Unconventional Christmas Tree

Christmas isn't Christmas without a tree, but not everyone puts up a conventional tree. This year Christmas is not at my house so we decided to skip the tree and we put up Xmas Twigs just to give the house that Christmas feel.

Xmas Twigs At My House

Check out these Unconventional Christmas trees!

Working with what you got, I don't think I would go as far  to use a ladder but it does give of a festive feel so I guess it doing the job

I think this is neat, using the book shelve, save on space and looks really neat too.

Wood & Wool Stool

Simple and elegant with a rustic feel I am loving this tree made of ply wood.

 Tabletop Timber Christmas Tree by Red Zebra Designs $145 USD 

Table top tree made in  Australia from red cedar. Perfect  for small spaces to add a seasonal touch. Dress this tree up or down or can be left plain. Even if you have no space you still can enjoy the holiday season with this tree.

Moderno Recycled Cardboard Christmas tree

Christmas is hard on the wallet, but this tree is budget friendly only $40.  Made from recycle cardboard and totally reusable ranges in size from 52" to 24 inches . 


 How are you celebrating this year conventional Christmas tree or Unconventional Christmas tree? 


Elysse
                                                                       

Turning Old Things New Again

I discovered a product today that I can’t keep to a secret. Frame your Mirror Inc is a Calgary based company that can transform your exiting plain mirror into to a high-end framed mirror.

John McCruden founder of Frame Your Mirror met with me this morning to show me his product. I fell in love on the spot. John has developed a frame that the customer can easily put together and place on their current mirror.The frames are designed to fit any mirror even if it has no clearance around the edge because the frame fits right on the glass.. He has also lined up installers to come out should the client feel uncomfortable with the DIY. The best part about the product is the existing ,mirror does not need to come down, the frame fit right on top.Frames are available in 10 choices  in a wide range of colors to match your decor. John can ship framed any where in Canada in about 6 - 10 days and will deliver within the city

John’s product is an inexpensive fix to updating any mirror in your home, the frames run from $50 to $250. John will also send out samples of his product to help the client with color choice. His website also let you put the dimensions in to a calculator that will tell you how much your frame choice will cost before tax and shipping.

If you have an outdate mirror in your home check out Frame your Mirror. A quick inexpensive fix for your dated mirror, that anyone can do. Still have questions check out the FAQ if you can't find the answer their  contact John.

If you have a staging or design dilemma I would love to help please direct you question to me . I will feature your question in my upcoming blog.

Elysse Bulloch

Simply Stylish Staging

Bright Colors For 2011

I just wanted to share my favorite color that has come out for 2011. Pantone Honeysuckle.It’s a bright pinkish red color. I love how flirty and fun it is. What a fun color to dress up your home for 2011. They say we will see a lot of this color in fashion and cosmetics as well as home decor.

Honey suckle will really pop on white giving a very modern feel. All the Pantone color work well together but  just remember less is more to much color can be come over whelming .I am very excited to see bright pallets being forecasted in 2011. 

Elysse Bulloch
Simply Stylish Staging

If you have a staging dilemma  please direct your questions to me. Your question my be feature in my upcoming blog, also be sure to check my Color Trends Blog.

Related articles

• 10 Pantone Colors for Spring 2011 (trendland.net)
• Pantone Announces Fashion Color Report Spring 2011 (eon.businesswire.com)
• Benjamin Moore Calgary
• ICI Dulux
• Sensational Color  

Top 5 Gadgets For The Hard To Buy For Man In Your Life

 Today’s blog is not about staging. It’s December 1, Christmas is 25 days. What do I buy for the Man that has everything? Men love gadgets right? Here is my top 5 gadget list for the hard to buy for man.

Image from cyberclean.com

1)  Cyber Clean Electronics Cleaning Putty. Its goop that you put on your electronics likes remotes keyboards and cell phones. Squish it in to every crack and it will pull away dirt and grim .When it turns green you throw it out. I have seen this at most department stores $2.99- $7.99 depends on the size you buy.

Image from Thinkgeek.com

2) Portable USB Power Supply it fits in the palm of your hand can charge anything with a USB connection. It holds charge for about 3 months on stand by mode.Thinkgeek.com sells this for $19.99 US.

Image from thinkgeek.com

3)  I love to take videos on my I Phone and send them to friends and family. I almost want to order this one for myself. Mini I Phone Microphone. It plugs in to the head phone jack no wire no mess and no battery. Retails for $12.99 US on Thinkgeek.com.

Image from Instash.com

4) This one is for the gamer in your life. Glowing Keyboard Stickers they are made from high quality fluorescent print that will reflect any light. Only $9.99 again from Thinkgeek.com.

 

Image from .Ubergizmo.com

5) TK-421 Case with Flip out Keyboard this gadget work with I Phone 3Gs And 4. It adds a flip out keyboard to your I Phone. It’s compatibly with apps, email and texting. This one is selling out quick and retails for 49.99 on ubergizmo.com

 What are you buying for your hard to Buy for Man? I would love to hear your suggestions . Happy Shopping.

Elysse Bulloch

Simply Stylish Staging

Perfect Responses to the Most Challenging Staging Questions

Calgary has so many excuses on why they should not invest in staging. Here how I answer the most common objections when it comes to staging.

The first and most commons objection is I can’t afford Staging. Often the seller does not look at the big picture if your house sits on the market longer then you had expected you still have mortgage payments, household expenses and property taxes. Staging will help buyer’s see past your life and connect with your property selling your home in less time. The investment in staging is much less then price reduction stats from RESA show that staged homes sell in 78% less time.

Lots of homes sell without staging. This is very true; but the market has changed a lot over the last few years. Buyers have more choices and have become picky, they want to move in on Monday and entertain on Friday. Television shows have made consumers savvy and the market more competitive. This makes first impressions the key to selling your home.

It was good enough for me why would it not be good enough for others. The market is full of new construction and existing homes which leaves the buyer with a lot more option. 90 % of buyers start their home search online. Buyers know what they want before they call a Realtor. Staging your home will ensure your home makes it to the want to see list.

My home looks nice,I spent a lot of time and money decorating it. Staging is not decorating, staging is making your home appeal to the masses, and decorating is about your personal taste. When you decide to sell your home you need to understand that your home is now a product on the market and your personal style may not appeal to everyone.

Other Home on the Block were not Staged. Do you know if they got what they were asking? Staging is proven marketing techniques that highlight the features of your home generating multiply offers. A few repairs and a little elbow grease will go a long way and will directly affect the selling price. Staged properties are perceived as well maintained buyers are less likely to chip away at your asking price.

If you have any question about staging or have a staging dilemma please email or call me I would love to help.

Elysse Bulloch

Home Office Staging Help

Downtown Calgary Office After Staging

One of the biggest questions I get form clients is what do I do with the home office when selling ?  The home office need to show clean and organized while maintaining a functional work environment while in transition. One of the first things on the to-do list is get rid of clutter, box up all old files, and clean out the bookshelves, drawers and file cabinets. Only work with what you need and get in the habit of filing it away at the end of the day.

 When you sell your house you need to show buyers how the space is used, this helps buyer to imagine living in your space. The office can be one space where buyers feel like they are being meddlesome in the seller’s life. Pack away all personal items like photography’s and diplomas these items tend to encourage buyers to look at your life instead of imagining living in the space.

Anyone that works from home has a bookshelf that is stuffed to the gills. Buyers see this as clutter. To fix this, stag the bookshelves half full, add plants and vases to give your bookshelf a splash of color submissively buyers will feel like this is a prolific work space.

Often the office has larger pieces of furniture which can make the space seem small. Filing cabinets take up lots of space; it is unlikely you will need all these files at one time.  Ask yourself if you can move the file cabinet to the basement or even store them off site but in a place where you can still easily access them. By removing bigger piece of furniture the office will showcase bigger and more productive.

Adding plants to the home office is a great inexpensive way to hide cords and plug ins. Cords look untidy and unorganized. Move your desk so it faces the wall so cords fall behind, out of sight out of mind.

Downtown Calgary Office Before Staging

Simply Stylish Staging

Elysse Bulloch

Related articles

• 10 Cheap Desk Organization Tips (brighthub.com)
• Setting Up a Home Office (turbotax.intuit.com)
• Creative Home Offices Inspiration Gallery (apartmenttherapy.com)