November 29, 2009 by becky.

Merry Christmas Friends, Family and Staging Fans,

Thanks to all who attended the Cottage by the Sea Decorating Extravaganza in early December. We were delighted to host more than 70 attendees. As promised, here is the article originally published in the Florida Times-Union that inspired the presentation.

Creative holiday decorations even old Scrooge could love 

 Perhaps you’ve shopped for family, sent out Christmas cards, strung outdoor lights and hung the last ornament on the tree. There is nothing left in the idea file or bank account for anything else. Perhaps you are an agent with several homes on the market and you need to add a touch of the holidays to them without going overboard … you don’t want the home to look like the Griswald’s in Christmas Vacation. On the other hand, you don’t want to be a Scrooge either when it comes to decorating. So, for those world-weary, exhausted and overworked individuals looking for a little inspiration, here is a list of easy, inexpensive, quick-fix holiday decorating ideas direct from my house.

- You can shop for decorations at your grocery store produce department. Cranberries will last from Thanksgiving until after the new year. They look festive in any clear glass container. You can layer them with things like coffee beans. Sprinkle a few drops of pure almond extract to the beans for a luscious amaretto scent. Tall glass cylinders can be purchased at craft stores for about $10. Place a 3-inch candle on top. Large wine goblets can hold cranberries and a tea light candle. You can carve out a votive-sized opening in an artichoke for a lovely candle holder. Bowls can be filled with small Granny Smith apples. They smell delightful and stay fresh for months. 

Find free decorations in the backyard. Clippings from any evergreen tree or bush look great on the fireplace mantle with red candles. Holly, juniper and pine trees can be found in any neighborhood. Magnolia branches can be accented with white candles for a formal dining table display. Berries from nandina bushes can be placed with greenery for color. A little real greenery mixed with artificial can add freshness to the arrangement. A walk in the woods with pruning shears can yield a basket full of Mother Nature’s abundant offerings. A clipping or two from any wispy tree arranged in a vase can be surprisingly adequate to accent a large picture on a fireplace mantle.

- Your concrete angel by the front door can be dressed for the occasion with a wreath on her head. That yard bunny can be ready for the holidays with a wreath around his neck. If you don’t have a wreath the right size, a piece of garland will work. Place a small wreath around the neck of an old-fashioned teddy bear for a nostalgic look any child would love. Even the shorebird gets a wreath necklace.

- You can tuck a string of 20 tiny white lights inside an empty wine bottle for an unusual night-light. The bottle must be green, not clear, and the lights must be on green wire.- See picture above-Place several starfish on a wreath with a raffia bow. It’s great for a beach house. Use white starfish as ornaments on the tree. Fish netting can be arranged over the tree skirt to complete the look. Starfish also look beautiful in a basket on a casual dining table. Nautical charts can be photo-copied and laminated for interesting placemats. You can get navigational charts at any boat supply store.The best places to look for additional inspiration are the Christmas home tours in traditional neighborhoods. They feature many creative examples of the use of natural decorations. Also, collect the Christmas issues of popular decorating magazines for a wealth of inspiration.

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Start 2010 with a bang at our motivational seminar on January 13th, at the Queens Harbour Clubhouse. Mina Shah of the Tony Robbins organization will be the featured speaker. After lunch, we will delve into the latest on the staging front.

9:30 - 11:30 AM Mina Shah  $18. Continental Breakfast- Morning Session THIS IS A FABULOUS PRESENTATION!!!

Lunch 12:00 - 3:30 PM $45.  Both Sessions and Lunch

Seminar, January 13th, Wednesday

Queens Harbour Yacht and Country Club, Jax., Fl. 32225

We are hosting a motivational one-day seminar featuring Mina Shah from the Tony Robbins organization. She presents a 2-hour shot-in-th-arm of pure inspiration. I heard her in November and invited her to join us in January to help us get our year started off with a bang.

You can attend the AM only and hear Mina for $15. A continental breakfast is included. Or stay for a gourmet lunch and enjoy a presentation of advanced staging training for $45. All day session comes with a free CD worth $25.

E-mail reservations to: becky@beckyharmon.com  Limited space available.

Becky

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November 9, 2009 by becky.

News will follow about the next class and a new teleseminar. But first…

My hubby, Chips, and I just returned from a glorious mountain vacation in Ashville, N.C.  Instead of a hotel stay, we opted for a quaint hillside cottage off the beaten path. First let me say, it’s a bit of a risk when you take a destination-oriented obsessive/compulsive man down a winding country road… read more in the article below titled From My Heart.

I must tell you the sad, but true, news… that I am recovering from a computer crash. In a flash, my life was gone .Ugh!! Yes, I had a back-up in place. Long story. Don’t ask.

All was eventually recovered but I am struggling to get all my contacts back into the right groups. So if you received this newsletter by mistake, please forgive. This right-brained girl is slogging through a left-brained task with all the speed of a blonde ADHD (whoops, I mean ASID) decorator.

I must confess, I could not have survived this crash without the services of Martin Schramm, my mission-impossible, knight in shining cyber-space, who rescued me from certain doom and despair. His contact info is in my resource area.

On to staging/redesign news…

ANNOUNCEMENTS:1. New Staging Teleseminar- Monday, 23rd @ 8:00PM, EST. E-mail becky@beckyharmon.com to register. Limited space available. More details next week.

The October class experienced 2 amazing redesigns and I’m still hearing rave reviews from the homeowners three weeks later. You’d never guess how unhappy this one couple was with their house before our visit. They complained about space issues as we arrived. “These rooms don’t work for us. They’re too small.” This couple had been planning to either remodel or move. After a few hours of Transformations magic, we heard things like, “This is amazing. I can’t believe this is our house.” They are telling all their friends and planning a party.

The next house proved to be great fun to transform. The homeowner’s husband is a contractor and they would like to use this 50 year-old remodeled beach house as a model for the business. She was shocked and thrilled when she came down the stairs for the big “reveal.” We all experienced a surreal, fairy godmother moment. Tears and laughter followed. What a wonderful way to make a living!

Before

After

Here is the testimonial I just received from her:

The redesign was amazing!  I didn’t know my house could look this great.  What’s more amazing is the fact that I already owned all the “things” you used, but when you put it all together, it had so much more STYLE!I can’t thank you enough. It feels “finished” for the first time in 9 years! What more can I say?  I LOVE IT! 

FROM MY HEART First let me say, it’s a bit of a risk to take a destination-oriented, obsessive/compulsive man on a winding country road. A slow-moving cow can ruin your whole day.  

 As it turned out, everything about our trip - especially the cottage - was way beyond our expectations. In the class, I recently started teaching the “extra-mile” principle. In a nutshell, it means that after doing the best possible job for your clients, you find a way to take it over the top and do even more…go the extra mile.  

The cottage owner had many extras waiting for us. Pumpkin bread from a nearby bakery sat beside an assortment of restaurant menus and sightseeing brochures. When I inspected a sheer fabric gift bag filled with chocolates, I found a surprise… a real amethyst stone. The creek that runs through the property is called Amethyst Creek. How creative! How over the top!   

The extra-mile principle should apply to everything you do in your private and public life. Find a way to add something more and create a lifestyle of excellence.  

Happy Staging,

Becky

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