Thanks, Dads!

So what does celebrating Father's Day have to do with design or anything related to interiors?  After all, Dad usually has the majority of influence outside of the main living area - you know, the grill, the garage, the uh, what else?  In my house, the hubs definitely has an opinion (but that is a WHOLE 'nother blog post) but I'm still "in charge" of the interior.  Thankfully too, since I'm a professional.  haha.  Back to my point:  in honor of Father's Day, I'm reminiscing of growing up with two amazing fathers and how they both influenced me in relation to my business as well as my style for decorating & maintaining a household.

First there is my "real" dad, aka Daddy.  He has a military background and is very (very) organized.  One of my earliest memories is him telling my brother & I "we have rules"...whether it be how the bathroom towels were folded and put away (even though it was my mom who did the laundry?) to where the tub of margarine went in the refrigerator and so forth.  His garage is always organized immaculately, and you never have to search for anything - everything was and is always put away where it belongs.  So Daddy definitely influenced my Type A-ness and I both love & curse him for that.  I love love love for everything to have it's place, and for everything to be in it's place in my home.  It just takes me to my happy place.  BUT I've had to tone done that not-always-attractive-personality-trait a little bit since getting married myself...I don't want to be a naaaaaag and the hubs didn't grow up in a house with the same "rules".  Although he does admit that it's been nice to be able to find his keys, wallet, and pocket change since I installed a sort of basecamp slash charging station close to the door for him....

And then there is my second (step) dad, aka Tommy.  He & my mom got married just before I went into high school so he was around for my let's-push-the-limits-and-see-what-I-can-get-away-with phase.  Lucky him, huh?  hee hee!  Well, he was in law enforcement (lucky me, right? OY) and was quite unflappable and of course, always had Command Presence (if you're not sure what that is, click HERE for a good description).  He was so calm, in fact, that he had to teach me how to drive instead of my mom, because I made her such a nervous wreck behind the wheel.  Sorry Mom!  Tommy not only taught me how to drive, but he also taught me to maintain a level head in the midst of chaos.  This is definitely helpful with staging because something ALWAYS goes wrong with an installation.  But when the unpredictable happens, I just remind myself and my staff that "we're just working in the living room...not the emergency room...nobody is going to die on our project".  That keeps things in perspective, don't you think?  Tommy taught me that even if something IS out of place at home (ahem, refer to my Type A-ness in the aforementioned paragraph) to keep it in perspective and peacefully live with it - at least until I have the chance to get it back into place.  It's all about balance, people.

So thanks to both of my dads.  I'm blessed to have been loved & raised by two amazing men who influenced me in more ways than I could ever include in this little ol' blog.  But my heart is filled with love for them every day, and especially this Sunday.  BIG BIG HUGS!

This is the three of us together before they walked me down the aisle a few years ago.  

Hmmm...does anybody else notice that they aren't wearing the same tie?  I don't remember that.  You know mis-matched ties is enough to make a Type A girl crazy.  But not this girl.  Thanks, Dads!

Contemporary Staging

In case you're not a "fan" on my Facebook Page (which you really should be if you're reading this blog), here is our most recent project:

My Facebook album with these pictures has captions with comments on each from yours truly with insight to the project as well as staging tips.  Check it out and "Like" us HERE.

Kicking Brass!

Do you have one of those bright gold, brass colored fireplace screens?  You know what I'm talking about.  It's circa the 1980's and looks something like this:

This baby catches your eye as soon as you walk into the room and screams "LOOK AT ME".  It's kind of like when you get a blemish on your chin and it's all you can see when you look in the mirror, no matter how good of a hair day you're having.  I know that  doesn't just happen to me....

Anywaaaaaay, what can do if you don't want to replace it altogether?  Maybe you're moving and don't want to sink $100+ into replacing it or maybe you're just sick of looking at it and have to have an alternative NOW.  Regardless, here is an easy solution in less than 10 steps and less than $10!

1. Remove the screen.
2. Wipe it down to get rid of the dust - use a lint free cloth.
3. Mask off the windows with painter's tape & cover the glass with a brown paper bag or newspaper.
4. Use a very low grade sandpaper and rough the brass up just a little.
5. Use a can of heat-resistant spray paint and give this baby a makeover!  I would suggest layering a black and a bronze colored textured paint so you have a little visual interest.  Rustoleum brand has quite a few to choose from - just make sure it's heat resistant.
6. Hold the can about 18" from the brass and spray in long, even strokes.
7. Let each layer dry before adding the next coat (heavy black layer, light bronze layer, light black layer).  Be careful not to spray too much - you don't want drips!

For less than $10 you have a lovely new fireplace screen that will help your sale or your sanity from going up in smoke!