Friday, February 4, 2011

A Couple of Awards

I want to congratulate Chris Hanson, who won my giveaway for local real estate agents. He has won a free photo shoot from professional real estate photographer, Cathi Taraboi, of Cathi Taraboi Photography! One of his properties will have some beautiful photos so it will sell fast! Things have really picked up in The Woodlands and there is a lot of activity in the real estate market here.

I have another award, the Stylish Blogger Award, to give away. I was lucky enough to be awarded this by the following blogs....please check them out and learn something about the world of interior design. They are great sources for style and design. Thank you for my award!

A Mind on Design

Sofas and Sage

My Notting Hill


Now, I must finish the requirements of this award!

1. Thank and link back the blogger that awarded you.

2. Share seven things about yourself.

3. Award other fellow bloggers, bloggers that really touch you or that you read often.

4. Contact these bloggers to let them know they have won the Stylish Blogger Award.

Okay, seven things about me.

1. I love blogging! I've actually been doing this for a few years but have only recently reached out to other bloggers. I'm really enjoying the interaction and feedback.


A bathroom remodel designed for a wheelchair user.

2. I'm passionate about interior design. I know many people feel it's a frivolous endeavor, but I believe a person's environment can have a big influence on their quality of life. I've seen clients transformed from being embarrassed about their homes and refusing to have friends over to throwing wonderful parties and enjoying where they live. I've seen clients, my mother included, be able to use their remodeled bathrooms and kitchens as they age, after using some basic universal design principles in planning the design. I've seen people take up a healthier lifestyle and enjoy a new passion, cooking, by fully utilizing their newly remodeled kitchens. I really believe that good design is good for the soul and spirit and yes, it's fun too.


My daughter in her dorm room freshman year. She has a bohemian spirit and an eye for design. I may be working for her some day!

My son, freshman year, at his dorm door. He'll graduate this semester and he has a wonderful job already lined up. Yay!

3. I'm enjoying being an empty nester! I love my two wonderful children above and I love when they come home from college, but I have a tendency to throw myself into things completely with blinders on and that's hard to do with kids at home. I'm working so much now I can really immerse myself into my projects without much distraction.


Loved this book on disc! Jim Collins himself reads it and he's so passionate!

4. I love learning about business. Being in such a creative field, I never understood how business could be creative too. Boy, was I wrong! A business is like a living being that responds to all kinds of influences. Branding, marketing, pricing, employees, the law behind business practices, it all intrigues me and I can't get enough. Balancing it all on a daily basis to make a successful business is challenging and fascinating.


Australia

Norway

5. I loved living overseas. I would suggest to just about anyone that if you get the opportunity, seize it! I'm glad I had my children with me to share the experiences when we lived in Australia and Norway. We had wonderful opportunities to travel and made some great friends and memories along the way.

6. I hate hot, humid weather. Winter in Houston is my favorite time of year, otherwise I'm staying inside in the a/c! When I moved to Norway I thought I'd come home. I loved the weather there, four seasons and little humidity. It's a problem, living in coastal Texas.




7. I collect ceramics and art glass. When we travel, I always try to find something to bring back home. I have a weakness for cobalt blue. After a trip to Deruta in Italy, I came back with bags full of ceramics and a husband who was quite annoyed with lugging all that around!


Thanks for reading and please check out these lovely blogs and enjoy the eye candy and quality information!

Eclectic Revisited - A lovely design blog by Maureen Bower

My Little Happy Place - A beautiful design blog by Alison G.

Ada and Darcy - A blog from down under with beautiful finds by Kellie Collis

Maternal Journal: Marketing to Moms - Great blog for small business marketing

Raison d' etre - My FB designer friend Corey Damen Jenkins' new blog

Hill Country House - Great info about antiques and such by Ann Williams

Quintessence - Living well with style and substance

Splendid Sass - See some beautiful design project photos here

Have a lovely weekend! Stay warm!

13 comments:

Linda @ theLENNOXX said...

Just found your blog, and it looks to be a great read, so congratulations on the blog award! I love Norway too, best weather ever, you never get tired of it =D

Have a great weekend!

xo Linda

Anonymous said...

Hi Carla,
and thank-you for bestowing this lovely award...
it's a fun blogger award that really gets bloggers talking to one another...
and I enjoyed learning some things about you...
I had a post ready to go for tomorrow, I usually make them up the day before I launch them, and I was introducing my two grown kids as well... so it's like taking a que from you....
great minds think a like...
maureen

Teresa Hatfield ~ Splendid Sass said...

Thank you, Carla for the mention! So kind of you to think of me in this nice way.
I knew you would love he Tracery home. They really do beautiful work with attention to detail.
Teresa
xoxo

Design Elements said...

lovely images! this one of norway is breathtaking. hugs

Cathi Taraboi said...

Thank you Carla, and congratulations to Chris Hanson (Prudential Gary Greene) for winning Aston Design Studio's give-away of a free photo shoot with Cathi Taraboi Photography!

The enchanted home said...

It was nice knowing more about you...your kids are adorable! I have a college aged son too.....miss them and am not quite an empty nester (have a 15 year old) but have mixed feelings about reaching that milestone.....have a wonderful weekend and thanks for including me on your blogroll!

kathi said...

Hi and Thank you so much for your comment this morning. One of my favorite reads every week is "The business of being creative" He is spot on for me!
Kathi

Kellie Collis said...

Congratulations! A very well deserved award! Enjoy the lovely weekend, Kellie xx

alison giese Interiors said...

Thank you, Carla - You are very sweet to give me the award!

quintessence said...

Carla - thank you so much for passing on the Stylish Blogger award to me - I always appreciate knowing that readers are enjoying my musings. Love hearing more about you - have never been to Australia but just love Norway - and the people are so friendly! Your kids are adorable. I'm not quite there - still have one at home who's only 11 so it's always an issue trying to manage my time! Have a wonderful rest of your weekend!

Debra@Dejarenew.blogspot.com said...

Hey Carla, just discovered you on another post! New follower I am :) I look forward to tooling around you blog. And that is so darn cool that you are an interior designer. I know you are going to have some great posts.

I would love to have ya come join me on my blog as well. I look forward to hearing from you.

Deb
http://dejarenew.blogspot.com

Hill Country House Girl said...

Carla, So sorry to be remiss in saying thank you! I enjoyed reading more about you. We could be dangerous traveling together! I love pottery and have friends who tell stories about waiting and waiting for me when I got to meet and buy from one of my favorite potters in Mexico! I am going back to read more on the project you are working on now - it looks really great!

Dumbwit Tellher said...

Carla congrat's on your awards, well deserved. Your children are adorable and on their way to bright futures. They look like great people Carla! I think we may just have daughters the same age? How great that you all had the opportunity to live in other countries. I'm so interested where you lived in Norway? My daughter Emily's boyfriend is from Kristansand & is now living in Oslo. My family is from a small town called Holsen. To live in Australia too must of been amazing? If we EVER sell our home here in Katy, we still plan to move to Scotland. I'm glad to read things are good in the Real Estate arena in the Woodlands. Maybe I need that photographer?! / : Very frustrating at the moment with our situation.

Congratulations again Carla!

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