Ivory Living Blog

Like a Fiddler on the Roof

2010-03-09T16:07:00.008-07:00

By Britany D. ~ Ivory Employee

Congratulations, you are an Ivory Homeowner! Whether this event occurred recently or some time ago, I am sure you spent hours and hours searching for the right homebuilder (what good taste you have!). Not to mention the right location, price, home design, paint, counter-tops, appliances, lighting, cabinetry, tile, toilets, showers, faucets, doorknobs, doors, furniture, carpets, windows, curtains, decorations, fireplace, brick, siding, etc, etc. Phew!!!

I think this hefty conquest of yours deserves a night of relaxation and entertainment. Well, we here at Ivory Homes, combined with the generosity of Hale Centre Theatre, are going to award you that opportunity! You now have a chance to win two free tickets to the current theatrical production at Hale Theatre: Fiddler on the Roof. A heart-warming musical about a loving father, Tevye, who is trying to provide for his family and help guide them as they become adults while dealing with persecution and strict Jewish traditions in 1905 Russia.

Do these themes ring true for you? What a parallel as an Ivory Homeowner during this time of your life as you begin a family, raise children, provide for them, pursue a career, watch those children leave the nest, enjoy grandchildren, and deal with persecutions and traditions of your own. The best part about this story, however, is the happy ending – even though that happy ending may not be exactly how Tevye envisioned it. But haven’t you found the best endings are ones you didn’t imagine? Ones in which you have learned to love, accept and enjoy life even more than before? Ones where you enjoy old traditions but also begin new ones? Yes!

In the words of Tevye: “Without our traditions, our lives would be as shaky as a Fiddler on the Roof!”

Do you want two tickets to Fiddler on the Roof for Wednesday, March 24 at 7:30 pm. Just comment on this blog post and tell us about a happy ending in your life that you never envisioned. We'll pick a random winner on March 19th.

Fresh New Ivory Homes Website

2010-03-08T15:35:00.000-07:00

Our Ivory Homes website has a new look! What do you think? Now with bigger and brighter pictures, cool virtual tours, live chat with real agents, easy to use Google maps, and more.

We've been listening to what our customers want, so the site is constantly evolving. Same goes for this Ivory Living blog. Some of the best ideas come from real homeowners. We invite you to take part and be a guest blogger. Share with us your favorite recipe, decorating advice, or home maintenance tips. We'd love to hear from you!

Creative Spaces for Crafty Creations

2010-02-22T13:49:00.005-07:00

By Jill B. ~ Ivory Homeowner

When we first built our “dream home,” we only had one child, but knew we’d expand our family and live in this house for a long time. We have four bedrooms upstairs, and with two children currently, I have the luxury of my own crafting space in the unused bedroom. However, I know that one day, this will become another child’s room, so I have had to create temporary storage and creative ways to organize my supplies. I suggest finding fun pieces at thrift stores and paint them to match your space. These ladders are a fun way to display my latest scrapbook pages, inspiration I find from magazines, etc. I try to utilize as much vertical space as possible without hanging shelves or other major fixtures in the room. I utilize every inch of the closet. The greatest thing is if it gets a little “unorganized,” I can shut the closet doors and ignore the mess for a bit! Hanging drawers are a great way to utilize closet space – they simply latch on to the closet rod and can be moved from side to side. I also use rolling carts, paper racks and photo storage boxes to give all my supplies a home.

Red Hot Valentines Day

2010-02-12T14:42:00.005-07:00

Guys, still trying to find that perfect idea for Valentines? Something that says..."I am committed to you." Well here you go... the five most romantic words ever:

"Honey, let's go house shopping!!"

Ivory Model Homes Open Saturday February, 13th from 10 AM - 7PM

Tax Benefit$ of Owning a Home

2010-02-04T13:42:00.002-07:00

By Becky P. ~ Ivory Homeowner

I’m a CPA. I realize that to most people, that means I’m a somewhat nerdy bean-counter. I’m fine with that, because accounting does come in handy sometimes. Whenever my finance-degree-wielding husband has a new investment idea, I’m able to crunch the numbers, look into the tax implications, and help figure out if it’s a good investment. So when we decided to buy our Ivory Home, we not only looked at what our payment would be each month, we also considered the reduction in taxes from paying mortgage interest and property taxes.

People are always talking about “write offs” on your taxes. What does that really mean? Usually, it means that you can subtract certain expenses from your income, which reduces your “taxable income,” and thus the taxes you pay. So how do your mortgage payments fit into this? The IRS gives everyone a “standard deduction,” which is subtracted from your gross income to arrive at your taxable income. For 2009, the standard deduction was $5,700 for single filers, $11,400 for married filing jointly. Your other option is to add up all of your expenses in certain categories, and if they are more than the standard deduction, you get to subtract that amount (your “itemized deductions”) instead of the standard deduction amount. Mortgage interest and property taxes are in the categories of expenses that can go in your itemized deductions. The most common other categories of itemized deductions are state income taxes and charitable contributions. The other categories are less commonly used because they are harder to qualify for (for example, medical expenses over a certain amount and un-reimbursed employee expenses over a certain amount).

That’s the basic idea of the tax benefits you get from owning a home. It does get more complicated if you get into all the details, but hey, they’re taxes, did you expect it to be simple?

When you look at what your home really costs you, you have to take into account the taxes you’re saving. And if you’ve only been in your home a short time like me and get depressed looking at how much of your mortgage payment goes to interest vs. principal, there is a silver lining: all that interest will reduce your federal income tax bill.

Hey Groundhog, We're Ready for Spring!

2010-02-02T13:00:00.003-07:00

So, the fat little furry critter saw his shadow today. Well you know what, who cares?! We're ready for Spring!

I'm sure we're not the only ones tired of the dark rustic decor that you see everywhere nowadays. Not everything needs to be brown (and drab)! With Spring right around the corner, we're thinking FRESH! We have lots of new models homes in store and we're splashing fresh new colors all over.

This lovely model home was decorated by our Design Team with most of the inspiration from the Ivory Family themselves! The theme is classic farmhouse style. It was such a hit that it sold right away, but we have more like this in store for 2010. Stay tuned...

Want to Be in an Ivory Homes Commercial?

2010-01-29T10:09:00.003-07:00

Send us a photo and briefly tell us why you love your Ivory Home. Email shirlene@ivoryhomes.com by this Tuesday, February 2, 2010.

All applicants who are selected to participate will be compensated.

Kids Room Decorating Ideas

2010-01-27T18:35:00.006-07:00

By Faith ~ 13 Year Old Ivory Fan

I love Ivory’s cute and exciting kid’s rooms! Being a kid myself I love getting ideas and thinking “I would love if my room was decorated that way!” They always seem to have fun themes, like Curious George, or flowers or fun prints. I always love looking in Ivory’s model homes and especially at the kids rooms and seeing all the fun ideas and cute designs.

No More Failed Resolutions

2010-01-25T14:06:00.006-07:00

By Jason Bickley ~ Ivory Sales Consultant

I am going to get in shape, get a new job, get out of debt and quit smoking… Sounds familiar doesn’t it? So we all have those resolutions that we make at the beginning of the year. Some last a day, some last a week. If you are lucky yours will last 6 months, less than 46% do. The good thing is that you are making these resolutions, because if you weren’t you’d only have a 4% chance of reaching your goal (Don’t ask me how they made up that statistic). I found many studies, but overall 90-97% of New Years resolutions fail. Want to be one of the 3 in 100 that succeed in your resolutions? I have a few pointers to help you out in your lofty goal.

1. Write it down. Statistics show that people who write their goals down are 80% more likely to achieve them than those that do not write them down. In putting your goals on paper try to be specific. For instance rather than saying you are going to get in shape write what waist size, weight or strength you would like to achieve. Then set specific objectives to achieve that will get the end result. Specific goals are more achievable and you can track them better.

2.Make your own goal. I cannot say how many times I have made a goal for my wife. I can however honestly say that nearly every goal I made for her was never achieved. Surprise, surprise… Don't worry I don't blame her. If you really want to achieve a goal it has to be your own - not your bosses, not your parents, and not your spouses. You will only be totally driven to achieve a goal that you have earnestly bought into.

3. Baby steps. Set up small checkpoints along the road. This will help you track progress. And as you see that progress it will create excitement and a desire to work even harder to achieve the goals.

4. Tell the world. Ok maybe not the entire world, but just about! I say this for tree reasons, first telling friends and family subconsciously reaffirms you. Now that your friends know your goal they will be watching you and you won’t want to let them down. Second reason to tell a friend is “When performance is measured, performance improves (Hence write it down and take baby steps). When performance is measured and reported, the rate of improvement accelerates.” Telling your friends in effect gives you a coach of sorts. Someone to report to on your progress. My final reason to tell someone is really just out of maintaining your own motivation. Tell someone you know will be a support to you. Encouragement is just as important as the progress when working through struggles or trying to achieve a goal. If you want to take this a step farther find someone in your peer group who has the same goal. It makes things much easier.

5. Celebrate. Achieving a goal is a big deal no matter how small the goal set, so celebrate that success. I suggest you give yourselves mini rewards along the path of achievements and a reward a little bigger upon achieving the goal. For instance; I go exercise right before lunch a few days a week and I go running before breakfast. My mini reward is that I get lunch [or breakfast] after exercising. The keyword is mini. It would be very counter productive to go on a family vacation costing $3,000 after paying off $1,500 in debt. On the other hand if you and your family just reached the goal of paying off $45,000 in debt and had the cash to do the family vacation then the family vacation would be very justifiable.

6. Have Fun! The hardest part about achieving goals is getting stuck in the monotony and getting bored/distracted. Whether through a game or humor or just excitement make the path fun. It is critical to your success.

So that is the Recipe. Follow it and you will be one of the 3 in 100. If you do have room for improvement the new year does bring an opportunity to make a change. A few goals I suggest for all are: 1) Kick your consumer debt to the curb. 2) A six month financial reserve at minimum, 3) Set a goal of how much you would like to make... or better yet how much you would like to give. These are a few good starts, but remember it has you be your goal, not mine. If you would like please share what your resolution is.

Happy New Year!

Jason ~ visit my blog at moneyfit.blogspot.com

Buona Fortuna in 2010!

2010-01-20T17:44:00.019-07:00

Sorry for the holiday hiatus on our blog. It's been bizzzzy busy! We've had a fierce start to 2010 already... and that's always been our company's philosophy - to start the year off right! This time of year we're the busiest ~ we're closing out the previous year, celebrating our accomplishments, thanking those who contributed, setting new goals, formulating new strategies, working on new ad campaigns, etc, etc! Just wanted to share some pictures from our Annual Ivory Dinner Celebration that we had earlier this month. It was a memorable night for all who came. The theme was Italiano! We are bidding farewell to Dave Wolfgramm, our trusted CFO of 35 years, who will be leaving to serve as a Mission President in Italy! Congratulations, Dave & Sue. We wish you the best!

The big giveaway prize at each table was an Italian Gift Basket filled with authentic delectables! Mmm... pasta, olive oil, gnocchi, chocolate biscotti, breadsticks, marinara sauce, and pomegranate soda. And guess what? We saved one for YOU! One lucky blog reader will win this gift basket. All you've got to do is comment on this post about what you're excited about for 2010. We will choose one winner at random. Good luck... or should I say... Buona Fortuna!

Update: 2/1/2010 ~ Congratulations Lucky Number 6, Heather Taylor!

Saying Goodbye to 2009!

2009-12-31T11:37:00.001-07:00

Wow! What a fun year! In 2009, we welcomed Jill Stevens to Ivory Homes, we honored Ellis Ivory as Salt Lake's Giant in the City, we had a groovy time during the Summer of Love 2, and celebrated the grand opening of several new communities. And now in 2010, it gets even better... :)

Ivory FAVORITES Cookbook for Make-A-Wish

2009-11-25T13:11:00.025-07:00

By Chriss Sharer ~ CEO of Make-A-Wish Foundation

This FAVORITES cookbook was created by Grace and Jane, the two daughters of one of our major donors, Katie Ivory, as a gift for her 60th birthday. She is a very good cook and has lots of friends. Her daughters rummaged through drawers and salvaged their favorite family recipes from scraps of paper and napkins - both their mother’s own recipes and family favorites created by friends, neighbors, and relatives. They retested and retyped them all, and a childhood friend designed the layout and the cover for the book. They printed 1000 copies.

Within weeks, their mother had countless requests for the book. They started giving their own copies away. To print more would be expensive, but they did not want to sell the books to their family and friends. So Katie, who was on our board at Make-A-Wish, had an idea. She offered to print another 1500 if Make-A-Wish would sell them as a charitable fundraiser.

We were reluctant, believing we had no natural market for a cookbook and would get stuck with about 1250 of them. But we certainly didn’t want to offend Katie. We groaned inwardly and agreed to sell them. Katie offered her home for an Open House and invited lots of people. She asked us to send a few staff members to handle the money. We sent ONE staff member because we couldn’t imagine there would be THAT much money to process. Within a few hours, that staff member called for backup in a panic. Every book was sold that afternoon, and a thousand more were committed. We were going to have to reprint a third time just to fill existing orders!

We have reprinted many times now, paying for the printing ourselves, and we have netted over $225,000 from their sale. We never advertise, but we sell books literally every day at our front desk, and get orders from all over the country, especially around holidays like Mother’s Day and Christmas. It is the ultimate word of mouth promotion.

For information on how to purchase this cookbook, please click here or visit Make-A-Wish Foundation at 771 East Winchester (6600 South) in Murray.

Comment on this post and be entered to win your own copy of the Ivory FAVORITES Cookbook! Be sure to enter your email or Blogger account. Winner will be chosen December 15th. Compliments of Ivory Homes.

12/15/09 - Cookbook Giveaway Winner: Lucky Number 5! Congratulations, Jessica Malan!

2009 Holiday Lights Contest

2009-11-17T15:48:00.025-07:00

Click here to see complete list of winners. Thanks for everyone who participated. Here are just a few of our bright Ivory Homeowners!

Perfectly Easy Pumpkin Bars

2009-11-16T15:00:00.002-07:00

By Shirlene L. ~ Ivory Homeowner & Employee

These moist and delicious pumpkin bars make the perfect finger-food friendly alternative to pumpkin pie for your Holiday Party or Thanksgiving Day feast. This is right out of the Ivory FAVORITES Cookbook and just like the rest of the recipes, it was quick and easy!

4 eggs
2/3 cups sugar
1 cups vegetable oil
1 (16 ounce) can pumpkin
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves

Beat eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin till light and fluffy. Stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, soda, and spices. Add to pumpkin mixture. Spread in greased 15"x10" pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Cool.

Frosting:
2 (3-ounce) package cream cheese
1 cup butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar

Cream together cream cheese, butter, and vanilla. Gradually add powdered sugar and mix until smooth and creamy.

Wow! What a Wall! - Decorate with Ribbon

2009-11-11T15:28:00.007-07:00

By Brooke B. ~ Ivory Designer

Items Needed: Ribbon (use a ribbon that matches the bedding, same tones), 50+ buttons, staples, hot glue, and two people.

Start ribbon in one corner going from the ceiling to the floor in a diagonal direction to the middle of the wall. Do the same from the opposite corner. Then start the diamond pattern by switching the diagonal direction of the ribbon. Find the size and spacing of the diamond you like, you might want to use a yardstick to keep the spacing the same. At the point of the diamonds where the ribbon overlaps use the stapler to secure the ribbon to the wall. When you have finished the wall with diamond pattern, finish off the look by bordering the wall with the ribbon. Time to add the buttons; take the hot glue gun and glue the buttons over all the staples.

This is an affordable way to add color to your room with a great unique dramatic look without having to spend a lot of money.

To see this room, visit our Brescia model home in Draper.

Oh Sweet Sadie! Boutique at Daybreak

2009-11-08T12:34:00.000-07:00

Ivory's thrilled to be part of the exciting community of Daybreak in South Jordan. There's always something fun going on out there! Next week, the Oh Sweet Sadie Boutique is being hosted at the new SoDa Row Shopping District in Daybreak from November 18 - 21 from 9:30 AM - 8:00 PM.

By Heather O. ~ Ivory Fan

I was invited to the Oh Sweet Sadie show show just a few days ago. I am excited for this opportunity to be a part of all these other artists and to showcase my pieces. Each frame or magnet board I make is one of a kind and just gets created from what I am feeling and inspiration I draft up. I love to add words, beads, ribbon, hemp, custom magnets, quotes, and a collection of colored and vivid paper from all different sources. I am featuring some frames this season with stamps that came from South Africa, ice cream cones, and artistic frames for that special someone who has been baptised. I love designing my one of a kind custom trading cards for children that can be ordered through my website, but the Oh Sweet Sadie show wants merchandise and I can highlight my collage magnet boards, frames, and a special Tooth Fairy help for parents to be unveiled! All of these pieces started with my love for design and CoLoR and to not be afraid to add a little splash of pizzaz in your life. http://www.hipstudio.blogspot.com/

Your Own Original Works of Art

2009-11-04T10:00:00.002-07:00

By Shirlene L. ~ Ivory Employee & Homeowner

I'm always impressed walking into a home decorated with original works of art. A room with original art is rich with meaning and full of stories waiting to be told. The greatest thing about decorating with original art is just that: your decor will be original! We're lucky to have some very nice fine art displayed in our office buildings. Many of which are original Harmons. Kirt Harmon is one of our senior Superintendents and he has developed his artistic talent over the years. His office is practically an art gallery! Not only does he love sharing his art and the stories behind them, but he actually shares his talent! He teaches classes for beginners, even if you've never picked up a brush. Click here for his November class info.

Sizing Up Your Small Spaces!

2009-11-02T14:00:00.002-07:00

By Jessica T. ~ Ivory Designer & Homeowner

We're always introducing new home plans and recently we've come up with new innovative home styles to provide smaller, more affordable housing. Designing a small space can be challenging, but don't think you can't design big just because your space isn't. Keeping your space free of unused clutter helps make your home feel bigger. So stash away those knick-knacks and think "simple." Using a lighter shade paint on the walls gives an illusion of having your house feel more airy and open. If low ceilings are a problem, hang curtains higher than the window frame (try up to the ceiling, if possible) giving the illusion that your ceiling is actually higher than it really is. Another trick for the eye is to hang your curtains wider than the window frame giving the appearance of wider and brigher windows. Don't forget color! Use color through your accessories, art, pillows, and window coverings! These things are cheap and easy to switch out to give a fresher look to your space. Be careful of the scale of furniture you use in your space. Using over-sized furniture in a small space will really dwarf your room. Be sure to use smaller sized furniture to fit your space and arrange it so it will be functional for that particular room. Have fun, be creative, and using a few of these tips, your small space can look spectacular!

Pumpkin Painting - Fun for the Whole Family

2009-10-29T09:24:00.009-06:00

By Emilee S. ~ Ivory Employee

What are you doing for fun Halloween activities this weekend? We thought we'd share our experience with pumpkin painting. At our Highbury, Cranefield, and Ivory Ridge Spooktacular events this month, we had pumpkin painting for all the little kiddies. They had a blast!! It's safer and probably less messy than pumpkin carving. Plus, painted pumpkins outlast carved pumpkins for months!

All you need to get is acrylic paint (water based so it doesn't stain) and paint brushes. For extra silliness, add googly eyes, fuzzy balls and pipecleaners. Just stick these on with tacky glue.

For more photos from the Ivory Ridge Spooktacular, find us on Facebook or Flickr.

Oh Baby! Nursery Inspiration

2009-09-20T10:22:00.001-06:00

By Catherine W. ~ Ivory Employee

Baby rooms are probably one of the most fun rooms in your home to decorate, having so many different ways to design for a baby. Ivory model homes have some creative ways to embellish the area to make it your own. Look at these charming spaces and grab some ideas for your little one!

For All the Movie Fans

2009-09-05T15:56:00.003-06:00

By Makara B. ~ Ivory Intern

Hi, my name is Makara and I am an intern at Ivory Homes. I absolutely love working here. One of my favorite things to do is go and look at the beautiful model homes offered. All of the rooms are amazing, but one of my favorite are the theater rooms, I didn’t even know Ivory did theater rooms! Usually, when a customer requests to have something like this, Ivory will suspend the garage floor to create additional space in the basement which would be ideal for a basement theater room.

Carpet to Match Dog Hair - Crazy or Smart?

2009-08-31T11:34:00.002-06:00

By Mia C. ~ Ivory Designer and Homeowner

People use different methods for selecting their carpet. Most of the time they want it to match furniture or their decor. Not all people use that method... One Ivory homebuyer wanted to make sure her dog's fur wouldn't show up on her flooring, so she brought a bag of dog fur to the Design Center to make a match. We help her find a perfect selection. Hopefully she has vacuumed at some point!

We just can't help but think though... what happens if she no longer has this dog? Will she find her next dog by bringing in carpet samples to the pet store? :)

Double Take! Is that really the same house?

2009-08-28T16:36:00.009-06:00

By Shirlene L. ~ Ivory Employee and Homeowner

Say NO to cookie cutter homes! When building a home, the opportunities are endless to personalize your home to fit your taste and lifestyle. No two Ivory Homes are ever the same. Using the same floorplan, see these two Calabria model homes side by side to compare what can be done differently.

The LEFT Calabria Model is still open as a current model home in Orchard Park in Lindon.

Hey Cinderella... Get Off Your Hands and Knees!

2009-08-27T12:06:00.000-06:00

By Dustin G. ~ Ivory Employee and Homeowner

For those of you who have hardwood floors in your home, you know that a trip to Bed Bath and Beyond in search of cleaning products can produce a whirlwind of confusion because of all the options. Some are as simple as vinegar and water, while several others require buffing and less foot traffic for a number of days after cleaning. Enough with getting on your hands and knees to clean those floors, I have the product for you!!

Introducing the Bona Hardwood Floor Mop... The cleaning solution sprays out with a simple squeeze on the handle and the mop is extremely soft as is it attracts dust and other debris from the floor. For $39.99 you can't go wrong and the refills for the solution are only $8. I picked one of these bad boys up at the Wood Floor Warehouse in Murray, Utah, but they sell them at Bed Bath and Beyond for the same price... you'll just have to decide how busy your Saturday is and if you'll have enough time to pick one of these up and make your floor look amazing!

Chill Out! Keep Your AC Working Properly

2009-08-26T12:15:00.000-06:00

By Jon L. ~ Ivory Sales Consultant and Homeowner

When my wife and I first bought our Ivory town home in Lehi, we were pretty clueless about home ownership and particularly about the maintenance of our new home. My wife was 9 months pregnant, I was still in school full time and we had so much on our plate.

During our final walk through with our superintendent they talked to us about changing out our air filter. To be honest, I didn't pay much attention to this detail. I had no clue what it's importance was. Since then, I have been selling Ivory Homes myself and I have found that there are many Ivory Homeowners that are like myself that don't pay attention to this detail. Here are some tips that I have picked up from the pro's themselves... the super intendents on why to change your air filter, and how to keep your home air conditioner working properly! Learn these steps and it will save you money and a headache!

Step One: Change your air filter per the manufacturer instructions. The less expensive your filter the more often you will have to change it. Some filters are able to be cleaned on a monthly or quarterly basis.

Step Two: Keep your thermostat set at a constant temperature, regardless of whether you are at home or not. If the house maintains a constant temperature the AC will have to work less to cool it off. It is a typical misconception that you should turn the temperature up while you are gone during the day. This causes the unit to use more electricity when bringing the temperature down to your desired level.

Step Three: Clean your cooling coils annually. Just hose them off with your water hose and a pressure nozzle. Make sure the unit is turned off. You also want to make sure that the return air vent has some sort of absorbent protection under. Most return air vents are inside the home and close to the floor. Water will come through this area if you aren't careful.

Step Four: Keep your compressor unit clean. Just use a water hose every few months to wash dust and particles off of your outside unit. This will allow the airflow to work more efficiently across the cooling fins on the unit.

Step Five: Have your system checked annually by a professional. This is a small investment to protect a large asset of your home. Additionally, if you are in need of services like a freon recharge, etc. they will typically do this as part of your checkup cost. If you have to call them specifically for this task the charge could be substantially more.

Keeping your home air conditioning unit running efficient and cool is very easy
and VERY important. These easy steps will help you stay on top of your energy bills and keep you comfortable during the sweltering summer months.