almost pointless

so I got my invite to Pinterest and have been poking around the last couple of days ... its a great way to look at the creative ideas of others all in one spot!

but is that the point?  I'm not sure.

for me, being into design, I love it.  I have gotten some great ideas from here that I'd like to actually do one day.  people are so darn clever!

my favorite so far is a small dresser with 5 drawers, and each drawer is painted a different color.  ok, so that's not so new ... BUT ... what they did do was use 5 colors from the same paint-chip card, so its more of a gradual fade.  you could use any hue for this technique and it would totally work.
I couldn't post the pic (operator error, I'm sure!) but here is the LINK.  cute cute cute!

it seems you either have to be a design fan of some kind or a major crafter, otherwise, you'd probably hate this site.  while looking around I got to thinking about the point of it all, and really, its almost pointless.

but only almost. 

among other things ..

I've got lots happening right now in my life.  here is something from the "1/2 full" side of my glass.  look what I can do now ...


Katie Grimm, ASP


its pretty cool to have initials after your name. ha!


When I get my business license and when my business name is officially mine, I will have another blog exclusively for that.  I can't tell you my brilliant name ... you know, just in case. :)


This other blog will be mostly before & after pics of my projects, and also, design/decor tips & tricks that I learn along the way.


whoo hoo!

what home staging can do

I've recently finished a home staging class here in Hawaii, and I love it!  love love love.  its right up my alley, and I'm very excited to get involved.


long definition short -
home staging merchandises a home for a quick sell, at top dollar.  staging emphasizes all the positive aspects of a home, while down-playing the negative.  a stager designs to sell the home, whereas, an interior designer aims to design for the wants and needs of those living there.  very different.
the concept is great, its creative, its functional, and to top it off, it works!!


I plan to continue my training, and eventually, do this full time ... full time meaning around home school and whatever else the family is doing.  my own business??  maybe one day ... 
I headed to CA in April and I will be attending a 3-day seminar.  I will then be a certified ASP!  I'll even get to put those initials after my name.  awesome.


anyway-
I just wanted to share something I read in this book, by Barbara Schwarz, the "inventor" and original guru of home staging.
she included a chapter of testimonies; stories from ASP's about how staging really works - on selling a home faster than imaginable, but also, how it affects the lives of those involved.  whether the house is to be sold because a couple are divorcing, or maybe a parent died; lives are usually on hold until something like this (selling the estate) is taken care of.

"Maria lived in a 6,000 sq ft home that she and her husband had built and where they had raised a family of 6 children.  The house was still full: grandchildren, grown children back home, a retired husband, extended family.  The house had been on and off the market for 4 yrs.  The outside landscaping was overgrown and a broken statue sat on a pad at the dirty front door.  There were broken windows, and bordello-red walls and shag carpet in the master bedroom.  Kitchen cupboards, once white, were not gray with fingerprints, grease, and scratches.  Crystal collections, grandchildren's stuffed animals, and a lifetime of things full of memories were everywhere.  When I met Maria she was crippled with arthritis and had to walk backward down the spiral staircase to greet me.
I could tell this job would require work, patience, listening, and compassion, and I was right.  We removed red shag carpet, painted walls, cleaned rooms, packed collections, repaired the broken statue, and painted the front door black.  It took more than a month to stage, but Maria's husband and children got on board, and gradually the home evolved into a product.  The house went on the market and sold after the first open house!  When we went back to pick up our staging accessories, Maria ran down the stairs frontward!  She was free not only of her emotional attachment to the house, but of the crippling arthritis as well.  Can you believe it?  Just another small staging miracle.  We really do change lives!"


Jan Wilson, ASP, IAHSP
Ontario, Canada


when I was in school for interior design, one of the things that turned me off was how shallow it all was.  it was all focused on material possessions, without much concern of a budget ... it was just all selfish.  I couldn't do it.  I couldn't pretend all the arrogance didn't bother me.
many of these home staging jobs are about getting more money for your home (which can be awfully greedy & selfish too), however, its more about getting on with your life.  moving forward to what's next.  that, I love.

Xmas humor

I know Christmas is over, but I just saw this and wanted to share.

dedicated to those who love design &/or architecture ....

if you can't read the caption, it says:

"damn contemporary, bullsh*t architecture!"

Merry Christmas!

good grief

does it bother you to have too many choices?


you go to the grocery store for 1 thing, and there you find an whole entire isle dedicated to that 1 product.  100 different manufacturers that claim to be the best, when really, they're all the same.  yet, I still have the hardest time choosing.  you?


in a department store you find thousands of shirts, and still you have to look at every single one before buying 1, right?  I do.  ugh.  what a chore.
I haven't shopped in a department store in {what seems like} forever, but same principle applies to thrift stores.  maybe even more so because you never know what you'll find there, so you want to make sure you everything.  its fun, but also a chore.


today I began a search to see what other designs there are for this lovely blog.  why?  no reason really ... but now I see that there are TONS of adorable designs out there.  and FREE too.  I'm definitely too cheap to pay someone to design a blog ... although, to you professionals bloggers out there, you're blogs look great.  I can totally see why you'd hire someone else!

• I'm looking for something girly, but not too girly ... because that's not me.
• something you don't have to squint to focus on when you come to my page.  that would be a turn off.
• something not too busy.  that would just make it automatically ugly.
• something simple, but pretty.
• something different & original, but not crazily abstract.

I somehow feel like it will be one of those things that when I see it, I'll know it.  yes I know it can be changed, but ... oh, I don't know.  I don't want to hassle with it.  I know that if I don't love it, I'll end up changing it every 2 weeks or so ... and won't that be annoying for you?!
its like some kind of identity crisis.  hahahaha.  I guess this is my OCD side kicking in.


those of you that did not hire anyone, who use blogspot for you blog (or maybe that matter?), and want a cute blog, where do you "shop" for it?  help.

26 of 30

a big thank you to my bed.

think king size.  pillow top.  clean sheets.

I LOVE clean sheets.

... zzz ZZZ zzz ...

sadly, I have no headboard.

moving here cost me everything design-wise.

a sad thing for me.

I miss it.

but I'm thankful none-the-less.

look at these 2 cute beds I randomly found ...

hubby would totally not approve.

still, very cute.

19 of 30

I think every mom gets to a point and realizes that if she doesn't add herself to the "take care of" list, she will (unconsciously) begin to slowly lose herself and go a little crazy. seriously, it happens.

I have begun a new chapter and started back into the design world ... I think I posted this not too long ago.

but today, I'm adding it to my thankful list!

I'm hoping what appears to be a chapter in my life, is a long-er one; more of a season, and that this class I'm taking turns into something. SOMETHING.

for me, design is fun. and its even more fun when you don't have a picky someone harping in your ear, telling you what to do. haha!

when a room is put together the right way, it creates feelings. feelings of peace and calmness the bedroom, evoking hunger in the kitchen, comfort in the family room ... you get it. I think the most basic rule in the design world, that they don't actually teach you, is that if you're not feeling anything, the design is wrong.

also, fyi, the most simple, cheapest way to create feeling in any room ... paint. color can transform your world! seriously.

what are you thankful for?

find more thank you blogs here.

designing woman

years before my world became my kids, I was attending school for interior design. did you know that about me? I was hooked on HGTV and let that become my inspiration.

so I made it through the 1st year, which was a basic over view of everything to come. its the requirement to become a licensed designer; one must be certified from an accredited institution. I attended the Interior Designer's Institute in Newport Beach. simply put, those people know what they're doing!

the next 2 years are for your BA degree. like with any degree, there is a class for each individual aspect of design; lighting, perspective, model building, space planning, etc. once you have this degree, you can go on and take the "bar exam" for designers, then you are recognized by the National Council (NCIDQ I think) and get those little initials after your name.

I made it 1/2 way through the degree program and quit. yes, I'm a quitter. I realized that I don't have the natural talent, the gift that these other students have. I am not an artist on paper. I was doing my very best and was only pulling C's. I was majorly disappointing myself.

the stuff I wanted to do, was not emphasized. I wanted to get into set design; retail store fronts, magazines, tv/movies, model homes, whatever. you still need all those elements for set design, but class was taught for the majority, which was not me.

I never wanted to work with people that had so much money to hire me to go shopping for them. I know there are other aspects, but that's what I felt it all boiled down to. I was beginning to see it as pretty superficial ... and I never want to surround myself with that.

so anyway, fast forward to today ... I have been needing an outlet. I have not had something just for me in what seems like FOREVER. my hubby believes my grass to be greener, which has been an area of contention. he doesn't seem to understand that I too need to talk to other adults ... and not about poopy diapers and bedtime battles.

I started out looking for a place to volunteer, but then I found a class for home stagers. having 2 kids with 1 being homeschooled, no money for daycare full or part time, no one close enough to babysit, and having only 1 day/week available, this class actually works. it was too good to be true ... but I now remember, God will do such things as this. down to the detail.

home staging is similar to model home design. its based out of the real estate side of it; I will be designing to emphasize the homes features, rather than, an interior designer designs according to what the client/home owner wants and needs. home stagers can be hired by the home owner or the real estate agent. statistics show a staged home sells MUCH faster than an un-staged home. people need to see how it can be lived in with stuff, and more importantly, see themselves as a fit in that home. so, its right up my alley.

this class is run by the owner of Paradise Home Staging, based here on Oahu. when we finish this certification process, he will offer a position with his company. he is essentially training his staff with it; nice to know there is a job waiting ... even if it is still one day/week.

he works with middle-class all the way up to $5 million homes. next week we will be taking a field trip to some open houses in Kahala, which is where you find the high-end homes of the island. have you ever toured a $5 million home? it's fun.

so far so good. wish me luck.

something different

I went to school for interior design awhile back, and although I didn't go career with it, I definitely enjoy decorating and architecure of all kinds. if you enjoy this kind of stuff too, check this out! just type your name or favorite word in the box and see the designs it comes up with.
if not for yourself, it would make a great and unique gift. I told hubby this would make a great birthday gift for ... hint hint ... it's coming up in a couple of weeks. I think I'd like to get our last name done and put it in our entryway.