The New Mod Coffee Table

A new client of mine is doing the unexpected with the Noah Building Table.
He's using it as a coffee table! I just think it's the coolest thing!! He jokingly said he was going to wait to tell me he didn't have kids until about half-way through our conversation but he fessed up early on and I loved it! The dimensions will change a tad to better fit the couch but all in all it's the same. A fun, mod coffee table with built-in entertainment. And the seat will become a container that stores magazines and Mod Mom Furniture brochures :). Who knew?????

The Show Must Not Go On

It was a no-go on the big High School Musical dance number on Sunday. A good friend, and "cast member" was admitted into the hospital and we just couldn't do it without him. Sorry to disappoint those wanting to see a High School Musical-dancing carpenter.

Happy Almost Halloween

Slutty carpenter? Hot Nurse? French Maid? So many choices are offered for Halloween get-ups and all of them half-naked. Since last year (see above), I got to dress up real perty as Sammy Davis, Jr., this year I 'm going more salt-of-the-earth as Gabriella from High School Musical. Although I'm not going as far as to accidentally post photos of me sans clothing on the internet, my plan is to be quite convincing with brown-haired wig and sassy red dress. Scott (as Dean Martin above) is going as Troy, my High School Musical song and dance partner donning a fantastic blond/brown wig and basketball attire. AND THERE's GOING TO BE DANCING, too. We've recruited some friends to join us (they'll be two other cast members). We've been practicing our moves but I can't say anymore than that for fear we'll ruin the surprise.

What I can say is that my son is slightly embarrassed by the whole thing and my daughter couldn't be happier that we're going to be Troy and Gabriella.

Maybe we should march on down to Disney and show them what we've got! Although I think they'll mistake us for the 20 Year High School Musical Reunion cast. Now there's an idea!!!!!

I'll post photos (or even the video) after the party on Sunday.

Happy Halloween!

The Fires

I just came back in from the garage -- building an Owyn Toy Box -- and I'm hacking and coughing more than usual after sanding without a mask. (I know, I know. I'll use one soon.) As I walked into my house I looked up to see a very strange somewhat blue but mostly smokey looking sky. We're not in immediate danger of the many fires still burning out here (Thank God) but I'm reminded of how close we are to all those communities lost to the fire.

I can't even imagine what all the evacuees and those who have already lost homes must be going through right now. My husband Blackberried (is this a word?) me from his business trip to offer a list of things we should take if we're ever evacuated -- computer hardrive, photos, kids clothes, that sort of thing. Sure makes having the stomach flu and worrying about getting toy boxes finished on time seem really silly and insignificant.

The Stomach Flu Is Not Good For Business

My thumb hurts from flipping channels on the remote the ENTIRE day while I laid in bed breathing through stomach cramps. What glorious day! It got me thinking how when I was working full-time outside of the home, I could take sick days and somehow not feel such an overwhelming sense of needing to be working. I laid in bed while my hubby delivered Sprite and saltines and took care of the kids and I kept counting in my head the number of toy boxes or tables and chairs I need to build: 8.

8.8.8.8.8. Pretty much all day, I was thinking 8. That, and how I haven't showered in two days (see previous post). And that I was a little appalled at myself for getting scared while watching back to back Children of The Corn movies on AMC's Spooky Movie Week. I'm so glad we don't live near a corn field.

Tomorrow I'll be back full-force -- with my sense of humor revived -- building toy boxes and taking care of puking kids. Cuz you KNOW that comes next, right??

The old me...that showered.

Sometimes I sit and think about my old jobs -- specifically the one in Chicago where I worked downtown, ate lunch at places that served wine at lunch, and shopped Bloomingdales on Michigan Avenue.

While I wouldn't trade being home with the kids and working from home for anything in the world, sometimes I miss the old me. The old me that showered more than three times a week. And GOT HER NAILS DONE. Seriously, I used to do that. And get my hair professionally cut and styled by Bette Midler's old hairdresser. It really feels like a whole other lifetime. I was even a full-time working mom at the time but i still managed to take care of me somehow. Maybe it was the drugs!! :)

As I sit here, my toe nail paint job is mostly chipped, my hair is in a ponytail, and I haven't shaved my legs in days. And I can't tell you the last time I actually had my eyebrows done. I forget they're part of the regimen anymore.

When people ask me what it's like to work from home building furniture I say it's awesome. And when they ask what has to "give" since I'm working from home, I normally say regular sex, showers, dentist appointments and styling the back of my hair. There you have it....the cold hard truth.

I'm off to not shower and completely ignore the stain that's now embedded in the cuticles of my fingernails. I think that might be a good thing, though. I don't have to bring stain sample to appointments...just my fingernails!!

YOU the builder...yes you can! (well I can but you can tell me what you want)

I'm taking notes...from you....so please let me know if you're on the hunt for a mod kid furniture piece that isn't being sold that you'd like to see built or something you think a modern kid would love. I'm always open to suggestions from the people in the know...the parents.


Here's what I have in my head and/or sketched poorly on paper....

• I'm currently working on designing an art desk contraption of some sort (doesn't that make you just want to rush out and buy it. It's all in the name, isn't it?)
  


• And several new types of storage options.
  


• Mod Barbie House -- that doesn't look like anything on the market and is tall enough to fit actual Barbies (and Kens).
  

Thoughts? Suggestions? If it something I think I can make, I'll work out an arrangement with you, i.e., discounts, naming the thing after your child, credit on the store front, etc....

Whatcha think?????

Ahhhhh....the smell of technology?!?

My Star Wars-loving, Playstation-playing son, who just turned nine (pictured above in a really poor excuse for a pirate's costume for pirate day at school. A seamstress, I am NOT) has to go with me sometimes to the lumber yard. Both kids do, actually. I try not to, if I can help it. Not for their sake, but for my sanity. :) And because most of the time I can't fit the wood in my minivan unless one child is not in the car. "Which one of you wants to run beside the car today?? That's a fun game we play. Just kidding about that. Really, I'm totally kidding.

One day this summer, both kids were with me. I bribed them with an ice cream and had even thrown in the promise of a couple of those cheap foam paint brushes for extra measure. That is, if they could resist the urge to push, pull, tug, nudge, or hit, each other the entire time we were at the yard.

Anyhow, we were walking over to the plywood section and I said to them, "Ahhhhh...the smell of cut wood. I love it. Don'tcha love it guys?" Grace, my lumber yard lover, chimed in immediately with, "ohhhhh yaaaaah that's niiiiiiice." Noah just looked at me and then said, "No, Mom. You love the smell of wood.... I love the smell of technology."

Which kid do you think will get the family business? And which one will be supporting his mom and dad and the family business with his high-powered, lucrative, high-tech job? YEAH for techies!!!

Cool Article Written By Apartment Therapy Nursery Editor

I'm thrilled to have been included in this great article by Julia Cho (Apartment Therapy). She wrote it for Etsy's online spotlight journal called The Storque. It's full of great handmade mod kid finds...

http://www.etsy.com/storque/section/spotlight/article/trends-toys-accessorize-the-modern-nursery/341/

Do-it-yourself Wood Working Tips

Woodworking tips I've learned over the past couple of years....

1. When you're cutting across or against the grain of the wood (a cross-cut), use tape on your cut line. Like masking tape. It'll help keep splintering on the edges to a minimum.
   
2. Apply stain BEFORE cutting. It will help prevent the discolorations or saturation of color on splintered edges (if you have any). I also apply a wood conditioner before staining to make sure the stain goes on evenly.
   
3. When drilling holes, put the piece of wood you're drilling through on top of a throw-away piece of wood. Clamp the two together so they are secure and drill. You won't have blow-out splintering on the backside like you get when you just drill through the top piece of wood by itself.
   
4. Don't stand on the table saw legs to help you get leverage to finish getting a huge piece of ply through the saw when it gets stuck right at the very end. My Dad is mortified that I resorted to this once or twice. But I had a deadline, people, and the wood had to be cut! (I won't do it again, though.)

Now get out there and create some knock-offs! Just kidding about that.

The Mom in Mod Mom -- Birthday Edition

Both of our kids birthdays fall within a week of each other. Noah's is September 29th and Grace's is on Oct. 3. Four years and four days apart. (Guess we had a FANTASTIC January several years ago!) Anyhow, this was the first year we couldn't convince them (now 9 and 5) to have their birthday party together. So last weekend was a sleepover for 10 kids ranging in age from 5 to 12. This past weekend was Grace's party -- a carnival party in our front yard -- complete with bouncy (no carnies, though) and many things made by Mod Mom and Mod Dad.

So Mod Mom furniture had to take a back seat (or as much of a back seat as I can make it take) for us to crank out our best carnival gear. Check out the photos. Do you think there's a market for handmade from old wood that got wet, shot-ily put together, carnival gear?

Oh, the ring toss. A artistic masterpiece, don't ya think?

Grace insisted the popcorn be sold for $8 or be free.
I thought $8 was really cheap given that it WAS microwaved. And this is LA.
Most opted for the "or free"


Who doesn't like a good game of bean bag toss??


The "AMAZING" Jesse was a friend's bunny. Turns out Jesse
was Jessica just last week. Right up until the vet visit. Either
way, Jesse was AMAZING!

New Links!

I'm excited to announce that Mod Mom Furniture is now being sold at the following stores:

Cool Baby is a really cool store with art and dance/yoga for kids. It's on the edge of Beverly Hills on Pico near the Beverly Center.

http://www.coolbabyplace.com/

An incredible online modern baby gear and clothing store. I'm selling mostly storage pieces on this site. You can shop by brand too so look for Mod Mom Furniture

http://www.spunkysprout.com/