I'm Back

Well, I am alive and well and back home. It was an exhausting and trying trip. Where have I been you might ask....a tiresome work trip? an exercise boot camp? No..... I survived Disney World!

My parents took the whole family to Disney World for a week, that includes myself and husband Eric, my sister and her family of 4, and my brother and his family of 5. All kids under the age of 6. Having all those youngsters would be enough to make you go crazy but add in a stomach virus that slowly knocked them down one by one and you have mayhem.

Thankfully Eric and I were able to get away on our own some otherwise I probably wouldn't have made it out alive. Despite all the challenges, it was a fun trip. The one thing I couldn't stop thinking about while I was there is the amazing attention to detail at the parks. Everything was intentional and all the design was consistent throughout. Even the stair railing at our resort had little Mickey silhouettes cut out of the posts.

Not only was the design amazing, the place was immaculate. I don't think I saw one piece of trash or spilled ice cream on the pavement the entire week. Which got the business brain in me thinking.... how much does it cost to maintain all the parks and resorts per day? So I googled it and found out it cost almost $3 MILLION dollars a day to run all the resorts and parks. Ok, so if it cost that much to run, how much money are they pulling in? Well, last year in the last quarter their revenue was 10.8 BILLION dollars with a net income of 1.4 BILLION dollars. You can check out their financial reports here, if you're interested in these things like I am.

Now, it's time for me to take a vacation from my vacation!
~Jessica

Simple Living

We live in a time of consumption, brand, status, etc.  We want more and more that we really can't afford.  There are many people who live beyond their means.  You don't have to spend a fortune on your home. It can still be beautiful even if it's not stuffed to the brim.  It can be very freeing and calming to living minimally.  It's not everyone's taste but it maybe worth considering.

Here's some ideas of how to live simply...

soothing bedroom

 Sometimes having the absence of art or things makes a space beautiful.

Few accessories and the large field of color in the art makes this space simple

The neutral color palette and few accessories & furniture makes this space simple

Light walls & small furniture makes this room simple

The lack of art on all the walls helps to bring focus to the Fireplace

Again neutral color palette and a few textural items makes this space simple

 So you can see that not filling every space, wall and shelf, you can still have a warm, comfy home.  Minimal doesn't have to just be modern.

Below is a great example of a beautiful room that can be edited to be more simple.  Just taking things out of your space, things you have had a long time, bored with or cheap can give you a new fresh look.  You can sell those items and re-invest in your home or put in the bank!

BEFORE -Timothy Whealon's Living Room via House Beautiful

AFTER editing

What was changed?

These are the items that were removed...
1 - Lamp
2 - Centerpiece (it gives focus to the art and chandelier)
3 - wall sconce
4 - Art
5 - Move this table in front of banquette
6 - Ottoman
7 - Chair
8 - Flower arrangement (removing this gives focus to the other arrangement)
9 - 2 stools

So let's say you sold these items - you can bank $1,200+  and still have a beautiful room!

What are your thoughts?  Do you like the edited room better? ~Brandy