Update: How Long Can Cheap Art Last?

More than two years ago I wrote a post about using pressed ferns as framed art for staging.

I wrote, "Please note that these pressed specimens are not archival quality. They may turn brown with time because I did not dry them in silica gel or press them for a year under encyclopedia books, but they will look just fine until your home sells!"

I certainly hope that anyone selling a home then has happily sold it and moved on.

But how about those pressed ferns? How did they do in their cheap dollar store frames and mats and backing that were anything but archival quality?

The answer is, "Just fine!"

You can see in the photo below that there is some curling, and the color deepened a tad, but they still look presentable.

I've been known to function a bit towards the slap-dash side of things. My mother was not a fussy, detail person and from her I learned that I could accomplish more if I didn't slow down and wait for the absolute best results. She loved spontaneity. Serendipity was one of her favorite words.

This is a philosophy that has helped me stage homes. Yes, clean your home like it's never been cleaned before. Kick all the eyesores and clutter to the curb. But after that, my motto is "It's only staging."

If the television and inflatable bed are fakes that's okay. If the pillows and window treatments are held together by duct tape and hot glue, that's fine. If the plants are silk, and the wine bottles are filled with water, it's only staging.

My message to you is that if you are staging a home, especially one where no one is living, there's no need to press for the best.

Clean and organized and pretty. That's the simple formula for staging success.

You don't need archival anything for that.

Still pretty after all these years.