How do you feel about Thanksgiving with family?

Thanksgiving is approaching fast! It's that time of year when families travel distance to be together right before heading out for the biggest shopping day of the year.   Many of us are super excited to get together and enjoy the long weekend. We anticipate the flavors of favorite recipes, like turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie with whipped cream.  There will be a few who, like the characters we see in movies, dread the idea of going home for the holidays. Often by the end of the movie we get shown that, despite everything, families endure and things never turn out as bad as once thought. Of course, if you're looking for ways to just survive Thanksgiving with the family, there are survival tips. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. May you have safe travels, great shopping, and delicious food.            Matt Capell            President of Capell Flooring and Interiors

Do You Need to Be a Better Giver?

Giving is enriching and it's good for us.  For starters, genuine giving - doing something good for another - makes us feel good. Plus, it releases oxytocin, the love hormone, into our body. This hormone induces feelings of warmth and a closer connection to others. To be a better giver, make it a priority. Giving is not all about money and giving things, it can also include time as a volunteer or helping someone in need.  Whichever form of giving you choose, set giving goals. Decide how much you will give, spend, or time allocated. Make giving easy. The simpler giving is, the more likely you are to continue the habit. Financial giving can be automated between you and the organization you're donating to. Schedule in your calendar the day and/or time you will give to charity, another person, or shop for gifts. In fact, to shop you don't even need to leave home when online shopping. New habits can have a bumpy start, but the more we keep at them, the more ingrained they become into our daily lives. Developing the habit of becoming a better giver can be like that at first.  Yet, over time, it gets easier and it's good for our mental health too.        Matt Capell        President of Capell Flooring and Interiors P.S.  Have you ever heard of a Reticular Activator?  I hadn't until recently myself but once I heard about it - let's face it makes perfect sense.....click here to learn more and getting your Reticular Activator on can actually earn you money from my store!!!

Conquering Your Need to Downsize

We take on downsizing to make a home more spacious, weed out the no-longer-necessary items, or in preparation to move into a smaller square footage. No matter the reason, the entire experience has a cornucopia of thoughts and emotions. Downsizing can be difficult. If you or someone you know is facing the challenge of downsizing, here are some tips to help preserve sanity and make the process as straightforward and smooth as possible. Get clear about the new space. Have a clear vision of the final living space room by room. How big is each room? What items are unmistakably a must in each? Decide on the main furnishings. Whenever possible, plan the layout. Envision the look and feeling you want to experience for each room in your home. Begin going through the things. Get four distinct bins or areas - Keep, Sell, Donate, and Trash – and set a goal to downsize by a half to two-thirds. Each item will get added to one of the areas above. Scrutinize why you put each in the Keep bin. After sorting. Working your way through the contents is a big task. When that’s done, bring the new rooms to mind again. Focus on them in as much detail as possible. What do you see there from your Keep pile? How does the fresh space feel? Now, with a new visualization of each room, go through the Keep pile again. Does each item have a home in the new space or can it be filtered down further to the Sell and Donate piles? If downsizing before a move, it’s a good idea to undertake the process before the move happens. It may require a lot of time to complete and can be overwhelming. That’s why one way to combat the process is to plan out over days or weeks. Downsizing is well worth the time and effort. It can give each room more meaning and cause us to appreciate home a lot more. Your Flooring Consultant For Life,        Matt Capell        President of Capell Flooring and Interiors  P.S.  End the headache of shopping for new floors with our FREE Design Audit!™  The Design Audit™ is a diagnostic tool that allows my expert floor consultants help you choose the right floor for your decorating taste and lifestyle.  They’ll walk you through a series of questions that will help narrow down the thousands of options to the two or three that exactly match your unique situation.  They’ll also give you a written, customized “maintenance” plan with their professional recommendations for getting the longest life and beauty out of your floor. Call or visit us today for your FREE Design Audit!™

Do you need a calming, happy place?

As the season changes and Thanksgiving approaches, a sense of family and gatherings abound. Some may consider this good – others not so much, but one thing is sure, we all want our homes to feel warm and inviting. It's Not About Stuff  Adding warmth to a room is not about adding more stuff. It's about realizing how you want to feel when spending time in the space - inviting, comfortable, cozy - choose the word that resonates for you and make that your reality.   What to Choose  The age of the pieces you choose is not important because items from different decades and centuries can hang out well together. If you love that old side table, it can work with a modern sofa (or floor covering). The key is to make the room suit your tastes, not an image seen in a magazine or television show. Most important, begin with what you already have and pick the items you like most. Here are some ideas to help create a sense of warmth. Pattern and Texture With the main pieces in place, a room can be pulled together with complimentary colors and patterns found in a pillow, wall hanging, or decorative accents. It's surprising how starkly different patterns and designs work well together in a room. Shelves If you have bookcases or shelves in your room, consider painting or adding wallpaper to the back that contrasts the wall color surrounding within the cabinet. That instant pop of color can transform the energy in a room. Speaking of Colors Add more natural light by adding mirror accents. Let them reflect those room colors that make you feel good. In fact, learn how room color affects your mood. Add a Little Nature The addition of plants, flowers, rocks, and other earthly elements can help create a stress-free and relaxing environment. Have you ever wondered how nature affects our well-being? I hope these tips give you ideas to further make your home the best place to be. Your Flooring Consultant For Life,        Matt Capell        President of Capell Flooring and Interiors  P.S.... Continue reading this month's copy of the Home Advisor - by clicking the link below. Be Sure to Enter the Mega Trivia Contest - for a chance to win a Free Gift Certificate to a restaurant of your choice.  See past winners and archives here in case you missed an issue.