Staging Stash -- a little bit of it anyway

Sorry it looks like I haven't been doing anything.  It has been one of those times when working my booty off in real life leads to a lack of blog activity.

• First of all, I got a whip and a cattle prod begged Hunky Husband to clean up in the sacred, all-man/all-the-time garage.  He did and I wiggled some of my extra inventory into the free space. 

I keep an extra set of neutral dishes around.  When they are not at someone else's house, we use them for cookouts. Baby calls them garage plates.  This is a little peek at my emerald green depression glass collection -- thus the green all over my site. -It's my signature color.

Various baskets take up too much room to stay in the house, but come in too handy to get rid of.  I got that galvanized wash tub and stand on clearance at Target -- it has been to a couple dozen parties already.  I can't wait to use it for the pre-mixed mason jar drinks I saw on Pinterest.

You can't tell, but that clear tub is FULL of curtain rings and brackets for window hardware. The pink one is full of casters that will be attached to something, someday.

This huge white tub is full of frames that I am not currently using. The sad thing is, they were all hanging in my tall/skinny house at the same time. Yes, we spackled for days before repainting on the way out.  The upturned box on the right is an extra flatware sorter. It amazes me that people can let their forks and spoons touch. That is why you hire a stager, I swoop in to save the day. 

I adore this oblong white china bowl. It is also a clearance find from Tarjay.  We've filled it with fruit, feathered spheres, napkins, bread, asparagus and twenty other things -- just not at the same time. One large, simple statement piece is so much better for staging than even beautiful small items.

I am slightly obsessed with fishbowl shaped vases. I buy every one I find at Goodwill.  They are perfect for holding flowers, candles, river rocks, coffee beans, Christmas ornaments, gumballs, Legos -- you will see them A LOT when I start posting some of my client pictures. My Sistah brought the blue & white wooden shoes back from a trip to Holland. (She was a flight attendant.) Mommy and I found the matching blue & white planter at a yard sale for a quarter.

Blog world went a little crazy over cloches last year and I know why.  They are kind of like the topcoat of your pedicure -- everything looks shiny and wonderful underneath.  They can make a tiny pile of stuff look like a treasured collection. They also keep said collection from getting dusty.  They also make fake plants look real and keep people from touching them to find out -- BONUS!

This is the part where most of you go reaching for the silver polish, but I have to admit my deep dark secret.  I love the look of tarnished silver.  I wouldn't do it on purpose, but I never shine it up.  Call me crazy, but after oil-rubbed bronze is over, you will all be running out to Home Depot to buy spray paint in "tarnished silver". It will be the hot new thing and I will be sitting here with the coolest collection in town. Or maybe I'm just lazy.

Do not fear, I have no intention of using the pumpkins to stage your house. They are (buy on clearance at the dollar store after Halloween, spray paint into a wonderful creation, add candy & sharpie markers) teacher gifts for next year. Unless you are one of my childrens' teachers -- then -Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.

As you can tell I love glass.  This is a tiny fraction of all the lovely breakables I have in my house, in my friends' houses, in my clients' houses. Movers hate me. If you are decorating or staging, it is so wonderful to add the glossy sparkle of clean glass.  It adds interest without weight.  It is also super cheap to buy at discount or thrift stores. 

Secondly, I spent the day with a new client y'all will be hearing a lot about. Recently, she has rescued a 2 year vacant house.  She and her Handy Fella have taken on all the demo, now we put it back together on the tiniest budget we can.  They want to do things once, not have to undo it or redo it when they are ready to sell.

tutorial I'll need to check out on how to fix her tragically feaux painted stone fireplace

She's even agreed to let me share the whole pretty process here. Hope you like to watch how we make the sausage.  I will have some "before"s, work lists and project ideas for you as we go.  For now, I'll be piling ideas on a Pinterest board for her to check out and kick back.  Take a peek and come along for the ride as we get her place visit ready.  I really like this part more than the "after"s.  I might not sleep tonight.

sweet dreams, just bec