Jeremiah Goodman "The Magic Maker"

In this months Veranda Magazine there is a feature of Jeremiah Goodman "Artist of Ethereal" .  His water colors capture all of the romance of a room. Jeremiah has been illustrating for 60 years and is still working at the age of 90 in his upper east side apartment in New York City.

This was the feature in Veranda Magazine  ~The bedroom of Madam X~

The following are some photo's that I had taken at a lecture that I attended back in 2010 at New York School of Interior Design.... I was amazed  as you will be also with his work.  I have captured the process picture by picture which took about 1/2 hour.  He asked us what the backdrop scene should be first...We picked the Brooklyn Bridge.  The interior was a living area.....the rest was up to him.. 

The following pictures are some that were displayed in the gallery for viewing....totally amazing. 

Artist Jeremiah Goodman/ Jeremiah Goodman

Photo's/ Corinne Kaas

Location/New York School of Interior Design

October is almost over, its time to get organized for the holidays!

~Its important to create the conditions for success not mater where you live or how much you've got, you can make your home a haven that supports your quest for a balance life, a place where you can rest and recharge , a sacred space to reflect and heal.  Doing this not only brings harmony to your own existence, it also promotes harmonies interaction with family and friends~.  Mariel Hemingway 

October is almost over, its time to get ready for the holidays!

FIRST STEP IN PREPARING FOR THE UPCOMING HOLIDAYS: Every year at this time I go through my pantry and cabinets, checking dates, putting like things together in clear plastic shoe containers, checking if I have the cooking basics I need for the upcoming festivities, spices, broths etc.. Take half an hour and tackle yours!

KITCHEN UTENSIL DRAWER - spend just fifteen minutes today dragging everything out of your utensil drawer. Donate any spatulas, ladles or gizmos that you seldom use. 

 POTS & PANS - this is a hard one but it'll make you feel so great! Right now, dig out any pots & pans that you no longer use . Be brutal!! I love to cook and have lots of pots but still managed to find quite a few to donate. 

These are just simple tasks that you can do today......to make November more organized.

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Are you thinking about downsizing?

For many "Empty- Nester's" the discussion on moving and downsizing has come up in the conversation.  The children are out of the house, the housing market is finally seeing some action, the interest rates are still low and it would be nice to get rid of some of the debt that has accumulated.

The question is how and where to start in the process of getting rid of years of STUFF~  here are some guidelines that may help you in preparation for a Spring Time listing!  Check out Martha Stewart's 100 reasons to get rid of stuff.

1. Eliminating Clutter reduces Stress
   
    A great first step is to take out those family pictures during the upcoming Thanksgiving Celebration ~  Ask your self ~do you really need pictures of the butterflies that visited your garden 7 years ago?   Go through the pictures and eliminate all of the non descriptive pictures.  Then make piles of all the pictures according to family members - Scan them for distribution later in time -
2.   Closets -
   
   One at a time - Do Not Buy Bins and Hangers to get organize - The opportune word is PURGE ~While placing your fall clothes in your closet - hang the hanger's backwards, if they are still backwards come spring time - Donate, Consignment, throw out.
3. One Room at a Time -
   
   during the months of November - April ~ Schedule time one room a week  ~ This will force you to look at your own spending habits, ( you will find items with tags on for sure) this small task is a eye opener on things we bought and never used - Note:  If you are storing items for an Adult Child, set a dead-line for them to pick up/donate or throw out. Do not keep things that you are not using or are no longer meaningful,
4. Invite a Friend -
   
   If you are having a hard time getting rid of the Tonka Trucks, or Digger the Dog ~ ask a friend to help you make sense of what to keep and what to get rid of.
5. Now you are ready to organize -
   
    If you have eliminated all non descriptive, non sentimental, never used/worn items .  You should now have what you need to bring with you to your new location - sorted and organize according to items.
6. De-Cluttered your computer and email -
   
   This may take a few days depending on how organized your files are in your computer - It is important to have all of your items saved to a exterior hard drive.  Unsubscribe to emails that you never read.  Delete files that you haven't used in six months.  You know the files that you took along with you at your last job, just in case!!  Get rid of it....
7. Once your home is De-cluttered and organized it will be easier to keep it this way.
   
     You will have a clean slate - you will feel like you can move forward on to the next chapter of your life..

I hope you found this helpful - I have moved several times and it is a huge undertaking.  Just follow my instructions and make a time line - breaking down a huge task into smaller chunks makes the transition so much easier.

   Corinne ~by Harmonizing Homes

   917.699.1262  

Layering cuts the sterility out of a home

'Layering cuts the sterility you can find in someone's home when they haven't lived there very long.' - Ralph Lauren

PATTERN RECOGNITION | Ralph Lauren Home is known for its unfettered approach to bedding, as seen in this maximalist medley of prints, shot in 1983. Jacques Dirand/Ralph Lauren Corporation

Mary McDonald's collection of pink Murano ashtrays  which are perfect filled with one of the things that she
loves most... jewelry!

My clients home for which I am not responsible for the design, but
I wanted to show you how layering works 

Layering is truly an Art

Bold move is fabric choices

her display of Jewelry 

Even her clothing line is layered 

Website/Simple Business Solutions

Ralph Lauren/Wall Street Journal

Mary McDonald/Mary McDonlad

Connie Baldino/Queeen B

Corinne Kaas/Harmonizing Homes

What is in your window boxes?

Beautiful flowers found at the local Shop Rite

The colors of fall are just as beautiful as the fresh spring colors.  They are bold, rich and very much a sign of starting over.  This weekend I cut back some of my perennials, pulled the last of the vegetables out of the gardens and redesigned my window boxes and plantings in the front of our yard.

The secret to beautiful window boxes is a seasoned picker

this year I added a lot of different texture

I left the purple potato vine in added some ornamental pepper plants for added layering.

I did the same in the pots, I left in the chartreuse potato vines for added layer and contrast

It's basically the time for trees to reevaluate their priorities and start anew.

It's a time to reflect, and settle in to a new post-summer groove.

Send me your fall planting pictures and I will feature them on next Monday's blog...Make sure you send me your location as there are a variety of plants according to regions..

Happy Fall!

Check out this yummy Healthy Breakfast Treat to make with your apples that you picked over the weekend!

Apple Pie Quinoa Breakfast Bowl

serves 4

1 cup quinoa, rinsed

2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of salt

2 medium apples, shredded

100% pure maple syrup, optional topping*

Bring quinoa, almond milk, and applesauce to a boil in medium pot. Reduce to simmer and continue to cook for 15 minutes until liquid is absorbed. Stir in apple pie spice, vanilla and salt. Pour into bowls and top with shredded apples and a drizzle of maple syrup if desired.

Nutrition Facts per serving: 230 calories, 4g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 125mg sodium, 43g carbohydrate, 6g dietary fiber, 11g sugars, 7g protein, 6% vitamin A, 8% vitamin C, 15% calcium, 15% iron

*Note: Optional topping not included in nutrient analysis.

Website/Simple Business Solutions

Plantings/Vic's Green House

Recipe/Love and Zest 

Design/Harmonizing Homes

Amtrak Train comes through their wedding ceramony

I have staged and decorated homes and stores, but never before a Wedding Hall.  Back in April, my Nephew Brendan and his finance Jenna aka The Brenna's  asked if I would take care of decorating the venue for their wedding.   It seem so long ago, but this weekend came and went...here are some pictures.

The happy couple - in front of Shore Chicy Designed  Communion Table

Frames where all made with Chalk Paint and the calligraphy was done in
Neo Chalk Pens which is a Liquid chalk (water based) 

Unique idea - decorating on a budget

When I realized there were no flowers for decorations, I
helped my self to surrounding neighboring yards...oops

How many brides do you know have an Amtrak Train come
through their wedding? 

I found this antique shopping cart at a thrift store
which made a great card and gift holder 

The challenge was the table clothes, (they were all round) except for a handful.
Note to self always have some safety pins 

Several attempts at hot gluing the J&B to the wooden box

All the corks were hot glued the day of the wedding...stressful

Love this shot

Borrowed flowers and greenery...they will never know

Simple door treatment - Thank Goodness I had some ribbon

Photo Credits Katelyn James Photography 

Ceremony | Hanover Arts and Activities Center

Reception | Hanover Arts and Activities Center

Dress | Bella Rosa

Clutter can raise your stress level

I have experienced this first handed -  I have a small home office where I try to run Harmonizing Homes, and Shore Chicy Designs.....At times the amount of projects and clutter stops my creativity and production because of the stress level that I am experiencing.  I than have to stop everything and clean up the space and organize before I can continue on, which is a waste of time and energy.   A larger space would help but for now it is what it is; as they say.... With the new school season upon us shortly, I thought I would address and hopefully help Moms get a handle on clutter and organization.

Many mothers experience unnecessary stress during the school year, looking for homework, books, book bags, etc.  Laura Whittman of Organizing Junkie  created this station in the garage - When the children come home, they grab their homework and books, hang up their back packs.  When they are done with their home work, it goes back into their back packs and hung ready to grab for the next day.

Great Organizing Built-ins to keep all your children school work and sports-equipment 

Now lets talk about your pantry - Here is another easy thing to do making snacks easy to reach by those little hands and neat at the same time. Simple cut off the tops of the boxes!  Check out her blog, she even has a printable cleaning schedule to help you stay on top of things....

This is cleaver idea is from Becky of Clean Mama

I am always looking for cleaver ideas to share with you....in organization, home interiors, staging homes and more....I hope you will enjoy!  Visit us on Facebook....for daily updates ...