My Story - I Love To Create

Ever since I can remember, I have loved to create something using colors and textures. My name is Kim and I am the Web publisher of interior decorating ideas for you.

Sometimes I think my husband Tom and our two grown daughters, Kelly and Rachael, think I am a tad bit obsessed with decorating. I love to give rooms new looks, recreate the past, and I am constantly changing decor around from room to room. I also have always had a passion for helping others.

The Distant Past

In my school years many many years ago, I would decorate my room in the typical late 60's and early 70's theme. Ah, age revealed! Remember the colors back then? I would hang posters all over the ceiling, as well as arrange candles and other collectables all over. Tom and I are high school sweethearts, and of course there were many pictures of Tom all over my room. Wearing each others class ring was the in thing also back then. I would take mohair yarn and every night wind the soft yarn around the ring so it would fit my finger. I would change the color of the yarn to match the clothes I was wearing the next day. Alright, how many of you did the same thing?

Graduating from hight school took me to working in a Rehabilitation Center in upstate New York. One year working there and then off to college to get a degree in Mental Health. Hum, Mental Health degree and ending up as a landscaper and an inside out designer?

Marriage And Our Daughters














After Tom and I graduated from college, we got married and moved around the country. This is when I really became interested in decorating inside. As you can see from the pictures above, I loved to change walls and colors back in the 80's. Not only have decorating styles changed, but so have the hair dos.

Each place we lived in had a little different style of decorating. From New England, to Oklahoma, to western New York and now down south in South Carolina. Different colors and fabrics, furniture and trends. Each place we lived taught me a little bit about the peoples likes and dislikes. We lived in a couple apartments, and then homes. Each living space became unique and special to us. As the girls grew from year to year their interest would change and so would their rooms. Hum, that could of been partly my fault due to that habit of changing colors and things around a lot. We went from Lilac bedspreads to flowered wallpaper, sun and moon theme, and more.

My Career

I would definitely have to say over the past three decades, my career has taken many twists and turns. The knowledge and life experiences I have received can't really be put into words. I have worked in education, been lead teacher in a multi million dollar child development center. It is here where some of my creativity began to emerge in writing a music curriculum and a staff development program. At one point I began to get that yearning to do something more. I even wrote a draft novel, as well as went through the creativity of writing music. Something was still missing.

Moving To South Carolina - Finding My True Passion















I fell in love with the outside environment as well as all the bright and warm colors of the south. I worked at a job or two when we moved down here getting my feet wet. Besides working, I spent a lot of time changing decor over the years. I started the kitchen in 1994 with a country apple theme. The walls were full of colorful wallpaper with apple accessories all over. I won't go into details how many times I changed the colors and room decor in the house we presently live in. I got a job and worked four years I worked in an interior design retail shop. This was truly my beginning to understand the core of interior decorating. I went out on both residential and commercial consultations. I worked with everyday people that were on budgets but wanted that new look to a room, a total make over, or just beginning in a new home or apartment. I learned about coordinating fabrics, wallpaper, paint, and using accents and accessories to balance a room. These four years was definitely not only hands on experience, but understanding what colors, shades, and tones blended well together. I also work with top designers in the area that taught me the little tricks of the trade. After four years, that yearning began to fester again and I found myself want something more. I loved working in retail and interior design, and it was a tough decision to leave. This was in the beginning of 2000.

Owning My Own Business - Inside Out

I have always loved the outdoors as well as plant specimens. When we moved to South Carolina in 1994 I hand sickle our land for eleven days. Hum, just couldn't get the movie, "Gone With The Wind" out of my head. I created herb gardens with pathways, and Tom and my dad bulit a greenhouse. I loved germinating thousands of different herbs, flowers, and vegetables. I would do dried arrangements, make herb vinegars and sell them.

Once again that yearning to do something more took over me. In the fall of 2000 I decided to share my passion of plants and designing and start my own landscape and design business. Yikes, out on my own at the age of 45. We bought a tiller and Tom made me ramps for my small truck. I wanted to help people like you, increase the value of their property as well as the result be their total enjoyment. I was by myself for the first year and tilled, dug many holes, planted a variety of trees and shrubs, hauled and spread top soil and mulch.

The second year my business grew and was able to upgrade my truck and hired a crew. This is really when the name of my company, Inside Out took off. I always put my clients first and on each consultation would ask if I could see the inside of their living space. This gave me a feel of the colors and textures they would like for their outside. I love working with people and also with designing gardens and landscape.

I still made the time to change walls and decor while owning my own business. This is me in 2000 repainting the upstairs hallway walls. You won't believe this? I still have the yellow hallway walls both upstairs and down, and also the cayenne walls in dining room and living room. Actually these walls were white when we moved in. I changed the colors to a neutral tone, did some wallpapering, and light green. I guess for now, I still love the yellow and cayenne. Ten years without repainting! The rooms represent warm colors and also southern colors.

Inside Out Business Had To Come To A Hault

Having grown up playing sports most of my younger years, the toll of those years on the knees as well as that dear darling age factor forced me to stop landscaping and designing. This was definitely not one of those yearning moments. On New Years eve of 2005 right before midnight, I went outside with tears rolling down my face and took the business signs off my truck. Mind you, they were colored coordinated with the tee shirts, sweatshirts, and caps that myself and crew wore.



Search And Find -To The Present And Future

For over a year I mulled over in my mind and spend some sleepless nights trying to think how I could share my passion of landscape and design. During this time I still continued to play around with colors and would continually give rooms new look and feel to them.

In February of 2007 the yearning to continue my inside out business became burning within. I began searching the Internet to find some locally I could do. At that time I couldn't even cut and paste on the computer. I knew how to e-mail family and friends but that was the extend of my technical skills. I came across a very unique company called SBI! 2.0 Home page The overall philosophy of this company and my own professional and personal philosophy connected right away. I thought to myself, "why not build an online business with the passion I have for landscape and design.

One problem, no tech skills. How was I going to build a business when I couldn't even cut and paste? The answer lies within taking my passion and knowledge of the inside and outside world and using SBI! 2.0 magnificent tools they provide. I worked through the process at a slow pace, and continued a true desire to share with others my love of landscape, design, and matching colors. I began following the incredible action guide that takes you step by step through the entire process of building an online business. There is so much to learn but all very doable with commitment, self drive, and determination to succeed.

From 2007 until the present 2010, the landscape Web site grew to around 500 orginial content pages of tips, techniques, plant specimens and so much more in the world of landscape and design. With vistors submissions and questions the landscape site has well over 700 pages. This site continues to grow in popularity as well as income. Landscape-solutions-for-you.

August 2008 - Interior Decorating Ideas For You Was Born

As landscape solutions for you began to grow and became a vast amount of content, once again that yearning took over to move forward. What better way then to continue on with sharing my passion and knowledge of interior designing. This site like landscape solutions for you is simple and real to understand. It is about us, everyday people that want to increase the value of our inside and outside investment. We all take pride in our living space, our plants and gardens. These are places we go to relax and enjoy with family and friends.

This is me at the Orlando By SBIers For SBIers conference in October 2008. I organized this conference as well as one in San Diego, and Cincinnati. I am organzing a conference for April, 2010 in Dallas, Texas. This is another passion of mine to help others succeed with their online business.

These conferences are a wonderful way for a group of professional people that are building a long term successful online business. We come from all walks of life and many different cultures. Official SBI! Conference Web Site The SBI! 2.0 tools provide each of us with the ability to create and develop not only a Web site for all of you, but a successful online business.

I will continue to write and share with you different ideas of doing everyday projects for your interior, as well as matching color tones and shades. As far as the future, Tom is in the process of developing and beginning his own online business with his passion and knowledge. For me, I guess the yearning to move forward and continue into a new venue will never end. I do know one thing for sure, I love writing, sharing, and helping each of you. My online business will continue to grow well into the future.

If you want to read a litle bit more about my love of landscaping, head on over to inside scoop and get more of my - story.