Nichols

Tree is done, dude.  I’m a little behind this year, because for the first time in I don’t know how long, I had to work the day after Thanksgiving, which is my annual Tree Day.  I had some friends over last night, and as usual, I had requests to be hired as their personal tree decorator.    Lacking the extra time for that, I thought I would just write an article on how to have the best tree on the block, and everyone can know  how to do it.  Really, it’s easy!

1. Pick a color scheme involving no more than three colors.  Truly, it doesn’t matter what those colors are.  I’ve discovered that as long as you don’t exceed three, the tree will remain cohesive, even if those three colors are not ones you usually think would work together.  You will use these colors when choosing your skirt, garland, topper, filler, and base ornaments.  The only element that does not need to stick to the scheme are your collectible ornaments.  FYI, It is ok to use variations of your color, as long as you don’t get carried away.  If one of your colors is gold, it doesn’t all have to be the SAME gold. When deciding on your color scheme, look at your existing ornament collection – is there already a common theme there?  It will save you time and money if you don’t have to start from scratch.
2. Put up the tree.  (Duh.)
3. If you’re putting on a skirt, do this next.  I choose not to, since the cats love to lay under the tree and look up at the pretty lights (…and eat the branches… and  bat at my ornaments…).  Too much cat hair.
4. Lights.  Buy two more strands of lights than you think you could possibly need – you’ll need them.  I have a 7′ tree, and it requires 5 strands plus one little 50-lighter to top it off.  When you string your lights, don’t just walk in a circle around the tree, or you’ll have something that looks uneven, superficial, and well, sad.  Get in there and wrap the strand in and out around each branch.   This is what really gives the tree depth, and a full, even volume of lights.  If you do this one thing well, it will make up for a myriad of other tree flaws.  Here is your priceless light-stringing tip:  Plug the lights in BEFORE you string them, so you can see what you’re doing!!  For a magazine-worthy finish, I highly recommend clear lights over colored.
5. Garland.  I use a wired ribbon, but this could be tinsel, cranberries, or whatever.  Now you ARE going to walk in a circle around the tree, because you WANT this to sit on the surface, not get lost in the branches.  Just make sure to space it evenly, starting at the very bottom branches, and going all the way up to the top.  You don’t need a lot here – in fact, I’d say less is more.  I think my ribbon only goes around 3 times in the back and 4 in front.
6. Topper.  “WHAT??? You want me to put on the topper before the tree is decorated?  That’s unnatural!”  You only need to do this next if your topper in any way cuts into the tree.  My topper is a giant bow, and the tails hang down the tree.  This will affect where the next three layers go, so you need it on there first.  This would also be a good idea if you’re using one of the angel type toppers, but probably not necessary if you’re using the traditional star that just goes literally on the highest branch.
7. Filler.  Get MANY of something that matches.  There’s a lot of ways to do this, so let me just give some examples.  This year my “filler” is made of two types of large, translucent gold silk flowers with gold glitter edging – lilies and roses.  In the past I have used bunches of baby’s breath, bows, and oversized round ornaments.  You could use gingerbread cookies, or little wreaths, or bells, or… whatever.   Just make sure they all match.  Use these to fill in any large gaps in the branches, and to simultaneously lay a nice, full foundation.
8. Base ornaments.  Base ornaments are sets of coordinating ornaments that demonstrate your color scheme.  Round glass ornaments are great for this, because they are so readily available in every color imaginable, but here is the easiest way to get huge bang with little thought:  In the ornament aisle, which is almost always separated by colors, stand in front of the section that has your color scheme.  Depending on the size of  your tree, grab at least five of each color for a three-color scheme.  After 7′, double that for every additional 2′, so if you have a 9′ tree you’d want 10 of each, 11′ tree 15 of each.  The shape of these ornaments doesn’t matter, just the color, so have fun!  For a cleaner, more classic look, buy your ornaments in multiples which keeps a cohesive view all the way around the tree.  For a  wilder tree, buy the ornaments in singles (although this is a bit harder to pull off successfully, takes more time, and is generally more expensive).  When you put your base ornaments on, leave open some of the prime real estate.  You’ll want it for the next step.
9. Collectible ornaments.  Here’s where you pull out all the ornaments that always make your eyes well up a bit, thinking of christmases past.  Oh yes, you didn’t think I’d forgotten them, did you?  No, we’ve laid this entire foundation just to showcase them!  Snuggle them into those prime spots you left open in the last step.  Have some uglies?  Yeah, we all do.  (I have a bright red plastic one that has my name and the number 3 on it in green glitter, that yep, you guessed it, I made when I was three.  Can’t let that go, right?)  Hang these on the lower branches, to the back, or nestle them deeper in the tree where they’ll draw less attention to themselves.  Hey, they’re still THERE!

Stand back and admire your handiwork.  Congratulations, you’ve done a splendid job!

But wait!  What about the kids’ paper chains and oragami ornaments they colored with crayons?   Look, I am in no way against the joy and creativity and… exuberance of the season, but this article was about how to have the most beautiful tree on the block.  Here is the perfect solution, and one that will probably create one of the best holiday traditions of all:  Get the kids their own tree!  It can be smaller (kid-size!), around 5′ is perfect.  String it with colored lights, and let them go to town on it!  They will have an amazing time creating ornaments, stringing popcorn, and finding THEIR unique and wonderful solutions for how to have the best tree on the block!  Stand them side by side, put the kids’ tree in the family room and the showcase tree in the living room, or put their tree in their room!

I’m wondering – would anyone like me to do a video on this? Let me know!

P.S. I’ll put up a picture tonight – hard to get the effect during the day.

Wishing you many wonderful holiday memories this year!
Kristy Nichols
a.k.a. The Average Goddess

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A dear goddess friend of mine has been working for several months to rid her life of clutter, once and for all.  She has been organizing her home a room at a time, with excellent success, in spite of the fact that she suffers terribly from asthma and allergies.  Today she is tackling her workspace in anticipation of an imminent career change, making it necessary for this area to function flawlessly, in spite of it’s small size.   Workspaces are second only to kitchens in their magnetic pull to frightening levels of clutter (but she’s already conquered the kitchen!).  They are a vicious sucking vortex for important papers, projects, memorabilia, and generally anything else you’d prefer NOT to lose, but ultimately somehow end up feeding the morass… 

If you have a workspace or other small area currently draining the energy from your home (as clutter notoriously does), here is a process to POWER your way to organization.  The only caveat is that it MUST be finished in a single day!  (More on that later.)

This was my response to her blog post:

You go girl!  Sniffle your way to organization!  (So you’ll be able to find the tissues when you need them. =P) 

Take everything OUT of your workspace.  Clear it down to the bare bones – furniture and walls.  Now, arrange the furniture the way you’d like, if it isn’t already.  Clean everything – dust your surfaces, clean your windows, vacuum…  Now go to your pile o’ shtuff that you eradicated from the room.  Using a SMALL box or bag, bring items /  papers back into the room a few things at a time.  Put them away in your totally clean space.  Have several LARGE garbage bags ready and label them Trash, Recycle, Donate, and Shred.  If there isn’t a place for it in your sparkling new workspace, it goes in one of these bags.  Be ruthless.

Why this works:  1.  Starting from a “perfect” space, and introducing items INTO it, acts as a psychological barrier to a certain level of clutter, which you might otherwise be inclined to just accept.  2.  Because you are not shuffling items from one surface to another, it is exponentially more efficient.  3.  Because you started from a clean slate both physically and mentally, you will be better able to locate the items you need going forward.

Why it MUST be done in a single day:  If you leave the mess you created in another part of the house, even for just a day or two, it will begin to infiltrate that aspect of your life instead… now all you’ve done is traded one cluttered area for another… ugh!  (Especially bad if you extradited the office clutter to an area you’ve previously organized!!)

Go get ‘em tiger!!

So what area have YOU been turning a blind eye to for longer than you’d like to admit?  Reclaim it!  That’s YOUR space, YOUR energy, and YOUR life!

Have a passionate, prosperous, and powerful day!
Kristy
a.k.a. The Average Goddess

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As an interior designer, one of the biggest challenges I see people face is moving into a new home.  There’s something really intimidating about that big blank slate.  I think it is for that reason that so many fall into the trap of trying to arrange the new home exactly like the old one, in spite of the fact that they are nothing alike! While I totally understand the rationale in this behavior, its success rate is precisely one in a million… and that would only be if you’ve bought the exact same model of home you just moved out of.  THESE rooms are a different size, different shape, different configuration, with different walls, different windows, and different traffic patterns! Trying to set up the old house in the new space usually just ends up a total function failure and looking like a confused hodge-podge.

The steps I go through for my clients are very simple, and you can do them yourself. 

#1.  Before moving in, try to spend a little time in the new house – a couple hours if you can.  Stand in each of the empty rooms, and try to imagine how you’d like the finished space to feel.  Don’t be thinking about your furniture at this point, just let the space “talk.”  Walk repeatedly from room to room.  Get a sense of how the major traffic patterns are going to flow.  Which doors get used the most?  How do you enter and exit each room?  You may also want to take note of where the cable and electrical outlets are for rooms which will have television and computers.  Have a notebook with you, to jot down any ideas that come to mind, or important features that you want to remember.  Also bring a camera, and take about four pictures of each room, standing in each of the corners so that you get all views. 

#2.  When you are finished, take an inventory of what pieces you own that you intend to bring with you to the new home.  You may want to prioritize them if you don’t think they will all work going forward, but if it’s coming with you, make sure it’s on the list.  This should include primarily furniture, art, and lighting, but if you want to be really thorough, you could include accessories as well.

#3.  Now it’s time to start imagining what pieces might work where.  Have your photos in front of you.  Do NOT be married to pieces living together just because they always have in the past!  Remember how you felt when you were in the home, and use your judgment regarding how best to fill the needs of each space.  Your matching upholstery set doesn’t all have to be in the same room if one piece would function better elsewhere, or if there isn’t sufficient space!  Let the loveseat become the main piece in your master sitting room, or in the kids’ basement playroom.  That’s one less piece you need to purchase!  The art that has ALWAYS hung over your sofa may be the perfect piece for your entry hall.  Further, don’t bind yourself to the intended function of a piece of furniture.  Sure, it was meant to be a sideboard, but now it would be a beautiful sofa table.  Tell me why that china cabinet wouldn’t be an awesome bookcase at the top of the stairs.  The best way to approach this is to view each piece as an individual item, unrelated any other.  This will allow you to really use your imagination.  Get outside that box! 

#4.  Let’s just talk for a moment about sentimentality.  Yes, it has it’s place, but if there’s no room for that item in your new home, that place is somewhere else.  Home should be inviting, relaxing, and uncomplicated.  It’s hard to feel at peace with stuff crammed into every nook and cranny – it’s too distracting.  If something was a gift, that’s great!  Remember that the item is NOT the person who gave it to you, or your memory of them and the event.  The same goes for inheritances and “first purchases.”  (“Oh, but that was the first thing we ever bought together!”  Yes, it has served you well, and now it’s 25 years out of date.  Let go.)  If these things simply don’t work in the new space, don’t wallow in guilt about parting with them.  Take a picture and write a story about what that item means to you.  Put it in an album where you can forever enjoy it, without having it dominate your life.  That person never meant to give you something that would become a burden.

In the end, having this flexibility with your possessions will pay off in a big way.  It will save you a ton of time and backache trying to rearrange after the movers have left.  Better still, you will get more use out of more of your existing items, which means less that you have to purchase, or at least that you can phase your purchases over a longer period of time.  I also find over and over again that when my clients see their items in this totally new context, the reward is two-fold.  First, it makes them feel as if all of the pieces were brand new, and second, being surrounded with the things they know and love has the effect of making this stranger of a house suddenly feel like home.

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