—and we could all use a little more of that!

Happy New Year! Everyone we talk to says it’s the greatest feeling to say goodbye to 2020 and start a new year. We are ready for something better, and Harley and I are wishing all of you the very best. We want you to enjoy good health, happiness and prosperity in 2021. As we keep our spirits high and carry positive thoughts into this year, we are sending our positivity to you and your family as well. 

How to keep spirits high?

We focus on all the people and activities that make us happy. If you are a client, you are already on that list, and we are grateful for you 🙂

You might be doing the same thing—focusing on what makes your world go ‘round and what makes you happy. Making a list of all the people you love and all the wondrous things that make you smile is therapeutic. Listing all the activities that would make your day special is a real boost to the spirit. 

Smiles are good. Laughter is healing. Friendships are comforting. 

We challenge you to make a list of all your favorite things—your very long list of all the goodness in your world. You’ll be amazed. We know that, even though we get busy, we’re thankful for our surroundings and how they make us feel. Because we’re busy, we can sometimes take these things for granted. 

Think for a few minutes about how much you enjoy your daily conveniences: the comfortable bed, clean sheets, warm shower, heating source that keeps your home warm and cozy, that special plant that makes you smile, the music, movies, delicious meals, and the pleasant feeling of home. You might have hobbies that call out your creativity or the enjoyment that comes with reading a fascinating book.

Painting is our happy place.

Harley and I are always grateful for the people, pursuits and possibilities in our lives. Those of you who know us well already understand that we also love our customers and our painting services for Shoreview and beyond. Painting is on our list of favorite things because it combines our desire to serve with our need for creativity.

Our business was founded on the satisfaction that providing skilled craftsmanship gives us as we work with our Minneapolis/St. Paul area painting customers. We know that some of you don’t like to paint or perhaps don’t have time for it. Or maybe, you just can’t paint at this stage of your life. That’s why we’re here. We love to help create beautiful spaces for our customers. 

Your home is your castle.

We’ve found that painting is at the heart of your homey creation, and it’s why we still get excited about a room makeover. It can completely change the look and feel of your surroundings. You want warm and cozy? Paint can do that. You want cool, crisp and clean? Paint can do that. You want energizing and enthusiastic? Paint can do that.

Those of you who have painted on occasion know how important the prep work is. It’s also what a lot of people don’t enjoy. True—it can be a bit tedious and time consuming—but when the prep is done with painstaking care, you achieve a final product that soothes the soul. 

Our customers tell us how much the newly painted walls have boosted their outlook and improved their moods. Could be that we all need a little more of that these days!

You have an abundance of interior paint color choices. 

There’s something uplifting about the right color for the room. We help with color choices when customers aren’t exactly sure what tone or shade will blend well and create the character that adds pleasure to their day. 

It’s why we offer complimentary color consultations to our customers—because we want you to get it right. Some of the best comments we hear are, “I absolutely love this color and the tremendous difference it made in our home. Thank you, thank you!” 

Customers find creative ways to make it work.

We know that some of you like to paint, and we are cheering you on! For those who don’t enjoy it, we are the first to say that we’re here to help. If you’re not sure when you’ll have time, let’s have a conversation. We are champions at making the schedule work for our customers and following appropriate Covid precautions. And if there are a few issues with previous water spots or cracks, they can be repaired to look like new. What a happy thought!

We also know that the investment in your home and your peaceful paradise is undeniably worth it. Many of our customers are happily designating their economic impact checks and/or tax refunds to painting projects that have been postponed until now. We’re happy to make the transformation from old and tired to new and fresh…and from uninspiring and humdrum to captivating and comforting. 

We’re cheering you on!

If you enjoy painting as we do and it’s your happy place, we can relate! Please also share this blog with a friend who might be dreaming of new colors and a fresh start. If you don’t enjoy painting, we’d like to offer our services when the time is right. Give us a call at 651-765-0600. We’d love to hear about your next vision for beautifully painting your space. Thank you!

Alpha Omega Decorating
(651) 765-0600
hayden@aodecorating.com
www.aodecorating.com
Serving the Twin Cities Metro

We’re approaching the end of 2020—and, in some ways, happy for it! And yet, it is still the most wonderful time of year! We’d like to wish all of you a lovely holiday season as you celebrate with your family and friends.

We’ll be celebrating Christmas and enjoying some relaxing family time. Like you, we may not have everyone together, but we’ll be grateful for each other and will send our love to those who can’t be with us.

We have a family tradition that created a lot of excitement for kids of all ages. Each person chose one gift from under the tree to open on Christmas Eve, and we opened the rest on Christmas Day. This year may be different since we are all adults and schedules might not allow everyone to be in town on Christmas Eve. And even though we’ll likely have one gift each, it will be just as magical.

More good news—we are happily anticipating the arrival of our first grandchild in the new year! That will give us occasion to continue our joyful, gift-giving traditions.

The year 2020 has given us (sometimes unique) opportunities to serve our clients—repeat customers and new friends. The variety of projects has been fun. We love the exterior and interior painting. Each is unique for the house, the owners, the colors and textures. Even after decades of painting, there is something so satisfying about creating something new that brings a warm smile.

Ceiling transformations have also been in demand this year. Many of our homeowners have wanted to say goodbye to their acoustic “popcorn” ceilings in favor of smooth or knockdown textured ceilings. We’ve adorned these ceilings with a variety of colors from a traditional white to hues that are one shade lighter or darker than the walls. The results are stunning!

We’ve also been busy making old cupboards new again. Kitchens are always a favorite and a cheery gathering place for family and friends. And of course, we had drywall work to repair, reframe and refocus on changes needed to make better use of the space. We were careful to adhere to all CDC recommendations for work during the pandemic. We have the best customers ever!

At the end of each year, we also see an unusual, yet recurring, relationship between Christmas trees and interior painting. Think of the homes you’ve seen (maybe yours) with a tall, elegant, most beautifully decorated Christmas tree, chosen on a family trip to a tree farm. Now that’s a treasured holiday memory!

The tree is gorgeous with its lights and treasured decorations and carries a woodsy fragrance into the home. The joy it creates is one of the wonders of the season. Fair warning: when it’s time to part with the tree, we get a call to come over for some rehab work! It’s all because the walls and ceiling have been damaged or discolored by the king-size tree! Oh well. We all know it was worth it, and a little freshening up doesn’t hurt 🙂

We’re wishing each of you a blessed holiday season and a happy, healthy New Year! We’d love to know what your favorite traditions are and what you’re looking forward to in 2021. If you enjoyed this blog, please share it with a friend who might also relate. Thank you!

Alpha Omega Decorating
(651) 765-0600
hayden@aodecorating.com
www.aodecorating.com
Serving the Twin Cities Metro

Gratitude, family, food and relaxation are all part of our favorite Thanksgiving Day traditions—and perhaps just as important to you too. We are grateful for our good health, good friends and the comforting family traditions that make us smile.

Our business customers and trusted partners play a huge role in our lives, and we are grateful for each of you. We want to wish you and your families a wonderful feeling of togetherness even if, in this unusual pandemic pause, you can’t share the holiday in person. We hope you can celebrate in some way that adds joy to your day.

We know we have the best customers in the state—or maybe in the country! You give us opportunities to do the work we love. And even though we’ve been in the business for decades, we learn even more about what is important to you as customers with every project. We are grateful for your painting and home improvement projects, big and small—and we are grateful to be part of your world.

We’re also thankful for our relationships with referral partners in real estate and the trades. These are the business owners we know, admire and trust, and we are happy to refer them to our clients when they need an electrician, plumber, realtor or other service provider. We love making the connections that benefit our clients whether it’s for an HVAC service or hanging Christmas lights to adorn the house and add joy to the neighborhood. Thank you for being part of our business and friendship circles.

As a family, we have many cherished Thanksgiving traditions, and we know that this year might require a few changes. One tradition will surely remain the same for all family members who are here. We’ll wake up to the heavenly smell of Harley’s “Fugio,” his special bacon and egg dish that his grandfather taught him to make. And we’ll have our delicious Thanksgiving turkey dinner, and, of course, we’ll see who can break off the larger piece of the wishbone to have their wish come true.

We’re sending positive vibes for all your dreams to come true this holiday season too. You have blessed our lives, and we are sending our thanks and heartfelt wishes for a wonderfully relaxing holiday!

If you’d like to give it a go, here’s Harley’s inherited, until-now-secret recipe for Fugio. Enjoy!

Harley’s Grandfather’s Fugio Recipe 

Make a batch of white rice (about 5 cups cooked).
Fry 8 pieces of Hickory smoked bacon and chop. 

Chop:
4- 5 long-stemmed green onions
½ cup of yellow onion (you can also use sweet onion)
7- 8 mini-sweet peppers  Scramble 4 or 5 eggs, then chop them up fine in the pan with a spatula.
Mix all together in frying pan with 1 Tbsp soy sauce (we like Kikkoman).

Toss around over medium heat for approx. 5 minutes.
Serve and add additional soy sauce to personalized taste.

We love building relationships that create a community of treasured friends and clients. If you’d like to share one of your favorite Thanksgiving traditions, give us a call at (651) 765-0600. And, if you enjoyed this blog (and maybe the recipe), please share it with a friend who might also want to start a new tradition. Thank you!

Alpha Omega Decorating
(651) 765-0600
hayden@aodecorating.com
www.aodecorating.com
Serving the Twin Cities Metro