That's it....we're moving to Italy

While putting off my workout this morning, I stumbled upon this post on an Italian Design Blog called DesignerBlog. It sure is a good thing I took Spanish in high school!! After staring at the text trying desperately for it to magically translate, I got the bright idea to use an online translation program. Here's babelfish's translation of the post ( but if anyone knows Italian and knows differently, let me know. Maybe it actually says something like this woman is crazy and her toy boxes are shite)....

Kiersten is a mother who under the name of of Mod Mom Furniture constructs furnitures of design for children, in its garage. Its containers for giocattoli are prati to us color and amusing how much to you the games that contain. Bertie Box becomes a game companion, with the shape of the orange chick that hops via from its puzzle. The container in plywood and birch, supplied of wheels, becomes therefore to the capacity of the player a physical place imagination every. The small Bertie Box will fly to the Baby Celebration the Show the 12 opens them, for the joy of large and piccini. The furnitures of Mod Mom from today are also in sale on Designpublic.com

Click the DesignerBlog link above for the post!

Featured on Crafty Site of The Day

Check out this cool downloadable gadget featuring a crafty site of the day! Beth was kind enough to feature me today. :) In order to get the gadget, you have to download it. Click the link below for instructions...

http://www.eucalyptushandmade.com/gadget.aspx

Baby Celebration LA Tickets!

As you know (because I've mentioned it five million times), I'm going to be a vendor at the Baby Celebration LA show in April. If you live in LA or are going to be in LA on April 12th and 13th and would like two-for-one tickets (only pay $10 for two adults), please let me know!

Please shoot me an email to kiersten@modmomfurniture.com or simply post a comment on this post with your email address. I will contact you via email to get your address and get the tickets in the mail to you!

Here are the details:

Normal Ticket price: $10 per adult (age 13+), Kids under age 13 free
Parking: $12.00
LA Convention Center, South Hall, Hall K
Saturday April 12th, 10am-6pm
Sunday, April 13th, 11am-6pm

Mod Mom Furniture is now being sold on Design Public

YEAH!! Check out Mod Mom Furniture on the super cool modern furnishings retail site, http://www.designpublic.com/shop/mod-mom-furniture .

The Bertie Box on Minor Details

Jenn from Minor Details posted a lovely write-up on her blog today about the new Bertie Box. If you haven't checked out her blog, get on over to it...and quick! She finds the best in modern kids design and her finds are always an inspiration to me.

Here's a little bit about Jenn's company and her background. If you're in the market for an interior design consult and are in the NYC area, check out her site at http://www.minordetails.typepad.com/ !

Minor Details is a children’s interior consulting firm focusing on collaboration with parents to bring about an imaginative and constructive space for their family to thrive in. The approach emphasizes independent imaginative play, and developmentally appropriate challenges while maintaining a fresh aesthetic. We offer interior consulting services that include architectural and structural concepts, renovation, furnishings, color studies, design concepts, procurements, installations and baby proofing. Along with these offerings, we also provide commercial and recreational design for children's spaces. To find out more about our services, please go to www.minordetailsnyc.com or email us at info@minordetailsnyc.com.

Jennifer Ward, Creative Director
As a former Architectural project manager at The Apartment creative agency in Soho, New York, Jennifer Ward has developed a strategically focused and personal appreciation of design. With the primary task of supervising production and conceptual design of residential and commercial projects, Jennifer has established an understanding of all aspects of the creative process.

Earlier in her career, Jennifer brought her talents to the commercial, print and film industry with roles consisting of art department coordinating, prop styling, art direction and production design. A few directors from her long list of experience include Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry and Christopher Guest. At one point, Jennifer also served as an assistant photographer at Vogue magazine. A former student of Parsons School of Design in New York, Jennifer is a mother, wife and overall rockstar.

The Bertie Box

We did it!!! And we're not getting divorced! My hubby and I managed to collaborate beautifully by calmly yelling, belittling, whining, and occasionally praising one another during our two-day process and came out on the other end with a new toy box! We put our heads together to come up with The Bertie Box!

This little guy will be heading to the Baby Celebration LA Show on April 12th but I'll also put on my online store very soon.

The bird's (or chick as some see it) orange body pulls out like a puzzle piece (similar to the Owyn Toy Box). The cut-out that looks like a wing is the opening for little hands to lift up. The toy box is made from 1/2 inch adn 3/4 inch birch plywood and sits on casters so it can be moved around easily.

Natural birch on the inside

White body, birch top, orange lid and walnut stained veneer as cut-out legs and beak.

Isn't it just ducky?!? (that was bad, I know.)

K.A.C (Kids Against Crack)

I tried to find one of my corporate executive photos but no luck. So this will have to do to make my point. I'm the one in the pink.

Then:
See photo above, circa 2002.

Now:
I was bending over to pick up some wood that had fallen on the garage floor. It's important to note I was wearing my low cut, hip slung jeans. Then Grace said, with much excitement and pride, "MOM, your butt ISN'T showing!!" YEAH!!!! Then she skipped off happily like it was just what her day needed.

Boy, have times changed now that I'm a woodworkin' mama. Tomorrow, I plan to purposely not hike my pants up when squatting down to work on a toy box. Her childhood shouldn't be all sunshine and roses, now should it?!?

a la mode

Linda at A LA MODE is a very talented artist designing bags, switchplate covers, and much more! And she's also a fan of a few of my pieces. Check out her post on Mod Mom Furniture at http://www.alamodestuff.blogspot.com/ and be sure to also check out her website (mentioned above) or her etsy store, http://www.alamodestuff.etsy.com/.

Easter Tennis, Potato Salad, and Rockin' Hairdos

Check out our Easter fun! Nice to get a little break from glue and polyurethane!!

First up, Grace's new do. Comes complete with a very natural smile.





Coming down off of a potato salad high....


Sadly :) there are no photos of me showing off my unbeliveably "mad tennis skills." Maybe next Easter.

Happy Easter!

Enjoy the weekend eating loads of ham and potato salad! Atleast that's the way we did it growing up in Ohio. We're off for our annual tennis tournament at a friend's house where I will inevitably throw my back out, eat way too much potato salad, and then go back for more potato salad.

To my family back East (and in San Fran), we miss you all terribly and wish we could be eating potato salad together!!

Happy Easter!

potato salad word count: 4