Featured: Tip’s Home Featured on DesignSponge!!!

July 21, 2015 • nat • Before & After, Happy House Rules, Inspiring, Interiors • 2 Comments

House Tour Alert!

I’m so excited and delighted to share that Tip’s gorgeous family home is featured on DesignSponge today!

If you know about the interiors blogging world then you know that Design Sponge is THE place for interiors. And I couldn’t think of a better place for Tip’s home tour than there!

Too often every day life doesn’t look like the photos we’re being presented in interiors blogs and magazines. It’s styled, things are removed from the image. A stylists adds things that are borrowed to make things look prettier. Photoshop removes cords, cracks…

Not here! Tip’s home in the photos is exactly as it is: gorgeous, beautiful, and a real living breathing space that Tip and her family lives. Transforming spaces into places that are authentic, honest and feel great…and exactly what we’re all about. And of course, did I mention gorgeous?

You don’t need to trust me…off you go and have a look.

PS And just for kicks, here are two before photos so you can see just how much amazing work Tip has done transforming the space.

Natx

Corner Series: Mia Linnman Home Favourites

June 30, 2015 • nat • Bedroom, Corner Series, Happy House Rules, Inspiring • No Comment

Hello folks! We’ve been talking about sharing favorite corners in the homes of people who inspire us, along with their favorite personal “rule” or habit for having a happy healthy home. So we followed our own advice and started it…and now we’re excited to finally share the first results of little passion project. First up, the gorgeous Mia Linnmann.

Just start…with a corner

Happy House Rules™: simple rules to live by

Introducing: Mia Linnman, graphic + interior designer + blogger

We’ve been following Mia for years now over on her blog. She’s “an interior and renovation (restoration) lover” whose clients include IKEA, where she worked on their catalogues. “I also love to paint, mainly horses in large formats.” (You can see & buy them here.) “At the moment I work as a graphic designer and also trying to keep my blog alive. I like to have small projects around the house and I love aesthetic but also cozy (homey) and unpretentious interiors.”

About Mia’s Favourite Corner

“My fav corner for the moment (yes, it changes) is this one in our bedroom space. it’s a new corner since we just changed some rooms and did some refurnishing. As we moved around, changing room for a lot of things we landed our bed in our former lounge area, a quite open space.”

I like it because it isn’t perfect and planned.

“In the messy part of the refurnishing, all our paperbacks ended up on this bench just for temporary storage. But I realized I liked it, I like it because it isn’t perfect and planned. Interiors can be too correct and matched and personally I think it can be boring.”

Mia’s Happy House Rule

My happy house rule is to add something that quite not correspond (match) with the other things or atmosphere in a room.

For example, if you have classy, old or rough interior add something temporary or ultra modern (if you like that of course) and if you have a new, modern space add something old with a history.

And don’t feel afraid to let you favourite personal stuff take place, it shows who you are and makes your home more unique.

But also, even if you have a lot of stuff, let some free space and air in between.

Thank you Mia!

You can find more of Mia on her blog, pinterest & instagram

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Do you have a favourite corner of your home? Post it on instagram “#favouritecorner” @apartmentdiet and show us. And if not, well, you know what we say “Just start, with a corner”. Off you go…and like Mia says, remember it doesn’t need to be perfect.

The Power of Release

June 10, 2015 • tip • Inspiring, Spirit • No Comment

We promised you the story behind Natalie’s release of her first book “The Wedding Virus & Other Snippets” so here it is! A little snippet from where she first wrote about it on Dreame.me – Where Art & Storytellers connect.

Stuff only becomes clutter when it stresses us out.

I don’t always remember my dreams. One thing I do remember, however, is the dreamlike state I experience while in the shower. With the water rushing and my eyes closed, the moment a little thought pops into my head with great fervor, I have no choice but to listen.

Perhaps it’s the water that turns all the other noise off, or the soothing trickle against my back that allows my mind to ease into an uninhibited state.

Last year, in the midst of one such moment, I received the message, ‘release your mental clutter.’

Read more of her story on Dreame.me and let us know in the comments if you have a seemingly physically small item in your space that represents a huge emotional weight that you’ve been ignoring. We are here to help you release the weight – so tell us!

Tipxo

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Exciting news – Natalie’s book is out now!

May 17, 2015 • tip • Inspiring, Products • No Comment

I’m excited to share the news that Nat has just released her debut collection of short stories, The Wedding Virus & Other Snippets. It’s available on Amazon and Kindle right now! I’d love you to support her by buying the book (and telling ALL your friends!). Hee. I’ve read it, and for someone who isn’t into chicklit (give me a detective story any day) I can tell you that it made me laugh. Out. Loud. Yes, really.

Filled with stories and anecdotes, Natalie describes it as “short bites on love, life and of course, the stress that surrounds weddings – your own, or the fact that you aren’t married yet… I think it also the perfect gift for any gal who’s engaged, or simply wants to find love or laugh.” I would add that actually, if you like chicklit and having a giggle then it’s also a book for you.

I also love it because it’s the perfect book for those of us who love to read but don’t have the time to sit down and finish a novel.

What are you waiting for? Seriously, go already. ;-)

PS I know we usually chat about living lighter, but this is a huge achievement and I am so very proud of her!!! Coming up soon, the story surrounding her book release – we’ll get back to living lighter soon enough. We are also all about what makes you breathe and shine, which for Natalie is storytelling and writing! If you would like to support her, please head over to her site and buy a book and/or recommend it to a friend.

Weekend ideas via Slow Your Home

January 30, 2015 • tip • Inspiring, Weekend Links • 1 Comment

Since we don’t want to completely abandon you, our lovely community, here are 5 weekend ideas via Brooke from Slow Your Home:

Letting Go of “Apartment Diet” – with thanks

January 23, 2015 • nat • Inspiring, Spirit • 2 Comments

“Apartment Diet, it’s been grand but hasta la vista, baby! Mwah. Tipxo”
“Apartment Diet – so long and thanks for the fish! x Nat”

It is with great joy and thanks and “release” that we say goodbye to the name “apartment diet”. It’s been a wonderful journey and we’ve learned great lessons but we’ve outgrown it and it’s time to move on.

It’s likely that we will be back in the coming weeks (months?) with a new, clearer brand. And of course, we’ll let you know of the new name and address we find. or that finds us.

Nat’s longer love letter to Apartment Diet is below. (You know we love love letters – and generally living with grace and gratitude.)

xo Tip & Natalie

Beyond Minimalism: Pre-coffee ramblings from my bed

January 17, 2015 • tip • Happy House Rules, Inspiring • No Comment

Random train of thought ramblings from this morning on the topic of Beyond Minimalism. No script, no editing but it does include the lovely sounds of my yawns, bedsheet ruffling and the occasional scream from a child. That’s life. And me testing out the iPhone 6 voice recorder. Listen if you dare! ;-) Happy weekend, Tipxo

PS You won’t believe the thoughts that ran through my head before posting this (it’s not good enough, do people really want to hear you yawning or rambling on, it’s too long, it should be more polished etc) … BUT, in the interest of walking the talk and letting go of the shoulds that I’ve talked about, here it is, in its entirety, warts and all. Now, time to go buy some coffee!

PPS For all the true minimalists out there – this is most certainly not about dissing minimalism. It’s just my thoughts on how the idea of minimalism gets misconstrued and the focus sits squarely on just getting rid of things/decluttering rather than focusing on the heart of what the movement is about. But actually, ít’s also about going a step further … past even caring about stuff in the first place.

Just BE: Breathe Extravagantly

January 14, 2015 • tip • Inspiring, Spirit • No Comment

listen, are your breathing just a little & calling it life? #quote #wisdom

So I was at yoga last week, as usual, when my yoga teacher said something that I thought was pretty awesome. She was talking about the breath (as you do a lot in yoga) and she said, “most people don’t breathe very well … shallow, unsatisfying breaths, or they often hold their breath … what I’d like you to do is breathe extravagantly”. I had never heard this expression before but I loved it so much and just had to share.

So if you’re feeling stuck or overwhelmed or stressed about anything, I invite you to take 5 minutes right now and breathe – extravagantly!

PS Sounds so simple, but it works. And we’re all about what works. Taking a few minutes out to stop and breathe is just one of 20 ways we have up our sleeves to help you get started, unstuck and moving in the direction you’d prefer.

Sign up below if you haven’t already and receive a sneak peek of our forthcoming eBook, 20 ways to start, as your free gift:

Oh and if you haven’t heard yet – we will be speaking and workshopping at The Hive Conference in Berlin in April this year! Come and join us?! Check it out here.

Kickstart 2015 with Words, 20 Ways To Start & A Love Letter

January 7, 2015 • nat • Inspiring • No Comment

Hello lovely people,

A note to welcome in 2015. And two gifts.

Tip and I are starting excitedly, energised and also, not in a rush. We’re also thinking of our words for the year…we choose a word, or in my case this year, 3, to hold across the year. My words are FUN, NOURISH, and RELEASE. And I’m looking forward to see how they play out.

We’d love you to join in on that too. Simply ask yourself the question “what word do I want for the year?” and listen to what comes up. Sometimes they pop in immediately other times they take time.

We have been getting a lot clearer around the fact that a lot of our work is about getting you started on YOUR path, helping YOU cut through the noise in your life to focus on what matters to YOU, as well as teaching you how to start DOING IT…whatever IT is. Whether it’s at home, work or your life in general.

How can we help you do that? Many ways in fact, but here’s one you can start with right now.

Unlock our ebook: 20 Ways To Start

Tip and I have decided to offer our ebook, #20waystostart as a free gift for anyone who subscribes. It’s a way, well 20 ways actually, to kickstart any project at home work or life, and guaranteed get you unstuck, move you from being overwhelmed, help you say bye bye to procrastiation and ENERGISE you in 2015…

To get your copy as a gift, just pop your details in here:

And it’ll arrive straight into your inbox.

A Love Letter to 2014: Give Thanks to 2014, bring in your successes and what you love, let go of the rest.

If you haven’t had a chance to take stock as 2014 rushed by, the next best time is now. Take 10 minutes now and write a list of 20 things you are proud and thankful for from last year. Give thanks to the year that was…and take a deep breath and on the exhale let go what needs to be released. Repeat breathing in the good stuff and out the other stuff for a bit if it feels right.

Blessings for a fabulous year! We can’t wait to journey with you!

Natalie & Tip

Happy holidays, a break & a thank you gift from us

December 20, 2014 • nat • Holiday Season, Inspiring • No Comment

As the year winds down for most of us, we want to take the time to THANK YOU for being so amazing and following and supporting us on our journey and wish you and yours a happy peaceful healthy and light holiday season.

It’s been a big year! And 2015 is looking to be a HUGE one. So we’ve decided to take the holiday season as a rest break. We’ll be back with a bang on January 5th. As part of giving thanks & celebrating success Natalie is also writing a love letter to 2014. You may enjoy joining her. Tip is still in her social media hibernation for the month of December. You might consider joining her for a part of your holidays. Or joining us both.

And now, as a gift from both of us:

20 Ways To Start: Our Best Tips To Get You Kick Started in 2015!

We’re known as the starting experts. One of the reasons humans don’t make changes is really simple. They don’t know where or how to start. Tip & I are often called in to kick start people and projects… and along the way, we’ve learned and developed MANY ways to start. At least 20. Yup. #20waystostart! It’s not comprehensive, there are more, but these are the ones that work best for us – as always, let us know if you have more for us to add to our toolkit. Hashtag it #20waystostart!

Starting something hard is no mean feat. Don’t worry, we are sharing our secrets. Our favourite 20 little secrets in fact. Because we love you all for supporting us and wanted to give back. Aaaaah … feels so good.

So next time you get stuck doing {insert time-sucking time-wasting activity here}, might we suggest that you open our gift instead?

Ulimately we imagine this is an app / work book / deck of pick at random type cards (or all 3!), but for now, it’s a little .pdf for you to use. (Because we’re also starting before we’re ready.)

Don’t underestimate the power of starting. Because all things really get done the same way. Start. Repeat. Start. Repeat and ………….. done!

If you find this list useful, please feel free to pass on the gift. And let us know how you’re using it too. We love to celebrate successes with you!

To unlock our gift & learn our best tips for getting started, just enter your details in the sidebar form (if you are already on our email list don’t worry – we will send you the link directly! Keep an eye on your inboxes.)

Happy Holidays!!

Tip & Natalie

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