Hey Canadians! Check out Babybot!

(photo courtesy of olliandlimeblog.com)

I know I've mentioned this before but didn't really give it the proper post I wanted to at the time. So here goes...

If you live in Canada, love modern stuff for kids, and want an Owyn, Bertie, and/or Noah Owl toy box, you're in luck - BIG TIME!!! Baby Bot currently has 13 of my toy boxes in stock and ready to ship out when you place your order. No wait-time of 12 weeks AND no customs charges that can make buying one of my toy boxes so astronomically expensive if you're not living in the U.S.

The back story is that one of the founders, Renee Bender, bought an Owyn Toy Box for her daughter about a year and a half ago. Then she and her team decided to launch Baby Bot. She called me and said she wanted 15 toy boxes total so I built them over a 5 month period in between regular orders and she had a truck come get them and drive them up North.

I can't say enough about Renee and her fantastic new web store in Canada! They've worked tirelessly to find unique, hard-to-find, modern kids goods and it shows. And I'm proud to announce that Baby Bot is now the exclusive carrier of Mod Mom Furniture in Canada!

http://www.babybot.com

And the Winner Is......

.....RACHEL DONIGER from Chicago, IL!!!

Congratulations, Rachel! Check out the raffle drawing video below. My assistants, Noah and Grace, helped make it happen.



Just wanted to say thank you again for playing my little raffle game! I'll be sending the $907.90 donation to the Red Cross today via their website on behalf of all of us.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Mod Mom Raffle for Haiti Relief -- Total Amount Raised!!

OK. I know you've been up all night stressing about the raffle and whether or not you've won (Russel) so I'll just get to the point. You won't know if you've won til after my son gets home from school and picks the winner out of the jar. I need to cut all the paper and do a the organizing of it so look for an announcement around 4pm PST. Also, I'll take photos and video tape it so you know I'm not just randomly pulling Oonagh Delaney (who has been so vocal about wanting the box on Facebook) out of the jar. Although, I think I should build her one just for her incredible enthusiasm. That, and the fact that she's family. :)

So in a nutshell, check back later today. Also, I'll contact the winner directly via email or phone or with the Publisher's Clearinghouse Sweepstakes people so you'll DEFINITELY know you've won.



Now for the drum roll..........the total amount raised for the Red Cross......is....................................

$907.90!

It's really amazing what you've done!! When I put it up on the blog last week, I was seriously hoping for $200. But to sell $10 tickets and raise close to $1000 is really so unbelievable to me. Thank you so much for participating in the raffle!! I'll be making the donation later tonight via www.redcross.org. Here's a link to a recent article on the Red Cross website called Snapshots from Haiti .

(Photos courtesy of Red Cross.org)

Mod Mom Keepsake Box Raffle -- All Proceeds go to Red Cross for Haiti

Raffle Update as of 8:30am PST, January 26th:

HOLY COW we're up to $774.09 with a total of 81 tickets sold! The raffle ends tonight at midnight PST so if you haven't bought a ticket yet, look below for the Paypal link! And do it QUICK. :)

Just a reminder that the keepsake box is not just intended for kids. I designed it with adults and kids in mind and came up with a few ideas for what you big kids can store in it: leftover antibiotics that you forgot to take, old mixed tapes, photos/letters from past loves, all one thousand TV remote controls, your rock collection, your Twilight Edward Cullen action figure, and the list goes on!






I, like everyone else, is just crushed by the news coming out of Haiti. It's heart breaking. And like everyone else, we gave what we could to charity to help. Even though we can't squeeze more out of our budget to donate personally, I figured I could do something with what I know best. I've got wood and I know how to use it.

Inspired by Bamboletta dolls who raffled two dolls and raised close to $10,000 (insanely big number, huh?!?) that will go Doctors Without Borders and their relief efforts in Haiti, I figured I'd give it a try. So, last night, I designed a bird keepsake box for the raffle winner.

The keepsake box is made from eco-friendly Russian Baltic Birch. The bird and veneer cut-outs are were hand-drawn. I use Miller dowels to ensure strong joints. The paint/stain (your choice- see below) are non-toxic. The finish is low-VOC, water-based polyurethane from Deft. Dimensions: 15" x 12 1/2" x 5 1/4".

RAFFLE DETAILS:

THE WINNER GETS TO CHOOSE THE COLOR! The lucky raffle winner will get to choose the paint or stain color for the bird. I wanted it to make it work in almost any home and let you have some say in what your handmade keepsake box looks like!

HOW TO BUY A TICKET - Each ticket is only $10!: Donations will be accepted via Paypal by clicking the ADD TO CART button below. If you want to buy more than one ticket, you can choose adjust the number of tickets you'd like. Now since I'm not a non-profit organization, I'm sorry to say I cannot give receipts for tax write-offs. I'll be donating all proceeds to the American Red Cross

WHEN IS THE WINNER ANNOUNCED? The raffle will run until next Tuesday, January 26, at midnight. The winner will be chosen on Wednesday, January 27th . I'll be sure to keep you updated throughout the raffle. I'll take care of the shipping/packing costs of getting the keepsake box to the winner.

Thanks in advance to everyone who participates!



(Thank you Robert for making my photos at the top look amazing! And for sharing the news on http://www.mahardrygoods.com/blog.php and http://www.juniorsociety.com/)

Gratitude

I was reading the Apartment Therapy post again because I noticed there were four comments below. Which meant there was one I hadn't read. As I scrolled down, my heart raced a bit....and then completely jumped out of my body when I read the first line of what appeared to be a very long comment...

"I very rarely leave commentary here, though I frequent the site often, but I HAD to chime in..."

Gulp. Then big gulp. Then OH CRAP WHAT'S NEXT?!!? After a couple deep breaths, I made myself read-on through the corner of my squinty eyes and was so glad I did. Victoria was a customer of mine in 2008. She did what I sadly don't come to expect much which was say really nice things about my furniture. I've had a few bad run-ins with commenters over the course of the past three years and I guess it affected me more than I thought. I know I do good work...I put my heart and soul into every piece. But still, just a few voices who never even bought my furniture (or saw it up close) make me doubt myself and the goodness of others. It's wrong, I know.

So to Victoria, I can't thank you enough. You did what few people ever take the time to do.

"...I ordered the Owyn Toy Box from modmomfurniture over a year ago and I couldn't be more pleased. Certainly it was a splurge for me, but I ordered the piece for my daughters' first birthday, hoping it will last her. The construction is stunning, it looks absolutely lovely in her room, it's easy to use, spacious and does more than add to the decor. Am I the only one who thinks most wooden toy boxes on the market look like tiny coffins? I know I may be stretching it a bit, but I can't help the association. If they're not gloomy and dark, then they're overly gaudy. I'm already thinking of how I will be re purposing this toybox as storage for linen at the foot of my daughter's bed when she will no longer need it for toys, as it will easily transition into a teenage years... and then hopefully it's intended use will come in handy again for my daughter's children (yeah, she's only 2 now, but I dream that far).I now have another little girl and I'm seriously considering another toy box from modmomfurniture for her 1st birthday as well. I love the idea that my girls will each have an intricate hand-made item that can last and gain some history. Thank you again Kiersten, you are one talented gal!http://public.fotki.com/Vikulya/sisters/baby/first-tea-party/dsc2165.html

Ohdeedoh and Riley Paige

Many thanks to Carrie at Ohdeedoh for writing about Riley. I LOVE this article!!

Riley Paige Toy Box by Mod Mom Furniture

Meet Riley Paige. She's that rare combination of homecoming queen and valedictorian. Beneath her pretty looks lies a smart, functional, quality piece of furniture. She is lovingly handcrafted (with your choice of patterns) by one of our DIY inspirations, Kiersten of Mod Mom Furniture.

The Riley Paige (named in honor of her niece) has a bit less "mod" in it than her previous designs. She described it to us as vintage-inspired with an Anthropologie sensibility. We just happen to love the sample she's made (above), but you can also send her the papers you want decoupaged (with low VOC materials) on the flowers to match your decor at home.<

Since Kiersten makes these to order they will take 10-12 weeks before they're ready to leave her workshop and be on their way to you. The Riley Paige is constructed from Russian Baltic Birch wood and sits atop caster wheels. Each costs $450 and can be passed on for generations.

Find the Riley Paige and the rest of the Mod Mom Furniture collection right here.

(photos: Mod Mom Furniture)