Beauty and Laughter Happen

Flowering Magnolia Tree

Life at high velocity speeds your own evolution.
- 'Mind Over Water', Craig Lambert

I am writing this post while enjoying a glass of white wine - Fetzer Gewurztraminer a favorite of mine - and appreciating the sun shining on the Magnolia tree in full bloom just outside my study window. This beauty exists even though my husband has been out of a job since August 2008, I am still recovering from mass lay-offs in December where I work, a family member needs to be moved to assisted living, we are struggling to pay out-of-state tuition for my son and to top it off, my camera is not working. (That's why the picture above is not my magnolia tree, although mine looks almost exactly the same.)

This is probably way too much information, but I wanted to let you know why I usually post only twice a month and sometimes just once. (And my glass of wine is definitely making this easier.)

Frankly, I have been awed by the fabulous bloggers out there who manage beautiful posts almost everyday. I just love Melissa at the Inspired Room and Joni at Cote de Texas. Someday I hope to be able to send in comments to these inspiring blogs. Right now all I seem to manage is reading the posts.

As for coping with the roller coaster that is my life right now, everyday I force myself to find a bit of beauty and something to smile about. Many days this feels like pulling teeth, but if I just pay attention, beauty and laughter happen. Today, it was the magnolia tree and hearing my son's remarks about 'Dancing with the Stars'. He caught a glimpse of the show while I was cooking dinner. His comment about Gilles, "Sit down sexy dancing man! How can anyone take you or your haircut seriously," had me laughing out loud.

So what keeps me blogging even though I don't have nearly the talent of other designers out there and obviously I can't keep up with their beautiful prose and frequent posts? For me, the friendly and warm people found in the design blogging community are a little bit of heaven. Especially at this time in my life, it is a joy to contribute and participate in my small way to such a lovely group of women and men.

For those of you who are interested, a few short blurbs about me and Jewel Box Home appear in the following magazines this month:

Little Boxes
The New Movement to Seriously Downsize Our Homes

Cottage Living
Small is Beautiful

10 ways to get a small-space lift
(No link yet, to see the article go to page 38 of the May/June Midwest Living)

Until next time,

Genevieve

Jewel Box Home Visits With Press About Home Renovation Trends

"A designer knows that he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." - Antoine de St-Epurey

Recently I had the chance to visit with our local paper about home renovation trends. Here is an excerpt from that discussion. For the complete article, click on the link at the end of this blog.

HOME RENOVATION TRENDS - WHATS OUT

January 3, 2008

By J.T. MORAND Staff Writer

During this time when homeowners and home buyers are thinking more about conservation and convenience, Realtors, interior designers and architects reflect on some of the renovations that have become or are becoming passe.

For example, large kitchens and wide open floors are out. Grandeur is losing to convenience and efficiency.

Bye bye big kitchens

Genevieve Ferraro of Evanston said meal preparation becomes a hassle when appliances are too far apart in kitchens.

"Large kitchens throw off the functional triangle arrangement between the refrigerator, oven and sink," said the creator of the Web site thejewelboxhome.com, which offers tips on small home living and provides advice for owners of large homes who want to make their houses feel more intimate.

"When an island is added," she said, "the functionality of the triangle can be completely lost."

Plus, large kitchens often require unnecessarily large appliances.

"Big kitchens are not only inefficient, but contain big appliances that are rarely used," Ferraro said. "A large range with commercial capacity and power looks good on the showroom floor, but is overkill when cooking a family dinner."

(The complete article can be found at:
http://www.pioneerlocal.com/726062,on-renotrends-10308-s1.article)

The Jewel Box Home Gets Some Press

On November 8th, the Pioneer Press, a local Chicagoland newspaper featured the Jewel Box Home in its Home & Design section. It has been a pleasure to hear from so many of you who also appreciate and enjoy small home living. The link to the complete article can be found at http://www.pioneerlocal.com/636047,on-jewelbox-110807-s1.article


Warmly,
Genevieve