Small Living Spaces
A friend of mine moved into a beautiful new two bedroom apartment recently. She wanted me to see it and asked how I could make it work for her. The living room is the size of a postage stamp; there’s a small eating area off the kitchen, but no large dining area. Additionally, there is no place to lounge, or generally be a slob, watch TV and put your face into a bowl of popcorn.
My friend likes things to be elegant and yet simple, but she needed to have a place for guests or family to sleep as well as where she could lounge without fear of someone coming to the door. I suggested for her living room, where people enter and see all, that she put two matching love seats in the middle of the room facing each other. We did this and put a long sofa table behind one of the love seats (both of them in a floral print so they won’t show spills and stains). On the sofa table we put a lamp, a green plant (philodendron) that doesn’t require a lot of sun, some coasters and a figurine from Ross’s. The figurine was of a porcelain girl with a basket of flowers on her arm: Ross has great accessories and they are usually a bargain.
We put a small oval (you don’t want sharp corners in small rooms) coffee table in between the love seats; and on the table we placed an artificial flower arrangement along with a decorative candle. We put a floor lamp in the corner by the sliding doors that led to the patio. Floor lamps give off great light when needed. Next to the lamp we put a 6’ tall artificial plant. A small table with a drawer, where she could drop her keys, went by the door (found this at the Salvation Army for $30.00). The love-seats we bought at a consignment store, two perfect ones about 5 ½’ long. The room is 14 x 12 feet.
Just a side note: leather sofas are really good for high traffic areas, so if you are not into floral, try a dark leather sofa, especially for a one bedroom place where the living room is the only place to lounge. Notice we did not put a TV in the living room, my friend doesn’t like to watch it when she has company so we put one in her bedroom and a small one in the 2nd bedroom. The love seats are small enough and if she has to set up a card table for extra dinner guests, she can move the love seats towards the wall or sliding door.
One wall in the living room allowed for a single bookcase, so we filled that up with books and some of her treasures she wanted displayed. In the dining area we used a round table. Round tables can seat a lot of people, and there are no sharp corners. We picked up a large picture from Salvations Army (they have great pictures sometimes) to hang in the dining area; the picture was of a waterfall with lots of foliage on either side. The high counter in the kitchen that separated it from the living room we kept cleared off except for one plant and a decorative candle.
In the master bedroom, she used an armoire, like those in hotel rooms, to put a TV in. This bedroom is large and also has space for a desk. In went her desk of dark wood with a matching file cabinet. Now she has a nice small office space under her bedroom window. In the 2nd bedroom, we bought a trundle bed from Craig’s List. It serves as a sofa when closed and two twin beds when opened. We lined the wall opposite the trundle bed with bookcases, including a shelf for the small TV and lots of other things that needed a shelf. Voila
I think the point of a small apartment or home like this is to keep down on the clutter. Practice regularly giving away to the Good Will or whom-ever, or throw out things you don’t use or need. They add to a home that reeks of disorder and muddle. Clean out paper and things on a weekly basis. I keep a large trash basket lined with 33 gallon garbage bag under the kitchen sink. Once a week before trash pick-up, I go through the house and empty everything into one bag. Of course, I keep the recyclables separate. If you have to live in a small space, don’t forget to pick up after yourself.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Writing
Other Things -
Today I am going to write about WRITING.
For some this may drive you crazy to read about how I work on my books, but for me it is only a short putt. Sometimes I have three books being edited, all open on my desk at the same time. How do I keep things straight, you ask? It’s simple, for each story I keep a list of the characters in the footer. Below is an example of a story I am working on. My books always have lots of characters.
SAMPLE FOOTER OF FICTION CHARACTERS: Sarah of Bethany & her serving girl Anna,& manservant, Gaddi. Crippled Rebecca & Jonathan from Cana, her servants Jochebed and Samson, Bleeding Ruth from Bethsaida, The other prostitute Hannah from Korazin, Zipporah from Sychar in Samaria, and friends in Arimathia. Martha, husband Andrew, Son of Alpheus, son of Zebedee, John, Judas Iscariot, Matthew, Bartholomew, Peter, Philip, Simon, Thaddeus, Thomas Tamar & Ephraim of Nain, Joseph of Arimathia, his wife Dara, Galilee, Nathan of Magdala Mary M’s fiancé, Zilpah,her serving maid., Bezai & mom Hephzibah; Jonas MM head serving man. Cuza, MM servant left to watch the house, Jada, MM servant & Tirzah Jada’s true love., Kishi the old man
IT'S A JUMBLED MESS, I KNOW, BUT I CAN KEEP THE CHARACTERS STRAIGHT.
Why you ask, do I like to work on more than one story at a time? It is because after I write, create a portion of the story, I have to let it sit for a day or two before I go back to it. Often there are many, many rewrites. In the meantime, while I let a story sit or maybe I am just bored with it, I work on another story for awhile.
I write historical fiction, and my stories never have sex scenes or foul language in them. Here are four stories I am working on right now; they are on average 75,000 words. One story is about a young woman in 1931 California, another is about a young business woman in 1902 New York City. A third story is about a family in 1839 England, and a 4th is about the women who followed Jesus during his earthly ministry.
I have one book that is with an agent right now; you can read about that one on my website www.priscillamcdaniel.com .
I haven’t heard back from the agent whether or not she is interested. It takes about 60 to 90 days to hear from an agent once you have sent your material to them. All fiction sent out has to be completed with between 70 to 100 thousand words, which makes up a book of about 300 to 400 pages.
How does one get started on a book? Sit down and start writing#$%^^&**. Make an outline if you need to; sometimes it gives you direction and helps you gather your thoughts. However, the important thing is to START. Write that first sentence, don’t worry about research until you need to know something. The outline comes in handy, when after you have written a few pages, you are stuck. You don’t have to follow the outline, remembering that many stories take on a life of their own, so only use the outline as a guideline.
If you have any questions, please email me at priscillasflair@gmail.
Today I am going to write about WRITING.
For some this may drive you crazy to read about how I work on my books, but for me it is only a short putt. Sometimes I have three books being edited, all open on my desk at the same time. How do I keep things straight, you ask? It’s simple, for each story I keep a list of the characters in the footer. Below is an example of a story I am working on. My books always have lots of characters.
SAMPLE FOOTER OF FICTION CHARACTERS: Sarah of Bethany & her serving girl Anna,& manservant, Gaddi. Crippled Rebecca & Jonathan from Cana, her servants Jochebed and Samson, Bleeding Ruth from Bethsaida, The other prostitute Hannah from Korazin, Zipporah from Sychar in Samaria, and friends in Arimathia. Martha, husband Andrew, Son of Alpheus, son of Zebedee, John, Judas Iscariot, Matthew, Bartholomew, Peter, Philip, Simon, Thaddeus, Thomas Tamar & Ephraim of Nain, Joseph of Arimathia, his wife Dara, Galilee, Nathan of Magdala Mary M’s fiancé, Zilpah,her serving maid., Bezai & mom Hephzibah; Jonas MM head serving man. Cuza, MM servant left to watch the house, Jada, MM servant & Tirzah Jada’s true love., Kishi the old man
IT'S A JUMBLED MESS, I KNOW, BUT I CAN KEEP THE CHARACTERS STRAIGHT.
Why you ask, do I like to work on more than one story at a time? It is because after I write, create a portion of the story, I have to let it sit for a day or two before I go back to it. Often there are many, many rewrites. In the meantime, while I let a story sit or maybe I am just bored with it, I work on another story for awhile.
I write historical fiction, and my stories never have sex scenes or foul language in them. Here are four stories I am working on right now; they are on average 75,000 words. One story is about a young woman in 1931 California, another is about a young business woman in 1902 New York City. A third story is about a family in 1839 England, and a 4th is about the women who followed Jesus during his earthly ministry.
I have one book that is with an agent right now; you can read about that one on my website www.priscillamcdaniel.com .
I haven’t heard back from the agent whether or not she is interested. It takes about 60 to 90 days to hear from an agent once you have sent your material to them. All fiction sent out has to be completed with between 70 to 100 thousand words, which makes up a book of about 300 to 400 pages.
How does one get started on a book? Sit down and start writing#$%^^&**. Make an outline if you need to; sometimes it gives you direction and helps you gather your thoughts. However, the important thing is to START. Write that first sentence, don’t worry about research until you need to know something. The outline comes in handy, when after you have written a few pages, you are stuck. You don’t have to follow the outline, remembering that many stories take on a life of their own, so only use the outline as a guideline.
If you have any questions, please email me at priscillasflair@gmail.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Table setting for company
Setting a Great Table for Company
When it comes to setting the dinner table for company, I am in my glory. I love to have a theme, and often I purchase dishes, table favors and decorations from the $1.00 Store or the $.99 Store. I have found amazing and exciting things from both. I am very fortunate to have inherited beautiful sterling flatware (service for 12) and Lenox dishes (service for 12). They are truly exquisite but not appropriate for all occasions.
I once, no that should be several times, purchased dinner plates from the stores mentioned above. We often entertain members from our Sunday school class, the old folks that is, just like my husband and me. Usually we have anywhere from 2 to 10 people, but on holidays with family we can have more. It is fun for me to decide not only the menu, but how I want to set the table. I have numerous table cloths and napkins in a variety of colors, so I start with that, but starting is just that, my first choice is not always my last. Try different things out several days before your company is due.
The $1.00 Store and the other one can have ugly plates and things, but once in awhile, if you look or hit them at the right time you can find things that no one would ever believe where you got them. One day I was at the $1.00 Store and I had a basket full of goodies, but on the way to the register (I don’t know how I missed them) I saw a fabulous set of red and white dishes, bowls, and coffee cups. I instantly fell in love with them, because red is one of my favorite colors, and quickly emptied my cart. I proceeded to fill it back up with a complete service for 6 of the red and white dishes.
Another time, I planned dinner for 10 and, again, I wasn’t going to use my Lenox service, so I went to the $.99 Cent Store and just happened to see 12 marvelous, large, 11 inch, tan colored, dinner plates. They looked like expensive stone wear. I snapped them up in a minute, and proceeded to make my dinner theme into one from the Holy Land. I made the river Jordon down the center of the table using $1.00 Store rocks and stones, small ferns, and light green, orange and tan candles. I put the candles on a plate made to hold them, and I had short, little vases, $1 each from Wal-Mart. To each vase, I added a single orange flower from a $3.00 bouquet I bought at the grocery store. I
One year, we hosted a dinner, and I bought from the $1.00 Store, adorable cats that stood about 4 inches high. They were dressed in various colors, black and white stripe, pink, hats, feathers and purple or light green outfits. There was a place to put a name card, so for the women I used the cats to indicate where everyone should sit. I used a simple place card for the men. The whole theme was, of course cats. The celadon green, table cloth held a creamy white satin runner, and I filled out the rest of the décor with a bouquet of roses and candles. I have lots of beautiful candle holders that hold tapers (tall, slender candles) and for this theme I used purple tapers.
Well, you get the picture. To make a fun table, use your imagination and shop cheap. One time I bought 12 plates that looked like they came from Macy’s but were from the $1.00 Store. I went to Wal-Mart (my favorite store) and bought 12 glass salad plates for $1.00 each. I use them with the above dishes that have a dainty rim of colorful flowers around the white plate. FYI the $1.00 Store always has cheap, some times ugly, figurines displayed in the front of the store and on shelves elsewhere. If you need ideas for a theme, or you need favors, look these items over and pick out the best ones (check the faces to make sure they are done well, some are sloppy). These stores are a great plact to get ideas for how to set your table.
PS People love to hear my stories of where I found my dishes and the fact that I am not too proud to tell them of my great purchases.
When it comes to setting the dinner table for company, I am in my glory. I love to have a theme, and often I purchase dishes, table favors and decorations from the $1.00 Store or the $.99 Store. I have found amazing and exciting things from both. I am very fortunate to have inherited beautiful sterling flatware (service for 12) and Lenox dishes (service for 12). They are truly exquisite but not appropriate for all occasions.
I once, no that should be several times, purchased dinner plates from the stores mentioned above. We often entertain members from our Sunday school class, the old folks that is, just like my husband and me. Usually we have anywhere from 2 to 10 people, but on holidays with family we can have more. It is fun for me to decide not only the menu, but how I want to set the table. I have numerous table cloths and napkins in a variety of colors, so I start with that, but starting is just that, my first choice is not always my last. Try different things out several days before your company is due.
The $1.00 Store and the other one can have ugly plates and things, but once in awhile, if you look or hit them at the right time you can find things that no one would ever believe where you got them. One day I was at the $1.00 Store and I had a basket full of goodies, but on the way to the register (I don’t know how I missed them) I saw a fabulous set of red and white dishes, bowls, and coffee cups. I instantly fell in love with them, because red is one of my favorite colors, and quickly emptied my cart. I proceeded to fill it back up with a complete service for 6 of the red and white dishes.
Another time, I planned dinner for 10 and, again, I wasn’t going to use my Lenox service, so I went to the $.99 Cent Store and just happened to see 12 marvelous, large, 11 inch, tan colored, dinner plates. They looked like expensive stone wear. I snapped them up in a minute, and proceeded to make my dinner theme into one from the Holy Land. I made the river Jordon down the center of the table using $1.00 Store rocks and stones, small ferns, and light green, orange and tan candles. I put the candles on a plate made to hold them, and I had short, little vases, $1 each from Wal-Mart. To each vase, I added a single orange flower from a $3.00 bouquet I bought at the grocery store. I
One year, we hosted a dinner, and I bought from the $1.00 Store, adorable cats that stood about 4 inches high. They were dressed in various colors, black and white stripe, pink, hats, feathers and purple or light green outfits. There was a place to put a name card, so for the women I used the cats to indicate where everyone should sit. I used a simple place card for the men. The whole theme was, of course cats. The celadon green, table cloth held a creamy white satin runner, and I filled out the rest of the décor with a bouquet of roses and candles. I have lots of beautiful candle holders that hold tapers (tall, slender candles) and for this theme I used purple tapers.
Well, you get the picture. To make a fun table, use your imagination and shop cheap. One time I bought 12 plates that looked like they came from Macy’s but were from the $1.00 Store. I went to Wal-Mart (my favorite store) and bought 12 glass salad plates for $1.00 each. I use them with the above dishes that have a dainty rim of colorful flowers around the white plate. FYI the $1.00 Store always has cheap, some times ugly, figurines displayed in the front of the store and on shelves elsewhere. If you need ideas for a theme, or you need favors, look these items over and pick out the best ones (check the faces to make sure they are done well, some are sloppy). These stores are a great plact to get ideas for how to set your table.
PS People love to hear my stories of where I found my dishes and the fact that I am not too proud to tell them of my great purchases.
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