A Trendy Tots Post About The Owyn Toy Box

Just when I'm feeling overwhelmed and tired, a nice post will come along and help keep me motivated! Trendy Tots posted a very kind review of The Owyn Toy Box. Click here to check it out.

Gotta get back to cleaning the house (this one's for you, Scott :)) and working in the garage...

Mod Mom Changes

If you've checked out the etsy site, there are a few changes. First off, my production schedule has changed a bit. I went from turning a piece around in about 3weeks to now turning it around in 6-8. I didn't get slower, just busier. I've received a ton of orders (thank you!) and will be busy building one a week (or more) until April.

Also, you may have noticed slight price changes. I've raised prices due to the rise in the price of plywood. Ouch.

The things that haven't changed are as follows:

1. I still don't shower as much as I should.
2. I'm wearing my new clothes to stain and cut wood in even when I said I wouldn't.
3. I don't feel like cooking dinner tonight.
4. My fridge has nothing good in it.
5. There's laundry to do.

Candy Land

Yesterday was my official first day back. And what did I do? I dragged my kids (who are STILL out of school) to the lumber yard and promised them candy afterwards if they wouldn't hug each other at the yard, which then turns into a fight because the 9-year-old gets irritated by his 5-year-old little sister hanging on him. We're off to a good start, right? Mom: 0, Carpenter: 1. Bribery is the not talked about staple of any mom-run business where the kids have to continually come along on work errands. So is the promise of some crappy kid movie that we all watch together and Scott and I act like we're just "resting our eyes" during the viewing.

Off to the garage to not do laundry, listen to some good country radio, and bang out a toy box! Where are the kids, you ask? Eating candy and watching some crappy kid movie in the living room. Did you really have to ask?

Side Note: I will be making homemade playdough later today so I think that should bring the score up to Mom: 1 and Carpenter: 1.

Blades of Glory

Noah: "Mom, ya know, if you taught other kids to skate like you taught me and Grace you could make a lot of money."

Me: "Yep, I know. But then I wouldn't get to build kids' furniture....and I'd have to wear those little skating outfits."

Noah: "Ok...stick with the furniture."

(Photos were from our snow trip with my family before the holidays. I used to skate a bit on ponds growing up in Ohio so I taught the kids how to skate....er, fall gracefully.)

Decor8 likes Mod Mom Furniture

Check out the post on 12/19 as well as the rest of the really great finds. Decor8 is a fantastic blog written by Holly Becker, "a writer and interior design consultant who created decor8 to catalog beautiful finds and to inspire others."

Getting Back to Normal

So I gave myself a couple of weeks out of the garage and technically, still have a few days but last night I found myself out there plotting a custom storage piece for my kids. Funny how you can get so burned out of it after doing it week after week but I know it must be real love, cuz I was a little jumpy to get back to cutting and sanding and all that jazz.

I'm looking forward to creating some new pieces in 2008 and am happy to report I'm booked in the building/already sold department until mid-february! This year should be interesting because I'm now at the point where I definitely need help building in order to keep from making folks wait three months for their pieces. I'll be looking into some extra hands to keep production running smoothly. Another clue that made me think I might need help: my kids asked me a couple of weeks ago if I could just take one day off of building. That made me think a little about the workload. Packing in a full-time job with virtually no kid-free hours is a challenge!

On a family update report, we're still in the dark about my husband's TIAs and he's supposed to be getting a couple more tests run but I think he's frustrated, as we all are, that there are no clear cut answers. So for now, he's taking aspirin everyday and I'm calmly telling him that if he strokes out on me, I'll kill him!

Merry Christmas!

We captured Gracie putting together a creation from her Build-It-Yourself Workshop kit that Grandma and Grandpa gave to her. In true Hathcock style, she's building in her best Christmas dress and smearing glue on the floor and her dress. Like mother like daughter!


Hope you're having a wonderful day!

Editor's Pick of 2007 -- Cool Mom Picks

I was cringing when I opened my e-mail inbox today just knowing there would be more bad news about something I made or shipped. But there wasn't!!!!

Good news only...

Check out the post from Kristen and Liz at Cool Mom Picks. They included the mid-century "Gracie" toy box in their Editors Picks of 2007. Both purchased the mid-century toy box from me back in the summer and thankfully, both made it to Brooklyn and Atlanta unscathed.

If you haven't seen their blog, check it out. They are two very funny ladies with great taste and serious writing chops.

Making Spirits Bright

I've been absent from blogging for a few days because my parents are in town from Ohio for Christmas. And I'm doing my best to not "work" but it is hard. I'm not doing any building until next week; however, since I have my mentor in town, he'll be showing me some router tricks later today. WHOOHOOO!! I am breathing a little easier about the shipping disasters because we're making progress on the whole claim or refund process. But that's not to say I'm a little more gun shy about shipping now. How do you all feel about metal toy boxes? Those don't break!!!

I hope you're all enjoying the holidays with family and friends. We're having a good time decorating, baking and mixing pomegranate martinis. A karaoke party will soon be taking place filled with swingin' Christmas songs crooned by my talented husband and his "karaoke wife", Oonagh. Let's just say I can build better than I sing! (NOTE: You did not read that we're having a swingers christmas party. Just a karaoke party with some christmas tunes....and a hot tub....and some drinks. Uh oh....JUST KIDDING!!!!)

Cheers!!!

Shipping Disasters

I'm still on "vacation" but I have access to a computer so I thought I'd write in about some recent shipping disasters.

Here's the part where I question why I'm shipping my pieces...during the holidays....and via UPS.

So I shipped out two toy boxes (mid-century style) before we left on vacation and was so happy to have everything caught up and a few weeks off from building. I unfortunately received two emails that said virtually the same thing...received the toy box but it's broken. WHOOHOO!!! I've shipped this particular toy box roughly twenty times and no issues until now.

So now the poor recipients and I are working through the UPS PACK AND SHIP PROMISE claim details.

Did I mention I had two glasses of wine at dinner?? Yep, that's how i'm feeling right about now regarding the whole shipping thing. I'm questioning it and noting which pieces hold up better when being thrown haphazardly from truck to truck.

Just when you think the whole "i own my own business" thing is running smoothly, something like this happens. I think I'll just go lie down and think back to the days of designing marketing materials and babysitting other people's kids.

Sometimes it seems A WHOLE LOT easier to just work for the man.