A Touch of Texas

Inspired by some furniture we saw in antique shops in Carmine, we decided to recover these barstools that John built for us back in the day when we lived in Vicksburg...yeah, waaayyyy back in the day. We asked at a local shop that carries real cowhide and just to buy a piece big enough to do these would have been $100, no labor included. I came home and found some faux cowhide for $25 a yard including tax and shipping, so I ordered that instead. Probably a good decision in the end as I think getting real hide on these would have been quite a wrestling match.

Before: Dark green denim that was fashionable at the time!

The Ground Floor

I had an amusing thought today. When I started Staging, Home Staging wasn't even a field, in fact, it wasn't even a term. I remember using phrases like "decorating to sell" to describe what I did. There were no books, no classes, no online programs. I studied the way everyone else in this developing industry studied. I watched every episode of every show on HGTV that dealt with decorating and home improvement--even landscaping. I read books about architecture and design and every decorating magazine I could lay my hands on. I took art classes and learned about everything from the Arts and Crafts Movement to Frank Lloyd Wright to basic principles of design and color theory. And I learned by experience, by staging my own home and friends' homes for sale.

By the time I got back from South Korea, Home Staging had become a full fledged industry of its own. There were several books dedicated to the topic that I found useful, and several online courses that I found to be mostly a waste of my time and money. Some covered the practical basics that I had already figured out--decluttering and depersonalizing, come on! Others were too gimmicky. You will never enter a home I have staged and find a seashell tied around a towel. One was particularly useful though. I learned a lot about dealing with clients and the psychology of staging and selling a home.

Being a good stager isn't just about knowing how to make a house look great for potential buyers. It is also about keeping it livable for the people selling the home. It can mean playing the role of counselor and cheerleader to people who are about to embark on one of the most stressful experiences in life--turning a beloved home into a hot commodity.

"Decorating to sell" has come a long way since those first days of HGTV and This Old House magazine. I can't wait to see what the future brings.

I've got the blues...

 

According to feng shui experts, a blue door will bring prosperity into your home. This is the third house I've owned that I have painted the front door a pretty vivid blue. Part of the reason I painted this front door blue was that I wanted it to stand out. I think front doors should have major architectural pride of place, so I tend to pick knock out colors.  Part of the reason is that with the red brick and white trim, a blue door seemed like a no brainer. I don't know if the color will bring me prosperity, but it certainly brings me happiness every time I pull into the drive!

Letting Go

I drew this cat not long after we moved back to the States with Russian drawing styles and techniques still heavy on my brain from our tour of Vladivostok. It is the first cat I ever drew on a yellow background—a decision born of a desperate desire to do anything that would combat the bleakness of a Wisconsin winter. I have since drawn and sold several kitties on yellow backgrounds, but I hung on to this one and displayed it first in my house in Houma and then in my first house here in Texas simply because the cheerful color and folksy feel make me smile. I finally decided to part with it after moving to our new house simply because the house is small, and I have limited wall space. It’s a little like parting with an old friend, but I hope it will make someone else smile for years to come.

Drawing: Dexter

I always think about Kandinsky and his musing on the need for a spiritual connection to your subject when I do a puppy portrait. Dogs are hard for me. Cats, horses, and people seem to flow out of the charcoal or emerge out of the canvas like they were there just waiting all along. Dogs, I have to think about. I have to plan. I have to fuss and tweak. So that makes it all the more rewarding when one turns out well.

Drawing: New Orleans Lady

This canvas has a story. Believe it or not, I bought it in Korea. I had lived there about a year when I stumbled across a little art supply store on the first floor of a mall type building on a little back street that I might never have wandered down had I not been seeking out a new grocery rumored to sell some American food stuffs. The place carried an odd selection of canvases and a wonderful selection of brushes and Shin Han acrylic paints. Not only was I able to make some artwork for my own apartment, but also for friends. This led to fairly regular painting afternoons with friends. During a very difficult time in my life, I was able to lean on creating to keep me sane. That became a common theme during the frigid winters I spent in Wisconsin, then the blistering summers in Louisiana. Now for the first time in years, I am faced with a semester without a class to teach and find myself at loose ends. So once again, I turn to drawing to keep me sane. After years of building the background, I finally found the right kitty for this canvas, there is a lovely gallery nearby that is willing to show my work, and my models continue to work for Friskies (ok, they’ve moved up to Blue Buffalo and Fancy Feast). It’s funny how things turn out.