New Year, New Home, New You: How to set up a home altar

The month of New Year, New Home, New You is almost up so I am really excited to share this post with you today. I love to write about my experiences with my clients and friends and I love when they let me share their stories. During the course of 2015 I started to incorporate Glam-shui in all my spaces. A little bit of feng shui, and a LOT of curating with glamour.

My fellow #girlboss and bff Cara  asked me to help her take her work space to the next level. She knew that she needed an office that represented where she saw her brand and business going, fulfilled her mentally and spiritually, a place that inspires her, not what it has been for the last few years. We both are big dreamers and visionaries and knew that by taking her office to the next level, not only could she feel more inspired while she works from her home office but that would probably lead to her business growth too. It's so important to have your home clutter free, full of the things you absolutely love so that it will support you in feeling good and at your best at all times. Being that she lives in Brooklyn and I am always traveling we did all of this through E-design. Which is way fun, I absolutely love working with clients all over the country. 

Ok, so here is her home office before. Pink, bubbly, fun, and oh so girlie just like her brand. 

Once we got CLEAR on exactly who she is and what her brand would be, we could decorate. Here is a peek at her new and improved #girlboss space. Dark. Glamorous. Luxurious. Spiritual. Serene. 

Take a look at how her home office decor translated into her brand. This is the transition from one of her older books to the one she just published. Looks just like her office makeover doesn't it? This is just an example of how your home affects your life and comes through in all aspects. If you are needing a revamp of your life, your business, your brand this is exactly what you want to do. If you haven't changed your decor in a while, this may be just what you need to get re-inspired. P.S. Incase you are wondering we went with Farrow and Ball "off-black" in Estate Emulsion. Estate emulsion is a matte version which I prefer because its not too glossy looking. I used this color in my bedroom years ago and I swear by it. It's magical. 

Now let's take it to the next level. My biggest GLAM-shui must have essentials are that anything and everything must delight one of the 5 senses. You have to have clutter-free vignettes, vision boards, colors that you LOVE, luxe blankets and pillows, fresh flowers, a beautiful mug for tea or coffee, soft music and lighting and delicious candles. 

 Cara asked me to do a GLAM-shui consultation on her main office wall so we could create a spiritual glam success altar. This was her before. . and after.

Creating a success altar is such a perfect thing to have in a home office or bedroom. People typically create home altars for religious and spiritual purposes. I do believe that you should bring a sense of spirituality to your life and especially to your work. However, if you aren't into that just fill with your favorite family photos, quotes, places you want to go to, delicious flowers and candles. 

When I started incorporating meditation into my prayer life, I noticed a WORLD of change. I became calmer, had a better sense of myself and lessened stress and anxiety in a big way. It made me so much better in my work life. I also like to incorporate journaling, vision boards and beautiful things to look at, framed quotes and symbols of things that I am eternally grateful for. Throw out everything else that doesn't ignite something in you or inspire you. 

Here is Cara's personal sanctuary + home office altar:

We started by clearing off the space completely. It's important to start with a fresh canvas. Then as you choose each thing for your altar, pay attention to the intention and placement of it. Does it speak to you? Trust your intuition. If it doesn't feel good to you, you don't have to keep it because you are "supposed to". This is for you to decide. Notice the professionally framed vision board. The intention behind having it professionally framed is key! You want to be committed to your life. She has quotes and images that inspire and calm her in beautiful frames.  A beautiful purple orchid to symbolize abundance and life. Mirrored tray and candle sticks add a bit of glamour and luxury to her altar. Beautiful smells, sprays and candles to enhance her overall work experience. There is nothing that doesn't have a place or a purpose.

Get your GLAM-shui sprays...

You don't have to go all out like this when setting up your home altar. You can make it as small or as large as you choose. The important thing is having a space that calms you, inspires you and allows you to feel like a kid again. Speaking of kids, its fun to let your kids create their own altars too. Their special secret place that is all their own. I used to have one in my closet where I would color as a little girl. Have fun with it. Don't take it too seriously. Allow it to be a fun part of your day. 

Do you have a personal altar? I would love to see it. If you want help setting yours up, I'm happy to assist you. 

Entrepreneuress 101: The art of organization & my filofax obsession

I am not a huge believer in New Years resolutions. I am much more focused on making small and deliberate lifestyle changes. While the new year always provides a fresh start, I try to take that opportunity every single day. When I work with my clients, I always try to come up with an outline for a daily action plan for them to get things scheduled into their day and incorporate rituals.

More often than not, I hear excuses like “I got so busy” or “I didn’t have time this week but maybe I’ll get to it next week”. This breaks my heart because as we all know, we all have the same 24 hours in our days. I get that life happens and we can't plan everything but I know many people who credit their wild success to strategically organizing their time. There is no need to be “busy”, a very popular misconception,  it is possible to work smarter not harder. Read the book“The 4-hour work week” by Tim Ferris. 
It's important to practice the art of designing your day. This helps you to be more effective with your time and your schedule. 

I know a lot of people who effectively manage their calendar on their computer or Google cal. I personally believe that writing things down is a smarter method. I like to keep my schedule written down and right in front of me. It has proven to be the best method for me to write things down, design my day before it even starts and execute accordingly. 

Do you have a time organization system? Or are you running around letting your day run you?

MY GLAM-SHUI TIP: Invest in a pretty planner that you LOVE to carry at all times and enjoy designing your day!

Taking the time out to plan your days, your goals, your plans, helps you to be in charge of your life. To see where you are being effective in your life, where you can make improvements and be held acceptable to keep your commitments. If you have a to do list written out, it makes you less quick to blow off your priorities and engagements than you would be if you didn’t have it staring at you in the face. 

You should be the designer of your life! The best way to be sure you keep to your organizer is if you have one that you love! Fill it with your projects, lists and tasks with style. Here are some inspiring photos of organized planners with style. . .

I've always been obsessed with planners, pens, markers, school supplies, etc. This can be so much fun for you to create, especially before the start of 2016. Get the best planner that you can afford and be sure to set yourself up with a date system that works for you. 

ONE: I am partial to DAY at a glance with a time list on each day so I went with the FILOFAX day planner in black. I love the A5 size in all planners so you can clearly and easily read and write. I love the layout of it and I can add or subtract any pages I need. 
TWO: I have clients who work with the DAY DESIGNER and I absolutely love it. It has some encouraging quotes and a place to add your goals. 
THREE: A lot of my friends love the hot pink domino filofax, which comes with everything that mine does but has a band clip instead of a snap. Everyone raves over the color. 
FOUR: I also love the ERIN CONDREN customizable planner. This one is a GREAT way to get started if you are new to planning. They have so many covers to choose from, the colors are fun and interactive and it teaches you HOW to organize effectively. 

Here are a few peeks inside my filofax: 

People get very, very creative with their Filofax decor. I like to be more simple and clean. My very first page is my current soul vision board. So that every day I open it up, these awesome affirmations are the very first thing I see. 

I'm very diligent about planning my calendar and keeping it clean. I also keep my days planned out by the hour, which lets me plan my day to the specific hour. This is a GREAT way to stay on track with your schedule instead of just getting to it when you get to it. 

I also hole punch and save magazine tears and wallpaper samples and keep them in order according to design project or blog post ideas. This helps me keep inspired at all times. 

SHOP MY LOOK: