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• Your Home Redecorated
• Your Wardrobe Restyled
• And a Few Simple Entertaining Rules

Kick off spring with the new and improved you. Be prepared to wow your friends and family!

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Workplace Wardrobe

Does an unwritten dress code mean a fashion free-for-all in the office? Absolutely not! Written dress codes are often designed with legal situations in mind such as harassment, and safety. Unspoken, unwritten dress codes are all about the image of the company and your ability to promote yourself as a team player and someone with potential worthy of promotion.

We all want to look good but there is a right and a wrong way to go about it at the office. When you go for an interview, as nervous as you might be, make sure you take note of your surroundings. What are people wearing? The first few days of your new job, dress conservatively until you figure out the work "uniform." Trust me on this, you will not start a new office dress trend by wearing something considered outlandish by current office standards. While none of us wants to be a conformist, there is moderation and then there is downright career suicide dressing.

While we all want to be individuals, a lot can be taken from Chanel's famous quote, "be a caterpillar by day and a butterfly at night." I cannot tell you how many times I have remarked "That is a cute outfit but why is she wearing it in the office. It is great for clubbing." And you know your wardrobe is too over the top when the men in the office are commenting about the inappropriateness of the attire. You should never be the water cooler gossip subject when it comes to fashion.

The Rules of the Road:
1. Determine what the "code" is in the office.
2. Go through your wardrobe and see what base pieces you have that fit within that code. If you don't have enough pieces to go a week, you may need to pump up your wardrobe. You want to be consistent. You don't want to dress within the code one day and then wear something opposite the next. It gives the impression that you are not serious about your job.
3. Clothing should never be tight ANYWHERE.
4. Dress as if you already have that next promotion. How do those at the next level dress?
5. Make sure your grooming is consistent with the wardrobe. Hair, nails, and accessories are just as important as the clothes. Give yourself a visual check in the mirror before you leave the house. You never want to overhear someone saying "Didn't he/she look in the mirror this morning?"

So how do you retain your personality without being the talk of the office?
1. Add your personality with the colors you wear. Wearing basic neutral colors like black does not mean you can't spruce it up with a touch of your favorite color in your shirt, scarf, jewelry or tie.
2. Accessorize to bring out your personality. That little handbag that says "this is me!" is a great way to insert yourself into the office "uniform."
3. Add texture. Basic does not mean boring. Suede, corduroy, flowing fabrics, etc. can give a basic skirt design a lift.

To learn more about what you should have in your wardrobe, read our article on Wardrobe Basics as well as Anna Johnson's article on Nine Ways To Crack the Office Dress Code"

Decorating:
By ON THE GO 4 U Design Consultant Suzanne Copenhaver

These days with our busy schedules, it is a challenge to keep a career going and still have a beautiful comfortable home to return to after a long day. One of the best ways to achieve this is to apply the same principles to home design that you do to your professional wardrobe. In other words, form a base of classic styles and colors and then accessorize with trendy or seasonal items. I’m not saying you should clothe your home in a basic black business suit. However, if you avoid the extremes in furniture style such as unusual colors, extra large arms or high backs on seating, and extreme sizes (large or small) and styles, you will have a base to work with that you can alter or maintain with equal ease.

For your upholstered pieces, use neutral or basic colors. This does not mean beige. It can be gray, green, beige, red, white, navy, or any of a realm of other colors, but stay away from the strong trendy colors. If watermelon is the color of the year, don’t put it on a large upholstered piece. Anyone who has been trying to find a matching chair in mauve or forest green lately, will know what I am talking about.

For your case pieces, keep to the medium range of wood tones. Avoid dark mahogany or golden oak. You will be able to mix and match. Be careful of styles. A shaker or mission style table can remain traditional and mix with antiques or help to create a contemporary room. A Queen Anne style cocktail table in dark glossy cherry may be a classic, but it doesn’t give you the same latitude.

Once you have these basic items, you can accessorize and that includes painting your walls a bright color or buying high style designer lamps. Pillows, candles, and prints for your walls are all things which can be changed as the seasons or the styles change.

Here are the 3 basic principals for easy decorating:
1) Keep it simple! A home with a minimal amount of things will be more restful and easier to maintain than one cluttered with objects and furniture.
2) Keep it warm! Colors that make you feel good and help you feel relaxed are your best choice.
3) Keep it comfortable! Choose your furnishings with an eye to comfort and easy maintenance as well as style.

You want your home to be a place where you can relax alone, or enjoy the company of family and close friends.

Find out if you need a design consultant or a personal shopper in our article published on Ezine Articles.

Healthy Workplace Eating

If you are the one selecting food items for the next business meeting, keep a few things in mind. Why are you having the meeting? It is most likely not to eat. Foods loaded with sugar or carbohydrates are going to cause the attention of the participants to wander. There are also many people who are on dietary restrictions for one reason or another so serving healthy food is a way to let them know you are looking out for everyone. The CDC recommends serving grains, low-fat/low-calorie and even low-sugar foods as well as those low in sodium.

Here is a thought. Is it necessary to serve food at every meeting? Will people refuse to come to the meeting if there are no donuts? Remember, this is a business meeting. They are attending because it is a work requirement. So, the next time you are ordering food, think about the time of the meeting. A mid-morning or mid-afternoon meeting could well survive with just a beverage service.

For more information about Workplace Eating, read the article from the CDC.

Gardening For Busy Professionals
By Becky Phillips of Leapin' Lena's
Contact Becky

Inevitably, when I speak with homeowners during an initial garden consultation, they will comment that they would like a "low maintenance landscape". A well-designed garden, once established, requires little maintenance during the year.

There are several things that help to keep garden maintenance to a minimum and leave you with more time. Choose:

• native plants.
• drought tolerant plants.
• plants that are known for their ease and reliability.
• plants that self-seed.
• slow growers (less pruning will be needed).

When you design your gardens, keep lawn areas to a minimum since lawns require the most upkeep. If you like the look of a lawn think about using groundcovers as a substitute. Check out Mazus, Creeping Thyme, along with a line called "Steppables" at your garden center. Once established, these plants require little maintenance.

When you plant a new area, purchase as many plants as you can afford and can fit into the bed. The closer you can plant, the less space is left for the weeds to grow. Weeding is the biggest time consumer.

Water your plants deeply--short, shallow waterings will not allow your plants to dig deep with their roots and the slightest drought will start the wilt and pest cycle.

Mulch well. This helps conserve water, keep the roots cool and is the single best defense against weeds. Weeds are tenfold easier to pull up from a mulched bed the one that hasn’t been mulched.

These are just a few ways you can help cut down on the time spent in your garden doing "work" and free up your time to enjoy it more!