Urban lifestyles that make sense
design trends
Getting Inspired on Pinterest
Feb 19th
Once upon a time a company could have a website up – good or bad- and customers were happy. Not any more – with consumers using the internet as their main resource to find information on any and everything, it’s critical that you take advantage of the other social media outlets that are available. For the next week we are going to highlight some of our favorites, and today we are going to start with the fastest growing site out there – Pinterest.
Pinterest.com This is the fastest growing web trend – ever. They hit the 10 million U.S. monthly unique visitors faster than any independent site in history. With a growth of over 40 times in the last 6 months, if you aren’t on Pinterest you need to be. I’ve seen statistics state that 58% of the traffic to this site are women between the ages of 25 and 44, and 97% of Pinterests’ Facebook fans are women.
What is Pinterest? The official definition is “Think of Pinterest as a virtual pinboard — a place where you can create collections of things you love and “follow” collections created by people with great taste. People use Pinterest to collect and share all sorts of things — wedding inspiration, favorite T-shirts, DJ equipment. You name it, people are pinning it. We know you have great taste in something. Our mission is to make Pinterest the best place for you to share your taste with the world.”
People are flocking to Pinterest because it is a great resource of high quality lifestyle focused images, and it’s fast and easy. You design your own “boards” that you can add your images to or “pin” images that were posted by someone else or that you found online. I’ve discovered some of my favorite new recipes on Pinterest, and I’m also amazed by how many new viewers have discovered the Lifestylist® brand thanks to our page.We are definitely getting more subscribers on Pinterest than we are on our Facebook page which is a huge shift in how people are searching for us.
Something else that is unique about Pinterest is that it’s by invitation only right now, and you can join by asking for an invitation on the site or by receiving one from someone that is already active there. If you would like to receive an invitation so you can check out our Lifestylist boards just send us an email at: answers@lifestylist.com and we’ll send one your way!
Lifestylist® Goals for 2012: Re-Gifting
Jan 6th
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 knowthey are always going 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!
Trend Tracking With Pinterest
Jan 5th
As a Lifestylist®, I spend a lot of time researching trends and learning what consumers want – then sharing that information with my clients. There are lots of places I do my research and new sites are popping up every day. I want to share with you one of my new favorites.
Have you discovered Pinterest yet? The site describes itself as “an online pinboard where you can organize and share things you love” but it is truly so much more than that. Words don’t do justice to this site – it’s definitely a visual experience.
Pinterest lets you do your own digital wish books where you can browse through thousands of images, recipes and inspirations that others have shared and “pin” them onto your own boards. You can also follow people who have a style that you like and share your favorite finds using Facebook or Twitter.
This is a great tool to see what consumers are liking and sharing. I have a huge appreciation for the laws governing intellectual property and don’t publish other people’s photos or articles on my sites without permission. Pinterest gives you the opportunity to share other people’s images without violating copyright rules, and it’s also a great way to share what you like and don’t like with others.
Our boards can be found at: pinterest.com/lifestylist take a look and let us know what you think. We’d love to see what your boards look like as well. Email us at: answers@lifestylist.com with your Pinterest name and we’ll take a look.
Being Thankful
Nov 24th
Happy Thanksgiving! This holiday is about food and family, but even more than that I like to use it to remind me how thankful I am for what I have, and for those around me.
For over 25 years my parents were very active doing disaster relief with The Salvation Army, and even raised the money for a state of the art canteen for the Tyler Texas location. Whenever there was a disaster or need and my parents got a call they dropped everything and hit the road. One of the most memorable phone calls I ever received was when Hurricane Katrina hit and my parents answered the call. They called me when they were outside the Super Dome not having a clue what was going on inside. For six weeks they were in the French Quarter feeding the volunteers – my Dad always joked he always wanted to have a restaurant in the French Quarter and he finally got his wish!
Whenever this Lifestylist® could I joined them on the road helping my Mom cook up to 2,000 hot meals a day and seeing first hand what mother nature can dish out. People were so sweet and hospitable, even though many had lost everything that they had. It was always hard to leave – I wanted to stay there and help rebuild.
This year I have been blessed to be involved with three amazing organizations – Shared Housing, Genesis Women’s Shelter and HomeAid/Homebuilders Care. I am always so drawn to the kids – many of them have seen things we can’t even imagine, but they always have the best manners, always say please, thank-you and give the best hugs 
It’s harder than ever to make a living, but even if you can’t make a donation to a worthwhile charity think about donating your time -you’ll be very thankful that you did.
Fall at The Home Idea Factory
Nov 15th
It’s been a busy year, and this Lifestylist® has spent quite a bit of time traveling to visit clients and homeowners. Because of that I haven’t spent as much time at The Home Idea Factory, but today I got to make up for that and experience again why I love living and working here.
Visiting The Workroom yesterday really got me inspired and I looked at what was around me with different eyes. Things I would have thrown away are now going to be recycled – just wait until you see what I am planning on doing with the two birds nests I found!
It may be Fall and we are almost to the middle of November, but things are still blooming. Daisy – my rescue dog helped me explore – take a look at some of the special finds we made today.
Thermador Exceeds Homeowner Expectations In The New American Home 2011
Nov 6th
The 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 and @home Builders 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.
Tricks and Treats by a Lifestylist®
Oct 31st
Even though it’s been a very busy month, we made a point of catching up with one of our favorite Jr. Lifestylist’s to see what he was doing for his annual Halloween party.
Sam Davis’ parties are legendary, and this year was no exception. With over 75 kids attending this year’s bash we wanted to create fun, themed treats that he could serve outdoors. Take a look at what we came up with - Witch Hats and Krispy Pumpkin Treats.
We also worked on some tabletop ideas for the Fall holiday season that were inexpensive but would put our guests (and ourselves!) in the mood. The Lifestylist® Designed homes for SE Homes of Texas were full of ideas that visitors could do in their own homes.
While we were on the road we discovered the Great Pumpkin Patch in Clarence Center, NY – if this doesn’t get you in the mood nothing will!
Have a wonderful Halloween and be sure to “like” our videos on our Lifestylist® YouTube Channel.
Speaking Out at the International Networking Roundtable
Oct 8th
Lifestylist®
Suzanne Felber was honored to be asked to speak at the 20th Annual International Networking Roundtable this year. Speaking to a full house, Felber shared her knowledge on how to add lifestyle to communities to increase resident satisfaction and to help keep communities full.
George Allen of GFA Management hosted the event which had an increase in attendance of over 20% from last year. To find out more about this event, or to receive more information on land lease communities, contact Mr. Allen at: 317-346-7156. A video overview of the event is also available on YouTube.
Summer Savings
Aug 24th
One sure sign that summer is almost over is the sales of colorful, outdoor inspired items at the stores. A lot of the department stores start clearing this merchandise our right after the 4th of July to make room for school items, but the home decor stores tend to wait until Labor Day weekend.
One of our Lifestylist® inspired blogs is Dollar Store Decors – items that cost “less than a latte”. I was out shopping for the new model homes at Parkwood and Countryside Village, and I was amazed how many cool things that fit this criteria that were giveaway deals, and I also found some great items that I’m going to use to display my “pick-ups” from my summer travels.
World Market was full of treasures today -up to 90% off! I found this great chair and two others that were marked down to $9.95 – 90% off. They had two great outdoor dining tables that were at the same savings, but I tend to collect tables and I know I didn’t have room for them. But the chairs had such great style, I know I’ll be able to re-purpose them in a living room, or use them as seating in a guest room. I’m tempted to paint them with a metallic paint or possibly a turquoise color, have cushions made and really make them special – at under $10.00 I don’t have much to lose.
The painted table was a find at Hobby Lobby where I was able to find two matching ones at 80% off. I loved the colors and character they had, and I’m thinking about stacking them and using them as a display piece. What do you think?
Great design really doesn’t have to be expensive -it’s about buying things that mean something to you at a price you are comfortable with.
I’m also collecting glassware and baskets that I can use to display my pick up pieces – I love picking up found items when I travel as a memento instead of buying a T-Shirt or shot glass. I’ll share how to make picture frames and other ideas with these later, but I’ve got to get back to my model home shopping and taking advantage of these sales – I’ll let you know what else I find soon!
Looking at Life Differently: The Dali Museum
Aug 21st
Being a Lifestylist® is about looking at the world through the eyes of your clients, and understanding their wants, needs, dreams and desires. This is different for everyone, and the challenge is to listen and learn.
I visited a gem in St. Petersburg Florida on my recent trip to rebrand Countryside Village – The Dali Museum. It had been housed in a smaller building the last time I visited, but the new building is nothing short of spectacular. The architecture was as quirky and thought provoking as Dali’s works are, and Cafe Gala - a wonderful cafe featuring Spanish cuisine is included in the beautiful new surroundings.
You can’t take photos in the actual galleries, but put aside any preconceived ideas you have about Dali’s work and see for yourself the brilliance of this master. You can tour with prerecorded tapes that explain the works, or tour the collection with a docent, which I recommend. The one I toured with was passionate, informed, and gave me a whole new appreciation of this talented artist and his work.
There are lots of great places to walk and reflect around the museum, so save some time to enjoy everything this area offers. To learn more about the museum, you can visit their website which also list the special events taking place.