{photo credit:Heather Castles}

Remember what it felt like to go nuts over your favorite crush of the moment? How you wanted to consume everything that had to do with it, you talked about it, dreamed about it, and maybe even secretly were a part of a fan club — perhaps even self hosted? Do you secretly miss being able to plaster what you love and adore in all it’s glory in every environment that touches your life? Do I remember that feeling? Well yes…I’m feeling it right now. I’m a huge fan of Twilight! Despite my love for the Twilight franchise I do not have posters plastered everywhere of Robert Pattinson, no Twilight bedspread, or Twilight bandaids in my medicine cabinet.

Once you become a “grown up” it can be a bit creepy bringing all of that paraphernalia into your space.

But you can can bring in the love of your life through a much less IN YOUR FACE way by using the theme to spice up and brand your home. I’ll use another example of mine, Michael Cera. I just watched the movie “Youth in Revolt” and if I didn’t already love him as a talented comedian, I love him even more now. I simply can’t get enough of him. And it got me to thinking…why?

He has a very particular style that is carried throughout all of his films and once I took note of it, I realized that his style reflects my own. And very possibly I get a kick out of watching him on screen because he brings out a part of me through his work….so is it safe to say that I’m actually in love with myself? Could be.

Let’s solve your obsession!

If we worked together in bringing some style cohesion to your home or small business, we’d start with investigating where you get your kicks, what gets you fired up, what things do you follow and you can’t understand why but everytime you watch it be a movie, or hear it be it a song you instantly have to watch, listen and buy more of it because it makes you feel good!

This is a tool designer’s use when getting started on a project. We do intensive research on our subjects and pull from  that data to formulate concepts. Those concepts then provide the fuel for accomplishing the design. Concepts are nothing more than a set of rules that govern the project. They don’t box in the outcome, but rather give it infrastructure.

To get your wheels rolling I’ll get you started….
some ideas I get from Michael Cera that align with who I am and can be used as concept to design my home or biz…

1. his sense of color–>he generally dresses in a monochromatic base and intentional splashes of vibrant color. I could use the same rules to apply color in my home and brick and mortar store and graphics for small business.

2. humor and whimsy–>non-traditional pairings, story-telling through vignettes in your space

3. his sense of style and texture–> Cera wears alot of vintage, corduroy, trendy shoes, classic accessories which can be brought into furnishing choice, wall finish, and choices of metals and appliance finishes

4. life and vigor–> choice of accessories, color, informs scale

5. quiet and nerdy —> can show through furnishings, display of books, color palette choice.

It’s my job to help you be you and the world will thank you for it!

It took me a long time to be ok with being me and to stop measuring up to others….and trust me it’s still a work in progress. Let’s make a personalized product for you to include all of your Twilight feverishness, Michael Cera obsession or whatever makes you tick and fall in love with yourself and your ideas!

If you’d like to have a personalized idea book to help you design your home or small business space let’s work together and have fun pulling out all of your peculiarities and find comfort in knowing it won’t be held against you if you’re a Twilight fan

What makes you…you?

Is there a trend,  a style, a movie, a song, an actor, a theme, an era that you fall slave to and want to know how to bring that essence into your home without it being cheap and distasteful?

Tell me all about it!

be well….kanisha

You know those sometimes, not so nice flowers that are really cheap at the corner store, the Walgreens down the street, even the discount grocery store……

You ever think about buying them?

Maybe not…why?

Sure, they maybe a bit wilted and don’t have too many days left, but the job they will do on your spirit is certainly worth the $3.00 they cost; besides, we still appreciate them in nature when their on their last leg. Perhaps we can carry that mentality indoors as well.

One of my little fantasies is to live in a world where there is a floral bouquet in each room.

If I buy them discount I can actually achieve that dream and not have to wait till “ONE DAY” when my paycheck is big enough. What if I never get to that day and that bouquet fills up my funeral instead of my home? I’d rather have my home filled in abundance with the life and sweetness that only flowers can bring than to have it when I’m no longer here to appreciate it.

As a kwell client and as your designer this would certainly be on your prescribed plan. I want each one of my clients to live as beautifully as possible TODAY.

You don’t have to wait. Go get some stems of Joy!!

be well…kanisha

{photo credit: kanisha williams}

A typical day was sitting at my desk feeling lifeless and spent. A creator who could no longer create.

Let me tell you… as a designer…this is the kiss of death! I was terrified that if I ever got the chance to work on something that stimulated me, actually create something, I would no longer know how. It occurred to me that I needed to get back in touch with my thoughts fast. But how? I had no life in me to draw, paint, sketch, and certainly not make a building that would make your heart sing. My desk was next to the packing supplies and right there…was a huge roll of kraft paper and in my bag a book I’d been reading that was simply about what made the author happy. I got it!!

Immediately out of work I went to the Office Depot to buy my very own roll of brown goodness and I knew exactly where I’d put it. A big white wall in my kitchen just waiting for this opportunity. Up the paper went, out my markers came, and soon I’d filled out a huge portion of the wall answering the question I posed “What makes me happy”? After indulging myself for a couple of hours scribbling away at my stream of consciousness, I decided that this would be an amazing experience to share with anyone who would walk through my front door; and that is exactly what happened. Friends, their friends, maintenance men, family…basically if I could shove a marker in your hand….you were writing. Kraft Paper became my salvation.

I often heard the response, “but I’m not creative….I can’t draw”. “I don’t know what makes me happy”. I don’t know about you but just hearing that was all the more reason for them to do it. Everyone is creative and I found that most people have rarely been asked what makes them happy. So I’d give them sometime to think and soon it would come pouring out. Yip yip!!

$1.50 gave me an experience that keeps on giving.

Sure. It’s not the latest designer wallpaper. But it’s a hell of a lot more inspiring. To be able to step into my kitchen and see what I’ve done, see what makes me happy, what makes others happy and know they had a great time reflecting, drawing and writing  is priceless.

Simple, little offerings that show your uniqueness and your brand is what I want to help you bring to your home or your small business. It doesn’t have to be costly, it doesn’t have to come from a catalog.  What it does have to be is intentional and enrich your life. I started kwell to help you do just that…. attain a personalized product.

What makes you happy? What can you do in your home to awaken your senses? How can you share the experience with your loved ones?

Some things that make me happy:

my mom’s peach cobbler

crossing the finish line at my first marathon

container gardens

the fact that my cat nestle’s meow sounds like an old man with emphysema

bea arthur

rubber stamps

the chuckle of a good friend

Now your turn!! Get started….

till next, be well…kanisha

{photo credit: kanisha williams – happy wall}

“You are the only person I know that refers to the wisdom of the Golden Girls”!

One of my dearest friends warmed my heart when she told me this today. Rue McClanahan ( Blanche Devereaux from the 80’s show The Golden Girls) has departed our world and I’m greatly saddened by this loss.

It’s true. I am a Golden Girls junkie. Besides my Grandmother letting me have all of the grape Hi-C and Zingers I could eat, it’s the explanation behind why my visits were as rampant as the kid on the movie Cocoon. She watched Golden Girls religiously and I loved her for it!

I was the only architect to take off admittedly at 5:00 when the rest of the world leaves work (but of course not architects) to head over to Rue’s book signing : “My First Five Husbands…. And the Ones Who Got Away”. I squealed with delight as I stood in line at Borders waiting for the fabulous Girl to show up and seduce us with her charm. To my surprise it was a packed event. I thought I would be the only  30 year old juiced up with excitement like I was heading to the latest boy band concert; and no Hi-C this time, promise. Nope, I was going to witness a 73 year old author writing about her quest to find herself. Much better than a boy band concert!!

“People always ask me if I’m like Blanche. And I say, ‘Well, Blanche was an oversexed, self-involved, man-crazy, vain Southern Belle from Atlanta — and I’m not from Atlanta!’” — Rue McClanahan”

Five things I learned from the Golden Girls……..
1. Comedy cures all wounds.
2. To be 5′10″, weigh over 190 pounds, and have a voice like Barry White doesn’t mean you are any less a lady or beautiful.
3. Feeling inadequate, not good enough, and like a failure is normal. What will you do about it tomorrow?
4. Home is where the heart is.
5. Life doesn’t stop at 60.

++Did you learn anything from the show and it’s wonderful cast of strong women? Which character are you? Would you like to inhibit the qualities of that character, would your life be richer for it? How can you start?

{photo credit: kanisha williams}

3day weekends–> You make big  plans right? Maybe get out of town, do some diy projects around the house, visit family/ friends for get-togethers? Did things  go as planned?

Common things that always happen to me…spent more time in a vehicle getting to my destination than being there, could’ve taken up residence at the Home Depot trying to pull my ideas together accomplishing nothing, visited those family/friends only to undergo the traditional interrogations about what I’m doing with my life , or maybe they just plain canceled leaving me with no plans. I can’t possibly be alone in this. Please tell me I’m not?

Now I’m just sitting on my ass sulking, angrily fantasizing that the weekend will be over soon and I have no goodtimes to show for it. To prevent a cranial implosion, I now try to have a backup plan so the whole weekend isn’t shot. I don’t take on activities like diy projects without a strategy in place first or make plans to attend get-togethers without a backup in case they don’t prove true.

One of the best 3day weekends I ever had was extremely simple. I visited parks that I always go by on the city bus, thinking to myself  “one day I’m going to get off and go there”. Right Kanisha…one day! Of course I never do. What am I waiting for? Do you do this?

In big life terms, it couldn’t get better. I could’ve been at a cafe in Paris and I have been many times, but what I replicated was that sense of calm in knowing I was doing something  just for me.  Just sitting, sketching and riding my bike with an ice cold drink was my big life that day. No huge impact on my wallet, my carbon footprint was small, and my sanity was intact. I suppose when people ask you on the other side of the weekend “what did you do all weekend? “,  you might feel like your time spent was less than illustrious because their wasn’t the social proof of going on a big trip or having a bunch of people around you that says to our sensitive psyches “I had a weekend worthy of discussing”.

I believe what makes you happy is illustrious.

Don’t let others screw off your well deserved time and for goodness sake don’t do it to yourself! If there are things you want to get done, give it some sincere thought and learn to delegate to outside sources. Need help? I can help you create a plan to move forward in your diy projects. Create your personalized idea book and coach you through the process of building your desires so there are no more wasted weekends dilly dallying. Actually get things done….what a concept!

Help you help you. Plan enough, live accordingly.

till next, be well…. kanisha

{photo credit: kanisha williams}

The U.S. 66 sign stands while an infectiously happy couple seal the moment with a picture before they set off their journey to LA, the end of the line. They are travelers from Italy backpacking through the U.S. via the Historic Route 66 which starts in downtown Chicago and on to the west coast.

They flew here as well as their Dukes of Hazzard inspired scooter with just two duffle bags, layers upon layers of clothing on their backs, some broken English and from what I could tell when speaking to them, zero care in the world about how white their teeth are—they looked like the bottom of my coffee cup. Don’t get me wrong… besides their lack of pearly whites and my inability to discern one strand of hair from 50 clumped together by oil and gunk…they were both lovely!! They had a style and an air about them that the latest Cosmo and GQ magazine try to push to the trendy American.

But quickly I understood their priorities. They got me thinking about the amazing times they were about to have and are having as I write this post. It’s ironic; here they are in the middle of the business district on a work day, they aren’t even from this country, flew over their scooter, and are making their life happen as I know so many in their tan cubicles would love to be doing….perhaps even at the cost of beige teeth and hair that doesn’t smell like fruit.

-enjoy your trip you two!! — kanisha

{photo credit: kanisha williams}

What can the dearly departed teach us about living a blss life? As I’m sure you have your own inspiration to draw from,  I’ll focus on two of my own… Mr. Rogers and Superman. What can an everyday Jane, such as myself, draw from these two icons? How can we aspire to inspire others as they have through their efforts? How can we sprinkle some “SupRogers” (Superman +Rogers portmanteau) into our lives?

Start with the obvious. They both wore red. Both were celebrities and primarily dominated the 80’s pop culture era. They were good guys, big smiles and white teeth, and their hair was parted and slicked to the right.

Mr. Rogers (Fred Rogers-1928-2003) was a man with a mission to give an expression of care to each child… to help them realize they’re unique and that you make each day a special day by just your being you, a consummate storyteller, and in my opinion a remarkable person in character and in real life. In 1969 he sat in front of Congress pleading for funding for his show. He said “I feel that if we in public television can only make it clear that feelings are mentionable and manageable, we will have done a great service for mental health”. Continue reading “Mr. Rogers vs. Superman. Did they live BLSS?” »