The AH HA moment you get when your house has had a major weight loss

I cant stress enough how important it is to live in a clean d-cluttered space. Time and time again I make over peoples homes for re sale and as we all know by now, a home will appeal to a larger number of potential buyers when it has been edited, cleaned and brought up to date. The feeling that overcomes you when your home has had a major weight loss is unbelievable!



What is staging for Sale?

Staging is simply the art of improving the chances of selling a property by making the most of the spaces and showing off its best features so it appeals to the majority of potential buyers. Most home buyers begin their search on the internet as an information source. The pictures they see there are the first and sometimes the only chance to make a good impression. Unappealing photos put homes at a serious competitive advantage and lead to the elimination of these properties from the buyers viewing lists. Visionary Spaces stage’s properties to potentially sell faster and maximize selling price in any market. I do my best to showcase your home so it stands out from the rest.

What is Staging to stay?

Staging to stay is pretty much the same except you add your personality and personal items to the mix. Basically it is a space that is always neat, clean and ready to welcome you home everyday and offers you a stress free place in which you can relax and enjoy with your family and friends.

How can an organized space help you?

Well for one thing it looks neat and clean. Organizing your space gives the opportunity to get rid of things you no longer need and find things you thought you lost. If you plan to move why not start d-cluttering depersonalizing and packing now. Not only will this make your house look more spacious and tidy you will have a greater advantage when showing your home. Potential buyers are buying the space, not your belongings. It is so important not to create any distractions or emotions from viewers. Besides once you sell, you’re mostly packed.

I just finished my latest staging job and like every other time I have before and after photos and when I show my clients those pictures I love the reaction they have. Almost everyone that goes through this process has a life changing moment. Its hard to explain until you go through it yourself but I want to tell you what my last client said.

As you will see from the photos this family lived in a pretty cluttered home and I was working together with the homeowner which I'll call T in this case and we talked quite a bit. My client "T" and family have moved here 12 years ago from Europe and shipped all their furniture and belongs with them. In Europe they lived in a 1500 sq ft flat living minimalistic and here they purchased a 2800 sq ft house with a basement and garage living cluttered. Every room, the entire basement and garage was full of stuff and it wasn't organized in any way. T told me that when she lived in Europe she dressed well every day, went to work feeling great and had much more energy. Here she had a closet full of nice clothes she wears jeans and t-shirt every day.

Letting go of stuff is hard for most people but once you get started and realize how good you begin to feel as you are letting go of all that extra weight in the house that's the part I love to witness. Its the AH HA moment. The moment of new beginnings and life style. T had a hard time at first but her AH HA moment was when I organized her walk in closet and by the end of the project she was so excited full of energy and ready to move and pledged an oath to herself that she will never let clutter and mess weigh her down any more.

Keep in mind no painting was done and no additional items were purchased for this project. These are a few of the rooms that were completed.

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Kale & Pinapple Salad

Kale has been in the food spot light for a while now and we have learned that it is good for us. High in iron, calcium and vitamins A,C and K,filled with powerful antioxidants, its a great anti-inflammatory and cardiovascular support. A great food for detoxifying your body and keeping your liver healthy.

The best part of kale is that its versatile when it comes to preparing it. it can be eaten raw, baked, fried, sauteed, steamed, and who know what else. I just made some for my lunch, I had some left over turkey breast and pineapple so I made this salad and threw it in a wrap with some of the turkey. it was so good.

4-5 leaves of Kale washed chopped and with ribs removed
1/4 of a pineapple, cubed
2 celery stalks, cubed
1/2 red pepper, cubed
1 tbsp of chopped red onion
3 tbsp EV olive oil
1-2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
sea salt and pepper to taste

Give a taste and adjust with more vinegar, oil and salt an pepper. AND please experiment with other fruits and vegetables. I usually use whats on hand and whats in season but I would also try mango's, apples, dried cranberries, raisins, figs, grapes, watermelon, pear, cucumber just for some ideas....

If you have any questions or comments please write back and let me know.

Painting Pumpkins

Painting pumpkins is the new rage this year, I've seen many great ideas and this is just my version.

Definitely a conversation piece. I just used left over wall paint and craft paint. Its just for fun and its temporary since the pumpkins are real and dont last forever so go crazy and have fun! paint, decoupage, gold leaf them, what ever makes your day :)

Fresh and Easy Green Apple Salad

2 green apple-cut into thick julienne sticks
3 stalks celery-sliced on angle
1/4 of large red onion-sliced
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Dressing:
juice of 1/2 lemon or 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp honey-optional
salt and pepper to taste
(I have to admit I dont measure I just drizzle ingredients over the salad and adjust to my taste)


Great additions:

mix and match any or use your imagination

pumpkin seeds,
sunflower seeds,
sliced almonds,
left over cooked and cubed chicken,

This is a "jarring" story that will Capture, Inspire, Stimulate and Tempt you!!!

This is a jarring story that will capture your mind and you will read it to the end. The contents alone will inspire you to start organizing your spaces. The photos will stimulate your brain into thinking of other things you can put into jars. Finally every time you see another glass jar you will thoughts will be tempted to think only of what other things you can put into them.

All kidding aside I used to make a lot of home made preserves, mostly tomato sauce, but as the years went by I cut down making so many things so I was left with about 15 cases of various sizes of glass preserving jars that I had to store. Being a Home Stager, organization is key so rather than find a neat way to store the jars I felt it was more useful to use the jars in smarter ways. I put my skills and thinking cap on and spread the jars throughout the house in brilliant ways. I used Mason and Bernardin brand. Jars are a very inexpensive way to contain and organize things. cases of 12 depending on size vary from $4-$10 so its a very cheap fix.

10 great ideas to get you started. Everything in its place, and a place for everything!

1. Basement
left over paint! Empty out all those paint cans with small amounts of paint into mason jar. Use masking tape to write the info like colour, sheen, and what you used it for, now at a glance you can see the colour. Great for touch ups or small projects!

2. Garage:
Nuts & bolts! When I cleaned out the garage my husband had millions of little boxes, old coffee cans, baby jars and bags with all kinds of nuts, bolts, screws and other things. It was very messy, inconsistent and unorganized. I used 4 cases of jars and with help of kids spent a couple of hours separating all different items into the jars. No labels needed here because at a glance you can see whats inside. I used 48 jars in total and on the shelf its neat, clean and now easy to find what you need. I used 1 quart size jars for this job.

3. Pantry:
Grains & Pastas! I hate seeing bags of foods with elastic bands so here is another great way to use my jars. Labels can be used but not needed because you can see whats inside. Not only does it keep things tidy and organized but easy to quick scan you cupboards for what you need. I used 1 quart jars and pint size jars.

4. Spice Cupboard:
Sugar and spice and all looks nice now! Here I used labels because its hard to now some spices from others, baking soda, baking powder, cream of tarter all look the same. I found some adhesive vinyl chalkboard paper that I cut into a shape I liked and now I can write what I want and change it when needed. Keeps me on track with what is needed to be filled at a glance. I love the look and I also love opening my cupboards even when I have guests. Here I used 1 quart and pint size jars.

5. Refrigerator:
Left overs! I was always looking for the right size plastic container to store my leftovers and then I thought about using my jars here too and vuola! it not only was brilliant it looked really cool in my fridge. bean salad, pasta salad, tuna salad,
soups, coleslaw, feta cheese- really the list is endless here. Use your imagination and go nuts (yup its great for nuts too)

6. Counter top:
I have the same thing for breakfast every day so for me this is great! I leave it on a tray on the counter. Rice krispies, Bran buds and chopped roasted almonds. Simple, neat and classic.

7. Beverage Container:
Bloody Mary's, Caesars, Ice tea, Iced coffee, Beer you name it. Great for party's or just for every day. Jars make great beverage holders and you can add nice ribbons with name tags, stickers or fobs to personalize them.

8. Office:
Staples, tacks, elastics and paperclips OH MY! Here again, a great way to keep things organized and at a glance in or on your desk it will look nice in glass jars and things will be at your fingertips so there is no frustration when your looking for that something you need.

9. Bathroom:
Here's where the small jars come in handy for Hair ties, bobby pins, q-tips, and other little knik knaks. you can ever leave the tops off and just place them in the drawer, it keeps things separated and easy to grab and put back in its rightful space. 8 oz and 4 oz sizes.

10: Tea Station:
I love to have an assortment of teas but I dont like all the different boxes so I used glass jars and if the bags are individually wrapped they will have the tea name on it.

Origionally jars were invented for preserving foods but as time went by they became much more, something very useful and helpful. Re useable, paint-able, washable, durable Use your imagination and go get your jars and fill them with something.


Well there you have 10 great ideas but there are really countless more. Like I say- If it fits, you must put it in a Jar!


Share this if you like it !!!!!!

Grow your own Fresh bean sprouts anytime of the year!

I was given a hydroponic sprout grower by my daughter Maria who bought it from Cathy's Crawly Composters. This sprouter is fast and simple to use. It came with a bag of mung beans and instructions. I followed instructions which are super easy. 3 tbsp of beans,add some water and OMG it is so fast. 24 hours and I had about 1 full cup of these baby sprouts sooo cool!

Now what to do with them...

Since all vitamins, enzymes, protein and most minerals originate form these little guys I though I would add it to other great and fresh ingredients and make a great summer salad.

Fresh bean sprout and quinoa salad

1 package 225g cooked and cooled President Choice brand Organic Quinoa (this is what I like but u can use any kind).
1 cup of fresh sprouted beans
1 small red onion, diced
1 small zucchini or cucumber, diced
1 small yellow or red tomato diced
1 carrot, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
3 tbsp diced chives
½ cup of green beans, blanched, cooled and chopped (I had some left over from day before so I used them)
1 yellow, orange or red pepper, diced
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
¼ cup of fresh basil, chopped
Juice of 2 lemons
1/4 - 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil
Season to taste with sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper


I know it seems like a lot of ingredients but you can omit some or add others to your taste. This recipe makes about 6-8 cups or more depending on how many ingredients you add and it’s great for a party and keeps for a few days in fridge.

Note: If using basil I would add it just before serving so it keeps its bright green colour.

More great additions are Legumes such as chick peas or lentils, fresh corn, fresh peas, chopped pecans, dried fruit such as cranberries, the list is endless.


For more info about spouts or to get your own hydroponic Sprout Grower and make these all year round visit http://www.cathyscomposters.com/ and tell her I sent you :)

Cater Your Own Summer Appetizer Party

I love to entertain but it can be a lot of work so what I do when I have more than 6 guests is just serve appetizers and drinks. I can make them ahead and then actually enjoy myself too. You can cut a lot of time by buying some of the parts pre made that way assembly and maybe some cooking is all that is needed. To make sure u have enough for everyone there should be at least 12-14 bites per person and I dont count fruit, dips or veggie platters in that, they are extra goodies.

I recently had a summer get together for 14 people for my sons 19th birthday and this is what I served.


All aboard!

On my biggest cutting board I arranged a mixture of cured meats, olives, nuts and a few cheeses. Looks rustic on the cutting board and you could also do whole cheeses with labels this way and guests could cut their own pieces right on the board.

I love stuff on sticks, it looks cool and fingers dont get dirty. This is my version of Caprese Salad on a stick.

Wooden skewers
small bocconcini cheese
cherry tomato's
day old French/Italian bread cut into cubes and tossed in extra virgin olive oil and sea salt.
fresh basil leaves

Drizzle oil:
olive oil
fresh,chopped Parsley
sea salt


Endive Flower Burst

I love this one and it is so easy and can have so many different variations to it. I bought ready made chicken salad form Costco but honestly you could make anything else that has some stickiness to it like guacamole, tuna salad even just cream cheese mixed with dried cranberries and pecans, really skies the limit use your imagination.

Buy 3-4 heads of endive because you can only use 4-8 leaves from each depending on how big they are.
Cut off the base and carefully remove 1 leaf at a time so as not to tear them.
wash and let dry then fill and arrange on tray.


Deconstructed Souvlaki:

I really cheated for this party, I usually make my food from scratch but I was pressed for time because I was devoting most of my time in making an ice cream birthday cake from scratch and it really was a life saver to shop at Costco for my ingredients for this party. Ready marinated pork/chicken souvlaki was what I used. Each skewer has about 5 pieces of meat and I took them all off and cooked them in oven and then using new skewers put 1 piece on each making them now appetizer bites. Easy peasy.


Pizza:

I bought 2 ready to bake pizzas (yes from Costco) They cook in 6-8 minutes then I cut them into small square bites when cool.


Edamame Dip

I love, Love, Love this dip and was so happy to find this (yes this too is from Costco) I was kind of growing tired of humus and then I discovered this tasty dip.


Sandwiches and Wraps

Pastrami and cheese on dark rye is always a crowd favorite, and who doesn't love wraps.

1 Veggie and 1 fruit tray which again can be made ahead of time and your done.

Just add wine, beer and water and you'll have a great party!

Fresh Italian burger - Chatelaine Recipes

Fresh Italian burger - Chatelaine Recipes 

Try an Italian twist to a burger :)

Prosciutto and arugula pizzette - Chatelaine Recipes

Prosciutto and arugula pizzette - Chatelaine Recipes 

You must try this, its so easy to make and is so tasty and impressive alongside a glass of wine.

Donato Artisan Farms Grand Opening

We constantly hear that we should be buying local and support our community and farmers. Why? Well its not just about that. Yes its great to give support and help our own community earn a living but its really a lot more than that. I remember when I was young my parents would often visit local farmers and buy a lot of various types of produce and meats when in season. By use of canning, freezing or curing methods was how things were stored for consumption throughout the year. Somewhere along that path all that was starting to become a thing of the past. Shopping from large big box stores which offered lower prices for mass produced meat and produce was becoming the new way. I dont know a lot about mass market meats and produce but from what I read its not pretty.

Is it just me or has anyone noticed our egg yolks have lost their colour, yolks used to be deep yellow orange colour. Chicken meat is pale and white and beef is not a natural deep red and tasty anymore probably due to mass production and growth hormones and who know what else. We add so many sauces and condiments to our meats because they really have no natural flavor of their own anymore.

Do your homework and find a local farmer or supplier you can trust and re-open your taste buds again and judge for yourself.

Yesterday was the grand opening of Donato Artisan Farms located at 7255 Hwy 9 in Schomberg, Ontario. www.donatoartisanfarm.com They sell wholesale to the public and offer old world knowledge and their Natural Dry Age Program successfully allows the beef to achieve rich flavours, a ruby red complexion and a silkiness type feel that slides across one's palette. Patrizio and Sil Donato, the owners hosted a lovely gathering offering tastings of their product. What can I say but mouth watering deliciousness.



Patrizio Donato has a wealth of knowledge,experience and passion for his business and supplies to many high end restaurants and executive Chefs that share the same passion.




Pat thanks his wife Sil for all the love, help and support she has given him to make this dream come true.



I purchased some strip loin steaks from Pat for today that I will be making for Fathers Day. I will just add a light rub of extra virgin olive oil, a sprinkling of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper and the BBQ grill.

This is what I am making for my husbands Fathers Day Special Dinner/Surf and Turf

4 Dry Age Sriploin Steaks.
Extra virgin olive oil, a light rub over steaks.
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste.

4 skewers of shell on shrimp (5 per skewer)
Extra virgin olive oil, a light rub over steaks.
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste.
BBQ until just pink then drizzle with butter

4 Corn on the cob, grilled
butter, salt and pepper to taste.

4 Baked potatoes
Light sour cream, chopped chives, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

mixed greens salad
olive oil, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper.








Me and Pat



Pat gives loving special thanks to his Wife Sil and Daughter Alessia



Pat gives Special Thanks to Maria Arangio--Creative Director, Creativo Advertising



Ribbon cutting with the Mayor of Schomberg Steve Pellegrini



Diana, Elia, Maria and myself in front of Pats truck



The succulent meats on the BBQ we got to taste :)


Pat and Alex




These little people are the reason why we need to eat better, need I say more?


Family and friends enjoying the day