Summer 2004

Dear Friends,

A friend of mine once told me that when someone close to you dies, they give you the gift of luck. Since my last newsletter, my father passed away unexpectedly in his sleep. Even though he wasn't ill, he had become frail. Since he was so physically active all his life, it's as if he left the party at the perfect time. He often joked about what he wanted his funeral to be like; so we carried out his wishes, burying him in his tuxedo, playing "The Saints Go Marching In" as they strolled his casket out of the church. His burial was followed by everyone coming back to the house for champagne toasts to him and his life. It was wonderful to see how well-liked he was and how many people will miss him.

Dad was incredibly generous, the epitome of the guy who would give you the shirt off his back. I'm sure he's up there thinking he needs to help keep me busy so I won't have time to grieve, because since he's been gone, I've been so fortunate--especially in business. I won't bore you with all of the magical things that have happened, but I do want to take this time to share with you one of the most outstanding, as well as thank the others who have helped.

There's a popular website, That Home Site (thathomesite.com), with forums where people write in and discuss everything from gardening to renovating and decorating. It's actually part of another even more popular site called The Garden Web (gardenweb.com). In the home decorating forum, Mary Sue from Colorado, started a discussion about full spectrum paint brands. Helen in California followed up by mentioning my line of paints and entered a link to my website. Mary Sue called me immediately and began using my paints in her new house, reporting back often with her progress and experiences. This led to numerous new customers and many more postings about my paints. As synchronicity would have it, I received an email requesting samples from one of these ladies who turned out to be from my hometown here in Louisiana! We've since met and I've been to her wonderful home. To date, the original thread has reached its maximum of 100 postings, so thanks to Mary Sue, there's a "Full Spectrum Paints - Part 2"! Also, many thanks to Karen from my hometown in Louisiana, Jennifer in California, Kelly in New Jersey, Nancy in Wisconsin, Shawn in Florida, Sheila in Oregon, Denise in Ohio and Diane in New York! Because of these ladies, there are now 13 different threads (aka discussions) where my paints are mentioned. But best of all, is what I've learned from these incredibly kind, talented and savvy homemakers.

New: 2 oz Sample Jars!

Jennifer, for instance, is responsible for my new sample jars. Before investing in a gallon of paint, for only $4, you can now purchase a 2 oz. sample jar which is enough paint to cover approximately 4 square feet. I had been hearing about paint pouches and spent an entire weekend making some up, only to find that several of them leaked. It was Jennifer who suggested using small plastic jars which are not only much easier to deal with, but also better for shipping. Thank you Jennifer!

Denise from Ohio, who is a clinical certified/trained Reiki practitioner-aromatherapist, recently informed me about "The ICI Report on the Secrets of the Senses" by Oxford University's Dr. Charles Spence, one of the leading experts in the field of experimental psychology of the senses. ICI Dulux Paints, the manufacturer of my paints, is a division of ICI (Imperial Chemical Industries) in London. This is a fascinating report providing insight into why we should view and stimulate the senses holistically and describing "sensism", their approach to unlocking the "Secrets of the Senses" to increase our capacity for pleasure, love and success. Right up my alley! The report can be downloaded by visiting this link: http://www.ici.com/overview/sensism/sens_index.htm.

As a designer, I love collaborating with other designers and architects. Most recently, I've enjoyed creating full spectrum paints from colors that they often use on projects. I've been so impressed with their talents, I've created a page on my website called "Our Favorite Consultants", giving some background and contact information on each one.

Californian Rebecca Bushner, for instance, is a member of the Color Marketing Group and Inter-Society Color Counsel. These are the folks who predict the upcoming color trends for product, fashion and home design. Rebecca just wrote her first color newsletter all about the color yellow. If you like learning about the powerful effects of color, you'll love her newsletter. To request a copy of her newsletter, email via her website: unlimitedcolor.com

Tom Drillot, is what I would call an "intuitive color consultant", specializing in full spectrum colors and bringing the outdoors in. Tom says it's heightened communication and mutual empowerment through collaboration with his client that is responsible for his uncanny knack for helping put together the perfect palette. Tom lives in Connecticut, but travels extensively throughout the United States.

William Parker, gives new meaning to "multi-talented". He is both an architect and interior designer with a practice focusing on interior design and decoration and. . . he is also a classically trained singer, performing often in his hometown Austin. It's no wonder that William describes his favorite colors as the ones that "dance" between two colors, like Robin's Egg Blue.

Emily Lauderback is Seattle's newest up and coming designer/color consultant. Whether you are looking for a rich atmosphere that envelopes you, or a soft airy environment, Emily can help you achieve the feel you desire in your home through the use of color.

Peggie and Michael Rhodes from Ft. Lauderdale and Billie Haffey at the new My Serendipity shop in Hobe Sound, Florida have given me lots of new ideas with regard to using bold color to accent walls and architectural features. Before seeing how they used color on various projects, I was much more traditional, tending to paint all the walls the same color. Thanks to them, the magical gems I created for inside closets and bookcases are now some of my most popular wall colors.

Our list of color consultants continues to grow along with Decorator Fabric Warehouse in Wichita, who now has four talented designers to work with and over 1,000 bolts of luxurious fabrics in stock. You can visit their new website at www.decoratorfabricwarehouse.com

When I first returned to Louisiana after living in New York, I attended a metaphysical color class given by graphic designer, artist and former LSU instructor Anna Macedo. It was from Anna that I learned about color therapy, and also how to use color with numerology to find out which color vibrations our names carry (see Winter 2001 Living Well). Anna is responsible for designing all my packaging and promotional materials. She is widely known as an expert at using color in all forms of advertising to enhance its effectiveness, and employs many metaphysical principles in her award-winning designs. Anna is the person I consult with when it comes to color. You can now see more of Anna's work on her new website: www.annamacedo.com

Until next time, I wish you all the best of what's left of a glorious Summer season!

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