It's a good thing that every once in awhile I watch where I'm walking, because a week or so ago I was walking on the side of the Home Idea Factory I heard a peep - when I looked down there was a very tiny, featherless baby bird looking up at me. I had no idea there was a nest any where by, but when I looked up I saw it. Thank heavens for tall ladders - I knew he would never have a chance if I left him on the ground so I dragged out my biggest ladder and was able to get him safely home. It's been an absolute delight to watch the Mom and Dad cardinals flying back and forth taking care of him.

I've been watching out for him ever since, and yesterday there he was again on the ground. I got him back up where he belonged, but I guess the parents decided it was time for him to leave the nest - when I didn't see them around today I checked the nest and he was gone. Safe travels, little Peep - I'm glad I'll always have these pictures to remember you by.

It's hard to believe that this Lifestylist® has attended every Savor Dallas, but when I'm going back through some of the amazing photos that photographer Lisa Stewart of Lisa Stewart Photography has taken of the event I know why - it's an amazing place to try new food, wine and cocktails.

I have met so many amazing chefs and wine makers at this event over the years - it's always fun to reconnect at the event. Plus this is a great way to try out some of the offerings of a restaurant you've been wanting to visit without committing to an entire meal.

This year Savor Dallas will be held March 30 and 31st - for more information check out the Savor Dallas website.

Budget cuts are really taking a tool on our public schools these days, and the arts seems to be a popular place to cut spending. I hate that kids aren't being exposed to the arts like they have in the past - I have wonderful memories of some of the arts projects I worked on when I was in school, and the amazing museums and craftspeople we were allowed to visit. We were also able to spend part of our summers at Chautauqua Institution - an arts and faith based community on Chautauqua Lake in NY. It was an ideal way to spend summers. Our only restrictions were that we had to take at least one music and one art class every day, but we enjoyed it so much we took more.

Dallas is very fortunate to have a wonderful arts community and there seems to be a new movement underfoot to mentor and support new talent, no matter how old they are. La Reunion TX is a group that I've just become familiar with - they were responsible for the amazing Giants puppets that were part of the parade for Bridge-O-Rama. I snuck back to their workshop before the parade and was able to see them constructing these beautiful representations of people who have made Dallas great. There were all ages working on them and it seemed like a really fun project to be involved in.

The Nasher Sculpture Center is one of my favorite arts destinations in the world, and I feel really fortunate to be a member and to be able to take advantage of that membership. There is just a special spirit that you feel there, and the exhibits and events always give me a new appreciation of art. Today I learned about something very special that they will be doing this weekend - "Found Object Art". The Nasher teamed up with La Reunion Texas and seven Dallas schools to introduce the students to the concept of art made from found objects. The work will be shown in a one week show at the Nasher that opens on Saturday.

What a great program that makes me want to learn more about La Reunion - they are really stepping up and becoming a vital part of the arts community - I can't wait to see more!

This Lifestylist® is so fortunate to be close to a great farmers market. The Dallas Farmers Market is open 365 days a year, and I love how they make sure  you know which the local farmers and produce are.

One of my favorite farmers is Lemleys which has had a stall for as long as I can remember. If you want great tomatoes and peaches, this is definitely the place. They are so nice, and Mr. Lemley is often there on weekends sharing his knowledge.

Not only does buying from farmers help support the local economy, it also is an excellent way to save money and eat healthy. Search out your local farmers market and find out what a difference it can make in your lifestyle.

Faith Popcorn has always been one of my favorite Futurists. She has a knack for knowing what people want even before they do!

Faith and her BrainReserve say this is going to be the "She-Change" year. With over 60% of Master's degrees going to women and the top 3 spots in Google's 2011 Science Fair all being won by women, the tide truly seems to be turning.

We love to share, and here is a copy of "What's Popping" that describes this trend in depth. We'd love to know what you think about this, and if you are seeing examples of this trend in your markets.

As part of my Lifestylist® Goals for 2012, I finally started letting go of things that should have been tossed or recycled ages ago. One of the items I have a lot of is the soaps and bath products you get in hotels when you travel. With my schedule I’m in all different sizes and shapes of hotels with a vast range of complimentary items included.

Never one to waste something if I don’t have to, I always bring my own products when I travel but bring back the ones from the hotels and give them to some of my favorite charities. There are lots of shelters that desperately need these types of items for their short term residents – I know they are always going to be put to good use and worth the trouble of bringing them home and sharing them.

So today was a great day – I gained a few new empty drawers and helped my community in the process!

This has been such a great month! There are lots of new Lifestylist® Designed projects happening, and three of them are in one of my favorite areas of the world - Western NY. Part of what we do that makes us so unique is spending a lot of time understanding what makes the community we are working on so unique, and what type of lifestyle the new residents can expect. I like to go out without a lot of suggestions, and just see what I can stumble on to.

Sonnenberg Gardens is one of those magical discoveries. I've been down to Canandaigua Lake a few times looking at the @home Builders communities Covington Place and Canandaigua Classics, and saw signs for the gardens but never stopped. Now that Riedman Communities is building The Hammocks at Canandaigua and we will be doing the design and merchandising I decided it was time to check it out.

I can't stop thinking about this very special place, and now I can't wait to go back and spend the day there. It is a NY State historic park, and is "one of the nation's most extensively preserved country estates from the Victorian era". The rock garden with this nymph sculpture was truly a magical place, and there weer lots of knowledgeable volunteers that were happy to share their wealth of information.

What is also so special about this gem is that because it is about the gardens, it will never be the same from visit to visit. I've already booked my next trip and I've added in a day to be able to explore and enjoy even more.

Let 2012 begin! It’s looking like a very busy year for this Lifestylist®– I’m already working on trips to Michigan, New York, Las Vegas and Florida. All of these are to work with clients, and I’m always very frugal as to where I stay when I’m on the road.

The first destination for me when I’m trying to get my travel reservations in order is Travelocity. This has been such a great time saver for me, and I’ve discovered really cool hotels I never would have known (or Gnome) about without their help. I was fortunate enough to spend some quality time with that cute little guy sporting the pointy red at the past few years at Savor Dallas, and he shared some great tips with me.

One of the best ways to save is to book everything together on their site. Not only can it save you money, it’s easier to keep up with to have your reservations  all in one place.

Thanks to their help, I discovered what I consider the best travel deal I’ve ever found. I needed a last minute room in the Tampa Bay area so I looked on Travelocity to see what I could find, and there it was – The Postcard Inn. Right on the beach, cool and funky, and amazing restaurant, Snack Shack and bar right on site, and under $75.00 a night! I liked it so much my daughter and grandkids joined me there to celebrate my birthday.

The next time you are thinking about heading out of town and experience something different, try Travelocity and trust their suggestions. Hopefully you’ll be able to find your own Postcard Inn to enjoy.

Home Idea Factory was asked to be the Lifestylist® for The New American Home 2011, and we loved getting to see all of the new product innovations that were included in the home.
Thermador provided the appliances for this beautiful home, and visitors fell in love with the steam oven, refrigeration columns and the eye catching Sapphire dishwasher. Besides it’s SBL (sexy blue light) technology, this workhorse could fit 18 stemmed wine glasses, had three drawers, and made it possible to clean everything from fine crystal to heavy, dirty pots and pans.
We did a video of the Reidman Development team experiencing this dishwasher, and also showed what consumers thought. What did the homeowners like the best? They said that Thermador’s customer service was the component that won their loyalty. The Thermador team was always there when they had questions, and went above and beyond to make sure that the new homeowners weer happy with their new home.

Nothing is more important than a good nights sleep. If we don’t have the right support from the mattress, the right pillows or the right temperature in the room, sleep might not come easily.

When LifeStyling the corporate apartments for The Hammocks at Timber Banks and Southern Hills, I wanted to be sure that the they truly felt like a home away from home and the clients would enjoy their stay. I stayed in some of the apartments designed by other companies to get a feel of what worked and what didn’t, and spent a lot of time speaking with residents and getting a feel for the lifestyle of each and what made them unique. Having a comfy sofa and a flat screen TV was important, but nothing was more important than the bed.

As a Lifestylist® I always take into consideration how a bed fits into a room, and Ashley Furniture now offers beautiful beds with a low foot board or platform that makes any room still feel spacious. Many companies (and consumers)use just a metal frame and no headboard with their beds, but by using a headboard, foot board and rails you create a much more stable platform for your bed which adds support to the mattress. Plus it looks so much better! Be sure to check out the new options that Ashley Homestores offer – great value and style.

An area that I won’t ever compromise on is the mattresses and pillows. We use a pillowtop that offers a great nights sleep that was manufactured to our specifications by a local company, and I found pillows that I love at KMart - under $10 but they feel much more expensive.

One of my biggest surprise finds was Sears - I found a “Bed in a Bag” they offered for under $50.00 online! A Bed in a Bag includes a comforter, dust ruffle, shams, and a complete set of linens. Something to always watch out for when choosing a comforter that you will use every day is to make sure it is washable, and this set was. When they arrived I was thrilled to see that they were well made, and in beautiful, happy colors.

As I always say, great design doesn’t have to be expensive, and these are great examples of that. I know I’ll be adding Sears and KMart to my shopping resources now, and I’ll be sure to share with you other great buys that I find.