Nancy Hanson and Paula Fagan joined me in setting up the little two-bed apartment for the Rubio family yesterday and it went super smoothly. We took our time and chattered and primped until we were completely happy and the pictures show below show how well it went. It was Paula's first set-up but she needed no instruction, quickly getting into the way of things and settling her own personal touch on everything she did. We love having artists join us! We had originally been scheduled for last Friday when Karen Saeki, Paula Dove and Lorna Britten Banks were also going to help, but today wasn't a good fit for them. Patty Colvig joined us before the set-up with fresh food for the family and Nancy brought bags of non-perishables from Geraldine (thanks you two!). Karen had pulled the bedding and some other items before she went to visit her Mom and Mary Morley helped me finish gathering last week so we had lots of lovely things to welcome this family to their new home.
When we were chatting about creating an updated promotional short for TWC, Patty suggested that I get more before pictures which could better show any potential donors just what it is that we do, so here you go...some pictures. Many before and afters.
As some of you may know, Karen and I sit on the Advisory Board at Westwood Transitional Village and we have hammered the point home that they were not getting good value for money in the cleaning stakes. Because tenants move at varying times, they have to have an on-call relationship with a cleaning company and they were getting taken advantage of regularly. What a delight it was, then, to walk into this unit and find it absolutely spotless. It was a pleasure to furnish and really reflected a change in policy. Shortly before we left Diane Good, the director at The Village and Lissette Maldonado, the housing liaison employee who works for the independent company that manages the site, popped over to see the apartment and were absolutely charmed by all we had done. Lissette lives on site and commented that she wished we could have decorated her apartment like this before she moved in. That reminded me of a moment years ago when Karen and I were unloading our cars for a set-up and a woman talking on her cell phone in the parking lot saw us and asked, ''Are you the decorator ladies?'' High praise, indeed! Here are some photos.
Paula is surveying just what needs to be done in the living room.
Everything was sparkling clean today...and ready for our magic.
The parents' room.
Decorative window treatment...these little 'flags' were originally meant for the dining room table. They look great in the bedroom. I cannot believe that the two shots I took of the darling bedroom did not turn out because it was so cute.
The parents bedroom. Super comfy and welcoming. An alarm clock ticking beside the bed
and books ready to read.
Nancy showing the pretty teapot that Ildy donated.
Sorry I didn't kill the flash on this picture, Nancy.
Sorry I didn't kill the flash on this picture, Nancy.
And answering the door to two little ones who wondered just what we were doing and, um, did we have a spare pillow pet (which they spied on the little girl's bed) that they could take home? I am not sure who donated the three polar bear pillow pets,
but they are darling and we thank you!
but they are darling and we thank you!
The bathroom. Love this shower curtain!
Ildy's teapot again!
And the shelves are full. Nice tea kettle and coffee pot as well.
I think the living room looks great. Really welcoming and the rug, only $19.99 at Ikea,
really warms it up and makes a huge difference to the space.
The white box under the table is filled with arts and crafts supplies that Annie Gabbert
and her mother-daughter group put together for the families we serve.
These have been the most wonderful additions and I am sad to say this is the last one.
And no set-up is complete without one of Holly Baumann's 'welcome to your new home' cards.
They are truly special.
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