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Colour Trends in 2010

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 22:37:00 +0000

Move over neutral colour schemes! Livelier hues are making a comeback in home decors in 2010-2011 and it’s all about using colour to lift our spirits in the midst of tough times.

During the past years we have opted for comforting, warm neutrals like browns and beiges as a result of an uncertain economic, political and environmental climate, but now people have had enough with doom and gloom and are looking for a change, a new beginning. As a result, more and more are now looking for ways to enliven their sagging spirits, which is why we’re seeing a trend toward consumers choosing livelier colours to reflect their optimism in their quest for a brighter future.

A growing number of Canadian home decors across the country are about to get a much needed mood and energy boost from spirited, dynamic colours. As the year unfolds, more energetic colours will be used as a complement to neutral colours – particularly grey, from silver to deep slate – to give the neutrals a lift.

One of the emerging colour trends for the next year will be the use of acid-fresh colours, like pulsating pinks, yellows and blues, and dynamic-energetic colours, such as deep reds and purples, vivid blues and greens, pigment-infused pastels such as baby blues and pinks, and earthy golds and clays, to enliven home decors. Radiating an air of fantasy, happiness and a love of life, these latest colours emit emotional energy and optimism – a detox from the gloominess that has been undermining our spirits. Added to this décor of unconventional colour blends will be the use of mismatched patterns, styles and materials. Used alone or merged together, the 2010 colours reflect the diverse outlooks of today’s consumers and deliver a refreshing change and renewed attitude on life.

Need some help with changing colour in your home?

Contact Staging Spaces today!

Green Home Building & Design Terms

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:10:00 +0000

Become well-versed on "green" buzzwords and make better buying decisions.

It's apparent that many people selling green or eco-friendly home building materials and products have no clue as to what constitutes GREEN, eco-friendly, organic, and sustainability. Here are definitions of some of the big buzzwords in the green movement, all to help you make better buying decisions when you face your next home building, remodeling, or design project.

ORGANIC: of or relating to foodstuff grown or raised without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides or hormones; e.g., organic eggs, organic vegetables, and organic chicken. The term is also used to describe something simple and healthful and close to nature, as in an organic lifestyle. You'll find organic fibers used in furniture and fabrics, like organic silk.

CRUELTY FREE: a product that doesn’t contain any part of an animal, eliminating material obtained from an animal by means of cruelty and/or anything made with child labor or in a sweatshop anywhere in the world.

Examples include food obtained from animals raised or kept on factory farms, or any products tested on animals or made in a Third World sweatshop.

SUSTAINABLE: a product capable of being continued with minimal long-term effect on the environment. This is key in all aspects of the life cycle of any product.

Examples include anything (building materials, furniture, fabrics, upholstery, linens, etc.) made from bamboo, cork, soy, or organic cotton. The Cork Family tables by Jasper Morrison pictured here are great examples of sustainable furniture, as the cork bark stripped from trees will grow back.

FAIR TRADE: certified company and/or product the incorporates policies and standards that include a fair living wage for all factory employees, ample breaks, no obligation to work overtime without compensation, and a safe work environment with emergency protocols in place.

Examples include factories in many Third World countries.

GREEN WASHING: this is the dissemination of misleading information by an organization to conceal its abuse of the environment in order to present a positive public image. Green washing is running rampant now as everyone is trying to jump on the green and environmentally-friendly product bandwagon. Do your homework, don't be fooled, and buy green for your home.

Staging Spaces

Fun ways to keep your child believing in Santa Claus

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 23:41:00 +0000

Keeping your child believing in Santa can be a daunting task. Children are smart and some of the old Santa tricks just don’t get by them anymore. Many children are perpetually plagued with the question, “Is there a Santa Claus?”

1. Have your child write a Santa Letter. This can be a simple letter that your child can write to Santa Claus. Children absolutely love to write a letter to Santa, but they occasionally need a little parental guidance to pull it off.

Help your child include a special list of gifts they desire for Christmas into the Santa letter. Many children enjoy getting more creative by drawing or cutting out pictures that represent the gifts they want.

Once the child’s Santa letter is finished, simply mail it to the North Pole. Mail it to the following Santa Claus address: Santa Claus, 1 Candy Cane Lane, North Pole 00001. Don’t bother using a return address, you wouldn’t want it to return as ‘undeliverable’ for any reason.

2. Write a letter from Santa and have your child receive it in the mail. Create a personalized letter from Santa by directly mentioning your child’s name and certain information about your child in the text. This will make for a much more believable Santa letter. Be sure to make these letters from Santa different for each child in the same household, and if possible, get someone else to write them so your child doesn't recognize your hand writing. The child will have no doubt that Santa Claus is coming to town after they receive their personalized letter from Santa!

“I can honestly state as a parent that the personalized letter from Santa has single handedly restored my son’s belief! The look of shock and amazement on his face when he got an ‘authentic letter from Santa’ quickly abolished any doubt he previously had about Santa Claus.”

Print the Santa letter on authentic looking letterhead, as this will help to reinforce the believability. Many different styles of paper can be found at your local office supply store.

3. Have your child leave milk and cookies out for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. This is simple and lets your child know YOU still believe, too. Make it a bonding experience for you and your child by baking the cookies together on Christmas Eve. Don’t underestimate how powerful this can be for creating joyful memories of Santa Claus, for both you and your child. Did you know that Santa’s favorite cookie recipe is Chocolate Chip?

Put the fresh cookies on a plate next to a glass of cold milk. You can even put a short letter to Santa Claus next to the cookies and milk. These tasty treats will give Santa the energy he needs to continue traveling to the millions of other households awaiting his arrival.

Don’t forget to leave some crumbs on the table Christmas morning. Your child will feel honored that Santa Claus ate the whole plate of cookies and drank all of the milk before rushing on his way.

4. On Christmas Eve, have your child sprinkle reindeer food on the lawn. Santa Claus gets milk and cookies on Christmas Eve, but what about Rudolph and the rest of the joyful gang? What do they eat? Well, reindeer food, of course!

You can make a batch of environmentally friendly reindeer food with common grocery items such as oats or granola.

Once you have the reindeer food mixed up, walk outside with your child on Christmas Eve night and explain the importance of making sure Santa’s sleigh team stays fed. Sprinkle a small amount onto your yard near bushes or trees. If there's snow on the ground, make some prints so it looks like the reindeer were eating when your child looks out in the morning.

This healthy reindeer snack will give Rudolph and the rest of the reindeer the nourishment they need to continue flying Santa’s heavy sleigh into the night. Your child will be proud for helping Santa Claus on his journey, and is sure to raise the belief in Rudolph and the other reindeer as well.

5. Leave Santa Claus tracks in your house on Christmas Eve. Being sure to not stain your carpet, leave some dirty boot prints by the fireplace (or doorway). Be sure to draw attention to the Santa Claus footprints on Christmas morning. To a child, this is solid evidence that Santa had been to their house.

6. A month or so after Christmas, send your child a postcard from Santa Claus on vacation. This not only keeps your child believing, but reminds your child that Santa is in their hearts all year long. It also answers the common question posed by children after Christmas, “Where is Santa Claus now?”

Be sure to make the postcard from somewhere very warm and sunny. After all, Santa does need a break from all that North Pole snow.

7. Mail your child a birthday greeting from Santa Claus. This technique works in tandem with the personalized Santa letter you mailed your child previously. Mailing your child a simple birthday card from Santa is an excellent way to keep your child’s belief high throughout the year. Your child will think, “Wow! Santa actually knows my birthday!” The shock on your child’s face will be priceless.

Remembrance Day

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:31:00 +0000

How Do We Remember?

On November 11, especially, but also throughout the year, we have the opportunity to remember the efforts of these special Canadians. In remembering, we pay homage to those who respond to their country’s needs. On November 11, we pause for two minutes of silent tribute, and we attend commemorative ceremonies in memory of our war dead.

Following the First World War a French woman, Madame E. Guérin, suggested to British Field-Marshall Earl Haig that women and children in devastated areas of France could produce poppies for sale to support wounded Veterans. The first of these poppies were distributed in Canada in November of 1921, and the tradition has continued ever since, both here and in many parts of the world.

Why poppies are worn as the symbol of remembrance, a reminder of the blood-red flower that still grows on the former battlefields of France and Belgium. During the terrible bloodshed of the second Battle of Ypres in the spring of 1915, Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae, a doctor serving with the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps, wrote of these flowers which lived on among the graves of dead soldiers:

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

The flowers and the larks serve as reminders of nature’s ability to withstand the destructive elements of war by men, a symbol of hope in a period of human despair. In Canada, traditionally the poppies which we wear were made by disabled Veterans. They are reminders of those who died while fighting for peace: we wear them as reminders of the horrors of conflict and the preciousness of the peace they fought hard to achieve.

The two minutes of silence provide another significant way of remembering wartime while thinking of peace. Two minutes are scarcely enough time for thought and reflection. As we pause and bow our heads, we remember those brave men and women who courageously volunteered for the cause of freedom and peace.

For those who lived through these wars, remembering means thinking of comrades. It evokes memories of men and women who never returned home. Those born after the wars might picture the youthful soldiers who eagerly joined up from high schools, businesses and farms across the country, only to meet death while fighting against the enemy. They may imagine the anguish of a man leaving a new wife, a young family, an elderly mother. The important thing for all of us to remember is that they fought to preserve a way of life, Canadian values, and the freedom we enjoy today and often take for granted. Remember that the silence is to honour their sacrifice and memory.

There are memorials to commemorate the service of Canadian troops in Canada and overseas. The National War Memorial in Ottawa was originally designed to recognize those who served in the First World War. It has been rededicated to symbolize the sacrifice made by Canadians in the Second World War, in Korea, and in subsequent peacekeeping missions. The National War Memorial symbolizes the unstinting and courageous way Canadians give their service when values they believe in are threatened. Advancing together through a large archway are figures representing the hundreds of thousands of Canadians who have answered the call to serve; at the top of the arch are two figures, emblems of peace and freedom.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is located next to the National War Memorial and contains the remains of an unknown Canadian First World War soldier who was exhumed from a cemetery near Vimy Ridge. The Tomb and its Unknown Soldier represents all Canadians, whether they be navy, army, air force or merchant marine, who died or may die for their country in all conflicts - past, present, and future.

The Books of Remembrance which lie in the Memorial Chamber of the Peace Tower are another record of the wars. In addition, most cities and towns across the country have dedicated a monument, a building, or a room to their native sons and daughters who gave their lives. These commemorative locations are an enduring record of the losses suffered by communities as Canadians went forward to fight for what they believed was right.

One day every year, we pay special homage to those who died in service to their country. We remember these brave men and women for their courage and their devotion to ideals. We wear poppies, attend ceremonies, and visit memorials. For one brief moment of our life, we remember why we must work for peace every day of the year.

Tune up your home

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:31:00 +0000

Tune up your home with these simple maintenance tasks. Here's a checklist of 15 things you should keep on top of, and the best part is that each one takes 10 minutes or less.

1. Vacuum the condenser coils at the back of your fridge annually.

2. Replace your furnace filters seasonally.

3. Polish your natural wood front door. If painted, surface wash it.

4. Clean the air conditioner grill and register. Cover the top with a plank of wood and hold in place with a brick for the winter. Using a typical air conditioner cover blocks all air flow, which will lead to moisture build up and actually harm the unit.

5. Dust and test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors (twice a year).

6. Replace the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors (annually).

7. Self-clean the oven (Okay, technically this takes hours, but it only takes a few minutes to set it up).

8. Clean your coffeemaker. Technically this takes more than 10 minutes, but each step itself takes only a minute or two. Tackle each step during commercial breaks in your favourite show.

1: Fill up the coffeemaker reservoir with one-part white vinegar to two parts cold water and "brew."

2: Pour the heated vinegar-and-water combination back into the reservoir after it "brews" the first time and run it again.

3: Discard, then fill reservoir with cold water. Run through.

4: Discard used rinse water and repeat with fresh water.

9. Clean your kitchen exhaust hood. Clean or replace the filter.

10. Check your water heater for signs of leakage or rust.

11. Plug in and inspect all of your small appliances, ensure they are in good working order and the cords are not damaged.

12. Inspect your furnace. Any signs of rust or scale? Any weird noises? If so, book a professional inspection.

13. Pick a ground fault circuit interrupter outlet (GFCI) and test it. Push the Test button, check that this has popped out the Reset button and that anything hooked up to the outlet will no longer power on. Push Reset and you're good to go. Test a different GFCI outlet next time.

14. Conduct a garage door safety check.

- Put it into manual mode and lift it: it should glide smoothly and stay open on its own three feet from the ground: if not, have a pro counterbalance it.

-Put a pet- or child-size object on the ground (a small cardboard box or lightweight plastic laundry hamper, for example) and close the door. It should pop up as soon as it meets the obstacle. If not, call a pro.

15. Check your emergency flashlight. Do the batteries work? If not, replace them, or consider upgrading to a non-battery powered, manual wind-up model.

Two great home staging success stories.

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 23:31:00 +0000

In today's market it is more important than ever to have your home stand out above the rest. For example, recently a CMA was done on a house that came in at $380,000.00. I was called in and the owners spent approximately $1600.00 on some minor work like wallpaper removal, painting and staging the house. Then a new price was attached and the house sold for $405,000.00 in just 11 days! That's a full $25,000.00 more than what they originally thought the house would sell for! The homeowners were so happy they've asked me to help them arrange their new house once they move.

Who wouldn't want this kind of return on their investment?

Another recent house was listed previously with two different top agents in the area but wasn't selling. It was a newer very large, higher end home which was devoid of furniture and lacking any accessories or personality. The homeowners weren't using half of the home which tells potential buyers that the home is just too large, and this was exactly the feedback that they were getting. The third listing agent called me in and the house was staged showing tru e use of the spaces, adding much needed interest and warmth. This 'hard to sell' house had a solid offer after 45 days and was sold firm! The clients were ecstatic!

Both of these examples happened within the last month, in this supposedly slow market.

Will you be my next success story?

Staging Terminology

Thu, 07 May 2009 21:54:00 +0000

Many of you have heard of the two most popular terms that are associated with preparing your home for sale, 'de-personalize' and 'de-clutter'. You may have heard these terms from watching television programs, or reading articles in your favourite magazine. The more houses I go into, the more I see that these two things are being done to the extreme.

When homeowners tell me with excitement that they have already 'de-cluttered' and 'de-personalized', I usually stand there, looking at a house that looks burglarized rather than de-personalized. The home is devoid of any sort of warmth and personality at all and actually feels cold and unwelcoming, this is not what we want potential buyers to feel when walking into your home. This is why I decided to define these two terms a little more in detail for you 'do it yourselfers' out there who want to get a start on things prior to the actual staging.

De-personalize: This doesn't mean you get rid of every personal item you own. In general we are talking about packing away any personal collections and memorabilia. This can be anything from your Royal Dalton figurines, to your husbands beloved Nascar and mounted fish collections. Any items of a religious nature, or your collection of travel artifacts. These items are very precious and personal to you, but they may actually offend potential purchasers, or they may actually like them so much that they spend more time looking at your collection than they do your house......that's not where we want their focus to be.

De-clutter: The areas of the home I find that are the most cluttered are closets, kitchen cupboards and areas of the home that are rarely used. Potential buyers want to see a lot of space in closets, and if they are jam packed with every piece of clothing you own, or just stuff in general, they probably don't look very spacious. Same with kitchen cupboards, it seems that the more cupboards a house has, the more the owner feels they need to fill them. Pack away the non-essentials, off-season clothing and footwear, extra bedding and linens, the crock-pot and juicer that you haven't used in a year. Every little bit helps when showing spaciousness in these areas. If you have a spare bedroom or basement that you seem to throw everything in, clear it out and pack it up. Have a garage sale or donate the items you never use to a charity organization, they would be more than happy to turn your trash into someone else?s treasure.

Remember, not every thing you own needs to be packed away and sent off to storage. This is why I believe that every house should have at least a consultation prior to anything being done. You will have the benefit and peace of mind that you are doing the right thing, and it will save you from revisiting your storage bin to dig through your boxes to recollect some of your accessories.

6 Ways to Grow Your Garden Without Pesticides

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 19:51:00 +0000

You don't need pesticides to maintain a healthy garden.

Ontario's new pesticide ban has taken effect, but you don't need pesticides to maintain a healthy

garden.

Here are six helpful hints from Ontario's Ministry of the Environment on how to garden green.

1. Plants native to an area are the best choice for healthy growing. They're usually resistant to

pests common to the area, and thrive in their natural habitat.

2. Fertilizers should be applied at the recommended rates. Too much may damage your plants.

3. Too much, too little or infrequent watering can cause diseases or kill plants.

4. Incorporate a large variety of plants to create a balanced ecosystem. Annuals or perennials

that produce pollen and nectar attract birds, butterflies and other beneficial organisms.

5. Remove dead vegetable and plant debris from your garden in the fall to eliminate food and

habitat many pests use to survive winter. This reduces the potential for an infestation next season.

6. Pull weeds or use a hand tool. It gives you a chance to get to know your garden better. When

you're familiar with your garden, you're more likely to notice pest problems early enough to

manage them through chemical-free methods.

For further information about the 2009 pesticide ban please visit Add It Up

To view a video on how to grow a sustainable garden visit Growing a Sustainable Garden

Prom Project Niagara

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 14:00:00 +0000

The Education Foundation of Niagara is proud to announce our newest event: Prom Project Niagara, Saturday, May 2, from 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. at the Quality Hotel Parkway Convention Centre in St. Catharines.

As a way to combat the effects of poverty, the EFN has created Prom Project Niagara as an event that will support and provide for underprivileged students in both elementary and secondary schools. Prom Project Niagara celebrates the achievements of students who have overcome adversity in reaching the milestone of graduation by matching our young people with an outfit, dress, or suit so they can walk proud on their special day.

By referral, we give young people the opportunity to select formal wear free of charge to attend their formals and graduation ceremonies and the ability for grads to feel confident, stylish and proud.

The EFN needs your help to make the day a success.

You can help by donating new or gently used formal wear that is in excellent condition. We are looking for dresses, skirts and shirts, suits, formal men's shirts, ties and blazers.

Clothing can be donated at the following drop-off locations:

Bev's Dry Cleaning Depot - St. Catharines - 33 Lakeshore Rd.
Lakeport Cleaners and Laundromat - St. Catharines - 220 Lakeport Rd.
Lake & Carlton Laundromat - St. Catharines - 117 Carlton St.
Royal Professional Dry Cleaners - Niagara Falls - 3519 Portage Rd.
Yazz Cleaners & Quick Stitch - Niagara Falls - 7637 Lundy's Lane
Yazz Dry Cleaners & Quick Stitch - Welland - 800 Niagara St.
Lightheart's Dry Cleaners - Welland - 545 Niagara St.
Lightheart's Dry Cleaners - Port Colborne - 388 King St.
Pike Dry Cleaners - Fort Erie - 93 Jarvis St.

Please help us fight the cycle of poverty by donating an article of formal clothing.

For further information, please visit the EFN Website.

Real Estate Market: A correction, not a crash predicted this year

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 06:25:00 +0000

The Royal LePage "2009 Market Survey Forecast" on Canada's national average house prices.

After experiencing a significant reset in 2008 and the early part of 2009, Canada's resale real estate market should see only modest price and unit sales corrections take place across the country during the remainder of 2009. Both national average house prices and the number of homes sold are expected to decline this year, according to the Royal LePage 2009 Market Survey Forecast.

Nationally, average house prices are forecast to dip by 3.0 per cent from last year to $295,000, while transactions are projected to fall to 416,000 (3.5 %) unit sales in 2009. In spite of this cooling trend on a national level, price and activity gains are anticipated in some provinces.

In many mid-sized cities where home prices remain below the national average, such as Regina and Winnipeg, prices are expected to increase moderately through 2009, as home ownership remains particularly affordable. The most significant price decreases are forecast for Canada's most expensive city, Vancouver, which has experienced above average price increases for most of the decade.

Emotional reaction to recent economic instability dampened consumer confidence during the latter part of 2008, causing a marked slowdown in house sales activity.

"While Canada's housing market is anticipated to continue to move through a period of adjustment over the next six months, we should expect modestly lower home prices, not a U.S.-style collapse, which was brought on by a structural failure of the entire American credit system," said Phil Soper, president and chief executive of Royal LePage Real Estate Services. "Most consumers are not aware that nationally, Canadian housing market activity peaked in 2007 and has been adjusting lower since. We are well into this inevitable cyclical correction."

However, as a more rational understanding of the issues gains ground, together with a wide range of announced corrective measures, consumer confidence is anticipated to recover, prompting real estate activity to pick up once again in the latter half of 2009.