Kitchen Re-doux

The last major project in our house is nearing completion.  We decided to remodel the kitchen, and tonight I was able to start loading the cabinets! Why are you just now hearing about it?  Good question, but lets get caught up with the project to date!

Demolition was planned for April 23rd. Yup Easter weekend, and right before my last regular week of classes before a week of finals.  My parents came up on the 22nd to help me pack up everything in the kitchen to prep for the fun part.  It took almost all day, and a few bumps and bruises (one that I still have a month later, yeah ouch) but we finally got everything taken out, and cleaned up!

My favorite part of the demo was finding out that the insulation in the walls was Gustin Bacon...yup, only the bacon queen would have bacon insulation, this means that I win the bacon contest forever!  LOL

All of the old paneling had to go, so to save time we just removed all of it and started from scratch, and added a half wall...

After that things moved along nicely!  We only had a week to do the 24 hour thing, so we are now just doing it a little bit at a time.  I helped stain the cabinets, and used that wonderful dark brown Jacobean I had used last semester on the bench project...Looks great!

Finally it was time to get all the drywall up, taped and mud-ed, then to re-spray knockdown on the ceiling (thanks Adam!)

After the walls were painted, and cabinets installed (sans doors) we were finally able to lay the tile floor, and grout!  I love the way it turned out, not bad for re-sale tile!

So now here we are one month later, most of the doors are on the cabinets (a few need to be re-drilled to open the other direction), the appliances are in place (all the plumbing needs to be done still so no dishwasher or sink), counter tops are installed...this week we are working on the trim for the windows then we can tile the back-splash!  Course the East wall still needs custom cabinets, but we are going to build those ourselves after we get the kitchen functioning! 

Almost forgot the vent hood for over my stove!  We purchased it at a resale store, got a great deal on it, but we have to keep calling to get more parts for it because it had been altered, or was missing a few things!  Luckily for us the replacement parts aren't costing us a thing, just time!

I was excited to be able to cook a meal in the kitchen the other day, nothing special, just bacon and eggs for breakfast!  But it is really nice to be able to cook again!  And soon I will be able to do my dishes in the dishwasher instead of the bathtub!

Till next time...
Onward

Competitions

My second place design.  A little bummed that I didn't win, but then again I was up against Senior Graphic Design Majors so that's pretty "shweet."

The other competition is just within my class and my design looks like this:

I'll let everyone know when we find out who is the winner and stuff...

The Tassie

My final project this semester for Restaurant and Store Planning was to create a concept, menu and layout for an existing space.  The following renderings are from that project, all of the drawings were originally done in Auto CAD, then imported into Google Sketch-up and rendered, and otherwise created.  All of the materials shown in the renderings are the actual material I would use in the space.

Drawing class...

Series drawing, each is 24" x 30", charcoal

This semester I have also been in a drawing class.  Most of my work I have not posted prior to this, but I am posting my favorites now!  So enjoy!

Figure Drawing, charcoal pencil, 20 minutes

A Certified Completely Unofficial end to the semester.

As the semester draws to an end, (two more days this week, and then finals) I look back over all I have learned this semester, not only in Graphic design, but in all of my classes in my maiden semester at UCMO.  How far we have all come, as friends, and in what we have learned.  It does seem like just yesterday, to use that old idiom, that I was starting this blog, unsure what to write, or what to even say.  Sixteen some-odd weeks and several sarcastic posts later, I have emerged a better designer for what I have learned in Graphic design.  Who would have thought that I would fall in love with a MAC computer (yes you can laugh at me now, who would have thought) but I have learned to appreciate the new programs that I have learned to use!   Of course as in live, learning is a never ending process, so I will make an effort to continue to use and learn more about the programs I "found" this semester.

As for my final project in Graphic Design, my zine, I am quite pleased at how it is coming together.  There are just a few more touches needed to make it complete, and then I can turn it in!












With the end in sight, it is time to post, and then change the name of this blog, but not by much!  I will continue to post projects (although from now on it will probably be interior design projects) and insight into my "world."

As it was, and still is, best said...Onward, forever onward!

Vikings rule!

 So the zine topic I have decided on is "how to play Kubb" pronounced koob. 

 Here are a few pictures I have happened upon that may be of use.  Of course a picture or diagram of the playing field is necessary...maybe more of a rough sketch for the actual zine, depending on how it is coming together, and a picture or other diagram of the pieces, and numbers needed... the basic rules are a must.  This game is widely open for interpretation for the skill level of the player, or intoxication level...however you want to look at it!  Yes this is a game that in the rules states that it should not be easy and if games end too soon it is because the players are not taking advantage of the downtime between turns to drink beer.  Layout will be playful and loose as is the game itself!  So here it goes....

Final project for the SEMESTER!!!! Yeahz!

Well it is that time of the semester where we get final assignments for each class (or hopefully we do) and we start thinking about Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks...In Graphic design our final assignment is to create our own Zine, a "How to..." Zine.  We get to choose the topic, and we will design it, and publish two copies, one to keep for our portfolio and one for the instructor to keep. 

For this assignment we will be using InDesign, another adventure for me!  And another fun part, we cannot print in color, if we want color in the finished piece we have to add it after the printing is done, so break out the markers, colored pencils and paint!

I am having a more difficult time this go around coming up with a fun and quirky topic for this assignment, although I think I have it narrowed down to "How to cope when your favorite TV show ends" and "How to watch or enjoy a NASCAR race."  Anyone want to weigh in and give me a suggestion or vote for one of the topics above?

Until later!