SCAD here i come….. June 3, 2010

so its official!! I will be attending scad for graduate school in the fall!

Woohoooo!

I can’t believe I have finally made the decision and feel confident about it…who would have thought? lol. Now I have to start searching for a place to live, roommates, and preparing myself to move to savannah!

In the meantime, I will be working at a local daycamp for kids, searching for another part-time job, baking MORE bread ahemmm…focaccia, working out, and living life.

So many things are happening at one time – changes but good ones. Thankful for clarity.

Things I have learned July 25, 2009

Okay so I have recently realized that I haven’t been talking about interior design at all! So I decided offer tips that I have for the kitchen and bath field. Get excited! This is an exclusive look into my design opinions FOR FREE!! haha.

 

Okay the moment you have all been waiting for has come! Tips!!! Okay when renovating or building your new kitchen, make sure you are prepared to spend some money. Kitchen are NEVER cheap and always end up being more expensive than originally thought. So if you are going to re-do it, save for the costs that are bound to pop up. My opinion is I would rather save a little more and then be prepared in order to really get the design you want. Its a space that you live in, and its important that it is functional and comfortable to work in. Okay another tip: for cabinetry, go for more of a custom look instead of a ordinary color/glaze/style. There are so many new styles and glazes that have a little bit more “umph” to it and for some lines the prices are still low! Look for what you want and don’t settle for ordinary. Tile: I have never really realized how much I love tile – especially Walker & Zanger tile (Check it out!). It is THE most expensive tile that I know of haha, but yeah what can I say – I have good taste!  These are some of my favorite!!

 

    yeah that’s all tile from wall to floor!!

 

 and I don’t know if you can really tell how beautiful this tile is, but they are all hand-painted! GORGEOUS! these are new so there aren’t any good pictures of it but they are other patterns too! Some of my favorite!

 

   Here’s another pattern that I love! It comes in green too

 

 

And yes this is leather tile! Crocodile to be exact!

 

Tip #3 – Use tile as artwork in your bathroom/kitchen. It creates style, visual interest, and kills two birds w/ one stone (less accessorizing which equals more of a clean-line design, thats what I am all about)!

 

From now on, each post will have another new tip according to stuff that I have learned so far! Oh and I have officially bought the bread challenge book, so I am officially joining the Bread Baker’s Challenge! wooohooo!

Countertops!!! July 25, 2009

Okay, the moment that you all have anticipated has come. This is the countertop special blog!! First, I would like to say is yes I have changed my layout of my blog- not so excited about it. I found one that I liked better but it is on another website – which equals I would have to pay for it, etc. Hopefully I will figure it out b/c I would really like a different background (like a pattern) and more color.  Also, the next post will include a vegan chocolate cake and berry berry cheesecake.

 

But first, the countertops!!

 

Okay first of all, there are so many options for countertops: granite, quartz, ceramic tile, stainless steel, recycled glass mixtures, and other various stones. One thing that I have learned more about recently is the more expensive countertop options. Obviously, there really isn’t a “cheap” option for countertops. Brands like Cambria , Vetrostone, Corian, and Ice Stone are unique products that I have learned new things about.

 

Although granite is attractive and classic in style, it is very expensive and has to be maintained. Quartz, on the other hand, is easier to maintain and around the same price as granite. It does not require any sealing or maintenance. It is also resistant to stains. Seams are also another thing to consider when choosing a product for a countertop. This is very important, especially to me. If I am spending $5,000 on my countertops, I want the seams to be unnoticeable and minimal. I would also like to make sure the placement of the seams are well-thought out. All naturally-made countertops come in specific sizes. This requires the need for seams. The size of the kitchen determines the number of seams that will be needed.

 

Cambria is a quartz product that offers traditional colors and styles for countertops. I have already mentioned the good qualities of quartz compared to granite - quartz really is a better option. Corian is a man-made product that offers a less expensive option for countertops and sinks. Corian is also a product made by Dupont – which means it is used in all sorts of instances – such as furniture, light fixtures, flooring, etc. Although they do not have a luxurious look, the company is constantly trying to offer more modern and sophisticated styles/colors. Their “Private Collection” is my favorite line that they offer.

 

 

 

 

 

                                            

 

 

 other lines by corian can be a little sketchy and really outdated…..see below!!

 

 

                              

 

They also offer backlit options – see below

 

 

                                           

backlit corian panel—hmmm interesting huh?? The specific line of corian made for backlighting offers more of a translucent product in order to allow light to filter through. They usually come in pastels and other light color options.

 

Other pics of corian

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is an island in a kitchen- WOW. so crazy right??

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

private collection!

 

Okay so now onto Vetrostone, which is one of my favorites. This product is manufactured in Yemassee, S.C. It is a locally owned company, which means we should support it! It is a unique product because it offers crushed and whole oyster shells along with sea glass. Everything that holds it together is made up of a engineered-quartz stone. Although it is VERY expensive (over $100 per sq. ft.) it really is beautiful and unique. Nothing else compares to it. Check out some pictures!

 

                                

 

                                          

 

 

 

 

  

  love this one – one of my favorites!

 

 

 

 Okay so next, we have Ice stone. This product is environmentally-friendly, but not as “green” as vetrastone products. This product features more of a modern look. More recycled glass and concrete-looking finishes.

 

      

 

 

           

 

Not my favorite product – but is really good price-wise.

 

Another product I forgot to mention is Caesarstone. They have a really good line called “Concetto”. It is GORGEOUS.

 

i mean really…..if i could marry a piece of stone – this would be it. HOLLA!

                                                                                                 SINK!!!

 

 

 

              yeah the stone is in the bed frame.

 

 

                             another sink

 

Please check out the website. There are just too many things to show you!

Enjoy the long post and sorry about some of the crazy formatting…tried to fix it but failed miserably. ugh. Happy weekend!!!

Fabrics…..ahhh there are SO many that I like June 14, 2009

Okay so this is some proposed options for the re-do of my room at my dads. The paint color is on there as well as the comforter. I just can’t choose for pillows/drapes.

 

 

 

 

There are just so many cute fabrics…ahhhhh. Some of my favorites is the brown leafy pattern one and the aqua (not royal blue) one

First Week of Work!! May 30, 2009

woohooo!! I have officially finished my first week of work which was glorious! My boss is so nice, understanding, and fabulous! I am so blessed that I get to work with her. Next week I will begin to see how an interior design magazine works as they do an article on the company I work for. I am so excited about this-I get to hopefully organize a photo shoot, look at proofs, and look at the organization of the article.  I have always wanted to work with design and magazine type stuff. So maybe I can get in a little with this awesome magazine!! I am starting to get on a schedule…which is exciting for me lol.  Every afternoon I switch from going to beach or running the Cooper River Bridge. That’s right I have officially started to go through with this. Everything is so much more convenient because I now work around the heart of Charleston!! The bridge was kind of intense, but I made it through with not too much of a struggle. I look forward to running it more often and getting better time.

 

Random update on things: Anna and Janette will be in Charleston with me for the summer in two days!! So exciting! I have now been running on average over four miles-every other day. I am learning so much and making new contacts everyday with my new job! My dad’s room has officially been painted and it looks really good. We still have to add a few new things: bedding, etc. I am hoping to start the renovation of my room soon! I had lunch w/ Christine Ramsey (from Converse) and her mom today who was in town for spoleto festival. That was fun! I have gone to the beach for the past two days and am starting to get a tan lol. (trying to beat joey haha). Speaking of him, he is ridiculously busy, but I am proud and appreciate all that he is doing! Whew…I think that is about it!

 

Things that I have been thinking about lately….Being “citizens of the faith” (committed to God and His mission).

Being boastful-God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong (1 Cor. 1:27) He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things and the things that are so that no one may boast before Him (1:28-29)

“It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God-that is, our righteousness, holiness, and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: Let him who boasts boast in the Lord” (30)

 

On my last post, Courtney’s mom, Ms. Cindy, wrote me a response. Sometimes it is so funny how the Lord just points things out to you, maybe more than once in the same day. She reminded me that is good to realize that we all struggle to match up with Christ and that our daily walk is a constant struggle. Of course it is always going to be a struggle to trust in God….she gave me some great advice. I love getting responses like this because its so great to hear other people’s opinions, advice, and thoughts! That’s why I do this blog! One of the verses she mentioned for me to look in was Jude. Funny story, my Sunday School lesson that same Sunday morning was completely about Jude (the whole book and all). We even had an hour discussion on it. “Contend for the faith” is a subject that Ms. Cindy mentioned (which we talked about in S.S). This phrase explains that we all struggle with standing up and living out our faith. Who knew?? haha. Anyways, it was just a God moment for me. That its okay that we go through struggles. Its part of our everyday lives and in fact, its quite normal. So its good for me to remind myself that I will never be perfect and will never match up to Christ. But also, that its good that I realize the importance of striving to be more like Christ everyday.

 

Also another thought….Starfield’s song “Cry in my Heart” is pretty much amazing. So go listen to it right now. It talks about a thirst for discipline and a hunger for things that are deeper. The realization that we don’t have anything unless we have Jesus. Nothing in this life could mean anymore.

 

Yes this is a VERY long post…haha but I had to make up for lost time. My mom didn’t have computer access at her house for the past few days so just embrace this lol.

Design Update April 1, 2009

Okay so since i haven’t blogged about interior design stuff lately, I figured I would give a little update. Recently, I have been working on this HUGE floorplan of a pediatric clinic in Honduras. It is currently over 5,000 sq. ft. I am pretty sure ( doc1, heres a link if your interested in looking!!) Oh yeah and I am diligently searching for an internship so if you know of anyone haha send them my way!!

 

Also I recently made my own chandelier light fixture out of stacked cardboard boxes. It has a bunch of geometric cut-outs and is covered by diffused material and color gels. Its kind of like a disco ball (or box lol). And also we have been attending sessions at Hubbell lighting (http://www.hubbelllighting.com/). We have had a session pretty much every other week now. Its a lot of learning to do in five hours, but we get a really good lunch too!! We were given a tour of their building last week and it was pretty much amazing. If you look at their website, it shows their building as well. For school, I am also working on two research papers (one on Le Corbusier, the architect). I know I am sounding so intelligent right now and I am liking it. haha.

 

So this is just a short little update of how things are going in the design/schoolworld for me. God is currently teaching me how to trust, yet again. I have such a problem with this lol. As of right now…there are no signs of a summer job or an internship for me, but I am still trusting that God will take care of me. More to come on my cooking adventures of spring break! I am currently trying to find the perfect carrot cake recipe (b/c I am obsessed with them, its pretty much my favorite cake). I am also about to make my first official cheesecake (with chocolate crust). Wish me luck!