3 year old carpet art!

Art is gone!

As our 3 year old approaches 4, nap times are being replaced by “rest times” which has lead to interesting imaginative play time in her room. It has also lead to exploring with crayons- on walls, stuffed animals, and the carpet. She even dressed up a crayon like a princess the other day. I always take the crayons away and, inevitably, a few weeks later, return them in hopes for no disasters. For the most part, it has worked. But we recently hired a chem dry carpet cleaning company to clean up past messes.

We have always used and recommended steam cleaning companies when listing an Austin home for sale. But often steam cleaning means days off the carpet which is an impossibility with kids. Chem-drying, a carpet cleaning alternative, uses carbonation to extract the dirt and grime and doesn’t use as much steam so the carpet dries much faster. Even if you aren’t selling your home any time soon, cleaning your carpets is an affordable way to maintain your home and help it to feel new!

At the end of the day, the artwork is off the carpet and the upholstery! And really, that is all we wanted! If you are listing your Austin home for sale this spring, read more of our tips about how to prepare your Austin home for sale. Give Austin Chem-Dry a call for a free estimate. We found them to be efficient and affordable.

What every guest room needs! Water, lotion, a candle, and a flashlight on the nightstand arranged on a tray!

Tea time! Cute containers never go to waste at my parents' ranch house

One of the main things I notice when combing through a client’s home before listing it is the knick-knack problem. Maybe you have picked up something beautiful on an overseas trip, inherited a piece from grandma, or been given something special but you don’t know how to show it off. So instead of looking special, it just looks random.

I confess this is not my strong point. I vacillate between wanting to be a complete minimalist (rebelling against my mother) to scouring vintage shops in order to style my home. My mom, on the other hand, is an arranging expert. It amazes me that between her own home and two others, she still antiques and finds special places for special things. Not only does she still have a clay sculpture I made in high school sitting in her living room like a prized possession, but she now is making space for her granddaughter’s gifts! While my mom turns to me to declutter her house, I turn to her to arrange and style my house. The photos are a couple examples from my parents’ ranch home.  Ranch style may not be your thing, but the ideas of arranging are present. Here are some pointers I have picked up from Mom through the years:

• Trays cannot be underestimated. They automatically contain and create order to what may look random without the tray.
• Think in threes (or odd numbers) when displaying items.
• Size matters. Don’t let the beautiful piece you just hauled all over Europe look lonely on a table! If it is a smaller item, make sure it goes in a smaller space. Don’t let your stuff be lonely!