Craft Diva

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Take care
Lynn Smythe AKA the Craft Diva

Stage a Home to Sell

Consider Home Staging For the Next Home You Sell

By Megan Gates

Staging a home for sale is a significant investment, but worth every penny. In fact, sellers stand to lose a lot more on a home if it is not staged. The staging investment is an exclusive service that can help sellers earn as much as 17 percent more on a sale than an un-staged home. Hiring a home stager to improve the value of the home and reduce the number of days on the market is a beneficial and highly recommended choice.

1. Stage a Home to Reduce the Time on the Market

Staged homes spend less time on the market than empty homes. In a study published in the New York Village Voice, a staged home will spend an average of 13.9 days on the market compared to the 30.9 days a non-staged home will spend on the market. Since home sellers lose money as long as the home is on the market in real estate, home stagers are hired to increase the chances of reducing the time on the market.

For most home sellers, home staging is effective. Sellers save money on mortgage payments, advertising, marketing and any additional expenses. Staging a home can cost nothing if the home sells quickly. Most sellers can recoup 200 percent of their home staging investment.

2. Buyers Will Think the Home is Well-Maintained

When the home is staged, the home looks its best. Staged homes make the buyers think the sellers were conscientious about the appearance of the home, the appliances and the maintenance. This will encourage homebuyers to purchase homes faster because they assume that every appliance and structure is as well kept as the furniture and design. The illusion alone will sell a home faster.

3. Provide Home Sellers With a Competitive Advantage

If it is a buyer’s market, home sellers need a competitive advantage. A staged home is memorable and can give sellers a competitive advantage. A lived-in home does not quite have the same effect or “wow-factor” as a staged home. A staged-home will sell faster because buyers place a premium on feeling like they are the owners of the house. If the house is lived-in, homeowners visualize the current owners in the home and not themselves. This will ruin a sale.

4. Staging Makes the Home Appear Larger

Staging can help even the smallest home. When the rooms are small, most homebuyers cannot visualize how to arrange the furniture to maximize the space in the room.  For example, when looking at small spaces in high demand, like Brooklyn real estate, home stagers can accentuate the positive points of the smaller spaces and show prospective homebuyers how to utilize the space most constructively. When the room appears larger, prospective buyers, most especially in areas like New York, are more likely to buy.

About the Author

Megan Gates is a Web Relations manager and creative writer for Prudential Douglas Elliman New York. Constantly developing pieces for the betterment of the common homebuyer, designer or agent, focusing her efforts most especially on Hamptons Homes. For more information feel free to visit http://www.elliman.com.

 

Related articles

Your house is nice but just not selling. This might be why.

Top 10 Reasons NOT to Stage Your Home

Luzura uses ASP Home Stagers to Sell Homes 80% Faster than Homes That Are Not Staged

5 Reasons not to stage your home for sale

Discover Sumi-e

Sumi-e is the art of Japanese ink brush painting. I've got a basic sumi-e kit that I want to try out and write a review for the Craft Diva blog. I'll let you know how it works out and will post a few pictures of the kit and projects I create.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Craft Diva

Trash & Treasure Community Yard Sale

Holiday Gift Ideas

Tomorrow, November 26, I will have a booth setup at the Trash & Treasure Sale in downtown Delray Beach. The event takes place from 8 AM to 1 PM at Old School Square. I will have a selection of my one-of-a-kind craft items for sale at the show.

Above: my mannequin will be on display at the front of the booth to let show attendees know the booth is representing Team in Training for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Official Show Description

Old School Square grounds
Saturday, 8 am-1 pm; free admission
Shop for previously loved items and handcrafted treasures; vendor booths include local residents, artisans, crafters and area non-profits.

A flyer for the show can be viewed online: www.oldschool.org/YardSale_Nov2011_flyer.pdf.

Above: fused glass pendants and fused glass/beaded jewelry by the Craft Diva.

Above: fused glass plates, bowls, tiles and beaded jewelry by the Craft Diva.

Craft Diva Creations

I am bringing a selection of my one-of-a-kind fused glass plates, bowls and tiles with me. All of the fused glass decorative items include a wrought iron display stand. I will also have many fused glass pendants available for purchase. All pendants include your choice of either a 16" or 18" black or silver cable choker with magnetic clasp. I will also have some fused glass pins and fused glass/beaded jewelry at the sale.

 

Charity Fundraising Event

I am donating all the proceeds from the sale to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. My husband and I are currently training with our local Team in Training chapter for the Disney half marathon which takes place in Orlando on January 7. Team in Training is the main fundraising program for the Leukemia & Lyphoma Society.

My Team in Training fundraising page is located at: pages.teamintraining.org/pb/wdw12/lsmythe.

Above: Lynn Smythe, AKA the Craft Diva

Take care,
Lynn Smythe, AKA the Craft Diva

 

ArtFire Collections

CraftDiva

Art Supplies

Craft Diva ArtFire Store

Last month I started an online store for my craft supplies and beaded jewelry on the ArtFire site. My ArtFire store front is located at: CraftDiva.artfire.com. I have a Pro account on ArtFire, which lets me list unlimited items for sale, and post up to 5 photos per item being sold.

ArtFire Collections

ArtFire also lets you created collections of handcrafted items and craft supplies grouped into themes. I created two collections, so far, of items I like on ArtFire. The first collection is Hot Tamale and features handcrafted items and craft supplies featuring the colors of red, orange and yellow. The second collection I created is Linen & Lace and features handcrafted items and craft supplies featuring the materials and colors of linen and lace.

If you get a chance, click on the links, shown below, to view either of the collections.

Linen & Lace Collection

Linen & Lace

Curated By: CraftDiva

ArtFire.com

Handmade Jewelry

Hot Tamale Collection

Hot Tamale

Curated By: CraftDiva

ArtFire.com

Vintage Fashion

Take care,
Lynn Smythe, AKA the Craft Diva

How-to Glaze Ceramic Beads

Above: batch of bisque beads, coated with glaze and waiting to be fired in the kiln.

Unglazed Ceramic Beads

I bought a bunch of bisque beads a couple of years ago to use as a base for metal clay beads. Bisque refers to unpainted pottery which has been fired but has not been decorated/glazed. Bisque firing takes a raw clay item, which has been dried leather hard, and fires it in the kiln to turn it into a hard ceramic item. I still have a ton of beads so I thought I'd buy some glazes and paint a few beads. I have no experience with glazing ceramics and had to do a bit of research. But I taught myself how to fuse glass in the kiln years ago, so I was pretty sure I'd be able to figure out how to glaze and fire beads.

I went on-line to research how-to glaze and fire bisque beads. I couldn't find any information on how to fire bisque beads but I did find lots of information on glazing and firing bisque items, such as bowls and plates, so I used that as a general guideline. Most of the glazes I have don't come with any sort of directions expect to fire them to cone 06, which is around 1798 degrees Fahrenheit. So I did a search on how-to fire to cone 06 and found some basic information.

Above: beads after being fired in the kiln.

Firing Schedule for Bisque Beads

I am posting up this schedule on how I fired my bisque beads after coating them with various glazes. I am assuming you have a basic knowledge on how to operate your kiln. I used a Jen Ken kiln with digital controller. I love that kiln, best piece of equipment I ever purchased for my studio. I can fuse and slump glass in the kiln, fire metal clay projects (i.e. Art Clay Silver or Precious Metal Clay), fire copper enamel or fine silver enamel pieces and even glaze a variety of bisque projects in the kiln.

1. RA = ramp temperature per hour
2. F = target temperature in degrees Fahrenheit
3. H = time to hold at target temperature

• RA1 = 150
• F1 = 300
• H1 - 0
• RA2 = 400
• F2 = 1500
• H2 = 0
• RA3 = 120
• F3 = 1800
• H3 = 10
• RA4 = 150
• F4 = 400
• H4 = 0

Above: my box filled with bisque beads and pendants waiting to be decorated with glaze and fired in the kiln.

Translation of Bead Firing Schedule

Once the kiln is turned on, choose the correct firing program and start the kiln. This firing schedule heats the kiln at 150 degrees per hour until it reaches 300 degrees. Then the kiln heats up 400 degrees per hour until it reaches 1500 degrees. Then it heats up 120 degrees per hour until it reaches 1800 degrees and it holds at 1800 degrees for 10 minutes. Then the kiln cools down 150 degrees per hour until it reaches 400 degrees.

Above: one of my ceramic bead sets which is available on my ArtFire store: Craftdiva.artfire.com.

Then I let the kiln cool down to room temperature before opening it up and removing the glazed ceramic beads. Total firing time takes approximately 17 hours. That seems like a long time but it takes quite some time to safely heat the kiln to 1800 degrees and it takes quite awhile for the kiln to cool back down to room temperature.

Above: my Jen Ken kiln with digital controller. 14 inch diameter interior, I can fit up to a 12 inch kiln shelf in this kiln.

Craft Diva's Ceramic Beads

I'll be selling ceramic bead sets on my ArtFire store: Craftdiva.artfire.com. I'll also be offering a ceramic bead class at the studio, pick out your beads, pick out your glazes, paint/decorate your beads. I fire them in the kiln then you arrange a time to pick them up once they are ready. Complete information on all the classes I offer at my studio can be found here: Craft Diva Classes.

Above: another one of my ceramic bead sets which is available at my ArtFire store.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe, AKA the Craft Diva

Visit CraftDiva's ArtFire Shop

Unfinished Project Day

Above: Bead embroidery necklace by Craft Diva Lynn Smythe.

Late Spring Cleaning

I should clean out my craft studio more often. I've been working on cleaning out and reorganizing my home based craft studio so that I can start teaching classes again. Read my previous post for additional information on some of the classes I will be offering: Craft Diva Classes.

I also want to start making some beaded jewelry, fiber-art and fused glass pieces for myself and to give away as gifts, but the studio has looked like a bomb went off for the past few months. It was totally disorganized; beads mixed with gemstones mixed with glass mixed with yarns and ribbons. Kind of hard to get excited about creating anything when faced with the prospect of spending too much time just trying to find the right supplies for each project. So starting about a week and a half ago, I finally took the plunge and ventured into the disaster area, AKA the Craft Diva studio.

Above: Close up of bead embroidery necklace by Lynn Smythe.

Rainy Day Projects

Well, we have been experiencing a drought in south Florida, and have been having problems with forest fires burning out of control. So it looks like it's about to rain, but when you step outside it smells like a giant wood fire, those clouds are mostly smoke from out west blowing towards the ocean. I have so many planned but never started and started but never finished projects in various storage containers, that I'm trying to ban myself from starting any new projects before I complete some of the old ones.

I found the piece, pictured in this blog post, in a box full of projects waiting to be finished one day. Looks like today was that day. :) The piece features two fossil stone cabochons. I attached them to a base of Lacy's Stiff Stuff then embroidered and peyote stitched around the pieces using size 14/0 seed beads and one row of size 8/0 Miyuki delica beads. I covered the back with a piece of snake skin textured light brown leather and added an edging stitch with the size 14/0 beads sewing through both the Lacy's Stiff Stuff and leather, that's a great way to bend a beading needle out of shape!

Then I attached a hanging loop to the top using the size 8/0 delica beads and the technique of odd count peyote stitch. I made a beaded necklace for the piece which features two bone beads, moonstone, smokey quartz, freshwater pearls, citrine, tiger eye, antique brass beads and gold-stone clasp. I'm pleased with how the piece came out, can't believe it's been sitting in a box, waiting for me to finish it for over 3 years!

Take care,
Lynn Smythe, AKA the Craft Diva

Craft Diva Classes

Lynn Smythe

Delray Beach Glass And Metal Work Teacher

Craft Diva on Betterfly.com

I just setup a page on Betterfly.com to offer beginning and intermediate level glass fusing classes at my home studio in Delray Beach, Florida: betterfly.com/craftdiva. Although the Betterfly page shows the classes being offered on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, the classes can be set up any day of the week. Contact me at lynn@craftdiva.net to arrange a day and time that works best for you.

 

Above: the Craft Diva's home based studio.

Home Studio

• Country Club Acres
• Delray Beach, FL 33484

I have a large 200 square foot studio set up in my house. I can accommodate up to 4 students at a time. Class prices include all necessary supplies. I have additional craft, bead, jewelry making and glass supplies for sale at the studio. I offer all of my students a 20% discount off the retail price of any instock supplies purchased from me on the day of the class.

Above: fused glass pendants by Lynn Smythe. This is an example of the types of projects you can create in the beginning fused glass class.

Beginning Fused Glass Class

• Pricing: 180 minutes - $75.00
• Appointment type: Private appointments and groups available.
• Level: Beginner
• For Ages: 15 - 99

Beginning level fused glass class taught by Lynn Smythe. Learn how to cut, layer and embellish glass then fire the glass in a kiln.

Because of the small size of the pieces being made, we can utilize my beehive style kiln. If you are taking this as a private class, you should be able to fuse, anneal and cool down all of your pieces during the class. If a group of 2 or more students signs up for this class, you will need to arrange a time within 2 weeks of taking the class to stop by my studio to pick up your finished pieces.

You will make 6-8 pieces of fused glass - cabochons, beads or pendants. You can utilize your finished fused glass pieces in a variety of mediums including wire wrapping, silver smithing or bead embroidery.

The class includes all necessary supplies including glass, tools and use of the kiln.

Above: This photo shows a variety of fused glass plates and bowls created by Lynn Smythe. You can create these types of projects in my intermediate fused glass class.

Intermediate Fused Glass Class

• Pricing: 360 minutes - $150.00
• Appointment type: Private appointments and groups available
• Level: Intermediate
• For Ages: 18 - 99

Intermediate level fused glass class taught by Lynn Smythe. Learn how to make 2-4 pieces of decorative glass work, in either the form of bowls, plates or vases.

This is a 2 part class. The 2nd part of the class can be taken either the day after or the week after the first part of the class.

PART I
You will design, cut, layer and embellish your glass pieces in the first class, which will last 3 hours. After this class, the instructor will fire each piece in the kiln, which takes 6-8 hours for a full fuse firing.

PART II
You will learn how to clean up your glass, using either a glass grinder or diamond band saw, before slumping your glass pieces in the kiln, using whatever plate, vase or bowl patterns you picked out, this takes another 6-8 hour firing in the kiln.

You will need to arrange to pick up your finished class pieces within 2 weeks after finishing part 2 of the class.

The class includes all necessary supplies including glass, tools and use of the kiln.

Above: learn the technique of pin weaving while creating a one-of-a-kind fiber art doll which can be worn as a pin or necklace.

Techniques Taught by Craft Diva

The Craft Diva, AKA Lynn Smythe, specializes in a variety of techniques including fused glass, metal clay, beading and fiber arts.

I can teach classes in a variety of different techniques at my home based studio. Here is a brief listing of the types of projects I can setup as classes:

• Macrame
• Kumihimo
• Pin-weaving
• Beaded loom weaving
• Seed bead techniques - peyote stitch, square weave, herringbone, spiral rope, brick stitch, right angle weave and more.
• Metal clay - Art Clay Silver and Precious Metal Clay
• Fused glass
• Altered art
• Scrapbooking
• Art journaling
• Sewing
• Art dolls
• Art quilts

Questions or Comments?
What type of art, craft and jewelry making techniques would you like to learn more about? Leave a comment on this post, or contact me directly at lynn@craftdiva.net with your tips, questions and comments.

Lynn sells a variety of her beaded jewelry and fused glass gifts, along with a selection of craft supplies on her ArtFire store: craftdiva.artfire.com.

Craft Diva blog: www.craftdiva.net
Facebook page: www.facebook.com/pages/Craft-Diva/150257278375933

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Craft Diva

 

 

 

Note Cards at Craft Diva

Above: Secrets Must be Told by Montserrat.

Gift Cards Now Available

I just added note cards to the Craft Diva ArtFire online store. This is a line of angel, fairy and goddess themed blank note cards by Spanish artist Montserrat, DBA The Sacred Feminine. Each card measures 5 by 7 inches, includes an envelope and is packaged in a clear plastic protective pouch. Cards retail for only $2.50 each, over 40 designs available.

Above: Guardian Angel by Montserrat.

Visit the Craft Diva ArtFire store to view all the designs: note cards at Craft Diva.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe, AKA the Craft Diva

Craft Diva Trunk Show

Above: a basket full of scrapbook supplies

ART AND CRAFT SHOW

• Saturday, June 18
• 4 PM - 8 PM
• Country Club Acres - Delray Beach, FL

Join Team in Training members Rob and Lynn Smythe for a craft show extravaganza at their house in Delray Beach. There will be a variety of art and craft supplies for sale at rock bottom prices including: beads, jewelry findings, rubber stamps, decorative fibers, how-to craft books, wax seals, sealing wax, papers, blank journals, note cards, calligraphy inks, stickers and much more. Lots of supplies for beaders, jewelry artists, scrapbookers, altered artists, fiber artists, creative writers and more.

Above: fused glass and beaded creations by Craft Diva, AKA Lynn Smythe


ONE OF A KIND WORKS OF ART
Lynn will also have some of her one-of-a-kind fused glass creations available for purchase: beads, cabochons, pendants, pins, plates, bowls and sculptures. Visit the Craft Diva blog: www.craftdiva.net and Craft Diva Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Craft-Diva/150257278375933 to see photos of some of the items that will be available for sale. Craft show to take place inside our air conditioned house.

Above: Fairy Queen image by Spanish artist Montserrat

Goddess Themed Cards and Journals

I just uploaded a photo album of goddess and fairy images by Spanish artist Montserrat, DBA Sacred Feminine to the Craft Diva Facebook page: www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.151281664940161.35288.150257278375933. There will be a nice selection of her blank note cards and blank journals available for sale at the Craft Diva Trunk Show. 

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
Rob will also have a tent set up outside the house with a variety of new and used cycling, running and triathlon gear available for purchase. Refreshments will also be available under the tent.

 

TEAM IN TRAINING FUNDRAISER
All proceeds from the Craft Diva Trunk Show benefit the LEUKEMIA & LYMPHOMA SOCIETY. Free admission. If you are unable to make it to the Craft Diva Trunk Show, you can still make a donation to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Visit Lynn's Team in Training page to make a donation, in her name, to the society: pages.teamintraining.org/pb/nattri11/lsmythe

ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Hosted by Robert & Lynn Smythe - Team in Training alumni. Rob is currently coaching the cycle team that is doing the 109 mile El Tour de Tucson century bike ride and Lynn is training with the triathlon team that will be doing Nation's Olympic distance triathlon.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Rob's cell phone: 561-239-2880
Lynn's cell phone: 561-239-0991
Lynn's email: lynn@craftdiva.net

Craft Diva Trunk Show Facebook event page: www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=147216548683411