Staging Challenges

Here's the home I staged last week in Tooele. It's listed in the low 200's, so my budget was low too. Good thing was it just had to fit in with the neighborhood, so I didn't have to purchase a lot of high end things. The homeowner used to smoke in the house, so renting furniture was not an option. I had to buy used furniture off KSL. They had pets, a habit of keeping EVERYTHING, and practically no usable furniture. I staged it in a day with the help of my muscle man! Here's the before and afters: We took down the drapes, and cleared the room. I added the following:

Sofa: $50(ksl)
Pillows: $35(TJ Maxx)
Mirror: $30(Ross)
Wicker Chair: $10(ksl)

Area Rug: $60 (Wal Mart)
Throw: Free (mine)
Coffee Table: Free (mine)
Pinecone Basket: Free (mine)
Art: I got at a swap party free!

Total cost for Living Room: $185

All I did in theis room was de-clutter, clean, and added some placemats, dishes, and napkins to set up the bar area. I had all of those things already, so...

Total cost for kitchen was: ZILCH!

I was pretty proud of my home made napkin rings though:

I wasn't contracted to stage the family room, but since it was connected to the kitchen and dining, I thought it was neccessary. So, I cleared the room except the coffe table, side tables and lamps, took the glass off the tables, bought a sofa on ksl for $50, and added accessories I already had.

Total cost for family room was $50!

When I first saw this room, I told the homeowner that the king-sized bed was too big, and the mirrors dated it. I told her I would just use a queen mattress on a frame. But when I came back, she had "altered" the bed by cutting it down, removing the mirrors, and re-upholstering the side rails. So, I had to use the bed. After taking everything off the walls, and clearing the room of dog toys, I added the following:

Bedspread: $30 (TJ Maxx)
Gold Pillows: $21 (Ross)
Framed Monogram: I already had the frames, so I bought mats at wal-mart and printed mine and Franks monogram in a charcoal gray for only the cost of the mats.
Vase (not shown): $15 (TJ Maxx)
Bed Pillows & Cases: Free (mine)
Botanicals & Rocks (not shown): $12 (Wal Mart & All-a-Dollar)

Total cost for master bedroom: $78

The master bath needed a good de-clutter. After that, I added the white shower curtain & rings: $12 (Ross), the linens, and mirror were mine, so...

Total Cost of Master Bath: $12

TOTAL PROJECT: $325

.....eating at yummy burger joint for a 3:00 lunch on the way home...PRICELESS! (seriuosly though, it was SO good :))

Strike a Pose Baby Girl!

It's that time AGAIN! Carly had her annual ballet recital. The theme was Americana, and she was a "prancing pony". Her friend was telling someone that their costumes were blue...Carly corrected her, and said they were actually AQUA! That's my girl :) Last year she had a few goofy pictures, so she's been practicing her "beautiful smile", and here it is...

And here's one with teeth....

She was happy to have her mom, dad, brothers, aunt stacy and cousin Rachel come support her, but her number one fan HANNAH just made her night!

Pretty Pins

So, for mother's day, I FINALLY got a sewing machine. I've been asking for years, and have always been answered with uncontrollable laughter. I'm pretty sure Frank associates sewing with his mother, who has been a seamstress her whole life out of neccessity to clothe her children. This will NOT be me! Not that I don't wish to be that talented, but I know my limits :) I just want to sew some curtains, a pillow or two...no biggie, right? WRONG! Skills...you need skills to even thread a stupid machine. So, I've watched the instructional DVD more than enough times, and I think I'm finally getting it. The very fist night, I sewed this nifty little bean bag - it's my pride and joy! I won't even let the kids play with it.




After that, I decided I needed a pin cushion (since I'll be sewing all the time now), so I created this little ditty using a $1 wooden bowl from D.I., and fabric and buttons I already had - no sewing machine needed! That's my kind of sewing project!

Keep'n it Real - Vegas Style!

The kids have been counting down the days for our Las Vegas trip. Frank had a business conference there, and we decided it would be fun to turn it into a family vacation. I decided to drive alone with the kids on Thursday so I wouldn't miss Chase's long awaited 1st grade mothers day program. I got the car all packed up so we could leave right after the program...the trip went south even before we got in the car! Here's the LOW-LIGHTS:

1. Right before I was ready to leave, another 1st grader spilled her entire glass of LEMONADE down my back, in my hair - everywhere! I was anxious to get to St. George, so I just drove in my sticky state!

2. Logan was feeling SICK, so when we got to St. George, he just went straight to bed.

3. Realized we FORGOT TOOTHBRUSHES. Found a Walgreens where we purchases Motrin for Logan, flip flops, suncreen, toothbrushes and TREATS!

4. Next morning Frank and I had a little SPAT - so very QUIET breakfast! Anyone who knows me, knows how torturous the silent treatment is to me ;)

5. Logan still wasn't feeling well. Fever, cough, lost voice, and trouble breathing. We called insurance company and drove around for at least an hour til we found an INSTA CARE, where we waited patiently for another two! He had a sinus infection and had to get on anti biotics, and an anti-infalmmatory, so we found a pharmacy where we WAITED some more!

6. The hotel had a shark tank with a clear tube slide that went through it - this was supposed to be the highlight of the trip, but when we got there, it was SUPER CROWDED! And, the "crowd" wasn't very family friendly if you know what I mean! We decided to try it anyway, and just as the kids were getting used to the water, they CLOSED THE POOL due to stong winds. So, scratch that activity.

7. To make up for that mis hap, we were taking the kids to Carl's Jr., and a movie. Long story short, Logan wouldn't eat his cheeseburger, Frank got mad, Logan CRIED, Chase CRIED, Carly CRIED, so I CRIED :(

8. Left first thing in the morning - still in pj's. Quiet ride home. After being home about 15 minutes, Logan tripped Chase, and long story short - Chase ended up at insta care with STITCHES.

SERIOUSLY!#*%&!

(we will be staying put for Memorial Day - that's for dang sure!)

It wasn't ALL bad....we managed to squeeze a few highlights

from this LEMON of a vacation....

Visiting Steph in St. George

In N Out

The Pool

Water Show at Bellagio

Statues at Caesars Palace

And the very best part!!!.........LEAVING :)

Mothers Day Program

Since I'd already experienced Logan's 1st grade program, I knew what I was in for, for Chase's! He's been talking about it for months, giving little hints everyday, trying to pump me up - and he did :) He'd even say in his prayers, "please bless mom that she will weally weally love my pwogwam alot". AND I "weally, weally" DID!

Rainy Days...

So, Logan had a soccer game, and here's what it looked like out the window....

Only sissies cancel games cuz of a little rain, so they played, WON, and looked like this....

Only sissies sit in the car watching Nacho Libre,eatching hostess cupcakes, and take-out INSTEAD of watching the game in the rain, so that's what me, Carly and Chase did....

GOOD TIMES :)

Carly had her game a few days later. It was the BLUE BUTTERFLIES vs. PINK BUBBLEGUM FLAMINGOS. Yes, with names like, you can only imagine how competitive they are! HARD CORE :)

The Big Day!

Jenessa & Bradford

Venue: The Salt Lake Hardware Building

They chose the hardware building because of its character. It had exposed brick, rustic beams, and tons of charm!

Monogram Door Vinyl

Sign-In Table

The Centerpieces

My sister Julie owns "array" floral, so we used her for all the floral arrangements. The centerpieces were all types of white and green flowers placed on black plant stands of different heights. Each centerpiece showcased a different white flower. There were lillies, hydrangea, tulips, and calalillies - they were gorgeous!

The Lounge

Jenessa didn't want your traditional wedding reception where you had to stand to watch the video. So, we created a swanky lounge where people could "hang out"!

The Jenessa & Bradford Table

We wanted this table to look like a table that might be in their house - a little less formal than the rest of the reception. So, we brought in lamps, and various black and white frames. We even have a picture of them from middle school! I filled an apothecary jar with letters he sent to her from her mission. I also made them a "family tree" to symbolize the joining of their families. This was the centerpiece for the table.

The Backdrop

Since the venue was so cool, we needed to amp up the backdrop. We bought tons of chinese lanterns of different sized, and hung them overlapping from floor to ceiling. To save on cost, we decided to shine uplights from the bottom instead of lighting each lantern. It was a cool focal point that was noticed the minute you walked in the doors.

The Dessert Table

We used 2 serpentine tables to make a unique "S" shape with the tables. We bought 12 different buffet cakes from Granite bakery. They were set on all different black plant stands that tied in with the centerpieces. We printed out all the flavors and framed them in black and silver "mini" frames. They also had monogrammed sugar cookies, and a cheesecake bar with 4 different toppings. Delicious :)

The Cake

The cake was simple white with green and black satin bands, topped with white hydrangea. The cake sat between two brick arches, so I though the mirror would add a little glamour to the brick wall, and create a nice reflection of the amazing cake, and shimmery candles.

The "Bar"

This was an LDS wedding, so we had a pop bar in the band area, so people could just drink soda, dance, and just PARTAY! They got their home teacher to tend the bar, and put out a "tip jar" for people to write marriage tips for the new couple. They also had a life-size cut out of Jenessa's step brother (who's on a mission) to greet their guests.

The Candy Table

The candy table was surrounded by candelabras that gave the table a cool glow. We filled different apothecary jars with green, white and black candies. Since we didn't want people to have to take off the lids, we filled round vases with the same candy, and added cute labels and tongs. We had damask bags, and monogrammed sticker for them to fill, and take home (or just finish it up right there if you were ME!)

The Photo Booth

Ya, just cuz I was "on the job" didn't mean I couldn't take a little time-out to enjoy the party myself. Frank and the kids came later in the night, and we had some major fun in the photo booth....

The photo booth printed out two sets of pictures. One for you to take home, and the other to add to Jenessa and Bradfords "album". We had a bunch of scrabook paper, and some pens, and tape that we put in hanging lanterns. This was a BIG hit!

It was A LOT of work to plan a wedding, but A LOT of fun.

Congratulations Jenessa and Bradford!

My Baby!

My Baby's 9!

I had to get the mail, so I put on Logan's flip flops that were by the door - and they fit! I almost cried. My first baby is all grown up! Since Frank had the day off work, we took Logan to IHOP, and checked him in late at school - he was all over that!

They sang him "Happy Birthday", and he WASN'T all over that!

He got a bike...

Followed with birthday hugs....

He wanted home made lasagna, but our kitchen is gone, so we picked up his cousin Adam, and went to Robintino's.

His cake consisted of two packages of keebler fudge striped cookies on a paper plate! I've never been MORE fancy ;)