Janeys Journey

There is an end in sight yes yes yes there is

Here's the Ikea cabinet for the vanity.  1 full size sink cabinet and a 3 drawer cabinet on each side. The walls are yellow but no stripes.  The lights are on dim so I could photograph and the glare makes the wall looked striped.  The light fixtures are a local company.  The cabinets are white with beech veneer doors.  There's one sink, a porcelain vessel sink that fits into the cabinet so it's only about 3" above the countertop.  Corian guy is coming on Friday to measure, then 2 weeks for the top.  The backsplash will be 10 rows of 1" glass tile different shades of green.  The old vanity wrapped around the wall.  But replacing it with another wrap around corian counter would have added $1,000 to the bill.  Besides, I'm into a minimalist phase so instead of 2 sinks, 1.  And no wrap around countertop.

I'm standing in the master bedroom entrance (new studio :D).  The wall facing me and the one by the cabinet are yellow.  The wall opposite the counter is white. Directly opposite the middle of the cabinet is the entrance to the bathroom.

Here's the yellow bathroom. Behind that wall is the toilet and the shower.  The wall was the side of my shower which was taken out.  The original idea was for that wall to come down.  Only when the contractor started, he discovered half a dz pipes in the wall so wall stays.  So where my shower was will now be a closet.  I found an Ikea high kitchen cabinet that fits the width 33" and is 24" deep and is about 2 feet short of the ceiling.  It's white has 2 sets of doors which I can get to match the vanity doors.  That green glass tile is going to wrap around the wall and is the same for the vanity.

The new shower will be where the old whirlpool tub was and will be the width of the room so nice and roomy.  The shower guy comes to measure for the glass doors and the toilet goes in Friday hopefully.  Which means that there's a 2 week break before the countertop is installed and the rest of the work is completed.  Which means I have the place to myself and I can finally finish the April zine which will now be in June.  So there's definitely an end in sight, until the other bathroom that is.

happiness is a ....

sketchy Monday.  I can draw bigger now but nothing makes me happier then a 5"x7" quickie.  Lots of 5"x7" quickies.

sleepy mondays

When I draw larger, I draw slower.  These are 5"x7" and very fast like drawing cats.  It doesn't matter what the line looks like, just the feeling you get after.  Drawn with my new favorite pens - prismacolor fine line markers .003.

Watching Jon and Kate Makes Eight, drawing flickr babies and wonder exactly how long that marriage is going to last.

the red cup

For Casey who missed the color. And I think the lack of eyebrows in these latest drawings are like the missing whiskers, a topic for therapy.

olive on the porch

9"x12", extra fine sharpie on bleedproof paper.  I guess my style is changing with going larger, more lines, less color.  I need to get used to drawing backgrounds though.  Couldn't do that with the smaller drawings.  Now I just hurry through it when I should be making the same effort on the background as the subject.  I'm sure Olive would appreciate it.

Olive in her red chair

I think it's an Ikea chair.  Olive likes Ikea.  This is 9"x12", drawn with sharpie on light cream colored drawing paper.  Colored with Tombow watercolor markers which I just decided I don't like very much.  I have to try dipping them in water before using them.

I have been enlarged

Paper wise that is.  These are 9"x12".  It's only taken 4yrs to go from ATC size to 9"x12".  Larger might nice and doesn't feel very unreachable except....my scanner won't do larger.  I'll have to figure out how to photo a larger drawing.  These are on archival drawing paper both drawn with a fine point sharpie.  The  paper is a nice cream color but comes out grayish when scanned. 

Olve on the Steps is colored with crayons.  I may have been carried away with the folds.  When drawing them, it almost feels like drawing the cat's tails.  I just keep on going.

And the View from Olive's room is colored with markers.

Gert and me

I'm definitely having a hard time getting back into blogging everyday.  This bathroom renovation has put my life in more disarray then the kitchen.  I have the April zine all printed, copied and cut but I can't color it until the renovation is done.  I need space to lay the drawings out.  But every night I have to cover everything up with sheets because of the dust.   There's going to be a break between tiling and the counter top delivery so hopefully I can get them all done then.

Here's Gertie sleeping by the keyboard.  When I look at her I wonder if she knows Zoe's not here.  Drawing cats and dogs and the odd rabbit or hamster is very relaxing and stress free.  Though I know it can be boring to everyone else, it's not to me.  There's no angst here, just lots of smiling when I draw.

 

Renovation Tales #2

The Bathroom
Me: I'll just redo the bathroom, take out the tub and shower, put in new shower and retile.
Contractor: Go to Home Expo for the shower stuff, nice stuff.  You're spending all this money on renovation, you don't want to buy the cheap stuff.
Me: Yes I do
Contractor: Believe me, you don't.  I got experience.
Me: Home Expo person how much is that large shower head and all that how beautiful set up?
Home Expo person: $4,600
Me: Huh?
HE person: $4,600
Me: How about the one without the nice big shower head?
HE person: $1650
Me: Do you have anything that I won't need a loan for?
HE person: Try the in stock items.
Me: In stock item Home Expo person how much is that nice shower head?
HEISI person: $192
Me: Well that sounds reasonable... sort of.
HEISI person: That's just the shower head.
Me: Ok, how much are the controls?
HEISI person: $250
Me: How much for the pipe thing that comes out of the wall?
HEISI person: $90
Me: How much are those nice metal baskets for the shower?
HEISI person: $100
ME: They're a set right?
HEISI person: Nope, each
Me: I give up.  Here's my credit card.  Just leave me enough credit to buy cat food.

Renovation Tales #1

The Kitchen
Me: I'll just replace the kitchen sink and faucet, they're rusting and the faucet drips.
Contractor: To replace the sink, you'll have to crack the counter
Me: Ok, I'll replace the sink and the faucet and counter
Contractor: then the counter won't match the cabinets and you're condo's 30 yrs old, the cabinets are probably rotted in the back.
Me: Ok, I'll replace the sink and the faucet and the counter and the cabinets
Contractor: You want a white counter top and cabinets?
Me: Yep
Contractor: They won't match the appliances, they're almond
Me:
Contractor: What about the lights?  You said they weren't working.
Me: OK REPLACE THE WHOLE DAMN KITCHEN TEAR EVERYTHING OUT OK ALREADY!