The Mothers of Recycling... Hispanics

Hola todos,

How are we all on this beautiful day? Of course, with Earth Day so fast approaching, everyone is talking about doing for the environment. Being socially responsible, being green... don't they know Hispanics are like the mothers of all recycling? Sheesh, we've been repurposing for hundreds of years; mami's couch, abuela's coffee table, tia's knick knack collection of good luck elephants, prima's capia collection. Even our teenage daughter's collection of roses from her boyfriend, all dried up- but they won't dare throw it out! lol. We do it out of love, we do it out of necessity, but we need to realize that we are also doing it for the environment. Whether we realize it or not, hand me down furniture keeps it out of landfills, off street corners and junk piles. It might have been born out of necessity, but we are still helping to save the planet, in our own backwards way.

Now, just because you have that old piece of furniture doesn't mean it has to stick out like a soar thumb from the rest of your home's interior. Your old pieces can become just as stylish as that newer leather sofa you just bought. (Just please tell me you didn't buy it in red! Red is sooo outdated!!!) If it's an old beat up sofa with faded cushions- go to Target and spend under $100 to get a nice slipcover. They are not all vieja looking anymore. They come fitted and some have great little straight edge skirts. Contrast it with different pillows for a newer looking piece for under $200.00! If it's an older coffee table, there are two ways you can go with that. The first is to darken the stain. I know, we are not all talented in the D-I-Y area, but while sitting in front of the TV watching novelas you can spread out an old sheet, put the table on top of it, sand the top and legs with a fine grit (220 grit) sandpaper to scuff the top layer of sheen off and use a rag dipped in an expresso stain to bring the table back to life. Just make sure you use a small can of stain and sealer in one (for less work!) The second suggestion- when all else fails, go silver. Metal colors are always a timeless alternative for decor and they go with everything!

If you are tired of the dried flowers, create a small compost pile under your sink for your avocado plant. (You know, the one you made out of the pit, sitting on the kitchen counter!) I bought a small composting pail from Marshalls for $14.99. I put all veggie scraps, egg shells and occasionally shred some paper and stick it in this pail. It slowly composts the material to use as fertilizer in my lawn and for my house plants.

I know I have kinda rushed through these ideas, but I get so excited at the thought of recycling! It's not a new thing and Hispanics ARE socially conscious, we just might not have known that our passing down things from one family member to another was actually the act of recycling. We all need to be praised for our actions, every now and then! El trabajo bueno, mis personas!

Want to learn more ways to help? Are you finding no family members to pass things onto or are you just tired of your old furnishings and household products? Consider donating them to St. Vincent de Paul, The Salvation Army, The Goodwill, Big Brother/ Big Sister or my personal favorite- Habitat For Humanity. My company donates my client's old furnishings and appliances whenever it can, so they go into homes of those who really need the help. One persons trash is another man's treasure, and it's just another form of recycling...

To contact these organizations and do your part-

Habitat For Humanity http://www.habitat.org/

The Salvation Army http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/www_usn_2.nsf

St. Vincent de Paul http://www.svdpusa.org/

The Goodwill http://www.goodwill.org/

Big Brother/ Big Sister http://www.bbbs.org/site/c.diJKKYPLJvH/b.1539751/k.BDB6/Home.htm

Let's make a difference in the lives of others, while making the planet better for ourselves and our families!

Minority Development, Positive Latina

Si, si, si...yo se! I've been gone again. I'm trying not to do that, believe me. Pero, I've got a lot going on. Design now has become 90% research and marketing and 10% actual design. No bueno, but I am trying to turn that around. I've missed you guys, and my outlet...

On the thought of research and marketing, I've been living and breathing networking. I have a few women in Arizona that I love- strong, black women who are always moving positively forward. They have formed a group called Sister CEO Networking Group. It's a wonderful group of minority women (yes, I know it says sister...but I'm Puerto Rican and if you know your history- we do have African American running all through our heritage!) who get together once a month to teach and inspire each other to grow their businesses through positive stimulation and information. Our inaugural event had a wonderful woman who had my ear from the second I walked in the room. A beautiful Latina named Lorena Valencia, who owns a multi-million dollar company called Reliance Wire. I LOVE POWERFUL, SUCCESSFUL AND POSITIVE WOMEN, but even more... I love it when they are Hispanic. It proves that we can do it, and do it well. There have been many times where I have wanted to fold and it has always been the inspiration of a successful minority woman that has brought me back to my grind. Lorena caught me at a time when I was ready to push forward and gave me the stick of dynamite to shoot to the stars!

Lorena is the Chairperson for the Grand Canyon chapter of the Minority Supplier Development Council. It is a nationwide foreground for minority entrepreneurs to network and do business with large companies, as well as each other. It has the ability to get you in front of major worldwide corporations to promote your small, minority owned business. Whether you sell a product or service, you more than likely have a business that can benefit a little company like Staples or Walmart or one of the other 3,500 sponsoring businesses. And if you don't think you do, think again. These companies are full of hundreds of thousands of individuals. Maybe the corporation as a whole can't use your product or service, but several hundred of their employees can? The MSDC is the most accepted minority business association in the U.S. I tell you about it today, not only because it has impressed me, but because it can offer you and your business or potential future business the opportunity to grow, flourish and thrive in a market where we feel like the underdog.

The Latino community is trying to make a name itself and we have no choice but to continue to strive to be on top. We are rapidly becoming the majority of the world's culture. There are still many stigmas associated with our beautiful people and we MUST break through them to show the world that we CAN be successful entrepreneurs, inventive, creative, responsible, intelligent. There is so much more to us than what the masses read in the paper and see on the news. While so many are caught up in the immigration debate of our beloved Mexican amigos, we are designing superb clothing for our First Lady, we are building award winning architecture in Dubai, we are designing multi-million dollar mansions for athletes and wealthy business owners. With enough of us doing well, they will have no choice but to begin to see our value to society.

I encourage all of you to find a minority networking group. Yes, a plain ole networking group can work to boost your business, but there is nothing like meeting with like minded individuals who look and act and think just like you do. We are a people who protect and take care of our own and that should be encouraged every chance we get. Meet once a month- NO MATTER WHAT ELSE YOU HAVE GOING ON, it's not more important than trying to get ahead for just one day out of thirty. Let's build bigger, stronger companies that provide strong, stable income for our families. Help other Latinos and other minorities by looking to them for their services and products. It helps to reaffirm our worth. Look into the Minority Supplier Development Council. You can find them at www.nmsdcs.org/, to locate your local branch. The cost to join is minor, compared to the benefit. All of the information is on the website. I will begin my process to join this week, and will update you on all of the opportunities that I have found through the various events and connections I make with this group.

I am excited about the future. YO SOY LATINA Y YO SOY UN INTERIORISTA!

Step Ya Game Up- Small Changes That Make A Big Impact

White Moldings

There are so many things we can do to our homes to increase the value and update the look. My favorite of all of them is one of the cheapest things you can do in your home- yes mama, CHEAP! You can truthfully give your walls the look of being freshly painted, simply by painting your baseboards white. It's no wonder why this is the oldest trick in the book when staging a house for sale. Mucho dinero? No! I buy my trim paint from Wal-mart. One quart of their brand of ColorPlace semi-gloss interior white costs $6.97. I always use high quality Sherwin Williams paint for my client's homes, but for trim- a standard quality, well priced paint can do the job. Here's my trick. I paint all of my walls in satin finish paint. It's not as glossy as semi-gloss paint, yet not as dull as flat. It's a nice, wipeable paint, meaing that it's easy to clean. NOW FOR THE TRICK- make your baseboards pop by painting them a semi-gloss or even high gloss white. This takes away the uniform look and makes your baseboards stand out as crisp and clean. Mami will think you've been limpiar la casa! Doing this also highlights your wall color- and you can use it up against any color of paint. Yes, creams and off white trims were the scene for a while, but bright white is back with a vengeance. It's hip, it's fresh and it's a quick and easy way to step ya game up for little dollars!

In the pictures above, notice the difference between the cream colored baseboard and then painting it a crisp, sexy white. The first picture on the top is the baseboard in white, the second pic is the previous color of cream and the bottom pic shows the baseboard in half and half. I still need to do a second coat of white when this dries, so it will be even more dramatic! Try it yourself.

Mi Familia

Hola Amigos,

I am working on my next post, about RED- the best color for the Boom Boom Room like Pitbull likes to call it, but on this Sunday- I can't help but to feel blessed and share a quick story about la gracia del Dios!

When I was younger events were set in motion that caused a huge tear in the fabric of my family. I was like all of you- humungous family of titis (tias)- sorry, in my Puerto Rican family we call them titi, tios, primos, primas. Every Wednesday we would head to mi titi's little apartment in the Bronx and pile in like carne in a pastellio (empanada)- OK, earlier explanation still applies. All one thousand of us would spend all night there. The kids would all squeeze into one room the size of my current closet and play atari all day while the adults talked bochinche (gossip)(chisme) en la cocina. It was my life and my family was all I knew. Then, in the blink of an eye, I lost all of them. The circumstances and what was right and wrong at that time have no matter in my heart. All that matters to me, is the loss that I felt with the absence of all of the cousins that I grew up with. I lost a little part of me and my Puerto Ricanism (in my mind). After all, mi abuela was more into local food than cultural. I would've said American food, but PR is part of America too! She spoke perfect english and it was her language of choice, so we did not have to speak spanish ever, unless around the extended family. Furthermore, I was the only child in my house that spoke or even understood spanish in the first place! When you don't use it, you sure do lose it- a lot of it, but not all. It is like riding a bike. But it was more than the speaking of spanish that made me feel less hispanic for a while. It was the closeness I shared with others, the comradery

with my own that I missed.

A few years later we moved to Massachusetts, much to my rebellion. I went from the city to the suburbs, which felt like the boonies- FOR REAL! Yes, there were Puerto Ricans, but not too many where I lived, and they were no fun! My family was everything a great hispanic family should be- loud, alive, fun, loving, bold. I missed that! I had no idea how my cousins were growing up? What high school was Michele attending? What college was Lenny going to? How did little Monica look with longer hair? I missed all of that- and while stubborn adults thought this was the right thing to do, it took a lot away from the kids it affected- like me!

Every few months I would search on the internet for my lost familia. You know how easy they claim it to be to find your lost loved ones- THEY LIE- it's not! You can find anybody- for a price, but the long list of people with the same name and the possibility that the one I pay for might be the right one was just too much maybe for me.

Well, I found them finally, two weeks ago. Facebook brought us all back together after nearly 20 years and I cannot explain the joy in my heart. Now I live in Arizona, three thousand miles away. I had never been unhappy to live here until I found my family. Mi titi whose apartment we crammed into every Wednesday is now 82 years old and still cooking arroz con gondules every week (on Thursdays now). My cousin Michele is getting married in less than 2 weeks and the others are all doing well in NY and NJ, some with families of their own, like me. I hope that financial success, which I hope will pick up again soon for my company, will allow me to visit frequently to try and establish a new bond with them again. Mi familia is back! I look forward to getting to know them again...

A Room Designed By Your Heritage

Hola Todo,

I have been on a mini staycation from my blog. Perdoneme! I am back now with an inspired thought for designing a great room centered around something so apparant in our lives- our culture. Our nationality is just as much a part of who we are as the style that we have chosen to decorate our homes. Why not make that a part of your design style by integrating your country of origin into a room of your home? Scratching your head saying QUE? It's not as complicated as it sounds...

Todos tenemos imagenes! (We all have pictures)- even posters of national monuments from Cuba or Brazil or Puerto Rico. Maybe, while visiting or even on vacation in another country, you bought a piece of art from a street vendor. Sure, non-latinos can do this too! If you visit one of our beautiful countries you have to take pictures! Well, do not just take that poster and tape it to your walls! Don't just get a frame the size of that picture and hang it up! Make a series of pictures the focal point of your room. Let me show you how in the next post below.

Heritage Room- continued

Here are two beautiful pictures of the Dominican Republic. Your photos or posters do not have to be simply landmarks, but anything that reminds you of home or where your family is from.

These pictures have great colors to pull from when painting your room. Since this room is dedicated to your Latin heritage, let it dictate your palette. And that doesn't have to mean a vibrant rainbow of colors, either. If I had to use these pictures, there are two palettes that I would suggest. The first would be a sunny, golden beige, as it would compliment both settings. The other would be a calmer, more subdued gray taupe- a greige. You find this tone in the two photos, as well. If the room was a yellow beige, I would use the tan gray or greige as the mat color for framing the pictures.

Now, to make these pictures the focal point of your wall, scale is very important. Scale means that you are not going to take two little 8x10 pictures and try to stick them in the center of a humongous wall and call it decorated! (You know you've got a wall like that!) Your art work should sit in the center of your wall and be at least 1/3 the size of that wall. That means, if you were to use these two pictures on a 12' wall, you would want these pictures to take up at least 4' of that space. How do you do that if they are not large enough? Kinkos or Staples or Office Max has the ability to blow up your photo to a larger or even poster size. If you have beautiful pictures such as these, don't buy art, create it from what you have. Once you have blown up your pictures, purchase a mat in your coordinating color. Save money whenever you can by going to Michaels and having your picture blown up to fit a large standard size mat and frame (then use that 40% off coupon they have in the newspaper every week or two!) Trick number #2. Let's say you are taking the good advice of your designer- ME, and getting the large stock frame and mat to save money, but they don't have the greige colored mat and you are ready to cruse at me... walk right over to the acrylic paint aisle and purchase the correct color for your mat and a foam brush (not a brush with hairs that will leave brushstrokes). Lay out some old newspaper and paint your mat the color of your choice. I do this quite often and it will save you hundreds of dollars instead of ordering a custom mat! Space these two framed pictures on the center of your wall, 1 foot apart from each other.

With such a beautiful backdrop, place a neutral beige sofa below these two pictures and accent the sofa with yellow and gray pillows. If you have gone for the gray tan walls, use a sunny beige mat and a creamy yellow or beige sofa with a yellow undertone and reverse the pillow colors. I have another example of this Latin style below.

Discount Interior Design Para Usted

Hola Todo,

I am proud to share my latest re-invention with you all. In this crappy economy, we want to redecorate and redesign our homes, but really cannot afford to do it or maybe we have a little cash, but no inspiration. Anouncing: dum, duh, duh, dah!!!- Room Design In A Box. At my reactivated website, I can design a room in your home for one small, flat fee. You send me picrues of your room and basic measurements and within 2 weeks you receive a complete package of what that room can look like, including an easy to understand floor plan, paint colors and a shopping list para ir de compras at your local discount stores like Wal Mart and Target, JC Penney and Bed Bath and Beyond. Some items can even be purchased online! It's as easy as delivery of your room design in a nice tidy package, a room in a box! Love what you have, but are just sick of the layout? A room redesign using your existing furniture and adding new accessories and paint colors is just $175.00. Imagine a whole new looking room where you have to buy nothing but a few vases and pictures, maybe new curtains and paint- for under $200.00. What kind of designer can do that? I can! In this economy, I am coming back to my people to say that you can have a beautiful home like you deserve- just a whole lot cheaper! Let me help you. Interior Design with Latino's in mind! Please check out my new website at
www.wix.com/id2you/room-design-in-a-box