Apples to Apples: Lessons In Project Planning

Project planning supports project success.

Take the Google Doodle for example.

teacher-appreciation-week-google-doodle

Google

When I opened up Chrome Monday morning, the Google doodle successfully accomplished its purpose of informing me it’s Teacher Appreciation Week.

The celebration of our teachers got me to thinking about the special teachers I had and love to this day, the significant role a teacher plays in the lives of her/his students, and the apples to apples comparison between teacher project planning and decorista project planning.

kate spade new york Zadie Drive Apple Lidded Box

kate spade new york Zadie Drive Apple Lidded Box

Many of us have a special place in our heart and grateful appreciation for at least one teacher from our scholastic past.

I can trace aspects of the life lessons, confidence levels, journalism interests, political interests and organizational skills utilized in my daily professional and personal life back to three beloved teachers.

Einstein

“It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.”

-Albert Einstein

Their influence through the formative years positively shaped, molded, and impacted my life, and the lessons learned reach far beyond a textbook, chalkboard, Donny Osmond or David Cassidy notebook.

Sweet and innocent were the times.

donny-david-notebooksVintage Advertisement of Tumblr

I am struck by the similarities between teacher lesson planning and decorista project planning.

With the teacher lesson plan, planning is crucial to a successful instructional experience.

To be effective in classroom management, it is necessary to remain focused on the task at hand before moving on to the next activity.

When a teacher provides his or her students with step-by-step instructions, it makes for a smooth transition into the next subject.

project-plan

In regards to a home improvement or interior decorating project, a detailed project plan puts inspiration to paper, dollars to sense, purpose to project.

Begin with a Master Plan

Project planning is essential to the overall process from idea to design to decorating execution to finished product.

Check Yes or No

Will converting a space from let’s say a formal living room or rarely used guest bedroom into a home office be a beneficial transformation or a regrettable repurpose?

Study the space and evaluate if it may be of better use to your needs by taking a recess from its initial purpose.

Will moving a wall make the design grade?

Take the time to study the space, and let the walls or removal of them talk to you.
Project planning

Stay the Course

It is mighty tempting to tackle more than originally planned once you get into the project of it all.

Spreading the project love too thin can result in an incomplete or failing grade assigned to the design objective and decrease the desired quality of work.

Education is Project Power

Folks, let me let you in on a little secret.

There’s a whole lot more that goes into the home improvement interior design and interior decorating projects you see tackled and mastered on your favorite house to home show.

I’m not saying leave it to the professionals, but I do suggest doing your homework before jumping into the “I/we can do that” waters.

Do your homework by learning all you can through materials, fixtures and appliances manufacturer’s websites.

Access the FAQ page.

If you’ve got a question odds are someone else does too.

Take the time to watch the how-to videos.

Home improvement sites offer great tutorials, and YouTube is a treasure trove of information.

Read customer reviews and home improvement-interior design blogs.

Project planning is the essential tool beneficial to both teachers and decoristas.

#ThankATeacher  #AppreciateAnEducator

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You’ve Got Mail: Let’s Home Decor Partner Project Together

During the holiday hustle and bustle I received a let’s home decor partner project together email from a surprise source.

You’ve got mail never read so good.

So good!

The exclamation point perfectly befits my strong feeling of great delight.

The content and purpose of the email serves as the source of inspiration for a house to home project.

Sourcing and reviewing products is part and parcel of the Places In The Home design and decorating show and tell.

I invite honest and frank feedback and review from clients, and remain true to my own when the roles are reversed.

Working with a brand that mirrors my appreciation for quality home decor accents and accessories reflects well on both of us.

home decor partner project

When the foyer wallpaper install was finally completed, I immediately realized the paint color on the walls of the foyer and hallway had reached its expiration date.

That’s usually the way this remodel-redo-refresh thing works.  One update leads to another, and that’s exactly the reason why “One Thing Leads to Another” by The Fixx leads off my tunes to project to playlist.

In this design and decorating show and tell world of mine, one project always leads to another, and I’m loving every minute of it.

“Lovin’ Every Minute of It” by Loverboy is another great song to project to.

I love how music and decorating splendidly complement each other.

bluetooth speaker

Night Blooming Jasmine from Behr is a neutral beauty that finishes rich. Eggshell enamel is one sheen up from matte, and the texture is washability matched to moderate traffic areas.

behr-eggshell-night-blooming-jasmine

Night Blooming Jasmine from Behr

The image below is a stunning example of how limiting the colors in the palette constitutes contrast.

alicecramer_carson_egd_108

Mindful Makeover~ Atlanta Homes & Lifestyle January 2017

Texture variation, under color painting and quality of the original paint job all factor into how well the paint application at hand covers and finishes out.

Dave the Builder’s expert advice has been consulted, his premier painting skills engaged.

painting-project

Finish again enters the project process conversation.

This antique wall table has served various pieces of jewelry, readers, car key sets, one dime, one quarter (more on that later) and general stuff over the years.

I’ve grown accustomed to it being there, and there it will stay.

The table is in correct proportion to the size of the area.

dark-demi-lune-table

The old girl is in need of a refresh, but what direction to go in required some thought.

Refinish it?

Paint it?  Being the original finish loyalists we are, Dave shot me one of those “have you lost your flipping mind?” looks when I mentioned the paint it option.

Clear-coat it?

Lacquer it?

French-polish-finish-table

French polish it is.

foyer-inspiration1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

An afternoon spent perusing image galleries on DecorPad and Domino confirms the decision to go the French polish route is indeed the right one. Inspiration truly is everywhere.

Wow.  This post is long, but when the conversation revolves around the topics of decorating, updating, gorgeous decor and let’s home decor partner project together that can happen.

Part II of Let’s Home Decor Partner Project Together will unveil the big reveal and show and tell how the look comes together.

project-preview

For now, I leave you with a hint of what’s to come.

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