Historic Building Makeover~Giving Back To Veterans

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by The Home Depot Foundation, but all opinions are my own. Please see below for additional disclosure.

Last Thursday, I had the opportunity to be a part of something really cool.  A huge, vacant, historic building on Detroit's east side was transformed in one day by a sea of volunteers in orange shirts.

That in itself is exciting. But, that is not where the story ends. It's where it begins for more than 40  homeless veterans that will now call this building home. Thanks to the volunteer efforts of Team Depot, The Safe Place Transition Center in Detroit is now ready to open it's doors to welcome veterans in need of a home and assistance re-building their lives. 

Here is a look at some of the beautiful detail of this historic building…

This is what the inside of the building looked like when Team Depot arrived early in the morning (before the makeover)…

(Before)

And this is what it looked like at the end of the day...

(After)

Here is a quick video of events from this day:

In order for The Safe Place Transition Center (SPTC) to begin housing veterans, the building was in need of repairs including 18,000 square feet of paint, supplies, new appliances, doors etc. Also needed was the man power to do the work. Through Team Depot's ongoing effort to address veteran housing challenges and served those who have served us all, they were able to provide this in just one day as part of the Home Depot Foundation's Celebration of Service program.

In just two months, from 9/11 to Veterans Day, Team Depot volunteers will put their talents to work to transform 1,000 homes for veterans during the Celebration of Service Program. Thousands of The Home Depot’s store associates spend their time off volunteering as members of Team Depot in communities across the country. With the power of Team Depot volunteers, The Home Depot has transformed more than 13,000 homes for veterans.  

  

Last Thursday in Detroit at SPTC, it was more than just one home that Team Depot transformed. It was a gigantic building. The SPTC is one of the largest veteran housing facilities of it's kind. 

Also joining in the group of Team Depot volunteers that day were the members of the SPTC organization, local veterans, community representatives and local dignitaries. There were times during the day where you honestly couldn't tell there was hard work going on, because we were having so much fun working together.  

I wish you could hear the music, laughter and energy that filled this building.  Looking out the window at one point, I think I spotted some orange shirts on the basketball court.

Local veterans stopped by to show their support for the Team Depot efforts at SPTC. The SPTC will change the lives of more than 40 homeless veterans.  In addition to providing safe transitional housing, the organization also offers programs to empower veterans in a supportive environment, including financial literacy counseling, substance abuse prevention education and PTSD and anger management therapy. 

It was an amazing day that I'll never forget. This group of individuals of all ages, from all walks of life came together with one common goal, to give back to the veterans that have served all of us. 

At the end of the day after all the work was complete, everyone gathered outside to present the SPTC with a Home Depot apron signed by all the volunteers as well as a plaque dedicated to Team Depot's support for the organization. 

I'm so thankful to The Home Depot for inviting me to be a part of the Team Depot family. While I have this opportunity, I'd like to give a shout out to the Detroit area Home Depot employees. This group has a really special sense of camaraderie and pride in their work.

Looking back at these photos, I realized this was one of the best makeover's I've ever taken part in. 

Giving back to veterans is personal to The Home Depot, more than 35,000 of their associates are veterans! To learn more about Team Depot please visit the Home Depot Foundation website.  To learn more about The Safe Place Transition Center in Detroit, please click here. 

The Home Depot Foundation partnered with bloggers such as me for their Celebration of Service program. As part of this program, I received compensation for my time. They did not tell me what to purchase or what to say about any product mentioned in these posts. The Home Depot Foundation believes that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. The Home Depot Foundation’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations.

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Come To My Live Holiday Decorating Class~Detroit Area Makers and Doers Event

Friends, who wants to join me for a fun weekend in the country on Sept. 27th and 28th?  I'm giving away four free passes to The Makers and Doers Festival where I will be teaching a live holiday decorating class and sharing my secret tips on Decorating For The Holidays Like a Pro.  All you need to do is leave a comment below and/or on my facebook page to be entered to win a pair of passes to the event. 

If you are local (Detroit area) you probably already know all about the "Makers and Doers Festival~A Weekend In The Country" that takes place every year in Michigan.  If your not local, the weekend of September 27th and 28th would be a great time to visit the mitten just to check out this event.  The annual Makers and Doers Festival (formerly titled A Weekend in the Country) will once again bring over 125 juried artisans, crafters, makers and doers with a sprinkle of vintage, entertainment, and food to Oakland County September 27-28, 2014. With over 125 indoor and outdoor booths, on-site appraisals, live cooking demos, Makers and Doers presentations, and more.

This year, I'm excited to be a guest speaker discussing one of my favorite topics…Holiday Decor! My class will include a live demonstration on  "How To Decorate For The Holidays Like A Pro".  My Christmas decor was featured in last years Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Ideas Magazine and I'm going to show you how I put some of it together!  

Decorating for the holidays and getting beautiful results doesn't have to mean spending a lot of money.  Using what you have in new and innovative ways can result in a magical, heartwarming holiday home experience for your family.

Hope to see you there!
Don't forget, for a chance to win a pair of passes please leave a comment below.

For information on my affordable online design service please click here.

The Master of Design Delivers On Christmas

Merry Christmas!

The master of all designers showed up in Detroit at the last minute to show us how decorating for the holidays is done.  Mother Nature delivered a majestic, icey-white Christmas just in the knick of time.

Happy Holidays, from my family to yours.  

Sarah Macklem 

For information on my affordable online design consultation service, click here. 

® The Yellow Cape Cod 

Holiday Home Series: Nautical Christmas

Welcome back to The Holiday Home Series.  

Today, I am taking a little break from the Dining Room to share my boys nautical Christmas room.

  A while ago I posted about putting the kids in charge of their own decorations this year.  

(My daughters tree can be seen, here).

Hannah's tree turned out better than I ever could have imagined. 

The boys have given her some pretty tough competition. 

Just like Hannah, they were given a small budget to spend on new decorations for their room.

They chose to spend their cash at The Goodwill.  

The first selection they made were these nutcrackers.

  It's the beginning of a collection they will add to every year.  This is a great way to get the kids excited about thrifting.

They decorated their tree completely by themselves. 

They incorporated things we have used in their room in the past,

 like their baby boating shoes, 

the boats from their dismantled baby mobile, 

and some of their first Christmas art projects.

Their new thrift store finds gave it a new personality.

Like this guy.  

And this guy.   

Normally, my OCD would have me sneaking in to re-arrange the ornaments as soon as they weren't looking...but not this year. 

I have let go of my idea of perfection and in turn have discovered true perfection...

Christmas from a child's perspective.

We also hit the Dollar Tree and came home with these large plastic snowflakes.  

The boys have a great view of the back yard from their bedroom.

To add to the beautiful wintery scene mother nature has provided, 

we hung the snowflakes from the curtain rod with fishing line.  

Thanks for visiting our Holiday Home.  

To view the entire Holiday Home Series, please click here. 

For information on my affordable online design services, please click here. 

Linked up to:
A Bowl Full of Lemons
Home Stories A To Z
Blue Cricket Design
Honey We're Home
Thrifty Decor Chick

Enchanted Makeovers

A few months ago, I was introduced to Enchanted Makeovers through a friend.  That night, when I went home and pulled up the website,  I was totally unprepared for the emotional journey ahead of me.  This incredible organization was founded by Terry Grahl, a talented designer who closed her decorating business to devote all her time and energy to making over shelters for abused and neglected children and women across the country.

While checking out the website, two "before and after" videos in particular affected me.  I would like to share them with you.  Although this is a national organization,  the shelters in the following videos are in the Detroit area.

(Grab a box of tissue).

This one is a shelter for abused and neglected girls:

This project was a shelter for abused women...

I will be participating in an Enchanted Makeovers project this fall in the Detroit area.  The project is an 18 room makeover and the creation of a sewing room for a Detroit shelter, Alternatives for Girls.  

Here is a video on "Alternatives for Girls":

If you live in the Detroit area, they are in need of volunteers to paint rooms and furniture.  If you do not live in the area or you would like to help in another way, here is a list of items needed for the project:

~20 brand new pillow protectors

~5 sets of brand new white twin sized sheets

~30 brand new twin sized mattress pads

If you would like to donate any of these items or participate in the painting, please contact me at theyellowcapecod@yahoo.com for details.

You can also make a general monetary donation to the organization via the Enchanted Makeovers website.  

Thank you in advance,

Sarah

Nautical Boys Room

Time to update the boys room. Their favorite place to be is on lake at our cottage in Northern Michigan so, that was my inspiration.

I chose a dark navy wall color w/ nautical stripes.

The theme was also inspired by this vintage detroit boat race poster from my husbands childhood...

We brought the dresser home from our cottage. It was updated with a coat of black paint, polyurathane and new brushed nickel hardware.

I stole these old boat oars from my Mom. I have plans for them that I will share later but for now they are resting in here.

I found this compass rose wall decal online. I cut out the center and place it around the ceiling light. The original plan was to hand paint it but this route was much quicker (and easier to remove later).

The vintage sock monkey was made by my aunt when I was a child. It has seen better days but he keeps an eye on the boys for me.

I can't wait to share whats going on in their closet...

No space in our house is safe.
Click Here to see this room decorated for Christmas.


Linked up to:
Design Dazzle


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