New Year's Resolutions - Resolving to Keep Your House Clean? Impossible? NO!

If you’re like me you’ve spent the past three weeks taking down all the holiday decorations and also noticing all of the things that need to be done around the house. You go to take down garland and think, “I clearly haven’t dusted this bookshelf in a long time”. Or, you follow the trail of pine needles only to be reminded that the floor beneath the couch is suffering from serious neglect. This year, we’ve got a New Year’s resolution for you that is easy to follow and comes with a great incentive.

First the resolution. We officially declare 2014 the "Year of the Clean House"! Sound boring? It’s not! Because I love to decorate I decided to think of this resolution less as cleaning and more as maintaining a well-kept backdrop for my keepsakes and during the holiday season, my decorations. Now, this where the incentive comes in. For every month that you stick to your cleaning schedule, you get to reward yourself with something new for your home! If you’re anything like me keeping the clean house  resolution will be its own incentive!

Every time I think of cleaning I get SO tired and feel completely overwhelmed so I decided to make an itemized spreadsheet. I divided the house into separate areas each with their own individual sub-areas as the focus for deep cleaning one week of the month. Then, I divided up the different chores for each area so that one job is assigned to each day of the week.  Sound confusing? It's not and here is an example of how it works:

Area: Living Room

• Monday:  Floors
• Tuesday:  Dusting
• Wednesday: Windows
• Thursday: Tables/Lamps/Fans
• Friday: Sofa and Chairs

For a 1300 square foot house, that breaks down to about an hour’s worth of cleaning a day. It’s doable!  But don’t beat yourself up if there is a day that just doesn’t work with the schedule. It’s life and it happens.  Plus, there is always tomorrow!

Contributed by: Terrie Petree for Sterling Pear

Bidding Farewell to Ornaments We Love 'til Next Year

We can't believe the Holiday season is almost over! In just days, most of us will be packing up our ornaments and décor and saying goodbye until next year. And, if you ask Sterling Pear fan, Jerry Durante, our signature Keepsake Ornament Chest is a great place to keep those items safe for the next, say, 10 months.

Let's hear from Jerry directly...

 

First let me say we love Sterling Pear's chests for storing our holiday ornaments. We didn’t start our collection, my mother did, unknowingly, 27 years ago.

 

When my wife and I got married, my mother purchased a Lenox ornament. It kind of grew from there. Each year thereafter, she purchased a Lenox piece, which she still does today. Adding to that, when my wife and I see a Lenox piece we like, we buy it. Then our son bought us a Swarovski snowflake one year and now after 27 years of Lenox and 10 years of the Swarovski flakes, we have 80 large and small crystal snowflakes, each sentimental.

With our collection, one of the biggest challenges with putting up the tree was opening all the boxes of the ornaments. And, all those boxes took up a lot of room. Then, of course, taking down the tree and put them all back in the correct boxes was not fun. Plus, we wanted to ensure the ornaments were protected in storage. That is when I started looking for something better than what we had.

I found Sterling Pear's  keepsake ornament chests online. They not only keep the ornaments safe, they are easy to empty and fill. Now putting up and taking down the tree isn’t the chore it use to be.  The chests are great looking and very easy to store everything. We need two chests, which fit all of our ornaments perfectly, including the tree top angel.

 

These chests, I feel, are the best investment we could have made for our ornaments. After all we have over $4,000 invested in ornaments. Keeping our investment and our memories safe is priceless.

Thank you for making these!

Kathy and Jerry Durante


contributed by Lizzy Smith for Sterling Pear

 

Sterling Pear chats with Dr Christmas’ Bob Pranga, decorator of celebrity homes, movie sets & TV shows

The Holiday Season is in full swing and the décor is out! While most of us decorate our own trees and homes, that’s not true everywhere.  Think about it… Every time you watch a favorite holiday movie, like Christmas Story or Elf, someone decorated that set. Same with a holiday-inspired TV shows, commercials or advertisements. Those amazing trees in the lobby of an office building or department store? Someone decorated that, too. And in Los Angeles, that “someone” is oftentimes Dr. Christmas.

Dr. Christmas is a holiday decorating company and is owned and operated by Bob Pranga and Debi Staron (who, by the way, also own several of Sterling Pear’s signature KeepsakeStorage Chests). Their long list of clients include numerous celebrities, movies, museums and shops.

Sterling Pear recently chatted with Bob about Dr. Christmas:

SP:  Any fun stories about decorating a celebrity home or a movie set?

BP:  A few years ago I was decorating Jaclyn Smith's home and it was getting very late.  Jaclyn asked if I was hungry.  When I told her that her staff was probably already in bed, she reminded me that she was perfectly capable of making a sandwich.  I had forgotten that celebrities are normal people too!  Also, the biggest home I ever decorated was in Malibu, CA.  The owners requested a tree in every single room!

Bob Pranga and Heidi Klum

SP:  Do you have a favorite home or set you’ve decorated?

BP:  The Hollywood Museum. I love props that I recognize from movies I love like Miracle on 34th Street or Elf.  Or from the original movie starts like Bob Hope, Judy Garland and Bing Crosby.  At the Hollywood Museum I can decorate with those props or use them for inspiration.

SP:  This season, what particular design trends are you seeing?

BP:  Some of the trendiest colors this season are orange and citrus green. Usually Christmas colors follow the hot colors in fashion from the prior year.  Still, the traditional holiday colors are most popular - the reds, golds and greens.  Those colors are never out of style.  

SP:  How do you decorate your own home?

BP:  In general, people tend to gravitate to what they grew up with.  So for me, I love retro Christmas items from the 1960s era like Frosty and Rudolf motifs.

SP:  Where do you get your inspiration for decorating a private residence?

BP:  I try to blend the holiday decor with the home itself.  While there certainly is a fantasy element of the holidays, I believe it should look relaxed, yet festive.  For example, when decorating for the Hollywood Museum one year we had the Ruby Slippers and we decorated around that one piece, using it as our main source of inspiration.  I try to do to the same in a home.  

SP:  What do you think of Sterling Pear’s Keepsake Storage Chest? How do you personally use it?

BP:  Is's a great organizational tool.  After I set out the ornaments all I need to do is put a big, beautiful ribbon around the chest and it doubles as beautiful decor.  

SP:  Thank you, Bob! Happy Holidays.

Contributed by: Lizette Nielsen for Sterling Pear

Festive and Cheery Front Entry

A festive and cheery front entry is the perfect way to welcome holiday guests to your home each year. One of the most popular ways to do this is with a classic holiday wreath.  Wreaths are quick, simple and a classy way to decorate for any holiday AND in a short amount of time. 

Adjustable Wreath Hanger

This year, Sterling Pear is carrying some new and innovative wreath hangers to help you perk up your home’s entrance or interior with style and ease.  

Our new Adjustable Wreath Hangers fit on most standard doors and can extend from 16.5” to 25”.  

Magnetic Wreath Hanger

And our Magnetic Wreath Hangers are perfect for using on metal doors or doors with single-pane windows.  


Now until Wednesday, November 23^rd enjoy 10% OFF on all Adjustable and Magnetic Wreath Hangers.  For more information on our new wreath hanger line, or to see other creative holiday decoration solutions, visit us at www.sterlingpear.com.

** No coupon code necessary **

Mom's Best Bets - Classic Tree Skirt Give-Away

Our friends over at Mom's Best Bets are giving away one of our Classic Tree Skirts. Their site is a GREAT resource for any Mom needing child-friendly resources or gift ideas (they even fun travel tips on Hawaii, since that is where they are based).  Entering the give-away is easy so make sure you visit their site today!

Inspirational and interesting 4th of July ideas

The long 4th of July weekend is just around the corner and I just can’t wait!   The taste of BBQ, hearing the kids squealing with joy while running barefoot through the sprinklers, the beautiful nighttime display of fireworks . . . These are just a few of the things that I love about the 4th of July holiday.

Many web sites and blogs are now featuring a lot of really cute, new ideas for decorating and entertaining the 4th of July. One of my favorites blogs that I’ve recently come across is TipJunkie.  Apart from the wealth of knowledge found on this site,  you’ll also see above and beyond (but realistic) patriotic decorating ideas submitted from their followers.

As for entertaining, I’m always semi-confident on the food side (make sure to check out the YUMMY recipes at Delish), but always get stumped as to how to set up an easy bar.  This is where another recent new web find comes in handy.  The Kitchn features a great article on how to build a basic summer bar.  Now, no more worrying about if I have the right bar stuff on hand.

And what 4th of July celebration isn’t complete without some decedent desserts!  Hostess (with the mostess) has her 4th of July Dessert Roundup (take 1 & 2) up and I have decided that I’m making it a goal to try each and every dessert (hello red-velvet cake with raspberries and blueberries)!

Enjoy your 4th of July holiday and remember the freedoms we enjoy.  Also, we’d love to hear how you plan on celebrating the 4th.  Let us know your favorite decorating or menu ideas in the comments below.

Contributed by Heather Dietrich, Sterling Pear

Making a Memorable Memorial Day

For most of us Memorial Day marks the official start of summer. While the original purpose behind Memorial Day is to commemorate and honor those who lost their life in battle, more and more people are now taking advantage of the three-day weekend to recreate with friends and family. Hosting a Memorial Day party can incorporate both the traditions of the holiday and allow for plenty of relaxing as well.

Memorial Day Decorations
 
If you decide to host a party, don’t be afraid to go blatantly patriotic on your Memorial Day celebration. Put up American flags outside your home, and even go a little crazy and use a few of them as decorations indoors. On your tables, spread blue tablecloths with red runners. You can use the holiday’s red poppy as your centerpiece flower, or you can simply use American flags in vases. Your unused 4th of July tableware and utensils will really come in handy on Memorial Day, so don’t forget to bring them out.

And in a true Memorial Day tradition, if you have a flag in your yard or lawn, fly it at half-mast from morning until noon in honor of all the fallen soldiers.

Memorial Day Food

Memorial Day often brings with it the first really warm weather of the year, so take full advantage of the weather and barbeque outdoors (plus, clean-up is MUCH easier!).

There are lots of great foods that go along with good old-fashioned grilling; watermelon, potato salad, deviled eggs, home-made ice creams are a just a few of my favorites.    Keep in mind, guests will inevitably ask, "what can I bring?" Even if you tell them "nothing" they'll bring something anyway. Best to use this to your advantage -- ask them to bring something you'll use at the party. Guests feel useful and you can then check something off of your list and stay within your budget better. BYOB is, of course, a classic way to cut your party budget -- drinks ain't cheap. Plus, folks get to drink exactly what they want and you don't have to worry about providing an array of choices to suit everyone.

Memorial Day Activities

It's safe to say that many Memorial Day activities usually involve something to do with water; a pool, lake or the beach.  If you're hosting a party and don't have a pool, it's easy to buy a $7 kiddie pool and scatter beach chairs around.  Guests can then sit and sip their cool drink while dipping their toes in some cool water.  Plus, anything containing water is bound to entertain kids for hours.

If you want to take some time before your party begins to honor our fallen soldiers, visit a local cemetery or attend a church services in their memory. You can even volunteer to put American flags on the graves of the fallen soldiers to honor their memory.  These soldiers died nobly for the country, so it’s only right to put aside a little of our time to remember and visit them, even if we are not related to them.

Whatever your Memorial Day plans are, please take a minute to remember the people who have died to defend the freedoms we enjoy.  Have a great Memorial Day!   Another small tip:  make sure you save any left over decorations -- you'll be a step ahead for the 4th of July celebrations!

Contributed by Heather Dietrich, Sterling Pear

Easter Storage: Peace of Mind and 20% Off!

Spring has arrived and Easter has now come and gone.  You are now faced with taking down your Easter décor.  Do you usually throw your Easter pieces in a plastic box, left to knock against each other?  Or are you more of a newspaper and moving box type of person?  How will the decorations look when it’s time to unpack them again next year?  Are they a little worse for wear?  Think of your collectibles, you fragile items.  Do you have to work at storing them properly?

After evaluating what you have, could your Easter décor use a little more care in its storage?  Here at Sterling Pear, our Signature Storage Box is the ideal solution to protect your Ukrainian eggs or glass Easter chicks.   With three pullout trays, each storage box is quite large and can hold up to 52 individual items.  Dividers separate each item, keeping things organized and preventing delicate pieces from bumping against each other and breaking.  Additionally, the dividers are completely removable and adjustable, so the trays can be customized to make room for varying sizes of seasonal pieces. 

To further protect your smaller pieces, tissue paper or paper shred could be used to fill in gaps and prevent pieces from shifting.  Or better yet, raffia or Easter grass could be used to cushion items in the storage box and to give you an additional display for Easter.   You could very easily use the happy, pear-green box as a display case during the Easter season (green is always in at Easter… plus, you’ve cradled your beautiful pieces in that festive raffia!).

Sterling Pear wants you to enjoy the peace of mind knowing that your favorite Easter pieces will be safely stored all year long, which is why they are offering 20% your entire purchase this Spring.  Make sure to use coupon code EASTER2010 at checkout.

Contributed by Heather Martinez

Quick Fixes for the Late Winter Blahs

So, here it is -- late winter.  Easter is more than a month away and the early blooms have yet to start peeking their heads out.  It’s the late-winter blahs . . . You look around your house and it feels gray, drab and dreary.  This means it’s time for a quick room-brightening fix or two!  And there’s more you can do than just a pretty bouquet of flowers on the coffee table.

Take a look at your curtains or sheers.  When was the last time you laundered them?  For that matter, when was the last time you replaced them?  If you can’t remember, it’s probably time to either get them cleaned or replace them with something eye-catching and brand-new.  This easy little task will instantly brighten any room.  While you are out, pick up a few new throw pillows.  A fabric with a cheerful, contrasting color will easily update your living, family, or bedroom.

When was the last time you rearranged your decorative pieces?  This is another quick and easy fix to give a room new life.  If things look a bit crowded on the mantle, it’s time to edit.  Perhaps just a few bold pieces will do.  Next, check out the bookshelves.  Are they neat and tidy? Everything lined up properly?  How about using a beautiful piece of pottery or glasswork as a bookend? 

Remember, for true sophistication less is more.   No need for overcrowding of all the wonderful things you have collected the world over.  If shelves are crowded, go ahead and stash some of your treasures in a protective storage box.  Then, every few months you can rotate pieces, changing the look in a room just a bit.  Your things will have more meaning when you can truly showcase their beauty (and that won’t happen when looking at 15 things on a little shelf!).

Enjoy your easy, new changes while enjoying these last days of winter.  Spring is just around the corner!

Contributed by Heather Martinez

Easy and Memorable Valentine's Day Table

Still trying to come up with a plan for Valentine’s Day?  Are you past the need to head out for that romantic restaurant with all the other couples?  Well, why not set a pretty table for dinner in! Kids/no kids, paired up with friends/just the two of you, take-out/homemade -- it’ll make for a nice change from the typical Sunday night routine.

Start by repurposing holiday items.  Break out a red table runner or tablecloth from the recent holidays.  For a focal point, take a clear glass or crystal vase and fill it with conversation hearts.  Finish by adding your favorite white, pink or red flowers.  Remember, don’t fill the vase with water or your hearts will become mush! 

Next scatter candles across the center of the table.  You can also fill small ramekins or glass bowls with chocolate covered almonds, cashews, raisins, or blueberries.  Arrange these amid the candles. 

Finally, a quick and easy way to dress up place settings is to replace napkin holders with red or pink satin ribbon tied in a big, beautiful bow.  With just a few minutes’ work, you’re set for a memorable dinnertime in the comfort of your own home!

Oh, some quick dessert ideas:  make a pan of brownies and cut them out with a heart-shaped cookie cutter.  Serve with your favorite ice cream and garnish a side of strawberries or raspberries.  If your selection of cookie cutters is non-existent, make a quick heart-shaped stencil out of paper.  Place it over cupcakes (square-cut brownies, slices of Bundt cake, larger round cakes will all do the trick too) and shake confectioner’s sugar or cocoa onto the stencil.  Gently remove the stencil, and voila! A beautiful presentation for easy, everyday desserts!

Contributed by Heather Martinez

Helpful Holiday Organizing Tips

After Christmas the big task of organizing and putting away the holiday decorations comes about.  With a little thought and planning, the take-down can be simple and easy. Sterling Pear, a new brand in holiday décor and ornament storage boxes, recommends a few simple tips for ensuring your seasonal décor will be organized and protected from breakage until needed next year.
 
1. Protect your floor from falling pine needles and sap
Cut several large plastic garbage bags down the seam and open them up under the tree to catch falling pine needles and to protect carpet and floors.  When you’re done you can then simply lie the tree down, roll up and throw away the trash bags, leaving little mess in your home.   This also makes the put away process much more fluid and easy. Without an additional mess you can focus on placing your holiday ornaments in their ornament storage boxes when that time comes.

2. Gently remove delicate ornaments first
Ornament hooks can easily get stuck on tree branches.  Carefully remove fragile ornaments first to avoid disturbing others on the branch. By doing so you can keep ornaments safe for years to come and ready them for their ornament storage container.

3. Organize while putting things away
Organize ornaments in ornament boxes by color and size.  This will make decorating next year much easier, and will help you know how many of each type you have at quick glance when you re-open your ornament storage box next year.

4. Consider needs for next year
Make note of any ornaments that have broken or need replacement.  After the holidays take a good look at what you have in your ornament storage chest and assess what you have. The time after the holidays is the best time to go shopping for new ornaments, when stores sell their leftover holiday decorating products often at 50-75% off.  Additionally, collector’s edition ornaments sold on EBay often go down in price immediately after the holidays when demand is lower and the market gets flooded with unwanted gifts.

5. Wrap items in acid-free tissue
Wrap sensitive items snugly in acid-free tissue paper or unbleached non-dyed cotton fabric to keep colors from fading and yellowing over time. Fill extra spaces in your storage containers for ornaments with additional acid-free tissue to keep items from shifting. Expert archivists recommend changing the tissue in your ornament storage bins paper every five years.

6. Beware of plastic storage boxes
Though plastic ornament storage binscan often be an economical choice, it’s best not to keep ornaments in plastic air-tight ornament storage containers.  Any moisture trapped in the ornament storage box could cause mold to grow and black spots to appear over time.


7. Store things in the proper place and environment
While garages, attics and basements might be the places you’re used to placing your ornament boxes, they’re actually the worst places they can go.  These locations are prone to water leaks that could damage your stored items.  Even more important, fluctuations in heat and humidity can cause glass ornaments to crack.  Ornaments that you care about, as well as keepsakes of any kind, should always be stored in the main area of your home and in a top notch ornament storage container, where temperatures and humidity are kept at relatively stable levels.

8. Consider storage as home décor
When closet space is limited consider buying ornament storage boxes that complement your home décor such as the Keepsake Ornament Storage Chest by Sterling Pear.  These contemporary ornament storage boxes are so attractive they can be lined up on a nice-looking shelf and left out all year-round.  
9. Use desiccant packets for humidity control
Keep the packets that come in the trays of your ornament storage box and pack them away with the ornaments.  Desiccant packets keep the humidity level down – a dry climate and a solid ornament container is best for preserving anything you care about over time.

10. Dispose of your tree properly
If you have a backyard and a fireplace, set the tree outside in an out-of-the-way place.  You can then use the needles as mulch, the branches as kindling and the truck as firewood (after it’s dried out).  If you don’t have a backyard or fireplace, most localities participate in a Christmas tree recycling program, often picking up the trees curbside, and sometimes providing a drop-off site.  Check your local government website for more information.

These tips are provided by Sterling Pear, the premier holiday source for both sophisticated design and ease of use, which is encompassed in Sterling Pear’s slogan, “Holiday elegance made simple.” The entire line of Sterling Pear products is available for purchase by consumers at www.sterlingpear.com.

Protecting and Storing Heirloom Ornaments

As a professional organizer I am not a huge keeper of stuff. My kids won't be handed down boxes and boxes of things to go through. I take pictures of things instead of keeping them. Essentially my children will be left a photo journal of memories instead of making the hard choice of what to get rid of and what to keep. There is however one tradition I have started with my children and they will each get one special box when they leave the nest.

Every Christmas I buy each child a keepsake Christmas ornament. From birth on they get a special ornament for that year. I often try to pick an ornament that reflects them during that year, things they like or their personality. For instance this year my three year old daughter really came out of her shell and became a total drama queen. We found the perfect ornament of a deer playing dress up! When we unpack our ornaments each year we get to reflect on years past just from the memories these ornaments bring out.

 When my children leave the house it has been my dream to give them a special box filled with their ornaments and decorations that we have collected for them over the years. Finding an ornament storage box had been harder than I originally thought. I didn't want something plastic or something breakable. A lot of thought and money goes into picking out each ornament. Each year we spend anywhere from $10 - $15 dollars on each ornament. Sometimes more! More importantly though I wanted something heirloom quality. I wanted that special look and feel to the box that lets my kids know each year when we pull them out that it is something special. Something that will be all theirs one day.

When I came across Sterling Pear™ and their ornament storage boxes I knew I had found what I was looking for! The Signature Ornament Storage Box has the look, feel and quality I was after. I feel it is important to make a investment in proper storage up front so that your heirlooms are protected over the years. I look forward to pulling these boxes out every year and spending this special time with my kids during Christmas!

Tanna Clark is founder and "chief organizing officer" of Complete Organizing Solutions. As a professional organizer and mom of three Tanna is passionate about helping busy families find the organizing solutions they need to manage their homes efficiently.

Simple Ideas for Holiday Elegance

Holiday Ideas -- #1

The Time to Get Organized for the Holidays is Now…

The secret to a peaceful, non-stress holiday season is to plan, plan, plan. Why not spend an hour before Halloween to calendar out the coming holiday season? Pencil in dates for travel plans, guests who may come to town, parties or open houses you might be hosting this year, and any already scheduled events you might attend. 

Then, for the real planning, set dates to have specific tasks accomplished. For instance, November 10th have Thanksgiving Dinner organized, November 15th have Holiday Cards ordered or purchased, December 1st have your annual New Year’s Day open house planned, and December 10th have all gifts shipped.

After scheduling, take an hour the next day to start those lists. Who’s getting holiday cards or gifts and what those gifts might be. Your annual cocktail party plans (even down to the last hors d’oeuvre). Stocking up for overnight guests. And, what about the decorating?

Spend an hour over the weekend to take stock of what you have, and decide what you want to supplement your décor from seasons past. Maybe that tree skirt has seen better days. Perhaps your favorite glass balls were crushed while in storage. Maybe it’s your first holiday season on your own and you have almost nothing. Start thinking about what you need and what styles you’re looking for.

Weekly Sterling Pear will post a new holiday idea. We’ll include ideas for holiday decorating, traditions, planning, and organizing. And we won’t stop with Christmas -- we’ll keep it up all year long!

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