Stagetecture’s 7th Home Anniversary Celebration!

In this 2015 and 2016, I’ve started branching out the Stagetecture brand off of just the main site and you all have shown me, great love! My two  creative projects – a DIY wreath site and a home decor and lifestyle shop to bring Stagetecture inspiration to your home.

My two creative projects were born out of the overwhelming responses from you.

1. Crafting Celebration in your Home

How to Make a Burlap Wreath

A crafting and home inspiration site for DIY wreaths are growing daily. From Instagram to Linky Parties and fellow Crafters I’m told how much they love the idea of a site that is dedicated to just wreaths.

Image via: Etsy – Sandplum Studio… – Multi-colored burlap ribbon wreath

Check out our wreath ideas on How to Make a Burlap Wreath and visit our Wreath Tshirt shop to wear your crafting love.

2. Celebration of your Home

Burlap and Succulents Shop

We’ve had the nicest comments over the last few weeks (we launched our Zazzle store on August 1, 2016) and we couldn’t be happier! If you haven’t visited our home decor shop on Zazzle.com we encourage to take a peek!

From home decor and college/apartment decor to office and school supplies and artwork, we think you’ll find something to make your home prettier. Visit our home decor shop often as each season we will introduce new products!

Thank you once again to all of my staff, readers, colleagues and friends around the world who have made Stagetecture 7 years young today!

-Ronique

Over the last 6 years it has grown with you and I. From decorating and home staging to DIY tips to weddings, travel and of course… recipes.

Stagetecture Celebrates 6 Years of Loving your Home!

From my first logo to present… Stagetecture has grown with you and your family

I have to say thank you to you, every reader, follower, supporter, and “closet-enthusiasts” who tell me in person they follow me Thank you to my writers, my staff, and all of the ‘elves’ behind the scenes. You all have made Stagetecture grow into a destination you love to call home. Thanks for your devoted attention, comments, enthusiasm and criticisms.

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I still answer every comment myself, I still engage with every one of you on my social channels. It is an honor to have your attention as I know there are many sites you visit daily, thanks for keeping Stagetecture at the top of your list.

Here’s to many more years of celebrating your home!

-Ronique

Can you believe it? 4 years ago on August 15, 2009 – Stagetecture began as an idea for helping homeowners stage their homes for sale and today it has grown to a home lifestyle destination that is trafficked worldwide by loyal and new Stagetecture readers. I thank you for helping Stagetecture become a wonderful “home” to help grow with all of you.

Image via: SLS Hotels

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Over the last 4 years here’s just a few milestones Stagetecture has accomplished:

• Over 1,000 guest bloggers who bring you varied expertise across all Stagetecture’s categories
• Over 2,700 posts dedicated to making your home a place you love to live in.
• Nearly 9,000 images that Stagetecture has grown to be known for – several thousand are on Stagetecture’s Pinterest boards
• Over 3,000 fans on Stagetecture’s Facebook page, Nearly 5,000 Twitter followers, Over 3,000 on Pinterest and countless number of comments from you over the years.

Image via: Confetti Daydreams

Milestones for me personally and for Stagetecture:

When you grow a blog/website it becomes like your child. Who has been raised from infancy into adolescence, teenager and then into adulthood. Over the last years I’ve definietly gone through the “Terrible Two’s” of website issues, loss of Facebook Fans from new algorhythms and other “small meltdown” issues I won’t bore you with! He he.. but Stagetecture survived and I can say is a better blog because of them. Some personal milestones for me have been:

• Launching my first Ebook – 111 Simple Tips for your Everyday Home and seeing it featured in Better Homes & Gardens
• Hosting my first radio show – Your Weekly Home at Stagetecture that is on iTunes
• Being invited to some of the most magnificent Blogger Events with home lifestyle brands
• Professionally writing for amazing blogs, publications, and home lifestyle brands

The best part of these last 4 years has been forming awesome communities and connecting with homeowners around the world that have a passion for gorgeous homes!

I look forward to many more!

-Ronique

Stagetecture’s accomplishments over the last 3 years:

• Hosted over 600 guest bloggers – many of which have been featured on eHow, Livestrong, and more!
• Featured nearly 1500 blog posts
• Featured over 100 DIY Saturday’s
• Launched the 111 Simple Tips for your Everyday Home ebook.
• Created a Stagetecture – You Tube Channel to watch DIY projects for easy directions to do at home.
• Grown a Stagetecture Facebook fan page with over 5,500 fans & growing
• Grown a Twitter following of over 3,300 fans & growing
• Taken you along to fabulous places! (SubZero/Wolf, Brizo’s NY Fashion Week, Sandra Lee Event & more!)

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To celebrate Stagetecture is hosting

a

3rd Anniversary Twitter & Facebook Party!

 

WHEN:

Wednesday, August 15th @ 12:00 noon – 1:00pm EST

HOW:

Join us on Twitter with the hashtag #3YrCelebrate

Join us on Facebook – Stagetecture fan page or Ronique Jones Gibson

WHY:

To celebrate the home! I will give great tips about your home, getting ready for back to school, summer and fall entertaining and more!

 

GIVEAWAYS:

I’m excited to have a great sponsor – Yolanda Esquer from Yoliesquer blog who has a wonderful gift to one lucky Stagetecture party winner! A hand crafted, hand stamped – customized cement block with the word “Dwell” stamped in it. Perfect for the home loving readers that Stagetecture has.

For a chance to win:

• ‘Like’ – the Touvlo Facebook Page and comment on what block you like best from her Etsy Shop!  She has a great variety – leave a comment on her Facebook page on which you like best and why.

• Follow Touvlo on Twitter
• Join us for the Twitter and Facebook party on August 15th at 12:00pm EST (Winner must be present to win!)

Image via

OTHER PRIZES:

We will also have:

• Amazon giftcards
• Free copies of 111 Simple Tips for your Everyday Home ebook
• … and a few surprises that you will have to join us to find out! (Here’s a hint… going back to school – we have some prizes that will help pay for some supplies!)

 

Join us:

Wednesday, August 15th @ 12:00 noon – 1:00pm EST!

Happy 3rd anniversary Stagetecture!

Can you believe it’s almost been the one year anniversary of the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Princess Kate? Spring is the perfect time for gorgeous outdoor weddings.

Image via: Wedding Chicks

From the beautiful weather that isn’t too hot or cold to creative decor that takes advantage of nature around you. Here’s a post from the archives.. if you are thinking of having an outdoor wedding in the upcoming months… steal some inspiration!

Image via: Lauren Serino.Pinterest

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Original Entry Guest Blog #67, Entry #509, April 29, 2011

Happy Wedding Day to Prince William & soon to be – Princess Kate! Unless you live under a rock, today is the wedding day for the Royal Couple. Today on Stagetecture, I thought I would get into the nostalgia of wedding grandeur and show inspiring outdoor wedding decor.

There is already a beauty behind wedding decorations, and when you move the celebrations outside amongst nature, the decorations can get more creative and more beautiful! Today, my Guest Blogger, Bridget Mora shows you how decorating for an outdoor wedding with hanging decor can make a wedding stunning!

Image courtesy of Pretty Chicky

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When you look at pictures of beautiful outdoor weddings, one thing that many have in common is decorations suspended from the trees. Colorful or lit-up decorative elements are a fantastic way to create a mood, define an outside space, and bring your wedding colors into nature. Get inspired with these festive ideas for hanging decorations for outdoor weddings.

Image courtesy of The Last Detail

Parasols are a fantastic design element for weddings. Paper parasols in bright hues are an easy and affordable way to quickly transform a space. Imagine how festive they will look hanging from the trees over the dinner tables at an outdoor reception. You can really create a mood by the colors which you select for the parasols. A combination of hot pink, yellow, and orange will feel summery and upbeat – just right for a wedding with a tropical or fiesta theme. Parasols in cool colors such as blue, green, and purple will give the space a calmer feeling, while classic white parasols will feel fresh and elegant. Consider getting a few extra parasols to use as props in photographs of the bridal party; a bevy beautiful bridesmaids in their pretty dresses and special bridesmaid jewelry will look absolutely charming framed by colorful parasols.

For the DIY bride, paper pom poms are an excellent outdoor wedding decoration. They can be used in a number of different ways. Hang long strings of smaller pom poms behind the ceremony altar to define the space. Larger poms in a variety of colors will look fantastic suspended from the trees around the reception site. Paper pom poms tend to look best when they are very colorful, so don’t be afraid to go bold with your color choices. Pink, yellow, and green would be a delightful palette for a spring afternoon wedding, aqua and cherry red pom poms will say “retro chic”, and blue and orange poms will look modern and fun.

Image courtesy of Emmaline Bride

It is a simple idea, but twinkling white lights are always gorgeous for outdoor weddings. Consider using larger globe lights for a unique take on this classic decorating idea. “Icicle” lights, which are made to hang off of rooftops can also be used to great advantage for a wedding. Let them drip from trees, hang over the edge of the bar, and flutter down from the edge of a square arbor. The best time to stock up on large quantities of white lights is right after Christmas. Just be sure to find strings of lights which are rated for outdoor use, and always be aware of the maximum number of strands which can be safely strung together.

For a preppy or nautical wedding in an outdoor space, colorful bunting or nautical flags make a terrific addition to the decor. Hang a row of bunting diagonally over the tent support lines to make them more attractive (and more visible so guests do not trip over them). Suspend bunting with messages over tables with sayings like “guest book” or “dessert”. A “Just Married” bunting would be charming over the head table. For a more decidedly nautical flavor, use classic nautical flags. They would be ideal for a wedding on the deck of a yacht club or other seaside location. You can have fun spelling out the names of the bride and groom, wedding, or another message with the flags. Just think how great they would look for a wedding with the bridesmaids in navy dresses and pearl bridal jewelry, an anchor motif wedding cake, and a piece of rope for the groom’s boutonierre.

Image courtesy of Flickr – Haciendas Tres Rios

Plenty of other things make great hanging decorations for outdoor weddings. Suspend elegant chandeliers from trees or tents, use colorful paper Chinese lanterns, or beautiful luminaries. The extra attention you give to hanging decorations will definitely make your outdoor wedding space look exquisite

Bridget Mora is a former bridal shop manager.She writes about weddings,fashion and jewelry for SilverlandJewelry.com . Silverland Jewelry has has an excellent selection of Swarovski crystal bridal jewelry for brides and custom jewelry in your wedding colors for unforgettable bridesmaid gifts.

For more outdoor living ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

So today to say that I’m am excited is a bit of an understatement.. I’m ECSTATIC!!! So many great things are going on today, I don’t even know where to start! So I will jump right in, and not leave you in suspense any longer!

1.) Stagetecture’s Blog – 400th Post:

You know when celebrities get their 10th Grammy or their  8th Oscar, and they say they are still thrilled just to be in the ‘game’? I think that’s how I feel! If you would of told me that Stagetecture would still be cranking out inspiring posts that readers still want to see I would of said, “NO WAY!” You still return day after day, from all over the world, and I thank you for helping me get here. Cheers to you!

I thank all the guest bloggers, and designers, and home owners that inspire me everyday…

So today’s 400th post is all about the wonderful goodness of life that is going on around me at Stagetecture and other aspects of my awe-inspired life!

2.) Freshome is a finalist in Apartment Therapy’s – The Homies-  ”Best Home Design Blog 2011′ competition!

We found out yesterday that we (Freshome) are 1 out of 9 home design blogs that are battling for the top spot this year on Apartment Therapy!

Please vote for FRESHOME here. You will need to register, and then you can click on the Freshome entry.

3.) My Houzz Debut: Ideabooks, Houzz Tours, and your questions answered!

I have recently joined the Houzz professional family!

Yesterday my first Houzz Tour was debuted on Houzz. I had the pleasure of interviewing Nic Darling from Postgreen homes – where they have combined eco-friendly and healthy homes for $100,000, it was a great experience.

Here it is:

What else do I do at Houzz?

Have you ever wanted to know what color is on the wall of your favorite home decor photo? I answer questions on Houzz Question area.

Do you need inspiration for your kid’s bedroom and want to see nautical themes? Look to Houzz ideabooks!

Enjoy reading about homes from the designer’s, architect’s or home owner’s vantage point. Look at Houzz Tours!

I love the site because there are more than 80,000 photos and inspiration ideas. You can see my Houzz profile here, and connect to home professionals, designers, and other home owners who want to share, be inspired, and inform. It’s a great place to be!

Also, look in the Stagetecture right side bar for a Houzz viewer to find images and over 80,000 ideas!

So I would say… this Friday is absolutely perfect

Exactly one year ago today, I started the Stagetecture blog as a place for me to talk about my passions: home staging, organizing, decor, family solutions, and everything that surrounds your home. 245 posts later, a brand new look, and new adventures under my belt, I’m happy to say this has been a life changing venture.  The people I’ve met, the world that I’ve now grown closer to, I appreciate all of my old and new readers.  You all inspire me every day!

Happy Birthday Stagetecture Blog!

-Ronique

With school starting this month, I found it only fitting to re-run my first blog post, about using organization to save you time… still my motto.  I will periodically run Stagetecture Archives to show where the blog evolutioned from one year prior. Enjoy!

Organization Can Save You Time

(Entry #1, August 15, 2009)

It’s 7:00am, and you need to be out of the house in 30 minutes to make it to work on time. Your kids are asking where their clean clothes are for school. Your spouse is asking where are the car keys, it’s your turn to take the minivan. You’re in the kitchen trying to make a hot breakfast, but the pantry has Tylenol, crayons, and pepper in the same place, and they all just fell into the oatmeal.

Solution: Organization!

Every aspect of your life could use some form of it. Whether it’s at home, office, gym, or your social calendar!

Kids:

Help them, help themselves. After laundry comes out of the dryer, have children put clothes away as soon as possible. For larger families, have separate areas for dirty and clean clothes. (Separate laundry baskets, labeled bins, or clean each child’s clothes separately to avoid confusion.)

Morning Rituals

If you are like most of us, that have hectic mornings, make rituals for you and your family. Can’t find the keys? Assign an area that you and your spouse go to when you come home, and when you leave out. The same with purses, wallets, gym bags, kid’s backpacks.  Assign areas that before the family retires at night, they know in the morning, it will be the place as the “go-to” spot, before heading out the door.

Kitchen organization

The Kitchen is the most used room of any house, repeatedly through the day, and the one place that organization gets overlooked. Keep medicine for the family in a cabinet away from extreme temperature changes (not the bathroom!) Choose a cabinet

that young children can’t reach, but convenient for adults.   Place crayons, pens, markers and other art supplies in a utility room, upper shelf of a cabinet or pantry. This way, the walls won’t accidentally have writing on them, without you knowing Timmy was in the markers!

Add a spice organizer, simple or elaborate, to your kitchen. If you can find the pepper in 3 seconds instead of 3 minutes, think of the time you’ll save in the entire morning.

For more home organization ideas on Stagetecture, click here.