Elevating outdoor spaces

Summer Decorating Tips To Give Your Home Some Pizzaz

Kathy Franco

Temperatures are rising, and the time has come to embrace outdoor living. Whether you’re a homeowner looking to add some pizzaz or a seller hoping to attract that perfect buyer, elevating your outdoor spaces is a great place to start! I have done this in my own house, and as a realtor I have seen countless clients add pops of excitement to their homes before they hit the market.

Embrace the power of curb appeal

First impressions matter! A well-maintained and thoughtfully decorated exterior can be the “wow factor” that significantly increases a home’s appeal.

Take a drive around nearby neighborhoods, what stands out to you and catches your eye? Is it a statement color on the front door or beautiful plants on the porch? Maybe it’s a unique piece of furniture

Variety and color are keys to curb appeal. Try a small table and chair, add pre-potted plants to your favorite decorative planters, or hang a seasonal wreath on your front door.

Create outdoor living zones

Functional and fun outdoor space is key in summer decorating. Potential buyers and house guests are drawn to well-defined spaces for relaxation, dining, and entertainment. By delineating specific areas with well-grouped furniture, guests begin to envision themselves truly enjoying the outdoor space at your home.

On our back porch, we have a sectional couch with a propane fire pit that doubles as a resilient coffee table. Whether it’s s’mores with friends, or decompressing after dinner, that space is always ready to entertain. There is an outdoor TV and a covered pergola above it, which lets us use the outdoor living room even in light rain or hot sun. And the ceiling fan we installed keeps the bugs away.

Our second space is a dining area on the deck. I found a glass top table and chairs a few years ago that fit right outside the door to the porch. I added a bright umbrella to give some shade when the sun is too bright, and sconces so we can have light well into beautiful summer evenings. How could I leave out our grilling space? Nothing beats local sweet corn and a cookout during the summer months. A space to cook where the mess stays separate from the rest of our entertainment has been a practical perk.

Harness the power of lighting

The party rarely ends when the sun goes down, so make sure your space is usable after dusk. Thoughtfully placed lighting will create an enchanting ambiance during warm evenings. String lights, lanterns, or solar-powered pathway lights can illuminate walkways and architectural features. Tiki torches are a fun and inexpensive way to brighten the yard, too.

Incorporate natural elements

A small fountain can add tranquility and serenity to your space. Plants, shrubs, and trees will provide shade and privacy. Bringing living and moving elements into an outdoor space will elevate your home’s overall appeal and create a fresh, calm atmosphere.

Add color and texture

We get plenty of gray during the winter months, so add some color to your home! Infuse your outdoor spaces with bright colors and eyecatching patterns. Throw pillows and outdoor rugs will show off your personality. Look for weather-resistant fabrics and materials to ensure longevity, and don’t be afraid to experiment with bold and contrasting colors to make a lasting impression.

Pay attention to details

Add the little touches that you think may go unnoticed – because they won’t! Try adding decorative accessories like garden sculptures, artwork, or a witty doormat. Upgrade your plain flowerpots to decorative planters with plenty of greenery between bright flowers. Think about installing a privacy screen or a shade to really make your space into its own outdoor room.

These small details make a huge difference in overall appeal and perceived value of your home!

As a real estate agent, I have seen outdoor spaces really make or break deals. When buyers are greeted by an attractive outside, they are excited for what’s to come once they open the front door. As a homeowner, I make sure our family can enjoy every part of the backyard to entertain or just to sit and relax on quiet nights. Adding the illusion of additional square footage through a beautiful outdoor space also helps keep family harmony.

What are you waiting for? Roll up your sleeves, grab a friend, and unleash your creativity to create the backyard oasis you deserve! SWM

The Spirit of Syracuse Chorus announces new leadership

After an extensive national search, Sky Harris and Alicia Caron, were chosen as the chorus’ first ever co- front line-directors. Harris and Caron together bring decades of vocal and directing experience to the chorus, in addition to having been long time members of the Spirit of Syracuse Chorus.

Harris has been singing four-part harmony most of her life. A professional music educator in the Liverpool Central School District (LCSD), Harris holds a masters in music education from Syracuse University, has been a clinician and adjudicator on the east coast for the past 20 years and has traveled internationally as both a performer and educator.

Most recently Harris served as associate director of the Spirit of Syracuse. Currently, Harris serves as Greater NY/NJ Region 15 coordinator for Young Women In Harmony and a member of the region’s education faculty, a member of the National Association for Music Education, American Choral Directors Association, Onondaga County Music Educators Association and the Barber-shop Harmony Society.

Caron got her musical start in Sweet Adelines at the age of just 15, when she and her mom joined the Spirit of Syracuse Chorus together. After earning her bachelor’s in music education at SUNY Fredonia, Caron moved to Arizona where she taught music for seven years. She was also the artistic director of a community chorus, directed two groups for the Cochise children’s choir, a private voice teacher, directed several musicals and performed with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra Chorus.

In 2010, she earned her master’s degree in music education from Arizona State University. In 2012, returned to CNY where she is a professional music educator in the LCSD. Currently she serves as an assistant director of the Spirit of Syracuse.

Awarded by State Senate

Randi Matousek, of Cicero, was recently honored with the 2023 New York State Senate Woman of Distinction Award. “For her dedication to our military families through the establishment and continued operation of the Gregory J. Harris Military Courtesy Room at Syracuse Hancock International Airport, it is my honor to recognize Randi Matousek of Cicero as a 2023 New York State Senate Woman of Distinction,” said Senator John W. Mannion. “Randi is a role model for us all, and she is an example of what it means to make a difference in the world.” Matousek is a tireless advocate for our community and military families, an active volunteer with the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund and the driving force behind the Military Courtesy Room at Syracuse Hancock International Airport.

A member of the Military Courtesy Room’s board of directors since 2008, she has fully committed and leads the effort to make the room as special as it is, keeping it stocked and comfortable. It is always available for military personnel and their families, usually traveling to and from Fort Drum.

Loretto promotes two

Loretto’s Eleanor Williams has been promoted to manager of new employee experience, a newly-created position at the long-term care organization. Williams will lead and manage Loretto’s employee coaches to help connect new employees with internal and external resources needed to succeed on and off the job. She will also develop new employee orientation and mentorship programs that ensure that new employees are given the training they need to increase employee performance, satisfaction and retention; as well as student/ intern programs to establish “pre-career” and entry level opportunities.

For many new hires, this is their first professional role in healthcare, and these new professionals benefit from not only career coaching, but assistance on a wide range of matters,” said Holly Hoehner, interim vice president of human resources at Loretto.

Williams holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Syracuse University. She is currently working toward a master’s degree in social work – also at Syracuse University.

Michelle Cuttler was Loretto’s very first employee coach when the organization launched its coaching program in early 2020. She has now been promoted to manager of retention for Loretto’s employees.

As manager of retention, Cuttler will lead Loretto’s long-term employee engagement strategy by developing employee training and retention initiatives that supporting the organization’s employee engagement strategy. She will help employees navigate career ladders so they can advance within the company, including Loretto’s LPN apprentice program; and she will oversee employee recognition programs, including benchmark celebrations, graduations and other programs to help employees remain and flourish at Loretto.

“Michelle’s dedication to making sure others succeed at work is precisely what the long-term care industry needs, and her success as a coach was exactly the reason why we expanded the employee coach team,” said Hoehner. “She has engaged with literally thousands of Loretto employees over the past three years, and best suited to shift her focus to supporting employees who have surpassed their first year of employment with the company.”

Cella V. Boutique’s owner, Heather Vitale, will celebrate her brick-and-mortar store’s one year anniversary in July. Today, Heather is happily married with a two-year-old and a baby on the way and is proud to see how far her boutique in Baldwinsville has come. But creating her business and developing the store was, quite literally, a journey working from the basement up.

“It was 2018 and [my business] was actually out of my basement.” she said about the business’s origin. “I was actually going through a divorce, and it was just a really low time in my life. And I always had a part-time job in retail – my fulltime job is social worker at a school – but I loved retail, loved doing fashion.

So after that, when the divorce happened, I needed something in my life…my dad was like, ‘Well, don’t go back to retail. Maybe start your own thing.’ So we did! I did a lot of research, got a core bit of items, and I was just doing private parties in my basement. So people that I knew coming over, like a family member would have a party or something with their friends just to get more exposure. And that’s how I started and then I grew from there.”

When you walk into the boutique – or visit their website –you find that there is a variety of curated items to shop from. Shoppers can find clothes and accessories for casual wear, nights out, and occasions in between.

“I primarily have a bit of a bohemian vibe,” she said about the styles in her shop, “but I do expand out to really like everyday wear. And then some pieces of, like, some contemporary, some dressy work-appropriate pieces. But I really try to grab styles of all different ranges because I want to make sure that anybody who’s coming in has something that they could buy.”

A big part of Heather’s love for fashion and for her business is her passion for styling and curating unique outfits. A favorite part of her work she said is watching women come out of the fitting room smiling and feeling confident in a new outfit.

When asked about her own personal style, she laughed and said, “I don’t think I have one! I think I pull from a bunch of different styles. I do like the bohemian look, but I really do wear any style that you can think of, and almost kind of create my own. It’s almost like every person has three different wardrobes in their closet. You have everyday wear, you have your dressing up, out-with-the-girls wear, you have your going-to-work wear, and then there’s your lounge wear. I don’t think anyone particularly sticks to one style, it really tends to mesh a lot of them.”

Calling her personal style “a little funky,” Heather said she has always had a passion for styling outfits, including putting together pieces that “the average person wouldn’t do.”

“If someone came into the boutique and they really liked a shirt, but it’s maybe a different style, I would personally make an effort to sit with them and show them the different pieces and the different ways to style it. So you get more than just coming in and shopping. You get the extra touch,” she said.

She encourages her employees to do the same. “They have their own styles that they try to promote throughout the boutique,” she said. “It’s definitely a place where we’re looking more at the shopping experience versus clicking online and just picking out a shirt that you like. I want people to come in and leave with a look, a whole look. That’s the goal for it.”

Getting people back into shopping at local, brick and mortar stores is one of Heather’s goals. She wants people to realize that unique, locally-owned shops still exist and that those places are worth supporting.

“I’d like to promote the experience of shopping again.” she said, “I like the boutique to feel like a place where women can come in and have some social hour, get back to retail therapy, where you can try clothes on, you can feel them, you can see the quality. We’ve gotten into this click on Amazon, receive an outfit, and then immediately return it because you don’t like how it fits you. My first full year of brick and mortar business is in July…and I just want the opportunity to get out to people that these places still exist, they’re still around. There’s people that really do need assistance with picking out outfits and things. I’m proud of where I’ve come, but I still want to get the word out that we’re there.” SWM

If you are interested in learning more about Heather Vitale and Cella V Boutique, visit her website at www.cella-v.myshopify.com

July 8

Symphoria Summer Concert

What: Bring a blanket or lawn chair and enjoy an incredible night of music and the sounds of summer.

Where: Beard Park, 505 Lincoln Ave, Fayetteville, NY 13066

When: 7:30 p.m.

Info: Free.

July 9

Penguin Palooza!

What: Kids of all ages can enjoy an ice cream party around the penguin exhibit! Enjoy activities, entertainment, free ice cream, food, music, face painting and demonstrations with the zoo’s Humboldt penguins.

Where: Rosamond Gifford Zoo, 1 Conservation Pl, Syracuse, NY 13204

When: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Info: Free with zoo admission.

July 11

Salt City Corn Hole League

What: Join at the market to play corn hole!

Where: Salt City Market, 484 S Salina St, Syracuse, NY 13202

When: 5:30 p.m.

July 15

Breast Cancer Walk and Health Fair

What: Shades of Inspiration Inc. presents their annual walk and health fair! Health vendors and free mammograms will be available.

Where: Kirk Park, 1101 South Ave, Syracuse, NY 13207

When: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Info: Register for the walk at 9 a.m. or in advance at shadesofinspiration.org. Registration cost $30 and includes a t-shirt.

July 28-29

Syracuse Ukrainian Festival

What: Learn about Ukrainian culture and enjoy food, live music and vendors.

Where: St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church, 207 Tompkins St, Syracuse, NY 13204

Info: Free admission.

July 28-30

2023 Arts and Crafts Festival

What: A family-friendly, three-day showcase of 170+ talented artists, craftspeople and performance artists. A part of Arts Week.

Where: Columbus Circle, 259 E Onondaga St, Syracuse, NY 13202

When: Friday: 10 a.m.to 6 p.m., Saturday: 10 a.m.to 5 p.m. and Sunday: 10 a.m.to 5 p.m.

Info: Free admission.

July 28-30

45th Annual Antique and Classic Boat Show

What: More than 80 antique and classic boats and motors will be on display in water and on land. Also enjoy concerts, boat parade, photo-shoot cruise, children’s activities and more.

Where: Clift Park, 26 Fennell St, Skaneateles, NY 13152

When: Friday: 3 p.m.to 8 p.m., Saturday: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday: 8 a.m.to 2 p.m.

Info: Free admission.

July 29

Puerto Rican Festival

What: Enjoy cultural music, food, vendors, dancing and more.

Where: Sharkey’s Event Center, 7240 Oswego Rd, Liverpool, NY 13090

When: Noon to 8 p.m.