An inviting place for individuals to share inspiring ideas
The winner is responsible for emailing us their shipping information at suedesofa@yahoo.com BY Monday March 12! If not, we will pick and alternate winner and give them the purse!
THANK YOU to all who participated in the Live-It List Challenge! We hope it helped get you through the winter months and that you have already marked several items off your list!
By now you may have heard of the craze called Pinterest, an internet site where you can browse and “pin” all sorts of pictures from food, fashion, home decor, DIY, photography, to name just a few. In case you are not familiar with this site (www.pinterest.com) here’s basically how it works. A friend invites you to get an account (don’t worry it’s free). You then have your own account where you can create different boards such as fashion, DIY, organizing tips & the like. You then browse and see what pics others have pinned. (You can also “pin” your own pics). When you find pins you like you simply “pin” that picture on one of your “boards” and voila! You then can access that picture whenever you go to your Pinterest account. Many of the pics are from blogs which is really cool, because let’s say you see a recipe that looks delicious and you “pin” that recipe, if you click on that picture many times you will be directed to someone’s blog where you can access the recipe. We absolutely LOVE Pinterest, so if you have not already checked it out give it a try!
Robynn Says: I love Pinterest for MANY reasons: photography tips, parenting tips, home decor, inspirational sayings, and more. When it comes to fashion I LOVE Pinterest because it gives me the sense I can shop without spending a dime!! I just pin away and enjoy looking, but don’t have to buy!! When it comes to home decor, I love Pinterest because some day I want to flip cottages and Pinterest allows me the opportunity to save all my ideas onto a “board”. The following photo is what I envision my cottage “flips” to look like. It was pinned by Chelsea McGee. Here’s the link: http://pinterest.com/pin/132082201541218854/
Lara Says: I love Pinterest because it gives me so many great iDeAs on how to use everyday items around my house and transform them into something AWESOME! Check out this wood pallet that was transformed into this amazing picture holder from AmandaCarverDesigns blog!
Robyn Says:
If there was one thing my mother made sure my sister and I learned growing up it was that if someone does something nice for you, you need to say ThAnK YoU or write them a thank you note. Our house growing up was a center hall colonial and at the bottom of the stairs my mom would leave reminder notes for the two of us. After birthdays or holidays we always knew one of the notes written in dark black sharpie marker would say, “Girls, don’t forget to write thank you notes for Aunt Pat, Uncle Steve, Uncle Cliff, ect.” Writing the thank you notes drove us crazy and we just couldn’t understand why it was such a big deal to our mom.
It took a long time to admit, but in my twentys I completely understood why my mom had stressed the importance of thanking friends, family, and strangers for gifts big or small. Not only is it important to show gratitude when someone does something nice for you, but it also lets that person know how much you ApPrEcIaTe them. My sister and I still tease our mom about her black sharpie marker notes at the bottom of the staircase, but we will always be grateful that she instilled in us the importance of letting people know when they have made a difference in our lives.
~Robyn (Jersey Girl)
Disability is a natural experience of life. At some point we will experience a disability with oneself or someone we love. With that in mind, remember the golden rule and always try to treat and speak to others in the same manner you would want to be treated.
Don’t Judge
Do you like being told what you can or cannot do? Have you ever been labeled unfairly? People with disabilities experience this regularly. Don’t assume a person with a disability cannot do the same activities or tasks that others can do. They just might have to do them differently. Give them a chance to try or simply ask them.
Visible vs. Invisible
Just because people don’t have a disability you can see doesn’t mean they aren’t disabled. For example, in my “I am disABLED” story that I wrote a few months ago on this blog, I shared my story of Usher’s Syndrome. When people notice I wear hearing aids they will automatically think I am hard of hearing, but what they don’t know unless I share it with them, is that I also have night blindness. Overall, most people don’t view me as having a disability because they know me as a person and completely forget that I have Usher’s Syndrome. Remember, just because you can’t see something, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist!
Communication
There is always a small amount of fear or nervousness anytime we experience something new such as interacting with someone who has a disability. Even people with disabilities may experience the same fears when meeting other people with different disabilities. When interacting with someone with a disability it is important to relax. People with disabilities use the same expressions and phrases such as “take a walk” or “see you later.” Don’t avoid talking to them because you fear saying the wrong thing, using the wrong terms or offending the person you are talking to. It is also important to show respect and to talk to the person with the disability rather than talking about them to the person they are with.
Disability vs. Handicapped
There is a distinction between the words “disability” and “handicapped.” Disability is a condition caused by an accident, trauma, genetics or disease, which may limit a person’s mobility, hearing, vision, speech or mental function. Handicap is a physical or attitudinal constraint that is imposed upon a person, regardless of whether that person has a disability. Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary defines handicap as to “put at a disadvantage.”
Additional Etiquette Tips
To learn more about terminology and disability etiquette please refer to the Your Words Our Image poster and this article with more detailed information.
Written by Lara’s Sister, Beth Combes
To read more of Beth’s story, click here
LiFe isn’t always EaSy. Can I just be honest and say that sometimes there are things in life that StiNk. Yes, I said that 5-letter word. {StiNk!}
But I refuse to Be DeFeAtEd! I won’t GiVe-Up. It may seem like the FiGhT of my LiFe, but I will PrEvAiL!
I’m fighting the GoOd FiGhT of FaiTh! God is fighting for me, so bring it!!
;)
Robynn~
Are we the only ones who don’t always know the right and proper thing to do in social settings? Ok, I know that is a rhetorical question because from time to time I’m guessing 99.9% of the population finds themselves in that awkward situation. You want to do the right thing in a social setting, but you just don’t know what that “RiGhT ThiNg” is. So, The Suede Sofa is taking the subject of etiquette head-on. We’re hoping to address some of those situations as they come up. Our plan? When they do come up we’ll do some research via the internet, books, people, etc. and then we’ll share with you what we find. Some of these situations may be things we have already learned. If you have some AwKwArD situations you would like the Suede Sofa to address, let us know! Here’s some of the ones I’m thinking of off the top of my head:
So, let me leave you with this:
I did a bit of research on the first one listed {making eye contact with strangers in public places}. And here is what I found: In our culture (this is not the case in all cultures) making EyE cOnTaCt with strangers in a non-threatening and friendly manner is considered acceptable and looked at as being confident. Whereas, not making eye-contact suggests weakness and a lack of self-confidence. So, I’m working on this. I’ll try to let you know how it goes! The research stated that this can be really awkward and uncomfortable at first, but as you practice, it gets EaSiEr.
As we share our posts on etiquette, please give us your suggestions. In some cases we are learning and are trying to get as much input as possible. We appreciate your comments!
;)
Robynn~
I always ask my girls when we go to clean their room what is the “biggest bang for their buck” to which they respond, “MaKinG oUr BeD.” It’s always the first thing we do when we clean-up their bedroom. And not only is it the thing that takes the least amount of time, it makes the room look 90% beTteR! So, if cleaning and organizing isn’t your thing, but you are trying to do better in this area, this is a great starting point! Not only will it make the room look significantly better, it may give you the boost you need to KeEp GoiNg!!
:)
Robynn~
One of these days I am going to flip some houses, but until then I have had my fair share of redoing a few projects of my own. About 4 years ago my family was living in a house that was about 900-square feet. We had two labs, as well as a 2-year old and a 5-month old. We were cramped to say the least! So when we saw a “For Sale By Owner” sign in front of a ranch-style home (about 1600 sq. feet), in our favorite neighborhood, and just across the street from Papa, I said to Scott, “I sure hope we like what it looks like inside because that’s our house.” Well, the house was a blast from the past (the 70’s to be exact) but with a little TLC we were able to make it our home for a couple of years. Here’s some the work we did.
Living Room Before. The popcorn ceiling had to go. So did that wall between the living room and kitchen to open things up!! Also notice the dark trim. I painted all the walls light brown and the trim white. We replaced the doors with white doors. Immediately our house was updated. We also added crown molding to the main living areas and changed out light fixtures.
Living Room After
Kitchen Before #1
Kitchen After #1. Had we planned on staying longer I would have painted the kitchen cabinets black and then distressed them. We took out the original linoleum and put down hardwood floors. We also added new granite countertops.
Kitchen Before #2
Kitchen After #2
Bedroom Before
Bedroom After
Bedroom After
If you’re wanting a change in your living environment maybe adding a different coat of paint to the walls, changing out some light fixtures, or painting trim is just the change you are looking for!
:)
Robynn~
to do GREAT things.
You are ABLE to make the best out of the life you were given.
The type of impact you offer this world is UP TO YOU.
Please take time to watch this inspiring video below…
Are you going to continue to feel like you were dealt bad cards for your life?
OR are you going to make something great from the hand you were given?
~Lara
*If you can access this video copy and past this link into your browser: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9xwCG0Ey2Mg
Just a few days ago I saw my first robin of the season. To me this has always been a SpEcIaL sign that spring is on its way. When I taught first grade I always loved watching the excitement on the faces of my students when we would spot the first robin on the field outside of our classroom. I would let all of the kids get out of their seats and look out the windows to count how many robins they could see throughout the large playground and field behind our school. Besides the robins, it has been staying light out later, the sun has been coming up earlier, and the temperature has been climbing.
With all of these changes I can’t help but get excited for the upcoming spring season and all it has to offer. Playing in the yard with my kids, working on my outdoor craft projects, and barbecues just to name a few! If the winter months have found you a little down, rest assured…BrIgHtEr days are just around the corner!
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