Entries Tagged 'Advice' ↓

“His stuff, your stuff, now what?”

By Joy Moyler, interior designer author Hautezone.Blogspot.com

As an interior designer with over 25 years in the game, you could say I have endured some design challenges. And now as design head for Armani Casa, Giorgio Armani’s interior design studio, I have been fortunate enough to design home environments for bachelors like singer John Mayer, violinist David Garrett, actor Adrien Brody, and various captains’ of industry. I’ve spent seven years designing showrooms for Ralph Lauren, including the Beverly Hills and New York stores amongst others. But the most challenging feat is often a new home for ‘newlyweds’

Man, Check! Ring, Check! Venue, Check! But did you really, sign on to gaze at that threadbare sofa ‘Til Death Do Us part’? What will your response be when he comes home dripping from sweat, some hazy, hot and humid mid-August summer day during a New York City garbage strike? He walks in, runs his hands through his sweat laden hair, hurls his Kenneth Cole laptop messenger bag to the floor, runs into the kitchen for one, no two, cold ones. Pops the cap, grabs the remote control and salt and vinegar chips, to watch the eighteenth run of Rocky 2 (like he never saw it before), poised to stretch out, feet up and realizes someone moved HIS sofa?

‘Till Death Do Us’ part. Hmmmmm. Sometime in the not-so–wee hours of the night (okay, day after he’d gone to work) the Salvation Army Truck arrived. I know, I know you never saw it coming, didn’t call them, but somehow they managed to enter your newlywed home and haul that raggedy thing to an unknown location. Hmmmm. Where, Oh where are the by-laws buried for the not-so harmonious task of ‘blending furniture’? This was not covered in marriage counseling. If so, the pages must have been stuck together. It is likely easier to ‘blend’ in-laws, and extended families. Well except for the ‘crazy cousin’ no one wants to claim much less talk to.

I am often asked to ‘marry’ styles. Contemporary, with Traditional, Moderne, with Bohemia, French with Vintage Metal, as in Heavy Metal. Generally there has already been a degree of editing done way before I show up. But all too often, there is that one piece that manages to be the ‘button’. The piece that can be a real deal breaker. The one fabric clad (often stained) heavy piece from the ‘hot’ bachelor/bachelorette days that can question your own judgment. The piece that makes you wonder is you should have married ‘Fred’ instead of ‘Ted’. What is the solution?

The answer, in short is ‘diplomacy’. The same level of ‘diplomacy’ required in deciding where to spend the holidays, how to tactfully avoid eating his mamas, overdone pearl onion casserole which is like chewing a plate of marbles, with cheese.

Identify pieces that fit well into the new environment.

When I say ‘fit’, I have four suggestions:

1) Scaled to fit. Do not keep a large sofa in a studio apartment just because your sister gave it to you.

2) Keep ‘non-trendy’ pieces that are in good condition and made well. Even if something is old consider updating with new knobs, pulls, hardware etc. Strip the finish and add a coat of paint. There are numerous shops allowing DIY practicing before committing to an entire job.

3) Make breathing new life into old pieces a ‘date night’. Wear sexy clothing and he will forget you’re ripping the denim fabric off of his favorite football night chair, replacing it with velvet and a colorful Jonathan Adler toss pillow. Whenever, he see’s the chair, he will imagine how much fun you had frolicking on it, forgetting what it used to look like. And if he can’t remember, frolic some more until it’s all he can think about. You know what I mean!

4) 1-800-STO-AWAY and any likely facsimile available in your region. Costs are generally manageable. Who knows, down the road there may be more room for it, or the style will come back. Again, only keep pieces in great condition.

Remember, “keep it moving or be left behind”. So try not to worry about sofas, curios, tables and such. When the music stops, just be glad to have a chair! – Joy Moyer

How to Be The Perfect Vintage Housewife

By: Rockabilly Love

The good old days of set family roles are long gone, but with a little bit of hard work and a lot of determination, you can bring back the original and best ‘happy family’!

Things You’ll Need:

Your own house

A partner and or/children

Patience

Instructions:

1. Start with your personal self. Rise an hour early, before the rest of your family, and take a warm shower {not hot-don’t want to scald your skin!}, using a fragrant soap or bodywash. Dress in appropriate clothing, tight enough to show off your feminine figure, and loose enough to be practical. Spray a favourite scent in front of you, then walk into it, giving you a slight, alluring scent that won’t be harsh on anyone’s nose! For makeup, stick with creamy foundation, a mild rosy blush and light eye makeup. Pin your hair up into a pretty yet practical style. The point is to make your husband/partner admire your ability to be beautiful the second he wakes. After this is completed, wake the children {if you have any}. Get them organised for showers and dressing, and to collect their homework from the previous night.

2. He will be awake at this point, so while he showers and shaves, swiftly prepare a non-greasy but filling breakfast for yourselves. Aim to create something new every few days, for example, bacon and eggs on toast one morning, mushroom omelette the next. When he is dressed and seated at the table, and before he reads his paper or turns on the tv, tell him what you have planned for dinner that night, and ask him for any suggestions he may have. This lets him know you care about his opinion and input, which is essential for any healthy relationship. Slip in little things like “I know you like mushrooms, so I thought a mushroom and beef stew would be good for dinner tonight?”

3. While he is eating, prepare his lunch and a few snacks for the day. Pack something filling, nutritious AND tasty. If you’re lucky enough to have children, now is the time to pack their lunches too. If he is on any medication, or has any specific needs for that day, e.g: You know he has a cold, so pack a few aspirin and a handkerchief. Pay close attention to his needs, and when you use that knowledge to attend to him, he will be happy…and when my husband is happy, I’m happy!

4. Depending on who leaves the house first, kiss your husband and children goodbye. Wish him a good day and let him know that you’re proud of how hard he works, and ask him if there is anything he wants done today. If he says, for example, “I have no clean socks”, apologise for not noticing, and promise to wash them the second he goes to work. Even if you don’t touch them for a few hours, he leaves the house with peace of mind that he can come home to clean socks and a wife that remembers his needs. Once everyone has left the house, clear the breakfast dishes and wipe the sink and benchtop down. Now is the time to wrap a scarf around your hair and don an apron and gloves. Start with clothing. Find all the dirty clothing and wash it, then dry it outside if possible. It gives a nicer, fresher smell. While they are washing, change over the bedsheets and give them a light spritz of his favourite perfume. Iron and fold the clothing. Pick up the general mess, and sort it into it’s appropriate places. Wipe dust from shelves, put on a pair of your highest high heels and pay close attention to all the places that you can now see- these are the places your husband will notice! Mop and vaccuum the floors {obviously, only mop the tiles or vinyl floors!}. Open the windows and sit a vase of fresh flowers or spring of lavender in front of each window. A great trick for the room closest to the front door is, later in the day, to bake {yes, handmake!} a loaf of bread, and place it to cool on an open window ledge near the front door. As soon as he enters, he gets that ultimate homely comfort smell- warm, soft, hand baked bread. It makes a perfect tool to relax him after a long hard day, and he won’t even know it!

5. Next, cook yourself a small, quick meal. As you eat, you can relax outside, watch a tv show or call a friend. Your cleaning is all done, so if you’re making dinner, do it now before the children get home. The instant they do get home, get them into a bath, dressed in clean clothes and doing their homework at the kitchen table. You can provide assistance and keep an eye on them as you cook- two jobs in one! Let them play or watch tv before your husband gets home, so that they are calm and relaxed to greet their father. Let him unwind with warmed slippers and dressing gown {clothes dryer for a few minutes!} in his favourite chair, and ask him, with genuine interest, how his day was. Give comments, always supporting him, such as “Oh darling, how terrible! But don’t worry, I baked your favourite apple crumble!” After dinner, play a boardgame or have a ‘show and tell’, where each family member tells something interesting they learnt or experienced that day, ending with a discussion on current events and news. Send the children to bed with hugs and kisses to their parents, let them know they are loved and their love is appreciated in return.

6. Head to the bedroom and make sure it looks and smells nice. Turn back the covers so he only need slip between the covers. Take down your hair, clean off your makeup, and get into a nice, clean nightdress or better yet, nothing at all. *wink* When he goes to bed, offer a massage, or gently stroke his hair. If he wants to discuss anything, listen to him and let him know you’re listening.   – eHow.Com

1. Select pumpkins that are vert fresh and firm. Avoid choosing a pumpkin that has bruised or soft areas or cuts or other visible blemishes.

2. Remember that warm weather and hot sunlight can speed decay in a pumpkin. If you live in a hot climate be sure to store your uncut pumpkins in a cool spot  and wait to carve them until a day or two before Halloween.

3. Heat from electric lightbulbs and candles can also contribute to the early demise of a pumpkin. Try cutting a hole in the top of the pumpkin, allowing heat to escape.

4. Try Covering all cut edges of a pumpkin, as well as the entire interior, with petroleum jelly or vaseline. This will reduce moisture loss and keep a pumpkin looking fresh longer.

5. Or try soaking your pumpkin before and after carving in a bleach and water mixture to keep mold from growing.

6. Or try spraying carved pumpkins with acrylic finish spray. The spray is intended to seal the pumpkin flesh, preventing dehydration and acting as a barrier to mold growth.

7. The best known method I’ve heard is to spray/treat your carved pumpkin with ‘Pumpkin Fresh.’ This unique product has a breakthough formula that fights mold, rot and decay. Its biodegradeable and eco friendly. Available for purchase Here. – Taryn Cox for The Wife

Don’t sulk when things go wrong. If you can’t help being vexed, say so, and get it over.

Don’t say she needn’t stay up for you. You know she can’t sleep until you are safe at home.

Don’t hesitate to mention when you think your wife looks especially nice. Your thinking so can give her no pleasure unless you tell your thought.

Don’t forget to trust your wife in everything – in money matters; in her relations with other men . . . Trust her to the utmost and you will rarely find your trust misplaced.

Don’t call your wife a coward because she is afraid of a spider. Probably in real danger she would be quite as brave as you.