Keep Your Home Happier
It turns out your mother was right after all -- Happiness really does begin at home, with the things and the people you are surrounded by. Your vision is one of the first messengers to send signals to your brain as to how it feels. Therefore, it follows that keeping your home happier will have a direct impact on how you feel.What do you see in your home --Clutter? Chaos? Angry faces? What do you hear -- Loud voices; bad music?What do you feel when you look around your home? Stress? Unhappiness? Frustration? UGGGGG!What if instead you could feel and "see" opportunity and optimism? Energy and enthusiasm? Ok, maybe that's going a little too far, after all it IS just the living room.Try these ways to let your environment help make you happier.1. Subtract the Ugg factorChances are if you're like most people these days, you are fighting tooth and nail just trying to keep up with your life. Getting organized will help you win the fight. Look for the ugg factors in each of your spaces (desk, office, living room, bedroom, garage). Start with the White Elephant, the first thing that makes you go UGG when you walk into the space. Fix it, clean it, organize it, get rid of it. Whatever.2. Up the color factorColor is the accessory to our lives. Without it, while functional, it can be pretty plain. And scientists have long knows the effects that color can have on moods. Red and Yellows and Oranges inspire and stimulate. Blues and Greens are calming and restorative. Colors can also elicit memories, like "hospital green", or "college purple". In my family, we had a color called "Dad's blue shirt". Look at the colors around you. If paint is not an option check your accessories. Glue some inexpensive colorful beads or buttons to terra cotta pots to use as bright catch-alls for the bathroom, the desk, the kitchen table. Buy colorful frames for pictures. Wear a colorful top. When I wear red, I smile all day.3. Don't forget the smile factorThe smile factor is truly personal. I have a screensaver of my 2 puppies in a funny position. I grin every time I see it, no matter how stressed, no matter how irritated I am at my internet cable provider. Take inventory of your space, one piece at a time. Ask yourself, is it useful? Is it beautiful to me? Does it make me smile? Or does it make me remember how much my mother-in-law criticizes me?4. Function is always a factor!Check the function of your space. Take a look around -- is your home functioning in a way that supports what you want and how you want to feel? If the room is for working and reading, low lights will make you uncomfortable and unhappy. Functionality is increased when a multi-purpose -- or multi person -- room is divided into zones so that more than one purpose or person can use it effectively. Use your creativity. Even the ubiquitous storage must-haves can be more than merely functional. With a little planning and thought, they can add visual interest and style to a room.The steps to happiness begin with what you are surrounded by most of the time. Use positive psychology, positive messages, and positive images to feed your brain positive feelings. If you put these ideas to work, your home really can help keep you happy.About The AuthorKathy Gates is a Professional Life Coach in Scottsdale AZ. If you liked this article, you'll love her "7 SECRETS To A Great Life" program. Get more information at her website Real Life Coach, http://www.reallifecoach.com/success.htm and sign up for the newsletter.kathy@reallifecoach.com
Beautifying Your Home
"Learn how to be happy with what you have
while you pursue all that you want." --Jim RohnAs a frequent traveler, I'm often amazed at how dramatically my mood changes depending on where I am staying. I have stayed in some very nice hotels that were so warm and welcoming I loved being in my room. Other rooms were so dark and uninviting I found my mood spiraling downward. Our environment and surroundings play a huge part in how we feel on a day-to-day basis. Think about it. When your home is messy, chaotic, cluttered, and filled with piles, how do you feel? My guess is "stressed" is amongst the adjectives that top your list. Likewise, when our homes are clean and straightened we feel more at peace.So why not create a dream home for yourself? You don't need a million dollar budget and a designer's help. Instead, approach your home with the same mentality we bring to this challenge - one day, one step, one project - at a time.The task of beautifying your home will be an ongoing process. I recommend getting a separate binder for this project. I have a binder with dividers for each room of the house that I wanted to "beautify." Then when I found pictures, ideas, or had inspirations, I would store the information behind the applicable room tab.The process of going through your home is much like when we created the MASTER TASK LIST. Choose a room in which to start. Sit down for a good twenty minutes, really taking in all the items, furniture, textures, and colors of the room. Then imagine how you would like the room to be. Don't be shy, write down anything that comes to mind no matter how crazy it seems. There may be things on your list that aren't practical right now and that's okay. These notes will give you a clue into the traits and mood you want to create in the room and you may be able to find a less expensive alternative. (For example, in one room I would have loved new hardwood floors. Instead, I found that sanding the current wood floors and covering them with inexpensive rugs purchased at a wholesale outlet, created the nice warm feeling I was looking for.)Here are some specific things to think about in each room:
COLOR: Do the walls represent the room? If your house has all white walls, consider toying with color. Painting a room is the quickest way to give it a fresh look. Stenciling is another option for those who don't want to brave a full paint makeover. If you want to keep your white walls, are there prints or paintings that could be added to give the room a new tone? What types of prints and paintings would you enjoy - abstract, contemporary, wildlife? What colors should the paintings emphasize to help coordinate the overall color of the room?FURNITURE: Are there pieces of furniture that need to be refinished, repaired, or replaced? Are there any pieces you would like to add?WINDOWS: Do you like your current window coverings? If not, what would you prefer? Would you like to go with a valance? Blinds? No coverings?DECORATIONS: What elements could be added to change the tone of the room? How about a small water fountain in a room where you like to relax? Fountains can be found very inexpensively at stores like Target or Wal-Mart. Would an arrangement of candles or dried flowers add to the room? Could you remove items to simplify the space? Could you swap items with items from another area of the house for a fresh feel?FOLIAGE: What about plants? Plants quickly provide a new feel within a room. If you have a bad history with plants, don't despair. Visit your local garden center and explain you want a very durable plant for someone without a "green thumb." These garden experts can help you pick the plant that is best for you.FLOOR COVERING: How do you want your floors to look? Would you like rugs, floor coverings, hardwood, or to lay new tile?Idea-Gathering
Gathering ideas can be a very fun step. Begin by paging through magazines and finding attractive rooms. For example, if you are working on your living room, begin by finding living rooms that have a theme or feel you would like to emulate in your own home. Don't worry if you can't find something that is exactly like what you want; you can clip furniture from one picture and paintings from another. Here are a few more sources for idea-gathering:1. If you have a friend who has a "knack" for displays and interior design, consider seeking her help and recommendations.2. Visit furniture stores, antique shops, and department stores to gather ideas for displays and decoration. Check your local library and bookstore for additional books and ideas.3. The internet also has a ton of great resources for decorating. Try doing a search at www.google.com for decorating. The Better Homes and Gardens website has a lot of great resources as well - you can find that at www.bhg.com.4. Visit your local improvement store. Look at their idea books and magazines. Find paint samples and color palettes that are appealing to you.5. Let the process of gathering ideas take as long as you desire. Remember this is a work in progress. Once you have some ideas, pick one to start. I encourage you to work through one room at a time, completing it in its entirety before moving to the next room. This way you will be able to enjoy one room while working on the others and not cause a lot of clutter or disruption in the home.Remember that decorating and performing a facelift to a room needn't be costly or time consuming. Adding a new print to a wall, colorful pillows to a couch, or a few plants can breathe new life into a tired room.Your AssignmentBegin gathering ideas. Try to choose at least one idea that can be implemented today to beautify your home.Brook Noel is the author of The Change Your Life Challenge: A 70 Day Life Makeover Program for Women. Her unique program has helped thousands of women "makeover" all aspects of their lives. Learn more at http://www.changeyourlifechallenge.com
Flowers That Beautify Your Home and Garden
To help gardeners choose flowers, various systems for rating hardiness have been developed. A plant is considered hardy in a region if it can grow and thrive there without requiring special protective measures such as insulating with straw mulch.Sun or Shade: After hardiness, sunlight is your most important consideration. Choose flowers that are adapted to the light levels in your garden. Don't plant sun lovers under dense trees, and don't plant shade lovers where they'll be exposed to blazing mid-day sun. Plant descriptions give the light preferences for plants, so take these to heart. You may be able to grow a sun lover in partial shade, but you may get fewer flowers or weaker growth. Place it in a spot where it can really shine!Each year literally hundreds of new annual flowers are presented to gardeners. Some are distinct improvements based on the region where the flower was cultivated and some are not.Inside each cell in green plants are microscopic worlds that trap and convert some of the energy in light, mix it with water and carbon dioxide, and turn it into a simple sugar. It is this sugar that plants use to grow, flower, and set seed. The best light for plant growth is sunlight. But almost since the invention of electric lights, researchers and gardeners have tested various methods to study plants and grow them.Artificial sunlight has the great advantage of being controllable. Whereas some days might be too sunny or cold or windy to provide the right light for delicate seedlings, the intensity and duration of artificial light can be fine-tuned. However, for the typical gardener and flower grower, mother nature provides all the sunshine, water and elements needed to grow beautiful flowers.Enjoy yourself in your garden!About The AuthorMike Yeager, Publisherhttp://www.a1-flowers-4u.com/mjy610@hotmail.com