As The World Turns

Yes, the world keeps turning, even at times in our lives when we wish everything in the world would stop while we deal with life....  I bet you have felt like this at times in your life, haven't you?  Well, this is one of those times for me.

Over the past 6 months lots has gone on in my life.  The business I was with for 21 years fell apart and left myself and many others in a state of flux.  It has been hard to move forward.  And there have been times when I began moving in one direction, only to have found out that was not the right direction.  I have had to recalculate and redirect my course.  Not always a fun thing to do.  But, it appears that I am finally on the path to some exciting new things.

First I found a company that valued my past experience in Direct Sales and offered me a position equivalent to that of my last position.  What a breath of fresh air for me.  Although many who have viewed this from afar, don't find it as compelling as I did.  Alot of stigma comes with a Direct Sales company making this kind of offer.  It has not been viewed as unethical by some others.  This makes me sad.  But, in the end, I find it refreshing.  If I were looking for a job in the market place, or even if I was not looking for a job - I could be approached by a head hunter who knew of my expertise.  I could be offered a position with another company and if I took that position, I would not be looked down upon for doing so.  Why is it, that in Direct Sales, that is a no-no?  The Direct Sales company I am with now is called Jewels by Park Lane and I am loving it!!!  Who would have thought I would be decorating people now instead of houses?

Recently I have been approached by another Multi Level Marketing company and my husband and I have signed up with them.  Multi Level Marketing is definately different in some ways from Direct Sales.  Although they both fall under the same umbrella.  This new company is Talk Fusion.  If you have not heard of them yet, believe me, I think you will be hearing about them soon.  Cutting edge technology is being offered in a Multi Level Marketing set-up.  Video is the wave of the future.

2013 is a New Year in More Ways Than One!!! Yes, as I start out January this is really going to be "NEW" in more ways than one. First, and foremost I am looking forward to "NEW" start. Many events happened over the past year and as always with the turning of the calendar page - a "NEW" year and a "NEW" you has the feeling of excitement, hope, vision, goals, dreams, and something that will prove to be just what has been waiting for you. This past year the company I had worked for, for over 21 years closed its doors very unexpectedly. It left many of us in the field feeling lost and wondering where to turn. I found Direct Sales 21 years ago and have such a passion for what this business plan can bring to the lives of those involved. I could not imagine myself without it. But, I am getting older and not sure which way to turn. I have been working on certification as a Direct Sales Coach through the DSWA over the past year and was excited to be turning over a new leaf as I trained my team. Now, all of a sudden, I have no team, I have no company. Several months have past and I received a call from a sweet lady. She asked if I would be interested in coming in to Chicago and speaking with the CEO of Jewels by Park Lane. I wasn't sure I was interested in Jewelry, but if they were going to fly me in, I felt I should give them the benefit of the doubt. Little did I know that I would leave Chicago that day with a whole new mindset! They had offered my a position as Sr. Division Manager. I would be entering this position which was at the same level as the one left with my former company. They recognized the value in the years of experience I had in the Direct Sales business and wanted me to be a part of their team. I accepted and am now on a new journey. One that has turned my love of decorating homes and spaces into one of decorating people!!!! Won't you join me on this journey, as I use the skills I already know and find out about many that I do not. I can't wait for this FUN and EXCITING, "NEW" opportunity. Jewelry defines your fashion personality. Women are drawn to jewelry; it has a magnetic appeal. Just like all clothing and accessories, one never has enough jewelry. Jewelry has the ability to lift your spirits, to make you look and feel good. Jewelry expresses mood, attitude, and state of mind. Doesn't that sound alot like how you decorate your home? How do you feel today? The jewelry you wear makes a statement. It pulls your look together and transforms your clothing into an "outfit".

Ho-Ho-Ho How Many Days Till Christmas?

Isn’t this one of the most asked questions this time of year? And don’t you just hate it when someone brings it to your attention? I have often wondered why that is. Christmas is my all time favorite time of the year, so why would I get upset when someone tells me how many days it is till Christmas? I think most of us feel that way because we never feel we are quite ready for Christmas each year. This year, I would love for it to be different, so lets think for a minute about some ideas for decorating our homes that we can start doing right after Thanksgiving!!!

Speaking of Thanksgiving, what do Christmas and Thanksgiving have in common more than any other time of the year? Hmmm…..What about a huge Dinner Table? Both of these Holidays scream “BIG, Festive Dinner Table”. So let’s first take a look at how we can change up our Table for the Holidays. One thing I have noticed about my dinner table, is there is never enough room for all that food. And usually I have to remove the beautiful centerpiece to make room for more food. Heres a little trick for a Center Piece that can stay on the table when the food comes. Take two bowls, one a little smaller than the other. Place the larger bowl upside down on the table with the smaller one right side up. Put a little garland around the larger bowl and maybe even a few of your favorite Christmas Balls. Now until that wonderful dinner, keep the smaller bowl on top filled with Christmas Potpouri, Christmas Balls, Pinecones - your favorite Christmas Treasure. Now when dinner comes, just remove the smaller bowl and replace it with a bowl full of Mashed Potatoes or place your Turkey platter on top. Not only does it look great but it does not take away room from the table. It also gives your table more dimension. Be sure and use a beautiful table cloth, Maybe this is the year to buy some of those inexpensive “charger” plates to go under your dinner plate. It makes the table look so special. Wouldn’t it be fun to take some of the glass or plastic (if you have little ones) Christmas balls and use them as Place Cards. Just attach the name at the top with a little hot glue or right in the circular ornament holder. You can lay them on the plate on top of the beautiful decorative napkin. Something that would add some family fun to this Celebration Table would be instead of putting everyones name as their place card - how about getting a hold of a baby picture of everyone who will be present. You don’t have to tell them what it is for, then when it is time to take their place at the dinner table - they just look for their “special” seat. The others will enjoy looking at everyones picture and will begin talking about special times gone by. If it is just your family joining you for dinner, then finding photos Christmas Days from the past - would be a fun twist and get everyone remembering your special times together. If you are like my family often the kids sit at a different table. Have fun with those table decorations as well. I recently saw this fun idea. But an inexpensive table cloth and put some red and green permanent markers on their table. Ask each child to sign their name or write something on the table cloth. Then next year when you bring it out - they will have fun talking about what they wrote last year.

Now, here is an idea for some of those wonderful Lanterns that are so popular today. They come in all sizes and shapes. I have several sitting in different places around my home. Decorate them up and add a special touch to them this Holiday Season with Bows and garland. Think about something a little different you can put inside. Be sure and use them for Candles(gotta have that special glow at Christmas), but how fun it is to fill them with Christmas Balls, or your favorite Christmas figurine.

I also think that the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is the perfect time to take a little stroll outside your home or through the park or woods. There you will find all kinds of wonderful things that you can incorporate in your Holiday decorations. Pinecones, dried flowers, bittersweet, magnolia leaves, holly. Take along a big basket and look for these treasures. If you have little ones in your family, be sure to take them along with you. You will be creating some wonderful memories. They will love being outside and looking for these things. Now when you get back home, you can use some gold or silver spray paint on some of the things you have found. Use them as you decorate your table, mantle, tree or a wreath on your door.

Speaking of a tree - and if you are like me - you have more than one tree decorated at Chirstmas time. You probably also will be having more than one time that you will be inviting guests into your home for an evening meal, a cookie swap, or maybe just a lunch with the other ladies. What if you ask each guest during the Holidays to bring along one of their personal tree decorations that they will share with you. Tell them you will be sure and get it back to them after the Holidays are over. Now have a smaller tree on a table or entry way and as your guests arrive place their favorite ornament on the tree. By the time Christmas arrives you have a beautifully decorated tree and lots of wonderful conversation about the ornaments and whose they are. Now remember - you will be giving them back to the person who brought them after the Holidays are over. What a great way it would be to also attach a small hand written thank you note for allowing you to borrow it for a few weeks.

Christmas is always such a great time to be sharing memories and starting traditions with your family. It is never too late to start a new tradition!!!

Ho-Ho-Ho Hope you have a wonderful Ho-liday with your family this Christmas season. Always Remember That Jesus is the Reason for the Season!!!

Pat Dempsey, Sr. Executive Director
AtHome America
www.athome.com/patdempsey
Decorate your home for the Holiays Free this year by hosting a book or in home show.
Contact me for the details.

Creating Great Arrangments

Decorate With FALLing Leaves this Fall.

With the temps reaching the 100’s for most of us this summer it is a great time to be thinking ahead to the Fall when temps turn a bit cooler and nature sends us the most wonderful Greeting Card we could ever imagine.

I love using the seasons and what comes with them from Mother Nature as inspiration for decorating my home. Each season brings things that I really Love and so it is hard to pick a favorite season. But, I do believe that Fall is on the top of my list for Favorites!!! As a child growing up in Florida, we didn’t get alot of seasonal change. Even as an adult, one of my most fond memories is raking up leaves and watching my kids jump in them. The delight and excitement of “jumping in the leaves” is so exhilerating. Secretly, as an adult - I even jumped in those leaves!!! So let’s think about how we can use those leaves and that feeling of excitement that comes from jumping in them as inspiration for decorating our homes this fall.

Leaves can be such a great addition to our decorating as we go into the fall. Using leaves in the Welcoming wreaths that grace our front doors, to adding leaves to our favorite table top displays, the ideas that come from leaves just keep coming. You can even add that touch of fall leaves to your walls and windows with the great new vinyl clings that are available. Or if you are a craft lover - then you make them from your Cricut machine.

As you think about decorating your home for this season, keep in mind the beautiful, warm hues that you see during this season. From the golden maples to shimmering sun on the lake surrounded by leaves that are turning, there are so many colors that will make your home feel so cozy and delightful this season. Painting a wall can be so easy, as an accent. Just one wall in a room painted a warm hue of green or gold, can make a huge difference in how your room feels. It is so easy to paint that same wall again when Spring arrives. Don’t be afraid of paint. I use to think of painting a wall as being such a permanent thing. But, I have learned that painting can be such an easy change to make and one that will totally change the look for that room. So go for it! Add a little Fall color to your room, through the walls.

Now, if you are still afraid of painting a wall, then think of other ways to add that color. Drapes, throws, pillows and even rugs can bring that change in color to your room. I like to think of this basic color change as the canvas for what you will do next. And what is next? This is the fun part of decorating. It is bringing in the pumpkins, gourds, wreaths, scare crows and all the fun things that come with this season. Decorate that mantle, the dinning room table top, the front door, or even switch out a print on our walls that has more of the colors of fall. You will soon see your home take on all the ambiance of a beautiful fall day.

Something else that I think screams Fall when it comes to decorating our homes is not just something that appeals to the eye but something that will appeal to your other senses as well. And what might that be? Fragrance! Light some of those wonderful smelling candles that fill the house will cider and spice, apple pie or even Pumpkin. Now if you are really brave, you might enjoy turning on the oven and actually baking your favorite muffins, pies, or cookies to give your home that wonderful Fall feel. I think I will stick to candles and fragrance oils. If you are like me - I tend to gain more weight in the fall, as all these wonderful delights make me want to bake and then I have to taste test what I bake. So good luck with that one….

I recently saw a cute idea I wanted to share with you. It was taking a wrought iron bowl rack that usually stands on the floor to hold your favorite bowls and turning it into a great front porch fall welcome. Instead of placing bowls in the rack - fill it with your favorite pumpkins. Another great way of using this is to fill it with those great corn stalks. Sometimes finding a place for stalks can be challanging. Check out the two photos that show this piece in those two ways. If you are wondering where you can get one, check out my website where you can purchase one or ask in your favorite Country Store that advertises in the Country Register.

So take a leap and Jump in those Fall Leaves as you decorate your home this fall.

TAKE IT OUTSIDE

It is hard to believe that those summer months are upon us already and that it is time to Take it outside!!!

One of my favorite times of the year. We can move some of our activities to the outdoor areas of our home. I would love for you to think about the outdoors as an extension of your home. How can you create that special atmosphere in your backyard, on your deck or front porch? Something that screams your personality.

First let’s think about some seating. This could be as simple as pulling out last years lawn furniture. Maybe it doesn’t quite look as good as you remembered it when you put it in the storage shed. That’s ok, because we are going to change it up a bit. We could start with some paint, if it is something that can be painted. But if not, let’s add some colorful cushions to give it some pop. It looks better already, doesn’t it? Find just the right spot for this furniture and now let’s bring in a small table. Add a cute placemate to make it look like a doily and then let’s find something that we can cut those beautiful flowers growing around the yard and make a vase out of it. In the summer a galvanized bucket looks great with flower blooms in it. A watering can or even something as simple as a ball jar makes a great vase for those beautiful blooms.

Things are beginning to look better already. What about some lighting. On those wonderful summer evenings it would be great to have the soft glow of candle light. Lanterns are great for this purpose. Find as many as you can that might be hanging around. Group them together on the deck or even hang them in a tree or from the ceiling of the front porch. Something that I have enjoyed doing for years is to take a very large glass jar - like one that pickles come in. Now I am talking large. I put some sand in the bottom of the jar and place a pillar candle down inside that is nestled in the sand. Tie a colorful ribbon around the mouth of jar and you have a wonderful lantern to add to your collection. Make a couple of these and place them on the steps leading up to your front door. What a welcoming light they will be as friends and neighbors come to visit.

Now let’s think about one more thing we can add to our outdoor room. Something for the wall. You might be thinking, but wait - what wall? Well, it could be the wall on your front porch or deck or maybe just the outside of your house near your grouping of chairs. What would be fun to hang on the wall here? Well, do you have an old shutter? You could paint it a fun color and hang it there. Maybe even think about what you could hang on the tree trunk, if you seating is further away from you home. Something else that is fun is an old gate or part of a fence. Put on your thinking cap and maybe even head for some yard sales or antique shops with your new “Outdoor Room” in mind. No telling what you might find there.

If you are decorating your porch or deck, then you might also want to add a great outdoor rug to the scene you are creating. Have fun while decorating your outdoor space. You can use your imagination and since there are no rules for outdoor decorating, you can get a little crazy and enjoy.

Hope this gives you some ideas and inspiration to “Take it Outside” this summer.

What is Your Decorating Personality

You often hear that you should match your home’s design to your personality and interests, but few color swatches come with names like “Reads Paranormal Romance Novels,” “Hikes on Weekends” or “Geek.”

I recently came across this quiz while researching ideas for my next article for the Country Register. I thought this was fun and wanted to share it with you all. I know that using color in our homes can be challenging and kind of scarey sometimes.
To help you figure out what color palettes will best suit your personality, try the following personality quiz.

What Is Your Design Personality?

You’re making big plans for the weekend. What are they?
A) Participating in a charity walk
B) Antique shopping
C) Inviting friends over for dinner
D) Touring a haunted house

You’re making your favorite dish. What is it?
A) An all-organic risotto cooked with ingredients from the local farmer’s market
B) A Moroccan tangine cooked in an authentic ceramic pot
C) Macaroni and cheese, with chocolate chip cookies for dessert
D) A decadent chocolate mousse

What’s hanging on your wall?
A) A batik tapestry made by an Indonesian women’s collective
B) Framed vintage travel posters
C) Family photographs
D) An Edvard Munch print or, alternatively, an Edward Cullen poster

Mostly A’s: Idealist. Those out to save the world will feel at home with Earth-inspired colors, such as cocoa, cinnamon, stone and taupe. In addition to choosing a natural color palette, look for products that conform to your ideals.

Mostly B’s: Eclectic. You love authentic and vintage finds and enjoy layering colors and patterns. Try shades like rose, olive, turquoise and seafoam.

Mostly C’s: Homebody. You’re all about warmth and comfort, and you like to keep things cozy and intimate. Vary between neutral colors and warm shades.

Mostly D’s: Mysterious Stranger. You appreciate romance and intrigue. Evoke an Old World sense of fantasy with deep, rich shades of navy, purple, red and teal. Exotic hardwood floors with deep, rich hues add to the veiled allure.

Pat Dempsey, Sr. Executive Director
AtHomeAmerica
www.athome.com/patdempsey
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