New Year, New Beginings

I always love a New Year, last year I had a lot of changes,
all for good reasons. I closed my shop down after six years
of trying to do it on my own, I moved to Queen City Market
place with a couple of good spaces for my business and took
a space out at the Factory Antique Mall in Verona. I work a
couple of days at QCM and in the fall took a part time job at
with a high end mattress company. And I have a few days off to
spend some time finding new things to sell. I moved to a smaller
space, less expensive and in August my car died. I spent a small
fortune to fix it with the hopes of keeping it a little longer.

  So after a quiet New Year, I worked, and we are now into the second
week of January, things are already looking up. I sole my Duncan Phyfe
sofa, my before and after story here on the blog,  and the buyer saw it here
on the blog and drove over from Charlottesville to get it. Yes people do read
my blog. I received a nice inheritance check and I have been asked to come back
and do some decorating for the Campus View Apartments with Matchbox Realty.
This will be my third time or job with them.

  All this means that I am spending more time in my car, driving to Verona, driving
to Harrisonburg, driving my son back to VMI, driving to the mall to the mattress store.
Even though I had my 2001 Volvo fixed, I did not feel safe driving it. I had trouble
getting it started, it was stalling on me and it was like driving a rattling tin can. I threw
caution into the wind and after a lot of thought I took a trip over to Valley Subaru.

I traded in my beloved Volvo in for a Subaru Crosstreck. I wanted the same size
car but to be up a little higher, four wheel drive, and a really cool looking car.
They didn't much for my car, but I got a great deal on this car. So far 2016 looks
promising. Happy New Year.

Staging with Accessories at The Charleston Townes Apartments in Harrisonburg

Yesterday I drove to Harrisonburg to install my second staging job for Matchbox
Reality at The Charleston Townes Apartment model unit. This space had been
done four years ago and needed updating. The old colors were dark and faded
and needed a bright new look. I used as much of the old stuff as I could, a lot of
it ended up hidden in closets.

This big piece of art was my inspiration. I went by Pier 1 the day they showed me the unit they
wanted up dated. Sorry, I didn't take before and after photos. Anyway, I went to Pier 1 for inspiration,
and saw this big canvas in the clearance section at 75% off. Pier 1 stored it for me until the unit was
ready and I was doing my installation. When I went back to get it, it was way larger than I remembered.
I had taken a picture of it for the colors but never measured it. So typical of me. We had to strap it to
the top of the car and I almost lost it at one point getting from point A to point B.

The furniture is from Martin's Home Furnishings and I reused the lamps, the darker decor and
mixed it in with my brighter additions I the living area. Love the cool rug I got from Ballard Design

  This is the dining area and kitchen area. I added orchids to an existing wall pocket, repurposed
a few plants and a bi apple object with my mix of things.

This is the deck off of the living area. The rug was in the living area so I brought t out here,
added a few colorful pillows from Pier 1 to the white pillows and cushions and used some
of the old accessories for the table. The living area and kitchen are on the second floor. The
unit has four bedrooms, four and a half baths and two laundry rooms.

The male room, before it was black, white and red themed. This is more of a
cool spa like feel.

Here is the girls room and bathroom, a lot brighter than the previous one. I forgot to take
pictures of the other bathrooms and the cool suzani runner I found for the front hall from
Tuesday Morning. That rug I wanted for myself.

More pictures of the hall ways and one of the laundry rooms.

A few more pictures I found of the work in progress. The job took six and a half hours,
with a few runs to Tuesday Morning, The Dollar Tree and Target  for bath mats, t.p.,
tissues, trash cans etc. luckily they are all right there where these apartments are. It's
so much fun to get paid to go shopping and to work on there projects.

My Labor Day Weekend To Do List

I made a Labor day weekend to do list, it is not often that I have two
full days off. First on the list, purchasing for my second staging job for
Matchbox Realty in Harrisonburg. I picked up a check from an estimate
I submitted to stage/ restage The Charleston Townes Apartments for
James Madison University students in Harrisonburg. This three story, four
bedroom apartment was staged four years ago, it needs brightening up, it
needs the Margaret touch...................

The living room and kitchen being laid out in my living room.....

The Male bedroom and bathroom and pieces of the front hall and laundry room......

The girls room and bathroom.......................

I celebrated my two day staycation with a glass of wine and fresh flowers from the yard. I
was playing around with my camera settings...............

And speaking of the yard, this gate that covers back entrance was covered in ivy and
wisteria, the wisteria had taken over. It was growing over the fence, over to the neighbors
house, up her roof and heading to her roof. So I ripped it out till i could free the gate and close
the drive way off. Very grand, California style gating................

I started weeding the smaller front bed that had been taken over by weeds, ivy, piosen ivy,
clover, and seedlings dropped by the wind and birds. Elfie was my support team, if not here,
he was under a bush in the shade. I am taking the yard back.

 I also really went crazy on the Acuba off the porch, this is were Elfie loves to snoop
and were I saw a  SKUNK disappear, now I can see whats in there.