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Spring has finally sprung!

Spring is the time of year when we like to clear out the cobwebs, splash on a fresh coat of paint, and spruce up tired areas of our homes.

So let’s get started and turn over another leaf!  

ORGANIZING A DECORATING/RENOVATING PROJECT

“Among these several kinds of beauty the eye takes most delight in colours.”

Joseph Addison (English Poet, 1672-1719)

Planning

If you’re planning to redecorate or renovate, start your plan on paper. Determine your budget.

Renovating can be stressful. However long you think the project will take, add some extra time to your estimate. Unexpected delays are often a reality of renovation projects.

Supplies

Create a list of everything you will need in order to avoid numerous trips to the store.

Professional Help

Hiring a decorating professional for a 1-2 hour consultation may seem expensive, but one large mistake may prove more costly.

Choose a contractor if you’re not doing the work yourself. Get family and friends to recommend someone. Check out the contractor’s references, and contact the Better Business Bureau.

Outside Projects

If you are planning to build a new deck or outside structure, don’t forget to contact your local utilities in advance.  “Call before you dig” is always sound advice.  You don’t want to cut hydro/power, telephone or TV/internet cables, and/or water or gas lines.  Always think safety first!

Inspiration

Which styles do you like–traditional, contemporary, country, cottage or eclectic? What colours do you like?

A piece of fabric or artwork can be the inspiration for a whole room/area. If you plan to redecorate more than one room/area, think about the colour flow.

Watch a decorating show. Take a walk through a furniture store or fabric store. Peruse some decorating magazines. Canadian House & Home and Style at Home are good ones; they provide the Canadian sources for many of the featured items.

Storage

How can you decide what to build for storage if you don’t know what items will be stored in that location? Purge as you pack your belongings, so that you can determine your storage needs. Reassembling your room will be easier also.

Furniture and Placement

Will you be rearranging your current furniture, switching pieces from another room in your home or adding new pieces?

Decorators often recommend neutral colours for investment pieces. It is much easier to replace your accessories than to replace your sofa.

Remember that large pieces of furniture look smaller in the showroom than they will in your home. It is extremely important to take the measurements home beforehand and check to see if the new pieces will fit. You can tape an outline of the furniture on the floor, so that you don’t have to move heavy furniture.

Choose furniture that performs double duty—an ottoman with a tray and storage inside, a sofa with a bed, etc.

Colour

Changing the colour of a room is the easiest change you can make, and it will give you the biggest bang for your buck.

Keep in mind that it is easier to mix a paint colour to co-ordinate with your fabric and/or furniture than the other way around. Take fabric samples to the paint store. We can recognize over 7,000,000 colours, but we can’t remember an exact colour for more than 30 seconds.

Choose an environmentally friendly paint if your budget allows. Large paint chips and test pots are available at some paint stores. If you don’t want to test the paint on the wall, paint a small piece of bristol board. You will be able to move the board around to different locations to see what the colour looks like at different times of the day and night. Light is an important issue when choosing a paint colour.

Did you know that if you paint a cool colour in a north-facing room, it feels even cooler? Did you know that if you paint a warm colour in a south-facing room, it feels even warmer?

If you choose a neutral colour, a variety of textures in the room will make it work well.

Accessories

Here is where you can use this year’s trendy colours. Take paint chips and fabric samples when you look for accessories. Remember that items don’t need to match exactly—as long as the colours blend.

Meals

Plan ahead for easy meals. When cooking, double a recipe and freeze one batch. This is especially important if you are renovating your kitchen. What will you be able to access? Can you cook outside? Consider using paper plates if you won’t have a kitchen sink to wash dishes or use your dishwasher.

If you’ll be ordering take-out, don’t forget to include those costs in your budget.

If you take the time to plan well, your decorating/renovating project should go more smoothly, and your money will likely be spent more wisely.

Chances are you know someone who has cancer or has lost a hard-fought battle with this disease.  Congratulations if you’re a cancer survivor!

To learn more about cancer-related issues, check out the Canadian CancerSociety‘s website.

Did you know that April is also Parkinson Awareness Month?

To learn more about Parkinson’s disease, check out ParkinsonSociety Canada‘s website.

It’s never too late to make healthier choices!

by Harold Taylor

There are only so many ways that you can use time. Here are the common ones. You will be more effective the further down the list you go.

1. WASTING TIME is giving up some of your time and getting nothing substantial in return.

2. LOSING TIME is being unaware of the passage of time by engaging in activity while the mind is absent.

3. SPENDING TIME is acquiring a completed task or activity in exchange for an equivalent amount of time.

4. BUYING TIME is paying someone else to do things that you would otherwise have to do yourself.

5. INVESTING TIME is gaining more in terms of enjoyment, productivity or purpose than you give up in terms of time.”

Harold Taylor is the leading Canadian time management expert.

If travelling to a different time zone is in your plans for 2013, check out this website. Jet Lag Rooster is a no-cost, simple, and effective way to reduce or prevent jet lag.

Use our handy VACATION PLANNING CHECKLIST.

Print out our PACKING CHECKLIST and laminate it.

Frequent travellers may wish to store it in their suitcase!

GET READY TO PACK!

It’s fun to open a travel brochure or surf the net to look at cruises and resorts. There are many tools instantly available making the modern traveller quite savvy. While you can do a fair bit of research on your own, be sure to get in touch with your travel agent. Let them know what you’ve found, and ask what can they do to make your time away better.

Here are the top 3 reasons you should use a travel agent.

1. In Ontario all sellers of travel are licensed through TICO (Travel Industry Council of Ontario). Your money is placed in trust, and you are safeguarded against fraud and supplier bankruptcies.

2. Quite often travel agencies have better buying power, and the prices are competitive.

3. Travel Professionals are well versed on all travel, and respect that travel is precious.

With more than 25 years of planning vacations and conferences, we are most successful when we tailor fit your experience. Please allow A.C.T. Tours to personally chat with you to better understand the theme you are envisioning, be it culinary, historical, sporting or quite simply enjoyable!

You can contact Kelly Fields by e-mail or by telephone at 519-581-8681 or 1-888-297-8334.

            -Ingvar Kamprad, IKEA Founder

One sure sign of spring is Elmira’s annual Maple SyrupFestival! It’s always a lot of fun. This year approximately 75,000 people came to our town to enjoy a huge variety of delicious foods–especially the pancakes and maple syrup!

The warmer weather summons us outside to soak up the sun, since we don’t see as much of it during the winter. And sunny days mean summer vacations are just around the corner!

On that note, let’s get started and turn over another leaf!

ORGANIZING YOUR NEXT VACATION/TRIP

“The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” Marcel Proust, French Author (1871-1922)

Whether you’re backpacking or bicycling, staying in five-star accommodations or a bed and breakfast, travel can be a great experience.

Planning/Research

Set aside some time to plan your vacation/trip. A few hours of planning are worth the effort if everything runs smoothly. Use our handy Vacation Planning Checklist.

Research your proposed destination on the internet, at the library or through a travel agent. Ask your friends and family for suggestions if they have travelled to your planned destination. Purchasing a travel book and/or a foreign language dictionary may also be helpful.

Travel Agent

Contact your travel agent or CAA. A good travel agent can provide you with a wealth of information—maps, discount coupons and sight-seeing information. Travel agents can also assist you if you encounter problems while you are out of the country. Remember to take any accommodation confirmations with you.

Discounts

Take advantage of discounts. Check the websites of your destinations to see if they provide any coupons.

Sight-Seeing Attractions

If there are some must-see attractions on your list, make reservations ahead of time in order to avoid being disappointed.

Currency

Do you need to pick up foreign currency or travellers’ cheques for your vacation? You might also wish to take a prepaid calling card and international dialing instructions with you.

Documentation

You should be aware that some foreign countries will not accept your passport if it expires within 6 months. It is advisable to renew it before you leave to avoid any problems. Some accommodations provide a safe for your passport and other important valuables.

If you are travelling with minor children, and you are separated or divorced, you may need to carry notarized documents authorizing you to enter another country with your children. This may also apply when you are the legal guardian of children and you are not their birth parent.

Consider taking contact information for the closest location of the Canadian embassy if you are traveling to a country where there is political unrest.

Out-of-Country Coverage

If you do not have out-of-country benefits, it is advisable to make arrangements for medical emergency coverage. A trip to the hospital in another country can be expensive.

Safety Precautions

Don’t carry any items unless they are required for your vacation. Clean out your wallet or purse. Leaving a list at home containing your passport information, driver’s license information, bank card and credit card numbers will make it easier in the event that an item is lost or stolen. You may wish to set up a temporary e-mail account just for this purpose, so you can retrieve the information from anywhere in the world.

Allowances/Restrictions

Check regulations for weight and/or carry-on restrictions before you leave home.

Medical

Prescription medication should be in its original packaging and put in your carry-on bag—in case your bags are lost or delayed.

If you are travelling to a foreign country, check to see if any immunizations are required for malaria, hepatitis, etc.

Clothing/Packing

Research the weather conditions for the time of year that you will be there, and pack the appropriate clothing. Check to see if you need to take an AC/DC adapter for electrical items. Remember to take some reading material or travel games for children in the event that you encounter a delay. To make packing your suitcase easier, use our handy Packing Checklist.

Memories

Remember to take your camera, extra memory cards and batteries. It’s usually less expensive to bring these items from home. You might like to take along a journal—particularly on a long trip or when you will be taking a large number of photographs.

Your Home

If no one stays in your home while you are away, ensure that you have someone checking your home—preferably every day. Review your homeowner’s policy to see what your particular provider requires. Don’t forget to cancel your newspaper. Make arrangements to have your grass cut, your flowers watered and your mail picked up.

Leave a copy of your itinerary with a contact person at home along with a copy of any documents you are taking. This will make it easier in the event of loss or theft.

Reward

Preparing for your trip can be stressful. When the time comes, enjoy your trip. That’s the best reward!