Category Archives: Ann McDonald’s Decorating Principles

Tuesday Tidbit: Time To Get In Shape, Darn…:). Can’t I Just Design Only?!

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Tuesday Tidbit: Time To Get In Shape, Darn…:) Can’t I Just Design Only?!

You know those signs

You hear it, read it, see it….friends oh so gently remind you…

time to get in shape Ann

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I know it, I have been in shape…but ouch!

As I told a friend this morning, it seems so much easier to just buy really nice clothes & pop on a pair of Louboutins!

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I LOVE Oscar. And the color? Divine. The bow? Perfection.

So today my tidbit has nothing to do with homes or design, well I guess Lifestyle Design, sort of

Got back in the pool this morning. It will be a long road forward…

Oscar again. I also happen to love yellow. The 3/4 sleeve on this Spring RTW is a perfect length. Ditto the skirt portion. Flattering.

But journey with me.

Do you need to modify something?

I need to get my head out of work 24-7 and allocate some time to getting in shape

It is easier for me to work

Oscar Earrings. Cute with the dress, right?!

What about you?

What is good that you know you must do that you don’t?

I can’t be the only one…

Tuesday Tidbit: We are what we do.

Amanda Nisbet Design. Image linked. Just having a yellow moment. Does any body do this better than she? I think not!

Darn.

“Live a custom life. There is only one you.”

xo Ann

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PS: If there is some tidbit you need to change, let me know! Ā Or if you aren’t ready to share, just know I am here on the journey with you. We cannot do it alone. Heck, my husband had to practically throw me in the car this morning to go swim. I resisted – the coffee was good & the blog was calling…and now? I am still in my swim parka! BUT have at least started. The first step is the hardest….Have a great day. Someone out there needs you!

Friday Wrap Up: Life Lessons At Design Camp

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Friday Wrap Up: Life Lessons At Design Camp

This week, just like last, was/is filled with travel

I had the honor of visiting Tobi Fairley & her esteemed Team in Little Rock, Arkansas for a fabulous few days of what is lovingly referred to as Camp

I like grown up camp. We stay in nice hotels instead of tents, have nice wine instead of cold hot chocolate and we can camp in heels!

My kind of camp. Yup.

The Capital Hotel in Little Rock. One of my all time favorites! We shot some videos here so be on the look out for those over the next few weeks...

The Capital Hotel in Little Rock. One of my all time favorites!Ā I shot some videos here so be on the look out for those over the next few weeks…

Besides which, I get to see my peeps.

Want to make sure and share a few quick aha moments with you today. I will do a longer write up next week while High Point Market is in full swing, but want to make sure I share some of those things that really spokeĀ to me:

1) Don’t take career advice from people in the stands

Do I know this? yes. Do I always follow this? no. I sometimes let those people shouting in the stands & not achievingĀ who say they are “only giving meĀ helpful advice” hurt me. Do any of you ever let that stuff in? Then let’s do this together!! No more of that :)!

2) Go after what you want if it’s true to who you are

Yes, I preach this constantly. It is nice to know others feel the same way. I believe this so very much. For those of you who have listened to the free webinar beta test we have out (click here to listen, we NEVER spam emails) you KNOW that about me, but I must say it is really encouraging to hear someone else say it.

3) Persist. And then persist some more. And then?…..persist…some….more…!

Great achievement takes time. I know that. But hearing it helps. Sometimes I feel as if I was more successful at 29 than I am now, and in some metrics that may be the case (ahhh youth) HOWEVER, it’s the total life envelope we are after. Whether we are designing our own homes as our own decorator or designer, working with clients, are artists…whatever our calling it’s a life thing, not a one time thing. I like being reminded of that. I think it’s hopeful.

Off to catch a plane before the dawn today – let me know if any of these reasonate with you!

The speakers were genuine, accessible and in this inimate small group setting, I was astounded at the access. With as many years under my belt & as many things as I have seen…this was graciousness at its best. It was simply a one time type event. Thank you Tobi and her Team (Brooke, Ashley) for bringing the A Game.

All that said? I am ready for home. Time for some capuccino from Berkeley, California & a little SF Fog before heading out again….

Friday Wrap Up: I’m ready for the weekend, how about you?!

“Live a custom life. There is only one you.”

xo Ann

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PS: Do make sure and sign up for our Beta Test Webinar. The reviews have been fantastic. From “WOW!!!!!” to “changed my life” to “it felt fundamentally honest, open and real”…you are simply too valuable to not at least listen. This is the culmination of teaching I have done for over a decade. Even if you are not a decorator, designer…this can be a blessing to you. There is no pressure – we are in beta test. Just take some time & be fed. I know you “feed” those around you…this? is just for YOU!

Thursday Spotlight: Guest Posting on Custom Made!

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Thursday Spotlight: Guest Posting on Custom Made!

Please head over to Custom Made and check out our Guest Post today!!

Comment, share, like!!

We love these guys and are so happy to support their mission.

“Live a custom life. There is only one you.”ā„¢

xo Ann

Thursday Spotlight: Shine It On Your Decorating Successes

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Thursday Spotlight: Shine It On Your Decorating Successes

Hard to do, right?

We are always second guessing, always wondering what if…

Here’s my challenge to you today

Give yourself a Decorating Diamond Award

Is there some space that you absolutely love?

A corner you created just for yourself or a loved one?

What is that space, perfect or not, that speaks to you?

As I was/am working on this Webinar Recording…it really struck home how often we judge, second guess & hem & haw at our potential pitfalls

So the spotlight today is about saying something nice to yourself!

Me? Tough one!

I’ll lead the way. This is not easy for me.

My Decorating Diamond today goes to the corner I created in the back of our Lake Tahoe Cabin living room. We jokingly call it The Library.

It is no Library. But I love it still.

Two comfy chairs, one comfy ottoman. No fancy designer fabrics. No fancy designer labels.

Plywood walls with an aged green wash stain.

Low brass lights. Aged. Some fabulous bookends. A few fabulous books.

A gift from some very special friends, I have two of these guarding my books on a shelf made from a recycled plank we found. Very safe. Very low key. Very wonderful. Linked to Levenger.

A Navajo Rug traded for by my Paternal Grandfather.

This is not ours, but the one I have hanging is similar. Circa 1915. Not hugely valuable from a dollar standpoint, but is a blessing to me personally.

I love it. It’s safe. I write there, design there, nap there.

Diamond Award.

Now, you?

The spotlight is on! Do share!

There must be some corner. Somewhere…

Thursday Spotlight. You are better at Decorating & Design than your head & heart give you credit for. I know it!

“Live a custom life. There is only one you.”

xo Ann

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PS: I just finished a fabulous book by Dr. Valerie Young called “The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women”. It is a remarkable book dealing with The Impostor Syndrome. A must read for anyone. I had the honor of spending a few days at a conference with Valerie. She is humble, gracious & oh so wise.

Dr. Valerie Young

Wednesday Style Points: Sharing Some Show House Love From San Francisco to York, Maine!

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Wednesday Style Points: Sharing Some Show House Love From San Francisco to York, Maine!

It’s Spring and those Show Houses are coming into bloom!

Check out the pages & sites of a few friends who are involved in various projects from the Bay Area to Maine!

Are any of them near you?

If so, you simply MUST check them out!!

Scott Meacham Wood: SF Bay Area Woodside Sneak Peek!

Kriste Michelini: San Francisco Showcase Sneak Peek!

Traci Zeller & Lisa Herring Mende: High Point North Carolina

Tam Stone: Kansas City

Meredith Bohn: York, Maine

Style Points: Love it!!

Are there any of YOUR favorites I haven’t included?

Do you have a friend we should support?

LET ME KNOW!!

I’d love to include them – or you! – on this list!!

Remember, we cannot do it alone.

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“Live a custom life. There is only one you.”

xo Ann

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PS: If this site blesses you, do share. It’s that candle thing…we don’t lose anything by sharing…we actually bless by sharing! Have a great Wednesday & embrace your style points! They are unique to YOU! xo

Tuesday Tidbit: What I Am Loving Now In Spring Cleaning!

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Tuesday Tidbit: What I Am Loving Now In Spring Cleaning!

In the morning, everything…

Along about 11 am ABSOLUTELY nothing!!

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Just being honest!

I am fine at doing the regular clean outs – the stuff you can see…it’s part of my job & I love it

BUT

This cleaning out my files? HARD for me.

I am that (confession) person who stores EVERYTHING on my desktop

Yup.

Everything.

It’s like a wildly out of control pinterest board…and I wonder…WHY can’t I find the files?!

Since we have streamlined & everyone is now offsite or remote, I no longer have the accountability of someone walking into the Studio & looking over my shoulder & seeing the “Desktop” aka my personal pinterest board!

When we started recording the Webinars, I realized something had to change…so I casually dropped everything into a folder called “Hide My Desktop Crap”

Not so pretty…even with a hot pink background & a pug picture overlay…

Yes = true Luxury Design, right?

NOT

Now I have spent too many hours untangling this mess & I have MUCH compassion for those real life messes that creep up on us.

Compassion = it’s an amazingly powerful thing. We ALL need it.

Do you struggle with keeping any area clean?

Is there any area that is your hidden confession or pile of “they won’t see that”?

A closet where old chargers go?

A drawer full of things you will go through “next week”?

I know we shouldn’t do these things

I KNOW how powerful it is to be clean through and through

It really is

But sometimes it gets out of control

Real life living. I want my Louboutins to be shiny & perfect, my car shined within an inch of its life…& my outfit perfectly pressed

YES, I have shoe addiction….:)

& then you get a peek at my desktop.

Opps!

Time to file, edit & DELETE!!

Tuesday Tidbit.

What’s yours?!

“Live a custom life. There is only one you.”

xo Ann

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PS: Practice compassion! Start with yourself….it’s hard. We overcoming perfectionists struggle daily with this. I just finished a GREAT book by Brene Brown entitled “Daring Greatly”. I downloaded it to my Kindle & read it in one sitting. Blessed through & through.

PPS: If you want to stop for an hour & just be filled, check out the Webinar we finally put out there. The link is here. FEARLESS. It’s our word for 2013. If you’ve already signed up your email you will not be double “listed” you are just taken straight to the Webinar! My heart is that it would bless you so you can pay it forward. Remember, it’s really not about “the couch”…xoxo

Wednesday Style Points: My Current Obsession With Tufting In Home Decor

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Wednesday Style Points: My Current Obsession With Tufting in Home Decor

Tufting is one of those things I absolutely love

This image is from 2009 but I absolutely love it still.

Especially in unusual places

I honestly love the austerity of this room. I do tend towards the traditional but sometimes a simple space infused with drama sings to me!

Upholstered walls, banquettes, headboards of course…even tile

Tufted tile. Love this! Image linked.

Style Points. What is your current obsession?

I am kind of wishing we had a project to place these doors via Turbo Squid (image linked). Are they completely over the top? Yes! Could they be perfect somewhere? Of course!!

Is it Pantone’s Color of the Year?

Some gorgeous fabric?

Let me know! We are having fun comparing our current obsess in the Studio.

I vote tufting this week….what say you?!

“Live a custom life. There is only one you.”ā„¢

xo Ann

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PS: Thank you for your continued support!! That’s it – just THANK YOU!! We love our readers!!!!

Tuesday Tidbit: Never Decorate When You Are…..

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Tuesday Tidbit: Never Decorate When You Are…..

Tired?

Mad?

Frustrated?

Super Happy???

Humm….did I just say that? Super Happy???

Let me just throw this out there:

Has there ever been a time when you were super excited and you bought something that didn’t look so great two weeks later?

I call those Vacation Clothes Moments “VCM’s”

You know…when you are in Nantucket and buy the cutest pants, not the reds which are appropriate anywhere imo šŸ™‚ but the ones you can ONLY wear in Nantucket during a few months. They usually involve maps & whales…

Mustique

When you are in Mustique and the white linen something calls you……and then you realize that $$$$ for a simple something that you can only wear in Mustique…..might not have been the best idea

Sometimes we do the same thing when it comes to our homes

Now, this might be fantastic as an art installation, but no amount of champagne & caviar should convince you that you need this in your main living area.

ESPECIALLY when it comes to our homes

We get super excited & are SO SURE that the “Insert Any Item Here” will look perfect on our entry hall table. Besides, at $$$$$$ it’s “such a deal” ;)!

Tuesday Tidbit: Do you have any “Don’t ever decorate when you are ———?” stories to share?

Can you laugh about them now?

I would so love to hear!!

I can not be the only one….

“Live a custom life. There is only one you.”

xo Ann

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PS: Make sure and sign up for our Beta Test Website! We have an awesome group & YOU need to be a part of it!! Don’t worry, I think we’ve sent out 4 emails over the past months while in test format. Link HERE.

Monday Matters: Making A House A Home

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Monday Matters: Making A House A Home

I have been trying to practice what I preach and let me tell you, I stink at it!

“Turn your phone off”

“Turn the game off”

“Read a book”

“Walk the dogs”

All the while I am glued to my phone, rooting for my basketball teams, checking out HGTV instead of a good book & throwing a ball in the hall way for the pugs instead off walking them up the hill šŸ™‚

The mirror isn’t kind this Monday Morning…

BUT, there is hope

Why? Because sometimes it’s those things that are slightly out of whack – those vulnerabilities – those “real life transparency” issues that our Children, Pets & Spouses live through with us that shows us if our House….is just a house or if it is really a HOME…

Let me explain a bit:

Monday Morning I always try to re-set for the week

Get those calendars tightened, make the calls, check the orders…plan the schedules…

But coming off a weekend of slight chaos from Junior Prom, to Junior Day at Cal, to tech issues DAY & NIGHT on the computers in the office, I was really struck by how we were all rather off kilter by Sunday afternoon…throw in church (are we always late?!), some spilled coffee & it was not my finest moment – let’s just say moments…

But what kept us all in check?

What kept ME in check?

Our imperfect house held us safe – it was our HOME where we (I) kept returning & getting our (my) balance on…

Not my house but I like this space. It looks safe, easy to engage & cozy. I could curl up here in heels or slippers! Image linked.

Our home was safe for me this weekend. It was beautifully imperfectly ordered to catch our (my) disorder…

This is our family room coffee table. This weekend? No wine or cheese, but there were cleats & magazines piled...real life living...

This is our family room coffee table. This weekend? No wine or cheese, but there were cleats & tech magazines piled…real life living…

I don’t mean it is perfect, it is not

I mean it CAUGHT us after a chaotic weekend as a place we could retreat & recharge

Nap & Nuggle & watch some basketball for the pure joy of it

( Nuggle: What a pug does when you nap…a pug nuggles you )

There is nothing like a dog for an afternoon snuggle when you need a boost…

It humbled me

I am passionate about making Houses into HOMES because it is a blessing and a gift & because HOMES can change lives

I know it is not that way for everyone & I so want it to be…

I am grateful & moved

So this Monday, I am just embracing the joy of the everyday chaos moment

I believe it is what makes our houses HOMES. They catch us when we fall. They hold the JOY in those everyday moments.

Like this, especially for a Monday Morning.

May your week be filled with everyday moments of JOY

May at least some small corner of your house…be HOME to you

May it hold you & keep you safe

May it equip you to go forth and change the world

Monday matters & so do you.

“Live a custom life. There is only one you.”

xo Ann

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PS: If you like what we are doing here, please share! Your friends are our friends.

Saturday Stuff: Oh, I’d Forgotten About That Side Of My Proverbial “House”!

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Saturday Stuff: Oh! I’d Forgotten About That Side Of My Proverbial “House”!

We all have them

Those areas we forget about until…

We schedule a party

A visitor is due to arrive

We get the “Donations Accepted” postcard & start hunting for forgotten treasure to pass along

Or…as in my case…one of the pugs goes sniffing around a corner around a corner…and I follow!

Oh my!

I’d forgotten about that area šŸ™‚

Today I’m sharing a few videos that we use to help get at some of those areas in our Life & Home

As part of Saturday Stuff…this gets at the STUFF that holds us back from the inside!!

I need to thank Karen Davis for reminding me of these videos

I love them. We watch & share with clients because one of the MOST important things about decorating a BEAUTIFUL SPACE is being REAL about who we are, where we are, why we are & being COMFORTABLE in that space

May these be a blessing to you.

Saturday Stuff. YOU are worth the time it will take to be blessed by these videos.

Take it for YOU!!!

It’s Saturday. The stuff life is made of.

“Live a custom life. There is only one you.”ā„¢

xo Ann

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PS: Don’t forget to share what we are doing here with friends who have the same heart. I’d be grateful to build a community of people who desire to LIVE as beautifully as our spaces Ā look…

PPS: Sign up NOW to be part of our BETA TEST for Decorate Like A Pro System (Linked). We are still in the starting gates. BE in from the ground floor!!! You are SO worth it!