From the amazing site Marc and Angel Hack Life

There is one key factor that can either damage your relationships or deepen them.  That factor is your attitude.  If you’re hoping to grow and maintain positive relationships in your life, read on.  Below you will find a 20 step attitude adjustment guaranteed to help you do just that.

1. Stop holding grudges.

Here are my favorite tips for getting maximum value from your design professional:

When working with an architect, interior designer, contractor, landscape designer, or craftsperson:

•              Be clear and communicative about expectations and desires.

•              Do your homework.  Know what you like and what you don’t like.  Be clear on your needs—from wine storage to shelves for your collection of first editions; from dog beds to closet… Continue reading

From our friends at Marc and Angel Hack Life:

Here are 30 of the most satisfying simple pleasures life has to offer:

1. Sleeping In on a Rainy Day – As the rain beats lightly against the window, you nestle your head deeper into your pillow.  The sound is soothing and your bed feels like a sanctuary.  There is no place you

From the amazing site Marc and Angel Hack Life:

“When you stop chasing the wrong things, you give the right things a chance to catch you.

So starting today…

1. Give up trying to be perfect. – The real world doesn’t reward perfectionists, it rewards people who get things done.  Read Getting Things Done.
2. Give up comparing yourself to others. –

Launching 01 APRIL, 2011

We launch the new website www.101ThingsIHateAboutYourHouse.com featuring everything you want to know about my new book, book tours, media events, TV and Radio appearances and my Personal Favorites Resource Center. We’ll have contests, daily blog postings, special guests and so much more… Continue reading

“Never go to excess, but let moderation be your guide.” Marcus Tullius Cicero

Flights of fancy may be fun but at the end of the day the wisdom wrapped in the simple cloak of moderation wins it for me.  There is an elegance found in simplicity, in the clean well edited version of things which never fails to capture my attention. Maybe it’s a reaction to the complexity… Continue reading

Over the past year our friends at Marc and Angel Hack Life have received countless requests to compile all the life questions shared on their site and place them on a single page that can be easily printed and reviewed.  So here it is.  A whole year’s worth of thought provoking questions to get your mind moving.

Do yourself a favor and settle in for a thought provoking… Continue reading

“Only great minds can afford a simple style.” Stendhal

When a decorative opportunity exists primarily for its own expression there is trouble in River City.  Details that present themselves as extensions of a classical order tend to, when kept simple, find a home in the expansive range of the appropriate. Most anything, when kept simple, can prove harmonious with it’s surroundings and thus tip the scale of “yes”… Continue reading

“Friends are like bras; close to your heart and there for support.”  Unknown

Often the greatest upfront successes are the direct result of a network of “invisible” support. It turns out that the “overnight” career explosion witnessed and celebrated by the world is the direct result of years of diligent, consistent and relentless effort.  Few manifestations of any worth spring to life fully formed without a labyrinth of intricate systems… Continue reading

“Life is filigree work. What is written clearly is not worth much, it’s the transparency that counts.” Louis-Ferdinand Celine

In matters of relationship, both public and private, transparency is prized as a virtue. It is a treasure to be sought, mined and cherished as one would a valuable jewel.  Transparency in matters of decoration can be a bit more problematic. Shear curtains by their very… Continue reading

“People shop for a bathing suit with more care than they do a partner. The rules are the same. Look for something you’ll feel comfortable wearing. Allow for room to grow.”
Erma Bombeck

It has been mentioned to me, on a number of occasions that, while the great fun of “101 Things….” is the dissection of lacking interiors, there should be clear instruction on how to achieve success… Continue reading

I really do hate an unsafe home. Most home related accidents can be prevented.

Safety doesn’t take a lot of time, but it does take thought and planning. Not sure how to Commit a Minute to Safety? Pick one, 10 or 100 of the things below and get started today. You’ll see that sometimes it just takes a minute to avoid what could be a lifetime of regret… Continue reading

Life isn’t always easy. But if we manage to maintain focus on the important issues while letting go of the rest…then maybe there’s hope for some happiness.

The following is written by Chris Gaddis and my hope it you find it as richly helpful as did I.

Here’s 6 step process to getting what you want out of life.

1. Create

30 Ways to Make Today a Good Day

With thanks to Marc and Angel Hack Life for these inspiring words.

Yesterday is history and tomorrow is merely a figment of your imagination.  So if you think about it, today is the only day you’re truly alive.  Here’s how to make it a good… Continue reading

A Story Worth Reading; A Story Worth Telling

A successful business man was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business.

Instead of choosing one of his Directors or his children, he decided to do something different. He called all the young executives in his company together.

He said, “It is time

Design Quotient’s 2011 Survival Guide

Health

1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is
manufactured in plants..
4. Live with the 3 E’s… Continue reading

Worst Possible Holiday Gift Collection

“If instead of a gem, or even a flower, we should cast the gift of a loving thought into the heart of a friend; that would be giving as the angels give.” ~George MacDonald

Gift giving is an art. When practiced and perfected it is an art form which elevates the spirit and nurtures the soul. When handled haphazardly it can do the

Worst Possible Holiday Gift Collection Part 4

“I asked a man in prison once how he happened to be there and he said he had stolen a pair of shoes. I told him if he had stolen a railroad he would be a United States Senator.” Mary Harris Jones

It has been my belief that the discussion of beauty precludes the discussion ofpolitics and Ms. Jones’ quote, while

Worst Possible Holiday Gift Collection Part 3

“I notice increasing reluctance on the part of marketing executives to use judgment; they are coming to rely too much on research, and they use it as a drunkard uses a lamp post for support, rather than for illumination.” David Ogilvy

When a defining image is linked irrevocably to an annual celebration the reoccurring association is powerful and permanent. And

“I bought my brother some gift-wrap for Christmas. I took it to the Gift Wrap department and told them to wrap it, but in a different print so he would know when to stop unwrapping.” Stephen Wright

Worst Possible Holiday Gift Collection Part 2

There was a day when the thought of an elegantly wrapped gift box from a prominent jeweler would cause the heart to race… Continue reading

And Now For Something Completely Different!

With Christmas just 12 days away I’ve decided to try something new as we slip further into that mad, marvelous and giddy holiday spirit!

Each afternoon between now and 24 December I will share with you an installment on the “101 Things I Hate About Your House” Worst Possible Holiday Gift Collection. With categories befitting every room in the house; I’ve

Here’s one of my favorite books, new to my bookshelf this year!

Florence de Dampierre French Chic: The Art of Decorating Houses $50.00

“…de Dampierre provides a context of French decorative history…and architectural elements to provide a blueprint to obtain the je ne sais quoi of French chic.” ~New York Living

“…analyzes function and furnishings, leading readers… Continue reading

About Your House‘s series of simple and chic holiday gifts; a little something for every home.

The Newgate Regulator Alarm Clock

This clock has a metal case, hands, fob and stand. The printed dial has been designed to have an aged appearance which is protected by an acrylic lens.  $65.00

Love Yourself: Love Your House… Continue reading

Next in our series of simple and chic holiday gifts; a little something for every home.

Scented Drawer Liner by Hermes:

Vetiver scented paper, box of 5 papers. Each measures 24″ x 16.5″

Love Yourself; Love Your House!

The first in a series of simple and chic holiday gifts.

-Perfect Pencils and Cup

These stocking stuffers from See Jane Work will make the recipient’s work space a happier place all year long. Pencils, $7 for a set of 12, and pencil cup, $7, at www.seejanework.com .

Love Yourself; Love Your House… Continue reading