E-Decorating Services

E-DecoratingHi everyone!

Today I want to let you in on a little secret… I’m now offering E-Decorating services! I’ve been working on these packages for some time now and it’s time to share them with you. What is E-Decorating, you may ask? Well, E-decorating is a way in which you and I can work together on a space in your house without me having to actually be there. I know… Jetsons style! I do all consultations and decorating by phone and online. It’s not the easiest way to decorate but if there’s any way that I can help you improve your space for an affordable price then I’m all for it. Yes, you do have to put in a little more effort on your end than you normally would when hiring a designer but hey, in the end, I think it’s worth it. Unless… if you want to fly me to your beach house in the Seychelles, I’m not going to complain… :-)

You can see a list of all of my services and pricing by clicking on the SERVICES tab above. If you have any questions at all, you can email me through the CONTACT page above.

Thanks for reading! Hope you had a great Thanksgiving!

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Before & After: Tr3s Top 20 Set Design

Top20_38It’s finally done peeps!

Two weeks ago I posted a “Before/Process” blog post about the design for the set of MTV’s Top 20 show on Tr3s. (You can read it HERE). Well, it’s finally done!! Here are a few of the Before and After shots. As you can see, it is modern yet cozy and comfortable. It also has various different sets (5 to be exact). So versatile! Enjoy!

This is how the room looked like before the Zania magic happened.

Top20_44 Top20_34 Top20_42 Top20_33 Top20_43 Top20_31Top20_10 Top20_36Here are a few of the Latin artists that have appeared on the sets! They look so happy to be there! LOL! BTW, you can follow Top 20 on Instagram @Tr3s_Top20.

Fidel Rueda
Fidel Rueda
Carlos Baute
Carlos Baute
A.B. Quintanilla
A.B. Quintanilla

This is how it looks like behind the cameras. This was a hard place to design since it needed to be multi-functional and there is always chaos in some corner; cables, lights, filters, boxes, more lights… You get the point. Overall this was a great experience. Now on to more projects!!!

Top20_35

Top20_37That’s a wrap!!!!

Want me to design your space? I can cater to your style and needs. I have some packages that you can view and decide which one fits for you! Click on the Services tab above for more info.

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7 Things I Learned About Money at WSS Miami

Hello hello beautiful readers!

How many of you want more money? If you didn’t say “me” then there’s something wrong with you. LOL! We all want more money! And guess what? There’s absolutely nothing wrong with saying that. Saying you want more money doesn’t necessarily mean you are greedy. You want more money because you want to put yourself in a position where YOU and your clients seriously respect and value YOU. You want more money because YOU want to provide security for yourself and/or your family. You want more money because having it feels Hella Good! Doesn’t it?

WSS1Then ask yourself this: Are you worth what you’re getting paid? Are you working yourself to the core and not seeing financial results to your liking? What are your thoughts on Money? Ultimately, do you know your financial worth?

All of these questions were addressed last week at the Women’s Success Summit in Miami which is organized by the charismatic and award-winning entrepreneur, Michelle Villalobos. I went to the first summit in May (read that post HERE) and it was so good I had to come back. This summit gives women entrepreneurs the tools and guidance to dream big and help them grow their business. This time, the theme was; “Show Me the Money”. That’s right. Money. I second that. Woop Woop!WSS7Here are 7 quotes and lessons that I found interesting, insightful and helpful. If you follow this advice your money ‘mojo’ will surely change! Most attendees, including myself, had some serious “Ah-ha” moments. I’ve narrowed them down for you here.

  1. When women have money, businesses, communities and charities do better” – Michelle Villalobos. This is so true. You may have read in my post (HERE) about the CNN Movie “Girl Rising” that women are the direct agents of change in developing countries. Why? Women are naturally wired to GIVE. Women are innate caregivers and like Michelle said; “We have the ability to increase power and influence“. Amen sista’. This is why the women of this world need more money.
  2. An important aspect of money is how you think about it. That’s called your Money Mindset. This is most likely what is hindering you from getting more of it. As the powerful Mina Shah states; “Being smart doesn’t guarantee financial success… Working hard is just one ingredient in creating financial success… Making a lot of money doesn’t necessarily mean financial success… Money is neutral” – Mina Shah. How do you look at money? If you fear it, then you have nothing to gain from it. You have to think of it as a neutral, non emotional thing. Don’t fear it. Retrain your brain to look at it differently. During her exercise, I started to see that for me Money = Peace of mind. No need to get nervous, anxious or fearful. Your Money Mindset is crucial in taking the right steps that will lead you to financial freedom. Mina is a powerhouse. You should read more about her HERE.
  3. This money mindset goes hand-in-hand with the quote from Wayne Dyre that speaker Bert Oliva repeated several times for a very good reason, “change the way you look at things and the things you look at change.” I love this quote and it is absolutely truthful.
  4. Use philanthropy to tell your story. People will fall in love with you.” – Jessica Kizorek. Having traveled all over the world documenting the calamities, problems and breakthroughs of other towns and cultures,  Jessica explains how telling potential clients about your support for charities lets them know that there’s a higher purpose behind your work. Companies also benefit from this for numerous reasons such as marketing. This will surely help you make more money in the long run.WSS4
  5. Lack of trust makes everything slower and more expensive.” – Joachim de Posada. This is a big one. By taking full control of everything (aka lack of trust, aka micro-managing) you lose money. Whenever that happens, you have set yourself up for failure because one person will never be able to handle what 3 others were hired to do. No one will ever work exactly as you do because there is only one You! Get over yourself! Delegate. (I don’t mean to be harsh, but I’ve seen this one with my very own eyes and it is lethal to your mind, your body and your company). You are not able to do it all. Get help in those areas that you are not good at or hate doing. You’ll reap the benefits in the end. Which is a great segue into…
  6. Sacrifice now to get paid later.” – Joachim de Posada. This is called self-discipline. A million dollars overnight only happens to lottery winners and most of them end up spending it all. This is exactly what I’m doing now, my friends. Sacrificing now to get amazing results later. It is one of the hardest things ever, but I believe in myself now more than ever and I vow to not let myself down.WSS2
  7. And most importantly, “Have a plan” – Jody Johnson. Three little words that will make a hell of a difference. You should try it. It works.

These were some of the suggestions that I took from the event. (There were many more, but these seemed fitting for this post). Now it’s time to implement them. That’s the hard part. It takes a lot of brain power and courage to break down the walls and move forward. In the end, I know my worth. I know the value of my time. I also know how to decorate. So, this means that pretty soon you will see the cost of my services go up. Why? Because I love what I do and I do it well. In the meantime, I’m doing more and more planning. At least you get this blog for Free! LOL!

Did any of the points I mentioned above hit you in the gut? Or maybe gave you an “Ah-ha” moment? Want to learn more about the speakers mentioned above? You can read more about them here:

    • Michelle Villalobos, Founder of the Women’s Success Summit – @Mivi – www.michellevillalobos.com
    • Mina Shah, professional speaker, trainer and strategic coach – @MightyMinaShah – www.minashah.com
    • Bert Oliva, professional speaker, trainer, entrepreneur – @BertOliva @Bowaworld – www.bowaworld.com
    • Jessica Kizorek, video producer and award winning badass business woman – @JessicaKizorek – www.jessicakizorek.com
    • Jody Johnson, Business Coach – www.actioncoachteamsage.com
    • Joachim de Posada, motivational speaker and author of “Don’t Eat the Marshmallow, Yet!” – @JoachimDePosada – www.joachimdeposada.com
    • Watch Joachim de Posada’s insightful Ted Talk Here:

Thanks for reading, and Go out there and make some Money Honey!! Oh, and don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter in the above column on the right. I promise I won’t send you a million emails. I hate it when people do it to me, so I won’t abuse it.

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Chocolate Shortbread Logs

Straight from The Baking Corner, here comes the November recipe: Chocolate Shortbread Logs adapted from the book “Cookiemania – 100 Irresistible Recipes for Cookiemaniacs“. These delicious cookies are the perfect combination of crunchy and soft. So easy to bake and so delicious. I bet you already have the ingredients at home! The part where you dip the cookies in chocolate is my favorite! Perfect recipe for kids! Enjoy! ¡Buen Provecho! Continue reading “Chocolate Shortbread Logs”

Before: Tr3s Top 20 Set Design

Hi everyone!

For some time now I’ve been wanting to share this amazing project that I worked on in the last month. I was hired to design the set for Tr3s Top 20! So freakin’ awesome! Tr3s forms part of the Viacom Networks family (MTV, Vh1, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon…). It targets the Latin community in the United States. They do a weekly show where they present the Top 20 music videos of the week along with artist interviews and entertainment news! I got this job because… well… I worked at Viacom for a long time and they decided to keep the project “in the family”. This is a true testament on how you should NEVER burn any bridges. Plus, it’s impossible to burn bridges when the crew behind Top 20 is so sweet! That said, I want to give thanks to Claudia, Myra, Olivier, Ashley, Lissette, Kris, Danny and Efren for the opportunity and the help! I’m so grateful. You all rock!

In our initial consultation we discussed all the necessary objectives of the space. They wanted the space to be functional, sound proof, look professional, comfortable, versatile, modern and clean. So right off the bat, I knew I wanted to incorporate movable furniture, pops of color and make it simple. They also wanted to record live acoustic performances. That called for furniture that would work well with musicians, (guitarists especially). Having worked in television before, I knew this wasn’t an average interior design job because set design is very particular. It’s amazing how things look completely different on camera! I had to scratch about 3 wall design options that I had drafted… Bye bye ombre effect in geometric patterns! I also had to work that oddly placed column into the design. We couldn’t do any structural changes to the place so ‘demoing’ it wasn’t an option. Lighting was not part of my plan either because they would have a pro come in after I was done to light it properly for the cameras.

This is what the place looked like in its original state.

Top20_6 Top20_7 Top20_8 Top20_9 Top20_10 Top20_11 This place needed some serious tlc, don’t ‘cha think? And guess what? I had TWO WEEKS to pull this off!!! No joke!! This means that every piece needed to be in stock, within the budget, and delivered within this time frame. Insane. Oh, and this all needed to happen while I was also attending a two day conference in Orlando and then shooting an episode of Miss Ideas for Yahoo! This was right about the time when I asked the décor Gods, “May I get an HGTV crew here with me asap?” No reply. So, I just repeated the following to myself, “Make quick decisions, breathe and go for it.” That’s exactly what I did and I ended up enjoying the process.

My inspiration was the mod style, colorful with a vibrant vibe. Neutral backdrop with pops of color. Modern. Clean. Bright. Geometric. Some of those things ended up happening, some didn’t but that’s usually how it works. Lots of things change during the process.

Top20_29 This was the draft they liked from my presentation of the design concept for one of the walls. Simple design. Lots of potential.

Top20_30

The office handyman, Efren, patched up the walls, smoothed them over and then painted. We picked Gray Area 770F-4 from Behr in a flat finish from Home Depot as our grounding color for the walls. They would hold up colorful shelves and a series of accessories, so this asks for a neutral backdrop. The outlets and switches were later painted gray too in order to have that seamless flow on the wall. We didn’t want those standing out. We also painted the rubber foot board which was black. Removing it would have added more work, so in the interest of time, that was not an option.

Top20_13 Top20_15 Top20_14The original white backdrop was totally busted so we repainted it with Ultra Pure White 1850 (W-B-500) from Behr in a flat finish from the Home Depot. It was soooo white that you couldn’t even determine the depth of the space! Creepy!

Then I placed painter’s tape on the wall where the shelves were going to go. I also wrote down the color of the shelves on the tape as a reference for me and Efren.

Top20_16 Top20_17

Top20_23I installed the Wedgies from Sam Ash on the door and adjacent wall. Not only do they improve the acoustics in the room, but they also have a nice sparkle once the light shines directly on them. They wanted a design pattern so I attempted two. They ended up with neither, but more on that later.

Top20_18 Top20_20Top20_28Soon after the wedgies were installed, we put up the curtains. These Mariam curtains are from Ikea (sorry couldn’t find the purple listing online but they have them in store). They are thick enough to block light and they also absorb sound. We installed them over the doors and the sound proof walls in order to create another set within the set. The rods are also from Ikea.

Top20_24As you can see, I attempted to decorate the column in the middle with like color duct tape. I removed those because none of us liked them.

Then the furniture started arriving…

Top20_2 Top20_19 Top20_27The orange chairs are called System 1-2-3 Dining Chair from Design Within Reach. I fell in love with these chairs the moment I saw them. They fit the space perfectly since they are low enough to sit comfortably in, they are swivel (so cool) and they don’t have arm rests which makes it easy for any guitarist to play without being uncomfortable. The red chairs are the Catalunya chairs from Modern Home to Go Miami as well as the two Piro side tables.

So this is all I’m going to show you for now. Awww! But don’t worry, keep checking back for more on the “during” part of this challenging project and then the final “After”.

Thanks for reading!Signature_Zania

Not Your Average Jack O’ Lantern

After a recent binge pinning fest on Pinterest I ended up finding so many fun ways to decorate your Halloween pumpkin that I just had to share them with you! The only problem is now I can’t decide what to do! Here are several crafty ideas on how to create fun designs for your calabazas! Warning: image overload!

via HGTV
via HGTV
via BeadandCord.com
via BeadandCord.com
via Joann.com
via Joann.com
via MarthaStewart.com
via MarthaStewart.com
via SweetPaul.com
via SweetPaul.com
via Shelterness.com Many more creative ideas if you click on this image link!!
via Shelterness.com Many more creative ideas if you click on this image link!!
via lgcfyi.com
via lgcfyi.com
via Lowes.com
via Lowes.com

Aren’t these great?!! They inspire me to do something out of the box with my pumpkin this year! Almost every year my husband and I carve pumpkins. Sometimes we get a little too competitive and more often than not we end up biting off more than we can chew. Needless to say, it ends up being a fun activity. Here are our crafty creations from 2010.

avatarpumpkin owlpumpkin_zania

After taking a 2 year hiatus from carving pumpkins due to our wedding and a much-anticipated trip to Europe, we’re ready to get our hands dirty again this year.

If you like what you see here you can view more on my Halloween board on Pinterest by clicking HERE. Enjoy! Happy Halloween!

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Miss Ideas #21 – Decorate With Duct Tape (Part 2) | Decora con cinta para ductos (Parte 2)

Miss_Ideas_Decorate_with_duct_tape_part2_titlecardAnd here is Part 2 of our Duct Tape series on Yahoo’s Miss Ideas! This one is easy to do and can give any table a shocking makeover. Now I want to cover everything in duct tape! Click on the image above to view the video.  To view Part 1 of this series click HERE. Thanks for visiting my page!
To receive these posts directly in your inbox, click on the “Follow Zania.net” button on the right side of this page. 

Y aquí esta la segunda parte de la serie de decoración con cintas para ductos de Miss Ideas en Yahoo! Cuenta con una transformación increíble al cubrir una mesa con estas cintas. ¡Ahora me ha dado fiebre de cubrir todo con cintas! Házle click a la imagen de arriba para ver el video. Para ver la primera parte de esta serie házle click AQUI.   ¡Gracias por visitar mi página!
Para recibir estos posts directamente en tu inbox házle click al botón “Follow Zania.net” en la columna de la derecha. 

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Before & After: Ribbon Art

Hello everyone!

Some time ago I asked you to submit your very own B&A projects for this segment and your response was fantastic! Here is our first B&A post by reader Maria S. I’m so happy she submitted this because it is so easy and can add such a wonderful pop of color to any space! Thank you for submitting your project Maria!

Before_MariaS Continue reading “Before & After: Ribbon Art”

Miss Ideas #18 – Elegant Braid | Trenza elegante

Hi!

And here we have the last braid of the braids series for this season on Miss Ideas on Yahoo  We label it as an elegant braid but like every other braid we’ve done, they are very versatile. Use it at night or during the day, for work, brunch or a date. I’ll admit my arms were hurting at the end of this braid but it was definitely worth it. Plus, I was so proud that I had done it! To view the video, click on the image below. Hope you like it! If you try it at home, please let me know how it goes! You can upload your braid pics to my Facebook page HERE. To see the other braids we’ve done, click HERE. Thanks for watching!Miss_Ideas_elegant_braid_zania_titlecard

Aquí vamos con la última trenza en la serie de trenzas de la segunda temporada de Miss Ideas en Yahoo. La categorizamos como una trenza elegante, pero al igual que todas la otras, es muy versatil.  Usala de noche o de día, para el trabajo o un paseo por la ciudad.  Admito que me dolían los brazos al terminar el peinado pero tu misma te sentirás orgullosa e impresionaras a todos. Si intentas hacerte la trenza, ¡cuéntame como te quedó! Puedes poner la foto en mi página de Facebook AQUI. ¡Espero que la disfrutes! Para ver las otras trenzas haz click AQUI. ¡Gracias por ver los videos! 

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Miss Ideas #17 – Office Braid Bun| Trenza para la oficina

Let’s face it, sometimes our hair just doesn’t cooperate. This sophisticated braid bun shown on this episode of Miss Ideas on Yahoo  is an easy fix for the bad hair day blues. Just twist, snap and go! It’s great for rainy days too! Click on the image below to view the video. Thanks for watching!Miss_Ideas_Office_Braid_Bun_Titlecard

Desafortunadamente nuestro cabello no coopera con nosotras en todo momento. Por eso hay peinados como la trenza que puedes ver en éste video de Miss Ideas en Yahoo que resuelven ese mismo problemita. Con tan solo enroscar y sostener tu cabello estarás lista para tu día. Es buenísimo para los días de lluvia también. ¡Espero que disfrutes el video y gracias por verlo!

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