BE SAFE. BE HAPPY.

“Surely as cometh the winter, I know there are spring violets under the snow” R.H. Newell

Remember a few months back when I mentioned that it seemed ch-ch-ch-changes were happening everywhere we turned….with people, with places, with products? Some good, some bad….all just a part of everyday life but difficult to keep up with all the same, especially when they come quickly and unexpectedly. Remember the penguins in the animated movie Madagascar? “Just smile and wave boys. Just smile and wave!” February is a tough month psychologically anyway let alone when changes leaves me frayed & frazzled. So I offer this wonderful little thought to all of you who are also facing a difficult change:Think spring too!!!!

A good change has been made by Hunter Douglas and is in answer to the new child safety measures taking place in the window covering industry. On each product that is appropriate and on their new line of roman shades, Design Studio, the exposed cords on the back of the shade are encased in a “shroud” that eliminates the possibility of children pulling it a dangerous distance from the shade and looping it over their heads.

They have also made this change on their Provenance woven wood products. Their Vignette Modern Roman Shade line (shown below) has always been manufactured with a completely covered backside (being shown on the left) avoiding access to the lifting cords and giving it a more appealing appearance from the outside!!!

Remember…. “curb appeal” ladies!!!

“Ewwwwwwwwe!”

To read more about this new safety standard read the following article by Interior Designer Deb Barrett

Window Covering Safety and the New Standards

READ MORE

The ANSI/ WCMA Standard Defined HERE

To keep up to date on the standards and how it might affect you business, Click HERE

Download my Questions Every Pro Should Ask about the Standard HERE

Download Tips for Consumers

......AND ONE MORE REMINDER......PLEASE DO NOT FORGET THAT WE CARRY KIRSCH RODS AND PARTS IN STOCK. Please be sure to let me know what you use continuously and I will make sure to have it in stock. ALSO.....if your installer is shorted a part for a Hunter Douglas product, please call as we have many, many, many parts in stock and would love to help you "save the day"!!!!

.....AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST......I have placed the "FOLLOWERS" gadget along side to the right and invite you.....would dearly love if you......sign in. I am open to all comments and suggstions as to subjects and postings!

As always.....have a super day!!!

SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW....

"A new year is unfolding - like a blossom with petals curled tightly concealing the beauty within."
Author Unknown

Everytime a new year begins, I feel a little like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz skipping excitedly and cautiously down the yellow brick road singing "we're off to see the wizard...." not quite knowing what lies ahead but determined at least to take the next step. Yes, we have to leave Munchkin Land behind (aka - the old year which was a little weird to begin with) and forge ahead to the Emerald City in search of a way back home (aka - better economic times with black bottom lines). With Dorothy's wide eye naiveté and determination to keep searching for a way back home, she is fortunate enough, like all of us, to collect along the journey a unique collection of friends who support, encourage and sustain her struggling attempts and, as we all know well, her final success!

Now, if you are still with me through that attempted analogy of my current state of mind, I thank you.... and hope that you are one of those unique friends we all hope to have acquired along the way on this precarious road into this new year. All reports I have been reading..... from Gail Doby, ASID, co-founder and Chief Vision Officer of Design Success University..... to Bunny Williams, a design icon, author, speaker, business woman extraordinaire, the ol' Magic 8 ball is predicting "outlook good"! By the way, both links to their great articles can be accessed to the right under "Enlightened Links".

 

January is that painfully-slow, hold-your-breath-hoping-that-February-picks-up, what-is-the-balance-on-my-credit-line type of month that we are happy to have over! Yet it is also a month to assess the mistakes and excesses of the old year, make plans and plot changes for the new year, and find that plucky courage to start enthusiastically skipping down the yellow brick road once again.

 

So here are a few of my New Year inspirations from Greenhouse Fabric's new 2011 collection:

 

 

Mix and match, bright and bold, fresh and fun.....just what this dreary January needs!!!!!!! Visit their web site (greenhousefabrics.com) where something fresh is always at hand and attitudes are as positive as you can get. Just read this enthusiastic quote they posted in their latest newsletter:

 

"We're as excited as you are about a fresh start, a new year, a new decade, and the hope for a positive upswing in the economy. With an energized perspective and renewed motivation, it's a great time to review what we do everyday and make it even better."

 

Makes me want to raise my hands and scream "I believe"!

 

EXPRESS YOUR CREATIVITY!

Also, scoot over to spoonflower.com!!! Here is a powerful tool to create unique fabric of your own design with no minimum order for under $20 per yard, premium natural fabrics and eco-friendly textile printing.

And last, but not least, take a few curious minutes to visit my friends' blogs to the right and follow links to other blogs where you will discover more unique friends and ideas to help you on your way this year.

REMEMBER......Nothing is IMPOSSIBLE, the word itself says "I'M POSSIBLE"!

Audrey Hepburn

CHRISTMAS JOYS

Life is rich, beauty is everywhere, every personal connection has meaning and laughter is life's sweetest creation and gift to share!
...Papyrus

By H. Jackson Brown Jr., Rosemary Brown, and Kathy Peel

• Be the first to wish everyone you meet Merry Christmas.


• Take a basket of goodies to a notoriously grumpy neighbor.


• Be nice to sale personnel. They are ofter wearier than you are.


• Sprinkle confetti in your Christmas card envelopes.


• Take a basket of goodies to your local fire and police stations.


• Never write the word Christmas as X-mas.


• Don't give anyone a fruitcake!


• Tip someone who doesn't expect it.


• Remember that the best solution for holiday blues is to do something special for someone else.


• Watch It's a Wonderful Life.


• Cut off the fronts of attractive Christmas cards to use as gift tags.


• Give an anonymous gift of money to someone who is laid off.


• Be ready with a smile or hug.


• Compliment at least three people every day....and not just in December!


• Make your family feel just as important as your holiday company.


• Pay a debt for someone.


• Remember that peace on earth begins with peace in our homes and in our hearts.


• Don't forget whose birthday we are celebrating.

To all, whatever holiday you celebrate, however you celebrate, with whom ever you celebrate, may you enjoy peace, share peace and take peace with you into each day ahead in this coming year!

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes.....

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns."
By George Elliot

Autumn is perhaps my most favorite time of year (but I might have said that about spring also!) That is why I love Michigan, I get to experience so many different wonderful aspects of all the seasons! Autumn, by one definition I read recently is "a period of maturity verging on decline." Reminded me of the age I find myself at these days!! I'd rather refer to autumn (and my age) as a time of respite, reflection, reorganization & renewal. "Change" is the buzz word appropriate for this time of year and we have certainly seen it occur in the life of our friends at Israel's! People erroneously surmise that this news of a competitor's collapse makes me happy, however, I want to declare that indeed it does not! With the closing of Israel's doors also closes a long-standing chapter on Grand Rapids' design history, closes a chapter on a family's generous philanthropic outpouring into a community that is very beholding, and closes the doors on yet another empty building with the rippling effect of lost jobs, lost incomes, and lost hopes for many people. No one likes to see a noble giant fall, crippled and humbled. It breaks my heart for their loss and ours as a community. I can only hope the their years of longevity has produced enough maturation and wisdom to spring forth from this rubbled respite with reflection, reorganization & renewal!

"Change" is also the buzzword this autumn for Hunter Douglas with the unveiling of Design Studio Roman Shades. "Custom. Redefined" to quote them directly! Four distinctive shades styles, 320 timeless fabrics from around the world include woven with blends of cottons, linens, silks and synthetic fibers. The best is that ALL fabrics are sourced in wide widths so shades can be made up to 96" with NO vertical seams!!! Yes! You read that correctly! 96" wide and no seams!! And fabrics are available by the yard for additional design opportunities. Coordinating valances complement Design Studio Roman shades, as well as being available for other Hunter Douglas window fashions. Personalize any design by adding distinctive decorative tapes and trims. Their innovative cording system reduces access to the rear cords for enhanced child and pet safety. The double-turned side and bottom hems provide a custom finished look, while stiff battens add structure and support. Discover the soft side of Hunter Douglas!

Changes have taken place in the column just to the right in the addition of a new blog to watch called CocoCozy.com. One of my favorite fabric suppliers, Greenhouse Design, lists this blog as one of the five up and coming blogspots to watch this year. Enthusiastic and inspirational! Also, added to the column on the right is CaroleNet.com, a sister company to Hunter Douglas,

Carole Fabrics has served the design community for over 50 years, offering exceptional quality and customer assistance. Available 24/7, CaroleNet .com offers more than 10,000 designer fabrics, trims and hardware. Let Carole Fabrics bring your decorating dreams and ideas to life!!
(Pictures courtesy of Carole Fabrics)


"Change is a measure of time and, in the autumn, time seems speeded up. What was is not and never again will be; what is....is change." author unknown

Plum, Chocolate, and Technology?????

"But up in that tree sits a chocolate cat,
And a ginger bread dog prowls below-

And this is the way you contrive to get at

Those sugar-plums tempting you so...."

THE SUGAR-PLUM TREE

By Eugene Field

Now that September has arrived, we all know what follows next.....and quickly. Yes, the HOLIDAYS! I find myself mentioning that often to my clients, and not as subtly as I probably should..... but I do not feel like encountering the last minute, need-it-next-week deadlines this season. Therefore, I am preparing my clients ahead of time that decorating "times-a-currently-wasting!"

One of the more popular color trend we've been seeing this year in our drapery projects is the varying degrees of purple and its deeper "plum" cousin. I do believe this wonderful plum delight will follow us right into the holiday season of Christmas with it's also popular companions of chocolate brown, warm grays, and red-cast blues. (photo to the left courtesy trenddirector.net)

I see pink/plum and gray/silver sparkles adorning ornaments, smell plum puddings being baked, hear the lilting music of the "Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy", and have "visions of sugar plums dancing in my head"! Well, at least at my house that is what will be happening! My granddaughters will see to that!!

Another very popular trend we've been encountering in 2010 is the demand for motorization options in window treatments. This is an issue we find that people tend to shy away from due to the technical knowledge that is required. After all, who keeps abreast of which intelligent motor control will be needed for remote, keypad, or automated operations???? Well....we do! From the simplest of Hunter Douglas PowerRise battery operated shades to the more intricate control options of sun sensor controls that integrate with your home's automation system , we will assist you with educating your client and acquaint them with the working displays in our showroom for better visualization. Technology need not be avoided! "Technology is everywhere!" says Jamie Robinson, The Chic Geek. "It's in your garden. It's in your home. It's in your kitchen. It's in your car. There really isn't anywhere that technology isn't!" We heartily agree with Jamie and join with her in making technology approachable, fashionable, and fun. Fully automated homes and businesses are on the rise, even in the tight economy of the West Michigan area. Leed-certified homes & businesses are demanding integration of all systems; lighting, air conditioning, heating, audio-visual, windows, and security. Please don't hesitate to contact us and allow us to help you use this new technology to your benefit.

And before you know it, we will be plunging into 2011 with coral, turquoise, fushsia and orange, with royal purples and yellow greens and, yes.......with technology.

It is all around us... just as color is and is becoming as important in our projects. We will incorporate this new aspect of design into our presentation boards along with the texture, color, floor plans, and sketches....with our usual flair and confidence!

"Some people worry that artificial intelligence will make us feel inferior, but then, anybody in his right mind should have an inferiority complex every time he looks at a flower!" Alan C. Kay

Beach, Babies & Summer Sunsets!

"Beach sand, perfect tans. Day walks, night talks. Sleepless nights, pillow fights & spending every day with those who matter most!"

I am positive that I will not be alone when I say, "Where has this summer gone?" Next week will hail in the beginning of August and mark the close of our Michigan summer season. I've been immersed in slow, lazy summer living and haven't even bothered blogging (as I have noticed has been the case with many of my blogger friends). It is break time, after all.....vacations, change in the usual routines, time to enjoy the opportunity of Michigan's out-of -doors in warmth and sunshine and we sure have had plenty of that, haven't we?

Hopefully, you have had a chance to view at least one or two of the gorgeous northern Michigan sunsets this season or at least stayed at the Lake Michigan shoreline until the day's end to drink in the beauty of the magnificent and dramatic display the sun provides as it disappears below the horizon.

Frankly, I haven't had the chance to do many of the pastimes I treasure most as business has claimed much of my attention. I have seen many of you in my store and have heard similar comments, yet we are all grateful for the business our clients bring us during these tight times. Cottages, vacations, grandchildren, parades, fireworks, ice cream and watermelon still have managed to squeeze themselves in thankfully and there is still some time left for those of us who haven't quite had our fill.

So, forgive me if I don't have anything design-worthy to say at this time as the summer has claimed my brain and pulled my attentions else-where and this wonderful dilema will continue at least for a month more...as I hope it will for you! See you in September!

"Summer love - midnight kisses - shooting stars - secret wishes! The tans will fade, but the memories will last forever!"

"IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN", or is it?

"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
Antoine de Saint-Exupery

The other day as my husband and I were out driving through our fair city, we saw the car in front of us throw some form of litter out their car window. Disgust was my immediate reaction! As we pulled into our store's parking lot, we noticed some adults lingering outside the back entry of a neighboring business smoking and flicking their butts to the ground. Are they mindless? Who in our society these days, with the knowledge of our human impact on earth, can do such a thing?

Well, fortunately, once into work, my first opened e-mail was Rapid Growth Media (an e-publication that keeps me up to date on current Grand Rapids' events) and there, countering the ugliness of the human spirit I had just seen, was a wonderful and inspiring article on Eden Environments. For those of you who don't know yet (and I can hardly believe there are many) Denise Hopkins, founder of this sustainable building design center, cares! From what she does, what she sells, who she is....this woman cares about making our environments healthy and our earth whole! I have been impressed with her genuine quest for the best sustainable solutions for her clients and have enjoyed thoroughly working with her on various projects. Denise also had an article in May's Women's Lifestyle (another media piece I love to read cover to cover) and I hope she continues her focus on educating each one of us on the alternatives in design that are at our fingertips.

She has recently moved her business to a renovated warehouse on Grand Rapids' south side which, as author Deb Johnson Wood of Rapid Growth stated perfectly, "exemplifies the eco-friendly mindset that she and her business are all about". "Hats off, Denise! Well done!" say I.

You can find her link to the right under My Favorite Things and I dare you to peek. Her enthusiam is contagious...so beware! You might find yourself unable to settle for anything less than green.

Before I knew it, I began searching our window covering products for Green stylish solutions. They were there all the time but just not in the fore front of my mind! Hunter Douglas has an alternative wood blind called First Edition which is PVC free, certified Greenguard (indoor air quality safe) and stills performs well in heat and sun with quality construction and all backed by Hunter Douglas' Lifetime Guarantee! Who knew?

We are all aware as well (if not, please call me!) that the Duette Architella cellular shade does qualify for a possible $1500 tax credit for 2010. These shades are well known for being top of the line in energy efficiency and void of off-gassing (for you air quality control green police out there). The patented honeycomb within a honeycomb construction form three air pockets for superior insulation between the window and the room.

This season, Hunter Douglas, has also produced a new cellular shade in their Applause line (in their spectacular new sample book) called Vintage. This fabric is 40% post-consumer recycled materials! I love it! You can have fashion choices, pricing options and be earth friendly!

Opportunities are there for us to present more earth friendly and people friendly products to our clients. It doesn't take much effort these days as these products are making such a loud impact in our marketplace. Consumers are becoming more educated and are demanding smarter products as well. Don't hesitate to stop by our Hunter Douglas Gallery showroom or Eden Environments' new showroom to learn more. We're all in this (and on this earth) together!