Drawing: Can You Draw People?

I always have a little chuckle when people ask me that question. Yes, of course I can draw people. I can even draw them to a degree of realism that would look like a black and white photo. Do I draw people? Only on special request. Do I draw them in a photo realistic style? Never. I have an attitude when it comes to that. If you want photo-realism, have a photo taken. I know some really good photographers I can point you at. Generally I prefer animals as subject matter, and I lean toward a more abstract style, but yes, I can draw people. Picasso could too. Most artists aren't limited by skill or talent, but by what they are passionate about. I've had extremely talented artists turn me down flat when I asked if they would do something specific for me. Don't be offended. We're just crotchety that way.

Home Improvement: Budget Kitchen Remodel

I bought a little townhouse to fix up and rent out basically to fund my dad's retirement because I don't want to be working at Wal-Mart when I'm 50. This is what we did over Christmas vacation: new Armstrong Luxury vinyl floor tiles with grout, painted and sealed the countertop, cleaned the place up, and changed the outlets that were original to 1973. We also installed smoke alarms and dead bolts for safety. The Formica had come off the countertop and the previous owner had just put a coat of latex paint over it so it would look nice, but it never would have held up. Since it was already painted, I did a faux finish and three coats of Polycrylic which should hold it until I can afford some granite.

Peel and stick that wasn't sticking

New floors, painted countertops

We also added a faux "tin ceiling" backsplash around the stove

Drawing: In Memory of Laurel Burch

A little more graphic than what I usually do, but it felt right. The cat in the foreground gazes at the softened outline of a Laurel Burch style cat. She was one of my earliest and still favorite inspirations when it comes to making cat themed art.

Decorating: Trends Smends

I have pretty much decided that I would be the worst nightmare of every modern designer. Part of it is just that I am a traditionalist when it comes to décor (although not art), but part of it is that I am a very low maintenance person.

1. Stainless steel. No thank you! I'll take white appliances any day. They don't show every fingerprint, nose print, and water spot. They are easy to clean and not smudgy. Right now I have black appliances, and so far I am good with them. When it comes to a sink, I hate the flimsiness of stainless and again the difficulty of cleaning it. I grew up in a farm house in Wyoming with a sink older than my grandparents. Give me white porcelain coated cast iron any day. That's a sink that will survive the zombie apocalypse.

2. Open floor plans. I really hate this trend in architecture, and it's why I prefer older houses. I like to make a mess in the kitchen. I like that the mess is only visible if my guests are in the kitchen. I also like to be able to run the dishwasher and watch TV or have a conversation at the same time.

3. Hardwood floors. Everyone who knows me has heard my rant about them. In short, I want to have pets. I want my friends to come to my house and bring their kids. I want to wear shoes in my house if I want to.

4. Separate bath and shower. Ok, this can be good if the bath is one of those that you have to scale like Mt. Everest to get into, but overall, it's just two areas to clean instead of one.

5. Granite. I'm ok with granite, but I'll take Quartz or any other solid surface any day. Who wants to have to reseal the countertop? Plus, it can crack or be stained. I want a surface I can put a hot pot on or sand out an imperfection with my handy-dandy palm sander.

Thankfully, all trends come and go. I'm personally dreading the return of brass and crystal, but when I look at my list it reminds me to always pick what I like when I do my house and to ignore the trends. After all, I'm the one who has to live in my house, not my decorator.