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What does a new year mean? New products, of course!

What does a new year mean to you? For some it means more exercise, or less eating, maybe even more drinking (in celebration)! For others it means getting organized, starting over or changing bad habits. For many businesses its new-product launch season. And that’s exactly what I have for you today – photos of some of our newest Simply Said products and designs!

A new catalog was released on Monday evening. It’s awesome because for the first time ever, it includes designs suitable for EVERY SEASON of the year. So now you don’t have to wait for spring or winter releases to plan for holiday decorating. AND the new release includes several new Printed Treasures – those are our items that come preprinted and can be personalized to celebrate special occasions – perfect for your gift-giving!
Check it out!
What does a new year mean New products, of course (1)
This is my favorite new Printed Treasure! I love the chalk board designs, and this with its patriotic pennant banner and message that salutes our troops – it really speaks to me.
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Another favorite in the middle!
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Simply Said has many new designs for the bride and those celebrating an anniversary!
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The overwhelming response by far tells me this will be one of the most popular of all our new items. This distressed board, made of real wood, is personalized with your names and wedding date!
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Perfect for Thanksgiving and any time of the year when you want to be reminded of all that we are grateful for!
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Those with a lake home can attest to this! We’ve got designs for the beach home owner, too!
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A tribute to dad!
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And we couldn’t forget mom!
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I’m loving the Printed Treasure on the left: Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass it’s about learning to dance in the rain.
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I LOVE the creativity of the design on the right above – this is absolutely a wonderful keepsake for the graduate! A Sharpie and you have a signed memento!
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The distressed slotted boards are beautiful hung flush on the wall, or sitting on a cabinet top.
They mimic the look of a DIY pallet, without all the work!
Here’s a link to the new catalog if you would like to see more! http://simplysaidinc.com/catalogs/simplyseasonal/
For shopping and business inquiries, please visit my website: http://www.mysimplysaiddesigns.com/TRACINIESE/
And if you would like to earn free Simply Said products, consider having an in-home party, online party or catalog party. Give me a shout and I’ll show you how easy it is!
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Simply Said at The Empty Nest

Today I had the pleasure of doing a Simply Said party with Janet from The Empty Nest – a delightful  shop that sells Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. Janet and I go back a few years — I had met her during Annie Sloan’s US tour, when she was in Leesburg, VA. I was attending and brand new to chalk paint. Someone introduced her to me as my local stockist (back then she was a booth-holder in an antiques shop). Now Janet has a gorgeous shop full of amazing furniture and goodies in Old Town Warrenton, VA. When I was painting furniture I was in her shop almost weekly. Talk about inspiration – check it out!

Ahhh – the mother lode!

Janet’s shop is a feast for the eyes! She has chalk paint, antiques, painted furniture, hand-crafted items, repurposed items, lovely textiles, and so much more! I could browse for hours!
She was so kind in offering to host a party for me in the shop. I set up in the back and we had a nice crowd join us to learn how to use Simply Said in their decorating. Here’s a few shots from the party!
Janet put out quite the spread!
 I loved the welcome sign!!
My Simply Said display included a few painted items, as well as Simply Said’s accessories and designs.
 In this picture I am removing the grid paper from the back of a design.
Here I am demonstrating how to easily hang a design on the wall. 
I had such a nice time chatting with the women who came. I loved hearing their ideas for using Simply Said. One lady, named Sue, is planning on creating a custom design using Simply Said’s online tool, called Your Way. She’s going to make a back-splash design that I have no doubt will be the conversation piece of her kitchen!
This was certainly a fun venue for a party! Big thanks and appreciation go out to my friend, Janet! if you’re in the Warrenton, VA area, be sure to check out The Empty Nest!
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More on color – choosing wall art colors

Now that I am a Simply Said design consultant, and doing home parties, I am getting a lot of questions about how to choose the color of their wall designs. So, I created this little guide to help. While this sheet talks about vinyl designs specifically, the suggestions are applicable to any wall art – paintings, prints, metal art, etc.

First – match your art with an accent color. If your room is mostly neutrals with a pop of red in your couch pillows and curtains, then red would be an ideal wall art color. Look at the photos in the top half of the page. Notice they chose vinyl colors to match their accents: a lime green accent wall, a red pillow and red in the rug, teal pillows, and a brown bedspread.

Another option for choosing color – go with the same color as your wall – but in a few shades lighter or darker. So, if your wall is light blue, like in the photo above, then use a darker navy blue color for your wall art. The use of one color family in various intensities is subtle and beautiful.

When in doubt, going with black or white is usually a safe bet, too!

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May is National Pet Month

I’d be remiss if I let the month of May slip past without mentioning National Pet Month!  So, I’m going to bring back a post I did two years ago – in honor of our beloved 4-legged babies!  Even if you’ve read it before, take a moment to get through the whole post, because at the end I have added some new content.  Enjoy!


There’s no denying that pets make a home happy. Hairy too! But, I overlook that for all the joy and love my dog brings our family. In honor of National Pet Month, here’s a post devoted to our furry friends – especially Charlotte, my 8-year old yellow lab baby.

Char-Char at 9 weeks old…


Today…



These days, there’s all kinds of designer decor to glamify your pet’s space in the home. I personally love the idea of giving your 4-legged love their own space. A place to eat, a place to sleep (if your spouse is against them sleeping on your bed – good thing for Char that hubby is overseas a lot!), and a place to just chill during the day. And why not make those places lovely by coordinating them with your decor?

This is Char’s dining area in our laundry room. I wish she had a room all her own, but this little space gives her a quiet place to eat away from the activity of our kitchen and our 5-year old.


The vent keeps it nice and warm in the winter and cool-as-a-cucumber in hot weather. She likes laying on the vinyl floor in the dog-days of summer. (I know – dog puns – stop already.) The aluminum food storage pail was purchased at HomeGoods, and definitely looks more stylish than a big ole yellow bag of Pedigree slumped in the corner. (To be honest, we keep the food pail in the garage. I brought it in just for the photo. If you keep your dog food in the garage, a tin container like this is the way to go. It will keep the mice out of your dog’s food. Lesson learned – do not use a plastic container – mice chew through!)



I bought this painting at a HomeGoods. This epitomizes Charlotte – the tennis ball-obsessed girl that she is!



I like the little rug under her bowls – keeps the area tidy and coordinates with the curtains. These curtains were hung purposely just above the floor -to keep them clean and from inadvertently dragging into the bowls.



It’s a dog’s world! This adorable plaque was a gift from my bestie, Sharon.

And here is Charlotte’s bed in my office/solarium. She usually chooses to lay in here when I work, so I was giddy when I spied this doggie bed at HomeGoods that completely matched my color scheme: sea-foam blue and brown.



From this perch she can sleep in the sun or keep watch on what’s going on out back.


And pose for mommy’s pic!


When she isn’t lounging on her bed, there’s one other place she calls her own. Even hubby has given her reign of this couch. The zebra throw protects the couch (well, not really, it still gets hairy) and looks pretty cool too!



When I was thinking about this post, I surfed the net for doggie decor, and found a lot of inspiring ideas. I love this pet bed made from recycled pallets!

And I thought this was a great idea for providing kitty with indoor activity, while still looking architecturally cool!
And beds! Wow – there are sooooo many unique, stylish and inventive pet beds out there. Kind of makes Char’s bed look like she’s sleeping on a Flintstone slab of bedrock! Check these out!
Aqua lucite – for the posh pup!

 Kitty can still sleep next to you, without actually being on the bed! Awesome idea!

Wish they made this basket-style bed in big dog sizes! I would so be snapping one up for my big girl!

And I can’t forget our fish-friends… I love this modern fish condo! Except it needs some rocks and plants. A fish has gotta feel at home too!
The pet decor available on the market is endless. There’s no reason Fido and Fifi’s digs can’t coincide seamlessly with your style. And the options look so comfy. Heck, I’d sleep in some of those beds! Charlotte is looking over my shoulder, silently making her picks right now. Ahh, if only we could read their minds!
NEW!!
And here’s something new to honor the pups and kitties in our lives – Simply Said has wall quotes for them too! There’s cute sayings for dogs, cats, even horse-lovers! 
Or dog, in my case! 
Give your pets a hug!
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