CELEBRATING OLIOBOARD - ITS MANY USES + TIPS!

It's hard to believe, but the moodboard maker site called Olioboard launched four years ago this month! At the time, it was one of the only online moodboard makers - beside Polyvore & before Pinterest - where you could creatively pull together thoughts, ideas, and concepts for room designs, party planning and even fashion. Its primary use today is for interior designers, stylists and stagers to use the site for creating 2D and 3D room plans for their clients. Even home enthusiasts and DIYers can pull a look together for a makeover, or even retailers have used the site for pulling together trends. The depth of details on these boards have changed - A LOT - since the site's launch. Everyone in the Olioboard community has learned from each other, from sharing concepts online in Twitter feeds or emails and even joining a member administrated OlioboardFanRoom on Facebook. Four years ago today, Holly Becker of Decor8 had written about Oliboard's app for Real Simple. Although I didn't join in June of 2010, I did manage to find their site in July 2010 (see Creating Online Moodboards at Olioboard.com) where since then, I've been a loyal fan of the site.  I've even had the chance to meet the co-founder, Sheilah MacSporran at the Design Bloggers Conference, plus I've enjoyed joining a few of the many design challenges and sponsored contests the site has offered over the years. Here are a few of the latest boards I've been able to create on Olioboard, plus a peek back at a few firsts and some of Olioboard's game-changing applications and uses...

The two above 3D boards are the latest boards I created, and add into a design challenge at Olioboard, where a member suggested designing a room inspired by blue & white porcelain. You can add an existing board you've created (as I did here) or create a new one from focused on the challenge criteria. Both of these boards I did were inspired by mixing my love of the beach with my latest decor obsession of blue & white. This particular design challenge is a voters placement + award badge, unlike a retailer sponsored contest...

One of the last retail sponsored contests at Olioboard was not only voters choice to place, but 5 products from Hayneedle also had to be used in the board designed with an outdoor space in mind. After the Top 50 boards qualified, judges Lori Dennis and Kelli Ellis selected their picks for Top 3 boards... Thankfully I placed in the Top 3 - and we all won a ticket to attend Design Camp this summer at LVMKT. Since I'm attending as a guest, I had held giveaway on my blog, to giveaway my winning ticket to design camp - and the winner of that giveaway was Laura C. Moffatt!

CONGRATS LAURA!!

You can see from the above boards of today (shown above) that time and practice helps to develop your skill set on Olioboard - but not all boards are 3D room designs. When I first started on Olioboard, I first experimented with sample board layouts (you can see below) - showing only the items I would use in a designed space...

These types of 2D boards are great for homeowners to get an idea of colors and textures that can be used in their space. Eventually, since you can upload any image to your Olioboard library or sets, I used Olioboard as a means of pulling together "Concept To Completion" boards as well as before and after boards...

 Olioboards can also be a great visual tool when working with a client. Both 2D and 3D boards can pull together the look of a project, and also be printed to organize in a project binder. When the online boards are printed into a binder, it becomes a "go to" tool because within that binder you can also keep fabric samples, paint swatches, product info sheets, and most importantly: the correspondences and receipts from the project...

 

 

The Olioboard site can also help stagers or homeowners who are selling or planning to move - since you can create a virtual staging of a vacant space (read: How To Use Olioboard For Online Home Staging), or even merge together floor plans + exterior photographs when house hunting...

 For bloggers (or retailers), Olioboard can become a means of creating online content (see Kids Room Design BlogHop) from curating trends or merging fashion and decor onto boards (see blog link up Passion For Fashion - Spring Fashion & Decor) to even planning your dorm room (see Dorm Decor - Planning Your Residence Hall Space) - all ready to share from the Olioboard site via Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest. Or you can download your boards, save to your computer and further enhance your boards via online tools such as Picmonkey, where you can add frames, overlay your logo, add text, create covers (ex: for Facebook) or even convert your room board to black & white. Boards uploaded to Picmonkey can also create even more pinnable (vertical) content to share on your social networks - a great way to market your brand OR create marketable content for an event...

Here I just used my logo, but you can add whatever text you want to communicate - Try different arrangements and test different layouts to see what works best for you. 

Here are a few tips I've learned over my time using Olioboard:

1. Make use of creating sets within your library it will help when you're saving new items or when you're looking for something specific for your board (for example: your logo, plants or blue chairs).

2. The take time to learn the editing tools - eliminating the white background is great, but make the image stand out when it's layered vs. being transparent.

3. Think mobile device when building a board - white space is your friend - not every surface needs to be covered as a real room might.

4. Utilize 'tags' on the site - This helps with searchability not only on Olioboard, but in Google (images) as well. For location, add your zip-code as a tag with key words such as "Interior Designer", "Interior Decorator" -- great to use if you've recently moved and you want locals (over time) to find you.

5. Speaking of Google searchable images: when saving your Olioboard, add either your name, your company name or your blog name in the image description on your computer. Again this helps your SEO. For example: Google search your name - afterwards, click "images" and see what pops up. Your boards can pop-up along with the photographed work you've done, whether it's on your blog, or another site featured, or pinned to Pinterest.

Olioboard recognized by 

"For aspiring interior designers and overall design enthusiasts, Olioboard is an easy way to communicate complex artistic concepts visually. Use it as a brainstorming tool or simply to visually organizing thoughts." - Mashable

What's next for Olioboard? This year, they are branching out to test the waters of further merging online designers with some of their site's top selected retail brands to help consumers shop - A great way for students to get started in the industry plus a great means of retailers teaming up with industry tastemakers to curate current trends for them, while having a chance of making a little extra cash.

 

 plus see a collection of my boards in the tab above: Roomboards

Personally, I'm grateful for the site having been developed. I could sketch 3D, draft and render, but I had the hardest time learning CAD. Working with a site such as Olioboard has helped train my brain and hand to computer aided design - and it's so much faster to do a quick change to a plan or create plan A, B, C to choose from - by simply hitting "Duplicate" board on site - make your changes and presto, new board.

Have you tried Olioboard? 

How did you like it?

What have you used it to help you create?

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Birthday Olioboard!

LAS VEGAS WINTER MARKET 2014

Starting Sunday and running through Thursday, Las Vegas World Market will be hosting their Winter Market Event. The Market is the leading home furnishings and gift marketplace in the western U.S., presenting 2,000+ home furnishings and gift resources in an unrivaled market destination. Las Vegas Market features thousands of furniture, home décor and gift lines, allowing for cross-category commerce among these industries.The event be featuring a campus tour (which is already sold out!), seminars, book signings, along with designers presenting product launches at some of the showrooms. 

Some of these special engagements will include: Designer Barry Dixon Collection Brunch at Arteriors, a "Make it Beautiful" Collection Launch party with Monica Pederson of HGTV, a book signing with Designer Barclay Butera, a reception at Safavieh with a Q&A plus luncheon with Thom Filicia, plus even a presentation honoring design icon, Barbara Barry. 

Along with these designer events, there will also be the seminars, some of which are the Power of Pinterest for Retailers, The Art Of Storytelling, and even a power-house panel of designers discussing Social Media & the Design Community: How to Encourage Influencers to Grow Your Brand. The Las Vegas World Market is very similar to, but on a smaller scale, High Point Market. Since I haven't been able to make it back east for High Point, I'm thrilled to be attending this event while living out west. I'm especially looking forward to see the new-to-market product introductions debuting this season. The Market calls this "First Look", which is similar to a backstage pass to the new trends in the industry. Here's a peek at some of the "First Look" items I'm already crushing on...

 

 Dazzling wall art debuts from new exhibitor Natural Curiosities...

 

Bar Carts and brass are hot right now, and this one from Nancy Home & Garden is also Industrial Chic!

 

 Loving this Phylum Design symbolizing balance + fairness, and references Eastern characters...

 

This great looking slate colorway rug from a new exhibitor, Orian Rugs, looks like it could work magic for a family, camouflaging stains or a spill...

 

One of my other favorites is this gilded Nola’s Arabella table lamp, part of the New Orleans Collection, with its gilded metal sleeve of arabesque-shaped cutouts...

 

HGTV Home has a great looking raffia chest with stud detail - The perfect accent for griege interior styles. Could make a great statement as side tables with storage for the bedroom...

 

 Andrew Martin's Pluto chair puts a novelty spin on neutrals...

One of the hottest decor trends for 2014 is having a statement chandelier, and this 25-inch-high Muriel chandelier comprised of cast resin spheres, doesn't disappoint...

These are just a few of the many items I can't wait to see at the Las Vegas Market. Besides the new products and events, I'm also excited to see Leslie Carothers along with finally getting to meet in real life social media friends! I'll be sharing pics on Google+ , Facebook, and Twitter. Eventually I'll be adding them to my LVMKT 2014 board on Pinterest and share them, plus my market experience after I come back.

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Follow all the tweets from the market at #LVMKT and be sure to follow the tastemakers on Instagram from the event as well at #LVMKT and #ViewOnVegas. You can learn more about the tastemakers at Maison21.

Thanks for stopping by!

TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL GARAGE SALE

Whether you're moving or just looking for a little extra cash for the holidays, Fall is a great time to have a Garage Sale! When we lived in Florida, our gated community would hold a community Garage Sale, usually on a Saturday & Sunday in November, which also included them advertising the sale. Our last Garage Sale was two years ago - just before we moved out to Arizona. Having lived here now for coming up on two years, we've acquired a few extra things, plus we're ready to let go of some things we were holding onto since moving from Florida. I knew I wanted to have a Garage Sale at the end of October, so I started by purging the clothing closets, bringing most apparel items to a local consignment shop. What didn't consign, I held onto for the Garage Sale. After the closet cleanse, I started to go room by room - searching storage ottomans, other closets, cabinets, drawers and storage case pieces to pull together items to sell. Within two days of having our sale, we not only made almost $1000 dollars, we also got rid of items no longer fitting our lifestyle, and donated the remains of the sale to Goodwill. Here are some tips to help you ensure a successful Garage Sale...

1. STAGING AREA 
1. Designate a staging or holding area for all the items you're collecting from the house to sell. I used some extra large moving boxes in our garage to hold ours. 2. After pulling together items to sell, decide how many tables you would need to display / merchandise your items.

2. FIXTURES NEEDED 
1. If you only have one round table, borrow two banquet tables from work or a local shop for your sale. 2. If the table tops are in good condition, don't worry about covering, but if needing to be covered, sheets work great. In  FL I covered our tables, but for this sale in AZ, I utilized underneath the table to display small rugs, outdoor planters and wreaths. 3. Other display fixture options are ladders and stacking a box on top of a box. 4. A collapse rolling rack can work for apparel, or ask a local store if they have a t-stand (item rack) to borrow.

4. CATEGORIZE ASSORTMENT 
1. Group like items together: a. Holiday Decor b. Glass / Ceramic Decor  c. Dishes/Barware  d. Table Linens: Cloths | Runners | Place-mats | Napkins e.Rugs/Runners f. Window Panels  g. Pillows. (TIP: Pull together all pillows into a box and sell all at one price-point OR display color coordinated pillows with window panels and/or rugs - this can be your silent sales-person!)

5. PRE-SET FIXTURES 
1. If you have the space in your garage, pre-set tables with your categorized statements -- this way, the morning of your sale, you and your partner can just carry pre-set tables into their place (TIP: Before moving pre-set tables, remove any tall breakable items -- to avoid them tipping and breaking). 2. Ladders can be an excellent means of displaying window panel pairs with coordinated pillows. 

6. PRICING  
1. Price Point like items grouped together for a quick sale - for example: a rack of tops  can all be $3 each. Also window panels & pillow pairs can be signed as 2 for items. (TIP: Be aware of what items sell for at your local thrift store & price below for quick sale.) 3. Your local office supply store or Walmart carries Avery brand pre-priced garage sale stickers and is a worth while investment because it saves time for pricing. 4. Have a Sharpie handy to write your own prices on blank price dots - large squares of paper

7. SIGNING  
1. Although you can get really fancy with your computer and print signs --  just use good old school poster-board and markers for signs, but print half sheet flyers to post at mailboxes and leave on neighborhood doors the evening before your sale. 2. Using neon colored poster-board will ensure your signing stands out. (TIP: One poster-board can be cut into quarters to give 4 signs from one board.) 3. Use all one color neon (we used neon green). 4. Mylar / helium balloons in coordinating board color also helps people find their way to your sale. 5. Pencil in guidelines with a ruler when writing out your sign (spacing and letter size important to make it easy for people to read at a glance while driving).

Important to include on your Garage Sale sign: 
a. Event title (Garage / Yard Sale) 
b. Street Name (number not necessarily needed - when  they drive down  street, they will see your event)
c. Start and end time of your sale
d. Days & dates of sale (so people know it's a NEW sale & not a leftover sign from another sale)
e. Arrows -- Add LAST while posting signs

8. MORNING OF SALE SET 
1. Carry out pre-set tables into the driveway. 2. Set statements on an angle to left and right side of the driveway, leaving a main aisle down the center. (TIP: Having tables set on an angle will help viability from cars driving by to see what you're selling.) 3. Utilize the inside of the garage, especially the floor, to open and layout any area rugs (TIP: Vacuum rugs + fluff shag rugs with a rake!) 4. Set larger furniture pieces to the front of your sale 

 

FURNITURE PRESENTATION TIP: 
1. If selling chair pairs, set one forward and another as a profile so people can see lines & style from both angles at a glance. 
2. If furniture item is old and dirt cheap, add price sign. If newer and higher priced, do not sign so people will come in to your sale and ask -- You'll have a better opportunity to try to "sell" this item (or they'll see something else) if engaged in a convo). 
3. Use stacked boxes inside garage to lean & angle wall art for people to see everything at a glance vs. keeping all pictures together in one stack. 

 

 

TIP: Pick a space with good natural light to snap a few pics of your garage sale items - Share these pics in a Facebook Sneak Peek garage Sale Album - FILLED with hashtags -- also share album link on G+,  and especially share pics of sale items & event on Twitter and Instagram...

 

TIP: Since Craigslist has a limited amount of photos you can post, create a few image quads, again of similar merchandise you're selling (and minus the "tips"!)

 

 

TIP: If someone is coming by to pick up something they spotted from your online shares, pull a few extra goodies aside just for them -- they can result in an additional sale, and you'll know your finds are going to a good place...

 

Other Garage Sale Notes & Tips: 

1. At the end of our sale day one, we were able to easily roll up unsold rugs, bring tables inside, and bring in unsold furniture -- and pull back out easily the next morning.

2. Since many items sold off tables day one, I walked through the house to double check for any other items I could part with and sell. Some sold, and what didn't, it at least helped to replenish the tables with product.

3. Simple office file boxes work great on tables to hold loose items like table linens and makes it easy for people to file through. 

4. Open up and display pretty prints and patterns -- try to keep similar color stories together for greater impact. Table runners are good to use displayed on tables, under file box of table linens.

5. If you have any lanterns or hanging light fixtures, use the edge of the garage door opening to display them hanging. (When I had the lanterns in a box, people didn't look, but when I hung them - they sold!)

6. Be aware of any sprinklers that may go off next to your driveway -- We used to plant containers to temporarily cover two, and removed after the sale. 

7. If you have a business, have business cards handy to pass out and help promote your business or gain new customers. Also be sure to have newspaper to wrap breakable goods and a stash of bags to help them carry their garage sale score!

8. Be sure to be present, greet all customers and operate your sale with at least two people -- for safety and to help ensure all opportunities for a sale! 

 

After the sale: Box up unsold items, itemize for taxes, and drop off donations to your nearest thrift store -- We donated to Goodwill. After we dropped off our donations, we road around the neighborhood to collect signs, flyers and balloons from the sale.

 

TIP: If you have specific special finds to sell, contact local shops and share your garage sale event with friends -- You never know who may stop by to buy! After all the visits to Kim's Sweet Salvage in Phoenix, I was able to contact her and let her know of some items she may be interested in -- and she was! - from x-back chairs, to fabric, a silver tray, a fur cape and vintage opera gloves -- perfect for Sweets!

We asked each person who came to the sale, " What brought you here today?" and learned it was a combination of the flyers in the door, the signs posted on the road, and the ad we posted with pictures on Craigslist. Traditionally, we've held our Garage Sale's on Saturday & Sunday (read Merchandising a Garage Sale to Sell! and Summer Garage Sale & Tips) But here in AZ, we noticed many have them on Friday's and not Sundays. We actually had more traffic on Friday morning (from moms walking or taking their kids to school) than we did on Saturday. In all, 75% of the people who came to our Garage Sale, bought something -- mainly because of the presentation - they could easily see something they liked, and we were priced fairly.

 

Thanks for stopping by Kim Rawlins of Sweet Salvage!

Put these tips to the test and you too can have a successful Garage Sale -- The weather this Fall is perfect to have one -- make a few extra dollars for the holidays, clear some clutter, and even meet some of your neighbors!

Thanks for stopping by!