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how to nurture, DIY Like a Hummingbird

How to Nurture Your Kids’ Creativity: #1 Is to Respect Their Feelings

I have been preoccupied with how to nurture my kids’ creativity ever since they were born. Recently my daughter Mia told me that a toy I made for her when she was approximately five years old is the inspiration for a collection of handbags she is designing: “Your favorite handbag as a transitional object.”

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urban apartment, architect on demand, advice without strings

An Urban Apartment: 5 Tips for Organizing & Displaying Your Collections

I know this client since the 80-ies; he is my ex-husband. Actually, he is one of my biggest fans these days and talks about the great job I‘ve done remodeling and organizing his urban apartment when I am not there to hear it.

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outdoor kitchen, architect on demand, advice without strings

Designing an Outdoor Kitchen: 5 Steps to Thinking Outside of the Box

Opening your mind to undefined possibilities is what they call thinking outside the box. My friends reached out to me last-minute; they were starting a project in the backyard — installing an outdoor kitchen and a new hardscape.

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space-saving desk, architect on demand, advice without strings

Born out of necessity: Space-saving Desk Does 5 (actually 10) Things at Once

Space-saving design is born out of necessity. It solves, simplifies, and gives an alternative. Sometimes, it even anticipates a problem before it occurs.

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turning house into home, alla diy ally, architect on demand, advice without strings

Turning a House Into a Home: 5 ways to mix old and new

Imagine turning a house into a home. House vs home. What is the difference? I conjure up an image of an apparatus programmed to cooperate, even anticipate and inspire. It’s a sophisticated contraption attending to all of my whims — ascertaining that my emotional and physical wellbeing is taken care of. It’s designed with efficiency…

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architect on demand, advice without strings

How Difficult Is Simple?

Mary Little sat right next to me at a panel discussion. Once the Q&A part was over, she asked me to reflect on it. I welcomed a conversation — always too shy about approaching someone myself.

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masterplan, DIY Like an Architect

DIY Like an Architect: Learning How to Masterplan

Architecture class at ArtCenter’s Saturday High: last week. My creative teens have practically learned everything about how to think like an architect. We’ve come full-circle and are practicing how to masterplan through mind mapping and collaging. It’s the final step in DIY Like an Architect: 11-step method.

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architect on demand, advice without strings

DIY Like an Architect: Designing with Scaled Drawings and Models Simultaneously

Architecture class at ArtCenter’s Saturday High: week six. My creative teens are practicing how to think like an architect while working on steps  8 and 9 of the DIY Like an Architect: 11-step method.

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models, DIY Like an Architect

DIY Like an Architect: Designing with Models

Architecture class at ArtCenter’s Saturday High: week five. Last week my creative teens started scaled drawings — step 8 in the DIY Like an Architect: 11-step method. Some of the kids are eager to build already; they are moving right along to step 9, a scaled model.

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understanding scale, proportion, DIY Like an Architect

DIY Like an Architect: Understanding Scale and Proportion

Architecture class at ArtCenter’s Saturday High: week three. We are working on understanding scale and proportion. First two sessions were devoted to initial brainstorming steps of DIY Like an Architect: 11-step method. Today my creative teens are sharing the insights — building presentation skills is one of the objectives.

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