Color Fan: Yellow and Grey

Lately I am really inspired by the yellow and grey combination.

Marbled Makes a Come Back

Marble paper was popular in the 70s and 80s; it has come back style. From paintings to lamps to fabrics the marble texture is here, for now. In general I am not a fan of this look, but hand dyed marbled paper can easily take my breath away and becomes an art that stands on its own. I prefer it as art or on handcrafted books, but not as wallpaper, furniture, or other decor. The look becomes too overwhelming and still feels 80s rather than modern. The prints and textures in these papers are absolutely beautiful.

New Beginnings

New Years always renews the hope that we can better ourselves to be the person we have always wanted to be. Most resolutions fail because it is hard to break habits. Changing habits take time and resolution. Creating a goal helps you to strive for completion, but it is important to make that goal attainable. 

Photo for today.

Make a Routine: Some recommend daily habits, and if you are focusing on a daily schedule I would recommend only change one habit at once. Typically we make resolution lists, not a single item. If you can focus it down to one that is great, but I have too many goals. Instead, I make a weekly schedule that works in each goal in a routine. Maybe, one item occurs on every Monday and Thursday and another on Tuesday and Friday. The importance is consistency, because humans are creatures of habits. Creating a routine helps to develop new habits.

Self-control: Many people struggle with the ability to let their no mean no, and yes mean yes. Whether it is working out or avoiding distractions to complete a client project, exerting self-control is essential to success. This is one of the hardest skills to perfect. Building up your willpower takes baby steps, because it hard to come to a dead stop. It takes grit.

30-day Trial: Similar to making a routine, taking a trial is about rewiring our brains for new habits to form. Popularized by Steve Pavlina you take one habit and focus on it dailyfor 30 days to become a conditioned habit. Once you commit to this strict monthly act, it becomes easier to keep making that choice after the 30 days are over.

Do you have any helpful suggestions for developing new habits?

Social Media Chaged the World

In the past year I have doubled my social media outlets, and I am not the only one. Most people check facebook, twitter, blogs, and ect. multiple times a day. Social networks are a great way to stay connected with friends and colleagues and provides quick and easy ways to share ideas and information.  Social media often leads to a disconnected analog world as well exposing more of ourselves than is wise. Social media is being utilized by business to attract new clients and developing personalities and a brand. With the right methods social media is a great place for customers and brands to get a long and stay informed, but social media is easily falls prey to over-zealous posting and bland personality that can alienate customers even further.

1) More Connected: Getting reconnected with old friends and distant family draws most people to social media. Different networks are adding diverse tools to help you share thoughts, images, videos, and more to keep your friends to connected to your daily life and big events.

2) More Disconnected: Sitting at a restaurants I was looking around and noticed that about 20% off the customers were bending over and entranced with their mobile phones. My own husband was taking a photo of his beer to post on facebook. Because we are busy letting a multitude of online friends know what were are up to, sometimes we are neglecting the friends and family who have come to see us face-to-face.

3) Easier to gather and share information: My new favorite social network is Pinterest. It is a great spot for me to shave images of interest, recipes, and design inspirations. (They need to work on an app for android since not everyone has an iphone!) Social networks have coded in ways for the community to share links, images, and videos so that we can organize our ideas and share them instantly. Which can be good and not so good.

4) More Exposure (Good): Social media sites such as LinkedIn can be a great way to get noticed whether you are a company or a potential employee looking for hire. The other sites are well used by business to build on their customers basis because their current customers have friends and they might become customers too.

5) Over Exposed (Bad): Social media has lead to a large epidemic of verbal and visual diarrhea. We are sharing more and faster than we ever could have in the past. I still have not discovered the point of Foursquare except to let people know you are not at home, and could rob you right now. Also letting out details of your life makes it easier for hackers to steal identities and personal information.

Social media can be a great tool, but you must use it wisely. Oh, and Happy New Year!