Redesigned Spaces ~ Cynthia Bartch ~ Home Staging Blog in Georgia

No, not that way silly...

When my friend Sharon Norris owner of Synergy in Silk Floral Designs told me she was going to do a 'Lunch & Learn' seminar about tablescapes I begged asked her if she wanted any help. She was gracious enough to let me help and I was thrilled because I love creating tablescapes!

Well to tell you the truth my friend is always helping me to expand my SOI (sphere of influence) and I'm grateful to her for helping me to expose myself to more potential clients.

The luncheon event was held at the lovely 1818 Club located atop the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce building. After the crowd had their bellies full Sharon introduced me and my business Redesigned Spaces Home Staging and Peggy also a floral designer (friend of ours) and her business, Grandma's Garden.

We picked three fun themes to illustrate how you can make your guests feel extra special as soon as they walk through the door.

 

    Beach Theme ~ You say you don't live near the beach... No worries mate!

 

We used fancy shells, starfish, succulent plants nestled in pearlized shells, tiny paper umbrellas and mermaids hanging on the rim of the glass for dear life!

          

 

Here you can see the sparkly silver mesh netting, colorful plates, napkins, glass pebbles looking like water droplets, votive citronella candles in rustic pots and sand in a metal tub completed the look.

 

 

      English Garden Theme ~ Perfect for a bridal shower!

 

Do not let Peggy who looks pretty in pink fool you, she is a little vixen! She said something witty while holding that champagne glass, I laughed and my eyes closed in the photo.

I figured I'd give myself a pretty party hat and shades rather than look like a goof with my eyes shut.

I don't mess with Peg cause she used to be a sheriff in upstate NY and I'm not sure if she still packs heat!

 

 

 

 

 

So here we are left to right...  Cyn, Peggy, and the lovely Sharon who is the brains of the outfit.

 

 On the table we draped lavender fabric, preserved boxwood w/ purple tulips tied with a satin bows, summer floral design in a basket, garden bust adorned with boxwood and butterflies and small painted garden pots filled w/ dragonflies, humming birds, shrooms and a birds nest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Close up of the painted pots, used as party favors. The hummingbird design was snapped up before I could get a picture.

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

      A Fun & Festive Tropical Theme, hey now...where did that parrot go?

 

 

WOW, Sharon out-did herself on the design, this was absolutely beautiful! The crowd ooh-ed and aah-ed when we were putting this theme together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 With the presentation finished the audience swarmed the tablescapes asking us for all kinds of advice. It's a wonder I was able to snap any pictures because many pieces from the tablescape were purchased before I could take pictures...we weren't expecting that!

 

 It was a big hit! She was asked back on the spot to do another holiday tablescape theme in October. Hummm...maybe she'll let me tag along again.

Sharon designed all the fabulous floral arrangements except for the small painted garden pots in the English Garden theme which she let me contribute.

All our business cards were gone and I was able to meet another stager and Realtor who attended the event. Will business will come from this? Who knows, but a day helping Sharon & hanging with Peggy is a good one in my eyes!

 

Exposing myself to new potential clients, now this could get addictive!

 

 

 

 

This is great blog by an extremely talented mural artist named Susan Gonzalez located in the Atlanta area. I thought this table turned out so well and just think, it was in the neighbor's throw away pile!

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! That's why I'm posting it to groups it wasn't posted in originally.

 

It's usually because they don't want to go through the trouble of patching then repainting the holes. It's a necessary pain in the bum that needs to be done. The rewards by completing the task will outway the inconvenience twofold, heck maybe even a billonfold. Is that even a word? I'm going with it anyway even though the spellchecker disagrees.

Here is an idea for the homeowner who doesn't want to go through the trouble nixes the idea to remove the family photo wall. I recommend removing the photo, then add a swatch of textured fabric that coordinates with the area. I got the idea from Leslie Hoyt who recommended using scrapbook paper in inexpensive frames for clients that didn't have wall art.

I needed to tweek her idea because of the price range of homes I've been in. I used a high quality matted frame. Frames that are alike by color or finish will have the best result. If they aren't, try to nudge the client to invest in new ones!

Worried about the cost? Just get yourself on the email list at your local hobby or craft store and you will be up on and all over those sales while getting valuable coupons at the same time.

The sample I've included here may not look dazzling to you but this fabric matched my decor and worked perfectly. I got the fabric at no charge to myself from a friend, scraps can be had cheap when you use a remnant! The total fame cost was under $30 for all three. 

 

                                                        

 

Here is close up of the textured fabric. The top one is a shiny green nubby textured Dupioni silk.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This fabric is a rough textured gold fabric with green, grey and cream stripes of varying width.

 

 

 

 

      

 

 

I'm fond of using triptychs because well... I just like them period! The same fabric was used in the top and bottom running it in two different directions for added interest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                             

 

 

 

 

 

Here's the finished project in a home setting on a narrow wall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Most homeowners are still not aware of a product called Hercules Hooks. Billy Mays sold the heck out of this product. What a terrific pitchman he was.

Too bad because they are easy to use and leave a tiny hole to patch when removing a framed photo or a piece of art.

 

Need a small bit of greenery in an area that doesn't have a lot of space? No problem.

Have no fear about putting these ideas together in a flash, you can do this! No design experience, no glue gun, no foam needed nor green thumb... these are faux plants! These designs are very popular in a man's office, bathrooms and contemporary settings. All you need is the following items;

• Sand of course! Make sure it is sterilized because you don't want little creatures running around uninvited. Play around with different colors even layering it for a special look.
• Cool looking rocks or shells if you want a different texture at the top.
• A container of your choice, I chose the clear ones because they show off the color of the sand.
• A quality grade faux succulent plant should be used. Most of these are found in floral wholesale houses.

    

 

 

 

This design has a clear square container, black sand, 2 different plants & 1 special shinny shell!

        

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a taller container, white sand, 3 different plants and small green beaded balls pushed in the center. Close up view below.

              

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This container was recycled from a burned out candle, beige and rust layer sand, 2 different plants, black & rust colored rocks on the top. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a design that is so simple, rust sand, multi color rocks and a plant stuck in the middle. How easy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

               If you use high quality faux succulent plants these designs will look very real!

 

 

 

After a hectic day sometimes there's nothing like good ol' Mother Nature to make you stop, slow the pace and appreciate the scenery.

I'm always amazed at the gorgeous skylines we get to gaze on here in Georgia. This was shot sitting on my deck and I was lucky enough to capture those clouds and that dazzling sun right before it slipped away.

 

At this website called Giveaway of the Day they give you 24 hours to download one selection a day.

It's all free licensed software! How cool is that?       

These downloads are not a trial versions but registered and legal versions of the software in which you would normally have to pay.

Just remember to register the software after your download so it's fully functional. You may not like or want what they are offering today but tomorrow it'll be something different.

Happy downloading!

 

 

I've had the pleasure to tap into another skill set these past few months when Sharon Norris owner of Synergy in Silk located in Buford, GA asked me to join her design team this past holiday season!

What a fabulous chance this was to work with other talented floral designers and expand on my design skills, all the while doing something I love!

Synergy in Silk had a huge 3 day home show which showcased commercial holiday designs along with everyday residential pieces. My new friend Sharon had me stage her extravaganza and it was huge success! There were theme rooms of traditional reds & burgundy sprinkled with gold, another room with filled with natural pods, birds, feathers in which the designs were more organic in nature.

Below are just a few pictures of what has been keeping me away from AR. Unfortunately my pictures don't capture all the sparkle & detail of the designs. But my good friend Ginger Foust here on AR encouraged me to share, so here they are. I hope you enjoy them!

We worked on quite a few commercial designs, here are few that were installed in and around the Atlanta area.

                                

 Copper bronze & gleaming gold!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

         

Below are designs in black, white, sparkly silver and platinum. These were so chic & modern!

  

Below is a winter wonderland theme with frosty silver, white and baby blues!

            

Here was local business that wanted a winter theme, no Christmas sparkle. Well that was no problem!

      

  

Here are a few designs I did for a local Medical center.

    

If you got a chance to visit the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce this holiday season you no doubt saw Synergy in Silks beautiful designs on display!

                                   

I had such a great time working with Sharon @ Synergy in Silk and her talented designers. Everyone would collaborate with one another and it felt great working like a team!

Do you fancy something sparkly or more of a natural design?

 

  

Staging the home show, wow what fun!

 

 

Do You Have An Old Chair That Needs A Little Spruce Up Or Some TLC?

Well thanks to my fellow stagers here on Active Rain for inspiring me to tackle this project I now have a new chair for my room. I now can share how easy this for my clients too! So thank you Ginger Foust, Sharon Tara, Terry Haugen & other creative stagers that so generously share your ideas here on Active Rain. 

This was pretty easy so if you have an old chair or maybe a frame of a chair give it a go! I had two identical chairs but only one had a seat that was kaput.

                       Good Chair                                                   Kaput Chair

                 

 

Well when I undid the cane seating all that was left was a frame of seat with a big ol' hole in the middle. So I bought some thick plywood and had my husband cut out a template of the frame (I'm not quite there yet w/ all the power tools).

I then purchased the following; 1- batting, 2- thick foam for the extra cushioning & 3- quality material to cover the wood base.

1- I first used a spray adhesive to center the thick foam on top of the wood board.

2- Then I pulled the batting up & over the bottom of the wood board on the center of one side, stapling once. Then repeat this process on the other sides, continuing to pull the batting firmly and stapling around the base of the seat. Cut away any excess batting.

3- Next center your fabric over the seat. Be sure to center any major design element or line up the stripes as it was in this case. Repeat pulling & stapling to secure the fabric. Cut away any excess fabric.

4- Then turn your chair over and screw the seat in place through the chair's frame. The holes will be there from the previous seat.

               Finished Chair                                      The Recycled Chair in a Room

                 

      * The striped fabric looks a little wiggly in the picture but it's not in person or should I say in chair!

These are so easy to put together all you need is the following;

1 - A tall clear glass container.                                                    

2 - Assorted shells and starfish.

3 - Clear glass pebbles with the flat bottoms .

4 - Glass fish, I purchased the ones pictured here

 from Pier 1.

5 - Cream color see through leaves to look like seaweed. These can be found in most craft stores.

6 - Sand.                              

 

 

Play around with the components till you get your desired look. There's no right or wrong way, only your way to do this! I shifted my sand to one side and angled the fish to make it look like they were swimming. The finished project is below.

                           

 

                                                                                                          

Here's what it looks like grouped in a vignette arrangement.

          

 

 

                                        

Need a centerpiece pronto and don't have design experience? Just go to the local craft store and pick up the following;

1- Terra cotta saucer, the one in the picture is about 11 inches.

2- Excelsior or moss, I used light green excelsior in this piece.

3- Small grapevine wreath, it's about 10 inches.

4- Ceramic eggs- I used white and brown matte ceramic eggs, the speckled ones look cute too.

5- Throw in a bird and nest if you want, no this one doesn't match the scale but it looked good!

Lay the grapevine wreath inside the saucer, spread the moss around, lay in the eggs and add the bird and nest if you like.

Then use two smaller terra cotta pots and use real mini potted flowers on each side of the centerpiece and you've got yourself a quaint centerpiece without much work or design experience involved.