Loving Deborah Norville & Nate Berkus

Visiting the Nate Show 

January 16, 2011
By Deborah NorvilleReposted from http://dnorville.com/article.php?id=191

The Nate Show is all about feathering your nest and making your home the best it can be, but when I visited with Nate, it was a combination fix-up of both a desperately bare bedroom -- and -- a desperately disheartened young woman.  You'll see all the details on the show (airdate January 17, check local listings).

As many of you know, I am a life-long seamstress.  From makingmy own clothes in the old days (you try to buy a wardrobe on $75 a week!), these days I am sewing for the home.  I know the personal sense of confidence and mastery I feel from "doing it myself," and I thought that might be a useful skill to pass along to this young lady.

She moved to New York last year, very highly educated, but unable to find a job in her field.  Which meant, unable to fix up her spacious apartment the way she wanted. Her bedroom was literally a bed - nothing more.  So barren was the room, it made her so sad, she slept on the couch, rather than a room that made her sad to realize how much 'wasn't' happening with her job search.  With tears she told me the room made her feel like a failure.  She answered a call made by Nate for folks who needed help with their decor.

Nate called me in to help.  Our budget was limited, but I knew I wanted both the maximum bang for the buck -- and -- for our young lady to 'have some skin' in the game.  I wanted her to help create whatever we did for her room.

Well, we did a lot!  You'll see the results of her apartment on the Nate Show, but suffice it to say, she was thrilled -- and this time the tears in her eyes, were tears of joy.

One of my tricks was to take a super inexpensive wool/jute rug ($89 at Ikea!) and 'customize' it by taping a border around the edges, painting it, and removing the tape.  We did a black border so it would be more versatile, but it's a great way to bring a custom color into your room.  

Another trick, which you see me demonstrating here to Nate, is to take lengths of a fun print fabric and create wall hangings that add color and drama to a room, without blasting a hole in your budget.  Here we are at the sewing machine, just as our young lady was earlier, sewing easy-to-do borders along the selvages.  Add a casement opening at the top an a hem and you are good to go.  This can be hung on a dowl behind a bed (as we did in the bedroom) to dress up the headboard, behind a sofa as an affordable focal point, and of course the same technique can be used to make down-and-dirty curtains to jazz up a drab room.

Well, it was a thrill for me to be on Nate's show -- he's such a cutie!  And awfully nice.  But it was a bigger thrill to see the look on this young lady's face -- both when she saw her room and was in the studio to be on national tv!! 

But maybe best of all was the third time I saw tears.  That was when I presented her with the handmade pillow I whipped up just for her.  Knit on one side, and crocheted on the other ( yes, with Deborah Norville Yarn!), she was so touched by the gesture.  I feel all of us need something to snuggle that's soft.  As I said, the pillow was made with love and lots of positive energy that I knew she was going to take her successfully through her job search.  I can't wait to hear how it ends for her!





REPOSTED FROM http://dnorville.com/article.php?id=191





CONTENT NOT WRITTEN BY ALEESHA NASH.  THIS WAS REPOSTED FROM http://dnorville.com/article.php?id=191

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HAVING CRUSTY & WARM FEELINGS

CRUSTY & WARM FEELINGS

When you hear the word "baguette,” what do you think of? I know that I instantly think about a warm piece of bread that is crusty on the outside, soft, and warm on the inside. YUM!

Feelings can be sort of like this and when we are dealing with conflict I think, it is important to get familiar with your personal baguette of feelings! :-)

So when you get mad what comes out? Is it anger, resentment, hate, fear, frustration, mistrust, passivity, blame, or what about jealousy?  When we are angry at someone what are we really feeling on the inside that makes us lash out with the crusty feelings? Things like love, disappointment, pain, fear, regret, sadness, rejection, insecurity, or hopelessness are some things that come to mind.

If we take a moment to think about a time when we allowed our crusty feelings to take over and lead us through a conflict that ended with hurt feelings... go back in your mind and think about how you were really feeling. Were you disappointed that someone hurt you?  And instead of stating that you were disappointed, you lashed out and yelled at him or her about how he or she is "always" doing something to you!

Anyway - I know I have had my share of crusty arguments but I think going forward I will attempt to deal with my conflicts better by getting to know myself better and getting in touch with my warm center and then letting the warm and soft feelings come out when I am trying to resolve or prevent a conflict!

Now what will you think of when you hear the word "baguette"?

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10 SIGNS YOU ARE NOT MENTALLY PREPARED FOR THE WINTER ON THE EAST COAST

1. Random people keep bringing you your gloves because you don't remember their existence.

2. You keep yelling, "What is on my freakin' head?!!" (That would be a winter hat)

3. You stop everything you are doing and purchase a new coat immediately.

5. You ask the store clerk for the, "warmest coat in stock" (even if its in the back and for future sale!)

6. When you get the warmest coat ... you scream and do the birthday dance because it has two sets of pockets and a hood you lose your peripheral vision in... when you have it up.

7. You hug the guy selling gloves for $2.00 (with no fingers so I can still text)

8. You pay $4.00 for the $2.00 gloves

9. You don't need a bag for your coat because you are going to put on coat NOW

10. You go to the kids section and purchase the little convenient attachments for your gloves to hook to your coat! :-)

Today I Am... FREEEEZING!

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FACEBOOK IS NOT A REPLACEMENT

I love Facebook like so many others; I use it to connect with friends in my life, stay connected with long-distance family and stretch my culinary mind with a little game called, Cafe World.  I have been a Facebook member since its inception and since the start of 2010 Facebook has become the platform, I check first.  Before email, voice-mail, or snail mail but a recent conversation with a good friend has me concerned with how we, yes even myself, are choosing to use Facebook and other social networking platforms.

I called my friend at work because I had not heard from her and this is sort of the last resort place to find her.  After I found out that she was okay, she proceeded to ask me how I was doing and then added, "From your updates on Facebook, things seem to be going fine."  I of course, said things were great... well because they are going great, for the most part.  After we ended the phone call her statement about my status updates stuck with me and has thus I am writing this blog post.  Here is what I have to say to readers:

Please do not use Facebook as a replacement "How are you?" because it is not the same.  Should I have put on Facebook that I was facing an eviction from my apartment because I had not, at one point, found work that pays enough to maintain my $1100 apartment? Or should I write that this is the first time that I have lived by myself and that I barely walk into my bedroom because it is empty and reminds me that I just started over... no, of course not; I wouldn't dare. Why... because that is my personal business and it is a temporary struggle that many people face. Moreover, I have learned to focus on the good stuff... that is where the status updates come from, because there is so much GREAT stuff.

I am not telling you all of this so that you can feel sorry for or me and check on "me".  It is not just about me, it is about your friends, family, strangers who randomly friended or followed you because they saw something that intrigued them... CHECK ON THEM! If you have not noticed an update from someone... call them! If you have seen an update and things don't seem normal...go visit them! If you know a person who bottles up the bad times... send them a hand-written note to say that you were thinking of them!

I am not saying to take each status update an analyze them.  I am saying ask yourself, “Am I being a good friend?”  If you are reading this blog then I am sure you have the common sense to use this blog and apply it to your life, where and if needed.

Today I Am... #justsaying Facebook is not a replacement for checking up on your loved ones!  We all have problems but connecting with others can some times shed light or give hope!

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AT STARBUCKS

Since my recent move back to The Big City I have been frequenting Starbucks probably more often than I should. I just can't get enough of the package that Starbucks offers, especially now that they are playing Josh Groban's new holiday CD.


On my most recent trips, I have been noticing small changes that Starbucks is making to make the process easier and more enjoyable for customers however; there is one change that I cannot seem to get out of my head. I am usually quick about stating my order to the barista and keeping it movin' but now I find myself pausing after I order my drink to see if this certain change is consistent. In the short seconds that I pause the cashier looks up, on command, and says, "Would you like something to eat with that?" The first time I heard the question I think I said, "No" just because the question sounded so…plain. Something to "eat" reminds of the classic fry question or of “paper or plastic”. You don't "eat" at Starbucks... you snack or better yet enjoy a beautiful, one-of-a-kind, Starbucks pastry. That may be too long to say or strange… so until Starbucks decides to change their messaging—I will keep enjoying my Venti Iced Coffee with Hazelnut with room for milk and “something to eat”!

Today I am…at Starbucks!

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DISOBEYING THE SILENT RULES OF NYC

Everyday I travel by way of public transportation and by foot... so there are many unspoken rules that I follow while navigating through the Big Apple. Today, one particular rule annoyed me... so, I decided to break it!

Riding up and down escalators I notice that the left side is always empty. The unspoken rule is that people riding the escalator stay to the right side and those who want to walk or run up the escalator can do this on the left side. This rule, in my opinion, is crazy because less than a foot away are actual stairs that one can take freely.

So as you can see TODAY I AM... breaking the rules and standing on the left side of escalator.

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Loving Nature!!

One of the fastest ways to see evidence of God is to go right outside. The changing of the leaves, the wind blowing in your face, and the stillness you witness over a body of water.

On my way to a class I had to stop and take this picture. The way the clouds took over the sky made it hard for me to keep moving towards my destination.

Today I Am... loving nature! Thank you God!

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