February 5th, 2012
SO many words in our world! It’s easy to not hear them all, or just get in the habit of using the same ones.
Strong communication is one of the things that will get us noticed and understood in this world, one of the reasons for this series.
Every week, the refreshed home looks at a regular word we may take for granted, and gives it a moment in the limelight. This Word Of The Week is IMPROVISE.
From the Latin improvisus, meaning literally unseen, and the Italian improvvsio, meaning sudden, to be able to IMPROVISE is really quite a skill.
Unlike PLAN B, IMPROVISE is not a back-up.
It’s UNPLANNED, PRO-ACTIVE, and demonstrates LEADERSHIP. It arrives and takes action: ASSESSING, CREATING, DOING, and then GETTING ON WITH THINGS.
IMPROVISE is FLEXIBLE, and CLEVER. It does not lose sight of the task at hand.
It is not perfection, but always goes for the BEST POSSIBLE RESULTS under the circumstances.
IMPROVISE‘s ditzy, less hands-on distant cousin is WINGING-IT.
IMPROVISE is NOT AT ALL PASSIVE, and much more VESTED IN THE RESULTS.
Because modern life is what it is, the unexpected happens to us all. Don’t “make do”-be sure to take full credit for IMPROVISING!!
Tags: marie graham improvisational preparere of homes, the refreshed home, winging it on super bowl weekend, Word Of The Week IMPROVISE
Posted in A Day In The Life, I'm Just Sayin', Smiles, Word Of The Week (WOW) | No Comments »
February 2nd, 2012
This series started as a way to shine a brighter light on local merchants and businesses who offer unusual and thoughtful options for holiday gift-giving.
Three things became quickly apparent: First-we give gifts year-round, for different occasions. Two-sometimes we are the most deserving gift candidates we know. Third (channeling Sally Field now) you really, really liked it!
So now, going forward, this is a year-round, on-going series. Valentines Day is coming…so are birthdays, anniversaries, baby and bridal showers, etc. Please make this a favorite, and consider coming here first for you gift-giving inspiration.
For a number of years, I have been drawn to what I THOUGHT yoga was about, but got intimidated by all there was to KNOW: Intense yoga, hot yoga, gentle yoga? And oh yes, all the media images of slender flexible lovelies in spandex….the only constant was that I would read stories about real-life devotees in their 60s, 70s and beyond who were calm and happy, healthy and flexible. And the older I’ve gotten, the more I’ve wanted THAT to be MY future. 
This is not to educate anyone on the specifics of yoga…it’s about how that even early on, it’s come to work in the real life of an unathletic, non-graceful, kind of fearful and and semi-lumpy person (me), and that why a gift certificate for some introductory lessons could be the best gift you’d ever give
Through a business organization I came to know Michele Weiss professionally. Travel is her business, but yoga is her passion. A casual conversation some months earlier led to an email about classes she was teaching, which then found me in a cozy studio in Stamford on a Saturday morning about 6 weeks ago.
Yoga Space Stamford is nestled in the 2nd floor of the LAA (Loft Artists Association) Building on Canal Street, just down from Fairway, off exit 8 of 95. Love the creative feeling of the building, and the clean, simple feeling of the studio.
Owner Silvana Stein opened Yoga Space Stamford in 2008. First a practicioner for nearly 30 years, then a certified instructor, she has taught in 
lower Fairfield county since 1993, she is one of those afore-mentioned devotees with an amazing story of healing.
There is a very old saying (proverb?) ‘when the student is ready, the teacher will appear’. That has proven to be the case in other profound times in my life, and I am seeing that here, too. As I contemplate writing this, it occurs to me how un-intellectual this is. Thinking, talking, reading about it will not help you understand…for me, so far, it’s been about just showing up, listening and doing…just following instructions
lynegar yoga is what Silvana, and Michele, and the other instructors practice, this link can tell you more about it. Six weeks in, I can tell you first I am sore the day after…but it’s a good sore. I never was concious before of how many different body parts there were that I had such control over. But I am also thinking better, and carrying myself gently, straighter. I am taller and calmer, and deep, settling breaths just come, involuntarily. It’s wild.
Yoga Space Stamford has a full schedule of classes for those of all abilities, and some very attractive deals if you wanted to try a few without any monster commitment. If you are ready, and lucky enough to live in the Stamford area( it’s 20 minutes for me, coming from White Plains), check out the site and call Silvana for any questions. If you are out of the area, research it a bit, and look for your own local haven. Treat yourself, you’ll be glad you did.
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Tags: best Valentines Day gift, give yourself a gift, just go, yoga fears, YogaSpaceStamford
Posted in Appearances and Events, Better Health/Better Life, Giving the Gift, I'm Just Sayin', Small Business Spotlight | No Comments »
January 30th, 2012
Well, it’s official, the buying orgies of the 80s and 90s have finally caught up to us, there is just have too much stuff in our collective lives.
Do you know about Freecycle? Green, SAFE, thrifty and fun, you can find a home for the stuff that still has life in it, and find other stuff you want/need/could really use, all for free.
Freecycle was born almost 9 years ago, in Tuscon AZ. It started as one person doing this for the community, them looking for a way to connect other communities is what grew it to a a national organization with over 5000 chapters, almost 9 million members.
Free to sign up, free to belong, and no spam. Each chapter is moderated by local volunteers, who first check out your application (no crazy, anonymous posts, a’la Craigslist-it’s a closed system, members only!), then monitor posts that all culminate in daily e-newsletters to chapter members. Who has, and who wants. If you have or want, you submit the details, and someone within the chapter who can can answer that with their own want or have responds to that member, and arrangements are made for goods to be picked up, usually ASAP.
Here in Westchester, (13,500+ members!) I get 2-3 e-blasts a day, have seen the standards-baby stuff, clothing, household and electronic goods, here’s a sampling of the blast that came through about an hour ago:
- Offered: a light wood Eddie Bauer high chair, a Sears car top carrier, two Razor scooters and a bedroom set (Queen sleigh bed, dresser, night tables).
- Wanted: were lamps, a SONY phone charger, a walker, board games, a sewing machine, a piano keyboard and BBB coupons.
- Previously offered and now taken included 3 boxes of kids games and videos, snowboard boots and a bag of assorted crafts materials.
I, myself am the proud new owner of a Happy Bunny accent lamp from a recent offering…just the right bit of fun for a dark corner in my office. Free, safe and local, check it out, www.freecycle.org
Tags: budget-friendly decorating, freecycle.org, green decorating, guilt-free clearing out, marie graham westchester county green decorator-stager
Posted in Better Health/Better Life, Community/Greater Good, Did You Know, Dollars and Sense, Enviornment, If It's Free, It's For Me | No Comments »
January 29th, 2012
There are three elements I find that absolutely flummox most people about their home. They realize it’s important, but can’t visualize-or rationalize spending money on-anything beyond the basic.
Which is really too bad, because none of these elements need to cost a lot of money, and the right choice can go a long way, no matter what your goals.
Lighting is one of the Big Three most get stuck on. Not only is there rarely enough of it, what’s there is usually outdated, out of proportion, or looks just like what everyone else has…because it’s what the local big box store shows.
No matter if you are staying in, or getting ready to sell a property, if it’s well-chosen and with personality, it will add function and be engaging. It may be counter-intuitive, to spend money on something that will stay when you are selling but think of a small, well-defines area, and remember:
- Engaging buyers in a way that other properties don’t is a big component of a well-prepared property
- When YOU’VE figured something out for the buyer that no other seller has, that is value-added
- You can always have the sales contract written to reflect the fixture is coming with you
- Unless you are buying a close-out, you should be able to purchase another within a reasonable time frame
A solid, overall lighting plan will be unique to each property. In the case of task (end-table, vanity, desk top) and accent (sconces, buffet lamps) lighting-much will depend on the taste and existing furnishings. For our purposes today, I will just share a few scenarios I’ve come up against recently, and what I found that worked.
Chose this (left) fixture for a contemporary bathroom, in a modern apartment. It was a generous-sized room, with darker toned wood vanity, double sinks in a granite counter top and marble floors.
It had been a bachelor pad, new owners wanted to make it a little prettier. Did three of these fixtures, one at either end of the vanity, one in between the two sinks, $185.00 each.
This (right) was chosen for the entry of a 1928 Arts and Crafts home. Many A&C homes are often dark, harsh and austere.
As a design element, stars are signify luck and hope. Antiqued copper was the right material, and the clean lines agreed with the nature of the space, but these curves warmed and softened it.
Smiles from the first step inside the house, $218.00
In a contemporary colonial, there was a pass-through area off the kitchen. It was designed to be a butlers’ pantry, but owners decided to make it a wet bar.
We found this to be exactly the right ‘mix’ of fun and function, $225.00
Money spent on the right lighting is always money well-spent. Materials, scale, lines and light it gives off-both amount, AND direction!-are all to be considered first, but seriously, have fun with it, too.
NEXT: Window Treatments Made Easy
Tags: Big Three Design Challenges, choosing lighting, fun with budget friendly lighting fixtures, Marie Graham Westchester County Decorator, standout details
Posted in Decorating, Dollars and Sense, Home Selling and Home Staging, Shop Like The Pros | No Comments »
January 29th, 2012
Word Of The Week is about a thought-provoking word, and often an image that calls to me, this weeks’ word is TIMING. 
Understanding how other people see things, what they find interesting and important is both enlightening and inspiring. Photography can tell you a lot about what anothers’ thoughts, so every so often I will troll through the free photo download sections on Flicka, and Dreamstime. Sometimes the titles are as compelling as the images.
I found this photo to be very provocative, have not been able to get it out of my mind. It’s called Deer, and Wolf Tracks in the Snow. See how close the tracks are? TIMING here is a matter of life and death, probably for both parties.
TIMING works hard to be DELIBERATE, but there is still an unknown, a wild-card element that can play out in a number of different ways.
TIMING is not random. There is PLANNING; PRACTICE and VIGILANCE improves your odds of a favorable result, but there are NO GUARANTEES, either.
It’s what happens when your actions intersect with LUCK-or FATE…which I would suggest are two sides of the same coin, it depends on your PERSPECTIVE.
Sometimes we will just never know what could have been…I’m hoping that was the deers’ experience. But in the end, whether you’re looking for a parking space, telling a joke or THROWING A GAME-WINNING TOUCHDOWN PASS (Go, TOM!) I think it will always come down to just showing up, and doing the best you can, every time. 
Tags: David Tyree, Do Your Best Every Day, Fate and Luck, Perspective, Practice, Super Bowl, Timing, Tom Brady
Posted in Home Selling and Home Staging, I'm Just Sayin', Word Of The Week (WOW) | No Comments »
