Saturday is October 1st!

That’s the first day for each our 31 day series. Have you finalized your topic?  If you are joining in the *plan* is for each of the 8 original 31 dayers to have a linky on our blogs BUT you only need to link up one time on only one blog, if all goes as planned, the links should show up on every blog.  Fingers crossed. So, if you are hanging out at Darcy’s blog and link up at her site, within a few minutes, your link should show up on every blog.  There could be some hiccups because of the way we are doing the linky so just in case there is wonkiness, forgive us, this is our first year and we aren’t really sure what to expect. Hang with us and we’ll let you know if something tragic happens like if we blow up the internet or worse, we all have to re-enter our links.

It was so fun to read your comments from the other day about your topics.  I know it’s a scary thing to commit to writing on one subject for 31 days but, this is my third year and each year I dread it but also love it.  Writing about one thing for 31 days doesn’t mean you are claiming to be an expert on that topic, maybe it’s something you want to find out more about, maybe it’s your passion.  I’ve found that it’s a more rewarding challenge to choose more of a specific category than a general category.  So instead of 31 days of cooking, I might do 31 days of chocolate chips.  Or instead of 31 days of celebrities, I might do 31 days of  80′s teen idols.  This helps the reader know what to expect but it also pushes you to go deeper in a subject.  And that seems to be where the magic happens.

Please don’t fret about whether or not to join in.  If you think you are up for the challenge, great, if not, maybe next year.

Buttons

Some of you had questions about making a button.  A button is not required although I like having a few so I can pepper them into some of my posts and use them on my sidebar. Also I like pretty things so buttons are a natural need for me.  I made some empty ones if you know how to grab them, you can upload them into photobucket or something and then write in your extra words.  If you know of a great button making tutorial feel free to put the link in the comments.  Also IF you are a person who makes buttons and you have time in the next few days for a few jobs, feel free to leave a link to your site or your email in the comments along with what you charge for a button.  But watch out, if you leave more than one link in your comment Nesting Place will think you are spam and it will not publish your comment.

Linking Up

I made a practice page for you to practice linking up. If you are not completely comfortable with linking up please click on the page and read my many words about it.

This linky party is {hopefully} going to be an image link up along with text.  So think about what image you want.  I can see the stats to all my past linky parties and it’s always the most eye-catching photo that gets the most clicks.  You can also use your button as your linky image.  Just PLEASE have an image, I don’t want to see any of those default blue cartoon frogs on the list because you didn’t link to an image.   When you link up the linky will automatically allow you to choose an image from the permalink you are linking to {if that sentence didn’t make sense read this so you know what I’m talking about} you will also have the option of uploading a photo from your computer or putting in an image code.

Why your link could get deleted::

• You didn’t link to a permalink
• You didn’t link up an image and you have a blue frog and you are in the first couple of rows, what? me? controlling?
• You aren’t actually doing 31 days, you thought you would but naah, let’s face it, you aren’t and when someone clicks on your site there is no sign of 31 day life.  So if it’s October 18th and I click on your site and see NOTHING that tells me you are doing 31 days, and nothing from days before and I just simply cannot find anything? GONE.  This is a 31 day series, yes, sometimes I post twice on one day or work in a giveaway but, I have a button or I link to my post or something, I try to always make it obvious that I am in the middle of an ongoing series.  Make it easy for people to find.
• You are being sneaking and doing 31 days to selling out your etsy shop and it’s all a big annoying ad to get us to buy something from you.  Or anything else I deem sneaky.
• You linked up more than once and I’m deleting duplicates

When’s the link up?

Um, I’m not sure yet.  The eight of us are still fiddling around with the best way to make this happen.  Again, if the internet melts, it’s probably our fault. You may see a link up post sneak up on Friday afternoon or night, or we might be frantically trying to figure it out by Saturday at midnight.  So sorry I don’t have an exact time, but I admit I also like to keep it kind of a mystery.  No matter, you won’t be able to link up without having a post published so it wouldn’t hurt to have something ready, and remember, whatever it is that you link to, will be one way people will find your series.  Consider what exactly it is that you want a first time visitor to land on if they are clicking over to give you a look see even in the midst of the series.  Ideally you want something interesting that explains what you are doing and maybe links to each of your individual posts.

Now go forth and 31!

UPDATED::

I put up a test linky here for a few hours but some people panicked and thought it was the real thing so I took it down.  Real linky is coming Friday or Saturday…stay tuned!

Meaningful, fun and FUNctional {I am funny, no?} have you seen the new Urban Soul Travel Mugs ?

October is almost here and I have yet to write even ONE post for my 31 Days for this year.  How about you?  Remember how we invited everyone to join in the fun, instead of just the 8 of us girls from last year writing for 31 days we wanted the world to suffer  have fun with us.

So, it’s not to late to decide to join in committing to writing on one topic, every day during the month of October.  It can be ANYTHING, really ANYTHING.  Wondering what the 8 of us from last year are writing about this year?

Jen - 31 Days to Balancing Both Beauty and a Budget

Jessica – 31 Days of Memory Keeping

Melissa: – 31 Days: Inspired Holidays

Sandy – 31 Days of Warm Connections

Darcy: 31 Days of Photo Tips

Emily: 31 Days to Change the World

Emily: 31 Days of the Little Things

Nester – 31 Days of Charming Imperfection

October 1st we’ll have a linky party where you can link up to the intro/first day post of your series.  Feel free to make yourself a cute button and choose any topic that you are passionate about.

I thought today would be a fun time to have a little conversation in the comments–you can share your topic, ask questions, and just be chatty.  I’ll monitor the comments every now and then and hey, feel free to do the same and if you know the answer to a question go ahead reply to someone in the comments~if I see the same question come up multiple times  I’ll try to address it in a post next week.  Here’s the previous post about 31 days, be sure to read it first if you have questions–it may answer them.

Want to see my posts from last year for ideas?  You can find them all here.

So, are you joining in?  What’s your topic?

Meaningful, fun and FUNctional {I am funny, no?} have you seen the new Urban Soul Travel Mugs ?

When you walk through your home can you tell what season it is? I’m not saying that you should have pumpkins lining the halls or a Christmas tree in every room but sometimes the most subtle items can give a nod to the season.

I don’t know about you but I try to pull out a few of my Christmas decorations November 1st. The season is so short that for me, it’s not fun to wait until December. So so slowly add in more and more Christmas. Besides, my family LOVES Christmas decorations and I’ve got some great stuff to share this season and we are sure to be inspired with the Christmas tour of homes!

Enjoy the evening, no matter what you are doing~we had a fantastic sale that was very well worth the trouble and it was pure joy to meet some of you!

Meaningful, fun and FUNctional {I am funny, no?} have you seen the new Urban Soul Travel Mugs ?

I’m planning to have my yard sale tomorrow and I hate to admit it but I keep pulling things out to keep. Things like empty frames and pretend fruit that I can paint. And I have a feeling that you have things stored away in your garage, storage shed, attic, under the house–that you could use in your home if you forced yourself to consider how.

Walk through those areas with a different perspective and see if you already possess something that you can find a fresh purpose for. Whether it’s a door, chair, dresser, lamp, table, or whatever I bet you can find one thing that you can repurpose.

Some of the most fun and rewarding projects I’ve done in my home have involved using things that I already had that I thought were junk and then realizing how glad I was that I was able to use it.

One day left.

Meaningful, fun and FUNctional {I am funny, no?} have you seen the new Urban Soul Travel Mugs ?

Punished we were, disproportionate to our crime. Know what movie that is from? I’ll give you a hint, eat three oreos and then go to the mirror and look at your teeth as you say the quote aloud to yourself.

Here is another crime of proportions. What’s wrong with this picture, besides the fact that it looks as if I have 800 watt bulbs in each of my lamps and something always seems to be hanging out of the drawers?

If I were a good blogger, this is the part where I would show you no less than 12 photos depicting correct and incorrect sizing and spacing of objects hung above and over other objects.

Katie sent me this photo. She was so excited that her husband finally hung her door in their playroom. Doncha love how they splatter painted it? She said she was so happy that he hung it, she didn’t have the heart to tell him that it’s too high. She’s gonna make it work but she told me I could show you all this example of too highness.

Husbands tend to hang items WAAAAY too high, maybe because they are tall, maybe because they grew up in the 70′s when moms hung everything close to the ceiling. This door is closer to the ceiling than to the sofa–that is a sure sign that something is wrong. When you hang something, most of the time, it’s hung in relation to something else. This door is hung over the sofa. Therefore, it’s related to the sofa and should be closer to the sofa. However, in the door’s defense, it’s a a great size and scale for over the sofa.

Are there rules for hanging such things? I’m not a big rule abider but, yes, there’s some sort of 2/3rds rule that says you should make sure you visually fill in 2/3 of the space above an item. For example, with this sofa, whatever is on the wall should fill up 2/3 of the visual space of the sofa to make it feel balance. Too small and it looks like a shrunken head, too big and it’s top heavy.

See how this door does not look right hung over this small table? Now, that door is about the same visual weight as the sofa on the right but I still think it looks just fine when I have the sofa under the door even though that doesn’t obey the 2/3 rule. And no, I don’t only have photos of doors on walls.

I also have shutters.

I tend to err on hanging things too low. But I love how the things on the far wall are all related, and they love each other. They are not afraid to get close, two great looks that look great together.

I’m sure there’s a rule for height in hanging stuff on walls too–like the center should be 60 inches off the ground, or eye level {who’s eye?}. Personally, I choose to hang it, look at it, and if seems too high or low then I move the nail. Remember, it ‘s just a nail hole, the smallest worry in the entire universe.

So, walk around and check out your wall hangings. Are they in proportion to what they are hanging over? Do you have your mirrors, clocks, shutters, photos, art, spaced so far from the thing it’s place over that it looks like it’s floating? If so, bring it down a little.

By the way,promise me you will NEVER, I repeat, never measure something and try to hang something exactly 2/3 the size over it. That is insane.

Meaningful, fun and FUNctional {I am funny, no?} have you seen the new Urban Soul Travel Mugs ?

In my opinion, window treatments/mistreatments are there to serve two purposes, the most important being to highlight the windows, and secondly, if needed to help with privacy. Ideally, in a perfect world you don’t want to have to use your window treatments or drapes for privacy, it’s so much easier if you have shades or blinds or if possible, naked windows enhanced with fabric. I know for some of us we need to be able to pull the drapes at night and you still can do that and follow these rules.

See that first photo up there? I’ll copy it here again.

What beautiful silk drapes! But why, WHY is the rod mounted so low and shortly and why does the rod end just outside the window casing? The problem with these drapes is they cover a good amount of light coming from the window. Usually, when we first look at a home to buy, most of us are attracted to the light and how big the windows are. Why would anyone want to cut the natural, free light in half when they put up their window treatments?

Is there a window back there or just a blank wall? We’ll never know.

I personally don’t mind a topper and drapes together but this one is breaking a rule or five–it’s covering up light! Someone needs to raise the rod up so the bottom of the topper just meets the top of the glass. And get a longer rod or extend this one out so that those drapes sit in front of the wall, not precious, priceless, free natural light! Oh, and the drapes are too short too.

“Somebody help me, I’m being smothered.”

I like cafe curtains too, but again, they should be light and airy. During the day, push them all the way to the edges to let light in.

This cafe curtain is great because lets in light but still provides a bit of privacy. Well done!
What is this? Some creepy form of punishment? I know for these advertisements, they want to show the fabric on the drapes, but I see this done in real homes all the time. Dark, dark, heavy curtains and a sliver of natural light? Maybe in a few years living in a dim cave will be all the rage but here in 2009, people want light. DON’T COVER UP THE WINDOWS!!!

If you insist on covering your glass in your windows, consider a light fabric. And remember to raise that rod up higher! If you like to hide some light sometimes, you can still pull your drapes together for privacy or light control but, you should have the option to open them and allow 95% of the window to show. This is especially true if your house is on the market.

A higher rod results in longer drapes that result in a more spacious feeling in your space. And making sure the fabric falls mostly in front of the wall just covering the edges of the glass on the windows gives the illusion of big huge windows and maximizes the light.

If you want dark, short rooms with the appearance of tiny windows, just ignore me. Don’t hate me because I’m bossy and opinionated. This trick will change your entire home!

Meaningful, fun and FUNctional {I am funny, no?} have you seen the new Urban Soul Travel Mugs ?

This is one of those posts that I get nervous about writing. Drapery length~it’s such a touchy subject. Just like all home design, it’s a matter of opinion. But my big fat hairy opinion right now is that your drapes should just touch the floor. If they stop three inches from the ground all floating in the air, then it looks like your windows are wearing capris. And capris are out as far as drapes are concerned.

So go around and check your drapes. Are they high waters? If so, here’s one way to fix them. I’m off to read all the hate mail I’ll get about me thinking drapes that are too short.

Meaningful, fun and FUNctional {I am funny, no?} have you seen the new Urban Soul Travel Mugs ?

Cuz, if you liked it then you should have put a frame on it
If you liked it then you should have put a frame on it
Don’t be mad when you see that she framed it
If you like it then you should have put a frame on it

Meaningful, fun and FUNctional {I am funny, no?} have you seen the new Urban Soul Travel Mugs ?

Just the other day I found my home notebook from 2006. I had a page where I wrote my goals for the year. Right up there in the light blue, you can click it to enlarge it and see what was on my mind at the time.

We didn’t do all those things but we did get a permanent computer home, figure out how to address the empty wall in the family room, get a new/discount/damaged stove that looked great, repair and hang the window boxes, make shutters and hang them, make our bed stuff, and enlarge a photo. Most of the stuff was done quickly because we ended up needing to sell our house fast because of a failing business, but I still got satisfaction from things being done.

This is NOT a list of things that you need to write down and feel bad about and nag your husband about, NO! This is a place where you can put your thoughts to rest. Once I wrote down my goals for the house as far as areas that needed attention or furniture I would like to have, I could stop thinking about them so much. Since they were safe in this notebook, I didn’t need to keep going over the ideas in my mind.

This is my favorite page because I remembered to cross things off. The highlight of any list maker’s day. As you can see, I had a general page of things in the house that I was thinking about, and then a page for each room and things I was considering. Did we do everything? Nope. I had lots of question marks after ideas.

Go ahead and start a home notebook, include your ideas and your lists, and any doodles you might like. It’s nice to have everything in one place and when you see a cute zebra chair at Tuesday Morning for only $49 you will be able to think more clearly about if you actually need it or not depending on if seating was on your list.

Two years ago I bought that chair but when I got it home it didn’t look quite right with my stuff. But I had just done the list and knew that I was on the lookout for seating in our master bedroom.

Do you have a goal book for your home?

Meaningful, fun and FUNctional {I am funny, no?} have you seen the new Urban Soul Travel Mugs ?

• window mistreatments
• towels
• rugs
• pillows
• table runners
• a basket of cushy blankets
• lampshades {I count them as fabricy too if they are made with fabric}
• seat cushions

It can be tricky to bring fabric into your kitchen we talked about that before. Check your rooms out, can you soften any of them up with fabric?

Meaningful, fun and FUNctional {I am funny, no?} have you seen the new Urban Soul Travel Mugs ?