See this wonderful movie with beautiful images that brings encouragement!

Enjoy!

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1. Celebrate What’s Right With the World TM video
2. Pink Glove Dance

I really enjoyed watching this video and just wanted to share it in these difficult times. There are always possibilities out there and this video is a wonderful testament to that! Watch and enjoy.

Go to their website at http://www.viddler.com/explore/bethechange/videos/1 and buy their DVD.

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She was the designer of the year in 2008, Maison et Objets. As an artist, textile designer and decorator she works from her several studios in France, London & Belgium. What I love her work for is her incredible textile patterns.

You can download a pdf from her site here that showcases her newest work. I love the light airy look of her latest designs.

You know by now how much I love the colors pink and blue! These are stunning, aren’t they?

What is my favorite though are her script patterns. She uses 17th century French calligraphy to make some beautiful pieces. See some of them here -

Here’s a video of Carolyn explaining her methods and philosophy:

Make sure you go to her website to see more of her fantastic collections and work.

Let us know if you enjoyed this designer spotlight and if you’d like to see more of them! We always love your comments.

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1. John Saladino brings Vermeer’s artistry to life

Here’s Eldorado’s latest video showing how their stone can transform the look of your home indoors and out. I especially love the wine cellar and the niches in the stone wall for candles in the spa bathroom.

So tell me – which is your favorite application of their beautiful stone? Here’s a few examples from their site of different ways to enhance your home with stone. Gorgeous!

Stone gives such a warm stability and permanence to your walls, flooring and exteriors.

Give us a call and we can transform your spaces with natural, inviting stone to give you a new look to your environment!

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1. Surfaces Series – Beautiful New Surfaces for Your Bath and Kitchen
2. In Long Island, a Home for All Generations – NY Times.com
3. Kitchen and Bath Design Trends for 2010

Join us this Tuesday at 5:30 PM (8:30 EST) for the start

of  our new (& first) tele-series! Kristina Brown of Eating

Skinny will be my guest as we discuss what it takes to Age

Well. She’s sharing delicious recipes & wonderful cooking

tips to make food incredible. Did you know that as we get

older, our nutritional needs change? Kristina makes it so

easy to make these changes and still keep our food tasting

great.

Our first call is free on Tuesday & you’ll receive a free

recipe just for signing up. Click here to sign up and learn

about the rest of the series!

http://bit.ly/5M7NLC

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1. My first video!
2. Our new blog & video – Aging in Place Options!
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Watch this fun video on breast cancer awareness – guaranteed to bring a smile to your face!

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Almost done with your Christmas shopping or maybe you haven’t started yet? Some of my friends and relatives are hard to buy for and maybe yours are too. See my handpicked books and products in my Beautiful Living Bookstore. Click on the picture above or on my front page and you’ll see some great deals from Amazon that can’t miss with your loved ones. Don’t forget Cyber Monday specials today at Amazon for your favorite products.

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1. The 2009 Bloggers Ornament Exchange
2. Merry Christmas from my house to yours!

Time to participate (just for fun!) in the Bloggers Ornament Exchange. Click on the link below (in the picture) to join. Should be lots of fun and I can’t wait to see what my ornament will look like that I receive this year!

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From Coastal Living

With its eco-friendly construction and beach-chic feel, our Idea Cottage in I’On, South Carolina, shows how to live large in a small footprint.

Right-Size Living

The next big thing in architecture is right-size living. That means using money-saving, environmentally sound materials to build a smaller but savvier house in which no square inch is squandered yet luxuries still abound. I’On, the idyllic 11-year-old village between historic Charleston and nearby barrier islands, is leading the way once again with its new Jefferson Canal Courtyards neighborhood. We show you how we achieved high style in a compact space.

Be sure to check out the specific videos of the rooms in this idea cottage.

Here are some great photos to wet your appetite!

Love the great colors of fall in this living room.

The beautiful tile in this kitchen is the real focal point. See the kitchen tour video here.

Here’s the wonderful open plan of this cottage.

Guest Bedroom: I love the mocha walls with the neutral hue that makes the yellow, turquoise, and magenta tones in this pattern pop.

Guest bath: I think this bath is much prettier than the master’s bath!

Master bedroom: pretty canopy

I love this stencil on the staircase – such a simple way to add some extra, glamorous touches!

Hope you enjoyed this Idea Cottage from Coastal Living. Tell us what you liked best about this house!

Related posts:

1. Video showcase of products from K/BIS 2009 (kitchen & bath products)
2. Kitchen and Bath Design Trends for 2010
3. Design Trend – Rough Luxe

By Sheri McConnell

Achieving balance in our lives is accomplished by saying no when we need to and learning to set priorities. And we cannot achieve balance without understanding what our particular needs are. Balance is different for everyone. It means that you have identified your priorities and have not overextended yourself. Balance means you are aware of the dangers of burnout. Balance means that when asked the question, “Are you happy?” you can answer yes.

The following are 4 core values I use to live a balanced life and achieve my dreams easier.

One–No Guilt Allowed

One of the biggest struggles for women today is learning to say no without guilt. One of the core values I teach my coaching clients is to adopt this new rule into their lives called-No Guilt Allowed. Guilt can hold you back from many of the goals you want to accomplish if you let it. Guilt doesn’t make you a better mother, or employee, or even more fit. Most of us know this, yet we still allow ourselves to fester in guilt. Guilt actually creates an imbalance in your life because you are left with feelings of inadequacy.

From now on when guilt creeps into your life-take action by noticing that the emotion is present and replace it with positive choices or joy as quickly as you can. As you retrain yourself to purge guilt, you will notice how much easier it is to move forward and accomplish your goals.

Two–Embrace Positive Choices

“The art of positive choices helps you to create the life you want. Positive choices help you to discover what truly makes you happy and realign your priorities. Life is a series of additions and subtractions. You control the calculator.” ~ Gail McMeekin ~

Another core value that allows you to achieve balance in your life is being able to make positive choices. What are positive choices – these are choices that propel you forward… they benefit your mind, your body, and your soul. These choices allow you to feel productive and focused because they are in alignment with what you really want to do on a daily basis. And remember – how we live our days is indeed how we live our lives.

Three–Cultivating Moments of Pure Joy

“The worst sin – perhaps the only sin – passion can commit, is to be joyless.” ~ Dorothy Sayers ~

One of the best things I personally ever did was follow my heart when EVERYONE else thought I was crazy. The first time I did this – I was scared, but at the time I was so miserable, I didn’t really feel like I had a choice. From that experience I learned to trust my gut and I learned that to follow my dreams meant that I was the architect of my life and that it was actually up to me to cultivate moments of pure joy in my life.

For me – that means I spend most of my time either with my kids having fun or I am in the process of creating. Creating – for me is writing, running my business, or decorating. To follow your dreams – you will have to take giant leaps and be willing to get your hands dirty before you learn how to cultivate a life full of joy.

Four–Practice Conscious Living

Another core value that will help you achieve balance is to practice conscious living. People who achieve their dreams do it with a plan. They may start out simply doing something they are passionate about, but eventually to achieve substantial results, they had to sit down and map out a plan. They made changes in their lives and began to live in a very conscious way. They began to pay attention to what they said yes and no to. They began to choose how they reacted to negative people and situations. They began to consciously choose to surround themselves with other people who had fun accomplishing their dreams. They decided to be disciplined about their choices and they also chose to consciously enjoy every moment they could going forward.

From this day forward, begin to practice conscious living – make sure you aren’t on autopilot. How do you know if you are on autopilot? Sometimes making excuses or blaming others can be a sign that you are living your life on autopilot. Sometimes situations in our lives or behaviors we have learned from our childhood can be the reason we don’t know how to live life in a conscious way. One of my favorite phrases ever is “You do better when you know better.” Don’t look back, just look forward. And don’t wait another day to get busy living life in a way that feels joyful to you.

Sheri McConnell is the CEO of Sheri McConnell Companies, Inc. and the president and founder of two national organizations, the National Association of Women Writers-NAWW and the Global Institute of Associations-GIA. You can visit Sheri, access her free article archive, and find out more about all four of her companies at www.sherimcconnell.com. Sheri lives in San Antonio, Texas with her husband, their four children, a weenie dog, and two cats.

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