Kit Davey, Interior Designer
18 Years in business - Over 2,600 homes transformed!
Newsletter: November 2003
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Table of Contents:
1) Quote
2) Organizing Tips
3) More Tips
4) Interesting Sites to Visit
5) Catastrophe Update
6) Classes for 2004
1) Quote
"To know when you have enough is to be rich"
-
Lao-Tzu
2) Organizing Tips
- To organize the pamphlets and warranties that come with appliances and electronic equipment, purchase a binder along with a box of clear plastic sleeves. Insert the booklets into the sleeves and store the binder near your cookbooks.
- Pick one shelf in your den or family room for storing library books. You'll know where they are when it's time to return them.
- To keep track of your credit cards and other important papers you carry in your wallet, lay them out on a photocopy machine and make several copies. All the information will be on one or two sheets. Store a copy in your filing system at home and give one to a family member off site, or take to work and file it there.
- Try "trackless living" in one room of your home and see if you can expand the habit throughout the rest of your house. Leave a room as if no one had been there or used it---everything is in its place and looking tidy and organized when you leave it. Trackless living became a habit for me when I sold my first home---I had to leave the house looking great in case a buyer toured it while I was at work. I now love returning home to the visual peace in my home at the end of a long day. Start with the bathroom or kitchen. Put things away when you're done, wipe the counter down, put away dry dishes, closed cabinet doors/drawers, straighten the towels, etc. Once you have trained yourself to leave one room "at peace", try this habit in another room in your home.
3) More Decorating and Organizing Tips
My website has dozens of articles on topics from decorating for kitties to giving your bathroom a facelift. I also post before and after photos of rooms I have transformed by rearranging the client's furnishings. Visit www.AFreshLook.net and click on "Tips" and "Photos".
4) Useful Websites
Mybackyard.com offers ideas on how to simplify your life, nurture yourself and how-to's on fun home projects.
Driftwoodsalvage.com sells architectural salvage from old houses at great prices. Their site announces upcoming sales at their yard, 1955 Pulgas Ave., East Palo Alto, and on-site sales as well. You can buy recycled lumber and other building supplies for less while helping the environment.
5) Catastrophe Update
On Dec. 16 of last year, the beautiful 350-year-old oak tree in our back yard came crashing through our roof as we slept. Most of our home was damaged and we had to move out pronto. Since then we have been living in a brand new home in the Emerald Hills area of Redwood City. Reconstruction began on August 11th with demolition of a large part of the house. Framing for walls and the roof is in place, but no plumbing or electrical work has started. Our contractor doesn't know when the job will be done, but we hope to move back in during the holidays. We visit the house several times a week to repair the garden and check up on progress. I am so glad we have a nice place to stay while our home is being rebuilt.
6) Classes for 2004
Class: Staging Your Home for Sale: How to Maximize Your Profits
Wed. February 18, 2004, 7:00 to 9:00 pm at De Anza College. Cost: $25, plus $5 materials fee payable in class. To register, call (408) 864-8817.
Class: Backyard Decorating: How to Create an Enchanting Garden
Wed., March 24, 2004, 7:00 9:00 pm. Cost: $35, plus $3 materials fee.
De Anza College, Cupertino Call (408) 864-8817 for room location and to register.