Month: October 2025

There are many little things you can do around your home to make it more organized and comfortable. Here are a few examples how mirrors, trays and etagers can upgrade even the smallest spaces in your home.

1. Mirrors – For Extra Light and Wider Spaces

Mirrors are more than practical or beautiful – they catch light and motion. They are interior design objects, magic creators of illusion and space. It is not vain to have many mirrors in your home. No, it is smart!

Mirrors „open“ walls for extra depth and effectively help small rooms look bigger. I added mirrors to all walls of my narrow kitchen to make it look wider and warmer. Mirrors „double“ uplifting views such as outdoor nature, flowers or beautiful objects.

Mirrors add to our safety. Think of car mirrors: They assist us in seeing angles which otherwise would be hidden from our eye. A mirror that shows your main door from a place inside your home that would otherwise not overlook the entrance situation may add a feeling of control. Likewise, a full length mirror to check your outfit before leaving the house gives you the benefit of control over your appearance.

Mirrors in lieu of artwork add extra interest, an uplifting effect and the experience of motion. Think of the festive Hall of Mirrors (Galerie de Louis XIV) in Versailles. Add background mirrors to china cabinets to „multiply“ beloved objects.

Just avoid mirroring situations or unattractive views you don’t wish to multiply (i.e., garbage cans, the wardrobe mess, etc.). Also, be careful with the placement of mirrors in your bedroom. Why? When you get up in the middle of the night, your mirrored self could feel falsely alarmed by the surprising motion. Place bedroom mirrors where they don’t disturb your sleep.

Lastly, think of mirror and light as a winning team. Mirrors, when placed next to a lamp, double the amount of light at no extra cost. They help save energy. Plus, mirrors and beautiful lamps look gorgeous together.

2. Trays – To Organize All of Your Life

When organizing all kinds of surfaces in your home, there is one magician that does it all: the tray. It comes in all sizes and materials, round or rectangular, with or without handles. Some have a mirror surface to double light, crystal and other beautiful objects, for extra effect.

The traditional use of trays is to transport food (and china) from where you cook to where you eat, i.e., the dinner table or the TV-sofa-setting. But there is more to trays. As we grow in wisdom and years, daily rituals and reliable settings become crucial for our wellbeing. Fixed spots for our daily helpers such as the blood pressure device, reading glasses, medication, supplements and the like, free us from wasting precious braincells while trying to remember where we last put what. They help us to manage objects of everyday life.

On a tray, you can organize anything:

• dinner table decorations (flowers, candles, etc.),
• signature objects to tell a visual story (i.e., as the focus point in your entrance area),
• seasonal decor, plants and photographs,
• fireplace decoration.

But trays also organize all the practical stuff:

• bathroom and beauty utensils,
• nightstand knick knacks,
• kitchen objects (spices, everyday stuff),
• medication and supplements,
• iPad, mobile phones, blood pressure devices.

On a tray, your stuff is safely held in one place and simply looks better. Another benefit of trays is their handling: in order to clean the surface underneath or around it, you simply lift the tray. Instead of carrying individual objects from A to B, you carry just one item: the tray. It saves you precious time and nerves, and it will always look orderly.

See? Trays are true household angels.

3. Etagères – For the Extra „Wow“ Effect

Like our horizontal buddy, the tray, an étagère helps us to organize stuff. Like trays, étagères come in all stiles and materials. They usually consist of two or three levels on top of each other. Instead of horizontally, they work vertically.

Extra bonus: The looks, baby! Although easily available and affordable, an étagère tends to signal something special. A touch of Five O’Clock Tea, a hint of aristocracy, a breeze of luxury. Not everybody has one.

There’s no British Teatime without the étagère. Where else would cucumber sandwiches, scones and fluffy pastry be artfully presented? We all know the luscious fruit arrangements from still lives in the museum or as impressive center pieces on royal dinner tables.

Etagères are the extra portion of luxury in your home. What is easily overlooked is their practical benefit: An étagère helps save space! What you can stack vertically, you need not organize horizontally. Therefore, why not go beyond fruits, veggies and Christmas cookies and use your étagère for organizing spices, vitamins, beauty essentials and you-name-it? Neatly stacked, beautifully arranged and fully transportable, with a touch of extravaganza that makes you feel special.

For more ideas and inspiration see my book: 17 STEPS TO BEING HOME.

Let’s Have A Conversation:

Do you feel well organized and safely structured within your home? Are all important devices easily accessible? Do you know where they are, always at your command? Do you have the extra portion of luxury that makes you feel special and unique? Share your ideas and inspirations with this community.

Including ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ Taylor and Engaged Era Taylor!

From solitaire to Toi et Moi, these are the classics.

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Originally posted at: Heather Gay’s White Printed Polo Collared Sweater

For every woman in the 60+ age group who responds to one of my articles, hopeful about dating again, an equal number write back with a heavy sigh: “Never again. I’m done.”

I understand. Dating in this stage of life can feel like a big set-up for disappointment, and sometimes like too much work.

But before you walk away from the dating scene completely, I want to point out four of the wrong reasons women give up – reasons I hear every day as a coach.

At the end, I’ll also share one very good reason to actually be “done” with dating.

Reason #1: Your Past Mistakes

Maybe you chose the wrong relationship, ignored red flags, or stayed too long in a marriage that no longer made you happy. I hear this from women who feel burned and afraid of repeating history.

Every one of us carries what I call “hauntings,” life’s wrong turns and painful chapters. Especially if your last relationship or breakup was messy, you need to detox.

The hard times have to be turned into “the right lessons” in your own mind. Mistakes aren’t proof that you can’t find the right person. They’re a chance to learn a better way.

Coaching Tip: I map out the healing work from your past here. I wish it were simpler, and I am sorry that it is not.

You will need to write up the lessons learned from past heartbreaks and create a clear list of deal breakers for the future. Keep it short, because overloaded “deal breaker lists” can push good potential partners away.

Good news, most people only have 1 or 2 bad “picking” habits that need to be kept on a leash, not dozens!

Reason #2: The Belief That No Good Ones Exist

I often hear, “All the great guys are taken.” Or, “Online dating apps are full of con artists.”

I can validate that the dating market has its challenges, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t quality single men looking for you. Of course there are. Many men over 60 are divorced, single, or widowed, and they are lonely too.

The belief that nobody good exists is just your fear talking. There are millions of singles on dating platforms and dating websites, in addition to infinite chances to meet new people in real life.

Finding a potential partner has to start with believing they exist. And good news, the fact that people find new love every day, proves it’s possible.

Coaching Tip: Examine your belief that there are no good men out there. You are a good one, and you exist; doesn’t it make sense that your counterpart exists, too?

Every day, people “get over themselves” and get back out there to try again. And remember, you only need one great man, not a dozen.

Reason #3: Your Age

Some women tell me, “It’s too late,” or compare themselves to younger women in the dating scene.

But here’s what relationship experts and even the occasional clinical psychologist will say: age also brings wisdom, clarity, and emotional depth.

The dating process in your later years can feel different – both slower/harder and more urgent. You may feel out of touch with how to manage the technology of it all. What happened to good old-fashioned phone calls?

But here is one thing I know. For every man who is looking for a younger woman, there are two who are definitively not looking for that!

Coaching Tip: Reframe age as an asset. You already know what’s actually important in a new partner, and you’re more likely to build a lasting, healthy love based on whether or not you are a good match head, heart, and hoo-ha vs. just superficial things.

Reason #4: Your Location

“You don’t understand, Laurie, there are no good choices in my town.” I hear this all the time from men and women all over the world: no matter where people are, they are discouraged by their location when it comes to dating.

While the dating pool is in fact smaller in certain places, it’s NEVER going to be the reason you can’t find a new relationship. New people are becoming single in your general vicinity each and every day!

Coaching Tip: Be skeptical about your theory that you live where you live, but a perfect match for you couldn’t possibly exist. Look for examples around you of people finding love and use them to encourage yourself not to give up.

The One Good Reason to Quit Dating

As promised, here is your one good reason to quit dating: if you genuinely prefer your own company, if the single life brings you joy and peace, then by all means – quit the dating scene.

That’s not giving up; that’s choosing what’s right for you, right now. Falling in love with yourself is a worthy cause!

But if what’s holding you back is bad theories about your worthiness, ability, or the dating pool, please don’t let those stop you. There is plenty of opportunity (and time) all around you to find the right person for you – someone who wants you for who you are and the quirky package you have to offer.

You are not too much or too little to attract a great mate; you’re perfect for your perfect match. You don’t need to be everyone’s cup of tea; you just need to learn to date in a way that helps you find the right person for you.

Coaching Tip: If you want to learn that way of dating, watch my free webinar where I’ll guide you through the best way to start dating again, with hope.

Also read, What Do Older Women Think Men Want – and Are They Right?

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Was there a moment in your life when you bowed never to date again? What was the reason? Have you since changed your mind?