by Jen | Nov 18, 2013 | How To, Organizing
Clutter
Oh. My. We moved into this house 3 1/2 months ago. I did so much purging and clutter delegation when we arrived. Our house is big. I am organized. I pick up and clean all the time. Why, oh why, Clutter have you taken over? Ok maybe not taken over but you are trying to stage a coup. I know your tricks. I have company coming. I am busy. Clutter leave me alone! You leave me no choice. I am sorry.
I’m not going to over think it. I’m just going to dump it.
So after 10 minutes this is what I came up with. I felt it was pathetic.
So I did another round. Which turned into 5 hours later…
Ok, it isn’t as impressive as it looks. And yet it is… Much of this is packing paper that I held onto for when I decided to do this….
…sort, sell, goodwill and purge my staging props. What you aren’t seeing are the boxes of things I am giving away to family…which are boxed and ready to leave my house!
What you also aren’t seeing are all the the things that were work related props that I decided to keep and are now smeared throughout my house… making MORE CLUTTER.
The upside is that after doing this for hours I started going nuts throwing things out of closets willy nilly to THROW AWAY.
I took no prisoners in the kid’s craft closet. The play doh is on the brink of joining this lot, but I am afraid of my 6 year old.
Did I inspire you or freak you out? I’m a little bit of both. Grab a garbage bag today and see what happens…
by Jen | Nov 8, 2013 | Fun Style, How To, Inspired Style
www.ruffledblog.com
Gather and Gold, Gather and Gold, Gather and Gold, Ev’ryone wishes for Gather and Gold. It’s actually :
Silver and gold
Silver and gold
Silver and gold
Ev’ryone wishes
For silver and gold…Burl Ives from Rudolph. But whatever, this works better for my post. It’s about Gathering and Gold. Didn’t see that coming did you?
www.karaspartyideas.com
You know what that is? Other than AWESOME? It’s a piece a fabric cut from a bolt at the good ole’ fabric store. YOU can do that. LOVE IT!
Ok, ready for this one? It seriously hurts my heart.
www.southshoredecoratingblog.com
It’s called “Go to Goodwill and buy a hideous painting and spray paint the frame gold and paint the board inside the painting with chalk board paint.” Or go to TJMaxx and buy a framed chalkboard and spray paint the frame gold… OR if you are crafty and you know it then take a half price coupon to Michaels Craft Store, buy an open frame (they have a whole aisle of them), buy a cheap piece of thin board from Home Depot, have someone cut it, paint the board with chalk board paint, paint the frame if necessary, and staple gun the board to the frame. I gave you 3 options. You can do this.
www.architectureartdesigns.com
You can do this.
www.betterhomesandgarden.com
It’s not Gold but it is BEAUTIFUL. I actually saw a comment under this picture on Pinterest that said “Imagine how gorgeous these would look spray painted gold”. It would be inexpensive–cost of a can of paint and some vegetables.
Speaking of spray paint.
www.weddingchicks.com
You can take ANYTHING and spray paint it gold and call it AWESOME for a Holiday Gathering table centerpiece. Get a can of antique gold in satin and I’ve been told Gold Metallic Rustoleum works Foolproof.
www. findinghomeonline.com
www.thebakingbird.com
www.inspiredmrsstevens.com
www.4.bp.blogspot.com
See? You can spray paint anything gold.
www.anthropologie.com
These weren’t spray painted. I just like them.
www.stylemepretty.com
This is breathtaking. If this is your next gathering please, please, please invite me.
Happy Day to you all.
by Jen | Nov 5, 2013 | How To
Like the cabinet? I found it at a junk/antique store in North Carolina. Did you know most places will give you 10% off just for asking? And did you know if you pay cash you can usually get 15-20% off the price? And did you know if the piece has been there for,like, ever (Or looks like it has been there forever) you can get a lot more off? This cabinet was shoved in a corner barricaded by a bunch of other stuff. I used that to my advantage. “Hey Mr. Owner I’ll give you $60 cash for this piece because you have had it forever, no one can see it, and you need to clear some inventory.” He didn’t like it but he knew I was right. He had it listed for $160. I got it for $60. Don’t be afraid to ask and remember cash is powerful. (I bought this and a 5 foot locker while 8 hours from home–with a car that was packed…Thank you Jack and Jan for foregoing luggage and packing your clothes inside these pieces of furniture so that you could fit them inside your car and drive them to me.)
While we are talking about this piece of furniture—Remember this post from two days ago? Peeky Peekerton or 5 Minutes to Awesome? I know, riveting, right? But wait, there’s more!
(Ok it is a little blurry because I shot the picture fast. Starbucks is getting ready for Christmas!)
No peeking! But do you know what was peeking at me? In my OWN house?
I know! Right? I took care of that in 5 minutes.
Fold
Crease
Don’t tell my husband I used one of our good steak knives.
by Jen | Nov 3, 2013 | Fun Style, How To, Interior Decorating
Hi there! It’s November! How ARE you? It feels like, well, since October since we’ve talked. So much has happened. We had Halloween. I raced through the neighborhood following a local Dad who was determined to hit every porch lit house, do both sides of the street simultaneously, cover every inch of the neighborhood, cut through alleys to avoid “traffic”, and take no prisoners. It was awesome. We did in one hour what normal people do in two. I’m looking for a patch that he can wear (you know like cub scouts) so people are aware of his candy prowess. We had family visit for the weekend. Then there was the silent auction I went to where I entered about 45 (seriously) “raffles” and won NOTHING. A Christmas craft fair that was HUGE. (What happened to Thanksgiving?) A Hallmark Christmas movie marathon (again, Thankssssgivvviiingggg? Hello?) Wrapping it all up with little boys running here, there and everywhere and then the last minute homework. It’s going on now. I’m hiding. Now we are caught up. Let’s get down to business.
I found a swell 1950’s kitchen cabinet for my sister in law and her beau. I freshened it up a bit with some paint but there was still a void. No dazzle. We needed a little dazzle darn it. Which brings me to one of my favorite things—unexpected awesomness. The Peeky Peekerton kind.
I know. It’s dazzling isn’t it? I mean who would expect to open a drawer and see so much style? It makes me smile. It’s going to make them smile. It’s peeking at you every time you open the darn drawer or cabinet. All it is are old calendar pages, a map, and a razor blade. I stuck those bad boys in, creased it into the edges, pulled a razor blade out and sliced it. It’s not perfect. It’s not centered. It took 5 minutes. It looks better than old wood. I’m sorry! It looks AMAZINGly better than old wood.
I keep a box of cool paper, old road maps, old calendars, magazine pages with coolness, and whatever else calls my name that can “tear” and it always comes in handy.
What drawers and cabinets can you awesomify? Life’s too short to be boring.
by Jen | Oct 25, 2013 | How To, Interior Decorating
Starbucks and Magazines
I am a leading authority on anything that appears in Time, Better Homes and Gardens, Oprah, Afar Travel Magazine, an occasional People and a host of other decorating ones. I don’t read the whole article-just the first few lines of each paragraph or so-that makes me the expert. Frequently I will proclaim something to my husband and he will reply “How do you know?” I don’t like to tell him. It might undermine my “creds”. I hope he doesn’t read this.
Anyway, I am a magazine junkie. I have stashes.
My family frequently gets mad at me during the holidays because I let myself relax and I shove a magazine in front of my face–even if it is during a card game, family conversation, sometimes a meal…I’m not proud. I love my magazines. I always put off looking at them til I have time. Alas, sometimes that time doesn’t arrive until, say family game night on Thanksgiving:)
Enough about me. It was riveting, wasn’t it?
The point is about YOU.
You want some decorating help. You are overwhelmed with what to do first. Underwhelmed with your space. We need a starting point. What do you like? “I don’t know what I like”. Ok, grab a magazine and look. Do you like that picture? Ok, rip it out. What do you like about it? “I don’t know what I like about it”. Ok, fine. Look through some more magazines. Rip out some more pictures. I don’t care if they are all of bathrooms and you hate your kitchen. Just rip the pages out. Do you notice anything the pictures have in common? Are they all dark? White? Bright? Modern? We don’t need a label. We just want to find some common denominators.
Frequently I go to people’s houses and they want me to name their style. Or, they want me to name what their style should be or would be if they did this and this. Guess what? If everything fits into one style you are going to be sick of it in one year. Who cares what you call it. Just work on finding what you like, regardless of what category it falls into.
A word of caution. If your house is say very Traditional. Don’t look for what matches what you have if you don’t like it. I had clients who would do this all the time. Just because you have it now doesn’t mean we have to keep adding to it. WHAT DO YOU LIKE NOW? Where are we trying to go? We might not get there tomorrow but at least we are on the right road.
I use to tell a favorite client named Regina that it was like planning a road trip. You need a map. You might be in New England today and want to get to Southern California. You aren’t going to get there by driving willy nilly without a map. Well, you might but it is going to cost you a lot more money in gas and lodging. Get a plan. Figure out where you want to go. What route do you want to drive?
Decorating. You need a map. Where are you trying to go? Start with pictures. Figure out what you like. Do you need roadside assistance aka decorating assistance? Goals are just dreams until you write them down. Baby steps. Start small.
What do you like? Grab a magazine. Make a file.
We’ll talk more about what to do with that file later. One step at a time.
by Jen | Oct 4, 2013 | Happiness at Home, Home Staging, How To, Interior Decorating, Western Feng-Shui
Eclectic Garage And Shed by Hershey Photographers Amy Renea
Did you read yesterday’s post? Ok, we’ll wait while you click here.
Be it ever so lovely there’s no place like home. What’s one thing you can do to your house to make it feel “homey”? Add plants. Greenery. Flowers. They give instant home appeal. This goes for staging your house for sale, as well. Plants make a room more inviting and more inviting gets buyers.
Portland Interior Designers & Decorators Jessica Helgerson Interior Design
Did you know that house plants can improve the quality of air in your house? The air quality in your own home is usually much worse than the outdoor one. Synthetic chemical cleaning products, foam in our furniture and carpet, and other building materials in our houses all emit toxins. Then there is mold, tobacco smoke, poorly ventilated cooking sources… I’m sort of freaking myself out. Open some windows everyone. I’m perusing around the web and a lot of folks concur these are some of the best house plants for air-cleaning (the site I’m looking at right now is DrAxe.com Maximize Your Health):
Areca palm
Reed palm
Dwarf date palm
Boston fern
Janet Craig dracaena
English Ivy
Australian sword fern
Peace Lily
Rubber plant
Weeping fig
Then there is the Feng Shui side to this. Plants bring great energy into your home. Plus, you can’t have good energy in your house if the air quality isn’t good. Bamboo plants create good feng shui AND clean the air in your home. Have you seen the Feng Shui Money Trees in Lowes or Home Depot? I think I’ve seen small bamboo ones even in dollar stores. Well, the logic behind these is any healthy, vibrant lush plant represents vibrant and well-rooted energy—a growing energy you would like to see reflected in your money (check out About.com Feng-Shui). Common ones are jade trees (a succulent) and Pachira Aquatica Bonsai. Do with this as you choose but a plant that can clean toxins out of my house, bring good energy, make my rooms look better, and maybe help me attract money? I’m in.
AND. According to a University of Agriculture in Norway study, indoor plants can reduce fatigue, coughs, sore throats and other cold-related illnesses by more than 30 percent, partially by increasing humidity levels and decreasing dust.
Myers Design
AND. House plants make people feel calmer and more optimistic, says Bruno Cortis, M.D., a Chicago cardiologist. He says that studies have shown that hospital patients who face a window with a garden view recovered more quickly than those who had to look at a wall. What about watching the news? If I put 600 plants around my TV will I feel calmer over the government shutdown??
Anywhoooo.
All this being said–I’m a plant killer. I try. I do. I water too much, I water too little, I put in direct sun, I put in not enough sun. Sigh. Here’s a list of the hardest plants to kill. I got this list from ivillage.com Clean House Happy Home where you can also see pictures.
Pothos
Aloe
Spider plant
English Ivy (also a good air cleaner)
Jade plant
Rubber tree (love these and also on the air cleaning list)
Diffenbachia
Peace Lily (air cleaning list)
Snake plant
Ficus (don’t do it)
A couple I am skipping because they look really ugly.
Fiddle-Leaf Fig
Areca Palm (This is also on the air cleaning list and I have had one for FOUR years. It still lives!)
I’m going to the store and getting 600 more of these tomorrow. We’ll see if it helps.
