Whew! We made it into March!(for some reason, even though I have saved the post 5X, over half of this blog is missing when I preview it. This is getting very annoying)  It's been raining like crazy & snowing at the higher elevations, so it's definitely spring weather!       03/03/2016

I'm taking one for the team here... risking getting yelled at for playing with my food.  I've bought a veggie spiralizer so I can make noodles out of: zucchini, sweet potato, butternut squash or carrots, & if I wanna blow a weeks worth of exercise; spiral fries!   You can even make dessert by spiralizing apples for a crisp! MMmmMM!    It's an easy machine to run; figure out if you want your noodles thick or thin, spiral or flat & pop in the corresponding blade. Suction cups on the bottom stop it from wandering while in use. I hold the machine at the top area you see, but I'm sure you will figure out how to operate it to suit you. The veggie of choice is mounted on the short metal tube then the spiked hand crank holds the veggie in place via pressure. The metal tube makes a core in most ... 02/25/2016

Professional Stagers have a saying: The way people dwell in a home is not the way they sell a home. Usually people have too much stuff & part of a Stager's in home consultation is dealing compassionately with how, why & what to declutter to make a home a marketable product. Making a home marketable means: every room has a purpose so buyers don't have to guess, & using the appropriate decor to target the buyers in that area.Using the existing items an owner has is always helpful to their budget.    But once in a while we come across a homeowner who doesn't have too much; they have too little. (or some don't have useable items due to age or wear).   Most Stagers will rent furniture, art & accessories to a seller so a home not only looks lived in, but sells a lifestyle.     Then the only t... 02/25/2016

Some people live in climates where there are no seasons.Living in Canada, there are always seasons. & I'm glad of it.   Every season has a beauty all it's own; from colourful fall foliage to sparkling winter snow & lazy summer dappled sunlight.  But spring has so many things going on! The reemergance of green grass, the chirping of happy birds to wake one up in the morning. The heady fragrance of tree blossoms & flower blooms. The anticipation of garden crops poking through the sun warmed soil.   Spring is the time when Plans happen!    Whether garden plans, or yard designs, summer holidays, or renovations. Knowing it is getting warmer so one can go out & work in the sun & make changes to our lives signals a fresh start & optimism that a new year brings.Are you making any plans? The pos... 02/23/2016

Woo Hoo! February 19 has been designated National Drink Wine Day!Many of our local wineries have been holding tastings at their shops & out at the local liquor stores with samples of their fare. Some even have sales while their stock lasts, so now is the time to get your favourites so you can enjoy them tomorrow! I made sure I have appropriate glasses; buying six new crystal bowls! (only 4 fit on my shelf tho...)  Now to go out & find some faves to sample! I'm very fortunate to live in the Okanagan; Napa of the North, there's even a wine tour called that!!   My friend David also runs afun wine tasting tour as the Barefoot Sommelier when he's not baking bread for Barefoot Bread!  Our local association of wineries in Summerland, BC, is called Bottle Neck Drive & I can even walk to a few o... 02/18/2016

As a Professional Stager, I see all kinds of homes, in every state of repair, when going to a consultation. I try to help those folks by giving them a 'to do' list from an unbiased, buyer oriented, point of view. Some people don't have enough furniture. We can help with that!(before)                                                                            (after)  Some people have too much furniture or it's too large for the space. We can help with that, too!(before)                                                                              (after)  Some people have no idea how to optimize their space. We can help! (before)                                                                              (after)    Some people just have too much stuff. Editing is just one of the things t... 02/16/2016

Welcome to the third installment about my decks. Part One is about the sunny area & part two is about the covered part & daybed with storage I made for it. I built my first deck here in the Okanagan in 2014. I needed some outdoor space to enjoy the glorious weather here in the Spring, Summer & Fall...  My third deck was built in 2015 to replace an old rotten deck that had been there since before I bought this place. I wanted an area close to my storage shed that I could paint & have a bit of privacy while enjoying the weather.   I stained the wood with a redwood coloured stain so it would hold up to the elements & go with the blue grey of the siding.         As there was a rule against walls & fences between properties, I added copper trellis to each corner to add some privacy once the ... 02/11/2016

I Just posted Part One of this series about my outdoor spaces. Part two (of the same space) is behind a bamboo screen & sheltered, for the most part, from sun, wind & rain.  The curtains, walls & bamboo screen work very well at keeping this a fairly private area & that's why I decided to build a daybed with storage to fill part of this space. 2x4's & plywood made the frame & body.   Piano hinges for the seating lids & painted white so it would look clean & neat.   Camping foam cut to size.    Curtains & fabric bought at the thrift store sewed to fit the various pieces!  Some outdoor fabric pillows & voila! A rocking chair for any visitors that don't want to lounge & I can enjoy a good book & still watch the world go by... (if I'm not napping) :D  02/10/2016

When I moved here to the Okanagan, BC, I spent the first 6 months renovating the inside of my place. The outside didn't come into play until the next spring.  We have glorious weather here from March until the end of November, for the most part, & outdoor spaces are at a premium. All of my neighbours enjoy the outside with an outdoor space, so I thought that might be a good idea. I didn't really have any outdoor seating spaces, so I thought I would remedy that with a deck, or three... Deck one kind of encompasses deck 2 as well, but I'll leave deck two for the next part of this series.  My place had a stable cement pad out front that almost fit my car if I wanted to park it there. It didn't cover my car completely so I decided to make it a partially covered deck in 2 parts, with a priva... 02/10/2016

I never had an art class, because my middle sister was considered the artist in our family. She took industrial arts in high school, while I took beauty culture (hairdressing) when I got there. Since she had all the talent it never occurred to me to bother. But as I grew older I found my self making signage, drawing & painting, but only to satisfy my needs or as a volunteer for organizations.   Yet, in the last few years I have started to try more, at first because I needed art for Fluff My House! Home Staging. Many other artist's work were out of my price range, so I dabbled a bit & found I liked it!  I had 2 mentors for a short period of time; Kathie Henderson & Jack Ellis.  They explained some methods on what to do to start a canvas & how to finish once I was done.  Very valuable inf... 02/09/2016

Yesterday was the first time I snowshoed in over 30 years!  And you know what I found out?  Snowshoeing in the Prairies where I grew up (near Edmonton, AB), is Far different than snowshoeing on the side of a mountain. (huff puff) I went with my friends Georgina & David. G had never shoed before, but David is an old hand. He even has his own S-shoes! We went up to the Nordic center at Apex which is not far from Penticton with trails where one can cross-country ski, snowshoe & hike. Luckily they rent snowshoes because my old rat tail gut & leather shoes are nothing like the new fangled ones they have now, with cleats & easy in & out bindings. I'm pretty sure I will be using my own snowshoes for decor only in the future, because there is no way I would have made it up the trail without the... 02/08/2016

2016 is Year of the Monkey according to the Chinese Calendar.                                      According to Wikipedia; 2016 has these traits: Fixed Element/Energy - Metal/Yang Hours ruled - 03:00 – 04:59 pm (15:00 – 16:59) Positive traits - Intelligent, dignified, optimistic, romantic, sociable, quick-witted, confident, agile, motivator, curious, gregarious Negative traits - Egotistical, vain, arrogant, selfish, deceptive, reckless, snobbish, stubborn, suspicious, manipulative, restless Health risks - Circulatory and heart troubles, prone to diabetes, arthritis, anxiety and panic issues, obsessive-compulsive disorder, antisocial personality disorder, bipolar disorder, narcissistic personality disorder  Tonight; my neighbours & I are going to a Chinese New Year Celebration at our loc... 02/06/2016

Winter Driving; Are Your 4 Points Working For You?Even though I now live in what is considered a desert, we still get snow occasionally in the winter.                                                              BC has passed a law that drivers must have winter tires, or all seasons that are 'winter' grade.Unfortunately some drivers think that; a) they don't need to buy them, or b) winter tires make them impervious to road conditions & they can still drive like they did in the summer.Neither of these ideas are safe if one is on the road for any length of time during the winter months.The Okanagan is hilly & the roads are windy. Switchbacks, curves & steep inclines are everywhere; even the highways. Good tires & some knowledge about them are essential.                                    ... 02/04/2016

Mrs Claus & Santa's Elf Twinkles Are Arriving in the Okanagan in time for Your Children's Party!   Mrs Claus has a way with children, & often, if they are afraid of Santa will still approach her, so she is perfect to help Santa hand out presents at your event.   She also has a fun interactive way to introduce Santa so he can make an entrance! You can book her to visit & help with gifts or she can arrive before & make balloon animals for the children & then prepare them for Santa's arrival!   Price Packages for Mrs Claus: $45/hr for visiting, Santa intro & presents or add $75/h to make balloons before hand.   Twinkles the Elf Can paint faces & make balloon animals as well as introduce Santa & help with presents!     Price Packages for for Twinkles the Elf: $75/h for balloons & facial art... 09/23/2014

     Critteraid Bow Wow BBQ & Silent Auction! Things to Do in Okanagan, BC!   Critteraid; our local animal shelter is having a Bow Wow BBQ, Thursday, September 25th, 2014 at the Barking Parrot (Penticton Lakeside Resort).   Tickets sell for $20. and includes a burger and a glass of wine OR beer.    ELVIS - Adam Fitzpatric is coming as the Entertainer!   Silent Auction has all sorts of unique items and a great selection of things for Christmas gifts, too! (Mystery Bags are FABULOUS.) DOOR PRIZES ! Going to be tons of fun.   Tickets on sale now at Critteraid Charity Thrift Shoppe in Summerland, Penticton Lakeside Resort FRONT DESK, or at Pet Pantry in Penticton. OR, Call Deb at 250.493.9752. They are raising money to try and complete their new stable as well as the expenses they've incurr... 08/21/2014

My Days of Wine & Roses... in Summerland, BC Having moved Fluff My House! Home Staging Inc. to Summerland, BC just over a year ago I have had the chance to see many of the local award winning wineries with various friends. We have an association called Bottle Neck Drive that many of the wineries are located on with it's own map that tourists can follow to go on tastings.    We also have companies, like Top Cat Tours, that take people on wine tasting tours; my fb friend David Brooks is a tour guide for them. A designated driver for your group so to speak... Being in such a beautiful growing region allows for a vast variety of grapes, fruits & produce to be available. Many of the Wineries grow their own grapes, some buy grapes from local farmers & some use fruit for their wines. We also h... 08/18/2014

Seriously! You Need Your Own TV Show... In the past year I, the Flufftastic Fairy from Fluff My House!Home Staging Inc have moved to another province, renoed a new place to live from studs, built a deck, landscaped a garden water feature & basically started from scratch in Summerland, BC. Throughout this period I have been documenting my progress on Face book. Sometimes the comments I would get would be the only contact I had with the outside world. So when I say that my fb friends got me through the year, I mean it. But often I would see the same comment: Why don't you have your own TV show? Maybe someday I will put in the effort to 'shop' a show around & I have a director interested in making a feature on my first year here; arriving to a gutted place & all of the things I had to deal... 05/07/2014

An Artsy Side of Vegas? Downtown Container Park; a New kind of Green!While Fluff My House! Home Staging was at the Real Estate Staging Association 2014 (#resacon) conference in Vegas last week, I took a stroll to see Freemont Street with Lynda B. Schmidt; a fellow Canadian Stager.                 Lynda has a powerful urge to take the roads less traveled & because of her I got to see some things in Las Vegas I normally would not have seen.Freemont Street is what you would expect, we missed the light show because it was daytime, but there were shops & bars & typical Vegas schlock.But walking further, into a neighbourhood that many would not venture, we found some wonderful examples of revitalization & imagination that I would love to bring to my new hometown of Summerland, BC. Murals, scu... 02/04/2014

Thinking Outside the Box(es): When What You Ordered Isn't...Since I moved to Summerland, BC, at the end of June I've been waving my Flufftastic Fairy wand all over my own place to make it awesome!Part of that involved choosing light fixtures for every room...Not an easy choice, because if you want: sconces, 1 pendant lights, 3 pendant lights & flush mounts that don't fight with each other, but don't come in the same family it can get frustrating & be overwhelming.Originally I had seen these sconces by BAZZ at RONA & thought they would look awesome! I was going to put 1 light sconces in my office & Master Bedroom, 3 light sconces in my ensuite & main bath, 1 pendant light above my kitchen sink & a 3 light pendant over the island a few feet away. Then I was going to find something spectac... 10/16/2013

Still Here... Still Pluggin' Along...I, (the Flufftastic Fairy, from Fluff My House! Home Staging Inc.) haven't been blogging much because I have been renovating my new place... in Summerland, BC. It's about halfway there... (probably more than that, but it seems I still have so much to do...) Anyway I have had requests to see the progress, so I thought I would post some pix... Remember it was gutted down to the studs & most of the walls moved or removed at one point, so I guess it has come a long way... :) The wall on the right was moved 3 feet into the 'office' nee original dining room. I haven't found counter tops yet, but the plumber was nice enough to set me up with a temporary kitchen sink so I could stop doing dishes in the ensuite sink. :) Tiling has begun on the walls & the flo... 10/09/2013