True Confessions

I may regret this, but there is no going back.

Today, I am over at Elizabeth's blog, Little Black Door. 

I am joining in on her series Fess Up Friday....

...and boy did I!

If you want to see me embarrass myself, come on over and hear my confession.

I hope I am not alone in this.

 

How Do You Pick a Real Estate Agent

Hello my friends. I want to turn the tables today. I am always going off and giving you unsolicited  advice on things you should and shouldn't do. I have given so much advice on blogging, networking, and anything else I think you would benefit from.... So today, I want to hear from you....

How do you pick a real estate agent when it comes to listing your own home?

Let's face it, we all know several people qualified and licensed to sell our homes....but is that enough?

via

As you can imagine, I have been receiving phone calls from people wanting to list my home. I'm a former salesperson, so I can appreciate a cold call. 

In blogging, I continue to reach out to individuals I have never met as well..... and as shocking as this may seem.... many of them have never heard of this blog. I get it.

Home Alone

For the sake of a level argument, let's assume the following;

1. The home will be listed by an agent and not sold privately.

2. The commission percentage is exactly the same for all agents. 

With a level playing field, what do you look for in an agent? Do you go with your friend? Do you like those emails you may get with the 'tips'? How about the postcards with recipes?

Seriously, is your husband involved in the process?

 

Pool, Pagoda, and Patio

Wow, I can't believe it's Monday already. How many of you are decluttering your homes? I was at it big time this weekend. I have a new system....I have a large box in my dining room and every time I walk by something that I no longer want, I place it in the box. I have filled 3 boxes so far.

There are so many wonderful charities that will come and pick up. I am going to rotate my donations between them..... and fight with my accountant on the value. 

I was daydreaming about sitting around a pool, because that is what I do in the winter.....doesn't everyone? And I saw this stunning pool house designed by Muse Architecture.

Muse Architecture and Design

I am so smitten with the metal roof and pagoda shaped cupola. I also love the Chippendale trellis.

This of course had me thinking about vintage iron patio sets.

1st Dibs

1st Dibs

Do you like painted iron furniture?

Did you watch Tina & Amy last night?

 

Coastal Tropical Chinoiserie Chic

There is one Blogger that makes me laugh more than anyone else. Fact. She is high maintenance, high style, and highly opinionated. And it works for her. I think Beth, from Chinoiserie Chic, and I are distantly related because we definitely laugh and fight like family. 

The truth is, she will always give me her honest opinion. As you will see in her guest post below, she held nothing back. Any woman that has the moxie to write this post about a National Company, will always have a seat by me. I once asked her to write a post about Nantucket Chinoiserie, and to this day....people still love that post.

Please see what my on again/off again/Sister-Friend has to say about Tropical Coastal Chinoiserie:

Linda and her family will be relocating from New Jersey to Florida sometime this summer. With her upcoming move, Linda has announced that her new look and style is going to be "Coastal Tropical."

Linda's current home is what I would call Nantucket style, but she is excited about her blog and her new home having a more tropical and Floridian vibe. Will her blog, formerly known as "My Crafty Home Life," now named "Calling It Home," soon become "Calling It My Crafty Coastal Tropical Home?" We will have to wait and see.

As we know, Linda loves Chinoiserie, so she has turned to me for guidance on infusing her new lifestyle with Coastal Tropical Chinoiserie.

First, I think a new wardrobe is in order. This Greg Norman collection is called "Coastal Tropic" - what could be more perfect? These mix and match pieces will allow Linda to look like a complete dork whether she is playing golf, blogging, running errands, hanging with her kids, or wielding a circular saw - with safety goggles on, of course. Perfect for that casual, coastal, nerdy look, right?

Doesn't Linda look great in one of her new outfits from the Greg Norman Coastal Tropic Collection?

Now on to decorating her home. Linda loves driftwood furniture, but never felt it was quite right in her Northeast Nantucket style home. Not so in Florida - she can go completely adrift! And if she ever gets sick of her decor, she is one bonfire on the beach away from a fresh start.

Here are some rooms with driftwood that Linda posted about that she loves. She said that the first one below stopped her in her tracks.

Well Linda, I have found more driftwood for every room of your new home -

And Linda's Florida home at the holidays could look like this -

Oh my my my. I have the feeling I need to stage an intervention immediately or Linda's new home might become Restoration Hardware at the Beach also known as Coastal Dumpster Chic. I think we might be seeing this driftwood decor in the next Restoration Hardware catalog. Call me Gary and we can chat.

Or the next One Room Challenge could become the semi-annual One Hundred Rooms With Driftwood Challenge. Linda, just say no to driftwood. That's why I'm here. Friends don't let friends decorate with driftwood.

Now we will look at the correct way to do Coastal Tropical interior design. Did Linda call someone opinionated? I envision less of the navy and white preppy of Nantucket and less of the bright colors of Palm Beach. Instead -

*Tropical print wallpaper and fabrics like banana leaf, especially Martinique and Brazilliance.
*Rattan and unpainted wicker furniture
*Faux and real bamboo
*Potted palms
*Palm fronds in blue and white Chinese porcelain vases
*Oversized blue and white Chinese ginger jars
*The good news is that you can keep your brown wood furniture
*Ebonized wood is also perfect
*The color palette is that of nature - lots of greens and browns and blues
*Think British Colonial

 I love this style myself and I can't wait to see what Linda does with her new home in Florida.

  

The Pink Pagoda created these graphic botanicals for Linda's One Room Challenge family room and they will be perfect!

Thanks so much Beth, can you email me a link to those clothes?

I wonder how she really feels?

 

Shopping in Palm Beach

I think we should all take a moment and complain about how unusually cold it is. I'll start, I am FFFFF-Freezing!! It was 7 degrees yesterday. Why is Mother Nature treating me like my parents do, and favoring someone else?

Back to my retail stalking while I was in Palm Beach. Since my brain barely functions during normal weather, I'll just post more pretty pictures for inspiration and ideas.

I hope you guys are over brass, because I am not and I really don't want any competition.

Did you know that this existed? Now I am on the hunt, big time!!

I'm not apologizing for the blurry photo. Get over it.

Welcome to my holiday decor for next year. This year, it's at Mecox Gardens.

I need an octagonal planter. I want this one.

I love this tropical display. It reminds me of the planter
that Albertina's husband brought home.

Digging the peppermints in the ginger jar.

I loved this store. It was on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach. 

I did not catch the name and since they were not nice to me, I have no guilt over it.

I am dying over this driftwood table. Every time I see driftwood, I think of Beth. She has told me in no uncertain terms that she will never warm up to driftwood. Of course that makes it my mission to convince her, otherwise. 

I definitely think that this would fit into a Chinoiserie Chic room. What do you think?

Could you ever have enough baskets?

This one is for my sponsor (aka husband) who makes this ridiculous lifestyle possible without question. A pineapple made out of golf clubs. Maybe you could donate yours, Honey?

And that, my friends, is the end of my visual tour. 

Now go ahead, complain about your weather....or anything else you want to get off your chest. 

Love ya!

 

Naples & Palm Beach

Well Hello! Happy 2014 to all of you.

This is my first post of the new year. We were traveling between Naples and Palm Beach over the Holidays and it was so hard to leave the 80 degree weather returning to the bitter cold and snow. I am also in the beginning withdrawal stages of a Candy Crush addiction. I thought it would be fun to play the game my kids were playing. WELL, let's just say that I know how to get free lives and where to find gaming tips. I am quitting cold turkey... until our next trip. 

I feel like I have so many things I want to tell you, but I don't want to drop it all on you in one post. I am going to try and keep lists of my blog posts to help keep me organized... that's the extent of my 'goal setting' for the new year. I'm actually seeking balance in my life for 2014. Does anyone know where I can buy some ;)

After two more days of driving around Naples and looking at Communities, Lifestyles, and homes....I am thrilled to report that we are all in agreement on the section of Naples we would like to live in. I am sure you will understand when I tell you that I will be keeping that private. Now we sit and wait for the right home to come on the market.

I also found some time to visit a few stores that I love. They did not disappoint with lovely inspiration in abundance.

The Ralph Lauren Store in Naples

I want to live in Mecox Gardens in Palm Beach.

Wayland Gregory Ceramics

I think I'll share more pictures with you in my next post. 
Did you see anything that appeals to you? I want all of it. Now!
I can't wait to go visit all of your blogs and see what you have been posting about.