The City Lifestylist®

When I work on a model home, my first priority is bringing the outside in - what's going to make the buyer feel like what he experienced before he walked into the model continues into his model experience?

My son just gave me the perfect example - he is buying a new home in Florida, and was troubled after seeing the new model home because they didn't like the colors or feel of the home after it was merchandised. It bothered them so much they actually considered canceling the sale. The colors and the lack of lifestyle felt like they could have been in any city in any community, but it didn't have the warmth that they anticipated their home would have.

At Lifestylist® Design we focus on lifestyle, and what they buyer hopes to experience in his new life in your new home. We just finished doing a Lifestylist® Designed home for @home Builders in Baldwinsville, NY and I thought I'd share the thought process on how we came up with this home.

Timber Banks is a new incredible planned community near Syracuse, NY that features an 18 hole, Nicklaus designed golf course, river frontage with it's own marina, clubhouse, and a stunning, natural beauty all around you that you can call home. It seemed only natural that I would bring this lifestyle and the colors I saw all around me into the design of the model. We went with some of the foggy greys, clear blue sky, river rocks and eco-greens that we discovered on our walks and as a result when you are in the home it truly pulls the outside in.  Plan a visit to the Timbers yourself and see what we accomplished - contact Teresa Carpenter with @home Builders for more information at:  315-635- 6006.

One of my favorite lifestyle items that many people don't think about is towels. Think about how many times a day you use one, but when it's time to make a purchase we spend more time worrying about cost and color than value. A typical family of 4 owns 15 towels, and we tend to hold on to them longer than maybe we should. My parents own a lake house and received 20 beach towels that were promotional items at least 10 years ago and we still use them!
My favorite store to buy towels from is JC Penney. They always have sales going on, but you can get a luxurious bath towel in beautiful current colors for under $10.00. As a Lifestylist® and model home merchandiser I buy a lot of towels for my job, and JC Penney is always my first stop for this purchase. Their sheets and bedding can't be beat as well. Instead of buying all of your towels the same color, try buying coordinating colors. That way you can mix and match, and each family member or houseguest can have their own color so you'll always know which is yours!

One of my favorite lifestyle items that many people don't think about is towels. Think about how many times a day you use one, but when it's time to make a purchase we spend more time worrying about cost and color than value. A typical family of 4 owns 15 towels, and we tend to hold on to them longer than maybe we should. My parents own a lake house and received 20 beach towels that were promotional items at least 10 years ago and we still use them!

My favorite store to buy towels from is JC Penney. They always have sales going on, but you can get a luxurious bath towel in beautiful current colors for under $10.00. As a Lifestylist® and model home merchandiser I buy a lot of towels for my job, and JC Penney is always my first stop for this purchase. Their sheets and bedding can't be beat as well. Instead of buying all of your towels the same color, try buying coordinating colors. That way you can mix and match, and each family member or houseguest can have their own color so you'll always know which is yours!

You never know where you will find a really cool new product or inspiration, and last week when I attended 'til Midnight at the Nasher Sculpture Center I was thrilled to discover the Boxsal. What the heck is a Boxsal you ask? Excellent question! It's a great, green, creative way to pack up a picnic to enjoy at your favorite spot. Made entirely from recyclable materials, the Boxsal includes cutlery, plates, bowls, napkins and glasses for four. Also included is a compostable trash bag so you can dispose of your items properly but you might want to keep the very stylish Boxsal picnic box to use for your next picnic or any other use that you imagine. Boxsals have three distinctive boxes that you can choose from, but my favorite is the Today's Date box. Reminiscent of a paint by numbers canvas from days gone by (do they still make these?) I can see how this would be the perfect project to keep kids or bored adults busy in any environment.
Your own Boxsal can be purchased at the Nasher Sculpture Center Store at NorthPark or at the Sculpture Center. You can also check online at the Boxsal site to find a location nearest you.

You never know where you will find a really cool new product or inspiration, and last week when I attended 'til Midnight at the Nasher Sculpture Center I was thrilled to discover the Boxsal. What the heck is a Boxal you ask? Excellent question! It's a great, green, creative way to pack up a picnic to enjoy at your favorite spot. Made entirely from recyclable materials, the Boxal includes cutlery, plates, bowls, napkins and glasses for four. Also included is a compostable trash bag so you can dispose of your items properly but you might want to keep the very stylish Boxal picnic box to use for your next picnic or any other use that you imagine. Boxals have three distinctive boxes that you can choose from, but my favorite is the Today's Date box. Reminiscent of a paint by numbers canvas from days gone by (do they still make these?) I can see how this would be the perfect project to keep kids or bored adults busy in any environment.

Your own Boxal can be purchased at the Nasher Sculpture Center Store at NorthPark or at the Sculpture Center. You can also check online at the Boxal site to find a location nearest you.

Sometimes it's just to hot to cook at home, so last night I decided to let the Wolfgang Puck team at the Nasher Sculpture Center do it for me. They have a wonderful series titled 'Til Midnight at the Nasher, and as part of that you can order an amazing picnic basket of goodies and then enjoy it under the stars and amazing works of art. This was my second time to attend, and it's quickly a must attend event that I'm looking forward to every month. If you aren't a member of the Nasher you should be - besides getting invitations to special events it also gives you access to the members tent where this month they hosted an organic wine tasting that was wonderful.

Being a Lifestylist® is all about helping people live their lives with style, and I can't think of a better place to do that than here!

One of my favorite new resources is yelp.com - an online resource that can help you find restaurants, hotels, nightlife and shopping in your local area, or wherever you are traveling to. Members review and talk about stores and services and help you find where "the locals" go. I've tried this in several cities and have gotten great suggestions. One of the great things about traveling is getting to try new things, and with the yelp app on my iphone I'm good to go! It will also help you find the closest gas station and emergency services if you ever need them.
You can also also go directly to the reviews of a member you like or trust - please check out this Lifestylist's reviews on Yelp here.
This is another great resource that can help you save money and time when you are making your travel plans. Let me know what your profile is and I'll follow you as well!

One of my favorite new resources is yelp.com - an online resource that can help you find restaurants, hotels, nightlife and shopping in your local area, or wherever you are traveling to. Members review and talk about stores and services and help you find where "the locals" go. I've tried this in several cities and have gotten great suggestions. One of the great things about traveling is getting to try new things, and with the yelp app on my iphone I'm good to go! It will also help you find the closest gas station and emergency services if you ever need them.

You can also also go directly to the reviews of a member you like or trust - please check out this Lifestylist's reviews on Yelp here.

This is another great resource that can help you save money and time when you are making your travel plans. Let me know what your profile is and I'll follow you as well!

The 4th of July definitely had new meaning for me this year after viewing Restrepo, and now when we celebrate I celebrate in thanks for all of the sacrifices our soldiers are making for us overseas. It also has made me appreciate my family even more, so this 4th of July was a meaningful celebration.

Since my parents are selling their beautiful lake home at Hideaway Lake this is probably the last 4th we will all celebrate there. After 20 years we have lots of great memories, but now it's time for someone else to enjoy it. Hideaway is the place to be for the 4th! A private lake and community, the 4th is celebrated with great food, competitions at the pool and of course the infamous boat parade. We've entered a lot of years and have never won but we sure have fun trying! This is a perfect example of the Lifestylist® movement - people enjoying their lives in style.

The fireworks this year were some of the best I've ever seen, and getting to view them from the boat with my family made it even more special. Happy 4th of July to all and remember how lucky we are to have the freedom that we do.