Shorts, Tees and Tank tops - Oh My!

What better way to welcome the summer season and warm temperatures than by changing over your winter clothes to your summer clothes. Not only does this allow you to see what all the clothes that you forgot you had, but it also helps to show what you have and what you don't need to buy (which will save you money from overspending or it will show what you do need to invest in).

This project is a great mood booster to tackle on a rainy, wet, gray day because you're putting away any heavy, dark clothing and bringing out anything thats bright, fun and cheery :)

In the beginning, I wanted to tackle this job to know what I had and didn't have in terms of tops and bottoms and in what colours and also to see if I had to replace anything from last year. But as I mentioned above, this helps to show what you already have and it may stop you from splurging and spending your money on things this season (if you don't need them).

I always think that you should have a few staple colours like beige (or khaki), black, brown and denim (dark or light which ever you prefer) in your wardrobe. Anything beyond that is extra that might be fun to have but isn't necessary. These 4 staples are great anchors to have in your wardrobe because anything goes with them and they can be dressed up or down.

What was my first step in tackling this job? Out of my closet, I took all of my heavy sweaters and pretty much anything else that would be too warm to wear in the summer and piled everything out on my bed.  This is the best way to see everything that you're working with. Then I brought all of my summer tops out. This included any t-shirts, blouses, light cardigans, or short sleeved anything really. Then I started hanging them in my closet in all the same colour groupings. This "colour blocking" technique helps to show what colours you have, what you favour and what you don't need more of. **another way of saving you money!!**

I have to admit that I had a blast doing this project. I loved seeing all the bright colours again, setting up all the colour groupings (I even grouped them light to dark) and seeing what I had and feeling in control, knowing what I don't need to spend money on... THAT IS EMPOWERING!!!

I went into a well-known clothing store the other day and spotted a few items that looked quite appealing, but then thought "what do I already have at home? Do I actually need this?" Thats when I decided that it was time to pull out all the summer things and get going on this very project. This job is empowering because, by going through your clothes, you're purging and organizing all at the same time and it sets you up for the next time you go clothes shopping. This helps you from walking up to the store with your "on a mission" face and then as soon as you see the "pretty little tops" or shoes or handbags at the door and walk in, thats when your eye's glaze over and you get the feeling that you're walking through Candy Land. Pretty, colourful and cute. This is where you should stop and say to yourself "I am in control of my money! What do I want and what do actually need?" This is also empowering - you are in control!

If you have any (light) scarves that you wear in the summer and aren't sure how to display them, you can hang them together or curl them up like a seashell idea and put them in a basket. That way, you can see all the colours that you have and are able to easily match them to your outfit accordingly.A great way to showcase your scarves is to hang them on a hanger that you already have in your closet, so that you can see all the colours together and choose accordingly!

Have fun with this project! Think of it as helping to save you money :) Let your wardrobe inspire you!

Home Staging

The Dirt on Home Staging

What’s it all about?

Just a thought, think of selling your home as a similar event to preparing for a job interview…You have a shower, you lay out the best outfit that you have (you want to dress to impress), you tidy yourself up by shaving or putting your make-up on, doing your hair, ultimately wanting a job in the end for putting out the best that you can be. Now think about it, how much different is it than preparing your house for sale? You should think of selling your house the same way you would present yourself to a prospective boss at a job interview. You don’t go sloppy, dirty or disorganized and expect to get the job. Why would anyone want to hire someone who can’t even put themselves together for a job interview, to represent their company?

                So if you were selling your house, why would anyone want to buy it if it’s messy and not well presented?

Home staging is preparing a house to have another person potentially fall in love with it all over again as you once have.  You never get a second chance to make a first impression, so you better make a good one the first time.  Home Staging means, cleaning, tidying, organizing, re-decorating, accessorizing, space planning…. This sounds like a lot of work, but believe me – its all worth it in the end! Since it sounds like a lot of work, that’s what we Home Stagers are here to help you with! You don’t even need to lift a finger, but if you do, we prefer that you use one – your indexJ

When you hire a home stager, they come to your home and assess each space, they score each room from 1-10 (10 being the best) and write down reasons for that score. After the assessment, the stager goes over the scores with you the client and then discusses what his/her recommendations for the home would be to stage it, to make it sell better, faster and what you can do to have more money in your pocket in the end!

Your Home Stager may suggest that you move some furniture around if a rooms appears or feels too heavy especially if you have too much furniture in a space, or if the furniture is too bulky. They may recommend balancing out some accessories that you have on a bookshelf or on a mantle to de-clutter.  Or your Stager may want you to change the colour of a room to a more neutral colour which allows the prospective buyers to see the room as a blank canvas, which in turn enables them to see there own items easier in the space.  Whatever the stager you choose, they will have their own services and prices to help you with whatever budget that you have in mind.

It’s easy to get stressed when selling your home, because you get thinking about so many things and there are so many things to get in order and everything is getting so overwhelming and on top of everything you must keep your house looking “put together and then there’s this crazy Home Stager who says “we can help you!!” and you’re like…. “Ha, I don’t know” but you really should let them help because they can make miracles.  

It’s always a good idea to have a stager into your home who has a fresh perspective, a fresh set of eyes and who is a person with a whole set of new ideas that you can do with your home.

After you have bought a new home to move into because someone has fallen in love with your old one, you can still hire your Stager to come back and help with setting up your furniture and accessories in your new space. Moving into a new space can be daunting and stressful but it’s easier to have someone to work with who can visualize the space and imagine different options of what to do with it