The 8 Must Haves in your Guest Room

Why hello there! The Holidays are in full swing and you are busy! With all that you are doing and preparing you must not forget about the Guest Room.  It doesn't matter who is coming over, what matters is that you take some time to prepare your Guest Room.  Get your Guest Room prepared for you guest so that they feel like they are welcome and they feel comfortable.  

I got you covered with my Top 8 Must Haves for your Guest Room...

1. The room must be clean, the linens and towels must be newly laundered, and don't forget to put fresh flowers or a live plant in the room.

2. Every guest room needs a bed but don't forget about a desk, a side table, a sofa or chair, or chaise. If the room is tight a chair will suffice but if you have a bigger space use a sofa.

3. This is usually forgotten but don't.  Your guest room should have a television or some type of stereo at least. Guest feel much more relaxed having something they are used to having at home and for most that is a television.

4. Mirrors, mirrors, mirrors, ---did I say Mirrors? Yes, don't forget about the mirrors.  I recommend at least two in a guest room.  A full-length mirror and a mirror over a dresser or placed in the room so one can see at least their face and upper body in it.  

5. Good Lighting. If you don't have overhead lighting in the room make sure you have enough lamps in the room that not only give ambient lighting but also give enough light to read, get dressed, and put makeup on.  The more the better.

6. Have on hand extra towels, linens, pillows, blankets, and toiletries. Create a beautiful display in the guest bathroom for your guests. 

7. A bed tray to hold their books, coffee/tea, and reading glasses. This is also a great decor item to have displayed on the bed when they enter. This is also a great spot to have a box of tissue for them too. 

8. Have a Closet that they can use to hang any items and have a Steamer and/or Iron for their use. You should also have either on a back or a door or an open wall space some hooks for bath ropes on them for their use.  (make sure they smell delicious)

I wish all you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.  I can't believe another year is coming to an end.  

Embrace Your Design Style,

Dina Marie Joy

Create your View Own Command Center

The Holidays are officially here! Are you ready? The best time of the year, right? But before you can think about decorating your home for the Holidays you need to take control of all the activities coming up. We all know that the Holidays are the busiest time for us so let me show you a great way to stay on top of all the events and activities you are going to need to be at.  

Have you heard of a command center? A command center is where everyone in the family knows where everything is, where they put important dates, where the tape, glue, scissors, batteries, etc. are stored.  A command center is the hub of your family.

Today I am going to share with you my personal Command Center. I am from a family of six.  It’s me and my husband and four children.  Our command center is in our kitchen and is right by our garage door. This is the heartbeat of our home.  

My command center consists of three drawers and one cabinet unit. Above our dresser unit is a Cork Board, a file box for every child and mom, a pin board, and a calendar.  On top of the dresser is a place to put my handbag, I have a dish that holds my keys, then we have a pen holder, and our bowl of sanitizer for the kiddo's backpacks. And of course some fun and cute decorative items on display and always a vase of flowers. We also store our umbrellas in an umbrella stand in the hopes the rain will come.

Inside our dresser you will find just about everything your kids are always asking for but don’t know where to find it. These items include, scissors, batteries, tape, glue, tissue, paper, notepads, pencils, and crafting supplies.  

It really doesn’t matter where you have a command center in your house, I just find that this works for us. It’s convenient and the best part for me is I always know where my keys and handbag are.  The life of a busy mom, right?!

I really hope this idea of a Command Center inspires you to create one or maybe create a more functional one.  If you ever need help with your home design or just want to ask a question please send me an email.  I would love to help you with all your design needs.  

Cheers to the Holidays and Hooray to Command Centers, mine saves me every day!

Dina Marie Joy

How to Decorate for the Fall

Fall has arrived and we are loving the change in weather in the Central Valley and the Bay Area.  Fall is such a beautiful time of the year. The temperature drastically changes---cooler, of course. We change our home's decor not only to welcome the change in season but in preparation for entertaining of family, friends and loved ones during the most festive time of the year.

There are so many things you can do to bring Fall into your home and today I am going to share with you 8 seasonal fall home decor ideas that are so simple.

1. Who said Fall had to be Orange? Have you seen all the options available with just Pumpkins? Now with Hobby Lobby being open, we have several options to purchase Fall home decor. In addition, Kirkland's, to Homegoods, to Pier 1 Imports, Michaels and Joann's, and so many other places - it is really easy to get your Fall decor today with your own style in mind. I love all the options today to dress your home up with White Pumpkins.
   White pumpkins add a classic and timeless element to your Fall decor.   
    

2. Bring in the Natural Elements - Bring Outside in! Change out the vases with the normal floral arrangements and bring in twigs, branches, and bushes.  If you just go out into your backyard you will find treasures of natural elements to bring into your home to fill your vases. This is so simple but so impressive to the eye.

3. Candles, Candles, Candles. I can’t say enough about candles. Decorating with scented candles is just a must. Again, we are so fortunate to have so many places here in Fresno to purchase scented candles, but I have to say my favorite place to purchase scented candles is Bath and Body Works and let me tell you that the scent “Leaves” has to be my favorite Fall time scented candle.  Here is a tip for you - make sure you have some live plants such as Japanese royal ferns, spider plants, Boston ferns, purple waffle plants, English ivy, areca palms, golden pothos, aloe vera, snake plants and/or peace lilies in your home when you are burning scented candles.  The ferns will take in all the air pollutants that the candles produce in your home.

4. The table scape. It does not matter if you are hosting a dinner night or Thanksgiving, your table is one of the best areas in your home to display your Fall decor. Go all out here and be as creative as you can be. This is where your inner designer self can shine. Be bold, dramatic, and show off your Fall table scape design.
    

5. Wicker Baskets - Baskets come in handy this time of year to hold our extra throws, wood, and extra pillows. The wicker baskets are like bringing in the natural elements of outside into your home  and they give  your home such a lovely Fall home vibe.

6. Throw Blankets - Yes this time of year the throw blankets are out and displayed on your beds, sofas, and chairs. Nothing says Fall better than curling up on the sofa with some tea, a good book, and an extra soft faux fur throw. I think I absolutely live for those days.
    

7. Deck out your Front Door for Fall - Who doesn't love a Falltastic Door Entry?! Bring out the pumpkins, wreaths, and decor that are so divine that everyone just has to stop and look at your house when they are walking by.

8. Switch out Pillows - I love this idea and this is always my secret weapon. I have so many decorative pillows for our beds, sofa’s and chairs and I just purchase decorative pillow covers and switch out my pillows for every season. This gives the entire room a new look just by doing this and let me tell you the amount of money you will save just by changing the cover instead of always purchasing decorative pillows for every season. Where does one store all those pillows? You don’t need to do that anymore.  I have found the best place to purchase these pillow covers is Amazon.  

I hope I have inspired you to create the most amazing Fall home decor for your home this year. If you need help with your home decor, you can always contact me, I would love to help you create your Fall escape.  

Cheers to Fall!!!! 

Embrace your Design Style,

Dina Marie Joy

How to Style a Bar Cart

Fall has finally arrived. This is my favorite time of year.  I love the chill mornings and evenings in the Central Valley and Bay Area and I especially love changing up the home to all the dreamy fall decor, the amazing fall candles that make your home smell like a fresh bakery, and spending time with friends and family . When fall arrives you know it is time to hall out the Holiday Rubbermaid Boxes and transform your home.  For some this might be a dreaded time of year to think about all the time spent transforming the home but for those of us who love holiday home decor, this is our time!

For those of you who need to start the transformation in your home but are putting it off, I am here to motivate you with some ideas that are so simple and so fun.

Introducing the Bar Cart.

Do you have a Bar Cart? If you do, hooray for you and if you don’t, no worries you can purchase one almost anywhere today and I want to inspire you to have the Best Bar Cart in your neighborhood.

My first Example is the Halloween Bar Cart. Don’t think your Bar Cart has to look the same every day. Get those Halloween Decorations out today, and transform your Bar Cart for Halloween. One little trick to remember is that if you don’t drink alcoholic beverages turn your Bar Cart into a Candy Bar for the kiddos or a Craft Bar. Just because it’s called a “Bar Cart” does not mean you have to limit yourself to just wine and spirits.  Go for it.  

Next, we have the Thanksgiving Bar Cart. Such a fun way to incorporate your Bar Cart into your Thanksgiving Drink options for your guests. Put this Bar Cart together with all the drinks and decor and let your guests help themselves.  

Now for the Christmas Bar Cart and even the New Year’s Party Bar Cart. Think Glitter, Sparkle, and Glam and for a little fun get yourself a faux sheepskin carpet and place it under your Bar Cart for a little pizazz.

If you need help, with your Holiday Decor, you just don’t have time or you just don’t know how to pull it all together, give me a call, I would love to help you create some Holiday Pizazz in your home.