Let's Pretend it is Fall

For those of you who are enduring, enjoying cold and snow already, I salute you. I do not know how to handle an actual change of seasons, as I have lived my entire life in places devoid of them. Well, in SC we have deer, turkey, dove, duck.  My Sistah adds football, but that is more of a religion.

However, I am a holiday mom.  Even if the palm trees are still green & we are all wearing flip-flops, I try to give my girls lots of festive memories. This year, we went to a corn maze, two different Halloween carnivals, trunk-or-treat at the church and THEN trick-or-treats with a ton of friends.

Working in retail for 8 years, this is the point at which I used to immediately switch over to Christmas.  At Target, we stayed over night on Halloween to switch the entire store over to fa la la la la fabulous. Last year my family came to visit from SC for Thanksgiving. We switched from Summer straight to Christmas as soon as supper was off the table -- gotta burn off that fried turkey somehow.

Enter my new friend (and business partner) Miss Honey I'm Home. She LOVES fall. Coming from Minnesota, she is familiar with all the seasons -- apparently there are four.  She also designs front porch installations for general curb appeal or special occasions.  My front porch needed some love to say the least. It needed her vision. It also helped that inspiration struck her about the same time Fall decor went 80% off at Hobby Lobby. That is what I am talking about!

Nothing says Halloween like white pumpkins,glitter t-shirts, tutu skirts and cowgirl boots.

I bought these orange chairs from Home Depot because I thought they scream "Summer Fun." Luckily for me, they also scream "Happy Halloween." Now I am hoping to soften them up a bit and let them suggest "Give Thanks." Don't worry, they have nothing to say about Christmas -- they will be heading to the garage.

via HomeDepot.com

My creepy/classy Halloween feather wreath is perfectly me. Unfortunately, it let us know just how dark my entryway is. From the street, you couldn't see it at all.  Even changing over to this bright orange berry number didn't brighten it up. Hunky Husband to the rescue with a dusk to dawn spotlight that we could point directly at all this fake fall fun.

The wreaths at Hobby Lobby started at $129 -- I am not that girl. Even at 80% off, we could do better.  I got two garlands for $10 (started at $49) and a $5.99 base grape vine wreath.  (Do not tell my Sainted Mother that I bought a grape vine wreath in a store).  One garland broke down into these big sprigs that went right onto the wreath.  The other I broke down into smaller pieces to add to the pumpkin tower.

The Butlers via Pinterest

This is the pin that started me on white pumpkins in the first place. The top two came from Michael's 50% off sale at the beginning of the the season. The bottom one came from Target 50% off after Halloween. Even with the discounts, $24 is a lot for me to spend, but I plan on using them every Halloween and Thanksgiving for the rest of my life.

-So, I've that going for me.

That created a problem when I went to build the tower.  I didn't want to damage the pumpkins with pins or hot glue.  I need to use them for Halloween next year and I do not think HH would give me the space in his man land garage to store this piece whole. I poked a few strategic holes in the bottom of the little one and removed the stem from the big one. I used wood BBQ skewers to secure the top two in place -- all small holes & a cookie to anyone who can find them next year.

I hope you are having fun getting your place all tarted up for the holidays. I'm hoping to get some good before & after shots of an upcoming staging job for you next time.

Whether you are getting ready for the holidays or your open house, you can stretch those curb appeal dollars to make your place more Visit Ready.

just bec



I'll be linking up at these linky parties:

before & after party @ thrifty decor chick nifty thrifty tuesday @ coastal charm show me what you've got @ our delightful home  tuesday to do @ the blackberry vine get your craft on @ today's creative blog tip me tuesday @ tip junkie  tutorials & tips @ home stories a to z  take a look tuesday @ sugar bee crafts  one project at a time @ a bowl full of lemons  tuesdays treasures @ my uncommon slice of suburbia  wow me wednesday @ ginger snap crafts   tuesday time out @ reason to skip the housework  sugar & spice @ 733 a creative blog  whatever goes wednesday @ someday crafts show & share @ southern lovely wow me wednesday @ polka dots on parade  under $100 @ beyond the picket fence  show off your stuff @ fireflies and jelly beans  pinspirational thursday @ the artsy girl connection   hooking up with hoh @ house of hepworths  strut your stuff @ somewhat simple    share awesomeness thursdays @ the 36th avenue  a glimpse inside @ catch a glimpse   feathered nest friday @ french country cottage  freestyle friday @ happy hour projects  thursday temptation @ two yellow birds decor   flaunt it friday @ chic on a shoestring  the pity party @ 30 handmade days  weekend wrap up @ tatertots and jello anything goes link party @ bacon time  friday free for all @ five days five ways  frugal friday @ the shabbby nest  mad skills party @ mad in crafts  serenity saturday @ serenity you   manic monday @ serendipity and spice

Undo #2: Theme Rooms

I ran into a friend who I hadn't talked to since starting my home staging business. She said "Oh, you FIX houses to sell, like on TV!"

I wish I was "like on TV." They seem to have very high budgets, staff in matching t-shirts and that handy fast-forward edit thingy. However, I usually use what my clients have -- plus a little BEHR paint, trust and pixie dust. My business partner (Miss Honey I'm Home) and I work together and Hunky Husband is our only team member. We do not have that music that makes the room suddenly look gorgeous in the last two minutes.

I also do not FIX houses.  Houses are usually working just fine for the people who live there. Sometimes we make small repairs (the nagging little list of things we all put off, but need to be done before a listing). We more often undo the very things that have made that house work for the current owner. 

gorgeous Tangled mural via Pinterest

Staging shows off the space, light and storage in your home -- or creates the illusion of it. 

Sometimes that means taking out half of the bookshelves you have added.

Sometimes that means going from 10 pieces of furniture in one room to three.

Sometimes that means taking down the little decorations that make you smile every time you see them.

Some of the things you have done to FIX up your house are the first to go when we need to appeal to buyers.

#2 Adorable thing to UNDO:  Theme Rooms

Transformer decals are not for everyone

Yes, kids rooms are kid's rooms. 

If you live in a family home, in a family neighborhood most of the people looking at your  home will prolly be needing a place for their short people to sleep.

However, their child may not like Transformers or Tangled as much as yours does.  

My Big Girlie loves the ocean. She wants to be a Marine Biologist and her room reflects it. Her bedding looks like a coral reef. Her pillows look like sea anemones. Her dresser is painted in an aqua color called "Sea Life." Now, she wants to hang fish pictures from the ceiling. That is all fine to live in, but can you imagine putting that in an MLS picture? We would show up on Hooked on Houses for sure.

too many tiny chefs in this overly flowered kitchen landed in
"funny MLS" pictures on  Hooked on Houses

The fact is, a growing number of buyers shop for a new home on-line. 89% of home buyers who buy online say they notice pictures first -- before square footage or description.  A growing number are shopping online exclusively and buying their home without ever visiting it in person.

Let your pictures show off the size of your rooms, not your over-the-top addiction to zebra print.  Let your pictures show the high ceilings, not hunky husband's experiment in camo as decor.
Let your pictures show your wood burning fireplace, not the life size storm trooper made of legos.

You can do it! Pack up the jungle, bistro, Disney, undersea, Caribbean, birdcage, sports pub, vineyard wonderland. It will be great in your new home and make your listed property more Visit Ready.

just bec


sometimes I share at these link parties:

before & after party @ thrifty decor chick nifty thrifty tuesday @ coastal charm show me what you've got @ our delightful home  tuesday to do @ the blackberry vine get your craft on @ today's creative blog tip me tuesday @ tip junkie  tutorials & tips @ home stories a to z  take a look tuesday @ sugar bee crafts  one project at a time@ a bowl full of lemons  tuesdays treasures @ my uncommon slice of suburbia  wow me wednesday @ ginger snap crafts   tuesday time out @ reason to skip the housework  sugar & spice @ 733 a creative blog  whatever goes wednesday @ someday crafts show & share @ southern lovely wow me wednesday @ polka dots on parade  under $100 @ beyond the picket fence  show off your stuff @ fireflies and jelly beans  pinspirational thursday @ the artsy girl connection   hooking up with hoh @ house of hepworths  strut your stuff @ somewhat simple    share awesomeness thursdays @ the 36th avenue  a glimpse inside @ catch a glimpse   feathered nest friday @ french country cottage  freestyle friday @ happy hour projects  thursday temptation @ two yellow birds decor   flaunt it friday @ chic on a shoestring  the pity party @ 30 handmade days  weekend wrap up @ tatertots and jello anything goes link party @ bacon time  friday free for all @ five days five ways  frugal friday @ the shabbby nest  mad skills party @ mad in crafts  serenity saturday @ serenity you   manic monday @ serendipity and spice