Dwell Magazine's Make It Yours Buyer's Guide is Out! And Bertie is in it!

This Dwell Special Edition Buyer's Guide is AMAZING!!! And not just because the Bertie is in it. But that does make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. :) If you're looking for ideas and products to make-over your modern home, this is the book for you! It's on sale at newsstands through January 1, 2010 for $9.99.

It includes 197 tips and ideas as well as the 2009 Buyer's Guide for: kitchens, baths, living rooms, home offices, bedrooms, outdoors, dining rooms, and kids' rooms.

The Bertie Box is featured on Page 102 (kids' room section). They flipped the image so the bird faces the opposite direction than I design/build it but it looks cool to me! They could've added a mustache and a beer under Bertie's wing and I'd be happy with it. Thanks, Dwell!

Managing Employees Is Hard Work

I know you've all been wondering if I've just gone and run off with Edward but I'm here to say my feet are firmly planted on the ground.

But there has been one tiny issue with my new assistant....

HE SCARES THE S*&$ OUT OF ME when I forget he's there and think it's a real person standing in my garage. I've done that twice today and nearly gave myself a heart attack. So the poor guy now resides behind my table saw. Dreamily, behind the table saw.

(* Some guy who was casually walking past my open garage asked, "Is that James Dean?" I just said yes for fear he'd think I was a crazy nutjob cuz I had a vampire cardboard cut-out in my workshop. Somehow, James Dean doesn't seem so off the wall, ya know?!?! Did I ever mention that my sweet family gave me Edward AND a Twilight t-shirt for my birthday. Now that's love!)

I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends

I got A LOT more done today with Edward at the table saw. Look at him in his safety glasses...he's all Mr. Safety Guy.



Here we are talking about health care and the obstacles small businesses face today.




This is one of those serious talks you have while drinking Corona Light. He's a complex man.




To lighten the mood, we had fun with hand mirrors (Oonagh) and yes, you can see his reflection in the mirror (Jim).





I popped up behind him and he had no clue. We laughed so hard afterwards.

The Daily Norm

Aside from the intense heat, today was just one of those ordinary days when you call up your favorite Brit and ask her if she'd like to ride out of town like Thelma and Louise or go grab some coffee. She chose the coffee. Then we decided to beat the heat and extend our vacation from work and see a psychic. Why not, right? Being that neither of us had ever done that before, it seemed to be the natural way to spend a portion of my Thursday. That, and the fact that we were curious if the psychic could tell us more about the potential TV show I mentioned here .

It sounds as if, even given my complete lack of ability to do good voice-overs, the show may just fly! But I don't want to jinx it, give too much away, or appear crazier than you may already think I am. So I'll just leave you with this question to ponder...

When we get booked on The Tonight Show with Conan and Robert Pattinson is also a guest, should I be honest with him and tell him I have a small Twilight poster in my closet or just pretend to not know him? Ah, the tough questions asked by we modern moms.

Dluxelist - A Chic Guide to Beautiful Things

(photo courtesy of dluxelist.com)

Dena Smolek contacted me recently about wanting to write a post about my furniture. So I told her ABSOLUTELY NOT! Actually, I kept my fingers crossed for days hoping she wouldn't suddenly find my furniture repulsive and not post it on her website. Her site is very cool -- I've become a bit of an addict checking out her lists daily. She has great taste in all things modern and fabulous, from clothes, to jewelry, to hand bags, to shoes, to body care products. She even posts alerts to online sales.

Check out her site at http://www.dluxelist.com. Even better, check out this link with an article about Mod Mom Furniture. :)

Here's a bit about Dena, the creator/writer....

D~LuxeList is written by Dena Smolek, a freelance writer and based in LA. She is a fashion fanatic, shopping pro, and beauty product junkie. This is D’s list of favorite things. When Dena is not busy writing or scouting story ideas, you’ll most likely find her shopping (which is technically a requirement of the job) or relaxing at the beach. Other work by Dena can be found in C Magazine, The Tip Jar and California Apparel News. Her work has also appeared in Daily Candy, Robb Report Vacation Homes, Woman’s Day, California Home & Design, EcoFabulous, Glam, Refinery29, Splendora, The San Francisco Chronicle, Trendcentral, Malibu Magazine, Metro.Pop, Citysearch, Elle.com, and SOMA, among others. View published clips at DenaSmolek.com

Bloody Hot

A bloody nose has been my new workshop sidekick. I wished for R.P. helping me in my garage but I got a bloody nose and friends being evacuated because of the La Canada Flintridge fire. I'm now refusing to hand over any more coins to the fountain. It's been unbelievably hot here (plus the fires close by) so my workshop is a toasty 100+ degrees and all I can think when I'm opening the garage door is why am I doing this? The air quality is so bad right now -- there's ash on everything that hasn't moved for 10 minutes. But I do anyway because if I don't, after a few hours in a closed garage with no cracked windows, I'm roasting and can't see through the veil of sawdust particles in the air.

I can remember back when I worked in a tall office building in downtown Chicago, we had a very different kind of pollutant scare. Someone sent fake anthrax to the office so naturally we were all sent home while the HAZMAT team examined the envelope and its powdery, white contents. It was a weird, scary feeling to think you may have just inhaled something horribly toxic. Ironically, living in LA with its gorgeous scenery and mostly blue skies, I forget that everyday I'm breathing in some form of toxic agent whether it be the smog, fire ash, or sawdust.

I'm thinking a nice mountain cabin in Colorado sounds really good right about now.

Lucky Diaz -- Musical Genius and Mod Mom Supporter

A few years back, when I first started Mod Mom Furniture, I posted a note on a site called Apartment Therapy, where loads of design-minded people go for inspiration. A super nice guy named Lucky offered to help me with a marketing piece (for free) that I had attached but wasn't functioning properly so no one could see anything I was talking about. I figured he lived in NYC but after a phone conversation, learned that not only did he live in LA but he loved what I was doing and genuinely wanted to help. That's not something that happens everyday. I built a few pieces for his adorable daughter in exchange for his web design experience. I think I got the better deal out of it. He designed my first fully functioning website in addition to fighting the good fight against some folks who weren't quite on board with what I was doing...without a design degree...in my garage. He's always been a huge supporter and I can't thank him enough for that.

Fast forward to a few years later when I learn that not only is he an amazing visual artist but he's also an extremely talented musician/singer/songwriter. Scott and I went to see him perform a couple of times and sat there in the audience like proud family members.

You couldn't find a cooler guy. A more genuine guy. And I couldn't be more thrilled to promote his album, Rainy Day Dimes. He plays with a group (Hitchcock Soundtracks) and also on his own. He's also coming out with a children's album that I know his five-year-old daughter is thrilled about!

Check out Lucky's music at the following places.

WEBSITE
http://www.luckydiazmusic.com/

FACEBOOK FAN PAGE
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lucky-Diaz/22535180158

LUCKY'S BIO
Lucky Diaz was destined for a life of music. Born in December of 1977, lucky has fond memories listening to radio hits in the backseat of his parent’s Oldsmobile Station Wagon. His biggest influences were and still include music legends like The Beatles, The Velvet Underground, Elvis Costello, Marshall Crenshaw, Joe Jackson and Stevie Ray Vaughn among others.After studying the acclaimed Berklee College of Music, Lucky based himself in Copenhagen, Denmark while touring Scandanvia. He also started composing songs for other artists, producers and various film and television projects.With an innate talent and musical ear, Lucky writes songs that leave the listener moved by their sincere emotion and catchy yet creative tune. Although his roots are firmly placed in Blues and Roots Rock, he draws inspiration from many different lyrical and musical influences. He describes his style as being funky and eclectic appealing to many audiences all at the same time. It is that versatility that has landed his songs in music compilations and feature films.Now back Los Angeles, Ca, Lucky is currently a session guitarist and busy promoting his newest EP Rainy Day Dimes

"Oh Spud! I'm a chain!"

Remember in Steel Magnolias when Spud (Truvy's husband) drives Truvy up to her new second location of her beauty shop called Truvy's West? I knew you would. Anyhow, she excitedly says, "Oh Spud! I'm a chain!"

That's exactly how I feel seeing all those boxes stacked three high with their official Mod Mom Furniture labels.

I'm just finishing packing up the last four of the fifteen toy boxes that are making their way to Canada on Wednesday. They were purchased by the new store Baby Bot (www.babybot.com) which will launch in September. Babybot will be the official carrier of Mod Mom Furniture in Canada so if you're Canadian and you're having a toy box emergency, they'll be available to buy (no waiting period) in September. Whoohooo!! I know, it's not as exciting as a nativity made entirely out of sparklers but it's something.

While we're at it, here are a few other good lines from that movie I've been known to throw out from time to time...

"A dirty mind is a terrible thing to waste."
"If you don't have somethin' nice to say, come sit by me."
"It looks like two pigs fighting under a blanket."

All this has me thinking I might just have to make a blood red cake in the shape of an armadillo to celebrate.

The Reason....

.....I haven't been updating my blog lately. Seriously, that's my living room. And there are eight more (as seen below) in my "clean" garage. You all knew I couldn't keep it clean, didn't you?

Childhood Memories

Today, I had to run out to a CNC wood shop that mostly cuts cabinet parts with its big expensive CNC machines. I've been doing this for awhile now. They cut some of the base pieces for me that way I don't have to run everything through my tablesaw. Anyhow, I had to take Grace with me and as we walked into the big warehouse of a building with all the machines going and all the guys waving hello, I had this sudden flashback.

I was elementary school age walking into my dad's weight room at the high school. He's been a football coach for many, many years and I couldn't be more proud of him. I have such fond memories of being in his weight room/locker room/coaching office, on occasion being on the field during practice, drawing pictures with chalk on his chalkboard in the athletic office during basketball games, and walking the field with him on Parent's Night. I could go on for days with all the little snapshots in my head.

I wonder if Grace will remember trips to the CNC shop like I remember trips to the football field during two-a-days? The smell of the sawdust in the air, the sound of the machines, the nice men helping me load wood into our minivan. But most of all, I wonder if later on down the road, she'll realize like I did, that those small moments shaped me more than my Dad or anyone could've possibly known. I hope she always feels like she belongs in both worlds. I just hope that she stays out of guys locker rooms until she's 35. Ok, maybe 30.