I wrote a step-by-step tutorial on how to build an app with a live demo here: https://steemit.com/steem-dev/@thedevchick/steem-building-your-own-steem-app-like-steem-cool-quickly-and-understanding-how-you-did-it

Maybe it could help some of the people that want to work with the steem blockchain but are having a hard time getting started. It can be intimidating at first but i tried to make that article as exhaustively explanatory as possible.