This eco-friendly concept is known to repurpose, rearrange and refresh your rooms like you see on HGTV - in one day! Also known as Interior Makeovers and One Day Decorating. There is lots of talk these days about Green Design. What does that mean to you? Springtime is a perfect time to look at our efforts and what we are doing for the environment, our homes and families. How do you go about incorporating Green Design into your home? I have always felt that Interior Redesign is one of the purest forms of Green Design. Our services focus on: "Affordable rearrangements using your existing furnishings to create beautiful and functional living spaces!"
How do you do that?
Purchase items made from recycled materials.
Look for sustainable wood products made from bamboo or eucalyptus.
When you purchase locally, you also help the environment by reducing energy to transport products and you stimulate the local economy.
Go through your home and do an inventory of what furniture, artwork and accessories you really like.
Rethink those special furniture pieces. Can they serve another function in another room?
Are they still in good condition and perhaps need a new coat of paint or refinishing? For smaller jobs, you can use Howard Restor-A-Finish, found at Home Depot. Sometimes it can eliminate refinishing your furniture.
Or maybe the time has come to recycle those pieces you do not like anymore to another person or donate it to charity.
What about consigning some of those pieces that you already have and perhaps recoup some of the money to purchase some updated accessories or artwork? Many stores now carry "Green Products".
No matter what avenue you take, think about how to renew before buying something new.
Springtime is an excellent time for Renewal or Redesign. Do you still need help? We can help you by offering a personal customized Redesign. Renew with Green Design in your space today!
It is official. We have just updated our image and our new website for One Day Redesigns! I am very excited because this has been a long time in the wings. Our new website is RedesignBoise.com. We are very pleased with the work our talented webmaster and graphic artist. April Brinkley, from Lipstick and Rouge Designs, is creative and caring. (lipstickandrougedesigns.com) We have been in business for four and a half years in Boise. It was time to update and simplify our look, info and our website all around.
As I was thinking about websites I thought I would share with you things to consider on a recycled article I wrote for IRIS (Interior Redesign Industry Specialists) Resource Newsletter a few years ago. I believe the information still applies to you today.
Whether you are a Redesigner, Home Stager, or any other type of Real Estate Professional, I believe the message applies to you. I hope these tips helps you as you look at your website and see what needs to be changed!
Going to the Next Level - Does Your Website Need A Redesign?
I have spent a lifetime of study in color, design, graphics and art. I am continually researching information on these subjects. We are in a "cutting edge" industry of Interior Redesign that stresses to "declutter" and simplify with an emphasis on the age old slogan of "less is more." Yet, some of the Interior Redesigner's websites throughout our industry appear "busy" and "cluttered." If a website is too congested with many fonts (lettering styles), pictures or graphics, it will appear to have a "cluttered" look instead of a "clean" look. Since first impressions are lasting impressions, then perhaps you may be losing business if your website does not appear to be organized and professional with flair of design. We must be constantly looking at ways to connect with future and current clients with creative ideas that are "unique and fresh." When prospective clients have a deep emotional involvement, they will help all of us move to the "next level."
When we do a redesign many times we look at a room and realize that the colors or styles are outdated. What do you need to take your website to the next level? Does your website need to be updated? Do you have an objective friend or family member that can give you an honest opinion on their first impression of your website? We live in a day where most people are too busy and experience "information overload."
Please consider the following ideas as you review your website:
1. Did you know that the bestselling books are written at a sixth grade reading level? Is your website easy to understand for the person who does not have cable TV or does not know about the concept of interior redesign? Do not use advanced interior redesign terms.
2. Do your fonts, colors and graphics match your logo or design style?
3. Do the fonts coordinate with your logo? To achieve an ideal layout be consistent with one dominant font style for your logo and headings. The balance of your text should be in one or two lighter or simpler font styles without serifs. A serif on a font is any short line stemming from the upper
and lower ends of the strokes of a letter. An example of a font with serifs is Times New Roman and one without serifs is Arial.
4. Do you have an excess of bolded items? If so, you will lose the impact of your text.
5. If your page is overwhelming it will not be investigated. I am usually drawn to a website that has a fresh look that is color coordinated and is balanced like a dynamic interior redesign. If not, then I will not even check out the rest of the website. I once did a redesign for a couple. The husband had a stressful job. When he would come home, he could not relax because the rooms were too disorganized. Even though they had some very nice furniture in their custom home, it did not feel peaceful. One space in particular that we improved was in the main hallway that had a whole grouping of family photos in various sizes, styles, frames and colors. I had them take all of the photos down, select their favorites, and put them in unified frames that we hung in different picture galleries throughout their home. We replaced the grouping with one large piece of artwork of a beautiful bird that was nicely framed. After the redesign the couple commented on how much more relaxed that area felt to them.
What response does your website give to people? Does it look warm and inviting? Does it make people feel like they can relax, grab a cup of coffee and stay a while as they research your website?
Does it feel clean and professional? If you cannot answer "Yes" to these questions, then it may be time to do a website redesign. Trust me when you do, you will go to the next level!
I am finally going to do it! I am going to do the Susan G. Komen 5K walk/run with my local Curves group here in Boise. It has been a few years since I have been in any kind of race or walk. I thought it would be great to join my friends and support a great cause for cancer research.
We all know the importance of giving back to our communities. I have been fortunate that no one in my family has ever had breast cancer. Each time I get my yearly physical it is always a sigh of relief! Unfortunately, I have had a few friends that have experienced breast cancer. So, I am doing it for them. I also think it is important to help in this worthy cause. We have lost way too many friends and family with this disease. If any of you would like to donate money in my name here is the link to do so:
Actually, our new Curves Club owners just recently lost their sister and daughter to breast cancer. So, it is very fresh in all of our minds and hearts.
Why did I choose to workout at Curves?
It is quick workout, 30 minutes three times a week helps us so much.
The environment is very supportive.
It is also conducive to those of us over 40 years plus.
It is in my neighborhood and I have made some wonderful friends there, too!
I also wanted to thank our new owners, Jan Cluff and her mother, Helen. They have been wonderful to all of us. They took over and painted right away to update our Curves for Women, Glenwood and State Streets in Boise, ID. It is so much better in so many ways. It is great to have our owners locally, too. They are working hard to provide a community of real care and concern. They are real encouragers and really care about their member's progress. If any of you want to get in shape, Curves, is a safe and encouraging environment. Check one out in your area. To learn more about Curves for Women, click here: http://www.curvesinformation.com You will be glad you did!
Earlier this month, we went to San Luis Potosí, México. (My husband finished his final doctoral project there.) When I travel, I enjoy observing the trends of a city, especially from a design and color perspective. Since I am Hispanic, French and Irish, I felt like I had come full circle with some of the design preferences I have had all of my life. The colors of México are vibrant throughout the city. The people are very passionate and colorful as well. We saw several buildings and homes painted in orange, red-orange, red and gold colors. Some of their buildings even included bright indigo blue and bright green colors. Yes, they still had the off-white and brown tone colors. Nevertheless, you would see contrasts of those brighter colors sprinkled throughout the region.
The most prominent thing about the architecture is that most of the buildings are built vertically. They line up side by side. We did not see any yards, lawns or empty spaces between homes and commercial buildings like we have here in the United States. The commercial buildings and residential homes have indoor patios or yards usually walled off with wrought iron gates or solid metal doors. The wrought iron gates are either contemporary or in a traditional scroll style.
Historically, Latin countries create and use a variety of tile throughtout their designs. However, we were surprised to see how often they used tile on entire walls in their bathrooms, dining rooms and kitchens. They believe tile creates cleaner spaces.
When we visited the downtown historical section, it was like we were walking back in time. It looked very European. There were several amazing old and newer contemporary buildings mixed together. It was refreshing to see a few parks interspersed in between the buildings. Throughout history no matter how poor this city was, most of the money went into the local churches. The greatest architectural detail was usually displayed in a very dramatic fashion in these churches.
In summary, the colors and designs throughout San Luis Potosí, México were very bold, striking and distinct. Traveling gives you an opportunity to enrich your life, discover how others live and create memories that stay will with you forever!
This slick magazine only gets published 6 times per year. The article featured our Redesign Giveaway Project that we did this past Winter for the Boise Women's and Children's Alliance. The WCA hired a Media Specialist to generate press for this and their other projects. They even included a couple of links to our homepage!
We gave two WCA liaison staff members a Dewey Color Consultation. They liked the Brown Tones, which set the color palette for the entire Paint and Redesign Project. Everyone just loved it!
BTW, we just returned from our wonderful and successful Mexico trip for Dan's Doctoral Seminar. Our friend and mentor Dr. Vincent Kituku sent me an email of "Congratulations" while we were gone. (More about our trip later.) What an unexpected and fantastic surprise!
This is a miracle to finally get PR and exposure. Some things are worth waiting for!
How many of you struggled in finding a domain name that either matches your business name or describes what you do in a very short space?
Our name of our parent company is One Day Redesigns, Inc. I know how challenging it can be to find the name that truly depicts your image and says it in a short and sweet way. Companies spend lots of money to get the right message across to their potential clients.
When we selected the name for our Redesign business years ago, there was someone else who already owned the domain name of: www.OneDayRedesigns.com. So, the next best thing was to use our full business name of www.OneDayRedesignsInc.com. We have used it for years. It has really been challenging for people to spell it correctly.
On a side note, you know the proverbial way that some people butcher your last and sometimes your first name? I know how hard that can be because it has been a challenge my entire life. My maiden name was Irene Judy Archuleta. (Yes, like David Archuleta from American Idol. I had the name long before he did!) The kids in school would continually get a kick out of how each new teacher at the beginning of the year would call out my name and really butcher it. I got everything from Irene Artichoke to Ilene Enchilada. No kidding. So, when I got married I thought finally I have a name that will be easy. My married name became Irene J. Woodworth. Guess what? People still butcher my name and I get everything from Arlene or Ilene Woolworth, or Woodward. So, now I tell people it is Irene, like "Goodnight Irene" and Woodworth, I am "worth more than all of the wood in the world!" That is what my late mother-in-law Barbara Woodworth said to tell people. People remember my name and who I am now!
Now back to domain names. We bought a few other domain names to possibly use in the future. Through time you get clearer in your marketing message. Through experience you discover what services you enjoy doing the most. That is just what happens in business.
We are in the process of simplifying and streamlining our business identity, marketing message and logo. We believe that there are always ways we can improve in our lives and business. We thought that now was the time to simplify our domain name as well. We still want to keep our business name of One Day Redesigns because it is very clear that in "One Day we can redesign your home or office." We wondered how we could change and simplify our domain name. What could we choose to make us memorable to others? I was tired of people forgetting to put an "s" on Redesigns or including the "Inc" in our name. Our new domain name is www.RedesignBoise.com.
Marketing Experts say it is best to match your domain name to your business name as close as possible. Sometimes the name you want is already taken. So, here are some tips that may help you:
Do you have a domain name that matches your business name? If it is simple it will work. If your business name is not available or too long then are there other words you could use to describe what you do?
Make it simple and easy to remember. What name can make you memorable? Is there something else that says what you do? Our new domain name is www.RedesignBoise.com because we want to Redesign as many homes as possible in the Boise Metro Area, where we live and do Business. Is that too big of a vision? I don't think so. Don't limit your vision or your dreams. You've got to shoot high to reach anything!
What message or name will make you stand out from your competitors? What characteristics make you special?
Did you know you can purchase a new domain name and keep the one you already have? You can have your old domain forwarded to your new domain. You can also add new email addresses with your new domain name that forward to your current email accounts. Most domain name providers allow you to have free unlimited email forwarding accounts. If this sounds too complicated to do, then ask your Webmaster to do it for you.
How about including your city or region in your domain name, like www.RedesignBoise.com? This will do a few things for you. It will identify where you are located and do business, it will make you more user-friendly and community minded. Also the Real Estate community knows that when people are considering moving into an area, they will search on the Internet for services in that city. Your name will usually list higher than your competitors.
Stay tuned for our new logo and website changes.
I hope these ideas and tips help you to refine and market you in your best possible way!
It was great to meet so many people interested We were recently in the Idaho Remodeling Sources and Design Trade Show at the Grove Hotel in Boise. Most attendees were eiither remodeling or getting ideas for their homes. We met some Color Enthusiasts, too. Irene's presentation on Color was one of the best attended seminars throughout the weekend. People really enjoyed discovering about themselves from one of our We Make Color Easy Personality Tests. There were a few giggles as to the amazing results!
Some people even called me "Idaho's Color Lady!" Great branding, so that is one of the titles I will now use to differentiate myself from others in Idaho.
We even had our friends from Wall Words come up from Southern CA. They were in the booth next to ours. It was interesting to share and learn from each other. Carrol Caldwell, the Owner and Creator of Wall Words and Jackie Young, her Manager, had some very clever ideas for their vinyl lettering and graphics that can be used throughout your home. Click here to learn more about Wall Words.
I thought I would let you know that if you live in the Boise Metro area of Idaho, we invite you to the Annual Idaho Remodeling Show at the Grove Conference Center tomorrow, Saturday, January 31st from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM and on Sunday, February 1st from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM before that Super Bowl Party. This is sponsored by The Idaho Business League. If you want to learn the latest in trends and ideas for your remodeling needs for your homes, friends or clients home this is the one biggest shows of the year.
There will be plenty of speakers that will be sharing their expertise on a variety of topics to improve your home and in your remodeling efforts.
On behalf of The Color And Redesign Institute I will be presenting "The Six Steps with Success with Color." I will be presenting this on Saturday, January 31st. Join us if you can. It is amazing how our color choices determine our communication styles and relational styles with people. One of the Color Tests from The Dewey Color System is now being offered on CareerBuilder.com. Color one of my passionate subjects is always intriguing to me and my clients. The colors that we love and need in our lives is very powerful.
So if you are in our area stop by and see us at the Trade Show. Come out and get inspired about remodeling, coloring, redesigning and updating your home. Improving your home and environment can truly encourage and refresh your space and attitude. Some of my clients that are selling their homes continue to tell me why I didn't do this sooner and enjoyed my home before getting it ready to sell? Why wait, get going and get inspired!!
SEMINAR SCHEDULE
Saturday, Room 1 - The Perch 10am Remodeling & Additions for Cleaner, Greener Homes 11am The Top 10 Items You Should Consider When Looking to Replace Your Windows 12pm The 7 Pitfalls of Remodeling & How to Avoid Them 1pm Smart Kitchen & Bath Design - Balancing Function, Fashion, Value & Sense 2pm How to Maximize the Return on Your Investment 3pm Own Your Home Free & Clear 4pm Determining Your Remodeling Budget 5pm Outlook and Opportunities - Don't Fear the Bear
Saturday, Room 2 - The Merlins 10am Inexpensive Remodeling with Vinyl Wall Lettering and Wall Décor 11am Universal Design in the Home 12pm Design. Build. What is it & How Does it Work? 1pm The Six Steps To Success. Under Pressure? Where Do You Lose It? Score Big? Overdo It? by The ColorAnd Redesign Institute-Irene Woodworth 2pm How to Grow Old With Your Home 3pm Green Building Materials - Why it Matters & What is Available 4pm Saving Energy! It's a Beautiful Thing. 5pm All About Countertops. Replace or Resurface?
Sunday, Room 1 - The Perch 12pm Why Hire an Interior Designer? 1pm Reconfiguring Space: A Design Study of Four Major Types of Remodels - Ideas to Cost Effectively Redesign Your Existing Home 2pm How to Choose the Right Contractor for Optimal Results
Sunday, Room 2 - The Merlins 12pm Don't Go Topless...Which Countertop is Better for You? 1pm The 7 Pitfalls of Remodeling & How to Avoid Them 2pm Smart Kitchen & Bath Design - Balancing Function, Fashion, Value & Sense
Happy New Year to All of you! I have been about two weeks late in life, business and my home life. It has been a very busy season and all around year for us! I finally was ab;e tp tale down all of our Christmas decorations this past weekend. Of course, that started an organizational project in our four car garage. I got one fourth done and will keep chipping away at it during the next few months. I decided I had to organize my office to be able to work on our many upcoming classes, presentations and of course our business.
Yesterday and today were the first days I have been alone in a long time. My husband and son are out doing a painting project for one of our dearest and oldest clients. I actually had time to think and reflect on the past year. For us 2008 was truly a year of Accomplishments and Growth. We were all tested and overcame in many areas. It has truly been an adventurous ride! Never a dull moment in our lives. WOW!!
We traveled the most in our business and family. We met some very interesting and talented people. We also visited California four times (Palo Alto, San Diego, Los Angeles, Orange County and Riverside), Atlanta, GA, Denver and Evergreen, CO and Portland, OR. I hosted several teleconferences for IRIS and began our own teleconferences for The Color And Redesign Institute. There were several speaking engagements including, St. Al's Hospital, Key Bank and various other businesses large and small. We trained the most Color Consultants throughout the United States.
This is also the last term for Dan to finish his Doctoral Research Project. He has almost completed his dissertation. Now we are preparing for his seminars and testing part of his project. (I will share more on that on another post.) What a transforming process it has been for all of us!
We had our Annual Holiday Open House after Christmas and we had so much fun! It was great to connect with old and new friends and family! I need to share how fun it was to finally meet in person one of our local Active Rain member, Pam Pugmire, join us. It was great to finally meet her in person! What a treat for all of us! We all decided she is even more beautiful in peson than her pictures on Active Rain! (Gary Woltal we finally met. Can you believe it?!) It is such a small world. Pam happened to come later in the evening right before one of our oldest friends (30 years) Jim and Letty Barnes now from Meridian, ID. They knew Pam while she was a checker in her Boise State University college days before all of her six kids. Go figure. We had such a great time laughing, sharing, and visiting. I think everyone finally left at 11:30 PM. It is the most heartwarming feeling to hear joy, laughter and such a good time when we get together. You can not put a price tag on that!
We are so very blessed with the greatest asset personally and professionally with overflowing friends, business associates and of course our family. In November and December we were honored to do some very rewarding Redesign Giveaways to the Women's Children's Alliance, the outstanding Life's Kitchen Volunteers - George and Helena Fortier and also a Redesign for the Gardner Family. It has been a very busy time and it felt great to make such a difference in so many lives and homes!
We also were able to get together with our families in Boise. Since, everyone is so busy most of the time, it felt great to just eat, visit and share with each other. Our niece, Natalie, came home from her college studies in the Big Apple. It was the first time in a couple of years, she had come home, so that was good for all of us. I decided to make one more holiday brunch for the family right before she departed. I had to take advantage of all of our Christmas decorating we had done and a good excuse for a party! What a fun and relaxing time it was for all of us.
So, as I continue to clean, organize and prepare for another amazing year in 2009, I am so grateful.No matter what the economy looks like, I continue to thank God every day for his blessings, protection, and wisdom. I desire to be a blessing no matter where I go, what I do or who I touch! Sometimes it is good to get back to basics, don't you think?
I had a unique opportunity last week to do something fun, inspirational and creative! I wanted to express love in action with some brand new shoes! Seven weeks ago, I met an amazing young Woman Entrepreneur that opened "Perfect Pair Shoe Boutique" in Boise, ID. At first glance, I thought to myself that these designer shoes were beautiful, but way out of my price range. I am a real Budget Shopper and never pay full price for anything!I received an email last week from my new business associate letting me know that she was going to liquidate some of her last season's shoes at 70% off the regular store prices. These one-of-a-kind shoes are from New York, Seattle, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
I thought it would be a good idea to support my new friend and check out her shoes. I was pleasantly surprised to find a few pair I could actually use. My son bought me a wonderful early Christmas present - beautiful black suede and patent leather combination pumps with a designer twist. They are the most expensive pair of shoes I have ever worn! I even found some fun, comfy, dressier shoes to wear with my jeans. What woman does not like shoes? What a fun treat and surprise!!
Last Sunday morning, I thought about how my 20 year old niece would just love these types of shoes! I called her Mom, my sister-in-law and asked her to find out if her daughter would be interested in some new shoes. I have never seen them move so quickly! They dropped everything and we were off. We not only found shoes for my 20 year old niece, her older sister attending college in New York, but also for my beloved sister-in-law. (I put a lot of thought into gift purchases for my loved ones.
I don't buy gifts carelessly.) Now, the funny thing was I told them that I could only spend a certain amount. They were very appreciative that I would even purchase one pair of shoes for each of them. We found some amazing deals too good to pass up. There was a remarkable pair of designer shoes that I just had to buy for my younger niece. I have never seen her so excited and grateful for these gifts! Now, this young lady has been through quite a bit. She is always the one who is helping and encouraging her friends. She even helped her parents through a very difficult time this past year. It is very challenging to know how to buy the perfect meaningful and useful gifts for your twenty-something nieces! Today will be a special memory for me for me all because of brand new shoes!
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
There is lots of talk these days about Green Design. What does that mean to you? Springtime is a perfect time to look at our efforts and what we are doing for the environment, our homes and families. How do you go about incorporating Green Design into your home? I have always felt that Interior Redesign is one of the purest forms of Green Design. Our services focus on: "Affordable rearrangements using your existing furnishings to create beautiful and functional living spaces!"
I have spent a lifetime of study in color, design, graphics and art. I am continually researching information on these subjects. We are in a "cutting edge" industry of Interior Redesign that stresses to "declutter" and simplify with an emphasis on the age old slogan of "less is more." Yet, some of the Interior Redesigner's websites throughout our industry appear "busy" and "cluttered." If a website is too congested with many fonts (lettering styles), pictures or graphics, it will appear to have a "cluttered" look instead of a "clean" look. Since first impressions are lasting impressions, then perhaps you may be losing business if your website does not appear to be organized and professional with flair of design. We must be constantly looking at ways to connect with future and current clients with creative ideas that are "unique and fresh." When prospective clients have a deep emotional involvement, they will help all of us move to the "next level."
that has a fresh look that is color coordinated and is balanced like a dynamic interior redesign. If not, then I will not even check out the rest of the website. I once did a redesign for a couple. The husband had a stressful job. When he would come home, he could not relax because the rooms were too disorganized. Even though they had some very nice furniture in their custom home, it did not feel peaceful. One space in particular that we improved was in the main hallway that had a whole grouping of family photos in various sizes, styles, frames and colors. I had them take all of the photos down, select their favorites, and put them in unified frames that we hung in different picture galleries throughout their home. We replaced the grouping with one large piece of artwork of a beautiful bird that was nicely framed. After the redesign the couple commented on how much more relaxed that area felt to them.
years since I have been in any kind of race or walk. I thought it would be great to join my friends and support a great cause for cancer research.
name that truly depicts your image and says it in a short and sweet way. Companies spend lots of money to get the right message across to their potential clients.
Idaho Remodeling Sources and Design Trade Show at the Grove Hotel in Boise. Most attendees were eiither remodeling or getting ideas for their homes. We met some Color Enthusiasts, too. Irene's presentation on Color was one of the best attended seminars throughout the weekend. People really enjoyed discovering about themselves from one of our We Make Color Easy Personality Tests. There were a few giggles as to the amazing results!
on a variety of topics to improve your home and in your remodeling efforts. 
It was great to connect with old and new friends and family! I need to share how fun it was to finally meet in person one of our local Active Rain member, Pam Pugmire, join us. It was great to finally meet her in person! What a treat for all of us! We all decided she is even more beautiful in peson than her pictures on Active Rain! (Gary Woltal we finally met. Can you believe it?!) It is such a small world. Pam happened to come later in the evening right before one of our oldest friends (30 years) Jim and Letty Barnes now from Meridian, ID. They knew Pam while she was a checker in her Boise State University college days before all of her six kids. Go figure. We had such a great time laughing, sharing, and visiting. I think everyone finally left at 11:30 PM. It is the most heartwarming feeling to hear joy, laughter and such a good time when we get together. You can not put a price tag on that! 
I thought it would be a good idea to support my new friend and check out her shoes. I was pleasantly surprised to find a few pair I could actually use. My son bought me a wonderful early Christmas present - beautiful black suede and patent leather combination pumps with a designer twist. They are the most expensive pair of shoes I have ever worn! I even found some fun, comfy, dressier shoes to wear with my jeans. What woman does not like shoes? What a fun treat and surprise!!
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