The end of my week is filled with Estate Sale action and I couldn’t be happier!  I am helping my friends with a fun sale in Saratoga onThursday, and I will be holding a different sale in Menlo Park on Friday and Saturday.  Today I am sharing my favorite items from the Menlo Park Estate project, it is packed with great antique furniture and small collectibles so be sure to stop by!

Friday June 21st 9am-2pm

Saturday June 22nd 9am-2pm

923 Fremont Street, Menlo Park 94025

There is a cuckoo clock, a kitchen table, kitchen items and small appliances, a roll-top desk, TV stands, chairs, coffee tables, lamps, artwork, a sofa and loveseat, 2 china cabinets, several nice desks, an NYK Gladiator game, a Lowrey organ, a brass bed with queen mattress set, clothing, shoes, handbags, chairs, gorgeous antique dressers and nightstands, lenox, baccarat, swarovski figurines, a small bird and cat collection, rugs, garage shelving, bookcases, books, small tools, a tool storage cabinet, christmas decorations, ethan allen hutch, dining table with 6 chairs, antique drink cart, glassware and china, vintage patio set, garden items, and much much more!

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I am working on 2 fabulous estate sales this week!  The first sale is at a large home in Saratoga this Thursday and Friday (tomorrow I will be sharing details for the second sale).  It is actually my friend George’s sale, he asked me to help him with it because there is SO much to sell.  I will be there all day Thursday selling some great items so make sure to stop by and say hello!

Thursday June 20th 9am-2pm

Friday June 21st 9am-2pm

14700 Sobey Road in Saratoga 95070

I stopped by last week to check out what will be available and I couldn’t believe all of the goodies!  I decided to take pics of some of my favorite items to give all of you a preview, enjoy!

There are hundreds of pairs of shoes (sizes 7.5-9), clothing, linens, 2 great sofas, a dining table, 3 large storage hutches, small tables, chairs, great quality furniture from The Porch Store in Los Gatos, tons of blue and white dishes and serving pieces, 3 full sets of dishes, silverplate, a large bunny collection, glass and brass shelves, garage items, rustic items, patio furniture, beautiful watercolors, artwork, and mirrors, kitchen items, and much much more!

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It’s hard to believe that just last Friday I was in Paris!  After the great Evan Evans trip to Stonehenge, Bath, and Windsor Castle, I decided to sign up for their day trip to Paris.  I knew a day in such a beautiful city wouldn’t be enough but I thought it was worth it since I’d never been and who knows when I’ll make it to Europe again!

I met up with a guide at the Eurostar station in London to pick up my tickets and meet the rest of the group.  There were 9 of us total which was nice, it was fun to get to know everyone and I felt like I couldn’t get lost in a small group.   The train traveled over 180 miles per hour, getting us to Paris in just over 2 hours.  Once we arrived we met our official tour guide and hopped on a tour bus for a quick ride through the city.  It was like speed dating with the city of Paris, a new landmark appeared at each corner.  I couldn’t believe how HUGE all of the buildings and monuments were, especially considering most of them were built by Napoleon, a total shorty. The architecture was absolutely gorgeous and my view from the top of the tour bus gave me a great advantage for photos.

The size of the Arc de Triomphe cannot be explained in a picture, it is giant!

After the quick tour of the city went on an hour cruise on the River Seine.  It was neat to see some of the great landmarks like Notre Dame, The Louvre, and the Eiffel Tour from the river perspective (we were able to into all of these hot spots later on the tour).

My only complaint about the day was that it was SO HOT!  It was probably 95 degrees and I thought I was going to melt!

Notre Dame…

The Louvre…

After the boat cruise we enjoyed the area around the Eiffel Tower.  I had no idea how large it would really be!  We were supposed to go up to the second floor of the tower but the wait was over 2 hours so we ended up going to The Louvre instead, I was okay with that (especially because the museum had air conditioning).

We stopped for lunch at a little cafe, I had the best sandwich.  I wish we had more time to enjoy the cafes and shops but we had a lot of see and we had to stick to the schedule!  Next time I’ll bring Chris along, he has been to Paris before and speaks a little French.  He really wanted to go along with me on this tour but he had to work.

After lunch we hopped back on the tour bus and headed to The Louvre to see a little lady named Mona Lisa.  The museum was so packed, people were walking shoulder to shoulder and for the first time in Europe I felt like I really needed to keep my handbag and my camera bag strapped to my body.  Here is a look at this gorgeous museum…

After the museum we went to Notre Dame and were able to go inside and take a look.  I love churches and this one was over the top amazing!

After the church we hopped back on the tour bus and went to a shopping district and had about 90 minutes of free time.  Can you believe how beautiful this shopping mall is?  Only in Paris!

Our tour guide told us to go to the roof top of the shopping center to see the view of the city and it was absolutely gorgeous.  The Opera is the large building on the left and you can see the Eiffel Tower in the distance on the right.  I spent most of my free time on the roof top taking pictures and then quickly hit the shops to look for treasures.

It was one of the quickest days of my life.  We arrived in Paris at 10am and headed back to London at 7:30pm.  I really enjoyed myself but I was glad to get back to London.  The sites of Paris were amazing but the people did not compare to the Brits!  I hope you enjoyed my pictures, there are plenty more on Instagram so check them out!

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Thanks for stopping by to check out my London highlights on Monday.  It really was a great trip!  I really wanted to see as much as possible while I was in England and because I was pretty much on my own during the week while my husband was attending a privacy summit for Google.  I decided to take a day tour with a company called Evan Evans.  I’ve always wanted to see Stonehenge and when I found out it was only two hours away I had to make the trip.  The tour that I signed up for actually visited three great places in one day, Stonehenge, the town to Bath where the historic Roman Baths are located and where Jane Austen grew up, and Windsor Castle, the Queen’s weekend retreat.

Today I’ll start with my photos from Stonehenge.  We drove through the English countryside to get to the historic site which was nice.  I had the front seat on the bus next to the tour guide (the perks of traveling alone) so I could see everything out of the big bus window.  The tour guide was great at pointing out historic homes and landmarks on the way.  I thought Stonehenge would be in a secluded area so I was surprised to see it was right near a busy road.  An older lady on the tour said “why would they build Stonehenge so close to the road?”, a question that I thought to be hysterical considering Stonehenge was built 3000B.C., way before roads were built.

Not until the 1970s did the country protect Stonehenge and make it a park with a little fence around the rocks.  Before then people were allowed to sit on the rocks and my tour guide said that he remembers going to Stonehenge for picnics as a little boy.  There are no hard facts surrounding why it was built but it sure was neat.  Here are some of my favorite pics…

Windsor Castle is just outside of London by the airport.  It is the Queen’s residence on the weekends and most of the summer.  The property was huge and I was only able to see a small section in the 2 hours we had to tour it.  We were able to go inside the State Apartments, where royalty and guests stay when they visit.  Unfortunately I wasn’t able to take pictures for all of you but I will say that it was grand.  The dining room was enormous and the table was pulled out to seat at least 100 people.  All of the carpets and artwork had great detail. It looks more like a Castle than the Buckingham Palace, the Queen’s London diggs.  I loved the architecture of the towers and the churches on the grounds. Here is a little collage to give you a taste of what it is like.  If you have extra time in London I would highly recommend checking it out, you could take a tour like I did or hop on the train on your own.

I stopped into a special exhibition with Queen Mary’s doll house and doll collection.  The doll house spared no detail, it was giant, probably 5 feet tall and 5 feet wide.

The doll collection and doll clothes were really neat, they looked like real children’s clothes.  I wasn’t supposed to take pictures in this exhibition but didn’t realize that until I saw a no camera sign at the end.  Whoops!

My favorite part about Windsor Castle was the changing of the guard ceremony.  We were able to get much closer to the guards than at the ceremony at Buckingham Palace.  At the end I was able to sneak a picture with one of the guards, so fun!

The last spot on the tour that I will tell you about it Bath, a little English town about 2 hours from London (about 45 minutes from Stonehenge).  It is historical because of the ancient Roman Baths that were created with the Romans settled England.  Our guide told us that British royalty used to gather at the baths to relax and gamble.  We were able to go inside of the baths on our tour and take a peek…

The water looks as historic as the bath house right?  The tour guide said that they have a hard time with people trying to drink the water and I laughed, you would have to pay me to drink it! It is collected in this area and then filtered into the spa area.  It was neat to see but I think I’ll stick to the mineral pool at Indian Springs, ha!

The town of Bath was also home to Jane Austen at one time.  We drove by her family home and I would have liked to go to the Jane Austen Centre if I had more time.

After the tour of the baths we had an hour of free time to grab a bite to eat or shop.  Most of the people on the tour sat down for a nice lunch but I decided to walk around and see as much as I could. The town is filled with neat shops and restaurants, it would be a fun weekend getaway for a Londoner.  Here is a look at what I saw in my hour of free time…

This is the most iconic view of the city of Bath.  The river and the bridge are really popular on postcards and books about the area.  I’m glad I was able experience this historic town.

I hope you liked my day trip as much as I did.  I really felt like I got my bang for my buck with this one.  We moved at a fast pace and were able to see all three places and be back to London by 7pm.  I liked the trip so much I set up another tour with Evan Evans to Paris.  I’ll share those pictures tomorrow!

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My sister Ashlie and I are hosting a fun summer series called Hot or Not?!  Each week we are each reviewing 2 products letting you know if they are HOT (worth trying) or NOT (not worth trying).  The products will vary so make sure to tune in every week!  We really want to hear from you so please leave us a comment letting us know if there is a product you would like us to try or what your opinions of the products we are reviewing are.  Remember, you don’t have to agree with us!

We just decided to offer a fabulous giveaway with this series, at the end of the summer we will be giving a goodie box full of items that we thought were HOT and a cute Kuzak’s Closet t-shirt in your size!  All you need to do to enter is leave a comment!  We will keep track of the comments and at the end of the summer we will draw a lucky winner.  Each comment counts as an entry so please comment each week!  There are 13 weeks left which means you have 13 chances to win!  Good luck!

Ashlie’s Picks

My brother-in-law recently brought these little Bud Light Straw-ber-rita’s over to our house during a cookout.  The size of these little cans is perfect and the taste is great!  Not too sweet or syrupy.  I loved the simplicity of it and think this cocktail would be even better served over crushed ice! Give this product a try this summer! It’s HOT!

This is one product I really wanted to love! I mean what could be better than sipping a cocktail without the guilt? Skinnygirl Sangria was a bit to syrupy tasting for my liking and the aftertaste was not much better.  When watching your calories I suggest you sip one really good drink and make it worth you time and calories! This was a NOT for me. Sorry Skinnygirl!

Amanda’s Picks

Sterilite sent me these great food storage bowls and I am loving them!  They stack inside of each other nicely, keeping my cabinet organized when I am not using them.  Each bowl has a lid and a with a little spouted rim on the side for easy pouring or to fit a spoon for serving.  I have been using them to store sliced fruit, my greek quinoa salad, and to marinate meat and veggies for the grill.  They are dish washer safe and they also look nice enough to use as a serving dish at a picnic or party.  I think they are HOT and if you are in the market for extra prep/storage containers I encourage you to pick them up!

Lately my dishwasher has been giving me the blues.  All of my glasses have been coming out fogging and I have been looking for a solution to get them sparkling again.  I decided to try this Finish Dishwasher Cleaner, it promises to get rid of the grime and soap build up that is blocking the water from circulating.  I was hoping for great results but found myself  disappointed.  After one use I ran my glasses through on a hot cycle and they still came out foggy, almost worse than before.  Sorry Finish, your product is NOT HOT and would suggest saving your money if you have are also suffering from foggy dishes.  I am still looking for a solution, if you have a trick for a clean dishwasher let me know!

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I missed you all last week!  My husband had a conference in London and I decided to take the opportunity to travel with him.  We were lucky to have a few days together to explore the city before his busy schedule kicked in.  I took over 800 photos on the trip and today I am just sharing the highlights, please connect on Instagram, I posted dozens of pictures of the sites while I away.  We stayed at The Montague on the Garden Hotel and I can’t say enough great things about it, the concierge Jorge and all of the staff were amazing.  They really helped me organize my days.

There is a big market in Notting Hill on Saturday mornings called the Portobello Market, it is 2 miles of vendors selling antiques, food, clothing, etc..  I was hoping Hugh Grant would be selling the Notting Hill DVD but no luck! Ha! The antiques booths were fun, lots of neat small items.  I was surprised to see so many similar items to what I find and sell here in California like vintage cameras, silver, china patterns…

The food looked great too, we both had to use huge restraint when we passed these donuts!

After the market we took the tube into the city center to see all of the London hotspots like the London Eye, Big Ben, Parliament, and Buckingham Palace.

We had to go for a spin on the London Eye, it is a 30 minute ride giving the best views of the city.  I’m glad we did it on the first day because it help me gain my bearings for where the major landmarks were located.

This is probably the best picture of us from the week…

Such a neat view of Westminster and Parliment, love the red buses on the bridge…

After the eye we went to Buckingham Palace and walked through Green Park before we headed back to our hotel for dinner.  The jet lag was a little rough on this trip and we tried our best to adjust to the new time.  If you have any tips for how to adjust let me know!  This is the only picture from Buckingham Palace from Saturday that is worth sharing, I took better pictures later in the week.

On Sunday we went to Harrods and shopped at a few placed in the Knightsbridge neighborhood.  Harrods was spectacular, totally over the top.  I have more pics on Instagram, I used my iPhone inside instead of my nice camera to try to keep a low profile, didn’t want to look like a complete tourist even though I’m sure I did!

After shopping we walked through Hyde Park and took in all of the landmarks near by, there is so much history in the city and I loved it!  This is Chris at the gate of the Wellington Arch.

On Monday I went on a fabulous day trip, I’ll share pictures of that day on Thursday so stay tuned.  Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday I spent my days seeing as much as possible.  I made it to Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guards on Tuesday morning but couldn’t see much because it was a mad house.  The Queen was out and about for her Jubilee and everyone was hoping to see her drive by. I did get some nice pictures of the horse guards, the guards, and the band, love it!  I wish we had royalty in the United States!

A lot of pomp and circumstance!

Later in the day I went to the Tower of London and spent a few hours taking in all of the history.  It is a great place to explore and I would highly recommend spending some time there when you are in town.  The Tower Bridge is the iconic bridge that you typically see on souvenirs, I always thought it was the London Bridge, ha!

The Tower of London used to be a Castle, military storage and a prison.  Now it is a big tourist attraction, the #1 thing to see is the Crown Jewels.  I wasn’t allowed to take a picture of the big crown but I was able to take a lot of other neat pictures…

Wednesday and Thursday I spent my days exploring new neighborhoods and visiting museums (they are all free)  There is a company called London Walks that has guided walks all over the city and I went on 3, one of the Mayfair, one in Kensington, and one in Westminster.  They were all great and the guides were awesome.  If I go back to London I’ll do a walk every day.  This is a picture of my guide Peter telling a great story about the history of Westminster, he was my favorite.

I didn’t realize the Westminster used to be an island until the guided walk.  I learned so many fun tips about the city, it has gotten me interested in British history again.  I know I’ve said it already but I wish we had royalty here in the United States!  This is the Victoria tower, the place where the Queen drive in to open Parliament…

We explored some of the oldest streets of Westminster and I saw this sign for one of the shelters from The Blitz, wow!

On Friday I took a day trip to Paris, I’ll share pictures from that adventure later this week. Saturday Chris had the day off so we went out for a nice breakfast and then went on a London Walk, he loved it.  After the walk we walked through Hyde Park again and stopped into the Orangery at Kensington Palace for afternoon tea.  Our friend Beza was also in London for work she he joined us and he loved it.  It was fun to sit and relax, eat some yummy food, and people watch.  We ended up staying until they closed!

Afternoon tea is my new favorite thing, I told Chris and Beza that I am bringing it back with me to the states.  Instead of tailgate food in the fall I am going to make scones and cakes for the games!

Kensington Palace was the home to Lady Diana and will be the home of Prince William and Kate. The gardens around the property were beautiful, summer has just started in London so all of the flowers are in bloom.

Queen Victoria is outside of Kensington, she had it built when she became Queen (fun fact that I learned on a London Walk).  Well, those are some of the highlights from the trip, I hope you enjoyed all of the photos.  I’ll be back tomorrow with this week’s edition of Hot or Not!? and then more photos on Thursday and Friday.

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For the last few weeks my sister and I have been trying out new products to let you know if they are Hot or NOT! What that means is if we think they are HOT you should give them a try, if we think that they are NOT then we hope to save you from the hassle and expense of trying them for yourself.   Each week we will review something different, it might be an item from the grocery store, a beauty product, a cleaning/organizing tool, a kids toy, local event, etc.. We really hope that you will participate in this summer series by commenting on our posts to let us know your feedback on the items we are reviewing and to give us suggestions for new items to try!

Ashlie’s Picks

I drove through Wendy’s the other day at lunch to grab a salad and I noticed their new advertisement for Frosty Waffle Cones.  I thought the idea was genius.  Frosty’s have always been hard to eat on the go and I was hoping that the cone would help solve that problem…..wrong!

My husband and I tried the the Frosty in the Cone a few days later and my first lick landed on my jacket.  The Frosty consistency was not thick like a soft serve and ended up being a little soupy.  This item was a NOT for me.  From now on I’ll stick to the tried and true Frosty that I grew up to love.

Amanda’s Picks

My sister gave me a 3 month Birchbox subscription for my birthday this year and I loved it!  Each month a little box full of nice sized beauty samples arrived in the mail.  If you are looking for a creative gift for a lady in your life (or a guy, they have Birchbox for men too) consider ordering them a subscription, I think it is HOT!

My crazy job makes it hard to eat lunch most days so I always have a protein bar on hand to refuel.  For the last year, I have been trying to maintain a low sugar low gluten diet and finding a bar that meets that criteria has been tough.  Last month I bought a few of these KIND bars and I loved them, especially the dark chocolate, nuts, and sea salt.  Yum!  I think these bars are HOT and I suggest you give them a try!

What did you think of our picks this week?  Do you agree with us, are they Hot or Not?  We would love to hear your feedback and we are always taking suggestions for new items to try.  See you next week!

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My pantry is filled with lots of goodies and I wanted a better way to contain everything.  I wanted to use a bin that was stackable to maximize the storage space and that could easily be wiped clean. I thought that the Sterilite stackable bins would perfect and I also love that they don’t have a lid so you can easily grab what you need.

I started by pulling all of the loose items that I wanted to organize off the shelves and sorted them by type on my counter top.  By sorting the items I was able to get a better idea of how much storage I would need and determine how to divide and store the items.

When you are determining how to store something, even as basic as pantry items, you want to consider keeping like items together so that all of the users in your household will know where to find things.  Since my husband likes to snack on crackers and chips I thought it made the most sense to put them together in a larger bin so he could see everything that we have in stock.

Every morning I grab a protein bar for breakfast and some snacks to have in my bag so I put them together in a smaller bin.  I highly recommend moving bars from the original boxes when you put them in the pantry so you can quickly inventory your stock at a glance.  There is nothing worse that reaching into a box and finding that it has been sitting on the shelf empty, don’t you agree?

I love that these bins stack if you want them to.  All you need to do is flip the green handle inside the bin and another bin will fit right on top.  The bottom of each bin has a little grove that the handle fits into to keep it in place.  Very smart!

The stackable bins really helped to maximize the storage space in my pantry.  I love that I am able to pull a bin down quickly and grab what I need.

They also look really nice, not like other cheap plastic bins.  We recently had house quests and I was able to pull the smaller bin of protein bars and snacks out of the pantry and leave it on the counter near the coffee pot so guest would feel welcome to grab a snack.

Next I want to show you how I used Sterilite stackable bins to organize all of our dog Harper’s stuff.  She has a basket that holds all of her treats, toys, and medication but it is always a mess.  Every time I open it I have to dig for what I am looking for and I hate it.

It’s a big jumble.  I’ve been wanting to find a new solution but I haven’t found something that was large enough to contain everything and divide it at the same time.

I started the organizing project by dumping the basket out on my living room floor and sorting the items into like categories.  I forgot she had a few outfits, every dog needs to have an outfit on game day right?

Next I created a category for her medication, her grooming, and extra collars and leashes.  I ended up finding a lot of extra junk she doesn’t use anymore and it felt good to purge.

The last category was the largest, her toys and treats, lucky dog!

I decided to use a larger bin for her toys and treats because we access them the most.  I love these bins because I can wipe them out if something leaks or spills, a nice option that you can’t find in a basket.

I put smaller items like medication and grooming supplies in a smaller bin.  It will be nice to be able to find something at a glance instead of digging through the basket.  Especially because she hates taking her medicine so when I need to give it to her I have to act fast.

Of course Harper supervised the organizing project!  She seemed to be pleased with the end result and so am I!  I stacked the bins and put them in a cabinet in the laundry room so everything is out of sight and out of Harper’s reach  but easy to find if I need it.

I hope you liked how I organized 2 spaces in my home with these nifty bins.  If you need to tackle a similar project in your home, remember to follow these steps…

1. Collect all of the items you need to organize in one place
2. Sort the items by likeness
3. Purge what you no longer need or use
4. Find a storage solution to contain what you would like to store, I would highly recommend the Sterilite stackable bins that I used for my projects.
5. Find a home for your storage container
6. Maintain, Maintain, Maintain!

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For the last few weeks my sister and I have been trying out new products to let you know if they are Hot or NOT! What that means is if we think they are HOT you should give them a try, if we think that they are NOT then we hope to save you from the hassle and expense of trying them for yourself.   Each week we will review something different, it might be an item from the grocery store, a beauty product, a cleaning/organizing tool, a kids toy, local event, etc.. We really hope that you will participate in this summer series by commenting on our posts to let us know your feedback on the items we are reviewing and to give us suggestions for new items to try!

Ashlie’s Picks

It seems like sidewalk chalk always makes its way into my daughters’ Easter baskets each year.  This year the Easter Bunny spiced things up by giving Crayola Glitter Chalk!  At first glance the glitter is not totally obvious but as drawings are colored in and filled in more the sparkle really starts to show through.  I think this item is a HOT because it has provided my girls with lots of creative time outside this spring! Plus they were both really excited to see the glitter!

Amanda’s Picks

There are about a million deodorants available right now and I feel like every time I switch from my traditional Secret I find myself disappointed.   After seeing a commerical for Secret Clinical Strength for Stress I decided to give it a try to see if it really works.  I mean, how could a deodorant know if I am just stinky or stressed?  Well, after a week I really noticed a difference.  I have a stressful job and whether I’m negotiating and estate sale deal or reorganizing a play room I can really heat up.  I noticed that at the end of the day I still smell fresh and my shirts are less stained and stinky.  Too much info, I know, but I’m sure some of you can relate.  If you are looking for a new deodorant this summer give Secret Clinical Strength for Stress a try because I think it is HOT!!!

If you follow Kuzak’s Closet you know that I love Trader Joe’s and until now there is not a product that I have tried and not liked.  I bought these mini mint ice cream sandwiches for a special treat last week and they are NOT HOT!  The ice cream in the middle was okay but the outer cookie tasted like plastic.  I would NOT recommend giving these a try!

Have you ever tried these products?  Do you agree with us, were they HOT or NOT?  Let us know by leaving us a comment!  Also, if there is a product that you would like us to review this summer please let us know!  See you next Wednesday!

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When the doors at my estate sales open the shoppers have no idea what the home looked like before we were able to organize it.  We typically have only one or two days to organize and display the contents that can be sold, remove items that need to be recycled or donated, and box up personal items for the family.

This first picture is what the living room looked like at my Mountain View sale last month before we started the estate sale setup.  It was the first room that shoppers walked into so I wanted the layout to encourage shoppers to spend some time.  Also, I always have the cashier near the sale entrance so they can keep an eye on everyone who comes and goes.  (Tip! The area where the cashier is at will be the heaviest trafficked area so I want my high dollar items in that space to increase the chances of them selling.)  Only in situations where there isn’t enough space for a cashier in the house or if we are holding an outdoor sale do I have the cashier on the front porch or under a tent outside.

I like to set up my tables first and rearrange all of the furniture so the room has a nice flow and  looks inviting.  I want to make the room look like a store, not someone’s living room.  (Tip! If it looks like someone is still living there customers will feel like they are intruding).

Once all of the furniture is in place we start to display smaller items on the tables and make the room fresh and bright by rearranging the lighting and opening all of the window treatments.  In the before picture the room looks like a mess and the first thing that catches your eye is the medical equipment in the bottom left corner.  (Tip!  if there is medical equipment available at your sale have it displayed in a bedroom or in the garage.  Try not to have it be a focal point when shoppers walk in the front door, it just reminds them that someone was sick and makes them feel guilty for shopping).  The after picture looks bright and inviting, especially the green shag carpet!  My display tables are in the right corner of the room, you can’t see them in this picture but you get an idea.

Bedrooms can often be ignored at an estate sale so it is so important to make them look inviting.  When I say they are ignored I mean that most shoppers will spend their time in the kitchen, living areas, and the garage. I think this is because bedrooms are more personal than the other rooms in the house.

This bedroom was off the kitchen in at the Mountain View estate sale and I had to do a lot of sorting and organizing to get it ready for the sale.  There were personal items mixed with treasures in all of the drawers and under the bed.  I decided to maximize the space and put the mattress up against the wall so buyers would feel welcome to come in and look around.  Also, I wanted the antique dressers to be the focal point because of their value. (Tip! Linens on a bed send the message to buyers that someone is still living there.  Always remove the linens and just display the bare mattress so that buyers can see the condition.)

After I organized the space and rearranged the furniture the room looked drastically different.  The mattress is up against the wall, I put the dressers together so that buyers would know that they were a matching set, and displayed the smaller items nicely on the furniture.

This next set of before and afters is from another bedroom at the Mountain View estate sale.  It was full of electronics, small antique items, vintage clothes, and furniture.  Just like the room above I spent time organizing the contents, I rearranged the furniture, and stripped the bed.  (Tip!  You want the valuable items to stand out so make sure to eliminate all of the clutter from the room.)

Everything in this room sold the first day of the sale which was exciting.  I always love to empty out a room and close the door!  (Tip!  As your sale progresses and items start to sell, begin to bring items from the bedrooms into the more trafficked areas like the living room and kitchen to give them more visibility).

This next set of before and afters is from the estate sale that I am having today and tomorrow in Monte Sereno.  In this situation my client’s mother passed away 14 years ago and his father passed away last year.  All of the contents for the sale were in boxes on the porch and in the guest house so when we came to set up most of our time was spent unpacking and sorting everything into categories as we displayed and set up the sale.  I had an idea of what was in the boxes based on what my client told me, but I didn’t realize the volume until it was all unpacked.  We set up the sale in 5 hours and it looks great!  Normally I only take on estate sale project when I can hold the sale inside of the home but in this case my client moved into the house and we didn’t want him to be disturbed. In this situation the property is so gorgeous that I don’t shoppers will mind enjoying the outdoor spaces.

This is just a small corner of the sale setup, you should stop by today or tomorrow to see the rest!  There are 4 more tables filled with small collectibles and tons of great antiques displayed in the yard and in a second outdoor patio space.  (Tip! the key for an outdoor setup is to make it feel like it is inside!  I still use nice black table clothes and try my best to keep any clutter out of the sale that might make buyers feel like they are at a garage sale.)

I hope you enjoyed an inside look into the estate process and find my tips helpful!  Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend and if you have a chance please stop by 15701 Oak Knoll Drive in Monte Sereno to shop today and tomorrow between 9am and 2pm!

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