First, I’ve got to say that I’m sorry for such a brief and ever-so-slightly lame post last week.  Yes, things are busy but that is good!  Today I thought I would offer a few snippets of all my “things in progress.”

Project 1:  Front entry/laundry room renovation.  This has been in design development for a while now, but it looks like construction is right around the corner!

Project 2: Kitchen reno.  This active family can’t wait to tear down the wall currently separating their kitchen from the dining and living room areas.

Project 3: New office space.  I recently helped a business get settled into their new office.  These chairs worked perfectly with our palette.

Project 4:  Another mudroom/laundry renovation.  I have to admit, the storage solution for this mudroom is spectacular!

Project 5:  Commercial restoration.  This project has been under major construction since their groundbreaking ceremony I last posted on here.  Today will actually be the first time the ladies and I have been able to enter the building for almost a year.  Can’t wait to see the progress!

In other news…  I’m working out.  Excercise has always been one of those things that I’ve struggled to prioritize.  With the wedding on the way, I have been following through pretty well on a morning exercise regime.

 Source

I’ve been practicing up-do’s.  With a DIY wedding, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to at least entertain the thought of doing my own hair.  While I am not 100% which direction to take, it has been fun learning how to style my hair differently.  You’ve got to check out thesmallthingsblog.com.  She’s fantastic!

I have a super productive day on tap so it’s time for me to go.  See you again soon!

Morning!  One project currently in progress is a kitchen redesign with a super fun client that I originally worked with last year.  For this redesign, we will be updating the wall color, light fixtures, and furniture – eventually.  Lighting updates, as well as a fresh coat of paint, are two easy ways to bring a lot of change to a space.

Since I’ve been a busy bee researching light fixtures, I thought I would share a few sparkly ones that caught my eye.

Sources:  1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Here we go!  Without further delay, let me tell you about 2012′s holiday season of DIY.  I would consider there to be quite a few successes (“You MADE that?!”) with some minor disappointments as well.  Let’s begin…

The Sharpie Affect

Instructions:  Use permanent Sharpie markers to draw/write on white ceramic dishes.  Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees to permanently set your design.

Aimee’s observation:  This was a project I will absolutely do again.  Not only are white dishes super easy to come by (Dollar Store, Christmas Tree Shop, etc.) but this was a fast, fun, and easy project with unlimited potential.

A bit of advice:   Purchase an extra dish or mug to allow for a test-drive.  I found this particularly helpful as some colors changed considerably through the baking process.   For example, most turquoise and lime colors turned brown, but pinks/oranges/purples held true.  Also, keep Windex handy to erase imperfections prior to baking.

  The Etching Experiment

Instructions:  First, purchase a glass etching cream such as Armour Etch.  (This is available online or through most craft supply stores.)  Please be aware that this is a chemical, and it’s important to follow the directions specified.   Next you will want to create a stencil of some sort.  Mine were made by printing an image from my computer onto sticky paper.  I then stuck this image onto vinyl contact paper and used scissors/Exacto knife to cut out my image.  (Printing or drawing directly onto the contact paper did not work as the ink was not absorbed by the vinyl.)  With your stencil complete, you are ready to position it to the glass to be etched.   Liberally apply etching cream to stencil with a brush.  Allow cream to set for at least 10 minutes before rinsing completely under running water.

Aimee’s observation:  Super fun!  The cream is a bit pricey, but I will get my money’s worth for sure.  Originally I picked up a few 50 cent glasses at the Salvation Army to practice with.   Again, this has oodles of possibilities and glass is very easy to come by.  Be prepared to practice quite a bit before having consistently perfect results.

A bit of advice:  Be sure to press your stencil down VERY well before applying the etching cream.  As far as how long the cream should sit, there was conflicting information so ended up going with 10 minutes because it felt like long enough.  I know, that’s not very scientific of me…  Pieces that sat longer didn’t necessarily etch better.  For what it’s worth, I recommend keeping your stencils simple – not only because they can be a pain to cut out, but complicated patterns allow more opportunities for error.

The Bleach Technique

Instructions:  (You will need a bleach pen for this project.)  Begin by creating a vinyl stencil as described in the previous post.  When your stencil is ready, prepare the T-shirt by placing a piece of cardboard and/or aluminum foil inside the shirt (you don’t want the bleach to go all the way through).  Now you are ready to apply the stencil to the shirt and “color in” with the bleach pen.  Allow the bleach to sit for 20 minutes before rinsing off.  Complete by washing as normal in a washing machine.

Aimee’s observation:  This project was one of my failures…  The bleach seemed to seep around the stencil vs. altering the center of the stencil.  I’d say it’s worth another try though.

A bit of advice:  Mistake #1 = I didn’t practice .  Rather than test the process on a rag of some sort, I jumped right to the shirt I had purchased for this gift.  Mistake #2 = I repositioned my stencil probably 2 or 3 times before applying the bleach.  I think this is what allowed the bleach to seep around the stencil.

The Glitter Treatment

Instructions:  Generally speaking, I think there are two ways you can approach a glitter project.  You can 1) spread your adhesive then sprinkle your glitter, or 2) add the glitter to your adhesive and then spread.  For this project, I utilized the latter.   In either case, you will want to use an adhesive that will dry clear (good ol’ Elmers in my case).  Allow the adhesive to dry completely before repeating the process for full glitter coverage.

Aimee’s observations:  In this situation, I added glitter to an otherwise boring mirror frame.  Of course my niece loved it, but Perfectionist Aimee was a little disappointed by the chunky, bumpy finish.  Things may have been different if I went with glitter application #1, but that may have also resulted in a constant glitter sprinkles.  Oh well.

A bit of advice:  Again, I did not think to practice here.   I struggled with whether to use Elmers or Modge Podge - it pretty much came down to the flip of a coin.  I’d love to hear any other advice or tips on the subject.

 Your Standard Singer

So what else can I do?  Well, you can add a simple sewing project to the mix.  What you see here are flanel pillow cases to use with ice packs.  What makes these so special is that I added straps to them to help hold them in place.  These were a great gift for my parents, and I’ll probably end up making a few for active/Weekend Warrior type friends of mine.  Not to mention a couple for yours truly…

Wicked Woven

There’s no doubt about it – I come from crafty people.  My mom is a creative guru with a number of talents, one of which is basket making.  Having grown up around it, I have woven a few in my day, but a good 15-years have likely passed since last I tried.  Overall I’d say it came out pretty well.

Sugar Scrub Solution

Ingredients:  1 C white granulated sugar, 1 C brown sugar, 1 TB honey, 1 TB vanilla, 1/4 C olive oil.

Instructions:  Combine sugars in a bowl.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Store in air tight containers.  Apply to hands, feet, or body.  Rinse and pat dry gently.

Aimee’s observations:  It seems like I did quite a bit of research/experimentation for this project.  Originally I wanted to do a lemon scrub of some sort, but couldn’t get a robust lemon scent that was to my liking.  Many similar recipes exist if you are interested in modifying this one.  This is a very reasonably priced gift, especially if you hold onto glass jars as I did.

A bit of advice:  Be careful about adding too much olive oil as it may leave you feeling greasy, and your shower dangerously slippery.

 That’s it!  Let me know what you think

Saturday was the big reveal for Building on Hope’s renovation of Girls, Inc. in Manchester.  This was such an incredible experience for me to learn, give, and grow.  Below is a snippet of the the program from the big day.

Thank you again to everyone involved.  We made it happen as a team!  I’d like to offer special thanks to Brushworks Painting, BSR Services, Ed’s Flooring America, JR Langley, Liberty Hill Construction, Harvey Construction, Rowland Studios, Surplus Office Equipment, Warrenstreet Architects, and Melissa Amorim.

Check out before and after pictures in the Gallery!

Time flies when you’re having fun, and fall 2010 has been fun!  Over the past few months, I’ve had the pleasure of working with the owners of Mr. Mac’s Macaroni & Cheese restaurant.  Located on Hooksett Road in Manchester, Mr. Mac’s has amazing food available for dine in, delivery, pick up, as well as take and bake.

Inspired by the quintessential comfort food, Mr. Mac’s features a cheerful palette with homespun flare.  Original photography by local artisian Max Bittle (www.maxbittle.com) is also on display and for sale. 

While a few finishing touches are still pending, I encourage everyone to pay Mr. Mac’s a visit.  Have I mentioned their mac & cheese is amazing? 

Be sure to stay tuned for details of their grand opening!

Like many small businesses, the success of my work is measured by the satisfaction of my clients.  How well does the space fit their needs, did I meet their goals and exceed their expectations?  Real Estate Staging, on the other hand, can be measured a bit differently:  how quickly did the property sell and for how much. 

This week I learned that my most recent staging project sold within one week of listing!  The sellers are now able to move across the country and begin a new chapter of their lives.

This week I also heard from Dorrie, my very first client whom I worked with over two years ago.  She wanted to thank me again because a few months ago they also put their home up for sale.  In this case, the house sold within 36-hours. 

Whether you plan to stay where you are, or move in a couple of years, working with a designer will prove to be beneficial.

Success!  The faux brick wall in the office of Main Street Concord looks sensational!  Sincere thanks to Sherry Burnett (Burnett Designs) for her creative talent and hard work. 

It’s official:  the project for Main Street Concord, Inc. is underway!   Sherry Burnett and I have been working to create a faux brick wall in each room of the Main Street office.   Below are a few images of our progress so far.

   First room – Tape, tape, and more tape…

Sherry working her magic on the first room.

 As you can see, I was a little loopy by the second room 

 The response so far has been fantastic.  More images are on their way – stay tuned!

During the month of October I was a very busy bee developing a design proposal for the office of Main Street Concord, Inc.  This non-profit group, responsible for maintaining a healthy downtown community, had extended an invitation to local designers to offer a solution for their own office in need of a fresh start. 

To make a long story short, a well established design firm and myself each presented our suggestions for this project.  After careful consideration by numerous committees, the vote overwhelmingly fell in my favor!  What a wonderfully exciting opportunity   

One feature of my design is to have the exterior walls painted to resemble a brick facade (quite fitting for Main Street Concord, huh?)  I am delighted to say that Sherry Burnett of Burnett Designs will be facilitating this element of my design.  She is a remarkable artist, to say the least.  Sherry is available through her website www.sherryburnett.net.

Stay tuned for updates on the project’s progress – Cheers!

The winner of Project Laundry List’s window display in downtown Concord is…  Concord Camera! 

Sincere thanks to the owner and staff of Concord Camera for their gracious cooperation.