As decorating professionals we may not  use saws or cranes in our everyday work but we use tools none the less.  So often my classes will ask, “That is such a cool tool, where did you get that and where can I get one?” Also when we get together with other decorating professionals we are comparing and sharing tools.

So whether you are a decorating professional or a homeowner that loves to decorate we know you will love to hear about what we in the trade call our staples; tools we can’t live without; tools that make a hard job easier, both on the job and in the office. In our up coming webinar we plan to introduce you to tools you may not have ever seen before, and how to get them.

Join me, Carol Bass for a 60 minutes webinar that will change the way you look at your work and your business.

September 14  7:00  pm to 8:00 pm EST
Cost $49.00

Register: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=6AFJNYBKVFARG

This past week we went to the Lorain County Fair. This is still a rural county fair. So many amazingly talented folks.

It was hard not to be inspired by everything we saw.

The colors are so vivid & fun.

Looking at these wagons filled with flowers had me thinking as a Stager. Given the right property, these wagons filled with flowers would be awesome Curb Appeal.

These colorful baskets are a great way to see color, scale & texture used in a unique yet creative decorating display.

Inspiration and creative ways to express ourselves is all around us.

Okay, where can i and my camera go today to find inspiration?

Till next Monday,

DesAnn Collins

DSA Trainer & Staging Director

www.DesignByDesAnn.com

WHAT: More Bling, Less Bucks Webinar

WHEN: September 21, Tuesday, 7-8 PM EST

WHERE: Webinar or Recorded to listen at your convenience

FEE: $39

HOW: Register by Clicking: More Bling, Less Bucks Webinar

Triple D Productions:The Dynamic Decorating Duo-JoAnne Lenart-Weary and Sandy Dixon are presenting a fabulous Webinar-More Bling, Less Bucks. Combining years of experience and creativity with the challenge of working wonders on a budget, they’ve developed a list of 50 tried and true ways that decorators or stagers can utilize to WOW any room and all their clients!  This is the first time, JoAnne of The Decorating and Staging Academy and One Day Decorating, and Sandy Dixon of Interior Arrangements, have joined forces to share their expertise and the joy of the process of creating beautiful rooms. 

Learn how to Generate WOW!

¡ Working  creatively  to provide
¡On-the-spot, low cost solutions that
¡Will not only jumpstart rooms, but make your clients jump with joy!

You’ll learn about and see examples of 50 Ways to WOW with:

• Furniture Finesse
• Color Cues
• Let there be Light!
• Window Treatments
• Art Smarts
• Accessor-ease: shelves, mantels, tables

Learn where Triple D Productions get their inspiration plus favorite decorating books, websites, and blogs.  Hear JoAnne and Sandy’s best advice for incorporating WOW into your business and delighting your clients. Also, watch for Special Offers for Webinar Attendees.

Attendees will receive a downloadable worksheet to take notes and reinforce your learning on the day of the event. It will also be recorded, so you can join JoAnne and Sandy Live or listen in your own home, at your convenience.

More Bling…Less Bucks Webinar by Triple D Productions-$39

September 21, Tuesday, 7-8 PM EST

Design Star-Final Two

But this season has been boring in its mediocrity.  The glass room challenge was interesting in an elementary way, but not outstanding. It was like watching a brand new designer on their first project, adequate but not stellar.  The most interesting thing this season has been watching Candice Olson’s hair.  The quiet competition has me  (almost) missing Nina-Cruella DeDecorator-Ferrer.

I love design, decorating, color, and all things that impact a space.  Even after 35 years as a professional interior decorator, I have an insatiable desire to learn and be inspired by all things Design.  Thus my original love with HGTV and Design Star.  My love has waned for both.  HGTV and the Discovery Channel,  forgot about us, both professional and DIY,  who truly love design and the process.   Corny as they may have been, Matt Fox and Sherri Hiller of Room by Room, delivered great design ideas, (and will soon have a new TV show on PBS) the early years of Trading Spaces were some of my favorite, and Decorating Cents (of which I was able to be a part of a few episodes) was exciting to watch for the budget driven mindset. Divine Design has always been enjoyable and inspiring with higher ticket ideas that even those on a budget could mimic. Each show focused on creative real design for real people, okay, except for Hildy’s straw on the wall episode.  Practical Design with flair is what my clients want day in and day out.  Aw-w-w, FLAIR is the key…using things in creative, non-predictable ways.  That is what Design Star is missing.  Partially, because the designers haven’t played in the decorating sandbox for as long, perhaps because they let fear get in the way, or simply the crazy inspirations the DS production team dishes out, are too limiting.  Whatever it is, Design Star and HGTV are losing viewers on a daily basis.

But where will I be tonight at 10 PM?  On my sofa, with my snack of the night in hand, ready for the Grand Finale.  I will be watching with hope that this…this is going to be the episode that knocks it out of the park.  I will follow this season all the way to the end while the two, very nice, remaining contestants, battle it out in one of the most anti-climatic versions of DS I have watched.  It actually makes me miss,Nina-Cruella DeDecorator, just a little bit! 

Will I be back next year?  At this stage, I say no, there will be something else filling my time at 10 PM on a Sunday evening.  Maybe the key to a great Design Star is pitting people against one another for the joy of the process of design, not a title that is only as good as the caliber of the competition. 

In the interim, Here is a sneak peek at tonight’s final episode!

JoAnne Lenart-Weary

Creative Director-The Decorating and Staging Academy

Presenter: JoAnne Lenart-Weary

Dates: August 25 and September 1, 2010, 7-8:30 PM EDT

Price:$59.00

Creating a room begins with eliminating possiblities.  How can you shop unless you understand what you don’t want, which leads you to what you do need for the space. Today’s decorating style may feel more casual but is still impacted by the furniture periods and styles that were created hundreds of years ago. A professional approach to a room requires you to understand the details that make the room perfect, straight legs versus curved, shiny fabrics versus matte, and more.   Join JoAnne Lenart-Weary in this two part series to understand how identifying a room’s core style will help you make wise decisions resulting in a perfect space every time. 

August 25 Part One- What goes with What-Learn what makes a classic, how to create an eclectic room that looks

Furniture Styles

planned instead of a jumble and more.  Once you have identified furniture styles,   Understand how wood colors, leg shapes and more can completely change the feeling of the space.  After all, great decorating is all in the details.  Does your room demand Chippendale or Queen Ann legs?  Should the fabrics be shiny or textured?  Understanding what goes with what, will help you “cook” up the perfect room. The ability to validate your choices will make you more credible to your clients.

September 1-Part Two-Window Treatments, Accessories-What goes with What?-Now that you have decided on your furniture, you need to add the other elements that pull the room together. Translate last week’s information into fabrics, window treatments, and accessorizing based on historical clues and solid decorating foundations and principles.

Register Here: Recipe for a Perfect Room-$59

I was surfing on the Internet the other day and was looking around on the RESA site and found this great tool. I wanted to share it with all of you.
After reveiwing the website, I called the inventor, Greg.  By the way, he is located right here in Nashville.

It is called:

Ready Hang Decorative
Drapery Hardware
No Drilling needed

I asked Greg to explain how it works.  He said, ”The patent pending Ready Hang™ brackets work by gripping onto your existing window frame supplying the support needed to mount your drapery hardware. You can also adjust the height of your drapery by simply moving the extension rods up or down.”

I asked him if it is really secure, and he said, “It sure is. It will hold up to 30 lbs if it is mounted on wood and up to 20 lbs if mounted on non-wood like decorative foam window frames.

Then I asked if it was hard to install and if I would need any special equipment?  His answer, “Not at all.”  Only an Allen wrench is needed and it is included.

Next, of course, I asked about the price and if you mention the DSA you get 10% off. You have to call Greg at 615-969-4256 to get the discount.  

ONLY! $39.99 – $49.99 available sizes 28″-48″ and 36″-76″  　　　　　　　　　　　　

Go see for yourself and watch the video.

Tell Greg that Carol Bass with the DSA sent ya. http://www.readyhang.com

The “hunt” was on. We scowered the Flea Markets, Consignment stores, big retailers and a few garage sales.

We found an old Radiator ($10) an Isaac Mizrahi placemat($1.37) and ordered great new leather chairs.

You, like me, have probably faced a radiator that needed a redesign. The challenge is to blend them into a space and to re-make their image into something beautiful rather than utilitarian.

We put the Isaac Mizrahi placemat into an old frame. We then hot glued that frame on top of a long wooden empty rectangel frame and hung it between two Ansel Adams prints for their conference room.

Do you like to hear “Tight budget” I do. We would love to hear about your amazing transformations of Trash To Treasure!

DesAnn Collins

DSA Staging Director & trainer

www.DesignByDesAnn.com

•  Do you have to click more than once to visit a vendor’s website?
•  Do you click Start to open a software program?
•  Does your Desktop contain items older than three weeks?
•  Do you believe you must file all jpegs in My Pictures/Pictures folder?
•  Do you spend too much time locating a file? Are there times when you’re frustrated by the computer?

If you have answered yes to any of these questions, then this class is for you! Minutes Matter has made it easy to become computer savvy. Simply join this 90-minute course, to explore and learn the many features of your computer, from the Desktop to the Libraries, the mouse to the keyboard and customizing your Internet browser; you’re going to love that one! Special attention will be given to topics such as creating folders and organizing files – learn about file types, how to open, copy, find, delete, and rename them. Shortcuts or hot keys, mouse tricks and clicks, screen captures, quick launch toolbar, system tray and task manager, all the tools and functions you may not know exist – these are the areas you’ll master once you’ve attended this course. Don’t miss the chance to learn how to get your computer organized!

As a bonus,  every attendee will receive a folder full of free icons to get your Internet browser customized; we will demonstrate how to do this during class. In order to get everyone super excited about implementing technology into their business, here’s a little extra encouragement…a FREE iPad will be given away to one, super-lucky attendee!

 Simply register for this course before 4:00 PM EDT Tuesday (August 17th) for your chance to win! Since this class is so important, it’s being offered twice – one in the evening and one in the afternoon. This course is only $47, so sign up today to reserve your spot! Can’t attend or want to view the webinar as a refresher course? Every person that registers (even if you didn’t attend live) will receive an email with a link to the recorded course which can be viewed anytime.

 Register for Tuesday’s Elevate Course: 08.17.10 at 8:00 pm (EDT)

Register for Thursday’s Elevate Course: 08.19.10 at 1:00 pm (EDT)

Don’t miss this exciting event!  I know, I won’t!  JoAnne Lenart-Weary

star

   /stɑr/ Show Spelled [stahr] Show IPA ,noun, adjective, verb, starred, star·ring.–noun 1. a person who is celebrated or distinguished in some art, profession, or other field.

HEY HGTV, do you understand the definition of “star:” is someone who blows their peers out of the water?  The 3 finalists are nice enough, but I want them to blow my mind with creative decorating ideas.  I just spent the week teaching a decorating class where we transformed a master suite and a family room.  The clients were “blown away” by our group creativity.  Anyone of my students dazzled me more than what I have seen so far on Design Star.

...and then there were 3

A frustrating 2 weeks of ongoing computer problems have cut into my blogging, webinars, and life.  But even if my computer would have been up to par, I don’t think I would have posted after last week’s episode of Design Star.  I was driving from Pennsylvania to North Carolina to teach and timed my arrival so I wouldn’t miss a moment.  Rushed to my room, unpacked my bags, took the pizza from the delivery man, and settled back.  As I watched the room, I thought, this is oatmeal…I want eggs bendict…design style.  In  other words, give me something exciting, not everyday design.

So now, I sit here, flipping back and forth between Design Star and Great Food Truck Race, and not sure where to actually land.  Should I set myself up for disappointment once again…or do I move on to gourmet food trucks all shiny and gleaming?  Let you know tomorrow what way I go!  

JoAnne Lenart-Weary

Creative Director and Disappointed Design Star Fan

One of my favorite new shows on HGTV is Sarah’s House.  I love the building and renovation process, so this show tickles my fancy.  You may follow interior designer Sarah Richardson through the entire process of purchasing a house and renovating it room by room. She starts by buying the worst house in a good neighborhood — a true fixer-upper that oozes with potential. Learn what to look for and what to avoid when house hunting with a renovation in mind. Get inside Sarah’s creative mind as she decides what stays and what goes. See her do it all — budgeting, conceptualizing, managing dusty, disastrous renovations — while creating stylish touches that are her trademark. Let Sarah’s House empower you with the knowledge you need to tackle your own whole-house redesign. It’s nail-biting drama, practical know-how and jaw-dropping, inspiring ideas all rollednto one exciting show

!