landscaping, interior design/paint/construction/remodel/refurbish and so much more!

Interior design - organization / custom building/upgrading / painting and murals

Fair as usual. Varies by project. 

Additional found at the Facebook site - my personal page linked at the bottom of this page, and also at https://www.facebook.com/CreativeDesignbyErin

Tiktok videos on how to's and process / progress videos at https://www.tiktok.com/@erintheprojectqueen

My start, my journey, and how I ended up working on other’s homes and health 🙂

I grew up on volunteer construction sites.
From a little girl handing out plates of food and helping cook meals, to passing brick, cutting ceiling tile, wiring receptacles, you name it!

My father owned his own Electrical contracting business for most of my life. 
Due to advanced programs, AG schools, charter school, and eventually homeschooling due to repeating and boredom… I helped with the business on all levels from wiring panels and digging trenches for new mobile homes, to cutting out and trimming in new construction homes.

As a customer service/management/desk job kid of girl… it was the best thing ever to be approached by a construction company and hired for admin work on site.
The coolest part was jumping in a dump truck, learning, downloading, and then setting up GPS grade systems in equipment and rovers.

I went from a 20 acre landfill cell, to where I can tell you all about the boring layers of geotextile and leachate inclosure systems, to the coolest part – watching and documenting blasting of enormous amounts of rock by photo, video, and transcription.

We moved from Rowan County Landfill to the Troy Bypass.
This is where I went from everything office, to acquiring NC Dept of Agriculture Weigh Master Certification and stamp to be able to operate a scale house for aggregate made on site from blasting to use on the project, to acquiring Erosion and Sedimentation Control Level I (Inspection) and Level II (supervise, direct and implement erosion control devices – building/installing).

Next I moved from working with the Contractor, to working Contract Engineering for the State of North Carolina. It truly started with the “itch”.
More than ready for a career/job move (and they said I was, “too honest to work for the contractor.”)

This is where my Erosion Control expertise made me a prime employee as diversity (yep, I’m a female. haha).
I went on to complete all testing and certification credentials needed for all NCDOT Roadway Inspection – Nuclear and Conventional Density (dirt), ACI (American Concrete Institute) and NCDOT Concrete Certification,Clearing and Grubbing, Pipe and Storm Drain installation, QMS Asphalt Testing, with training and inspection of concrete barrier wall, guardrail installation, FEMA force account inspection, winter de-icing and snow plow operation, etc etc etc. You name it… I did it.

Other than measuring slopes for seeding and walking slopes to check out erosion control devices after big rain events..(.after chronically spraining my ankle) I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!
Documentation, spreadsheets, my truck as my office and almost no monotony...
it was me written ALL OVER IT!

When I made the decision to help get theTroy Bypass started, and ended up staying… we made the decision to move to Lexington between both of our jobs.

This is where I went from a couple home projects like painting a white picket fence all around the room for our littles nursery, and painting animals on walls / building bamboo and heavy duty netting for a safari themed big girls dream space… to pretty hard core.

After purchasing a 1937 house in Lexington and working on it for 5 years… I started a very love/hate relationship with a LOT of things. Woodworking. shellac base primer/painting, epoxy, landscaping makeover, and so much more.

I also realized my desire to “go big” and “see what you can do” like a Wonder Woman duct tape outfit for my amazing little middle schooler for “duct tape day” and “pie day” shirts with drawing / puff paint.

Then with the girls lemonade stand upgrades and going world-wide viral, along with ideas getting more broad and the adrenal “high” of making a difference, making others feel special, going as usual – ‘above and beyond’… it just defined who I am and who I want to be.

Nick and I signed to build our “dream home” after spending more than a year working on finances -and a YEAR worth of planning every last detail out of inside, outside and through.

The difference: Finally getting to know ‘Dave Ramsey’ and his program of debt rolling and how-tos.
We didn’t follow it 100%, but we were able to take equity in the 1937 home to pay off the rest of the bills, turn around and sell the house, still with enough equity to fund the projects / needs / intended wants for our new home. (Mostly)

FUNNY STORY:
After working 5 years of blood, sweat and tears into our home at the time, Nick said TURN KEY.
It needs to be ready. Done. NO MORE PROJECTS.
Ya’ll… I agreed and definitely so in good faith… but since we moved back to Davie County in our dream home, trading land for house… it’s been NOTHING BUT PROJECTS!!! 😂😂

Painting throughout. New landscaping. Fans and light fixtures change. Movie theatre, game loft, and WV special man cave with mural and more. Shiplap wall and modern sliding barn door to wrap up a dream office space.

Dog themed room for Miss Hannah and a Music room for Miss Hailey.

A special metal name plaque out front into a huge custom outdoor bbq space with a custom wood unit, metal unit encasing a gas-converted large Blackstone grill, extended concrete patio with gas custom “star” fire burner fire pit with a built-in bench.
All with gorgeous white mortar mix and white/grey stone.

I learned tile work, stone work, welding, mass concrete project with bench, countertop and such. Let’s not forget the beautiful first HOA approved Kinderton Village garden in the neighborhood!

Seriously poor guy… I get it. He’s handled it so well. He works 40-60 hours plus a week, the last thing he wants to do is come home and do dishes, floors, take care of dogs, or especially… help with my projects. So I try to not “need” him or help, and do everything on my own (this is damaging, unrealistic, and unsustainable I know). 

I’ve always volunteered usually part time and many years full time along with other endeavors of multi-level marketing business and such… now I’m doing what everyone always said I should have done.

Not business selling/promoting OTHERS products (never REALLY getting paid for my time and grossly misusing it looking back) but doing things for others and being RESPECTED (*with tears in my eyes*) for MY time and efforts.

I am still a full time volunteer working as Jesus did to help others to come to know about God and his Kingdom that we pray for… but also made the decision that even though I COULD go back to Roadway or many other jobs in person, full time and could make money to be able to not “worry” and “scramble” a ton, I can’t.

Volunteering like I do is an actual commandment from Jesus himself… also the MOST IMPORTANT life-saving work one could do! (Not for recognition. Not for money. Not for anything but pure obligation and satisfaction of helping others. That’s what I seem to LIVE for!)

Now that my amazing girls have their own entrepreneurial jobs and homeschooling – finishing up High School… I thought that after the pandemic, I would be able to ‘get back to it’ and opportune time, but LET ME TELL YOU – IT’S NOT.

This is now the single most important thing I can do. BE WITH my kids. I already missed enough of their lives working out of the home. I’m not losing any more because teen years can make or break a young adult and the rest of their lives can depend on the direction, schedule, balance, and instruction.

The real plot twist encouraging the shift in my life:
One day I joked and said, “I’m finished my house, I need other people’s to work on!”

I started helping a second neighbor do a few odds and ends things. As I was walking home from this neighbor’s house and stopped by the next door neighbor.
She stopped me and said, ” I heard you do landscaping?!” I was a tad thrown back and said, “my own… (insert giggle) what are you needing?”
She proceeded to tell me she wanted a retaining wall built for it to be level with the base of her siding / rest of the house. She told me that two companies had come out to give her a quote, but “ghosted” her.

Well…… I suppose I could do some research and see what happens. I spent several hours researching and watching DIY videos. I used my erosion control / drainage experience and previous landscaping of my own helped a lot of course too. Researched. Planned. Dug into the most cost efficient/effective (as I do with everything… how do you think I got started with all the DIY in the first place?! I’ve never had “money to blow.”)

I embraced on this slightly intimidating and slightly exciting project, concerned the whole way through of how it would turn out and most importantly… would they LIKE it?!
Lots of hard work, digging, tamping, leveling, installing drainage stone and pipe, brick and cement, fabric, mulch and a few things later… they reminded me how fascinating my ideas into action can actually be!

I REALLY love it… like… my landscaping is “MEH” in comparison!!
But despite and through it all, this just made me try yet another “new” thing, and work to perfect and improve it… surprising myself and really pleased with the outcome!

They gave me a push. A motive. A goal. A plan. Follow through to make me realize… I THRIVE with projects!!! (And only want reasonable limits…) So here I am. Health problems and all. I’m either “down” or in BEAST MODE.
I rely on BEAST MODE. Still currently working part time for the hospital from home. Still currently volunteering full time ministry. Still home with my young adults trying to make some of their own money, finish high school, and keep life together volunteering in the ministry themselves and focusing on helping others.

We ARE NOT saints (FAR from it!)
Life IS NOT PERFECT.
We bend and attempt not to “break” constantly… but we fight.
We pray for the ‘power and desire’ and try to ‘give him something to bless’.

Those blessings are SEEN. They are APPRECIATED. They are shared with others.
Thank you for joining me on my journey as I shift from multi-level marketing from other companies’ products, to doing what I love and fixing / upgrading / enhancing other’s homes and lives. I love you all!  

Boy oh boy was the garage floor (sealed concrete) a BIG, CHALLENGING, OVERLY EXPENSIVE, and LOOONNNNGER than expected project. 

But honestly, at least it's my house and not someone else's! My whole garage has been in my house for around a month (after bringing it in and more from a temporary POD.)

I watched and read probably 100 videos and articles. I called the product manufacturer. I joined FB groups and did so much extensive research. I HAD to do it first to see if it would ever be possible, cost effective, and done RIGHT so I could make the decision if I can move forward and do it for others. 

It has been hard, but will be so worth it.  The garage was emptied. Pained walls and ceiling. Same color which was the BEST happiness now looking back because it's amazing!! I installed upper cabinets and started building painting and installing custom shelves to fit our needs.  Nick reinstalled the hanging racks (also white, same as the cabinets) and that's what made it all pop. The grey walls and ceiling I immediately fell in love with that much more! 

We are waiting on the floor to dry out. The ONLY way to get this done in a couple days to a week, is to grind it dry. But the dust and silica is no joke. Major dust shroud and hooked up vac would be the ONLY way to do it. I've learned SO much and still I'm sure so much more to as I take on the Rocksolid metallic kits! Stay tuned....