November 12, 2019 • 36 mins
This is Amy’s ‘5th Thing’ (a bonus episode) where she answers your questions every Tuesday! ‘4 Things With Amy Brown’ comes out every Thursday, but on Tuesdays Amy answers questions you’ve emailed in. On today's episode Amy has Keatyn from @KeatynKlaus on to talk all things Christmas and decorations! They address: when its acceptable to start decorating for Christmas, tips for making your real or artificial tree look its most festive, Amy’s first Christmas with the kids, creating traditions for the season and how to find affordable decorations. Be sure to check Keatyn out at https://www.keatynklaus.com
You can send in questions directly to Amy here: 4thingswithAmybrown@gmail.com...maybe one week your question will be shared!!
(Episode 89)
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Okay, So doing something a little different today for the
Tuesday Q and A, which is gonna be fun because
it's all Christmas holiday related. My friend Keaton right is
here and she is Keaton Clause with the K, so
I mean holiday, Christmas. Keaton Claus put it together. She's
basically our Santa Claus, and she is going to talk
(00:24):
to us about decorating specifically for Christmas because it's coming up,
but you do all kinds of holidays. And how I
first met Keaton was she worked for um April Tomlin Interiors,
and when we were designing our house and doing stuff,
April and Keaton they made it happen. So if y'all
people always ask me about those pictures hanging in my
(00:46):
kitchen and we all put the kids the black and white.
But the frames are like rectangle, and I probably anytime
those were on Instagram, I get tons of questions and
I always in like, oh, because y'all did the customer,
so you can have those made. But unfortunately I wish
I could say, hey, yeah, just run to Target or
(01:07):
Michael's or something and pick up the frames. But but
but that can be done, and it's a way to
make it look more interesting and like art when really
it's just framing, framing, and shout out to Target too,
because some stuff that y' all found from my house,
like a lot of it is from targets. So while
a deal love a deal of it, Keaton is like
(01:28):
deal queen. So um, that's when we first met and
then when we brought our kids to America. Keaton is
also a photographer, and she sent me a note and said, hey,
I would love to come and capture that day, so
so special like goose pumps when I think about it,
because she showed up with her camera and just captured
like special moments, so that it was good to have her.
(01:50):
They're kind of just snapping everything so that nobody in
our family we were all preoccupied and not really wanted
to take a bunch of pictures that we had Keaton
do that. So that was um, really awesome and thoughtful
of her. And she recently branched out on her own
and is doing the Keaton Clause thing, which your website
is straight up that Keaton Clause dot com. And again
clauses with a K because Keaton's with a K E
(02:12):
and no E K E A t U I N
K L a u S dot com. So I want
you to share, like why you started this and what
you do. And I kind of like your Lyne about
how you know, if you can't have an assistant full time,
then higher one when you need it, maybe when you're
trying to get a bunch of holiday stuff done. And
(02:34):
then I'm gonna go into some questions for you that
hopefully will be helpful for you. And I want you
want to know why I'm having her on is I
personally get stressed out decorating for the holidays, and sometimes
I just straight up don't do it, and especially if
I'm leaving town for Christmas, I just don't even get
into that vibe. I mean, I'm watching a Hallmark Christmas
movie because I'm all about that, but that is like
the extent of my Christmas in my house. But I'm
(02:55):
hosting Thanksgiving this year and we're going to be home
Christmas Day this year, and so I feel like I
need it all done before we head out to Colorado.
And I think it'll be good for my to create
this for my kids too, because for so long in
my marriage was just me and Ben, and I was like,
why do we need to put up a treat. But
now that we have the kids, I want to do
it all. And you got all the tips. So Keaton's
(03:16):
actually gonna be helping me with some of that at
my house again since I'm scared to do it. Um,
But I thought, wow, if I feel like there's some
tips she could share with you guys, because now is
the time to start decorating, Well maybe we should ask
that question when is the right time? Um? But share
with us how you got started and why, and then
we'll get into some questions perfect um, how you guys?
(03:39):
I um started Keaton clause three years ago and it
was honestly on a whim. Previous client of mine had
asked if I would do her holiday for her family
that was coming over from Denmark, and I couldn't resist.
Her house is absolutely beautiful, but more importantly, I I
just it me back to a place. I come from
(04:01):
a small town in Kentucky, and my mom and I
used to do this when I was little. Um, not
just for ourselves but for family and friends. It brought
us so much joy, and honestly, those are the memories
that that I are lasting. Um. I feel like when
you grow up, you're like, what are the one thing.
What are the one things that like keep you going?
And and that is something that's very important to me
(04:22):
is the Christmas tradition. Um. Which leads me to the
point that I feel like, even though I created this
on a whim, I could have started a long time
ago because most of the things you love are the
things you're supposed to do, are probably right in front
of you. And if I'd read into that way back,
I think I would have done it sooner. And I
it brings me so much happiness I can't even tell you.
(04:45):
And it was a long time decision to transition over
and take a chance on it, but um here and
we're in the season and it couldn't be better than ever.
So um yeah, that's how I started it. It was
on a whim, um, but meant to be. And it
genuinely is what Amy said, which is taking things off
your holiday plate that you just don't have the time
(05:07):
to do because your schedule never stops right and um,
so because it doesn't, you need help, and why not
hire someone that knows what they're doing that can get
it done faster and quicker, and um, just lean in
a little bit of the tradition that then it mightn't
have better. It definitely would look better. But I think,
(05:29):
just like the photography thing with your kids, I do
know that I am always was put on the planet
to assist in some way. I don't like being a boss,
Like that's not even a thing that I love. It
is more bringing someone else joy um and taking something
(05:51):
off their plate. So with photography, I get to do
that and see people smile or cry um. So anyway,
it's just something that relates usual to me and I
love doing both. But do well. Okay, so since it's
the Christmas season and you do do all holidays, which
is even though your kinging Claus King Claus can do
(06:11):
Valentine's Day, so but you know, the big question is
after Halloween you start to see lights go up and
people really start getting into the Christmas spirit. And then
some people are like, slow down, pump the brakes. You're
rushing the year. So like when is the is there
an ideal time to officially start decorating? But I mean
now we're like basically mid November, so it's time. But
(06:34):
just so that people know for record, if they're ever confused,
truth be told. So I launched the website in August,
and I had lots of inquiries coming in and they'll
be like, we'll get back to you in in the
end of October, and I was like, no, no, no, no, no,
Like I have clients from three years that are consistent
clients because I'll tell you a little bit about structure
structure too, but um, I would prefer people to come
(06:57):
in earlier. I'm kind of on the retail schedule, Like
when do you start seeing sweaters go up? I mean,
it's so soon. So I'm the same way. I'm having
to buy the product before people that just go buy
it off the rack. Granted, we do go to market
and things, and I get those options that no nobody
else has. Under the circumstances when someone does hire me
(07:20):
in November, I don't have the option. I can't order
and get it here. You know how furniture works. It's
the same way with the ornaments and trees, um. So
like November is the latest day I can order from
vendors and it arrives in time to do your house.
And if you pick November, then you're not getting it
because it's not going to arrive so well. But just
(07:42):
for the like your for your services, yes, I could
totally see that. And you have online services, which yes,
we'll get into the different ways because some people listening
they don't live in Nashville. But what's cool too is
Keaton recognizes that and has and recognizes that this is
definitely a luxury thing, and you have a more affordable
option where you can do consulting online and help get
(08:06):
it done, which I think is awesome. But like I guess,
just in general, when do you say, as a rule
of thumb, like okay, start putting up your Christmas stuff,
like if people are decorating at home by themselves November. Okay,
see that's what I'm yeah, because I saw after after Halloween.
I saw some of my neighbors they got after it,
(08:28):
and so that's okay. Oh, it's totally okay, totally acceptable.
Why would you spend all that money and only have
it for a month. I don't know. I just feel
like you should have it up for a last too,
and then what about taking it down there? Because some
people it's like mid January and Christmas is still going.
I think it's winter. I mean in at least by
(08:49):
the end of January. Okay, But there are some that
asked to keep it up through February, and I'm like
cool because that's another part of Keaton's business. If she
does come to decorate four you, she also returns once
it's Christmas is over and takes everything down and puts
it all away. That's everyone's favorite favorite part. Yeah, So
(09:10):
for me, that's really gonna come any of you because
literally the day after Christmas, we go to Colorado and
we're going to come back home and keeping Clause is
going to have it all clean. So um, that's about
So we covered like timeline for decor I think we
got November one. I think a lot of people are
seeing it up at least start shopping. Start shopping first, okay,
(09:30):
and then do you have any pet peeves when it
comes to decorating, Yes, Mini, But my top ones are
if you're wherever you're putting the tree, just if you're
stringing the cord, like, no chord should show ever, so
I will completely take lights out or off or battery
(09:50):
operate them. But if the court is showing it's a nicore,
it just destructs all of the beauty and the glamor
of it. So I feel like if you're if the
chord is showing somewhere, then that's the wrong place. That's
usually the rule of thumb for me. Um, So garland
on a staircase, Um, I have a majority role. Do
not light it because I just think it looks it
(10:11):
looks unprofessional. So so you can put the garland, but
put the garland and and garland too. That's another pet
peeve of mind. Don't just put it on the banister
because that's not like it's a natural stay. If you're
buying it live, which majority of my clients like live. Um,
if you're but you know what, even the artificial I'm
not gonna do. I never just put it straight on
(10:31):
the banister because just like a tree, it's meant to
have a movement. So always do a tear or a
scallop somewhere. And the biggest just while we're talking about garland,
people are always like, how do you put it on there? Like,
what do you use? My trick is used a zip tie. Okay,
(10:53):
it will never be shown never Yeah, okay, zip tie
is coming handy? Have those bad boy is handed because
every color to every color. Yeah, So that I was
gonna say, do they make like a green zip tie,
a dark green zip thy perfect blends right in um
and then like you mentioned the Christmas tree and like
if you can't plug it in without the chord showing,
(11:14):
it might be the wrong spot. What about like is
there a certain window or should it be in the
right room where the presents would look good? And that
because that's where you're going to ultimately be spending Christmas
morning or eve? So I do do you like the
movie A Christmas Story? Okay? So I always mentioned that
to my clients because that's the best way for them
(11:35):
to envision it. They can't see my house, so it's
you know that, go let's go to a movie they
have the tree in the mirror or in the window, sorry,
and all the presents are there. And so as a
videographer whoever was filming that director wise, they want the shot,
So imagine your family the same way, Like you don't
want to put it over by a lot of people
(11:57):
are like, we usually put it right here by the fridge.
I'm like, let's not do that because every picture you
take your friend is going to be in the background.
So I always just say, yes, it can go in
the window, but put it where your shot your friend.
That's the photographer side of me coming out. But it
should look pretty, the present should be there. You should
want to sit by the tree and open the gifts.
(12:18):
So yeah, that's the placement I would put it. I
love that tip. And then what about some steps decorating
the Christmas tree? Yes, um, I don't even have any
because honestly I don't. I don't even Keaton asked me, well,
what ornaments do you have? And I said I don't
have any ornaments. I think you were like, okay, I mean,
I'm like the grunch over here in Keaton Claus is
(12:39):
showing up. But I just want a flocked which is
a tree that has been want what is described flocked.
Oh it's just it's just white spray and it looks
like snow, and it's so you're gonna love. I love that.
(13:00):
As I joke, we got one two years ago and
like my whole family, that's what we were saying the
whole time. Maybe it was two or three years ago.
I did one and it was like flocking the best.
I'm gonna use a flocked tree. Um. So yeah, if
you're buying a tree, most places that sell them, they
will flock them for you. You just have to ask.
If you don't see it, but um, it makes it.
(13:21):
Or you could do it on your own Amazon Amazon,
Amazon the flock, you Amazon the flock and then you yeah,
go outside and just spread yourself. So that is an option.
And um, you know, for me, I love the beauty
of that. And since I know ornaments, I just love
white lights. There's something about being simple, and I think
for me everything else overwhelms me. But like growing up,
(13:43):
I don't know why I'm like that because growing up
my mom we had tons of ornaments. We put up
a tree. Even my mom when she was single and
we were all moved out and she was very busy,
she still put up her Christmas tree every year and
hung every single ornament. And like, I'm like, well, I
don't I do that. I don't have that. That's not
in me. I don't want to collect ornaments. I don't
(14:04):
want anything to do with them. Someone asked me that yesterday.
They said, why do you think our generation is matchy matchy?
It's all like themed, and you know, and I'm like,
I don't know, because like my mom is the same way.
Our tree at home is all of our old ornaments.
Nothing matches. You don't you don't have a match you
(14:25):
we're playing the matching game, like I was, is one
of my tips, you wouldn't find one, So I don't
know where that I would love. I need to do
more research because I'd love to know where that transition. Yeah,
I just want it, like yeah and yeah. My sister
is basically Martha Stewart Um. I mean, she'll love the
flock tree with the white, but she will string popcorn.
(14:47):
She will bake oranges. You know, when her first year
of marriage, when they didn't have any money, that's what
she did in their tree. It looked stunning. It looks
like it was out of a magazine. But she made
everything like barry ease and popcorn and oranges dried oranges
or and whatever, and it looked so good. But like,
I would never take the time to do that. If
I'm having money, I'd be like, okay, sweet, like we're
(15:10):
justly gonna do anything. But she still made it special.
And I'm like, gosh, why don't I want to make
stuff special? So that's why I'm super excited that Keene's
gonna help me make it special. Yeah, maybe we're gonna
keep it simple stuff, it'll still be simple, but because
that's my vibe. So anyway, when it comes to I
was just sharing with people to look I'm going for
in case you're into that. But also, how are there's
(15:31):
steps to decorating the tree. So first step, if you
do not like biggest, the most important thing is to
always fluff. If you're I'm just talking about artifics, we'll
go back to artificial because the majority of my clients
are people that want the tree up two months and
those are what I call my November peeps. Um, they're
(15:53):
all artificial trees because you know, like the trees don't
drop till day after Thanksgiving typically, So we'll just start
with that. So if you're an artificial tree owner, you
must must must fluff the stems, the branches because if
you don't, it's just gonna look artificial. So the I
(16:16):
would spend legit thirty minutes. Put some gloves on, that's
my biggest trick. Put some gloves on, like leather gloves,
and just go to it, because if you don't, it's there.
How do you fluff it? What do you mean? Go
to it? Just so you just take the pics and
you just move them out. I would fan them all
in every direction and then by the end of it,
you'll be like, oh my gosh, it doesn't really need
ornaments because it's so full you won't be able to
(16:38):
see you through it. So definitely fluff. That's my number one.
The second one is um, always lay your ornaments out
instead of the I would say most people my mom
does this, she puts she'll grab an ornament, put it on,
grab an other one, put it on. Always do the matches.
(17:00):
All one size goes first, all the next size goes next,
and so on and so forth. So always start with
your largest. I I love to start with a six
to eight inch ball, and those go to the center
towards the heart of the tree. Those will cover all
the gaps. And when I when I line them up,
always start I kind of separate the tree into a
(17:23):
four like a pie in my mind. So we'll just
say we're standing at the front of the tree, and
you start in the left corner, and then you go
up one over one, and then you put it again,
and then you go up one over left, up one
over right. Well, I never knew there was such like
a like a science to it or whatever. This is
really just a side I've came up with it, but
(17:45):
it works. No, I'm all about it because I you know,
I have one of those restoration hardware like Charlie Brown
trees that I've done before, and that one is I
mean it's like a twig, but it's beautiful and it's
lit up and it's great. But I mean we yeah,
it's so I'd had no rhyme or reason to what
I was doing and it just threw me. But if
(18:06):
I had more of a calculated plan, I could see
how that just would make it way easier. I'm very
o c D. See I'm not. Yeah, very o c D.
So I have to have a structure to it. Project management,
I would say that's the one thing like me and
my team were really good at the project management side.
I love. Yes, we can make everything look pretty, but
that is what people continue hires for because we have
(18:28):
a there's a robber reason for everything, which got all
the time, you know me. So you do the big
ones first and then you go fill in with like
medium in this small if you're going to add I
(18:49):
always say like picks, which if if you don't know
what that is, it's like, uh, pieces of it could
be piece of a tree, it could be little round balls.
Like it's called a pick. You don't know what. Look
it up on Google Christmas picks and some of them
are berries. Put those where you see gaps in the
tree and those will fill out. But always keep the
calculation to it stick one end go up to the
(19:12):
right stick, one end up to the left stick one
it so always keep that in mind. It's called here's
another trip. If you're I don't have kids yet, but
when I do, like my biggest fear kind of like
you're saying, you like things simple, but wait till your
kids like start bringing ornaments home. You're like, we can't
put them on them? From where? Cool? Then I guess
(19:34):
I don't know. Well I just throw him away, right, No,
this is really like I'm a horrible person, right now,
that's what That's what Nick told me, which is funny.
My husbands named Nick, which is just too ironic because
we call it. He's kind of a grinch to he
he refuses to listen Christmas music until the day after thinks,
(19:54):
oh that's wrong. He needs to get on that chat.
But um, yeah, so if your kids are bringing home
all these what I call terrible ornaments and you don't
want to hang on your tree. They're inevitably gonna want
to hang them in the front. My mom gave me this,
this lie. It is a lie, but it works. She
always said, those go on the center of the tree
(20:18):
because the center of the tree is the heart of
the tree, and those will keep it warm. Oh and
so all of those can just go on the center.
So that's something you can tell your kids. Got to
keep it warm. Yeah, so then your tree can stay
pretty or just just have another tree in the playroom
that they can decorate. That's the easiest. Witch like a
little one. Um, that's that's interesting. You bring it. Yeah,
(20:41):
I need to get you and nick y'all need to
get We need to make you a four Things Christmas. Um,
I have these over here. Well the I have a
white board in here. We're playing around with our four
Things Christmas pullovers. And I just made ben one that
says eggnog, mistletoe, red Writer, and baby Jesus because red
Writer from a Christmas story. Um, and then we're totally
(21:02):
going to do that. Yeah. So people love the star,
the major the birth Christmas. But you need to think
of because you're kating claws. I would have to have
ice skating on there. That's a good one. It's my number. I.
If I could be anything in the world, it would
have been an ice skater. Yeah yeah, did you ever skate? No?
(21:27):
But I was like a huge um Nancy Kerrigan fan,
and my mom we didn't have I was in Kentucky.
We had snow, but no ice skating rings around, and
so she bought me are roller skates so I would
roller skate on her carpet, pretending that I was Nancy Kerrigan.
And so I'm hoping this year that Nick buys me
(21:47):
ice skates because I've been asking for like ten years.
So any kids, Yes, you need them, then why hasn't
he gotten them for you? He told me this your
stop asking, So maybe he's got a plan. How old
are you? I like, it's not too late December eleven.
He better buy me some ice skates. You could become.
(22:11):
I could probably set you up with. You know, my
adoption mentors, Tracy Hamilton's. She's married to Scott Hamilton's and
he gave we went ice skating with them once where
the Preads practice or do something. And he has his
own rink. He hasn't own ice crinkler. Yeah, well, I mean,
he's like involved in it. Like it's like the Scott
(22:31):
Hamilton's need him to teach me how to escape backwards?
That's what something I can't do. He could help you.
But I guess the kids had probably been in America
like a day or something, and I said that they're
they're from Hades and they're they don't like the cold,
and I'm like, come on, kids, We're going to meet
Scott and Tracy at the ice skating rink. And they're
like what, They have no clue what's happening. I mean,
(22:52):
it was a hot mess, but it was And of
course they had zero appreciation that they were basically getting
an ice skating lesson from an Olympic in um. That
was totally lost on them. But one day I lived
it and I fell like every I was like, what,
I'm gonna get hurt doing this now. I was the
weird um when I moved here eleven years ago. But
(23:15):
I was the weird twenty two year old at public
skate skating on a Saturday by myself. The kids love
roller skating, do they? Um? In Brentwood, there's a rink, um,
but you were doing public ice skating. Yeah, Centennial oh,
or you were titans cheerly. I was, okay, I was,
(23:36):
but it just we didn't like I said, we didn't
have that. So the second I moved here and I
realized they had a nice ice drink that was public skate,
I was like, that's me I did. Yeah, I was
made for this. I do it. Um well, speaking of
kids and you know, getting them involved in traditions, like
do you have any tips or tricks for us, especially
(23:57):
like new parents like me, this is only going to
be you know, I feel like my second real Christmas. Now.
The kids got here Christmas two years ago, so technically
they arrived on the twenty second and then it was Christmas.
But that day I don't even know, Like we we
went and had Chinese food. Um, well, actually that that's
(24:17):
kind of a tradition. Well yeah, but it wasn't. And
I kind of whelt over my head like this is
gonna be amazing. But my dad was here. The kids
were just in this weird They were processing so much,
like they barely spoke English. It was so rough when
I think back on that time and we go and
we're getting Chinese food and we're sitting there and we
(24:41):
can't even order our waitress, like barely speaking, like it
was just a whole like I didn't know what anybody
was doing. It was a blur for me. I think
I'd been like crying all day because it was stressful.
You know what's funny is I remember texting you that
day on Christmas. Yeah, I went, I don't remember anything
except for Chinese edited the photos from the kids, and
then I remember sending them to you on Christmas and
(25:02):
I was like, hey, marry Christmas. And I was like,
how are you doing? Because I just knew that it
was probably emotional, waited so long, you know what I say.
I was like, I didn't know you were honest, it's
it's it's interesting and you know your Christmas Oh gosh. Yes,
our daughter was like a hot mess that day. But
she's come so far. I mean, you saw her in
(25:24):
the kitchen earlier, like she's I'm just gonna be more
proud of her, and she's so beautiful. But the first
six months with her just in all honesty, and we've
been transparent on here, especially if you're considering an adoption
of of an older child, they're just poor things. She
was just processing so much, and then there's that she
was testing me left and right, me and Ben and
that was hard. And um, now she started to like
(25:48):
accept us and know that we're not going to abandon
her and we're here for her. So that's been a
beautiful thing to see. But you know, that first Christmas
wasn't didn't feel like a real Christmas with them. And
then last year, um, you know, we kind of did
the whole Charlie Brown tree, but like I said, I
didn't really decorate at all because we were going to Colorado.
And then you know, this year, I gotta start doing
(26:11):
some traditions with them. Yeah, and I will. I will say, um,
when we go into a house. That's the one thing
I always like to tell families, like, we're not here
to replace you doing Christmas right, Like I didn't never
want moms to think, oh, you're coming in and doing
it all for us. I prefer actually sometimes for the
moms to leave during the day and then the kids
(26:32):
and her come home and they're like surprise, and they
don't know that I've done it, you know. So I
always make it a very point of action, like to
build the traditions that you want to build. I asked
that first and primary on our first sight visit. What
what traditions do you have? Because I want to stick
to those and let's not me take those on right. Um,
(26:54):
a couple of things that I if I think we
were going to talk about this previously. What can the
kids do with you to start in your traditions? Um?
I love asking moms to send me photos of the kids.
And then we have this little kind of like art
deco away of creating these photographed ornaments that are actually
(27:15):
really pretty and Danny, we like ripped the pages to
make them look like kind of snowy, and we put
them on these wood stacks that you just get from Amazon.
And um, we'll decorate the tree with the ones we've
already previously created, but we leave some for you guys
to do as a family and also hang them on
the tree. Cute we'll do that maybe, Yeah, okay, the
(27:36):
pictures with your kids on my um flocked tree with
no other things hanging on it besides but white lights,
white lights? Um, what about affordable decor affordable with the core?
This also goes hand in hand with the kids. Um.
Pine cones are phenomenal accents and they're everywhere, Like they're
(27:58):
everywhere so you can play the pine cone challenge, that's
what I call it. Send your kids out. You'll take
an hour and I guess, depending on where you live,
there everywhere, Yeah, I mean I guess. Yeah. I feel
like I'd never lived anywhere, but this out true. But
if they don't. If they don't, maybe a Michael's or
Amazon Amazon alasone's got everything went in doubt Amazon for sure.
(28:23):
But that's the most affordable one you could take. Just
like your tree, we're doing the flock tree. You could
just order pine guns and it would be stunning, stunning. Yeah,
and then pine cones could go in the center of
your dining room table. Also, um ornaments and a hurricane
like I know that's such an old school thing, but
it really goes you get a lot of bang for
(28:45):
your bucks. I don't know what that means. So like
the glass hurricanes, A lot of people just have them
in a hurricane like a like a base vase, take
the candle out, throw some like ornaments on there, and
it's just an easy way. You've spent ten bucks and
you look festive on your dining room table. Yeah, so
that is an easy time. That's another one. Um, let
(29:06):
me think do you prefer um? If people do that,
I guess it just spends on the client's taste or
whoever is listening right now, your taste. But like it
could be a hurricane full of like really colorful um.
Or do you think like clear or pearly or silver
gold looks better? Or I mean I think it's an
(29:26):
aesthetic red. Okay, I love a red. I mean red
red is the color of the season. I will tell
everybody that, um, it's I think of a little bit
of the retro is coming back. So I've seen Tinsel
a lot when I was at market. Um I saw
Target had like a tinsel had a pom pom Uh. Well,
(29:47):
I follow at loves Everything Target on Instagram and she
posted a uh tree skirt that had green and red
pomp pomps, and then another one that had tinsel. Do
you have a tree skirt? By the way, So I
need to get one of this. Yeah, okay, a second
and the question I didn't not bump on one might
be cute, but but it has a red and green.
(30:08):
But yes, so you're saying, oh, when you were talking
about decor on the outside of my house, and we
might just do really simple green reads like nothing on
them and then a red bow. Yes, yeah, it's gonna
look so pretty, and it's like so simple and so easy,
so simple, I mean the outside of the house, like
people when they're driving by. I think it should be classic,
you know. I mean, it never goes out of style,
(30:29):
so you might as well just do something that's gonna
last forever and then add to it. And that's why
I tell people when they come to me, and yes,
it's a luxury service for the ones that want the
full service, But I always say, if you just have
a budget you're happy with, and let's stick with that
and know that you're hiring a professional that is going
to only pull designs that you can add to so
(30:51):
so year to year, it's not like it to skeep
adding to it because okay, this year is done. Used
to buying over time, so when you throw we do
flat rights. So when you throw a number out, you're
like and then I'm like, well, if you calculate all
the years of the things that you've purchased, it would
equivalate to that. So yeah, um. And then the let's
(31:13):
talk about the online part of your business where you
can consult, because you do not just um, home family
homes or whatever. But you do do corporate offices, and so
there may be somebody listening that's like, whoa, I'm in
charge of our big in Texas company party or whatever.
And it may not even be Christmas. It may be
(31:35):
like I'm in charge of the Valentine Shindig or the
insert whatever holiday, any holiday. Um. Yeah, so you just
you can shoot me an email and say I'm interested
in an online design, and um, we get on a
phone call, and I like to I like the face
to face I'm pretty much a face to face girl.
So unlike other online designs where you're only electronic, like
(31:59):
every thing is electronic, that scares me. I feel like
you need to know when we're old person. So we
talk about what you need and and then you get
your designs and you execute everything on your own. You
get the links and so where to shop and what
to do. Yeah, and you get a vision board with
all the you know, information that you may not know
(32:21):
kind of the things we're discussing right now, but yeah,
just catered to your like, tailored to your exact space. Yeah,
it's really easy, honestly that I've had a lot of those.
But corporate, for sure, just like executive assistance that we're
having to throw the parties and they were like, what
do I do and are easy? Just go here, go here,
(32:41):
go here, and then wham bam you you're you're taken
care of. Awesome. Yeah, well, I'm super proud of you. Keaton.
Think like I think it's exciting what you're doing and
UM excited to hear that it's possibly growing because you're
doing what you're doing here in Nashville, but you may
even branch out and have different locations where you've got
to tame. So we're definitely doing that. I'm glad you, um,
(33:05):
which is encouraging too for other people listening that might
feel you loved your job where you were, but that
might feel like maybe there's something else for them that
could be right in front of them right that. That's
my best advice if you're feeling pulled, but do you
Like I'm a very wear my heart on my sleeve
emotional person, but I had to learn like, if I'm
(33:29):
being pulled somewhere, there's my God. Believe God is telling
me something, but like go with it and just trust
that you can always go back to where you came from.
You can't get time back, right, so you can't. So
you can't. Well we'll leave on that bit of wisdom. Um,
and definitely what about Instagram. It's just the same thing.
(33:51):
The websites Keaton clause dot com and Instagram is clause.
Clause is with a k any last minute people are
will say that if you're listening and you're like, if
you are local, for sure, Um, we have some openings
um the second week of December for actual residential But
if you are in like panic mode and I'm like, unfortunately, sorry,
(34:14):
we don't have that date. We do have an option
where we do consultation and we simply come over and
tell you everything you should do and where you should
get it, and then you're left to execute it. It's
real simple. It just takes a little bit of that
anxiety when you walk into the store and you're like
where do I story? It can be overwhelmed. It's so overwhelming.
I mean some of my staff is like, uh where
what So we that's part of our service, like getting
(34:36):
a game plan before we even step foot onto property
of stores. Yeah, because it's very overwhelming. Uh but yeah, um,
your favorite Christmas song, Oh gosh, I go where I
carry all in one for Christmas, I don't think I do.
I love that song. I can't pick that. That's impossible,
impossible for me, but I think I started listening to it.
(34:58):
Your favorite Christmas movie is prans or what is that?
I know, no one knows what it is. I'm gonna
make everyone just go look it up. It's a it's
a little girl, but it's it's something that was very
near to my heart. And once you go watch it,
you'll be like, oh, I understand why she's keating claws.
Now okay, so well, now, well that is what will
officially end on and thank you Keaton for coming, and
(35:22):
you'll hit her up if you've got any questions, even
Christmas and beyond. She does all the holidays. And then
I'll be posting stuff on my Instagram that we're going
to do at the house because I'm sure people will
be curious what it's going to look like and I
am too, but I'm excited. And then yeah, I'll answer
(35:42):
it again. Those frames in my kitchen, you just have
to get on my get bigger Matt. That's all I
got to do, a big Matt and then frame it.
But it really is it's like that. That's probably the
number one thing people even when they walk in my
house they notice. So it is an investment because you're
doing your custom for aim. But it was totally worth
it because there's no art on that. It's a huge
(36:03):
wall we had to fill and it's personal because it's
family photos, but it's unique and it fills in that space. Okay,
now we're really ending. I mean I could ramble Christmas. Okay, everybody,
Merry Christmas.
Okay, So doing something a little different today for the
Tuesday Q and A, which is gonna be fun because
it's all Christmas holiday related. My friend Keaton right is
here and she is Keaton Clause with the K, so
I mean holiday, Christmas. Keaton Claus put it together. She's
basically our Santa Claus, and she is going to talk
(00:24):
to us about decorating specifically for Christmas because it's coming up,
but you do all kinds of holidays. And how I
first met Keaton was she worked for um April Tomlin Interiors,
and when we were designing our house and doing stuff,
April and Keaton they made it happen. So if y'all
people always ask me about those pictures hanging in my
(00:46):
kitchen and we all put the kids the black and white.
But the frames are like rectangle, and I probably anytime
those were on Instagram, I get tons of questions and
I always in like, oh, because y'all did the customer,
so you can have those made. But unfortunately I wish
I could say, hey, yeah, just run to Target or
(01:07):
Michael's or something and pick up the frames. But but
but that can be done, and it's a way to
make it look more interesting and like art when really
it's just framing, framing, and shout out to Target too,
because some stuff that y' all found from my house,
like a lot of it is from targets. So while
a deal love a deal of it, Keaton is like
(01:28):
deal queen. So um, that's when we first met and
then when we brought our kids to America. Keaton is
also a photographer, and she sent me a note and said, hey,
I would love to come and capture that day, so
so special like goose pumps when I think about it,
because she showed up with her camera and just captured
like special moments, so that it was good to have her.
(01:50):
They're kind of just snapping everything so that nobody in
our family we were all preoccupied and not really wanted
to take a bunch of pictures that we had Keaton
do that. So that was um, really awesome and thoughtful
of her. And she recently branched out on her own
and is doing the Keaton Clause thing, which your website
is straight up that Keaton Clause dot com. And again
clauses with a K because Keaton's with a K E
(02:12):
and no E K E A t U I N
K L a u S dot com. So I want
you to share, like why you started this and what
you do. And I kind of like your Lyne about
how you know, if you can't have an assistant full time,
then higher one when you need it, maybe when you're
trying to get a bunch of holiday stuff done. And
(02:34):
then I'm gonna go into some questions for you that
hopefully will be helpful for you. And I want you
want to know why I'm having her on is I
personally get stressed out decorating for the holidays, and sometimes
I just straight up don't do it, and especially if
I'm leaving town for Christmas, I just don't even get
into that vibe. I mean, I'm watching a Hallmark Christmas
movie because I'm all about that, but that is like
the extent of my Christmas in my house. But I'm
(02:55):
hosting Thanksgiving this year and we're going to be home
Christmas Day this year, and so I feel like I
need it all done before we head out to Colorado.
And I think it'll be good for my to create
this for my kids too, because for so long in
my marriage was just me and Ben, and I was like,
why do we need to put up a treat. But
now that we have the kids, I want to do
it all. And you got all the tips. So Keaton's
(03:16):
actually gonna be helping me with some of that at
my house again since I'm scared to do it. Um,
But I thought, wow, if I feel like there's some
tips she could share with you guys, because now is
the time to start decorating, Well maybe we should ask
that question when is the right time? Um? But share
with us how you got started and why, and then
we'll get into some questions perfect um, how you guys?
(03:39):
I um started Keaton clause three years ago and it
was honestly on a whim. Previous client of mine had
asked if I would do her holiday for her family
that was coming over from Denmark, and I couldn't resist.
Her house is absolutely beautiful, but more importantly, I I
just it me back to a place. I come from
(04:01):
a small town in Kentucky, and my mom and I
used to do this when I was little. Um, not
just for ourselves but for family and friends. It brought
us so much joy, and honestly, those are the memories
that that I are lasting. Um. I feel like when
you grow up, you're like, what are the one thing.
What are the one things that like keep you going?
And and that is something that's very important to me
(04:22):
is the Christmas tradition. Um. Which leads me to the
point that I feel like, even though I created this
on a whim, I could have started a long time
ago because most of the things you love are the
things you're supposed to do, are probably right in front
of you. And if I'd read into that way back,
I think I would have done it sooner. And I
it brings me so much happiness I can't even tell you.
(04:45):
And it was a long time decision to transition over
and take a chance on it, but um here and
we're in the season and it couldn't be better than ever.
So um yeah, that's how I started it. It was
on a whim, um, but meant to be. And it
genuinely is what Amy said, which is taking things off
your holiday plate that you just don't have the time
(05:07):
to do because your schedule never stops right and um,
so because it doesn't, you need help, and why not
hire someone that knows what they're doing that can get
it done faster and quicker, and um, just lean in
a little bit of the tradition that then it mightn't
have better. It definitely would look better. But I think,
(05:29):
just like the photography thing with your kids, I do
know that I am always was put on the planet
to assist in some way. I don't like being a boss,
Like that's not even a thing that I love. It
is more bringing someone else joy um and taking something
(05:51):
off their plate. So with photography, I get to do
that and see people smile or cry um. So anyway,
it's just something that relates usual to me and I
love doing both. But do well. Okay, so since it's
the Christmas season and you do do all holidays, which
is even though your kinging Claus King Claus can do
(06:11):
Valentine's Day, so but you know, the big question is
after Halloween you start to see lights go up and
people really start getting into the Christmas spirit. And then
some people are like, slow down, pump the brakes. You're
rushing the year. So like when is the is there
an ideal time to officially start decorating? But I mean
now we're like basically mid November, so it's time. But
(06:34):
just so that people know for record, if they're ever confused,
truth be told. So I launched the website in August,
and I had lots of inquiries coming in and they'll
be like, we'll get back to you in in the
end of October, and I was like, no, no, no, no, no,
Like I have clients from three years that are consistent
clients because I'll tell you a little bit about structure
structure too, but um, I would prefer people to come
(06:57):
in earlier. I'm kind of on the retail schedule, Like
when do you start seeing sweaters go up? I mean,
it's so soon. So I'm the same way. I'm having
to buy the product before people that just go buy
it off the rack. Granted, we do go to market
and things, and I get those options that no nobody
else has. Under the circumstances when someone does hire me
(07:20):
in November, I don't have the option. I can't order
and get it here. You know how furniture works. It's
the same way with the ornaments and trees, um. So
like November is the latest day I can order from
vendors and it arrives in time to do your house.
And if you pick November, then you're not getting it
because it's not going to arrive so well. But just
(07:42):
for the like your for your services, yes, I could
totally see that. And you have online services, which yes,
we'll get into the different ways because some people listening
they don't live in Nashville. But what's cool too is
Keaton recognizes that and has and recognizes that this is
definitely a luxury thing, and you have a more affordable
option where you can do consulting online and help get
(08:06):
it done, which I think is awesome. But like I guess,
just in general, when do you say, as a rule
of thumb, like okay, start putting up your Christmas stuff,
like if people are decorating at home by themselves November. Okay,
see that's what I'm yeah, because I saw after after Halloween.
I saw some of my neighbors they got after it,
(08:28):
and so that's okay. Oh, it's totally okay, totally acceptable.
Why would you spend all that money and only have
it for a month. I don't know. I just feel
like you should have it up for a last too,
and then what about taking it down there? Because some
people it's like mid January and Christmas is still going.
I think it's winter. I mean in at least by
(08:49):
the end of January. Okay, But there are some that
asked to keep it up through February, and I'm like
cool because that's another part of Keaton's business. If she
does come to decorate four you, she also returns once
it's Christmas is over and takes everything down and puts
it all away. That's everyone's favorite favorite part. Yeah, So
(09:10):
for me, that's really gonna come any of you because
literally the day after Christmas, we go to Colorado and
we're going to come back home and keeping Clause is
going to have it all clean. So um, that's about
So we covered like timeline for decor I think we
got November one. I think a lot of people are
seeing it up at least start shopping. Start shopping first, okay,
(09:30):
and then do you have any pet peeves when it
comes to decorating, Yes, Mini, But my top ones are
if you're wherever you're putting the tree, just if you're
stringing the cord, like, no chord should show ever, so
I will completely take lights out or off or battery
(09:50):
operate them. But if the court is showing it's a nicore,
it just destructs all of the beauty and the glamor
of it. So I feel like if you're if the
chord is showing somewhere, then that's the wrong place. That's
usually the rule of thumb for me. Um, So garland
on a staircase, Um, I have a majority role. Do
not light it because I just think it looks it
(10:11):
looks unprofessional. So so you can put the garland, but
put the garland and and garland too. That's another pet
peeve of mind. Don't just put it on the banister
because that's not like it's a natural stay. If you're
buying it live, which majority of my clients like live. Um,
if you're but you know what, even the artificial I'm
not gonna do. I never just put it straight on
(10:31):
the banister because just like a tree, it's meant to
have a movement. So always do a tear or a
scallop somewhere. And the biggest just while we're talking about garland,
people are always like, how do you put it on there? Like,
what do you use? My trick is used a zip tie. Okay,
(10:53):
it will never be shown never Yeah, okay, zip tie
is coming handy? Have those bad boy is handed because
every color to every color. Yeah, So that I was
gonna say, do they make like a green zip tie,
a dark green zip thy perfect blends right in um
and then like you mentioned the Christmas tree and like
if you can't plug it in without the chord showing,
(11:14):
it might be the wrong spot. What about like is
there a certain window or should it be in the
right room where the presents would look good? And that
because that's where you're going to ultimately be spending Christmas
morning or eve? So I do do you like the
movie A Christmas Story? Okay? So I always mentioned that
to my clients because that's the best way for them
(11:35):
to envision it. They can't see my house, so it's
you know that, go let's go to a movie they
have the tree in the mirror or in the window, sorry,
and all the presents are there. And so as a
videographer whoever was filming that director wise, they want the shot,
So imagine your family the same way, Like you don't
want to put it over by a lot of people
(11:57):
are like, we usually put it right here by the fridge.
I'm like, let's not do that because every picture you
take your friend is going to be in the background.
So I always just say, yes, it can go in
the window, but put it where your shot your friend.
That's the photographer side of me coming out. But it
should look pretty, the present should be there. You should
want to sit by the tree and open the gifts.
(12:18):
So yeah, that's the placement I would put it. I
love that tip. And then what about some steps decorating
the Christmas tree? Yes, um, I don't even have any
because honestly I don't. I don't even Keaton asked me, well,
what ornaments do you have? And I said I don't
have any ornaments. I think you were like, okay, I mean,
I'm like the grunch over here in Keaton Claus is
(12:39):
showing up. But I just want a flocked which is
a tree that has been want what is described flocked.
Oh it's just it's just white spray and it looks
like snow, and it's so you're gonna love. I love that.
(13:00):
As I joke, we got one two years ago and
like my whole family, that's what we were saying the
whole time. Maybe it was two or three years ago.
I did one and it was like flocking the best.
I'm gonna use a flocked tree. Um. So yeah, if
you're buying a tree, most places that sell them, they
will flock them for you. You just have to ask.
If you don't see it, but um, it makes it.
(13:21):
Or you could do it on your own Amazon Amazon,
Amazon the flock, you Amazon the flock and then you yeah,
go outside and just spread yourself. So that is an option.
And um, you know, for me, I love the beauty
of that. And since I know ornaments, I just love
white lights. There's something about being simple, and I think
for me everything else overwhelms me. But like growing up,
(13:43):
I don't know why I'm like that because growing up
my mom we had tons of ornaments. We put up
a tree. Even my mom when she was single and
we were all moved out and she was very busy,
she still put up her Christmas tree every year and
hung every single ornament. And like, I'm like, well, I
don't I do that. I don't have that. That's not
in me. I don't want to collect ornaments. I don't
(14:04):
want anything to do with them. Someone asked me that yesterday.
They said, why do you think our generation is matchy matchy?
It's all like themed, and you know, and I'm like,
I don't know, because like my mom is the same way.
Our tree at home is all of our old ornaments.
Nothing matches. You don't you don't have a match you
(14:25):
we're playing the matching game, like I was, is one
of my tips, you wouldn't find one, So I don't
know where that I would love. I need to do
more research because I'd love to know where that transition. Yeah,
I just want it, like yeah and yeah. My sister
is basically Martha Stewart Um. I mean, she'll love the
flock tree with the white, but she will string popcorn.
(14:47):
She will bake oranges. You know, when her first year
of marriage, when they didn't have any money, that's what
she did in their tree. It looked stunning. It looks
like it was out of a magazine. But she made
everything like barry ease and popcorn and oranges dried oranges
or and whatever, and it looked so good. But like,
I would never take the time to do that. If
I'm having money, I'd be like, okay, sweet, like we're
(15:10):
justly gonna do anything. But she still made it special.
And I'm like, gosh, why don't I want to make
stuff special? So that's why I'm super excited that Keene's
gonna help me make it special. Yeah, maybe we're gonna
keep it simple stuff, it'll still be simple, but because
that's my vibe. So anyway, when it comes to I
was just sharing with people to look I'm going for
in case you're into that. But also, how are there's
(15:31):
steps to decorating the tree. So first step, if you
do not like biggest, the most important thing is to
always fluff. If you're I'm just talking about artifics, we'll
go back to artificial because the majority of my clients
are people that want the tree up two months and
those are what I call my November peeps. Um, they're
(15:53):
all artificial trees because you know, like the trees don't
drop till day after Thanksgiving typically, So we'll just start
with that. So if you're an artificial tree owner, you
must must must fluff the stems, the branches because if
you don't, it's just gonna look artificial. So the I
(16:16):
would spend legit thirty minutes. Put some gloves on, that's
my biggest trick. Put some gloves on, like leather gloves,
and just go to it, because if you don't, it's there.
How do you fluff it? What do you mean? Go
to it? Just so you just take the pics and
you just move them out. I would fan them all
in every direction and then by the end of it,
you'll be like, oh my gosh, it doesn't really need
ornaments because it's so full you won't be able to
(16:38):
see you through it. So definitely fluff. That's my number one.
The second one is um, always lay your ornaments out
instead of the I would say most people my mom
does this, she puts she'll grab an ornament, put it on,
grab an other one, put it on. Always do the matches.
(17:00):
All one size goes first, all the next size goes next,
and so on and so forth. So always start with
your largest. I I love to start with a six
to eight inch ball, and those go to the center
towards the heart of the tree. Those will cover all
the gaps. And when I when I line them up,
always start I kind of separate the tree into a
(17:23):
four like a pie in my mind. So we'll just
say we're standing at the front of the tree, and
you start in the left corner, and then you go
up one over one, and then you put it again,
and then you go up one over left, up one
over right. Well, I never knew there was such like
a like a science to it or whatever. This is
really just a side I've came up with it, but
(17:45):
it works. No, I'm all about it because I you know,
I have one of those restoration hardware like Charlie Brown
trees that I've done before, and that one is I
mean it's like a twig, but it's beautiful and it's
lit up and it's great. But I mean we yeah,
it's so I'd had no rhyme or reason to what
I was doing and it just threw me. But if
(18:06):
I had more of a calculated plan, I could see
how that just would make it way easier. I'm very
o c D. See I'm not. Yeah, very o c D.
So I have to have a structure to it. Project management,
I would say that's the one thing like me and
my team were really good at the project management side.
I love. Yes, we can make everything look pretty, but
that is what people continue hires for because we have
(18:28):
a there's a robber reason for everything, which got all
the time, you know me. So you do the big
ones first and then you go fill in with like
medium in this small if you're going to add I
(18:49):
always say like picks, which if if you don't know
what that is, it's like, uh, pieces of it could
be piece of a tree, it could be little round balls.
Like it's called a pick. You don't know what. Look
it up on Google Christmas picks and some of them
are berries. Put those where you see gaps in the
tree and those will fill out. But always keep the
calculation to it stick one end go up to the
(19:12):
right stick, one end up to the left stick one
it so always keep that in mind. It's called here's
another trip. If you're I don't have kids yet, but
when I do, like my biggest fear kind of like
you're saying, you like things simple, but wait till your
kids like start bringing ornaments home. You're like, we can't
put them on them? From where? Cool? Then I guess
(19:34):
I don't know. Well I just throw him away, right, No,
this is really like I'm a horrible person, right now,
that's what That's what Nick told me, which is funny.
My husbands named Nick, which is just too ironic because
we call it. He's kind of a grinch to he
he refuses to listen Christmas music until the day after thinks,
(19:54):
oh that's wrong. He needs to get on that chat.
But um, yeah, so if your kids are bringing home
all these what I call terrible ornaments and you don't
want to hang on your tree. They're inevitably gonna want
to hang them in the front. My mom gave me this,
this lie. It is a lie, but it works. She
always said, those go on the center of the tree
(20:18):
because the center of the tree is the heart of
the tree, and those will keep it warm. Oh and
so all of those can just go on the center.
So that's something you can tell your kids. Got to
keep it warm. Yeah, so then your tree can stay
pretty or just just have another tree in the playroom
that they can decorate. That's the easiest. Witch like a
little one. Um, that's that's interesting. You bring it. Yeah,
(20:41):
I need to get you and nick y'all need to
get We need to make you a four Things Christmas. Um,
I have these over here. Well the I have a
white board in here. We're playing around with our four
Things Christmas pullovers. And I just made ben one that
says eggnog, mistletoe, red Writer, and baby Jesus because red
Writer from a Christmas story. Um, and then we're totally
(21:02):
going to do that. Yeah. So people love the star,
the major the birth Christmas. But you need to think
of because you're kating claws. I would have to have
ice skating on there. That's a good one. It's my number. I.
If I could be anything in the world, it would
have been an ice skater. Yeah yeah, did you ever skate? No?
(21:27):
But I was like a huge um Nancy Kerrigan fan,
and my mom we didn't have I was in Kentucky.
We had snow, but no ice skating rings around, and
so she bought me are roller skates so I would
roller skate on her carpet, pretending that I was Nancy Kerrigan.
And so I'm hoping this year that Nick buys me
(21:47):
ice skates because I've been asking for like ten years.
So any kids, Yes, you need them, then why hasn't
he gotten them for you? He told me this your
stop asking, So maybe he's got a plan. How old
are you? I like, it's not too late December eleven.
He better buy me some ice skates. You could become.
(22:11):
I could probably set you up with. You know, my
adoption mentors, Tracy Hamilton's. She's married to Scott Hamilton's and
he gave we went ice skating with them once where
the Preads practice or do something. And he has his
own rink. He hasn't own ice crinkler. Yeah, well, I mean,
he's like involved in it. Like it's like the Scott
(22:31):
Hamilton's need him to teach me how to escape backwards?
That's what something I can't do. He could help you.
But I guess the kids had probably been in America
like a day or something, and I said that they're
they're from Hades and they're they don't like the cold,
and I'm like, come on, kids, We're going to meet
Scott and Tracy at the ice skating rink. And they're
like what, They have no clue what's happening. I mean,
(22:52):
it was a hot mess, but it was And of
course they had zero appreciation that they were basically getting
an ice skating lesson from an Olympic in um. That
was totally lost on them. But one day I lived
it and I fell like every I was like, what,
I'm gonna get hurt doing this now. I was the
weird um when I moved here eleven years ago. But
(23:15):
I was the weird twenty two year old at public
skate skating on a Saturday by myself. The kids love
roller skating, do they? Um? In Brentwood, there's a rink, um,
but you were doing public ice skating. Yeah, Centennial oh,
or you were titans cheerly. I was, okay, I was,
(23:36):
but it just we didn't like I said, we didn't
have that. So the second I moved here and I
realized they had a nice ice drink that was public skate,
I was like, that's me I did. Yeah, I was
made for this. I do it. Um well, speaking of
kids and you know, getting them involved in traditions, like
do you have any tips or tricks for us, especially
(23:57):
like new parents like me, this is only going to
be you know, I feel like my second real Christmas. Now.
The kids got here Christmas two years ago, so technically
they arrived on the twenty second and then it was Christmas.
But that day I don't even know, Like we we
went and had Chinese food. Um, well, actually that that's
(24:17):
kind of a tradition. Well yeah, but it wasn't. And
I kind of whelt over my head like this is
gonna be amazing. But my dad was here. The kids
were just in this weird They were processing so much,
like they barely spoke English. It was so rough when
I think back on that time and we go and
we're getting Chinese food and we're sitting there and we
(24:41):
can't even order our waitress, like barely speaking, like it
was just a whole like I didn't know what anybody
was doing. It was a blur for me. I think
I'd been like crying all day because it was stressful.
You know what's funny is I remember texting you that
day on Christmas. Yeah, I went, I don't remember anything
except for Chinese edited the photos from the kids, and
then I remember sending them to you on Christmas and
(25:02):
I was like, hey, marry Christmas. And I was like,
how are you doing? Because I just knew that it
was probably emotional, waited so long, you know what I say.
I was like, I didn't know you were honest, it's
it's it's interesting and you know your Christmas Oh gosh. Yes,
our daughter was like a hot mess that day. But
she's come so far. I mean, you saw her in
(25:24):
the kitchen earlier, like she's I'm just gonna be more
proud of her, and she's so beautiful. But the first
six months with her just in all honesty, and we've
been transparent on here, especially if you're considering an adoption
of of an older child, they're just poor things. She
was just processing so much, and then there's that she
was testing me left and right, me and Ben and
that was hard. And um, now she started to like
(25:48):
accept us and know that we're not going to abandon
her and we're here for her. So that's been a
beautiful thing to see. But you know, that first Christmas
wasn't didn't feel like a real Christmas with them. And
then last year, um, you know, we kind of did
the whole Charlie Brown tree, but like I said, I
didn't really decorate at all because we were going to Colorado.
And then you know, this year, I gotta start doing
(26:11):
some traditions with them. Yeah, and I will. I will say, um,
when we go into a house. That's the one thing
I always like to tell families, like, we're not here
to replace you doing Christmas right, Like I didn't never
want moms to think, oh, you're coming in and doing
it all for us. I prefer actually sometimes for the
moms to leave during the day and then the kids
(26:32):
and her come home and they're like surprise, and they
don't know that I've done it, you know. So I
always make it a very point of action, like to
build the traditions that you want to build. I asked
that first and primary on our first sight visit. What
what traditions do you have? Because I want to stick
to those and let's not me take those on right. Um,
(26:54):
a couple of things that I if I think we
were going to talk about this previously. What can the
kids do with you to start in your traditions? Um?
I love asking moms to send me photos of the kids.
And then we have this little kind of like art
deco away of creating these photographed ornaments that are actually
(27:15):
really pretty and Danny, we like ripped the pages to
make them look like kind of snowy, and we put
them on these wood stacks that you just get from Amazon.
And um, we'll decorate the tree with the ones we've
already previously created, but we leave some for you guys
to do as a family and also hang them on
the tree. Cute we'll do that maybe, Yeah, okay, the
(27:36):
pictures with your kids on my um flocked tree with
no other things hanging on it besides but white lights,
white lights? Um, what about affordable decor affordable with the core?
This also goes hand in hand with the kids. Um.
Pine cones are phenomenal accents and they're everywhere, Like they're
(27:58):
everywhere so you can play the pine cone challenge, that's
what I call it. Send your kids out. You'll take
an hour and I guess, depending on where you live,
there everywhere, Yeah, I mean I guess. Yeah. I feel
like I'd never lived anywhere, but this out true. But
if they don't. If they don't, maybe a Michael's or
Amazon Amazon alasone's got everything went in doubt Amazon for sure.
(28:23):
But that's the most affordable one you could take. Just
like your tree, we're doing the flock tree. You could
just order pine guns and it would be stunning, stunning. Yeah,
and then pine cones could go in the center of
your dining room table. Also, um ornaments and a hurricane
like I know that's such an old school thing, but
it really goes you get a lot of bang for
(28:45):
your bucks. I don't know what that means. So like
the glass hurricanes, A lot of people just have them
in a hurricane like a like a base vase, take
the candle out, throw some like ornaments on there, and
it's just an easy way. You've spent ten bucks and
you look festive on your dining room table. Yeah, so
that is an easy time. That's another one. Um, let
(29:06):
me think do you prefer um? If people do that,
I guess it just spends on the client's taste or
whoever is listening right now, your taste. But like it
could be a hurricane full of like really colorful um.
Or do you think like clear or pearly or silver
gold looks better? Or I mean I think it's an
(29:26):
aesthetic red. Okay, I love a red. I mean red
red is the color of the season. I will tell
everybody that, um, it's I think of a little bit
of the retro is coming back. So I've seen Tinsel
a lot when I was at market. Um I saw
Target had like a tinsel had a pom pom Uh. Well,
(29:47):
I follow at loves Everything Target on Instagram and she
posted a uh tree skirt that had green and red
pomp pomps, and then another one that had tinsel. Do
you have a tree skirt? By the way, So I
need to get one of this. Yeah, okay, a second
and the question I didn't not bump on one might
be cute, but but it has a red and green.
(30:08):
But yes, so you're saying, oh, when you were talking
about decor on the outside of my house, and we
might just do really simple green reads like nothing on
them and then a red bow. Yes, yeah, it's gonna
look so pretty, and it's like so simple and so easy,
so simple, I mean the outside of the house, like
people when they're driving by. I think it should be classic,
you know. I mean, it never goes out of style,
(30:29):
so you might as well just do something that's gonna
last forever and then add to it. And that's why
I tell people when they come to me, and yes,
it's a luxury service for the ones that want the
full service, But I always say, if you just have
a budget you're happy with, and let's stick with that
and know that you're hiring a professional that is going
to only pull designs that you can add to so
(30:51):
so year to year, it's not like it to skeep
adding to it because okay, this year is done. Used
to buying over time, so when you throw we do
flat rights. So when you throw a number out, you're
like and then I'm like, well, if you calculate all
the years of the things that you've purchased, it would
equivalate to that. So yeah, um. And then the let's
(31:13):
talk about the online part of your business where you
can consult, because you do not just um, home family
homes or whatever. But you do do corporate offices, and so
there may be somebody listening that's like, whoa, I'm in
charge of our big in Texas company party or whatever.
And it may not even be Christmas. It may be
(31:35):
like I'm in charge of the Valentine Shindig or the
insert whatever holiday, any holiday. Um. Yeah, so you just
you can shoot me an email and say I'm interested
in an online design, and um, we get on a
phone call, and I like to I like the face
to face I'm pretty much a face to face girl.
So unlike other online designs where you're only electronic, like
(31:59):
every thing is electronic, that scares me. I feel like
you need to know when we're old person. So we
talk about what you need and and then you get
your designs and you execute everything on your own. You
get the links and so where to shop and what
to do. Yeah, and you get a vision board with
all the you know, information that you may not know
(32:21):
kind of the things we're discussing right now, but yeah,
just catered to your like, tailored to your exact space. Yeah,
it's really easy, honestly that I've had a lot of those.
But corporate, for sure, just like executive assistance that we're
having to throw the parties and they were like, what
do I do and are easy? Just go here, go here,
(32:41):
go here, and then wham bam you you're you're taken
care of. Awesome. Yeah, well, I'm super proud of you. Keaton.
Think like I think it's exciting what you're doing and
UM excited to hear that it's possibly growing because you're
doing what you're doing here in Nashville, but you may
even branch out and have different locations where you've got
to tame. So we're definitely doing that. I'm glad you, um,
(33:05):
which is encouraging too for other people listening that might
feel you loved your job where you were, but that
might feel like maybe there's something else for them that
could be right in front of them right that. That's
my best advice if you're feeling pulled, but do you
Like I'm a very wear my heart on my sleeve
emotional person, but I had to learn like, if I'm
(33:29):
being pulled somewhere, there's my God. Believe God is telling
me something, but like go with it and just trust
that you can always go back to where you came from.
You can't get time back, right, so you can't. So
you can't. Well we'll leave on that bit of wisdom. Um,
and definitely what about Instagram. It's just the same thing.
(33:51):
The websites Keaton clause dot com and Instagram is clause.
Clause is with a k any last minute people are
will say that if you're listening and you're like, if
you are local, for sure, Um, we have some openings
um the second week of December for actual residential But
if you are in like panic mode and I'm like, unfortunately, sorry,
(34:14):
we don't have that date. We do have an option
where we do consultation and we simply come over and
tell you everything you should do and where you should
get it, and then you're left to execute it. It's
real simple. It just takes a little bit of that
anxiety when you walk into the store and you're like
where do I story? It can be overwhelmed. It's so overwhelming.
I mean some of my staff is like, uh where
what So we that's part of our service, like getting
(34:36):
a game plan before we even step foot onto property
of stores. Yeah, because it's very overwhelming. Uh but yeah, um,
your favorite Christmas song, Oh gosh, I go where I
carry all in one for Christmas, I don't think I do.
I love that song. I can't pick that. That's impossible,
impossible for me, but I think I started listening to it.
(34:58):
Your favorite Christmas movie is prans or what is that?
I know, no one knows what it is. I'm gonna
make everyone just go look it up. It's a it's
a little girl, but it's it's something that was very
near to my heart. And once you go watch it,
you'll be like, oh, I understand why she's keating claws.
Now okay, so well, now, well that is what will
officially end on and thank you Keaton for coming, and
(35:22):
you'll hit her up if you've got any questions, even
Christmas and beyond. She does all the holidays. And then
I'll be posting stuff on my Instagram that we're going
to do at the house because I'm sure people will
be curious what it's going to look like and I
am too, but I'm excited. And then yeah, I'll answer
(35:42):
it again. Those frames in my kitchen, you just have
to get on my get bigger Matt. That's all I
got to do, a big Matt and then frame it.
But it really is it's like that. That's probably the
number one thing people even when they walk in my
house they notice. So it is an investment because you're
doing your custom for aim. But it was totally worth
it because there's no art on that. It's a huge
(36:03):
wall we had to fill and it's personal because it's
family photos, but it's unique and it fills in that space. Okay,
now we're really ending. I mean I could ramble Christmas. Okay, everybody,
Merry Christmas.
Feeling Things with Amy & Kat News
Host
Amy Brown
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