Check out Vicki’s new article in Charlotte Living on how to spruce up your home for the holidays without busting your budget.

I took a honest look around my own house the other day and was shocked with the condition of some of my furniture, rugs and accessories. It’s so easy to put your blinders on and forget about the state of your home’s interior. I’m an interior designer, so I should know better. Yet hectic schedules and budgets have us all putting off making purchases and changes. But like it or not, the holidays are quickly approaching, and you need to shape-up your home up for the holidays. I needed some inspiration! This past Saturday I decided to spruce up my décor.

Click here to read Vicki’s full article in the Charlotte Living Magazine

Check out Vicki’s article about FYH’s new kitchen modernization episodes 2805 and 2806 in Charlotte Living!

Charlotte Living Kitchen Modernization Article

Vicki has a new article in the Charlotte Living magazine.

Remember when a great backyard meant you had a swing set and a fence?  Not anymore.  Today homeowners are spending a small fortune to turn their backyards into world class resorts.  In Charlotte we can take advantage of the mild climate and enjoy being outdoors almost year around.  For those of us who moved to Charlotte from the frozen north, we even find the winters downright balmy.

Click here to read Vicki’s article in full.

Startling New Hue Named 2012 “Color of the Year”!

The Color Marketing Group convened its International Color Conference in San Antonio, Texas this year. From this world wide association of color designers the forecasts for trends in color and design emerge for all industries.

“Boyz-N-Berry”, a deep rich purple with slight red undertones, represents the mainstreaming of purple. It is mature and elegant yet has a youthful edginess. It reflects our changing mindset on so many issues—off center and unconventional, spiritual, meditative- yet impulsive. It is serene and in-control.

North America, South America, Asia, India and Europe had almost identical reports on this hue. We see in this color the “take back control of my life” that is entering the global consciousness.

It’s a hue for creativity and irreverence; glancing sideways at its traditional roots. From hospitality to home, from youth market to luxury goods, purple has as much masculine as feminine appeal. Real men wear purple.

 “Boyz-N-Berry” in design projects.

• Purple is the complement to yellow which the underlying color of the new lighter wood tones. It makes a wonderful accent color for spaces that are either wood heavy or have elements with a yellow cast prevalent in many laminates and vinyls.

• A warm taupe teamed with purple will induce a feeling of trust and serenity. [Yellow and purple is said to be the most healing combination]

• Creams and whites added to purple create a sense of fresh openness. Whites constituted a large part of the color story representing the consumer “need” for cleansing and renewal.

• Grey paired with purple and cream completes understated elegance. Pop it with brighter hues for youth appeal.

Updating color need not be budget breaking. It can be as simple as accent walls, art and rugs, updating color in guest services brochures for hospitality projects or strategically placed color in display walls for retail. Adding the right color can soothe and inspire your client into a more positive experience that will enhance their life and your bottom line.

Color formulation for “Boyz-N-Berry” matches Sherwin Williams’ #SW6839 Kimono Violet

Follow these tips to ensure a clean sweep for spring!

WHERE TO BEGIN
Always start at the top of the room and work your way down.
INDOOR PLANTS
Remember, plants get dusty too. You can clean small plants in the kitchen sink, and larger ones enjoy a shower in the bathroom.
REPLACE FILTERS
Remove filters in furnaces and air conditioners, and either clean or replace them.  Vacuum and clean out grates, coils, refrigerators, stoves, and air con¬ditioners.
CLOSETS
Give old clothes and furniture to charity. Vacuum floors. Dust shelves. Hang cedar blocks to freshen the areas. 
WINDOWS
Wash windows on a cloudy, but not rainy day. This is the best time to vacuum the frames and sills. Cool, clear water is the choice of most professional window washers. If windows are very dirty you can add 2 to 3 tablespoons of vinegar per gallon of water. For drying windows, a wad of crumpled newspaper works just as well as expensive paper towels. Wear rubber gloves to keep your hands free of ink.
WINDOW TREATMENTS
Vacuum draperies. Wash blinds. Replace heavy drapes with lightweight or sheer curtains.
MINI BLINDS
Slip your hands into a pair of socks for cleaning the mini blinds. Dip one hand into a bucket of warm, soapy water and hold the blinds between your two hands. Rub back and forth until you’ve cleaned the whole surface. Then reverse sides so the dry sock dries the blinds.

The American Home Furnishings Alliance (AHFA) presented its annual HOME Awards on April 2, honoring exemplary magazine, newspaper, broadcast and trade journalists who cover the residential furniture industry. The awards were created to “Honor Outstanding Media Efforts” in reporting on new home furnishings products and trends.

Winner in the broadcast category was For Your Home! This is what they said about our show:

“(Vicki offers) terrific tips and ‘rules’ to do it right! (She) made redecorating seem fun and possible, not daunting. Actually inspired ME to change some things in my living room,” enthused one judge. Another noted, “With a profusion of (shows) about the home, Vicki Payne and For Your Home stand apart in increasing awareness of what is possible.”

Thank you to all the viewers!

If you are ready for spring, but the climate around you is stubbornly holding onto winter, here is something you can do to brighten up your home. Branches of your favorite flowering trees, shrubs or fruit trees can be cut and gently persuaded to bloom prematurely indoors. This process is very easy to do, once you understand a few important details, and is much easier on the pocketbook than a trip to the florist to relieve the winter doldrums.

The forcing process can take anywhere from one to four weeks, depending on how far along you are in the season. When choosing the branches to use indoors, look for the fat flower buds and always cut the shrub with an eye towards improving the symmetry of your plant. Always cut your branches in the middle of a mild day when the daytime temperature is above freezing. Branches should be at least 12 inches in length. Using diagonal cuts, cut your branches flush to a main stem and immediately bring them indoors. Hammer or cut a 1-2 inch split in the bottom stem to allow it to accept water. Submerging in a bathtub of room temperature water for 24 hours is ideal. If this is not possible, simply plunge them in the deepest bucket that you have and mist them thoroughly several times during the first 24 hours. Soaking serves multiple purposes; it helps to clean off the bark, softens up the bud scales and hastens the bloom.

After the initial soaking, stand the branches in water, in a place between 55 degrees and 65 degrees, in bright but indirect light. Be sure to change the water and mist them daily. When the buds begin to swell and show color, arrange the branches in a vase and display in a bright, but not sunny location. Direct sunlight will dry out and shorten the life of the blooms. Flowers will last longer if they are moved at night only to an area with a 40-60 degree temperature.

Voila! Enjoy your beautiful spring flowers on even the coldest winter day.

Vicki Payne

Left to Right: Vicki Payne, For Your Home; Joseph Freenor, CFT411; Gloria Sollecito, Kitchens for Living; Flavio Bergamin, President Blanco Canada; Paul Anater, Kitchen and Residential Design; Susan Palmer, Susan Palmer Designs; Cindy Dole, Home Wizards; Marc Nover, President Blanco America

On For Your Home we do some fantastic projects using all the latest and greatest products.  It’s not easy selecting which project we want to work with, but it is a job I truly love.  I get really excited when I have the opportunity to actually tour the factory where a product that I have selected for the show is being made.   Such was the purpose of my trip to Toronto.  The nice folks at Blanco invited me to Canada to tour their factory and attend the Interior Design Show of Canada.

The tour kick-off was a fabulous lunch at Via Allegro Restaurant.  Our group was comprised of some of today’s top Bloggers and kitchen designers.  I’ve listed their web sites below so you can follow their Blogs to help you design your new kitchen or bath.  Our hosts were Flavio Bergamin, President of Blanco Canada and Mark Nover, President of Blanco America.

Paul Anater, www.kitchenandresidentialdesign.com
Gloria Graham-Sollecito, www.kitchensforliving.net
Joseph Freenor, www.CFT411.com
Cindy Dole, www.cindydole.com
Susan Palmer, www.susanpalmerdesigns.com

The factory makes Blanco’s new granite sinks.  That’s right, granite.  It is a patented process that turns granite dust into beautiful durable sinks.  The dust is a by-product when they mine for granite slabs.

The complete manufacturing process is very clean and environmental friendly.

The granite powder is mixed with a polymer that binds the granite together.  The mixture is poured into molds, heat and the sink is formed.

The sinks are then transferred to a water jet system that trims the edges, cuts the holes for the drains and faucets.

Then they are off to the shipping department.  All along the way the sinks are inspected thouroughly to make sure you have a perfect product when it arrives at your house.

We toured the testing lab to see how well the sinks clean-up with everyday use and how durable they are.  The testing team had pre-stained a white sink for the demonstration.  Mustard, wine, ketchup you name it they easily cleaned it up with just dish soap and water.  To prove how durable these sinks are, they dropped a steel ball equal to a can of food from a height of 4 feet.  Not a chip, dent or mar.  Now that’s the kind of sink I want to design into the For Your Home kitchen projects.

The sinks are beautiful too.  They come in 7 colors including their newest one “Truffle”.

The next day we were off to the Toronto Design Show to see more of Blanco’s great granite and stainless steel sinks as well as beautifully designed faucets.

In my next Blog, I’ll share all the other wonderful discoveries I saw at the Interior Design Show.

Make those flowers last longer with these simple care tips.

Flowers from the grocery store can be just as beautiful and last just as long as the expensive ones you purchase from a florist.  It’s how you care for them that makes the difference.

1. Ask when the store receives their shipments of fresh flowers and time your shopping trip accordingly.  Do all your regular grocery shopping first and make the flowers the last item you purchase.

2. Get your flowers back into water as quickly as possible.  Always re-cut the stems and remove at least 2 inches to get past the “air block” caused by flowers being out of water.  Roses should always be cut under water to eliminate the air block from returning.

3. Make sure your vase is sparkling clean and free of any mold or fungus.

4. Strip off any leaves that will be below the water level.  Leaves begin to rot under water and cause the flowers to die prematurely.  Plus, the water looks terrible and smells even worst.

5. No need to add anything to the water.  Florist food, aspirin or soda are just old wives tells and doesn’t extend the life of the flowers.

6. Keep the flowers out of sunlight and excessive heat.

7. Add fresh water to the vase as the flowers drink it down. After 2-3 days, remove the flowers, trim 1″ off the stems and place them back into a clean vase with fresh water.

8. Enjoy your Valentine’s Day and your beautiful flowers!

Valentine candy pots

by Amanda Formaro

Transform plain terra cotta clay pots into adorable Valentine candy dishes. What a sweet treat for your child’s teacher, grandparent, or even for mom! Minimal supplies are needed and the possibilities are endless.

Age: 3 and up. This project is rated VERY EASY to do.

What You Need:

• Terra cotta clay pots in various sizes
• acrylic paints: pinks, reds, purples, white
• Valentine stickers
• paint brushes, one small and one medium
• new pencil
• household sponge
• acrylic sealer spray, matte finish
• lace (optional)
• raffia and/or ribbon (optional)

What You Do

1. Paint clay pot in desired color and let dry. Apply a second coat, and if needed (especially with lighter colors), a third coat as well, allowing sufficient drying time in between coats. Paint inside and outside of pot.

2. Once painted, it’s time to decorate! Here are some ideas to make your pot look great.

3. To give your pot a polka dot design, use the eraser of a new pencil and dip into desired paint color. Dab once to remove excess and dot onto pot. Each polka dot will need a new application of paint. For smaller dots, use the end of a paintbrush applying with the same method.

4. A household sponge can be used to add a contrasting color. Wet the sponge and squeeze out all excess water. Dab into paint then dab off excess onto a piece of paper towel. Use a dabbing motion to sponge on a light coat of contrasting color.

5. Stripes can be applied by simply loading a small paintbrush with paint and painting downward. Stripes do not need to be perfect, so don’t fret if you “go outside the lines” so to speak.

6. Stickers can be used to decorate your pots. Stick over dry paint and press firmly to be sure they adhere.

7. You can tie ribbon or raffia into a bow and glue to the front of your pot, or tie around the rim. Hot glue will work better than white glue for adhering ribbon or raffia to the front of the pot.

8. Lace can also be used to accent your pot. Glue lace around the rim for a fancy finish.

9. Once decorated, apply a coat or two of acrylic sealer and allow to dry overnight.

10. Fill with various candy and enjoy your creations!

Helpful Tips

Keep them busy during paint-drying time. Terra cotta pots require several coats of paint to cover, especially with light colors. Plan this project so that children can do other things while they are waiting for the different coats to dry. For classroom projects, plan this over several classes, or paint the pots with two coats of white ahead of time, then when children paint the pots with colors only one, or possibly two, coats will be needed.

Be careful with glue. Hot glue should be handled by adults or older children with supervision. Hot glue burns and hurts, so please use caution!

Save time by pre-making bows. Tie bows from raffia or ribbon ahead of time. Apply a drop or two of hot glue to the back center of the bow to keep it in place. Now your bows are ready.

Re-use your pencil. Acrylic paint can be easily wiped off of the pencil eraser while still wet. Pencil can still be used for its original purpose.