Inspiring Words from Artists and Crafters

This is wonderful! I am thankful for so many wonderful email responses to my Would you like to be in my ebook post. I was particularly inspired by this message from Debbie below:

Hi Laura, I recently discovered your blog and LOVE it. I would love to be in your e-book. I picked up a paint brush for the first time in 1998, and haven't put it down since. I learned as much as I could in the beginning, took a leap of faith and quit my NYC corporate job after September 11, 2001, and I turned my passion into what's now a thriving, award-winning, decorative painting business. I started out by selling handpainted glassware at a local craft fair! Looking forward to hearing back from you.

Debbie Viola www.DebbieViola.com

Keep up the great work Debbie, and thank you for sharing your story with us! If you have an inspiring story or question, please email me or leave a comment below.

Sign up for info about smART business, coming soon!

Mo

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photo: original painting by Laura Trevey

photo: pinterest

5 Tips for How to Choose the Right Sofa

Your sofa is probably the most used piece of furniture you own.

So choosing the right one can be a daunting task.

1. Pick a color that fits with the decor in your room.

2. Quality: Make an investment and choose a quality sofa that will last a long time.

3. What size and shape? Be sure the sofa you pick fits appropriately relative to the space.

4. Comfort, comfort, comfort. There are many types of sofa fillings that are available. When it is time to relax and unwind, you want a sofa that you can sink into.

5. Leather of Fabric? Leather is a stylish and modern natural material and can be a wonderful investment. I love the statement, "Leather wears in while fabrics wear out."

** You can shop for recliner leather sofas via the kandco website

in the uk for the ultimate luxury and comfort!

** photos: hd style studio, kandco

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8 Home Office Organizing Tips

With the Fall season approaching, it's time to de-clutter and get organized.

Back to school days put me in the mood to get my home office in shape.

Here are some ideas that work for me.

1. If you work from home, it's always a good idea to keep your work space separate from your living and family space. If you can make a separate room for yourself, do it.

2. Everything has it's place. Stick to this rule, and you always know where everything is! Position daily used items in easy to reach places.

3. Use your wall space. I love pegboards and bulletin boards for organization. This is probably my favorite tip of all ~ if you can see it, you will use it!

4. Label, label, label.

5. Clean off your desk top each day to start fresh for the next morning.

6. Throw away and recycle items you don't use.

7. Clean out those drawers to free up more storage space.

8. Make a "to-do" list and stick to it.

More home office inspiration from BB&B's "Where We Blog" series.

photos: home offices via pinterest

Related: My Home Office / Art Studio

Bright ideas: Creative Work Spaces and Organizing Tips

Beautiful Home Living - Pegboards and Bulletin Boards

Interior Design and Decorating Ideas: Paint Colors

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Commenting on Blogs

Happy Sunday! I have a question for you ~ I wanted to make it more fun to comment on Bright Bold and Beautiful so I installed a Wordpress application, Comment Luv, which links your latest post on your website in your comment field. I have mixed feelings about this. Once it was installed yesterday, all of my previous comments - from the past 2 1/2 years - do not show. I can still see them, but they are not visible on the blog.

So I am putting it out there to you. Which way do you prefer? The new way with Comment Luv, or back to Blogger? I am really looking forward to hearing from you, and honestly am curious about your opinions. Thanks!!

Related: Blogger vs Wordpress

Blogging Tips ~ Alexa toolbar extension

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photo: tumblr

Back to School Supplies

I love back to school days, and not because I am heading back to school. I give my home office an affordable makeover by updating my supplies and accessories every year. Time to get organized with style! Refresh your work space with colorful magazine files, a cool table lamp, a colorful calculator, and my favorite: the magnetic wipe boards! All of these found at Crate and Barrel.

Related: Bright Ideas: Creative Work Spaces and Organizing Tips

Home Office Organization and Storage Tips

Wall Organizer :

Storage Solutions 12-Piece Organizer

Pegboard Room Organizer, White Pegboard

Home Office Organization via Martha Stewart

More Organization posts and

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Blogging Tips ~ Alexa Toolbar and Extension

Every so often I will blog about "blogging" and internet tips to help your website. Are you familiar with Alexa? Alexa is a web information company that provides free traffic metrics, search analytics, demographics and more for websites.

One feature I like is the Hot Topics - what people are searching for on the web right now. You can also search top sites by category and country. For your own personal website, be sure to add the toolbar. You can check your personal website traffic stats and keywords. You can type in other related websites to compare. They even provide a "wayback" machine that captures a snapshot of the way your site looked in the past. This is really cool, because you do forget! Be sure to add the toolbar and extension to see how other websites measure up to yours. That's all for now!

Related: Blogging Success Tips

4 Time Management Tips

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Creative Storage Ideas - Under the Stairs

How many of you utilize the space under your stairs? I love this photo that shows a great way to store items in drawers with style!

Related: Home storage ideas, Home office organization and storage tips, Home Renovation ~ Coat Closet, Black Banisters,

Summer Organizing Tips via Martha Stewart

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photo: pinterest

4 Time Management Tips

We are all busy every day... It is imperative to use your time well ~ so we can spend that extra time for our family and friends.

1. Make a "to-do" list every night before you go to bed. If you write it down, your mind will relax and you don't have to worry about forgetting!

2. Go through your emails in the morning. Delete the ones you do not need,

and respond to the ones you do need.

3. Prioritize. Get the important things done first. If you need quiet time for your calls,

be sure to make them when the kids are at school. Save the laundry

and other household duties for later in the afternoon.

4. Delegate. We all want to do everything ourselves. However, this is not productive, and it will wear you down. Focus on the big picture, and decide which items you can pass on to someone else.

If we get our work done, we will have more time to play!

Beach Chairs watercolor print

Also check out Women in Business - 5 books to Have

Related: Top 10 picks to Tame Stress

Mo

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My Art Studio Featured in Studios Magazine Summer 2011

A huge Thank You to Linda Blinn for the amazing article in Studios Magazine ~ Summer 2011. The issue is full of inspiration and ideas for your art and craft space.

Also in this issue is "Get Found on Etsy" which has great tips for all Etsy shop owners. On page 36, the article is titled "Color is Primary" and features my art studio from the beginning stages. In the interview, I talk about the planning process of my art studio / home office as well as advice and tips for designing a space in your home that suits your craft - whatever it may be.

If you are a blogger, and spread the word about my work, please email me at laura.trevey@gmail.com with the link - and I will be sure to give your blog credit

in my Thank You post!

Visit my new works in my Etsy shop ~ Watercolors by Laura Trevey

Mo

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Home Office Organization and Storage Tips

I can be more productive in the day, if my home office is organized. Here are a few tips to ensure that your work space stays de-cluttered for you.

The more shelves and cabinet drawers you have, the better chance your office will be organized. My rule I practice daily is "Everything has a certain place."

At the end of each work day, be sure to put all items back to their specific spot. This will de-clutter the counter tops and you will remember where your items are

when it's time to use them again.

Utilize wall space. As seen here, I built a custom framed pegboard to hang my "works in progress" as well as some of my framed watercolor art paintings.

I love the Pottery Barn daily system which keeps me on track. The magnetic/ dry erase board calendar is my favorite piece.

Here it is in my studio.

Related: Organizing Tips

Bright Ideas: Creative Work Spaces and Organizing Tips

Home Renovation ~ Using Pegboards

Beautiful Home Living: Pegboards and Bulletin Boards

Check out this great video from BHG.com for more tips!

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Success Tips: How to Grow your Bamboopink Business

If you are a regular BB&B reader, you are well aware of the launch of Bamboopink! I can hardly contain my excitement! For those of you who have jumped on board, I want to help you grow your team into a successful career. For those of you who are not on board yet, don't delay - this is gong to be huge.

I have a few key points to share. These tips are not only for Bamboopink.

You can apply these tips to just about any online business.

I have 3 main BFF’s for Success with Bamboopink!

B for Blog ~ F for Facebook ~ F for Flyers to nearby colleges.

Now – I am not telling you to do all three, but you certainly can if you want to jump to the next level.

Blog – I am a watercolor artist and 2 years ago I decided to start a blog to gain exposure on the internet. Today I have over 2100 followers and 2500 subscribers via email. My blog is responsible for 70% of traffic to my online store where I sell my watercolors. And the best part – is that it’s absolutely FREE. You can go to Blogger.com and start a blog within a matter of minutes.

Facebook – it’s free and it works. Networking is the name of the game and there is no faster medium out there. So get on today if you aren’t already.

Flyers to colleges. Every one of you lives close to a college. Print up some flyers that cater to the younger college student. Lead your flyer with “Would you like to earn some extra income?" Drop the flyers off in high traffic areas – library, commons area. The people who use social media are the ones who will succeed in this company, and every college student out there knows what a blog is, has a facebook page, and wants to earn extra money! So get them on board.

Do you realize that we are the ones building this company? We have the power to achieve a lifelong career and form lifelong friendships – I know I have already made a couple friends through this adventure that I will keep in touch with for the rest of my life – be passionate – be strong – be excited - it’s contagious!

"Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises." Demosthenes

Mo

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