When DuPage Habitat for Humanity announced the opening of DuPage County’s first ReStore in Addison earlier this summer, an unexpected opportunity presented itself to Public Relations Intern, Vanessa DiStefano. What came of this new opportunity also brought about a new bonding experience between mother and daughter.
Vanessa’s new challenge was to creatively design a welcome sign for the ReStore Grand Opening on July 23. Other ReStores in the Chicagoland area have used doorknobs, paint, and donated printed signs to welcome shoppers. Determined to create a welcome sign different from the rest, Vanessa called on her mother, Linda.
Linda DiStefano is an established seamstress and home decorative guru with a passion for art, design, and unique displays. After designing her own home interior, Linda consistently looks for new ways to be inspired. When approached by her daughter for help with the welcome sign, Linda uncovered a new inspiration.
“I encouraged Vanessa to create the sign out of items found at the ReStore. This way, homeowners could see how to take something previously used and give it their own twist,” explained Linda.
Together, mom and daughter scouted through the ReStore in search of material. Towards the end of their visit, Linda noticed a pile of donated tile. Although the colors were not what Linda and Vanessa had in mind, it sparked a genius idea.
“We decided that making the welcome sign out of tile would be the best way to communicate ReStore’s overall theme of repurposing. At the same time, we knew that tile would be durable enough to last a long time,” said Vanessa.
Since the tile found at the ReStore was not what the mom-daughter duo had in mind, they came up with another idea. Mom and daughter decided to use the Habitat colors of blue and green to create the sign. Linda then approached her bosses at Century Tile of Lombard with a special request.
Keith Carlson, GM/Material Management Director of the company, agreed to donate blue and green mosaic tiles imported from Italy to be used on the display. Although the tile would not be directly from ReStore, it would still represent the reusable items shoppers may find throughout the various ReStore locations that they could repurpose.
Using silicone, mom and daughter worked together to glue each individual tile to form letters. After the silicone was given 24 hours to dry, they grouted the letters to give it a finished appearance. Additionally, to give the sign a 3D effect, Linda and Vanessa set the tiles atop foam board. Before delivery, the women siliconed the foam tiled letters to the backboard of the sign. An additional 24 hours was allowed for drying. On Tuesday, July 21, the sign was delivered.
“I have seen other ReStore signs and this just blows them all away,” commented ReStore Manager, Jim Fessler. “It definitely adds to the uniqueness of our store. I hope shoppers will admire it as much as we do!”
The mosaic-tiled welcome sign made its debut at the ReStore Grand Opening on Saturday, July 23. Chicagoland homeowners and bargain shoppers were the first of the public to see it. Children ran their fingers over the smooth tiles as parents and other ReStore shoppers commented on the brightness and uniqueness of the donation.
“It was a really fun project to work on with my daughter,” commented Linda. “It gave us a unique bonding experience and allowed us to give back to an organization that has been so good to my daughter. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
As an added surprise, Fessler is giving Linda and Vanessa the opportunity to put their artistic talents to the test one more time before summer ends. The wall on which the welcome sign is mounted is theirs for the taking. The mother-daughter duo is already working on adding more recyclable, reusable items to their mosaic masterpiece. They are encouraging ReStore shoppers to stay tuned throughout the month of August for their next creation.
About Linda and Vanessa DiStefano
Linda and Vanessa DiStefano are both residents of Glen Ellyn for more than 20 years. Linda is currently a saleswoman at Century Tile of Lombard, pursuing her passion in art, design, and working with people. Vanessa is a senior at Purdue University studying Public Relations and Rhetorical Advocacy with an interest in non-profit and health, fitness and sporting organizations. This summer, Vanessa was the Public Relations intern for DuPage Habitat for Humanity in Wheaton, working on media outreach and community relations.
