Finished up a vacant staging this week with a fantastic duo homeowner team choosing the do it yourself package, on an extremely limited budget, and creative help from U & I Home Decorating and Staging owner ME.  The whole house was freshly painted Navajo white before the consultation with U & I.  With no chance of adding color with paint, we need to get creative with vignettes and colored accessories. We want to create impact for the potential buyer to visualize what each room can be used for as well as help them see what you can do about architectural details that aren’t so useful anymore.  The large hole was once considered a grand idea in the 90’s but now with todays thin technology, that can be hung directly to the wall this huge hole needs new purpose.  Through creative staging we can show the potential buyer what they can do with this feature.  The fantastic duo team have their homework lists, my truck is packed full of vignette ideas and I am confident we have what we need.  Attached a before photo of the main space and the elephant in the room known as large size hole above the fireplace.  After shots with some inexpensive thrift store finds a canvas 48 x 48.  I covered it with some funky bright-colored fabric and viola the elephant in the room is disguised.  I used the homeowners items to create a reading area in front of the fireplace that you can visually see now that the elephant is no longer charging.  The rest of the house was simply staged with articles from the homeowners and a few colorful leased items from U & I.  The clients were putting in long work weeks and were a bit overwhelmed with their honey do list I had given them and the listing agent Christine Ornoff from Prudential Towne Realty in Chesapeake Virginia came by the house with her handy-dandy bucket full of cleaning goodies and went to town (amazing)….with a few hours of scrubbing, shining, and vacuuming the property is Sittin’ pretty and ready for open house.

Curb appeal is everything when a potential buyer pulls in front of your home.  If it is not a pleasant scene to their eye, they may not even bother looking inside.  I’m proud to say that this property was one of my first jobs years ago, and my clients satisfaction is still one of my highest priorities in my work.  It was a 3 to 4 day journey digging up old azalea bushes and relocating to another area in the yard.  The prepping alone was one of the hardest manual laboring jobs I have done in the 11 years that I have been in business.  It taught me endurance and persistence to continue doing what I love because it will never seem like work…well…this one did but I still loved it.   The root systems on some of those plants went to China I believe, we did our best and they all survived our transplant.  The soil was so compact (Virginia Clay) that I had to run a hose for a couple of hours just to soften it, then it was a muddy, extremely heavy mess.  I can still hear the suction between the shovel and earth.  I think we had to throw our boots away after that job.  My friend Kristen (my blessed laborer for a few days) and I worked up a sweat but we finished it with new shrubbery, flowers, a ton of lirope and of course the icing on the cake beautiful fresh brown mulch…many yards of it.  I have since then started to hire help with major jobs such as these to help preserve my 52-year-old back.  Leaving me with the lovely part of curb appeal, which is consulting with clients about the plan, purchasing of the materials, and overseeing the project for completion.  Part of the benefits of being the boss is I get to choose which part I want to do and hire for the rest.  Years after the job has been finished the owners have continued with the care and maintenance of the shrubbery and flower garden.  I saw them at an event and they told me that the Yaupon Holly I planted on the corner of the house has gotten as tall as the house and it gets rave reviews from the neighbors each fall when the berries turn their beautiful bright orange.  They gave me permission to go by and take a snap shot because their yard won “Yard of the Month” and proudly displays the sign in the front.  It makes me proud to know my clients are still happy with my companies work after all these years and that our hard work gets prolonged gratification.  Many thanks to my dear friend Kristen who stuck by me on those hot, hard-working days in the beginning stages of starting my company.  Another job well done from the very beginning stages of the U & I Home Decorating and Staging Team formally known as Creations by Deborah and my wonderful friend Kristen.

Feng Shui and Clutter
How An Overstuffed Home Robs You of Vitality,
Opportunities and Money — and What to Do About It
Today, many of us share one common problem: too much stuff in our homes. And, if you’re willing to invest just a couple of weeks – or weekends — you can get a grip on clutter and start feeling more in control over all the stuff in your house. Better still, you won’t have to live in a disorganized, cluttered home that frustrates and annoys you.

Having an uncluttered, organized home will repay you in time and money — and will return your peace of mind — and in just a few short weeks. Besides being a serious re-charge to your life and vitality, decluttering is good feng shui.

Everything you are surrounded by exerts an influence on your life.

If you’re surrounded by clutter and disorganization, it’s a serious energetic drain on your mind, your emotions and your physical body. Too much stuff quickly turns a home “yin” and that makes energy turn negative. Once that happens, the circumstances of life start changing, too. You could say that clutter becomes the sticks and mortar that dam your life and stop the opportunities that flow to you. It’s time to clean up that “dam” mess!

Let’s get started with the basics.

What is clutter?
Clutter is anything that you don’t regularly use, things that you don’t like or enjoy or that are broken, or items kept out of guilt and obligation. Clutter includes items like old clothing, unused toys, mismatched dishes, or stacks of magazines. One of the worst sources of clutter is paper. Newspapers, mail, magazines, old greeting cards, and various paper items all clutter up our coffee tables, desks, and refrigerator.

What clutter isn’t
Clutter isn’t anything you truly love or use regularly. Clutter also isn’t a valuable collectible. Some things shouldn’t go in a landfill or in a garage sale. Your grandmother’s Fostoria crystal isn’t junk and shouldn’t be treated that way.

Ebay, local antiques or consignment stores are resources to help sell your collectible items. One woman made $15,000 off her clutter. Every week, she sat at her computer with five to 10 items she wanted to sell and in six months, she had made an extra $15,000 by selling her clutter on Ebay. Too much trouble to sell? Give special items away as gifts to someone who’ll appreciate them.

Clutter sources
There are a number of reasons for our over-accumulation. One is that we’ve moved from a disposable society to everything’s-a-collectible society and if everything is valuable, then you can’t throw anything away then, can you? We’ve also moved from a buy-it-as-you-need-it outlook to a buy-it-in-bulk mindset – and if we buy in bulk, we have to live in bulk.

Lastly, recreational shopping creates an overload of unused, unwanted household items. Hitting the mall every weekend just packs your house and empties your wallet.

Staying present. The difficulty with clutter is both past and future.

Too often people are tied to items because of the past (it was a wedding gift, it was Uncle Frank’s) and the future (what if I need a shoe buttoner again?). Yet clutter causes you problems in the present because you can’t find what you’re looking for or you have things you don’t really need or want. Other problems from the past include items we’ve inherited.

Many people feel like they have to keep everything passed down from their loved ones. It’s a tremendous burden of guilt. Remember that things are not people and it’s okay to let things go. To feel like you have to hold on to the possessions of your loved ones who are no longer around is to have to build your own life and hang on to their lives, too. It makes for a crowded house. Keep just a few items that you especially love or that you’ll use on a regular basis. My favorite item from my grandmother? Her cast iron skillet that stays on my stove to this day and gets almost daily use.

Go ahead, be wasteful
Have you ever heard the Depression era stories about being so poor that coffee grounds were dried in the sun and re-used? Well, it’s not the Depression anymore. It’s okay to throw things away. You have my permission and encouragement to get rid of stuff. There will be enough and you can always get more if you need it.

People hang on to so many things because they don’t want to be wasteful; like holding on to a shirt with a stain that won’t come out. The stain won’t come out the longer it hangs there, so why reach for it and then put it back on the rack? Throw it away once and for all.

Your role: The first step to getting control over clutter is recognizing your role in creating it.

Do you overshop? Do you keep things out of guilt (it’s Aunt Mary’s!)? Do you have to buy in bulk? Are you afraid to throw things away? Taking a hard look at how and why your house has gotten cluttered helps you get it under control and from becoming cluttered in the future. So recycle when you can, and throw away, donate, or sell the rest — and at every opportunity.

The physical symptoms of clutter
Clutter stops the flow of energy. When energy stops flowing, there is a negative impact to our bodies, spirits, and energetic life flow in the form of money, opportunities, love, and enjoyment. Clutter manifests as excess weight, constipation, inability to think, feeling stuck in life, low vitality, and poor personal growth and movement.
 

Your goals for decluttering this week: Analyze your role in creating clutter. This week, try to make a change to your habits like going shopping during lunch or letting junk mail stack up instead of throwing it out. Try to change one habit each week. Set up an Ebay account. It’s incredibly easy to do and fast. Then gather up five items you’d like to sell, photograph them and upload them. Wait for the “Your item sold” email and then ship it as quickly as possible. There are a few essentials for selling successfully: great descriptions, good photos, reasonable price, and fast shipping. Do those and you’ll be an Ebay pro in no time. Tackle the kitchen desk or junk drawer. Buy an organizer and mercilessly pare down everything but what you frequently use. Aim to reduce the amount of stuff by at least 50%.

 

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© K Weber Communications LLC 2002-2010
Kathryn Weber is the publisher of the Red Lotus Letter Feng Shui E-zine and certified feng shui consultant in classical Chinese feng shui. Kathryn helps her readers improve their lives and generate more wealth with feng shui. For more information and to receive her FREE Ebook “Easy Money – 3 Steps to Building Massive Wealth with Feng Shui” visit www.redlotusletter.com and learn the fast and fun way how feng shui can make your life more prosperous and abundant!

I don’t know about you but I am a TV lover….I love kicking back and watching my favorite DVR’ed programs in a comfy setting.  HGTVPRO has some fantastic photographs of how Designers and Decorators are finally listening to their clients and giving them a stylish and comfortable TV viewing area.  Time and time again I have read NO TV….but isn’t that what most of us do now….times are tough and we stay home.  We watch movies at home, DVR our favorite programs, watch the food network and cook up something yummy.  Come on we need TV’s….at least I do anyway.  Hope you enjoy the HGTVPro link.  Deborah

http://www.hgtvpro.com/hpro/photo_template/article/0,3140,HPRO_28216_6028885,00.html?nl=HGPro_v283c_TechDesign

One of my friends on Facebook Alice T. Chan posted this article and it brought back memories for me.  I wanted to share it with you.  I remember when my husband and I were shopping for our condominium and all the places that we saw.  We could not believe that people did not pick up their clothes off the floors.  Dishes in the sinks, a ring around the tub, and smoking in every room, even dirty ashtrays they are all HUGE turn offs.  Green slimy pools, funky stuff on the carpets…beds in the living room, I mean come on people.  You are trying to sell your house…. hire a cleaning company if you do not want to clean and for pity sake STOP SMOKING IN THE HOUSE…I know it is your house but you are trying to get someone else to buy it.  If you must smoke pick a spot outside away from the entrances and exits of your home…the garage is not a good place either.  People will go into the garage smell the musty odor, and wonder if you have a leak or question that something died behind all the clutter.  When you smoke in a home, there will be no getting around painting from ceiling to floor in every room and all the fabrics and upholstery cleaned before it will ever be pleasant to the nose of a potential buyer.  I have walked into places that have been painted and cleaned but the lingering odor of smokers does not fade.  It is a very difficult thing to disguise.  You can smell that there is a smoker in the house before you enter into the house.  That is how strong the odor of cigarettes travels and lingers.  You may not have the furniture from a magazine but your home can stand out from the rest if it is squeaky clean, fresh and airy to all five senses, and NO CLUTTER.  I know that you have collected those precious items for years, but they are your treasures and should be packed ever so carefully and taken to storage for your new home.  A good home stager can help you determine what stays and what should be packed away for your viewing pleasure at your new home.  Give me a call for help and guidance.  I am eager to couch you and make the hard decision choices easier on you.  Look at this article from Julie Glassberg of the NY Times.  It is a great read and very informative for those of you with a house on the market and not selling.  Deborah

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/16/wed-buy-the-place-but-the-decor-is-weird/

It is tough to save money and get wanted jobs done when needed jobs take precedence.  By rethinking, and reusing what we have we can save a ton of money.  It takes just a little imagination and know how.  If you see a picture in a magazine that you love, take a look at items in your own home.  Try looking at them with a different eye.  Can you change the paint color, change the knobs, change the legs, add a piece of fabric to give it a new look.  Many items may be old and you are tired of looking at them but by thinking of them in a different color, fabric, style you can create an entirely different piece.  Rearranging furniture in your room is a simple solution and will give you a new look.  Freshen it up with a new paint color with some throw pillows and a new piece of art.  Big Lots and Garden Ridge have amazing deals on art work.  Perhaps a new rug, sprucing up the cabinets with some organizing baskets.  You can do all of these items yourself and have a refreshed room while saving money.  If you feel you do not have the vision well that is where I come in, give me a call.  I can help you identify items that can be restored or redesigned by yourself or by me…..I would be happy to lend my expertise on Rethinking, Refreshing, and Reusing.  I have many clients that have pieces that were out of trend.  Simple sanding, priming, changing paint color and a few knobs they now have a piece to put in a freshly painted room that fits todays trendy market.  Below you can see some of the projects for clients that I have completed while saving them money.  The bedroom dresser was a fire rescue for $45.00.  By painting with a silver rub, glass knobs and a new faux marble sink top it is a one of a kind lovely vanity in a master bathroom.  The country-style coffee table and end table, refreshed by painting the bottoms white and the top a darker stain; a new up to trend look.  The dining room chair fabric was cream damask and soiled easily.  Changing the seat fabric is an inexpensive and easy way to refresh your chairs and give an entirely new look to your dining room.  Shopping at second-hand stores and consignment shops will save you money too!  Many items are gently used and with a fresh coat of wax or paint that old item can be renewed.  It brings new meaning to one man’s trash is another man’s treasure…..OR WOMAN”S in my case…..Let me know if I can help find hidden treasures within your home.  757-639-5796 or https://uandihomedecoratingandstaging.com  Deborah

 

 

Sam’s room is complete.  After a few days of shopping with my inspiration piece I was able to pull it all together.  I gave Annie a call and we set up a day to get it all done.  Yesterday we spent the entire day painting together, talking about everything under the sun and laughing a lot.  The day goes by quickly when your trying to complete a room in a day.  We were able to pull it off and the results are wonderful.  The walls are painted Behr eggshell 480A-2 Botanical Tint and the trim Behr semi-gloss W-B-500 1850 Ultra Pure White.  It is a beautiful brilliant bright color scheme.  Once we laid the bedspread across the bed everything just popped.  The fabric I purchased at the second-hand store became the valances and add green and pull your eye up when you look in the room….The closet doors received a whimsical treatment from stick on dots in the room colors.  Sam can move them around the room wherever he wants.  A fun addition for him to interact with.  I told Annie she will wake up each day with the dots some else in the room…Sam and Annie are thrilled with the results.  I believe my favorite and best compliment I have ever received when decorating was when Sam’s cousin David said he needed me to come and trick out his bedroom…..Annie I laughed a lot about the new word we learned…I now trick out bedrooms. LOL

Today I will make the valances for Sam’s room from the perfect colored green fabric I found at the same second hand store I purchased the inspiration chenille bedspread. I went shopping at one of my favorite places to shop for accessories Target yesterday and found Sam’s room complete……Every thing I needed and the colors were all there. With paint swatches, bedspread, and fabric in hand it was oh my goodness this is perfect…and oh would you look at that….exactly what I was looking for….and then it was the perfect rug, tables, lamp……I’m telling you Sam’s room is going to be fantastic…..

I spoke with Annie (Sam’s mommy) and she stated that Sam loves bright colors and loves to pull and touch tiny threads on her pillows (trim); she also stated he loves to tear paper into tiny pieces.  I read about that being part of a calming action for their hands while their mind takes a rest.  I can understand, I wish my mind would rest at night when I am ready to sleep.  I am always going over the things I still have on my list and adding to it as I close my eyes.  Most of the articles I have read spoke about keeping the room calm and void of bright colors.  Soft blues, greens and soft whites seem to be the palettes that I kept finding on the internet.  I had decided to go with sea-foam greens and blues in different values trying to keep it masculine at the same time.  After all Sam is a big boy even though his minds age is kindergarden.  I happen to be in one of our local second-hand stores (one of my favorite let’s make a deal kind of place) and found this lovely chenille bedspread with tassel twisted link trim.  The chenille was pulled through the white cotton background in a wave like pattern.  Not to busy in the pattern with perfect colors in the teal blue leaning toward sea foam green and a darker green that reminded me of a dark brussel sprout.  I checked it out carefully looking for stains or missing chenille but it was in perfect condition…..SOLD.  Immediately I noticed the perfect piece of fabric I could use for pillow shams.  It was the exact match to my dark brussel sprout.  Amazing finds price and color (thank you Lord) off I went to checkout.  I headed to the paint store to do some color matching of my treasure.  I chose all different values from light to bright of the blue and green giving Annie and Sam many for a favorite.   I made a phone call to Annie and headed to Green Street with my treasures of the successful hunt to get their approval.  Annie was thrilled with the bedspread and Sam just kept touching it.  He loved the little strings hanging down on the trim.  That will keep his interest for a long time and his smile was my thank you its lovely from him without a word being spoken.  Annie and I made a few selections of paint color that she could live with and then we ask Sam to choose his favorite.  Sam immediately knew his favorite by touch, a large smile and a moan we knew his choice.  Annie and I were thrilled it is the same one we wanted too! I am starting a kitchen, painting cabinets, and dining room job on Monday.  Sam’s room will have to hold for a week.  I will be able to purchase the paints, make the shams, shop for curtains, and a beanbag after that. Deborah

I have been asked to do a child’s room that has autism.  His mother has been ill, has had to have many surgeries this year, and missed quite a bit of work.  What makes the story interesting is her love for this boy…..She started out as a single Foster parent, took Sam into her home as his foster mother/guardian…she quickly fell in love with Sam and has taken on his challenges, and made them hers.  She is now his adopted Mother and continues to support Sam and his autism.  Sam will remain a kindergartener but his mother loves will keep soaring.  She is a dear friend of mine and I am offering my services to her and her son free of charge to help them out and create a space for Sam that he will love to come home too after attending school.  I did not know anything about autism before I started this project but I have been reading everything I can get my hands on to get better acquainted with autism.  I have started a blog about this project and will continue to take notes as I venture deeper into Sam’s world.  I have learned about textures, color finishes, noise, scents, sights…..it has been an experience that is worthy of notes.  I will continue to blog about my experience as the week’s progress.

Deborah Lutz

U & I Home Decorating and Staging