Those who know me, know I love to entertain! I totally enjoy having to plan a guest list, menu and entertainment. My friends and family mean the world to me, and having them all around, no matter how crazy it gets in one place, is a great party for me! Entertaining to me means having to clean (ugh) but also, having to cook! I have a passion for it. Only having 2 humans in the home right now (2 furry ones as well) offers little opportunity to really get down and dirty in the kitchen. I get excited when the planning begins!

As a designer, I went into Kitchen Design around 2002. What an overhaul this did for my career! I learned kitchen design, and it brought me knowledge like no other. To truly know how a cabinet is built, and those who build them well is so beneficial. I also know you can put $5,000 in a kitchen or $250,000. You will get your money back!

I had, maybe, one class that I had to draw a cabinet cross section in college, which, in retrospect was quite surprising! I was clueless then, and surprised I passed the class.  But learning cabinetry and becoming a kitchen designer really helped me to learn how everything from 5 star kitchens and luxury baths are put together to the understanding of almost all furniture and its insides. It was like a light bulb went on. What a difference!

Not only that, but it taught me so much about how a space functions. I came up with my own morals in planning kitchens... Store, Prepare, Cook, and Serve. In that order. If you set your kitchen up in this "Flow" it is so  kind to the user! That along with great appliances and the infamous NKBA (National Kitchen and Bath Association) triangle planning- refrigerator, sink and cook top are the key elements to a great kitchen work space.

I'm sharing some of my favorite with you. These are kitchens you will want to stay in, even with all the hotness!

So, you think you can't make your kitchen look like these? Take a look at a before and after I did for a client. I was a little taken back when I saw the before. Amazing what a little planning can do!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Now that is hot!

I have always found it strange that some kids struggled with what they wanted to be when they grow up. With confusion in my eyes and sympathy in my heart, I pondered what it must be like to not know what your calling is. Even in college some people battle with the choices.

I wanted to be a Veterinarian when I was around the age of 6, and then a Psychologist for a year or so. Then it immediately went to Architect/ Designer and never stopped. I knew my gift, and knowing is half the battle! I was always fascinated with maps, and planning in birds eye view. I loved to plan. It was my calling.

I had a barbie house with furniture. Maybe that was the beginning. But I also had a neighbor friend, Chris, who must have had, what I thought was 10 million of the coolest matchbox cars. While I wasn't going to get him to play barbies with me, I on the other hand, had no problem playing matchbox cars with him. We took so long to even pick out the ones we wanted, taking turns, one by one. And that was only half the fun. The next part came when we decided to start building roads and spaces/places for the cars. Civic planning..

Then I started playing cards with my little brother, Josh, in our hall way, only it was not your typical War game or Go Fish (the only card games kids know how to play, it seems). I would dig the cards vertically in the carpet, making paths and structures until it went half way down the hall. I could picture in my head, exactly what this house would look like if it were a real space.

Many things like this pointed me toward the direction and with passion in my heart, I was one happy little girl. Along with rearranging my bedroom 2-3 times a month, and driving my parents crazy with change in the process.

Well, it was upon a return from college one day that I looked through some old stuff in a closet that had been stored away from high school. Mostly scrap books, old yearbooks, a book of poems I had written, art work, etc. But the amazement I had when I open a particular binder to find what I had totally forgotten about, took me back. I was so enamored I had to sit down on the floor immediately and check this out! I couldn't believe it. While looking threw this book of drawings I had done as a child, it made me dizzy with nostalgia. So many memories came back and I knew I was made for this for sure.

I am sharing some with you. Scales are off, things are askew in places, most are drawn on notebook paper, etc., but I don't care. I will cherish these forever!

Check out the vegetable and flower garden in the plan above!

It is funny to realize, as adults, that kids think they can make anything work. They live by their own rules.

It is truly a blessing doing what I love. They say if you find your calling, you will never work a day in your life. What work?..