Julia describes how everyone can benefit from an exercise called “Morning Pages.” I love the title, it certainly got my attention. It is a very short video and worth pondering over. As business owners, every day our minds race with the tasks on our to-do list as well as new ideas that are always popping into our head. I think this simple morning exercise definitely has merit. I’m sure you’ll agree, three pages seem like a lot . . . Maybe I can get a journal type notebook with a smaller page size.

I would love to hear your thoughts.

 

 

Occasionally, we receive written thank-you cards and I thought our blog would be the perfect place to begin sharing them. I love to see the card design the designer has selected to represent their business. The yellow and black definitely made this a strikingly handsome card. Check out Mary’s beautiful website www.http://flourishingdesign.com/

 

 

 

Hard to believe High Point Furniture Market begins Saturday October 18th is opening day for High Point. 

During market the Minutes Matter staff will be available but on a much more limited basis. What does this mean to you? It means it could take a little longer to return phone calls. We would like everyone to post any tech support questions for Studio or QuickBooks on The Lounge.  Need to download Studio or get access to your serial number? Log into your CustomerHub account. The phone will be staffed, but remember it will take a little longer to return calls. If you decide to leave a phone message, someone will get back with you as soon as possible. Our office hours will return to normal on Monday, October 27, 2014. 

Going to High Point Furniture Market? There are lots of social and educational events scheduled. And, of course, there is always plenty of free food.

While at market, come by and visit us in the Suites of Market Square on the ground floor in space G-4029. You can’t miss us we’re the only one with bright pink and white space. Jackie Von Tobel will be there signing copies of her two books. The Directory of Window Treatments and The Design Directory of Bedding are absolutely the most inspiring and beautifully illustrated books for custom window treatments and bedding. Jackie is a very talented artist and designer from Las Vegas. Stop by and purchase your copies.

Is this your first time to visit market? If so, watch these videos.  High Point Market is again providing everyone with a powerful tool called MyMarket to help you connect with fellow attendee, exhibitors, schedule meetings, find events. It is easy to add vendors, seminars, and any events you want to attend. You can access this information right from your iPhone, Droid, Blackberry, etc. If you have a smart phone you must sign up for this fabulous tool.

 

 

I ran across this video on YouTube and the title got my attention. I knew sitting at my desk most of the day wasn’t the best thing I could do for my health. This video makes you aware of what we are doing to our bodies and how it is affecting our health. After watching the video I shared it on Facebook and Judy Soccio commented that she has already using a drafting table as her desk and trying to stand as much as possible. She also stated her knees and hips are less stiff now.

I thought about elevating my desk but I’ll have to put more thought into how I would accomplish that. I really didn’t give the treadmill solution much thought because, well to be honest I’m not that coordinated. I would probably end of knocking my computer or iPad off the desk.

I have decided I will get up more often do some leg lifts, shoulder shrugs, double bicep curls  or maybe some standing hip twists. See some exercise options below:

 

 Shoulder Shrugs (12 – 15 reps)

Standing Oblique Crunch (12 – 15 reps)

Double Bicep  Curl (12 – 15 reps)

 

Standing Hip Twists (12 – 15 reps)

 

How will you get up and move? Our health is priceless!

How cute are those girls? Okay, maybe I am a little bit prejudice, since those are my two granddaughters. After Casey took the photo this morning, I asked her to send me the photo so I could add some special effects and a caption. We also talked about making sure we always took photos of their “First Day at School” and how they would love going down memory lane as they get older.

I posted this photo on Facebook and Kelli Chitty chimed in to say “Much to my daughter’s chagrin I take pictures of all her firsts – even first days at college each year – first time voting, first day of work. lol! Even at 22 I enjoy taking her picture.” I totally agree with Kelli only photographs have the ability to capture these precious moments.

Camera+ not only serves as your camera, it also does photo editing, once you’re finished editing then you can choose from a variety of frames and finally add a caption. Why captions? Well maybe you wouldn’t want a caption on every photo but captions definitely have their place. Have you ever looked at one of your photos and wondered where it was taken or when? What about sending a client a photo of the project you just completed with a “Thank-you” caption? On the photo above, I used the FX Effect “Amelie,” which enhanced the color in this photo.

I love this app! It is only $1.99 on the app store. It has over 27,985 “5-Star” reviews. It is definitely one of my all time favorite camera/photo editing apps.

Want to know how to use this fabulous app? Watch this 12 minute video on YouTube.

Another killer video from Marie Forleo. This video is for all of us entrepreneurs in the interior design business that can get a little too involved in our work from time to time. Sometimes, we need to be reminded to step back and smell the roses and make time for the important people in our lives.

Create memories with your loved ones that will make you smile for years to come. Those memories instantly add happiness to my day the minute they enter my brain. In fact, one just popped into my head. As we were driving one day with our granddaughters, my youngest granddaughter, Morgan called out to me GG? Since I was in the passenger side of the front seat, I looked back at her and said honey that’s not my name, my name is “DG.” If you could have seen the shocked look on that sweet little face. She said, Wha’ya name? Jerry and I got so tickled, because we realized that she suddenly thought she didn’t know my name. I love those memories.

Another great video Marie.

 

Happy 4th of July! Today, I am so thankful for all freedoms we enjoy. I love this country, I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.

Minutes Matter announced a brand new module for Studio, the Kitchen Module.  We would love to hear your comments.

 

 

After reading comments from our Kitchen module webinar, we decided to add a few more elements like electrical symbols and pot racks to this new module. Merlyn has already begun working on the new additions. Look how cute! Merlyn is a genius and has worked tirelessly to get this Kitchen Module perfect. The Kitchen Module is out and ready to be purchased.

 

Above is a photo of the pot rack in my kitchen. We remodeled our kitchen about four years ago. We painted and glazed our existing oak cabinets, added a subway tile and mosaic tile backsplash and tile countertops. Also, notice my magnetic knife holder. Okay, back to pot racks . . .  I absolutely love my pot rack! You can see it is jammed packed with pots and pans. Not sure I could ever live without a pot rack in my kitchen. And yes, we polish our copper clad bottom pans. Notice, I do not have an island under my pot rack. I have 9′ ceilings but Lee, my youngest son, has 8′ ceilings, no island and he has one. Pot racks are an incredible way to save cabinet space and makes it so easy to retrieve a desired pot or pan. Who knows you might even want to cook more.

If you can work a pot rack into your kitchen, I highly recommend it. I know you’ll love it.

Congratulations to Vickie Ayres! She just passed her 2013 QuickBooks ProAdvisor Certification. Every year, Vickie takes time out of her busy schedule to get certified by QuickBooks. If you’re an Interior Designer or drapery workroom fabricator check out Minutes Matter’s QuickBooks & Quoting. In no time, Vickie will have you preparing proposals faster than ever.

 

 

 

A storyboard, like the one shown here, is one of the primary ways to communicate your design concept to your clients. Putting together samples of fabrics and finishes, along with photos of furnishings, helps clients visualize how their rooms will look when completed. With the use of graphic design software such as Minutes Matter Studio and the Storyboard module, this process requires much less effort and allows the designer to make the presentation via email for long-distance clients. by Merlyn Corcoran, Studio’s coach

Want to read more? Check out Merlyn’s article published in the Drapery & Design Professional magazine.

| Drapery & Design Professional magazine |