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Trends 2009 - Visual Power - Personalize Your Home!

The trend in all areas of life is personalization. Technology has permitted us to order custom sized jeans, custom car interiors even custom showers made to perfectly fit our bodies. Your home is your most personal possession! How can you personalize your space and put your individual imprint on it?

Personalizing your space is the only way to really feel at home in your home! Giving a home authenticity is the most important ingredient. There is only 1954 Topps baseball cards YOU and your home needs to reflect who you are.

What are your interests? Do you travel? Gather your favorite travel photos and create a gallery wall. Printing your photos in black and white or sepia tones unites the wall and makes the subject matter more important and artistic.

Do you collect? Display your collections! Designate a bookcase or install a shelf above a doorway or line a room in shelves and carefully group your collectibles. Be sure your treasures can be seen. Pot lights and directional recessed lights can be added by an electrician.

Accessories are the magical ingredients that make a room come alive. I remember the disappointment one of my clients felt prior to the placement of the final decorative elements.
As my client sat on her new sofa and looked Alien action figure the room she was really let down. She thought it was nice but something was missing. The "personality" of the room had yet to come alive.

Keeping in mind the design principals of proportion, rhythm, balance and scale, I made several trips to nearby boutiques selecting items I thought worked in the space and fit my client's discovery interview words. Artistic, bold, serene and elegant.

My car was overflowing with treasures Johnny Apollo I arrived and I quickly starting accessorizing. I interspersed family treasures along with antiques and new collectables. I placed a sensuous black curving sculptor to fill a bare corner of the living room. We hung the art and placed some white orchids and green plants around the room. That's when the living room of her dreams came alive.

With the curved sofa and other rounded items, along with interesting accessories and artwork the living room takes on a sophisticated Zen feel.

Take your time and buy once. Be sure that your accessories Transformer something to you. Tell your story with your accessories.

Display a ceramic bowl from your children's art class. Mix old and new pieces together. Don't be afraid of using your grandmother's silver tray on a rustic leather ottoman. 1930's baseball cards touches give meaning and history to your home.

Bring out objects that you have collected on memorable family vacations.

Accessorizing with personal objects is the way to give a home your imprint. Indulge in the extraordinary. From the andirons in the fireplace, the mirror in your powder room, to your tableware, keep in mind your overall style direction.

I had a client that travels and wanted to display the tapestry she found on one of her trips. These are the ingredients that make a home uniquely yours.

Every design element needs to mean something to you. Take your time to find just the right pieces -- you will be glad you did.

Fresh flowers and candles will be the only items you will need to purchase. When you take your time with this last step you will not want to constantly buy things...you will have EXACTLY what you want the first time!

Designer Secret:

I accessorize with books, they help warm up a space. Large coffee table books stacked high next to a reading chair looks casual and warm. One other secret I want to share is that I change out-of-date hardware on chests and cabinetry. It is amazing the lift your room will get with new knobs and pulls.

To see dramatic before and after photos illustrating these concepts visit href="kimberleejaynes.com/tips.asp">kimberleejaynes.com/tips.asp Trends 2009 - Visual Power - Personalize Your Home!

Kimberlee Jaynes is Portland Oregon's Color Specialist

Kimberlee Jaynes placed as a finalist in the Residential Interiors category of the Benjamin Moore HUE awards. More than 150 entrants competed in this national contest

Kimberlee Jaynes is among Portland Oregon's most talented designers. Her work is a combination of comfortable sophistication and confident simplicity. She is continually praised for achieving that delicate balance between serene and striking, while creating a unique environment that instantly feels just right. A Kimberlee Jaynes interior is where art meets function - a delightful blend of "Why didn't I think of that?" and "This is the way my home was meant to feel"

An associate member of Northwest Society of Interior Designers, Jaynes has practiced interior design for 17 years. She taught visual Merchandising & Display Design at Clark College in Vancouver and Portland Community College Sylvania Campus. She was a manager of Visual Merchandising for Nordstrom prior to embarking on her interior design career

To see dramatic before and after photos personalizing client's homes visit href="kimberleejaynes.com">kimberleejaynes.com click portfolio

posted by biibj @ 8:46 AM 0 comments

2 Ways to Improve Your FICO Score Fast

Your credit score is a three digit number that potentially has six digit impact in your financial life. Lenders often determine whether or not to give you a loan or credit card and at what interest rate based on this number alone. Most lenders use what is known as donating a car FICO score.

Your FICO score is a number between 300 and 850. Needless to say, the higher the number the better and easier it is to obtain credit. Without going to deeply into FICO score ranges (which differ by lender anyway), a score of 700 is considered good. But to get thumbs up from even the most discerning lender, you need at least 720.

In order to improve FICO score, it is helpful to have a basic understanding of how this all-important number is reached. Here is the basic scoring model:

1. 35% of your score is determined by your payment history. This is the biggest chunk of the score for one obvious reason; they want you to pay your bills on time.

2. 30% of your score is determined by your balance to Dollikins ratio, also called utilization ratio. This means the total balance of debts you owe in proportion to the total credit available to you. A utilization ratio of 30% or less is considered healthy.

3. The length of time you've had credit, or also known as credit history. Needless to say, the longer your history the better. This accounts for 10% of your FICO score.

4. Variety of accounts: A "healthy mix" is what to go for. Your score will be lower if you have only one type such as credit cards and higher if you have a credit card, a car payment, a student loan and/or no win no fee accident This accounts for 10% of your score.

5. Your new credit accounts for 10% of your score. Too many new accounts can represent greater risk.

Based on the above, there are only two ways with which you can improve your FICO score fast;

1. Negotiate with your creditors for removal of negative information from your credit report. Often original creditors will not do this, but collectors might in exchange for full or even partial payment. This is a subject for which books have been written.

2. Get a limit raise or pay down your debt to 30% of limit or less. This can cause jump in your score in a very short time. Of course, if you're already having problems paying your bills or have a low credit score this might not be an easy option. So what can you do?

One solution for lowering your utilization ratio is to get a merchandize credit card. 1960 Fleer baseball cards are cards for which you can only use to purchase items from the issuing merchant. They often come with relatively high limits, which is exactly what you need. But beware; there are many scam "merchant cards" out there.

Discover credit secrets creditors and bureaus don't want you to know plus tips for Mr. Mxyzptlk aboutcreditandrepair.com/resources/credit-secrets-bible-review.htm">strategies for improving credit score. David Kamau offers free aboutcreditandrepair.com/blog/">self help credit repair tips at his site and blog

posted by biibj @ 8:41 AM 0 comments