Improvability Blog

Part 1/2

Neil and I are covered in muck, dust, grime and filthy, dirty cobwebs. We’ve just spent two whole days clearing out our loft ready for some new insulation to be installed tomorrow. 

I’m absolutely shattered. And, yet again, I conclude that I was not put on this earth for manual labour because, after all, I am a 4-star-minimum girl with beautifully manicured nails! And before you ask, Neil totally agrees with that statement.

We discovered all sorts of stuff that had been slowly rotting or rusting away for the last goodness-knows-how-many years:

• What made me think that a solitary black bin liner would keep a quilt and pillows clean and dry for the last 5 years?
• Why did I store my old Olympic typewriter up there without even a cover over it? This reminder of the ‘olden days’ when I had to keep my nails short or the heavy keys wouldn’t go down is now sadly covered in rust
• Why on earth didn’t I give them all to a charity years ago?
• And why did we save at least 20 humungous cardboard boxes from our last house move 16 years ago?

We now have a whole yard full of stuff to take to the tip, so that’s going to mean even more hard work; we reckon on 4 back-breaking car loads… I’m beginning to feel faint at the very thought.

What a waste of our valuable time when we could have saved ourselves all this stress by not hoarding all this rubbish in the first place.

I know what you’re thinking. You live and learn. But sometimes lessons like this cost far too much. I’ve got:

• aching limbs from running up and down our extremely steep Edwardian stairs carrying impossibly heavy boxes
• a throbbing head from constantly looking up just in case something should come flying out of the loft hatch without warning
• a sore throat from swallowing a pile of grit that DID fly out of the loft hatch without warning. I reckon that stuff has been up there since the house was built in 1906
• a very sore finger from having an extremely heavy dumb bell dropped directly onto it from a great height – and Neil had the audacity to laugh. Good job he was out of reach at the time or I’d be doing time now for GBH!
• and a scraped shin from sliding too fast down the loft ladder with a thundering great box in my hands

If only we’d videoed it all – at least I’d have earned £250 from ‘You’ve Been Framed!’

Unlike what those highly-suspect ‘dosh in the attic’ TV shows may suggest, hoarding hasn’t produced any little treasures for us. All it’s done is caused us loads of hard, physical, time-consuming work for no monetary gain.

And from a business point of view, it’s robbed us of two whole days which could have been spent creating or improving a product or service to help our customers and provide more income for our business.

Every cloud has a silver lining

But we have achieved an awful lot too.

We’ve started the clearing out process ready for our next house move and, in getting rid of the rubbish which was taking up valuable room, we’ve made space for a whole lot more good stuff to come in.

Part 2/2 – Getting rid makes way for massive change

I am one happy bunny!

Sophie Sharp from Australia emailed me recently.

“Hi Kim, It’s been a while since I emailed you. I studied your Colour Analysis in a Box.

I’m the colour consultant in Perth, Australia that’s been doing colour parties as well as one-to-ones.

Just recently, my little business has really taken off

I have been approached by a style company that do style parties and basically they have asked me to join them to do colour parties for them. It’s really exciting stuff and I am meeting some wonderful people. If you get a chance check out shopnfriends.com.au and you’ll see me on the colour consultancy page!

THANK YOU FOR BEING SUCH AN INSPIRATION TO ME. My confidence is now ENORMOUS. I am one happy bunny!

I have a great business opportunity

I was introduced to a jewellery company the other night and they actually create their jewellery with face shapes and style personality in mind. I was there for over three hours talking to them about colour and tones. And I showed them an example using my cream and white pearls against my gold and silver drapes. Well, they fell off their chairs and the next thing I know they are pulling all these beads and stones out from their little compartment drawers and placing them on the drapes. It was soooo much fun. They were like two little excited squirrels.

Next on the agenda is to give them both a colour consultation so that they are wearing the right coloured jewellery for themselves.

And they are going to give me a few samples of their jewellery so that I can show my clients. I also left them with a swatch of each of the seasons so that they can select their beads a little easier. I can’t wait to see their new designs.

And to think, my hubby just thought I had myself a new hobby!

A great tip for other image consultants

On another note, the other day I bought a nice-sized mirror with 4 picture frames on it.

What I have done is put a seasonal wallet in each of the frames.

I have found that when I am draping my ladies in front of the mirror it is putting them at ease because it gives them something to look at and talk about between me getting the next set of drapes – rather than staring at themselves in full day light with little or no makeup on!

I’ve attached a picture. I thought this might be a helpful tip for some of the other consultants. It’s an excellent conversation piece.

Good luck with the style training. Don’t work too hard.” Sophie Sharp

HOW TO CONTACT SOPHIE SHARP- If you would like to attend one of Sophie’s colour parties or consultations, then email her at colourswithconfidence@hotmail.com or telephone mobile 0405 076 737, or website colourswithconfidence.com