Mama's Helper

As I mentioned, Madeleine was very patient when I was photographing my ornaments, and the photoshoot turned into a bit of a Madeleine photoshoot.

Happy Friday!

Madeleine - Week 24

This week's fabric shows off the beautiful New Zealand pohutukawa, which blooms around this time of the year.

A Pinterest Christmas: DIY Ornaments & Alternative Christmas Tree

Welcome to Week Two of A Pinterest Christmas

For the month of December, I'm thrilled to be participating in A Pinterest Christmas with a group of crafty ladies who have been inspired by projects on Pinterest and turned that (p)inspiration into reality.

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The wreath is on the door. Now, it's time for a tree and ornaments.

We have so much going on this holiday season that George and I decided to forego a tree. It's sad, but it'll make next year's tree even more special, right? At any rate, I'm okay giving up the tree as long as I have a place to display some ornaments. That's where my first (p)inspiration comes in.

Source

I liked these branches in a tall vase and knew branches in my new giraffe vase would be perfect! I started collecting branches in my yard and drying them until I had a good collection from which to select the perfect branches. I bought spray paint and intended to turn them cherry red until I saw how pretty they were in their natural state (including some moss...this is the Pacific Northwest after all).

Keep reading (or scrolling) to see how they look decorated with ornaments...

(P)INSPIRATION ORNAMENT #1

Last year, I was inspired by Misha's wedding invitation ornament...

Misha's Ornament

...and then made my own.

Mine

With the addition of Madeleine comes the addition of her birth announcement ornament. It's made the same way as the others (see Misha's tutorial) and will hopefully look great for many years to come.

(P)INSPIRATION ORNAMENT #2

I pinned this second ornament long before Madeleine was born and am really excited to see it come to life.

Source

Ours didn't come out quite as perfectly as the original, but I am still pretty pleased with the results.

(P)INSPIRATION ORNAMENT #3

Because we moved houses this year, I thought we needed an ornament or two to commemorate this milestone, and I loved this (p)inspiration ornament. 

Source

I used some polymer clay, a rolling pin, and a biscuit cutter to make cookie-like objects. Then, I pressed the key into the clay and removed it before baking the clay. Once it was cool, I wrote the dates on the ornaments with a paint marker. 

I wish I would have: used darker clay, taken more time to work with the edges of the clay, and used a different (finer) marker. Alas, here are the results:

(P)INSPIRATION ORNAMENT #4

I love felt and rainbows, so I was drawn to this cute little felt rainbow tree ornament. 

My felt was $.30 a sheet at the local craft store, so not quite as nice and thick as the (p)inspiration tree. I added bulk by using lots layers of felt and gave the tree some good variety by using buttons for the trunk. All-in-all, however, my tree is a bit of a hot mess. Can't win 'em all.

(P)INSPIRATION ORNAMENT #5

Okay. Maybe I got a little carried away with making ornaments. Anyway, I've saved the surprise favorite for last. Squirt some paint in some glass ornaments and tie some ribbon on top - easy enough, right?

Source

Right. It really was that simple...although, a week after making the ornaments, there are still wet pools of paint in the bottom of my ornaments. I may have been over zealous with my paint. Ah, well. I really enjoyed making these ornaments and can see myself making these with a slightly older Madeleine.

See how they all came together on my branches (with a few other favorite ornaments): 

There's just one more piece of credit I need to give before signing off: this little sweetie was incredibly patient and giggly while I took photos of all of the ornaments. Good (hopefully crafty) girl. 

What ornaments are on your tree? What kind of tree do you have?

Thinking about using branches as an alternative Christmas tree or making some ornaments? Feel free to leave questions in the comments, and I'd love for you to comment with a link to any projects you make inspired by mine.

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Remember to check out the rest of the A Pinterest Christmas ladies this week and throughout the month of December:

Tuesdays - 

Sally @ chacha and mogo (Ornaments and Junk!)

Kendra @ The Gilbertson Family (DIY Ornaments)

Wednesdays - 

Misha @ emerald city diaries (Clay Ornament and Pom Pom Santa)

Michelle @ this grey house (Ornaments and Scrabble)

Thursdays - 

Maggi @ Greg, Maggi, and Rodney (Ruffle Tree Skirt)

'Tis the Season

No weekend update here, but I have to show you our family photo from this weekend. Photos of the three of us are few and far between, so I treasure them even when I'm half awake and make-upless. 

Also, carrots were a big (BIG) hit for Miss M. 

Hope you had a good weekend.

DIY Staging Tips

Remember that extra post I promised weeks ago?

It's virtually impossible to know - for certain - how staging affects the sale of a house. After looking at a lot of houses and selling our old one, I thought I'd share some staging tips that I've picked up along the way.

At the old house, I gave the place an incredibly thorough clean and touched up all of the scratches and nicks in the paint, then I used my budget (set at a fraction of the professional stager's estimate) for furniture and accessories. To get things looking their best, we hired cleaners for the carpets, windows, roof, patio, and driveway. (If I'd known it was that inexpensive, I would have done it a lot more frequently when we lived there!)

Use furniture in places that need an explanation of how to use them or to show that specific furniture will fit (for example, bed in a small bedroom or dining table in small dining area). 

When buying furniture, try to find pieces that fit the space, appeal to a wide range of buyers, and (if possible) will be useful for you in the future.

Stage bedrooms that look too small for bedroom furniture or that look bigger with some furniture.  

Instead of lugging mattresses, use an inflatable mattresses (just remember to put a sign that tells potential buyers to not sit on the bed). 

Choose colors and accessories that appeal to both sexes and a variety of buyers and cultures. 

Add some candles and/or soaps to the bathroom to make them feel relaxing. 

Make a call on whether to use a shower curtain or get more visual space by removing it. 

Have hand towels in the bathroom because people will use the toilet, and you want them to be able to wash up. Make a call on bath towels - sometimes they make the room look complete and other times, they're distracting.

Stage areas to show their use and make potential buyers see themselves in the space.

Cover flaws so that potential buyers don't get distracted by them. In this room, the far corner is imperfect, and there is an ugly chimney cap behind the sofa. In the photo above this one, the poster in the hallway covers a blanking plate. 

Choose accessories that appeal to the type of buyers you expect will be interested; some examples for us were the chess board, gardening book, books in Spanish, South American art, and Asian-inspired art.

Use your own books and decorations to accessorize. Let the accessories bring in color without making the house too taste-specific.  

Some other tips for staging and generally putting a house on the market:

• Less is more. Add enough furniture and accessories so that it feels natural and not like you're trying to hide something...but don't let it get cluttered. Hesitate before staging rooms that could have multiple uses because staging it one way could turn away buyers who'd be inclined to see the room otherwise if it were empty. 
• Have a game plan for getting rid of the extra furniture...but don't empty the house until very close to closing, lest the deal falls through. 
• Use new candles and fragrance defusers to keep an empty house smelling fresh without it looking like you're trying to hide something. 
• Remove tools and do-it-yourself books out of the house lest potential buyers think there are on-going problems and/or that repairs/improvements were done yourself.
• Put some baking soda in the refrigerator and freezer. No one likes stinky appliances.
• Put a sign at the entryway asking people to remove their shoes. 
• Make sure the house is really clean - inside and out, top to bottom. This is the time to have the oven, floors, roof, patio, and windows cleaned. 
• If you have the exact paint match (color and sheen), touch up imperfections in the paint. No one will notice that you've done it, but they will notice if you haven't.

I'm obviously not so sold on staging that I was willing to hire a professional, but I think there are steps you can take to make your house more appealing than it would be otherwise...resulting in faster, higher offers. And who has a house on the market that they don't want to sell as soon as possible for top dollar?