Periwinkle confessions provides a frosty version of the mason jar tealight holder.

ReadyMade not only gives this lovely party light idea using mason jars but also a lot of other out of the box ideas on their use…

Budget Wise Home shows how lovely they can look as the main centerpiece for your holiday table.

The keeping room gives us a couple of ideas for keeping your fall decorating positively coastal…

Confessions of a plate addict shows how keeping things neutral really can bring elegance to your fall tablescape.

Sander And Sons shows that entertaining this time of the year doesn’t have to be ostentatious… Simple and neutral can be very elegant.

Image from Design Sponge

Stone Gable shows a glittery table in gold and bronze – a true feast for the eyes.  Be sure to visit their blog to see the rest of this beautiful tablescape.

photo by Stone Gable

Finally CasaSugar shows us that it doesn’t have to be about pumpkins, turkeys or pilgrims.  Sometimes light, white and pear shaped is perfect for the holiday table.

Remember – keeping it coastal for the holidays means simple and sophisticated.  If your home is for sale, be sure to keep the decor fresh and understated.  You will want buyers to remember your home and leave them feeling they want to spend their holidays – all of them – right where you are.

Pure Contemporary offers up a festive, but monochromatic look that is perfect for our beachy lowcountry vibe:

Good Housekeeping has a beautiful centerpiece, turning any pumpkin into a hurricane luminary.  Factory Direct offers some assistance in instructions.

Photo from Good Housekeeping

Studio 1025 offers a Thanksgiving Table with a little sparkle.  Simply paint or guild smaller pumpkins and ghourds for this sophisticated look.

Tip Junkie provided these woodsy natural candle based centerpiece ideas.  If you need something for a smaller space this is a great alternative.

And finally, while this Design Gab centerpiece won’t last long – it is a show stopper in its natural beauty.

by Design Gab

Remember, while your home is on the market, simple is best.  Don’t overdo the holiday decor.  Keep to simple, displays that are warm and sophisticated.

By CasaSugar, these babushka inspired creepy creation is sure to be an heirloom haunt

LeBaron Interiors offers up a great black and white palette for Halloween.  Down to this wonderful 15-minute DIY for making your own holiday napkins.

The Wicker House keeps things creepy but coastal white….

The Wicker House

the Wicker House white Halloween

I hope these easy holiday suggestions help make your house hauntingly coastal just in time!

Check out Alice’s cute Whale and Ship Pumpkin Carving on Quaint Living.
She tells us how and shows her pumpkin carving tools

Sea lovers always find a way to incorporate things beachy, no matter what season!
Here’s a peek of Caron’s (Beach House) lovely Coastal Fall Centerpiece,
complete with driftwood, pumpkins and more -click link to see it all!

Browse everything Driftwood.

Easy Decorative Craft Pumpkin with Rope – this is a great DIY project.  Full step-by-step photo tutorial will help you create these lovely coastal pumpkins.

I adore this! Decorating a Pumpkin in a wave pattern with upholstery tacks. No carving or painting. How to? Make a wave stencil out of kraft paper, attach it to the pumpkin with pins, trace the design around the entire pumpkin, then fill the lines with basic black upholstery tacks. Would look awesome on a white pumpkin too!

Photo: Jonny Valiant , Producer: Julia Rutland, Prop Stylist: Linda Hirst

Spiced Butternut Squash-and-Pear Soup Shooters

Cordial glasses give this festive fall soup a party appearance—especially when topped with toasted pumpkin seeds.

Recipe: Spiced Butternut Squash-and-Pear Soup Shooters

Photo: Jonny Valiant , Producer: Julia Rutland, Prop Stylist: Linda Hirst

Cheddar-and-Black Sesame Cheese Straws

Hot chili sauce adds a little punch to this holiday favorite and dark sesame seeds along with cheddar cheese create the festive orange and black.

Recipe: Cheddar-and-Black Sesame Cheese Straws

Photo: Jonny Valiant , Producer: Julia Rutland, Prop Stylist: Linda Hirst

Cocoa-Cinnamon Bat Cookies

Adults and kids alike will find these bat-shaped cookies frighteningly good. You can find Halloween bat cookie cutters ($4) available at annclark.com.

Recipe: Cocoa-Cinnamon Bat Cookies

Photo: Jonny Valiant , Producer: Julia Rutland, Prop Stylist: Linda Hirst

Pumpkin Mini Muffins

Freeze unfrosted muffins in an airtight container up to three months. Thaw, and then frost as desired.

Recipe: Pumpkin Mini Muffins

This is only a sampling of the delicious treats they have over at Coastal Living.  Be sure to check out their decorating and lifestyle sections as well.

Did you have fun at the RESA Convention?  I know you did!!  Those of you who didn’t make it to RESA this year need a reason to make it next year.  I thought to add a little encouragement, those of us who went might want to add some photos of “what happened in Vegas”. 

The quote, “We are all just 1/4 cup of crazy” is from Matthew Finlason in his keynote address.  I think it really is true…. if you aren’t quite sure… let’s just take a look at the photos that follow….

(I did not take any of these photos, but they are publicly posted)

They wanted to go to the ICE bar… everything is made of ICE.  Craig and I stayed back at the bar…. looks like we missed an interesting night.

Charlie’s Angels?

Team SAR

Texas girls gone wild?

A little morning joe?

Uh…. Ashley??

So…. what about you??           Post your 1/4 cup of crazy photos!!

Sure, we are still staging… here’s the funny thing though.  We always have marketed ourselves to the main stream client.  We don’t specialize or even advertise for luxury staging… but that’s what every contract seems to be these days.  This means that while we are piled high in sofas, coffee tables and dining room chairs that we don’t quite have what we need for the new luxury properties and we are still having to go buy more stuff!!

It’s really quite amusing to us as only 2 weeks ago the warehouse was completely empty!  We still have 6 more homes of furniture to pick up and another 5 more to stage – but only 1 of those we have the appropriate inventory for….

For First Impressions Home Staging & Interior ReDesign, having inventory is only part of the staging process… having the RIGHT inventory for the homes we stage is the biggest differeniator between us and the competition.  We aren’t going to try to work with whatever we have.  We are going to do what’s right for our client.  This week, that probably means investing in another $20K or so furniture.  That’s just how business works and another part of the secret of our success…  

I felt the need to go pick up my laptop to share this passage in the subchapter, “Combating Convential Wisdom wtih Contrarianism.” Here the author reminds us that as Creatives we must temper conventional wisdom with down right radical and contrarianistic thoughs….

“The following are a few tips for engaging in the practice of contrariansism and navigating the terrain of conventional wisdom. Needless to say, consider them with a dose of skepticism!

Don’t rever someone based on age. There is an inherent prejudice against young people – or people who are new to our industries – because we question how much they could possibly know given their relative lack of experience. However, novices have very legitimate advantages when it comes to detecting trends, adopting new technology, and attempting risky undertakings taht more experienced creatives would shy away from. When working wtih novices, you should pass judgement on their raw interests and skills rather than their age or number of years in the industry.

Reconsider your approach to mentoring. Your tendency may be to look to those above you for guidance, connections, and opportunities. Yet your greatest advisors, partners, collegues, and financiers are likely sitting around you rahter than standing in front of you at the podium. While society may suggest that you have the most to learn from those at the top, you must make an effort to look around and below you as well. View mentoring less as an acct of graciousness and more as a strategy to capture the benefits – through relationships or otherwise – that are likely to transpire for you as well.

Distinguish past accomplishments from present knowledge. We all have a tendency to “rest on our laurels,” but cutting-edge knowledge becomes antiquated very quickly. The brilliant expert from yesterday may have little insight that is relevent today. In fact, such experts may be too biased by their own past experiences and successes to see how times have changed. As such, you should question the correlation between one’s past accomplishments and present knowledge.

Aspire to better practices, not the best. Rather than default to the way things have already been done, recognize that anything can be done better. While it is certainly worthy to find and follow time-tested methods as we prusue projects, it is dangerous to passively accept advice. All conventional wisdom “best practices” should be taken wtih a grain of salt and built upon as we aspire to “better practices”

As I read this section of the book I could not help but think of the impact of this advice on my own industry. So much has changed and yet so little at the same time. Personally I’m one who is constantly evolving and loves looking for the new trends, new technology and key differentiators. I thought this advice was dead on and though some of you in AR land might enjoy it as well… For me, I think it sums up my company perfectly…. it feels good to know we are on the path of contrarianism!