Riley Paige - Pretty Custom Patterns

My client hit the jackpot with her choice of patterns for the Riley Paige I built for her. Look how GORGEOUS this turned out!

READ THIS BLOG: katie hatch [design]

If you're a fan of really smart, witty business and/or design blogs, check out Katie's blog: http://www.katie-hatch.blogspot.com/. She just launched it this week and shared information on the NEW BIG COLOR FOR 2011 as well as "How to Run Your Business Like Pottery Barn - Wall Street Insider Info."

Here's Katie in a nutshell (via her blog profile)....

I'm a furniture designer. I'm a businesswoman. I am a firm believer that designers are 'problem solvers', & that 'innovation' is a requirement of any good design, not just a buzz word. I follow trends, and forecast opportunities. A voracious reader, pod-cast listener, and blog reader. Globe trekker immersing myself in local cultures and languages while sourcing products. Mid-Century Modern Fanatic. Idiosyncratic Mind. Dog lover.

I think she left out "really open, giving, thoughtful person" but she's not one to brag. So I'll do that for her.

Bangs

At 1:30am the other night, I. CUT. BANGS. Not hard core Heidi Klum bangs but just enough to make me feel like I was making a huge change, breaking a pattern. The bonus is that they cover the ever-deepening worry lines on my forehead. It's one of those things you do, and while you're doing it, you feel like a superhero. Like the bangs are gonna change my world. Here's what I'm convinced these new bangs will do:

1. ...will bring about a new job for Scott,
2. ...a mass manufacturer for Mod Mom Furniture,
3. ...a quick answer to whether or not our daughter has a learning disability,
4. ...an easy transition for my son in his new school
5. ...bring world peace.

Oh, and lastly, make the SHARK TANK casting process go smoothly. So far, in the two minutes since I received the "Congrats you made it to the second round of casting for SHARK TANK" email, I'm NOT FEELING THE POWER OF THE BANGS so much. DAMMIT, BANG POWER...ACTIVATE!!

Shorter, maybe they need to be shorter.

Tug of War

If I've learned one thing from numerous lay-offs, it's that one can't possibly be optimistic and hopeful every day. It's not natural. There's a tug of war in my head these days. The side that's pulling hardest lately is the one wearing a t-shirt that says POWERLESS. For most of the past three weeks, the WE SHALL OVERCOME side was winning.

There's no two ways around it. I feel rather powerless right now. When we made the decision back in 2003 that I would quit my well-paying corporate marketing job in Chicago and we'd make the move to a city that wasn't so expensive (not LA) so that at least one parent was a constant in our kids' lives, I never would've imagined the road we were destined to travel would be so full of massive sink holes. But it hadn't occurred to me that the economy would lose its footing either.

As so many women (and men) know, making that decision to step out of your ten year career to care for your kids is a really tough one. I agonized over whether or not I'd even be good at being a stay at home mom and when I finally did, the adjustment was brutal but I found my way. Carving out a new career was both exhilarating and exhausting and I couldn't be happier with the success of Mod Mom Furniture, but at times like these, I can't help but compare salaries and know that mine falls far behind what I was making before I left my marketing job. We're in that catch twenty-two stage of life where even if I went back to work full-time and did Mod Mom at nights and weekends, I couldn't even come close to making what Scott has been earning now that he's been climbing the ladder since 1994. And that brings us back to powerless.

I won't lie and say I haven't, at times, wished we'd just stayed in Chicago and I kept working at A&E and The History Channel while my kids were in daycare from 7am-6pm. But I've also learned through our ups and downs that it's ultimately what was planned out for us from the start. Life lessons and all.

We're definitely growing and learning from this latest lay-off in many ways we didn't from the last one. I'm trying to acknowledge the feelings of fear and lack of power but not let it always win the tug of war. I think you have to be allowed to feel what's real in order to work through it so I'm doing just that. Today I feel rather POWERLESS but tomorrow I plan on being back on the WE SHALL OVERCOME side tugging away.

Kind Words

I've been really blessed to have wonderful clients over the past four years. Some of them send me notes after receiving their toy boxes so I thought I'd share a few of them...

"Thank you so much - we just received the Owyn box today, and it is absolutely beautiful! We know that we'll be enjoying it for many years to come. Nara loves the puzzle element to the covers, and that's keeping her quite busy already. Our #2 kiddo is arriving this fall, so don't be surprised if you hear from me sometime with a request for a second one."

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"I got the toy box today! I love it, and thank you. Just in time for the holiday weekend & it looks great in my game room. The kids LOVE it, and the craftsmanship is lovely. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend you to my friends."

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"Just wanted to let you know that the toy box arrived right on schedule, in perfect condition and has been completely filled with Sebastian's stuff... (how did my 4 1/2 month old manage to accumulate so many toys already? oh right, grandparents) Thanks for designing and making such a lovely item. I have to admit I sort of hope he'll someday decide it is "too babyish" to have even a repurposed toybox in his room so that I can appropriate it to store blankets or sweaters!"

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"Absolutely incredible craftsmanship! We LOVE this piece. Great customer service, quick response time and just a really great transaction all the way around! Love love love it!"

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"This box is beautiful beyond description. It's flawless and very well made. I love the fact that it's built by a mom, who knows kids better than mom themselves. This will definitely be one of few heirloom pieces in my family. Thanks Kiersten for such gorgeous work." (Owyn Toy Box)

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"I absolutely LOVE this toy box and am so happy I bought it in anticipation of the arrival of my little one! It is a beautifully crafted piece and will provide a fun and functional place to store toys. Kiersten was great to communicate with. I highly recommend this Etsy seller! Thank you again Kiersten!" (Owyn Toy Box)

600 Hundred Facebook Fans or Bust!

I know the last post was all down in the dumps but this one promises to be fun and happy!

I'm trying to get 600 Facebook Fans and need your help! When I reach the 600 mark, I'll draw from the folks who are fans (or clicked "LIKE") on Facebook and the lucky winner will receive a FREE custom, keepsake box!! I'll work with said winner to come up with a design that works for them. As usual, it will be eco-friendly and made by these two aging but capable hands.

BECOME A FAN HERE!
To become a fan, simply follow this link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Los-Angeles-CA/Mod-Mom-Furniture/121337859389?ref=ts

A few examples of boxes I've designed in the past...

Roller Coasters vs. Merry-Go-Rounds

When it comes to a mechanical ride, I'm all for roller coasters. I'm kind of a speed junkie. I actually like that feeling you get when you're at the top of that first unbelievably steep hill and you start the million-mile-an-hour descent where your stomach goes into your throat. You have no idea how happy I am that my kids like that feeling too. They are both coaster junkies like their mom.

When it comes to other kinds of roller coasters, like the one where your husband just got a promotion three months ago but suddenly, out-of-nowhere, you're being thrown out of the coaster car because the company is eliminating the position in order to go in a different direction, I have an entirely different reaction. We've become, for the third time in seven years, that family you hear and read about in the news. I know there are so many families out there like us right now and I'm sending you all love and hope that tomorrow's ride will be that of a slow-moving, steady, reliable, merry-go-round. It doesn't blindside you when you least expect it and dump you out with the promise of just one month's salary. The merry-go-round is so calming, predictable and steady like a friend that sits with you and pats your back and tells you everything will be OK.

I know we will be OK. We'll make it happen the way other families make it happen. But as rides go, for now, I think I'll just go get in line for the merry-go-round. Or maybe even that small kiddie train at the zoo that goes about two miles an hour around a track that appears to be the size of a small car. That's more my speed now. Nothing fancy. Nothing flashy. Just something that says, "Come ride me. I won't hurt you."

UPDATE: Good news is there's a margarita/beer cart right next to the kiddie train so things are really starting to look up! Fun but stable. Now that's the ticket. :)

I think she wants to be a teacher now....

....but back in kindergarten, she was well on her way to be a frnsi dsiner.

Smile

(kiersten, 2nd grade)


(grace, 2nd grade)

It's beyond me where she got her smile. No doubt her overly excited, OMG-I'm-going-to-Disneyland-smile is from her father.

I wonder when that fake smile thing ended for me? I mean, occasionally, I see it in photos but just not as pronounced. It's more of a "take the damn picture" smile. These days, the dog days of summer, there are loads of smiles from my kids. What with the above ground plastic swimming pool and the trampoline, they're in kid heaven. I'm enjoying not having to rush them out the door (except for summer camp days -- god, I love those days) in the morning and deal with all the homework stuff, lunch money that I forget to give sometimes, and fundraisers. I'm still working away in my garage and am prepping for a possible writing/video gig for a very cool online site so for me, it's a bit business as usual. But for them, I see all the tension from the structured life they lead during the school year melt away. It's great when you can see your kids happy and stress-free. I'm proud to say the full-blown open mouth smiles are everywhere but dang it if I don't love the one you see above.

Summer Camp!

So I'm all better now and completely bitch-free, I promise! The life of a work-from-home mom is what it is -- most of the time great, some of the time a real pain in the arse.

The main reason I'm so chipper, you ask?!? SUMMER CAMP. 9am-4pm will be mine, all mine for five glorious days. Work will occur, of course, but I am going to take some time to do very important, high brow, things like see Twilight: ECLIPSE.

YAY SUMMER CAMP!!!