This weekend I received a comment asking where I got my inspiration.

Not knowing where to get inspiration terrified me when I first started my design career. What if I have an amazing project to work on and I don’t know how to create something beautiful? To be honest this fear lasted until 2006 when I decided to take a course at Alberta College of Art & Design (ACAD) called Design Inspiration by Anna Hergert. Anna specialized in quilting and about 80% of the class were quilters, however there were graphic, fashion and floral designers in the class as well.

We covered topics such as textiles, starting a sketch pad, starting an inspiration book from magazine clippings, mixing paint to creating art out of something you’d normally throw out. The most important thing I took out of the class was: inspiration can come from anything: a skyscraper, magazines, stores, a friend’s clothes, a water fountain, even a rusty vehicle. You just need to focus on that one element that catches your eye and after that everything seems to fall into place.

For example, take this photo to the right, we see a man with a brief case walking down some train tracks. If this was your inspirational piece for a living room, you could install hardwood flooring (like the wood in the tracks), metal a metal picture frame (like the metal in the tracks), add striped throw pillows (like the man’s tie), a boquet of flowers in a clear vase with rocks on the bottom (under the tracks) and sepia toned artwork to finish the room. You could also add some old luggage for décor items. It’s amazing what can spark an idea.

Images: iStock Photo (November 5, 2007), iStock Photo (July 5, 2010), iStock Photo (July 5, 2010),

I have now completed the refresher home staging course with Canadian Staging Professionals. The packed 3 day, course with Canadian Staging Professionals was lead by Jackson West.

I found taking the refresher really helped as some of the important steps were re-inforced and I got to learn some new things from different perspectives from other students. On day 3 we staged a home in the Rosedale area where I learned how important it is to be creative and resourcefull with what you have. The whole house was staged with all of the owner’s previous belongings. Check out the dining room’s before and after pictures and the sunroom’s before and after pictures.

I’ve decided to take the refresher home staging training course with Canadian Staging Professionals. The course runs Tuesday, June 8, 2010 till Thursday, June 10, 2010. I believe it is not too late to register if you are interested in taking the course.

It was a bittersweet evening tonight as I packed up all of my class notes and materials. It was the last day of a packed 3 day, 30 hour course with Canadian Staging Professionals lead by Jackson West and Kathleen Garvey. The course was very detailed and time consuming which taught me the proper way to stage a home for the real estate market.


Bitter as I have made some great new friends and colleagues in the staging industry and won’t be able to see them on a daily basis anymore, but sweet as I was able to add staging a living room, dining area and 1/2 bath to my portfolio. I can’t believe how helpful and genuine both the instructors and my classmates were. I hope to keep in touch with all of them.