October brings some tricks to use in your home

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My younger son became a big close up magic trick enthusiast earlier this year. He was mainly learning card tricks and has a YouTube channel where he performs and teaches others what he learned. This YouTube channel has a growing list of subscribers. Some of his videos have attracted over a thousand viewers. I guess he is not alone with his interest in magic.

Earlier this year for his birthday present to him, I took him – along with my older son – to a magic convention, to Manhattan to view the Houdini exhibit, and to a magic shop that even the professional magicians love to hang around.

While at the magic convention, my son interviewed another magician who was planning his own magic convention and gave my son VIP tickets for promoting his event on YouTube. Two of the key magicians at this more recent magic event are world famous. My son interviewed both and will share what he learned in a future YouTube episode.*

Why am I sharing this with you?

Magic is all about perception. So is the design of our homes. There are techniques that we can use to help us feel more comfortable, make small spaces seem larger than they are, to reflect our own personalities and much more.

As my son was able to learn the secrets that made these famous magicians successful, so will this newsletter and the ones to follow share secrets to design a home that will better enhance your own lifestyle. Let’s look at three tricks that you can do this month to treat you and your family.

1. Create a special bedroom for your kids.
I met a wonderful mom with her precious young daughter in the store the other day. They were shopping for a new bed for the little girl. She was growing out of the baby furniture and the girl needed a bed. The little girl was such a sweet young lady. A real princess. They selected the Alyn upholstered bed. The cutest thing happened, when they were leaving, I offered a tape measure to the little girl. Holding it stretched out in front of her, I urged her to accept my gift. Instead of grabbing the tape, she just walked into it. Her mom explained that she misunderstood me and thought that I was going to measure her for her next princess dress.

2. Add dramatic lighting for the upcoming Thanksgiving dinner. Thanksgiving dinner is filled with food, family, and fun. A lady that I helped select a new dining table told me about how she feeds at least 75 family members on Thanksgiving. There is a dining table that is new to our showroom that has crackled glass surrounded by a wooden top. While this table will not seat 75 people – heck, King Arthur’s round table is even too small for that many people – she intends to use it for a service table for the holidays and a dining table for the rest of the year. Here is a cool trick that she taught me, put a battery powered fluorescent light underneath the table and allow it to shine upward through the crackled glass “window” in the wooden top. This light will cast cool designs upward on the ceiling. How’s that for a dramatic center piece for a Thanksgiving meal to remember?

3. Create a private place for you.
During the rush of the school week, Halloween howls, and with the upcoming holidays creeping up, we all need time to relax and get our thoughts together. Find a place to meditate and read like another customer of mine who meditates before starting her days and during the evening. She needed a special place made just for her. You don’t need to spend all that money to remodel a private room or a man cave, just do what she did… Choose a chaise that you can escape to. The chaise acts as a perfect accent to a study, bedroom, or to a living room. A word of caution though, you might have others who will want to use the chaise when you do.

*By the way, if you would like to see my son’s YouTube channel, check it out at http://www.youtube.com/user/MrMagic204 . The two internationally famous magicians that my son interviewed are Dr. Lennart Green (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_oa8m5Oq00) who is known to be the master of misdirection and Wayne Houchin (http://www.waynehouchin.com) whose magic seems to appear supernatural.

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Did You Know that Doodles are a Sign of Intelligence?

One of the brightest people that I have ever met was John Morrison. John was an architect and a professional engineer. He was a chain smoking Camel (non-filtered), down to earth, practical, Texan to the core, and brilliant man.

He was my 2nd boss out of college.

If you are also named "John", on my LinkedIn list, an architect, and past partner of this truly unique person, then you know who I am writing about.

I don't know if John Morrison is still alive. I hope so. But, it is possible that the Camels finally stampeded over his ability to dodge the inevitable. Like John, I also have double who has my name and is a professional wrestler. But I digress...

John was always doodling. He would doodle when he was listening intently to a conversation in person or on the phone. Sheets and sheets of paper were filled with his doodles. I only wish that I pocketed at least one to show you. Each on looked similar to the other. They all had thin lines drawn in curves that radiated out from themselves in various concentric fashion. I often wished to know what was going on in his mind while his hand was steadily etching out the next episode of his concurrent swivels.

No surprise to me, there now has been proof that doodling is a sign of higher intelligence. Check out this video to learn more about how you might also be a genius like my early mentor and doodler was.



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Hurricane Irene aftermath 2

What are you doing with your home to protect it from floods, bugs, and other uninvited threats? I will share tips that you can use in the upcoming home improvement magazine editions.

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Hurricane Irene aftermath 1

What are you doing with your home to protect it from floods, bugs, and other uninvited threats? I will share tips that you can use in the upcoming home improvement magazine editions.

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A quick tour of an historic home

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