Cecilia Staniec

Good Morning!

I'm thrilled to announce that I have been selected to represent Kirkland's Home Decor Stores as one of their Interior Designers! I will be featured on Kirkland's new web site www.mykirklands.com. This interactive web site debuted on August 27th and will provide Designer advice, tips and tricks to the web community. In addition to design "chat", photos may be uploaded, design discussions may be created and new Kirkland's product may be reviewed!

As if this isn't enough excitement, you can sign up for the "DECOR FOR FOUR" giveaway event (ending Sept. 24!!) You and three friends can enter the contest on www.mykirklands.com - the winners will each receive $2500 in Kirkland's gift cards and a personal DESIGNER (maybe even ME!) to create a beautiful room for you in your home! An amazing opportunity to re-do a room in your home for FREE!!!

For those of you in the Pittsburgh area on September 26, I will be making a Kirkland's store appearance at the Cranberry Township store. Please stop in and meet me anytime between 1pm - 4pm! We can "talk shop" about design, decor or real estate!

Please feel free to check out my design company, www.adarlingroom.com, for more information on my specific design services.

Many thanks, as always, for the ActiveRain support!

Cecilia Staniec

Owner, a darling room

Hey ActiveRain!

Tomorrow (Aug. 27th) at noon, the www.mykirklands.com Designer competition is ending! The vote tally has been removed from the web site to keep an element of surprise for the contest winers! I was in the lead when the tally was removed. PLEASE help keep me in the lead by voting for me here:

www.mykirklands.com

VOTE for CECILIA STANIEC and don't forget to open your email from Kirkland's to validate your vote!

Many thanks to the ActiveRain community for helping me so far! I look forward to posting fun Designer tips and trade secrets once this competition concludes!

VOTE TODAY!! Thanks again!

~Cecilia

ACTIVE RAIN...

Have you checked out the new mykirklands.com website? It's full of fun, insightful decorating tips and creative visions for your home and work space. AND you and three friends can enter to win a Designer room makeover worth $10k!!

Check it out: www.mykirklands.com

While you are there, VOTE for CECILIA STANIEC to be one of the permanent featured Designers on mykirklands.com.

Help make a Designer's dream come true!

VOTE for CECILIA STANIEC (owner of a darling room, www.adarlingroom.com)!

Many thanks!

Cecilia

A special message tonight to everyone in East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. If you would like to help make a girl's dreams come true, please go to www.mykirklands.com and cast a vote for CECILIA STANIEC.

WJHL reporter David McAvoy reports today from Kingsport, TN on the mykirklands.com Designer competition!

Kingsport Native Needs Your Help Becoming Next Kirkland's Designer

By David McAvoy
Digital Journalist/ WJHL
Published: August 11, 2009

A Kingsport native is looking for your help to become the next designer for the home decor store Kirkland's. Cecilia Hataway Staniec graduated from Dobyns-Bennett in 1991, and now lives in Pittsburgh, PA. She is competing against 9 other hopefuls for the title of myKirkland's designer. On her profile, it lists the following as her "Quick Tip" :

I love to turn small spaces into cozy rooms! My best tips for creating a cozy retreat include:

1. Don't be afraid of color! Small rooms can really come alive with the right bold shade. If you're hesitant to color commit, pick up a few "sample size" paints and test them out in your small room! Check the color choices throughout the day to see how the light plays against them....pick one and go for it!

2. I can't emphasize it enough....get rid of the overstuffed furniture! Small spaces need furniture that is similar in scale. Huge, stuffed sofa/loveseat combos ruin the cozy aspects of a small room. Instead choose cleaner lines and more petite furniture pieces...perhaps a studio sofa and a pair of chairs....to properly furnish your small space.

3. Create a focal point. If you don't have an automatic focal point such as a fireplace, create one using a tall piece of furniture or a piece of art. Keep the focal point simple, but obvious. The eye will have a lovely place to rest as it enters the room and your focal point will set the stage for the room's mood and decor.

To help Cecilia win the contest, all you have to do is click and vote at http://www.mykirklands.com.

(PLEASE NOTE: After you vote, check your email in-box. Open the email from Kirkland's to validate your vote! Thanks!)

You can have the perfectly designed home, but it won't be yours until you add the decorative accessories. Accessories are a reflection of your unique personality - they show people what you care most about in life. Here are a few of my favorite ways to accessorize the home:

~ Any flat surface can be a display showcase for photos. But be careful! Family photos are a favorite display item, but they are often overused. Try taming back the pictures to three or five frames. Group the frames together on a side table. Cut pieces of wallpaper, scrapbook paper or fabric to cover a plain-Jane white mat. Pull the grouping together by coordinating the mat materials and using frames in like tones. Be diligent and rotate the pictures so that you always have a fresh photo collection.

~ Largely overlooked decorative elements like shelves and bookcases offer an invitation to show off your personality! Pretty wall-mountable shelves are inexpensive and easy to find. Install shelves above a console table or down a hallway and display your family photos. Use a baker's rack on the patio to hold pottery and container flowers. On built-in bookcases, use baskets or covered boxes to hide clutter. Display large books as stand-up art. Fill glass hurricanes or canisters with office supplies to display in the home office, study or library. The trick to decorating shelves is to include a mix of both functional (lamps, books) and decorative (pictures, art) personal items.

~ If you have unique vintage china, or wedding china that is never used, consider hanging a few plates on a wall. There are so many options for this kind of display - above a sideboard in your dining room, above your guest bed, or paired with a foyer table. Pick one large piece, such as a platter, for the focal point. Use smaller plates in a symmetrical pattern around the platter. The plates do not have to match but should be similar in tone and scale. Most flea markets and antique stores have oodles of china; pick several different patterns and create a unique display that will wow!

~ Mirrors and glass are easy accessories to mix into any room. They add sparkle and shine, they pull light into the room, they can be dressed up or down and they increase the visual space of a room. The items you choose for your room show off your personality type - be it cut-glass crystal and ornate gold mirrors, or simple glass planters and distressed wood mirrors. But don't feel that hanging a mirror is your only option - lean one against a bookshelf or a mantle, use one as a tray atop an upholstered ottoman or use a small one as a display base for perfume bottles in the bathroom. Go for an unexpected twist!

~ Decorate for the seasons. For fall and winter, bring out nubby blankets, down pillows, spiced candles. Throw down a plush wool rug. Hang some bamboo shades on the windows. Drape a lush duvet over the end of your bed. Focus on warm colors and textured fabrics to cozy up your rooms.

~ In the spring, think cooler sisal or embroidered rugs, light cotton pillows, seashell displays and botanical art. Buy delicate linen shades for your lamps and add crisp sheers to the windows. Use what nature provides - display fresh flowers in the family room or bowls of fruit in the kitchen. The focus should be on cooler colors and sleek fabrics that create light and airy rooms

Accessories can either make a room shine or create chaos and clutter. To make sure your room shines, never treat your accessories as an afterthought. Invest some time and energy when selecting accessories and I promise you will find the perfect complement to your design. The proper accessories will create an ambiance that is unique, personalized and meaningful to you!

Happy Accessorizing!
~ Cecilia Staniec, Owner, a darling room (www.adarlingroom.com)

This article was featured on the new www.mykirklands.com website. For more tips of the trade and design secrets, go to mykirklands.com and have fun browsing!

Please also vote for Cecilia Staniecto become a featured Designer! Go to www.mykirklands.com. Click the "vote now" button from the home page, select Cecilia Staniec, click the "cast your vote" button. Check your email in-box for a confirmation email...you must open the email to validate your vote. Thanks!