Home Staging Class Tuesday May 5th

To register for this, please click here for the Community School link, or if you have a question just email me at wendy@thebluegiraffe.com. Thank you! 

                                                                               - Wendy

Cabinets of Curiosity

Did you know that most people will peek into your bathroom medicine cabinet? Apparently, in a survey by someone, more than 75% of people have opened up someone else's cabinet just to see what is in there.

This has never occurred to me, until I was recently talking to someone and she started complaining about the messy state of a friend's bathroom cabinet. As I listened to her, I was taken aback by what she had discovered in what seemed like just a few minutes. When she paused to take a breath, I asked her why she had opened it in the first place, and she replied, "I always look in them, don't you?"

No, I don't. Because really, I don't want to know what's in there, and, silly me, I always assumed it was private (it took me years before I would even look for a spare toilet roll in my best friend's home). But, I have to admit, that shortly after our talk I did go through all of my cabinets and drawers; unbeknownst to her, she had single-handedly shattered my naive view of snooping, and I will probably never invite her over for a cup of tea on a Sunday afternoon.

People are curious, and whether it is a casual party, or a formal Open House, you should be prepared for unwelcome eyes. I could suggest a trip wire, or a small alarm attached to your medicine cabinet, but that might be a little extreme (and embarrassing for everyone concerned - but funny. A bit like that additive that is supposed to turn blue when you go to the toilet in someone's pool. We're not sure if it really exists, but who wants to take the chance?)

Anyway, it's impossible to hide everything, but a few containers, and a little bit of organization, will probably make you feel better and distract the people who can't resist; wouldn't you rather have them marvel at your neatness than share all of your ailments over the next cup of morning coffee?
So, if you want to divert the curious, here are some quick ways to tidy up your medicine cabinet, and keep the gossip at bay...

• Consider using your medicine cabinet only for things that you need every day.  
• Adjust the shelf heights (if possible) for more space and flexibility.
• Clean it out. Toss any duplicates or expired items, and take out things that are too big, too personal, or rarely used. 
• Store prescription bottles in a closed container that can be easily lifted in and out.
• Put generic items in small containers, drinking glasses, tea-cups, decorative tins or jars. This keeps everything neat, more visible, and will save you so much time and space. If you are worried about things breaking, buy acrylic containers. 
• Separate items according to whom they belong to. 
• Keep similar things together (e.g. toothpaste, toothbrush and floss).
• If you want, you could even line the shelves with decorative paper. 
• Add a picture, decal, chalkboard, or a funny cartoon to the inside of the door. 

Lovely photograph of real cabinet of curiosities is from Homelife Insideout.

A Home to Love

Buying your first home is a bit like having a baby; you read all the books, ask everyone for advice, decided what you will do, and then it all changes the moment you walk in the door. Suddenly, what seemed important isn't, and what you should have paid attention to is now staring right back at you.

When we first started looking for a home, we had no idea what we wanted, other than a low price and the right neighborhood. It turned out that our favorite neighborhood was not so great, and the low price led us to some less than ideal homes (one time the homeowner answered the door in a towel, and we could see the shower water still running from the front door. Because we had an appointment, the Realtor said we had to go in anyway, so the woman just excused herself, and went back into her shower while we pretended to walk around and look interested).

I still live in my first home, and while I didn't know what I wanted, I knew the moment we drove up that this was the one. It was obviously love, because when we went inside I wasn't dissuaded at all by the bright blue Formica, the faux paneled walls, and the fact that no-one had changed the cat litter in a very long time.

When we closed on the house, we were happy just to have a larger home; moving from a one bedroom apartment, made a 1500 foot square home feel like a mansion, and we happily lived with the quirky interior for a few months as we settled in. After a while, the quirks outgrew their charm, but I didn't know anything about renovations, so I decided to start by putting up some wallpaper.

Armed with my new flowery wallpaper, I wanted to cover the old flowery wallpaper in the kitchen. Obviously mine was better, but unfortunately, the previous owners (too many to count) had done the same thing, and after I peeked through the seventh layer or wallpaper, I found that I could see right through to the bathroom next door.

So, I patched it back up, added my flowers to the pile, and now the kitchen has eight layers of wallpaper. A few weeks later I found a linoleum that perfectly matched the wallpaper (blue and pink flowers everywhere!) which was not the smartest move I've ever made.

As soon as it was installed, it looked awful, and the following week I bought stick on tiles and covered the offensive linoleum with faux slate squares. It honestly did seem like an improvement at the time, and while sticking down the tiles was ridiculously easy, it made me feel invincible in the DIY department; for the next twenty years I was determined to fix, decorate and repair everything that stood in my way.

I could tell you all of the wonderful things I have done in my home, but it is always more fun to share what went wrong. So, here are some of my favorite mistakes....

• Applying textured paint to the bedroom. Apparently, years ago, texture meant sharp little pieces of grit were added to the paint can. (Even now, despite sanding and more paint, if you brush against it, it will scratch you). 
• Painting my sofa with cold coffee to age it. (Not only did it look weird, but it took days to dry and smelled for months). 
• Buying a sofa without measuring first. (It wouldn't fit through the front door, so we had to lift it through the sunroom window. It then couldn't turn the corner, so it is still in the sunroom). 
• Finding an old dress mannequin on the side of the road, but when I brought it home a nest of baby mice fell out onto the living room floor. (It pays to check inside anything before you pick it up off the side of the road). 
• Thinking I could remove all of the living room carpet myself in a day (while I had my one year old daughter toddling and crawling around). 
• Drawing pictures and words on the walls with a sharpie for my daughter when she was learning to read (I can still see the outline of a chair, and the word "chair" in the living room). 
• Painting a really gross brown color on the bathroom wall (I couldn't get back to the hardware store quick enough). 
• Putting my wool rug outside onto the patio seemed like a good idea, until it rained. (It took three people to lift it up and many weeks to dry). 
• Painting the side of the garage dark green, and drawing silhouettes of trees on it. 

For me, I never thought of this as my starter home; I thought of it as being my permanent home, which I think is a better way to approach buying a home. You never know what will happen, and I think if you go into a home dissatisfied from the beginning, or seeing it as a temporary solution, then you are not even giving it a chance, and you might grow to regret it.

I went with my gut when we bought this house, and while some things weren't exactly what I wanted, it had a good feeling about it. When we bought, there were very few homes online, so we relied on appointments, sheets of facts on paper, and a map. But things are different now, and I love that we can do more research before we buy, and see what neighborhood's are like, and whether or not a certain style of home would really suit us.

Some companies have taken it to an entirely different level, and they want to give potential homeowners as much information as possible before they even step out the door. Such a smart idea; many people are short on time, and it is so easy to be blinded by a pretty home when you really should be checking out the nearest train station, and how far it is to walk to school. I like it when an industry adapts to the needs of its client, and one of my favorite websites to visit (even if you aren't looking for a home) is Compass; they really want to share information, and help people to find homes that they love. Plus, they give you a snapshot of what you should know about each neighborhood (including pros, cons, maps and photographs). They also try to match the client with the agent who best suits their profile (which is a great idea when you think about it).

So whether you are driving around with a crumpled sheet of paper in your hand, or scrolling through pictures of houses on a screen, think about what a home really means to you, and start from there.

p.s. Photograph above is my own.

Find the Funny

Yesterday afternoon found me balancing precariously on a stool, skirt tucked into my undies (my outfit of choice when I have to immediately repair, paint or make a mess in my house) trying to spackle some holes in the ceiling; bits of old plaster were falling into my eyes, the new spackle plopped onto my hair, and the neighbor drove by and waved at me through the front window. The cat had just stuck his paw into the spackle (which was very nicely pink), and the dog had decided it was time to lick the plaster dust off my toes.

It was at this moment that I rolled my eyes, looked over, and saw the fork in my geranium. It made me smile to see the gorgeous salmon pink geranium with its vintage fork sitting in the dirt. I had curled the silver tines with a pair of pliers, and intended it to hold up the geranium, but instead it had just become a decoration that I move from plant to plant. Last month it was sitting in the rosemary, and today it was sharing space with the geranium (looking far more clean and organized than I was).

Whether it is a fork in a plant, or a book that makes us laugh out loud, we should always make room for less serious things amidst the decorated pillows and the careful placed sofa's. I love placing (and discovering) unexpected things in a home that makes us smile; it doesn't have to be a rubber chicken hidden in a cupboard, but we should always design some laughter into our house.   

I have a book called Zombies have Issues that sits next to my favorite inspirational books; I did it on purpose, just because the title (and the entire book) makes me laugh. Whenever I reach for inspiration, I can guarantee you that I will always pick up the zombie book first.

It doesn't have to make sense, but adding a touch of humor to your home is always a good thing.

Photograph of mice on stairs from: http://www.homedit.com/halloween-decorating-tips-that-you-can-enjoy-with-kids/

Notes on a Shelf



When I moved into my house, I knew immediately that I wanted open shelves on either side of the kitchen sink. Instead, I had lovely (new) oak cabinets.

Not wanting to be ungrateful, I accepted the cabinets for years, because that seemed like the right thing to do; they were good quality, and they showed absolutely no sign of growing old. But, I never stopped wanting shelves; my kitchen is very small, so I knew that shelves would make it look larger, and I wanted to add some character to the well-used, but slightly neglected space. 

At the mere mention of open shelves, the first word I get from anyone is a very adamant no. It is the sudden fear of having to be neat and tidy. It's true; it does mean that our dishes have to be stacked, and cups need to be sitting on something, but don't we do that anyway? Most people don't shove their plates into a cupboard, slam the door, and hope that nothing falls out when they open it again. I really don't think we are all as messy as we think.

The next protest comes from the worry that our dishes might not be pretty enough, or as luxurious as the ones we see in the magazines. I don't agree with this at all, because even if we live on paper plates and little packets of stolen ketchup, they can still be stacked neatly or put in a decorative container. 

Lastly, the other open shelf worry is that things will get dusty, which leads to more cleaning. The funny thing is, when we have things out, we tend to use them more, which means they have to be cleaned. And, if we don't use them, they will probably get dusty and dirty anyway, so either way they will have to be cleaned at some point.

I am embarrassed to say that this assorted jumble of thoughts sat in my own head for nearly ten years, until one afternoon when I really hated my kitchen, and decided it was time to stop worrying about the oak cabinets. Last I checked, they didn't worry at all about me, and I knew I had been taking good care of them for a very long time.
Ripping them out was my first instinct, but as that was more than I was willing to tackle, I settled for taking the doors off and pretending to myself that I had just discovered shelves. Within minutes the doors were off, and it turns out that I was never that messy after all. An hour later I was organized, and my kitchen looked twice the size, and so much more interesting than it had before I had eaten my lunch (and, the dishes that I have aren't fancy or remotely coordinated).

The next day I spackled the holes, and decided to paint the cabinet frames cream. Why this all took so long is beyond me, but my (new) pretend shelves were definitely worth the wait.

Sadly, the beautiful photograph at the top is not of my kitchen - it is from www.bhg.com via Pinterest.

How to Stage your Home to Sell your House

 

Classes are being held next Tuesday, April 14th, and Tuesday May 5th, from 7 - 9pm.

To register, click here on the Roxbury Community School link, or email me at wendy@thebluegiraffe.com if you have any questions.

 

 

 

 

 

A Desert Island List

You know when people ask what three things you couldn't live without if you were stranded on a desert island? I am embarrassed to say that my list has always been the same; an oversized white shirt, a never ending supply of matches, and toilet paper. I figure I can wear the shirt to stop getting burned to a crisp, it will dry quickly when it rains, and I can use it as a distress flag if I ever see a ship and manage to climb the highest peak. The matches would be helpful until I finally learn how to light a fire with the sun, some twigs, and a shard of something shiny, and, the toilet paper, is, well, just because I like toilet paper in my life.

Thinking of desert islands got me wondering about what we really need, and was there anything, decoratively, that I could label as a must-have. We are pretty spoiled in the décor department, but I would say that there may be some things that I would not want to live without.

CHALKBOARD PAINT

I like knowing that the opportunity to express ourselves is always there. Anyone is welcome to pick up the chalk and draw whatever they want; certain pictures and words are treasured and revered, yet I gain immeasurable comfort in knowing that there is always room for more.

A TABLE

What is on a table tells a short story about who we are, and is also an invitation for other people to share who they are; it kind of says to come in, bring what you want, put it down, and make yourself comfortable.

ROSEMARY AND A GERANIUM

A geranium is not a very exciting plant, but it is reliable, and will live happily all year in my Living Room. And, in the dead of Winter it will give me flowers to brighten up my day when I least expect it (and, it thrives on neglect, which is lucky for us both).
Rosemary is one of my favorite herbs; the smell reminds me of my favorite kitchen's, of slow roasted chicken and potatoes for dinner, and that when I grow up I want to be just like Juliette Binoche in the movie Chocolat.

A SOFA AND A BLANKET

Whether I am reading a magazine by the fire, listening to music, or watching television, every sofa feels better with a nearby blanket. I may not always use it, but just knowing it is there makes me feel warm and reassured.

Have you ever thought about your favorite things in your home, and why you wouldn't want to be without them? In hindsight, almost everything that I want is about emotional comfort; in some ways they all seem quite simple, but then again, if I was that simple I should be able to live on a desert island without toilet paper....

(p.s. If I was being indulgent, I would definitely add one of these breathtakingly beautiful photograph's by the very talented Karen Knorr to my list. I couldn't decide which one to use, so the giraffe seemed like the obvious choice, but please check out her website to see more of her amazing work).