Hello Friends,

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  May your homes be decorated with the laughter of loved ones, and may you enjoy good health and happiness in 2012.

Please stop by my Facebook page to see all the fun and festive things that have been posted there this past week.

  LIKE me on Facebook !

I'm very proud to say that one of my recent graduates - Margaret Periera - won the award for BEST REDESIGN in our Association's annual photo contest.

You can view the before and after photos HERE

The contest was named in honour of our founder and my mentor, Val Sharp.

For those in Ontario / GTA region, I've now posted my ReDesign & Staging course dates for the coming year.  This is the 5 day program. 

For other locations in Canada, dates will soon be available on the Canadian ReDesigners Association website.

We expect that the *** new *** 2 day - REDESIGN only - program will commence in March.  This is specifically designed for those with staging training from another association.

If you have any questions about the course or our benefits, we'd be pleased to chat with you.

I hear this book has been long anticipated and is one of those "must haves" for those of us that love to decorate.  It seems to be the talk of the town on many of the FaceBook pages that I like.  I know that I'll be flipping through the pages at my local bookstore soon.

UPDATE:  Had a look at this book yesterday - good content, but not a fan of the illustration style.  No real photos, just "watercolour style" sketches.

Did YOU remember to change your clocks back last night ?

I'm so glad that cell phones and computers do that all on their own ... smart little things that they are!

It was nice to wake up with a blast of sunshine in my face, but I'm not really looking forward to the early darkness this evening.  Just like snow and cold, you think we'd be used to it by now.

If you missed this in House & Home magazine, here it is courtesy of my friends at General Paint.  You'll have a difficult time choosing a favorite color for sure ... but give a try.  I usually lean toward the softer blue and green shades.  Would love to hear what YOU like !

100 YEARS OF COLOR

CONTEST ENDS NOVEMBER 10 !

Well it is November, after all ... and most of the glorious fall colour has now blown off the trees. 

But the colour Gray is no longer viewed as drab and dreary or boring and blah.  It is now one of the most popular and sophisticated neutrals in home decorating.  If you are still afraid to try it on your walls, remember that even shades of blue and green can appear somewhat gray and that might be just the right choice for you.

From the General Paint ColorLife series I would suggest these beautiful selections:

Elephant (CL 3163W)

Mineral (CL 3192W)

Stone Cutter (CL 3222W)

Cobblestone (CL 2483M) - a pink undertone

Hailstorm (CL 3012W) - a green undertone

Charger (CL 3153W) - a blue undertone

For ideas and other paint brand options click HERE 

While squeaky doors and creaky floors are just the right touch for a haunted evening of fun, they are annonying any other time.  Found this quick fix on my favorite HOUZZ website ... they really are an endless source of fabulous information.

Creaking floorboards and stair treads are another major source of irritation.  I'll see what I can find about that.  Unless the level below is unfinished, it can be tricky.

Quite often clients will ask me if they should set their table for open house and showings.  I try to explain that it should be done in a simple understated way so as not to detract from the room.  Here's an excellent example from one of my fellow AR stagers.  Very nicely done !

Sometimes it's just fun to play up the season, whether you have little kids or are a big kid yourself.  These ideas from the great HOUZZ website should inspire you to go all out crazy ...

Generally I'm not a huge fan of seasonal wreaths but the orange fabric one is so adorable !

And if you just want to throw a more subdued adult dinner party, these IDEAS for your kitchen are great ...

HAPPY HALLOWEEN ... the countdown is on.