The American Dream

We all have our own version of what the American Dream is - for many that includes owning your own home.
My dream was to have my own Home Idea Factory - a place where this Lifestylist® could live and work, would have the character that would let me "practice what I preach" and have some room to garden. I was also hoping to have enough space to continue to help with the animal rescue groups I've joined. All of my dreams came true, and now I have a space that will never be "done", but always evolving.
My father told my mother when they got married that some day he would buy her a place on a lake, and he did! Their Hideway Lake home has been the place that many of our family holidays, wedding, and birthdays have taken place, and it is full of wonderful memories.
There are people who are looking for an affordable place with a yard to raise their families, use as a second home or retire to and land lease communities can be a great solution for these people. Land lease communities are those where factory built housing are placed in communities where homeowners lease the land the homes are placed on in a community - many times with amenities such as pools, clubhouses, and tennis courts. I have always believed this is the perfect solution for affordable housing because it can be so cost effective, and I've been wanting to be a part of this solution hands on.
The time has come! Lifestylist® Design has been asked to re-brand and enhance the lifestyle options of two communities in Florida - Parkwood in Port Orange, FL and Countryside Village in Tampa. I can't wait to get started - these communities are a great example of how affordable the American Dream can be. Be sure to get our updates on the progress at Parkwood and Countryside Village Facebook pages.

Would You Live in a Mobile Home or Trailer Park?

Words can be such powerful things. Every time I hear "trailer park" or "mobile home" I cringe - mostly because of the stereotypes that go along with these two phrases. I've become intrigued lately with land lease communities - the beautiful areas that factory built housing can be sited and you lease the land that your home sits on. Many of these communities have pools, golf courses, clubhouses - everything you need for resort style living. Plus many of these are in dramatic locations such as Oceanside, near ski slopes or in the mountains in areas you could never afford.
Today's factory built housing hardly resembles the mobile homes of yesteryear - the only constant is that they both arrive on wheels. Factory built homes are built to national specifications, and are built to last using the same products that are found in most site built homes. The biggest difference I tend to see is that factory built homes usually offer more cabinets and counter space in the kitchens and baths!
I'm looking forward to sharing my journey with you as I discover some of the finest land lease communities, and I'm hoping to be working on some Lifestylist® Designed Homes just for these communities as well.

Sweet Dreams

Nothing is more important than a good nights sleep. If we don't have the right support from the mattress, the right pillows or the right temperature in the room, sleep might not come easily.
When LifeStyling the corporate apartments for The Hammocks at Timber Banks and Southern Hills, I wanted to be sure that the they truly felt like a home away from home and the clients would enjoy their stay. I stayed in some of the apartments designed by other companies to get a feel of what worked and what didn't, and spent a lot of time speaking with residents and getting a feel for the lifestyle of each and what made them unique. Having a comfy sofa and a flat screen TV was important, but nothing was more important than the bed.
As a Lifestylist® I always take into consideration how a bed fits into a room, and Ashley Furniture now offers beautiful beds with a low foot board or platform that makes any room still feel spacious. Many companies (and consumers)use just a metal frame and no headboard with their beds, but by using a headboard, foot board and rails you create a much more stable platform for your bed which adds support to the mattress. Plus it looks so much better! Be sure to check out the new options that Ashley Homestores offer - great value and style.
An area that I won't ever compromise on is the mattresses and pillows. We use a pillowtop that offers a great nights sleep that was manufactured to our specifications by a local company, and I found pillows that I love at KMart - under $10 but they feel much more expensive.
One of my biggest surprise finds was Sears - I found a "Bed in a Bag" they offered for under $50.00 online! A Bed in a Bag includes a comforter, dust ruffle, shams, and a complete set of linens. Something to always watch out for when choosing a comforter that you will use every day is to make sure it is washable, and this set was. When they arrived I was thrilled to see that they were well made, and in beautiful, happy colors.
As I always say, great design doesn't have to be expensive, and these are great examples of that. I know I'll be adding Sears and KMart to my shopping resources now, and I'll be sure to share with you other great buys that I find.

Lifestylist® Designed Homes Sell!

We had great news from a new builder we are working with in Lindale, Texas - Red Baron Building. The week after we went in and LifeStaged some of their homes they had 2 sales and 4 reservations! That's quite an accomplishment for a builder in a smaller community (they are outside Tyler in East Texas) that is building something besides your traditional home.
Red Baron was started because the builder wanted to build homes that offered things he couldn't find when he was looking for a home -polished concrete floors, concrete countertops, oil rubbed bronze hardware, and a lot of attention to detail. Our job was then to show people what these homes could suit their lifestyles.
Red Baron asked us to stage these homes using what was in their warehouse - model home merchandise from a builder that went out of business, and some furniture that belonged to the builder. We then filled in with the necessary items to make these models feel like a home.
These were truly done on a shoestring budget, but we achieved the necessary results - we sold homes! If you would like to see these Lifestylist Designed Homes you can tour them this weekend in the Tyler Home Show or contact Red Baron for a personal tour.

Last Chance to Vote on Lifestylist Designed Details

The voting is almost complete on the Lifestylist® Designed options that will be included in the @home Builders YMCA Dream Home. This week the interior of the home will be decided, then on May 18th the choices that the voters made will be unveiled at the @home Builders Design Center.Be sure to vote today and help us choose what your favorite is!
Videos of all of the choices can be seen on Lifestylist.tv
You will then have a chance to bid on the home - that will start May 20th with a starting bid of $200,000.00. The home is located in the beautiful Preserve community in Henrietta, NY.

Jim Clayton: First a Dream

Lifestylist.tv had the wonderful opportunity to catch up with Jim Clayton at the recent MHI Congress and Expo. Mr Clayton is the founder of Clayton Homes and author of the Book "Jim Clayton: First a Dream". In the interview, he shared with us how you can download a pdf copy of his book for free and learn how he sold his company to Warren Buffett. This is an opportunity to get priceless information from one of the best business owners in the country.
As a Lifestylist® I loved his stories in the book about living in a factory built home and why this is such a great choice.

7 For All Mankind Hosts a Summer Soiree

Summer is officially here, and I'm ready to start my summer shopping! The perfect place to start is 7 For All Mankind - the World's Premiere Premium Denim Lifestyle Brand. 

They are hosting a Summer Soiree in Dallas today so I stopped by to see what was new. I am very hard to fit, but they showed me jeans and even a dress that I felt good in!

Looking forward to showing off my new look in Rochester next week at the launch of the Lifestylist Designed @home Builders YMCA Dream Home.