Holiday time is here again...

One of the most enjoyable (and stressful) times of the year is upon us again! Relatives coming in to visit, sharing a bathroom, planning a menu to suit everyone's expectations and dietary needs, decorating, laundry, baking, cooking, visiting, parties, and, of course...the shopping!

I have never known the concept of "last minute shopping" - I am usually finished in October with small treasures found throughout the year when mentioned by someone or came on sale... This year, however I am still battling traffic, crowds and line-ups to find the last few items! Normally, I have our place decorated the first week of November...as soon as Halloween is done - it is Christmas season for me! I love decorating...goes with the territory, I suppose...and I also love baking and cooking - planning an extraordinary menu with surprises and delights throughout, past cherished recipes thought lost suddenly appearing on the table, remembering small details that parents and grandparents once did and incorporating them into your own traditions to put a smile on their faces... I take great pride and pleasure in it and I look forward to finding something new to do each year!

This year I am not hosting the whole Christmas chaos though - my parents have graciously taken that upon themselves, knowing how busy I have been leading up to this week and I thank them! As much as I LOVE hosting...I realize I have overextended myself this year with work and volunteering and am sincerely looking forward to a rest for a couple of days amongst the heavenly aromas of a dinner that I didn't have to prepare myself! This year has been fantastic business-wise and incredibly stressful personally... I am sure a lot of people can relate as we're still dealing with economic issues, etc. My wish for everyone is that you can take some time to rest as well over this holiday time, re-group, and move forward refreshed and ready to take on a new year of opportunities and possibilities! I want to thank you for your business, following or interest in RSDR this past year and look forward to connecting with you in the new year! I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas, or Happy Holiday and hope that 2012 is a prosperous, fulfilling and happy year for us all!

Week #1

On my approach to a "minimalist" lifestyle, my husband and I made a list of all the things that we are going to sell or donate throughout our house, garage and storage space. We also decided to give some of the proceeds from these sales to Winnipeg Harvest. Knowing that we are helping to feed families, while creating a more organized and serene living space for ourselves makes the process even better! It has also enabled us to part with things easier - the more we give away, the more food we can provide!

All of the re-usable bags that I have purchased at various stores over the past year (that have been sitting in my kitchen) have all been moved to our vehicles, so there is never an excuse to use a plastic bag again! (I just have to remember to reach for them as I am getting out of the vehicle to go shopping now...)

I found a "carbon footprint" website and entered in all the information of our household energy usage, vehicles usage, as well as flights, eating habits, shopping habits , etc. into a "carbon footprint" calculator and discovered that we output 18.38 metric tonnes of CO2 a year (currently)... The Canadian average is 20 metric tonnes, so we are not too bad, but the website that provides this calculator (you can find the link to it on my Twitter and Facebook) suggests that we should aim for 4-6 metric tonnes a year! The biggest one for our household and RSDR is vehicle usage... My husband commutes and I drive to client's properties, suppliers, distributors, marketing meetings, network events, JCI events and board meetings...the list goes on! So I know now that I need to purchase items that will help to offset the CO2 that is created from our driving, as that is not likely to change anytime soon, due to the nature of our work.

Learning more everyday!

Minimalist Lifestyle???

A minimalist lifestyle sounds great to me - only the bare essentials, a space that is conducive to peace, order, thought and creativity.

The only problem I have is that I love stuff...I love pretty things, comfortable things, entertaining things, "wearing on your feet" things... And I have started a business where I have made it possible to accumulate more things - furniture, art, lamps, cushions, blankets, rugs, vases, bedding sets, beds...the list goes on... Don't get me wrong - it is not all out, cluttering up the place. Everything is neatly organized and incorporated in to actually "stage" the rooms we tend not to use as much.

You see, my husband and I believe in planning for the outcome we want - on this notion, we bought a 4 bedroom home when we moved to Manitoba, as we wanted to start filling these rooms with a couple of children, possibly a dog. Instead, these rooms are now filled with "things". A positive of our "familial delay" is that we haven't had to incur additional storage expenses when RSDR was started!

Along with all the positive aspects of our life - RSDR doing well and growing; my husband and I still laughing, supporting and having fun as we near our 5th anniversary; meeting new friends; being able to visit with "old" ones; getting involved in our new community...we have endured significant stress due to health issues, injuries, finances, fertility issues, and so on. We are at times, overwhelmed - a feeling I am sure that most people can relate to!

I have decided to strive for a more minimalist lifestyle in the upcoming months in order to bring a little more peace to our chaotic lives. Stay tuned as I share with you my plan as it unfolds. By sharing, my hope is that anything that works for me, may work for you as well!

PS - anyone out there that has achieved more peace through "minimalist" changes, please share your tips and experiences as I embark on this journey!

A Cup of Coffee

I love the aroma of freshly ground coffee when it is just filtering through a coffee maker on a cool day. I say “day” because I have never been a regular morning coffee drinker – I do partake in the morning once in a while, but if I don’t have someone at the office with me, or I’m not meeting with someone at Starbucks, I usually don’t brew some until mid-afternoon or even after dinner as I am getting cozy on the couch. I like a strong flavourful cup – not bitter or burnt.

Coffee is one of those substances that is truly amazing to me – it has captured us. We are either physically addicted, as any Tim Hortons line can be evidence to, or we are psychologically addicted – the romance of a French cafe au lait or an Italian espresso, being ensnared by the scents and sounds of a quaint little coffee shop while hearing another person’s latest life story, or getting absorbed in another kind of story from a book or article in front of you. It can be a small escape from the everyday, even if it is an everyday habit!

Coffee has been more than one source of inspiration for design work... In staging, I have used coffee mugs, French presses, espresso cups, coffee beans, coffee colours, art depicting coffee and the relation to “sharing a moment” and the scent of fresh coffee to envelop people’s senses and draw on their own emotions surrounding this fascinating substance, as they enter a space.

Mine’s gone cold again, while typing...

Travel for Inspiration

Inspiration can come from the smallest thing - the colour of a leaf or flower, the shape of an insect or cloud, the fragrance in the air on a certain day. I notice things around me everyday and seem to incorporate them into interior colour schemes, furniture choices and even arrangements. A kitchen renovation came to me from the amazing scent of a homemade pasta sauce simmering on the stove...I could see this rustic "cucina" in my mind and set to work sourcing the items that were going to make my vision a reality for the client. It turned out amazing, as was the sauce...

Broadening our everyday experiences can only add deposits to our inspiration bank... Many different designers travel regularly to discover new flavours, now colours, new shapes, fabrics made with different fibers, buildings developed with different materials, and so on.

My photos of Las Vegas were disappointing to my friends...there were not a lot of crazy antics recorded - instead they were of lighting fixtures and ceiling designs, bathroom mirrors and new types of tile designs, carpets and window displays... All for the "inspiration bank"...

Can't wait for my next trip...

Leaves are falling...

I love this time of year! The weather is warm, there are no bugs, I have no allergies and the smell in the air...

I also love the colours! They surround us - the leaves, the bullrushes, the fall fashion...all of them turning warm tones of yellow, orange, brown and hits of bold red - offsetting the coolness approaching in the weather.

The smells associated with a typical fall menu entice us as well - the spicy cinnamon and nutmeg, stewed apples and cranberries, roasted turkey and ham, fresh baked breads and pies...

When we stage a property we want it to be clean, warm, inviting, comfortable, and "homey". I find it amazing how much of what is typical of this season is brought into staging of homes...

Staging with kids

A lot of stagers I have spoken to don’t really want kids around while they are working. I understand this completely as we are typically moving furniture, carrying in a lot of breakable objects such as mirrors and vases, and are generally under time constraints to boot. I agree that children should not be underfoot during the actual “day of” staging as it is dangerous for them and potentially costly for us. But I have to say that the jobs I have been fortunate enough to have where there were children in the family have been a “hoot”! The kids are fascinated by the process, don’t really understand the concept, but have their own opinions about it all and some of them are hilarious...
A two year old – “Pretty, pretty, pretty!” as she points around a room just completed.
A nine year old – “Thanks for convincing Mom to get a new couch up here. I have been telling her that for years!”
A six year old – “I thought I wanted to be a fireman, but now I think I want to be a painter because I was watching you do some and it looks easy...”
An eight year old – “I don’t mind not being allowed on this furniture because my Mom’s letting me get a new video game every week that I stay off!”
A five year old – “Our house should be on TV!”
A three year old – “Not bad...” as he has his arms crossed and is nodding with this serious look on his face!
A two year old – “Bye couch!” as we are de-staging a sold property and carrying the sofa out the door...

How Time Flies...

I cannot believe that it has been about 8 months since my last blog...

What a roller coaster it has been! December was spent completing the year's projects and traveling to visit family over the holidays. January was filled with planning for the new year, taking a Director's position on the board of the Winnipeg chapter of JCI, taking another board position with the Manitoba chapter of RESA, putting a new marketing plan together, presenting a booth at the Wonderful Wedding Show, and flying to Las Vegas for the Real Estate Staging Association's annual conference where I was a finalist for the Rookie of the Year Award. In February my husband and I flew to the Dominican Republic for a family wedding, and then I managed to complete 2 other projects before suffering a major concussion on March 12...

It was nearly June before I was working again and then it was gingerly with a lot of much appreciated help from family and friends! With the warm spring weather upon us, RSDR welcomed a new face to the team for the summer months. Johanna proved invaluable during her time with RSDR - helping to get the marketing plan implemented, creating spreadsheets that help keep track of inventory and contacts, creating the monthly newsletter Real Decor, planning events, organizing decor items, assisting on staging jobs, and always bringing with her positive energy, sincerity, and utmost professionalism whenever she walked through the door.

September is starting off on a high note business-wise, but with a glint of sadness as Johanna heads back to school! She will certainly be missed around here during the next few months!

I look forward to keeping in better touch with you now that I am up and around again, and the company has been re-organized, re-structured and caught up from the first year chaos that can occur! Enjoy the next edition of Real Decor coming out mid-month! Talk to you all again soon! Have a great long week-end!