Moore:

I am also on their ‘Ask a Colour Expert’s site now through Facebook.

Benjamin Moore has 5 corporate websites and I have been in them for a year, however my posts need an update:



Since my entire blog is already like an advertisement for Benjamin Moore, because I know and love their colours, it’s an easy transition for me.

3. I said I wanted my work published 5 times this year and here’s my list of 5:


1. In March the CMG used one of my portfolio photos to showcase their 2010 colour of the year, Mardigras Grape.

2.  In April Style at Home published my quote about light colours in dark rooms.

3.  In July another quote about a colour appeared In ‘Spaces’ Magazine in Kansas City.

4.  One of my projects appeared in September’s BC Home magazine again this year which was so great! I didn’t get the cover like last year but I was still very happy to be included. I just found this article re-printed again today in BC Living magazine on-line.

Interior Design by Maria Killam

5. I was also quoted in Floor Focus magazine in their November issue and I just realized I forgot to post about it until I started writing this post.  Stay tuned for a post on that one.

4. I said I would schedule a colour course in 2010 and I ended up with three. The first one happened in May, the next one was June and also in September (there are some video clips from the course in this post if you are interested).

My goals for 2009 I posted about here.  What stayed on that list for this year was:

1. A new Dining Table and Chairs.  Well I moved so that definitely speeded up the process of committing to one. I have new chairs (below) but I still haven’t found the dining table. Well I’ve found it but not for the right price yet.

Photo by Maria Killam

This is the dining table I want and it should be 42” x 72” with leaves to extend it further. This one is from West Elm but it’s too small. 

2. Taking a Trip to Italy is still on my list as we didn’t get there this year, yet again:

Image via Velvet & Linen

Last year I named my year, the Year of Now. I said I was tired of waiting for something to happen and I was up for creating things NOW. Looking back, I would have to say my year did not occur like NOW to me. Like the year before, when I named 2009 the Year of Publicity (and it really was). If I get straight about why, I think it’s because I didn’t have a coach or someone to hold me accountable. I had a bunch of excuses called “I haven’t found the right person yet”. I’m actually squirming as I write this because I don’t want to tell you.

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Anyway, onwards to my list for 2011.  Here it is:

1. The top of my list this year is a complete revamp of my blog and website.  I’m switching to Wordpress so that my blog, website, twitter and facebook fan page are all together in one place.

2. Become a homeowner. My plan is to buy a house sometime before December 2012. By the way, just so you know, living in this town is like New York.  The average price of a house here is a million dollars. And I want to live in Vancouver.  Living in the burbs with a life designed around driving is just not an option for me.

3. I’m writing an ebook (according to all kinds of people I need to write several actually) and I’m giving myself a June deadline but really the sooner the better. How about my Birthday, that’s a good date. If I’m ever going to own a house I need to make money while I’m sleeping. By the way the name of it is a secret, if I told you I’d have to hunt you down and. . . well you know.

Remember when I was in San Francisco for a money course back in July? Brendon was at the same hotel we were in and his banners were everywhere and I wondered what the heck his course was about?  Well now I know.

I was just watching this video from the Experts Academy by Brendan Burchard.  He answers the question “How do you take all of your knowledge and position and package yourself?”.  He says “The old economy was about you going out there and figuring out ‘what I need to do to earn a living’, and the new economy is about ‘what do I know that can make me a living’?

4. So not only am I going to write an ebook, but I plan to create a webinar, maybe some DVD’s I haven’t worked it all out yet.

5. Getting really, really fit. Okay I posted this photo of the stomach I want in 2009. This year I’ve decided to get serious about it. I have a new friend that goes to a boot camp 5 minutes from where I live at 6:00 am, 3 times a week so I am joining up and going. Until now I share a trainer on Friday mornings with my friend Virginia and then go to the gym on my own once or twice during the week but it’s just not enough. So that’s it, come January 2012 I’m going to post a picture of my stomach right next to this one.  That should keep me motivated!

6. What really lights me up and makes me happy is making a difference in the world. Either through introducing someone to the Landmark Forum, (because participating in those courses gives me the life I have now) or inspiring designers and homeowners who read my blog with colour and design ideas so that the environment around you becomes a harmonious and happy place. When your home becomes a space you love to be in, it makes you happier. Your stress about it goes away and you can focus on how to enhance someone else’s life, because yours is already handled.

7. I’m naming 2011 my “Year of  Expansion”. In all areas, business, friendships, partnerships.

Okay, so my trip to Italy is still on the list so I have all my major goals out here for you all to see!  And I’m doing the same as last year, everyone reading this is tagged so if you want to write a post outlining your goals, or maybe you have already, include it in the Linky party below so we can all get inspired:

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If you would like your home to fill you with happiness every time you walk in, contact me for on-line or in-person consultations.


Related posts:

10 Happy Goals for 2009
Review of Last Years Goals and a New list for 2010
The Secret to Having the Life the You that you Want

New to this Blog? Click here ; Follow me on Facebook and Twitter; Become a True Colour Expert

Clients and the Law of Attraction

Last week when I posted this article, one of my readers emailed me and said “Sounds like you’ve had a recent very bad experience or maybe a series of sorta bad. . .” and I responded that I can count on one hand how many ‘bad’ experiences I have had with clients in my business and that was mostly in the beginning when I was green. I wrote that post because I think the more [we] design professionals communicate with our clients to manage their expectations, the happier they are in the end. We are selling the intangible with design, in addition to custom made items and our clients are trusting that it will look great when they are finally installed! There’s a lot of blind faith involved!

Your imagination is your preview of life's coming attractions. Albert Einstein

One of the conversations I have often during consultations, especially when we are starting from scratch creating a new palette of colours, is “Just so you know, because we are simply picking colours and are not pulling it from a piece of art or your existing upholstery, it’s way harder to really get excited about an itsy bitsy colour chip”. That’s when you’ll second guess your designer/colourist the most, prior to you or she/he pulling together fabrics, finishes or artwork.

Whether you Think you Can or you Can’t—you’re Right. Henry Ford

I truly believe that I attract every single person that comes into my life, including my clients. The most rewarding part of blogging is that the people that read my blog resonate with something about me and most of my clients feel like friends whether I talk to them on the phone during our on-line consultations or see them in person.

I have defined the clients that hire me into 3 types. And each personality is me as well (I’m a Gemini after all and have many of them :)

1. Clients that have read my blog from top to bottom (All 450 posts—whew) already feel like they are my friend (If you have actually read my entire blog, you KNOW me ;) occasionally I even get a hug as soon as I walk into their house (or when I leave). It’s so fun I can hardly stand it! They trust my advice and know that I am not there to judge.

You are a living magnet. What you attract into your life is in harmony with your dominant thoughts. Brian Tracy

2. Some clients are worried. They know they might be trying too hard to work with an heirloom, purchases made in their travels or gifts from family or friends and they really need an honest opinion on whether they can really make it work and still get the look they want.

I am a big worrier, tortured even. Before I did many years of personal growth and development, I would tell anyone that would listen my problems because I had to know THE answer. I didn’t care how it made me look (not good that’s for sure) I just needed some relief from my analyzing brain. I am a big communicator, I like to talk about everything, all the time, the bad, the good, the pretty and the ugly. I will probably never get a disease from holding anything inside. Anyone that knows me, pretty much knows where they stand from moment to moment.

It took many years of Landmark courses for me to pause before I react and I’m so much better than I used to be (really). I still occasionally have trouble not instantly reacting with my family—hence the reason my sister is not speaking to me at the moment—but I do apologize right away (which I didn’t do in the past because I was so right). Sis (hopefully she still reads my blog) I’m thinking you should consider an IKEA kitchen. Not as expensive and they have come a long way with their kitchens—is that enough of a bribe to get you to call me back? I love you!

You create your own universe as you go along. Winston Churchill

3. Then there are the maximizers. Clients that need to weigh every possibility before they can decide. The ones that have a tastefully decorated home already, are usually well-travelled and/or have worked with designers in the past. They know what is trendy and have a pretty good idea of what works and doesn’t about their house. They are usually not happy with only having 2-3 choices (it’s our job as designers to narrow down 3 from 40,000 fabrics, after all). They need to come with me to the showrooms so they can see every other possible fabric themselves before they can be satisfied that they have made the right choice.

If I did not decorate for a living, I would certainly fall into this category. This is why decorating my current house from scratch is killing me because there are too many options and I like so many of them. At the same time that I cannot live with an empty dining room, I worry a lot that the fabric for my chairs (that has just arrived) is still going to make me happy 5 years from now.

Follow your bliss, and doors will open for you that you never knew existed. Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls. Wayne Dyer

Whenever something goes wrong with any of my clients (I am human after all and mistakes will happen), I immediately look to see where I am responsible, where was communication missing in the beginning, where can I be generous. And I’m good at visualizing the end result. If I was someone that had to buy my third sofa in a row from a client because they didn’t like it (one story I heard a while ago) I think I would go do something else before I looked to blame someone else for the mistake.

All images from Ludwig Design via A Gift Wrapped Life

I feel truly blessed for the bloggers who consistently post comments (thanks so much) even though I don’t have the same time I had in the past, to reciprocate. And for you, my readers and clients who read my blog and send me emails that truly move me and make me feel so lucky that I get to do what I love every day! Thank you to you all!

Do you believe in the Law of Attraction?

If you would like your home to fill you with happiness every time you walk in, contact me for on-line or in-person decorating and colour.

Related posts:

Managing Client Expectations

Do you make this mistake in your Business/Blog?

Happiness is. . . Having the Career that you Love

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