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

Add Personality When You Depersonalize

sad empty walls

It is one of the heartbreaking realities of getting your home ready to sell or rent, you have to DEPERSONALIZE. It really should be a 4 letter word.  As hard as it is, you have to take down the third-grade picture of Ashley and the family group picture from Rachael's wedding.  People coming to view your property need to see themselves there. 

Art should have broad based appeal.  You are sharing the feel of your home with out knocking visitors over the head with your owl collection. The frames you've collected over the years are easy to spray paint -- I like flat black, but oil rubbed bronze or antique white also create a modern & cohesive look. 

Frames with the picture floating between two pieces of glass are my favorite. They add size & scale without making an arrangement too heavy. It also has the illusion of bringing your wall color forward as a perfectly matched mat. If you spray paint these frames, spray all sides of the back piece, because it shows through the glass.  I've had to go back to the sticky stage more than once to learn this lesson

Highlight your city or the landscapes around you, buyers are looking in your location for a reason.  We lived in Charleston and had plenty of images laying around (old postcards, stationary, magazine pictures).  You can check websites for your city or chamber of commerce. I have a Facebook friend who takes amazing pictures of the Lowcountry. She's given me permission to use them as art here and in my clients' homes.

Amanda Jean Matlock

marthastewart.com via pinterest

Since we love our GPS so much, the maps in my glove box have found their way into art projects all over my house. Apparently, I'm not the only one because these are popping up all over Pinterest.





Look around and make the most of everything you have laying around:

• frame textiles. it adds texture and warmth.  I've used scraps of everything from bridesmaid's dresses to an old pillow so flat the dog wouldn't lay on it.
• frame paper. there are such gorgeous scrapbook papers and wrapping papers (my girls can stop by with their fundraiser if you don't have any). even a small piece with a lot of mat around it becomes art.
• frame printables. Pinterest is covered with free printables and tutorials about how to make them.  Keep quotes positive and general. My Sunday School teacher mom will hate this, but avoid Bible verses -- remember broad based appeal.

• mix old & new.  I found these old prints inside a book. They had not seen the light of day since the 70's. They really show their spots, age character.
• use 1 or 2 large accessories.  I love shells and candlesticks. Check your own collection of treasures you've found at Tuesday Morning. Just be careful not to creep back into clutter.

clearance art from Tar-jay  $2.08 & $2.38.

• challenge yourself to spend $0. Almost all the frames I have, started their lives as pre-framed art from discount stores or Goodwill. When people don't respond to the subject, retailers mark these down much lower than frames with the smiling family.

If you want to lean frames like I do in these pictures (and in my home), try Velcro tabs.  They keep even large pictures from slipping down. My three girlies have tried to stomp mine down more that once.  HOWEVER these tabs are made to stick through lots of stick/unsticks. I always cover the shelf side tab with less sticky, repositionable 2-sided tape. It will save your painted mantle and shelves, but do not tell hunky husband how I know that.

Leaning pictures on your mantle or floating shelves serves a couple of purposes.
1. The buyers don't see a million holes in the wall from my your latest gallery wall adventure.
2. It makes even formal looking art or posed pictures look more casual. 

When my friend little Bekah moved to Charleston from Up North, she realized the need to trade her stilettos for flip flops. Coastal Casual style is strictly enforced -- beautiful clothes, messy beautiful hair, beautiful pedicure & just flops.  That same casual style will welcome visitors into your home whether you are trying to sell, rent or just live visit ready.

just bec

linking this to living savvy's no spend challenge. check out everyone's ideas for shopping the craft store you already have at home.