Practical Tools
In her unique vision, individuals and their spaces are equal partners in the process of change. Christine is a mediator or translator, not a white-gloved magician with promises of instant makeovers. Instead she offers know-how and a new approach to living in an increasingly demanding world.
In Lifestyle Design the emphasis is on using practical tools to create Campfires, centers of positive energy that encourage meaningful experiences. By looking inward and translating inner priorities into exterior surroundings, creating living spaces that counterbalance the challenges of everyday life will be uncomplicated — and lasting.
People, Place & Thing Tool -
What They Are and How You Use Them
With the pace of life cycling faster and faster, it is easy to see how the stress of modern living can take its toll. In fact, 46 million people in the United States are either diagonsed with hypertension (stress) or are taking medications for hypertension.
Though there aren’t any magic potions to make these tasks disappear, easy access to practical tools can make a real difference. A tool is anything that can be used intentionally to achieve a positive outcome. Practical Tools for Balanced Living can be people, places or things when they become part of routines and habits that bring about positive change.
1. People Tools:
People are invaluable resources - and they make good company, too. People Tools run the gamut and can range from professional organizers who clear out clutter, to handymen (or women) who can resolve maintenance issues, to friends who can lend a truck, a hand or a soft shoulder. The key is to make it easy to reach them. Their numbers and e-mails should be readily available and even on speed dial (see #3 below). I put in calls to people who can help me when the need arises instead of letting things build up.
2. Place Tools:
Going through paperwork at a well-ordered desk can make the job much smoother (add music from your favorite play list, and it becomes enjoyable). Buying fresh flowers or cutting them from an outdoor planter or garden is a whole new dimension of using outdoor places. When you bring them inside, you energize your indoor spaces as well. On a different level, grocery stores, shoemakers, drug stores and frequently used websites should become part of your routine. I try to avoid last minute rush trips which eat up precious time. By frequenting neighborhood businesses and taking time to connect with the people who work there, errands can become almost as comforting as that trip for your daily dose of coffee.
3. Thing Tools:
Like people and places, objects are only as effective as the way they are put to use. For example, one of my favorite Thing Tools is a light timer. I set timers to turn on a few key lights every night (loaded with compact fluorescent bulbs). That way I don’t have to come home to a dark and empty house. Placemats, flatware and napkins are another set of great tools - when they are set out early so that the table is dinner-ready when it needs to be. Finally, cell phones are key. Where they really count, at least for me, is in speed dialing. That way I can be in touch easily with loved ones or make a series of quick calls to contractors, colleagues or other service providers.
Even though many of today’s tasks might get crossed off The List, tomorrow will inevitably bring in a new round, but that’s life. The important thing is to make the journey more enjoyable.
For the big picture, check out the Campfires and Four Basics pages. Below are some tools put into action.
Christine Eisner
Thirty years ago, it was called ‘spring cleaning.’ Nowadays we call it editing. A century ago, William Morris, the British designer and craftsman described editing perfectly when he said, “Have nothing in your homes that you do not know to be useful and believe to be beautiful.”
How many things are in your home that you no longer need or care about? Though everyone loves dramatic changes, it is often the subtle ones that make the real difference. So instead of painting a room or buying a new home, take the time to edit your surroundings. Initiate small changes - reduce clutter, organize a drawer or closet, get rid of objects that are no longer relevant to how you choose to live. When editing becomes a habit, these small changes can really add up. So take charge, and become the editor of your surroundings so that you can make room for positive change.
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Furnishings Unite – Using Rugs to Define Spaces - and Making them Work for You
Rugs add warmth, texture and character to a room. Perhaps more important, at least to me, is their role as the foundation for the furnishings that rest on them. Without a rug to unify them, a sofa, armchair and coffee table are not a unified invitation to sit and enjoy. Whether the floors are wood or wall-to-wall carpeting, a rug is key in breaking up expanses of space and creating a room-within-a-room.
On the practical side, remember to use rug pads to extend their life and to keep them in place. Available at any hardware store, there are two kinds, one type that is a bit sticky for rugs that are on top of carpeting, another type designed for solid surface floors that prevent them from slipping on wood floors.
To figure out the right size rug for a seating area, look to have the rug go about half way under the legs of the dominant piees of furniture — like the sofa and armchair…. OR if you don’t want to go that big, get a size that acts more as a frame for teh coffee table, without having it tuck under furniture legs. The rug should look act as a foundation, like they are part of the foundation of the room. You don’t really want to ‘hold a rug in place’ with furniture legs acting as thumtacks, like you’d do when hanging a poster on a wall. That’s what the rug pad is supposed to do.
Fact: If every American home replaced just one light bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than 2.5 million homes for a year and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of nearly 800,000 cars.
Over 2000 years ago, this dormant time of year was the inspiration for the creation of a Jewish holiday to honor living things, Tu B’Shevat. This celebration takes place just before the new spring leaves begin to emerge and might be considered the forerunner of Earth Day. In Israel, where the ages of trees are recorded, each tree becomes a year older on this day.