Thanks for everyone who worked so hard at the Hartmann Center!! We all make such a great team when we pool together our talents and resources! We painted, hauled furniture to and from 3rd floor, we organized, we ironed, stretched fabric, organized craft supplies , sports equip, board games, installed stage curtains, recovered a platform with carpet, drilled into concrete walls at 10:30 at night to hang curtain rods, etc etc etc, we did it all plus some, and had fun in the process!! Diane commented on how everyone was in a good mood and happy to be there, giving of their time and resources - that says a lot about us! 

Special thanks to UNITS for donating a storage unit, Andy with Aaron's Rental and Amy with DMD Studios for donating great furniture pieces, and Around the Town Movers for getting it to the center on time! David and Al with Mini Jobs for hanging flatscreen TV and building stage, and Lara " the carpet lady" for great carpet donation to recover it, Sherwin Williams for paint donated and deeply discounted, Keith at PT Services for a clean and shiny floor, and Lauren for a delicious lunch on Friday! 

A BIG HUGE shout out to John Sanders (and Matthew and Javier) w/ Platinum Painting for a job well done!! Painting all looks great!! Dianne, the center director, is  blown away at the huge difference the paint colors have  made.

Charlotte Homestagers Give back to Cabarrus County Habitat for Humanity.  As part of StagedHomes.com initiative to give back to the communities our home stagers work in, The Charlotte Chapter of International Accredited Home Staging Professionals (IAHSP®)took on the corporate office of Cabarrus County Habitat for Humanity this year as their pet project during Worldwide Staging Service Week.

Every year the chapter participates in the annual Worldwide Staging Service Week (WWSSW) which allows the Charlotte IAHSP®® chapter to give back to worthy charities, groups, or individuals through the IAHSP®® Foundation. The IAHSP®® Foundation schedules this annual event to give back joy, time, dollars and resources to help others in need. It is an honor to serve others through WWSSW® service week and the IAHSP®® Foundation throughout the year as well.

It was a rainy Wednesday, but the members of Charlotte IAHSP® showed up and took over the Habitat office with the goal of making the space more inviting while showcasing what Habitat is all about.  The only rule we had to follow was to use items out of the local Habitat ReStore for our staging project. It was a collective effort from over 20 members in our chapter and we were definitely up to the challenge.  After several hours of "shopping" at the ReStore, the members assembled at the Habitat Office and allowed our inner design divas come out.  

Since this was a design project we were able to personalize the space and showcase some of the many projects Habitat has been involved in over the years.  This goal was to make the office space warm, inviting and show the potential opportunities available to clients that come to Habitat for their services. 

Home Stagers from all over the city and suburbs transformed the home of a deserving elementary teacher from Algonquin, named Michelle.  Michelle's 30 years of dedication and her continued support to all of her past and present students gave us great pleasure in recognizing her as one special and deserving woman.  She gives so much of herself to her students that her own home was overlooked.

Our team of ASPs®, Accredited Staging Professionals®, gave Michelle's townhome a makeover in every room.  From painting and adding walls, to hanging window treatments and re-arranging furniture, we did it all.  There were generous donations including a new bed and sofa.  The result was an amazing transformation in which Michelle can relax and enjoy for years to come.

The Columbus Ohio IAHSP Staging Chapter voted to makeover the activity room of Isabelle Ridgway Care Center.  We challenged each of our members to raise or contribute a minimum of $50 and rewarded the highest contributor with a $25 gas card.  We came close to reaching our goal of $2500.  With those monies we were able to repaint the entire space, get new artwork and storage accessories, and replace the outdated homemade island in the kitchenette area with new laminate countertops and a stainless steel island. 

Several of our affiliate members donated furniture, moving services and lots of man hours to help install 9 feet of new cabinets, countertops and faucets.

The residents and staff absolutely raved about the project.  I wish I would have gotten their response on video.  They were jumping around and cheering.

Nashville Chapter of IAHSP® volunteer project: A Home In His Name in conjunction with Gladeville Baptist Church Home Building Ministry

Our chapter teamed up with the Home Building Ministry of Gladeville Baptist Church, who replaced the recipient's existing home with a new home. The recipients are two adult sisters and their mother and aunt. The mother passed away before the project was completed. The home was in such a state that the local utility company was forced to remove the electrical service from the home. This ministry stepped in and took down the existing home and began constructing a new home. The ladies were housed in temporary housing and given on going training in life skills.

Our staging group stepped in to collect furnishings and accessories to stage the home for living. The final reveal was nothing short of what you see on TV shows, but without the cameras and fanfare.  These ladies were truly appreciative for everything that was done to show them love.

The NorCal Chapter worked with The Esplanade House for the 2011 WWSSW, our very first entry!

The Esplanade House is a transitional housing program that helps keep homeless families not just off the streets, but to come together, stay together, and build a solid foundation together.  Many clients coming in only have the pack on their backs, some are fighting to stay sober, some are dealing with CPS to get their children back; every story is different.  You have to want help in order to get it here, and luckily, many do.  The Esplanade House begins to help by providing housing, therapy, parenting classes, full time daycare for the children and so much more.  They provide a new beginning.

Change such as this has many facets to it, so this facility is a constantly busy place.  Every square inch of their space is used and has a purpose.  The room we chose to stage is a large room, used as a family room, group therapy room, for staff meetings, holiday events, potlucks and more; its an everything room.

The furniture was in a random placement, the back corner was being used as storage with high stacks of chairs, the other corner was storing exercise equipment, each wall had something to look at; it was chaotic.  For staging purposes, it was difficult to determine what this room was specifically for.

After meeting with The Esplanade House Director, Gloria Rodriguez, we collaborated on what the real priorities were.  This room is mainly used for therapy sessions & parenting classes, and, staff meetings & events/potlucks.  It is also a welcoming room for families to visit and interview for the program, so having a kids are was also requested.

First things first; the room was emptied, the carpeting was professionally cleaned, and the walls received a fresh coat of paint.  That alone made a huge difference!  We decided to have a main focal point, rather than have each wall calling for attention.  Since this room is used for education, we were able to place a large dry erase board above a credenza, which served as the teachers storage area, and the projector that was required to be in there was able to hang above the board.  When needed, it can easily be pulled over the board.

The furniture needed to be more intimate than what it had been.  We formed a "U" shape with the sofas and chairs, which allows for easier communication.

In order to address the staff meetings and events, we needed more seating.  We were able to place tables behind each sofa (think console table) and add 3-4 chairs at each one.  BINGO!

With all the extra stuff gone and in storage where is should be, we had this big, blank wall to do something with.  We were inspired by something we noticed on a bulletin board; a tree with inspirational quotes on the leaves.  So we found someone to come in and paint a big beautiful tree on the wall and stamp words of hope on some of the leaves.  With this tree, we created a theme of "healing" for the entire space.

There was also room for a large bookcase to create a kids corner.  Using what we acquired in donations, we made a great place for kids to come play.  Thinking ahead, we kept only "quiet toys" there, such as books, stuffed animals, along with paper and colored pencils.

After I sent some pictures for their website, Lexi Grier, The Esplanade House Assistant Administrator, sent this:  "The pictures are fabulous! Seeing the before pictures almost makes me cry because it's so beautiful now. We can't thank you and the ladies enough, I personally love going in there just to take some deep breaths."

Raleigh IAHSP® Regional Chapter accomplished two service projects for WWSSW 2011. The first one was Staging a house in support of a local animal shelter. The second one we helped Stage the warehouse space for a local business in support of Project Greenchair.

The Kerner-Scott House is a four-story, 40-unit building that is home to a mixed population of homeless individuals. It offers a safe haven for those with mental illness as well as home to individuals in substance abuse recovery.

Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC), the developer, won the first-place award for Supportive Housing in the 2005 MetLife Foundation Awards for Excellence in Affordable Housing. The Center has been offering innovative, effective and meaningful solutions to homelessness since 1979.

Through housing and intensive services, Downtown Emergency Service Center addresses the spectrum of needs faced by homeless individuals, whether mental illness, substance abuse, physical disabilities or other significant challenges.

The continuum of care offered at Kerner-Scott affords residents the comfort and safety they need to move from homelessness to independent living.

This year's project was a very rewarding one for our fabulous Southeast Wisconsin IAHSP®® Regional Chapter. We transformed the Great Room and Kitchen of the Women's Center in Waukesha, WI. Even though we are one of the smaller chapters ( 8 active members), we came through 100% for those ladies and their children - and they knew it!

Our project actually started out in August at the "Rummage on the Green" in a nearby city. We all brought our gently used, but could part with items from our homes and staging inventories, and sold, sold, sold! We even put a generous raffle basket together that helped boost sales! We really had a fun day together - with our new matching chapter t-shirts! Even though we got rained out in the afternoon, were still able to fund most of our project with the day's sales!   We'll be back next year!

The spaces at the Women's Center we worked on, were outdated with colors and furniture and as well as being dingy and screamed "You are NOT special", when we walked in for the first visit. There was a sadness about the rooms that was echoed by those who used the space. These are women and their children who needed a place to start fresh, and yet their surroundings were not fresh at all. The cooperation level of the staff of the Women's Center was phenomenal, and with their help, we were able to give the families the surroundings they deserved while they regrouped and restarted their lives - now in a whole new light! (Literally)

We were able to get some of the furniture that needed to be replaced - donated by a local furniture company. We then divided up the shopping tasks and other jobs to make the magic happen! On the day of the Project, we all came together as one, and cleaned the room, painted the walls a fresh new yellow, as well as giving the hallway and kitchen another coat of a soothing green paint, supplied by the Center. We hung two new blinds in the kitchen, ten new shades in the Great Room, and hung cheerful curtains on each of the twelve windows. The fabric was donated by one members'connections, and they were beautifully sewn by another member of our chapter. A new play/mat floor was added to the kids play area and a couple of the children came up and asked to help us when we were putting the pieces together....they were anxious to be a part of it too! One little girl asked if she could paint, and 3 others listened to a favorite show as they watched us intently, create a new living space for them. There was an unfinished mural of women on one wall that was also framed in (with paint) by one of our members and touched up to look clean and fresh.....with the words " It's not what you've been, but what you become that defines you..." added above the mural. Everyone agreed that the words of strength would definitely be an inspiration to those women and children who were at the shelter for many years to come.

There was also a stainless steel backsplash added to the stove area and 2 other powerful sayings "YOU are a great reason to celebrate!" and "Positive attitude = Positive results" were added above the food preparation area to inspire the women and their families! The lovely Indian woman who was in charge of cooking for the group that evening was so gracious and complimentary of the changes that were taking place before her. You can imagine how good it smelled as we finished up our day!! The staff and the other residents were also very excited about their new space. Many of them were extremely touched by our efforts, and the words "this is beautiful" and "thank you" flowed freely all around!

The freshly-painted red door and sage green iron handrails outside The Campagna Center hint at a similar transformation inside the historic building on S. Washington Street. 

Members of the D.C. chapter of the International Association of Home Staging Professionals have been working this week to update and stage the common areas of the center. Their effort is part of World Wide Staging Services Week. 

The volunteer work culminated in a flurry of activity Thursday as 15 home stagers gathered at the center to assemble and move furniture, hang blinds, repair artwork, paint and otherwise help give the building a facelift. 

The Campagna Center offers educational programs and activities-including Alexandria Head Start and the Campagna Early Learning Center-that serve 1,700 children and their families in the city. 

The group contributed $2,000 to the project and its members raised another $1,000. They partnered with more than 20 other area businesses who contributed more than $5,000 in services and such goods as armchairs, lamps, chandeliers and rugs. 

The center's lobby, entryway, board room and dining room all got makeovers. 

Among the changes was the removal of a water cooler in the reception area and the construction of an elegant built-in bookcase in its place that will be filled with children's toys and books. The stagers plan to create a children's sitting area next to it with the addition of a small table and child-size chairs. 

The center's board room was also transformed with the addition of four bronze chandeliers, new faux wood window blinds, a large rug, six chairs, three end tables and several table lamps. Alexandria Lighting donated the lighting fixtures, while Brooke Furniture Rental gave the center the furniture.

"Resources to address building related needs have always been tough to come by in nonprofits," said Tammy Mann, the president and CEO of The Campagna Center in an email. "The Campagna Center appreciates the generosity of donors who contributed to the International Association of Home Staging Professionals to help make our space more attractive. We are especially pleased that the work done in our main reception area will invite children to explore books and other toys when parents visit the center to register for our programs."