Good Manners Never Go Out of Style

The world lost a very special person today - Elizabeth Taylor. She always handled herself with grace and dignity, and was a wonderful role model for all of us who were fortunate enough to grow up watching her on the silver screen. As a board member of the USA Film Festival, I've learned never to form an opinion about someone until I meet them in person, and sadly Ms. Taylor is one that I would have given anything to meet but it wasn't meant to be.
Denise Vivaldo - who is one of my favorite writers as well as being my role model in the styling world just posted a story in the Huffington Post about her encounter with Ms. Taylor. It makes me love Denise and Ms. Taylor even more. The title of the story is Elizabeth Taylor: Good Manners Never Go Out of Style and I couldn't agree more.
This weekend I was working with photographer Lisa Stewart LifeStyling Savor Dallas- a special food and wine event that I enjoy attending every year. To make the shots Lifestylist® Designed, I take my own glasses, plates, and styling utensils and try to get at least 50 great food and wine shots in about a 2 hour time frame - and did I mention we do this while the event is going on and we have to work around 2,000 -3,000 attendees? It's quite a juggling act. What struck me the most about this year's event was the lack of courtesy shown to the chefs and wine makers by the attendees. The whole point of an event like this is to educate people about your food and your wines, and hopefully they will come to your restaurant or buy your wines after the event is over. You would have thought some of these people were trying to win a million dollars by snagging the most to eat and drink -we were literally getting pushed and stepped on when we were trying to set up our shots, and people were taking the food that I styled right off of the plate (my plate) before we got get it photographed. The wine makers didn't have a chance to tell about their wines, because someone else was already putting out their empty glass to be filled.
Good manners never go out of style, and I'm actually appreciating the manners that my parents drilled into me at an early age. I never want to be the one pushing for a glass of wine or a dime sized piece of cheese - I want to remain a Lifestylist® and savor every moment and experience that I get to indulge in. Thanks Denise for this wonderful memory I will now have of Ms. Taylor and the reminder to live our lives with the dignity that others have shown us.

Lifestylist® Designed Model Homes for Cavco

I love the area near New Braunfels and Boerne - great countryside and the best BBQ!
Cavco Home Center in New Braunfels is a great place to start your search - we have done some Lifestylist® Designed homes for them and were amazed with their quality and customer service. They have a great selection of homes that would be ideal as your main or vacation home.
To see a video of some of the homes we LifeStyled for them, check out our Lifestylist Channel on You Tube, and to get more information on what homes are currently available, give the home center a call at: (830) 608-0208. Tell them The Lifestylist® sent you!

Cavco Leads The Way in Tucson

As a Lifestylist®, I spend a lot of time researching design trends and what's available in the market. This week I was fortunate enough to spend time in Arizona working with Thermador on some kitchen and appliance trends, and I was also able to reconnect with some of the incredible team that used to be at Patriot Homes. Not only did it remind me why I love Arizona so much, but it also made me appreciate how lucky I've been to work with such amazing people.

When I was in Tucson I stopped by the Cavco Retail Center, and I think I found my dream home! What a great example of what can be achieved with factory built housing - great exterior, tall ceiling heights, stainless steel appliances, and great use of tile. And skylights! Natural light is so important, and this home had plenty of it because of the transom windows, skylights and window placement.

What really sold me though was the porches - one in the front and one off of the master suite. I already imagine myself enjoying mountain sunrises and sunsets from these great spaces. I am seriously going to start looking for the right lot again, and considering my dream home in Arizona that will definitely be a factory built home.

With all of the speaking I do about the Lifestylist® revolution and great design, I'm really looking forward to using photos of this home to show site builders and consumers how much can be accomplished in a factory setting. Great job Cavco!