Recently, North Carolina was hammered with an unusually heavy snowstorm that left most of us snowbound for a few days! Rare snow events of this magnitude happen here in central North Carolina only once or twice each decade, so I relished every moment of this one! I thoroughly enjoyed spending that first snow day relaxing on my sofa and watching the snow fall for an entire afternoon, into the evening hours! The following day, my son and I sledded with our good friends for most of the day and again, by candlelight, that night! What fun!
However, today's blog is about a storm of a different kind that I experienced just a few days prior to that beautiful snowstorm. It began on a Friday afternoon, when I received word that my proposal to stage a home in our town had been accepted, and I would be expected to have the home ready for photographing by the following Friday. I spent most of Saturday feverishly shopping for furniture, art, accessories, and rugs. Then, on Sunday morning, rumors of a big snowstorm moving in on Thursday began to circulate, and I felt a little uneasy about finishing the job in just four days, but I remained fairly confident that I could finish on time! By Sunday evening, however, the forecast was changed to snow on Wednesday, and suddenly, I had two short days to finish shopping for furniture, moving everything in, and setting up the house! To say I was more than a little nervous about how I was going to pull this one off, is a gross understatement!
I am certain that, under these snowy circumstances, the realtor and the homeowners would have understood if I had postponed the staging until the following week, but I wanted to be able to enjoy this rare snow event! I did not want to have even one thought concerning the how-to and the what-if challenges that are part of every installation that I complete. I felt if I put my nose to the grindstone, I could get this job done in time to enjoy the impending snow days with my young son! So, for the next two long days, I shopped, painted, arranged, rearranged, hammered, and drove many miles back and forth between Raleigh and Greensboro, determined to get the job done! And at 10:00 pm on Tuesday night, I put the finishing touches on the house and vacuumed my way out the front door, feeling completely exhausted, yet relieved and satisfied that I had given my very best effort to finish the job. After a quick trip to the grocery store, I made it home just in time to savor every beautiful moment of the next two snow days!
Here are the before and after photos from that stormy staging experience:
Master Bedroom
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| Master Bedroom Before |
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The headboard, nightstands, lamps, bench, and framed art were
consignment store finds. |
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| Master Bedroom After |
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The Bachelor's Chest was a nice Craigslist find.
I purchased this lamp from Target.
The Dining Room |
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| Dining Room Before |
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Dining Room After
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My friend helped me paint these dining chairs and reupholster their seats. I got them for a great deal at my favorite consignment store.
The table was from a wholesaler in High Point, NC. Tuesday Morning had just received a shipment of rugs on Tuesday morning, and I snatched this navy trellis pattern one for a song! |
The Family Room |
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| Family Room Before |
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| Family Room After |
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The chairs, the table, and the lamp are great consignment finds!
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The sofa and the framed art were more great consignment finds! The coffee table
and the side table were purchased from a High Point wholesaler. |
The Sunroom |
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Sunroom Before
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| Sunroom After |
The Reading Room |
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Reading Room/Office Before |
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| Looking back through the window as I headed home! |
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Reading Room After
The chairs and oval table were purchased
from the consignment store. Baskets were a fun Tuesday Morning find.
The console table was from High Point.
Hobby Lobby had a half-price sale on
their posters, making nice, inexpensive artwork! |
