Staging New Hampshire

I've always been a cheerleader of the underdog, a supporter of the helpless.  I feel bad for the person who doesn't fit in or is standing alone at a social event. 

 I loved when Harry Higgins turned Eliza Doolittle into My Fair Lady

and when

Cinderella got transformed for the ball. 

I remember a doll, back when I was a kid that had huge sad eyes and a tear on her cheek. 

 She wore a dress of burlap with patches,

 and she was called "Little Miss No Name." 

She was produced by Hasbro in 1965 and was supposed to appeal to little girls' nurturing instincts.  Little girls were supposed to feel sorry for her and want to take her in and care for her,

much like

Charlie Brown did with the sad little twig he chose for his Christmas tree. 

Charlie Brown's twig was transformed into a real Christmas tree with a blanket and some decorations. 

Little Miss No Name was not so lucky.  Turns out her over sized eyes were frightening to many little girls.    Even if you made her some new clothes, those eyes and her tear were permanent, she could never be made happy. 

I remember wanting that sad little doll, but once I got her home and couldn't transform her, couldn't improve her appearance, she ended up under the bed somewhere.  She was just too depressing! 

If there had been new clothes and accessories available and a way to make her expression happy...I believe she would have been more popular.  What girl doesn't love a make-over?

Emotion is often used in an attempt to solicit money...sad little puppies that need a home, hungry children that need food.  We as humans want to help, want to fix, want to improve.

As home buyers,  we don't want a home that needs help, needs to be fixed, or needs to be improved. 

What buyers want in a home is move-in ready. 

As a professional home stager I have seen many Little Miss No Name houses on the market. 

 Unlike the doll, these houses can be transformed. 

My passion is transformation... improving the appearance of anything, anyone.  I love it.

No surprise that I would choose home staging as a profession. 

 Actually, I think it chose me.

September 9, 1978

That's right, thirty years ago today I married my best friend, and he is still my best friend today.

I thought I would celebrate my anniversary by posting photos of the highlights of our years together. 

The greatest joy we have shared, the birth of our three children:

1980, Daughter, Jaime

1982, Son, Joshua

1984,  Daughter Ashley

Isn't it funny how much the babies look alike?  It looks like it is the same baby in all three photos.

Diapers, bottles, car seats and strollers...it seems so long ago.  "First day of school" pictures, class plays, t-ball and hockey games, dance class...wouldn't miss a minute of it.  There is no pride like the pride of a parent taking those prom pictures and sitting at the graduation ceremony. 

Two very happy days:

Jaime and Jon's Wedding

Josh and Ashley's Wedding

A very happy day to look forward to:

Ashley is marrying Scott in June

Over our many years together we have shared some wonderful vacations, in beautiful locations including:

Switzerland...the trip of a lifetime!

Several cruises, our vacation of choice.A cruise with our children.

I wonder if lasting marriages is a hereditary thing...his parents were married over fifty years and I also come from good stock.  Last year we celebrated the 50th anniversary of my parents with a party re-enacting their ceremony:

Together with my brother, we took my parents on a trip to the Dominican Republic where more memories were made:

It has been a great thirty years...we had our ups and downs like any other couple...it wasn't all perfect, but it was all worth it!  We didn't always know where the money was going to come from to pay the bills, but we always knew we would be ok.  We always knew we had each other. 

I've supported him, like when he really wanted a boat, even though we couldn't afford one,  when he drove to Rhode Island to buy the ninety pound dog,  when he had to have the motorcycle, even though I told him I would never get on it. 

He has supported me, spending hour after hour at yard sales and shopping malls,  when I decided we were going to eat healthier and started feeding him spelt bread and vitamins and flax seed oil, and removed all the "good stuff" from our diet, when I started my own business and filled the house with staging props. 

We have been very blessed and we know it.  We love our life together and we know just how lucky we are.

If our marriage were a house...I'ld say we have done a fabulous job staging it!

Happy Anniversary to us!!

 Your name has been chosen...you have won a prize, and you have a choice. 

 Which prize do you choose.

Do you choose the package that looks like it came from a fine gift store or

the package that looks like it came from the flea market?

 Both of these packages could contain the exact same $10 photo frame from Walmart, but even after they are opened, the frame that came from the better looking package will be perceived as more valuable.  

It is human nature to assign a higher value to things that come in attractive packaging.

  A professional home stager can help people increase the perceived value of their house for sale by improving it's appearance.  Once you decide to sell your home, it becomes a product and must be packaged and marketed strategically.

  It isn't that difficult a concept,  the more visually appealing your house is, the higher it's perceived  value will be.  Buyers are looking for move-in ready.  They are looking for a home that has been well maintained and cared for.   They are looking for features that justify the asking price. 

They are looking for the most attractive package.

How impressive is your wrapping?