Oh, my aching - everything!

Have you ever ripped out an entire kitchen? By yourself?! Day #1 - the start of demolition. I've just started taking the countertop out. Chip, chip, bang - oh, my fu!#$# hand! Yeah, that's pretty much how the day went.

Day #2, got the first section of countertop out and a few cabinets. I'm now feeling like Superwoman. No wait, I AM Superwoman. Check me out, yeah baby - I'm Queen Demo. Later on Day #2, I even got the bar area counter out - oh, things are flying. But wait. What's that? Oh, it's Demon Dog. This dog has barked 97% of the time I've been there. For what? No apparent reason if you ask me. I went to calm it and was talking to it in that silly baby talk, then figured I'd end it with a pet and we'd all be friends. Right? Hell no, she bit me. Day looking down. :-(

Ok, it's the morning of Day #3 and I'm ready, I think. My hands and forearms ache, but I'll make the best of it. On today's agenda, that's right - MORE chipping of tile. Then probably some relocation of a few more cabinets and then off to another kitchen install job in the afternoon. Tonight - going to see Michael Jackson's, This is It movie with the kids. Ah, a relaxing night.

Uh-oh, I'm auditioning for Design Star

That's right. Crazy old me figured, why not? Right? I could sit back and say, "Well, I'll never make it". I could do nothing and go on with life as usual. But what fun would that be?! So, today is the day I put together my audition tape. Or at least start. Did you know that my actual first design project was a dollhouse for mice? Seriously, real mice. I wallpapered each and every room with different wallpaper, put carpet in each room, made custom furniture - heck, I even created and hung custom wall art in every room. These mice had it made. The one thing I couldn't work out however was the constant 'mice pellets' they left all over the place. Upkeep was a bit much at age 6.

Well, more stories to come. The cut off isn't until December so it'll likely take a while before I hear anything back one way or another, but in the meantime, it's fun to dream and work my way toward it!

Never Underestimate the Power of a Good Source

Riviera Glass of Redondo Beach is a business that not only cuts glass, but dispenses education on how you might use that glass in your projects, what the best materials for the job are, other alternatives you may not have thought about - plus, they're just very cool people!

I'm finishing up a kitchen remodel and am insetting mirrors into select cabinet doors and couldn't have done it as well if it were not for these fantastic people. Subcontractors, resources and all of your support team are SO important in interior design. Never underestimate them. Never treat them like dirt. Always respect what they have to say since they are the experts in their area. I've had a fantastic week with all my subs and sources and am SOOO happy. Special shout out to Riviera Glass and to Mike at Lowe's of Torrance - you guys rock!

Huh? Featured in FIRST Magazine!

How cool is this? I am profiled in FIRST Magazine (still on sale at almost every friggen' grocery store next to the check out until October 26th) with my woodworking. Nice! It was actually quite fun to think about 'why' I do woodworking beyond the obvious reasons - to build stuff. I really do enjoy the sense of calm that it gives me. It's amazing how when you really love what you do, it's not a job. Since my hobby has turned into my job - I'm one of the luckiest girls out there!

I hope you have a few moments to take a quick read. The writer, Lisa Maxbauer, has a great flow to her work and a really fun style. I hope you enjoy it!

Kitchen Cabinet Redo - and a little bit more...

Before - Okay, but WAY boring
Sometimes it takes some targeted style ideas to turn an okay kitchen into something extraordinary. Here's my Photoshopped version (below) of what I'm going to do to this blah kitchen (before shot to the left).

I'm insetting mirrored doors on some select cabinets, hanging pendant lights over the peninsula, calling out the molding detail on the white cabinets with Mocha-colored paint, adding a splash of color to the window area in a nice copper (to match the sconces), moving the microwave into the oven wall and finally, adding hardware to all the cabinetry. It's almost done. In a few days I'll post the finished photo and you can tell me if you think My Photoshopped version meets expectations!

Proposed Design