Bent Wood Test Tube Vase

Here's the outcome of my latest vacuum-pressed wood over a mold type situation.



I can actually make two at a time, which is nice for me, since I can only make half of a lamp at a time.



The holes across the top of the arc are drilled diagonally, not that you can really tell by the way these flowers are zig-zaggin. Maybe someday I'll learn to take pics that are a good representation of these items. Til then, check out my lamp cords in the background, and buy buy buy em up HERE!

Mold in the Bag

Bald Breath been trying to make something new in wood world, but babies, bugs and plumbing disasters been holding him back. But finally, lucky me got to get out in the 103 degree heat today to bang out something new. I created a new little mold and routed out 12 pieces of MDF to glue together.

I'm becoming a total router pro these days, and did em pretty fast.

Here's the mold all glued up and sanded down. I'm prepped to bend some new thick veneer over the top of this, and slip it in my vacuum bag. I knew widthwise this little devil would fit in the bag, but upon trying to do so, the height became an issue, and twas too tight. I had to hack off a couple of beautifully routed pieces which broke my cold heart.

Here's my wood sitting pretty over the mold and in the bag. Thinking about sawing it up, drilling some holes, dropping some test toobs in, and making a little froo froo multi bud vase type number. If that sounds hazy it's because it is. Deets to come. Looking to sell something on ye olde etsy site that doesn't break the bank to make and ship. Anyhoo, back outside to clean up my mess... Sure it's gone up a degree or two by now.

Ebay and the Gems Therein

My bro EBay and I used to be real tight. Back in the house renovation/dual income/no baby days. Since none of those conditions are static, all one can do is reminisce. Remember when we bought a couple Z chairs from some sucka in South Dakota for cheep, but they tagged us back with that hardcore ciggie stench when we opened the box? Well played, South Dakota.



What about those two wickt West Elm lights we got? One to put above the couch to assist in reading West Elm catalogs, and the other in the nursery to assist in reading Frankie Stein to Claire.



Then there was the vessel sink that the contractor thought was some sort of lamp shade. This was also the dood who just told us about going crazy with his sledgehammer and accidentally whacking the tar out of his last customers' stainless steel fridge. Needless to say, he didn't help in the sink installation.

I'm not much of a "Gotta have the Eames This and the Knoll That", but Julie and I really like the Nelson Bubble Lamp, so we got a SUPER STANKY YELLOW NASTY one on EBay, and with help from one Magic Eraser, it turned lovely white at less than half the price new.. and with a cool old Herman Miller tag on it to boot.

We were very envious of our friend's cool stationary rocking chair that he got from his grandma, and we found one on the 'Bay. It rules, rocks, is high backed, and this girl can do laps around it now... hence her blurriness. I could go on and on, but then you'd never come back to read again, so I stop. For now.

Gooooooood Times

I should have known this was the beginning of the end. So Friday, I planned a fancy dinner for Julie when she got home from work. Actually, her favorite meal. Grilled fish with a fancy Mediterranean sauce that involves quite a lot of prep. Then she was going to be late... I downgraded, and took out some meat to grill. Then she was going to be wicked late. I gave Claire a bath, put her to bed, and had this meal all alone... Chili Mac N Japs on a chipped plate.

Then I saw this bro on my clock... I says to myself I says, "Dood, that's a termite." Self looks it up on the internet (after seeing a dozen more in the house), and self confirms. The bug people are coming out in two days... the bug people already come out once a quarter and we pay them. Termites say, "they do a bang up job."

Did I mention we had a leak out at the street? Tons of water pouring out in front of our yard during drought season? Yeah... Plumber says (in an Australian accent that my wife deemed as "dreamy") that there's nothing up to code under our yard that can be fixed legally. Give him 3 large, and everything will be taken care of... goodbye rockstar plant... I could have bought 200 of you for this price, so who would complain that you're gone?

After these aholes are done, I get to put the dirt/rocks back in the ground and replace the grass outta my pocket, b/c 3000 bucks doesn't go as far as it used to. You'd think for that money, a dreamy voiced plumber would bring all his dreamy voiced naked girlfriends over to fix this problem... I asked, and turns out to not be the case.

The upside is we aren't lugging a baby, formula, clothes, makeup, selves up to the mother in law's (though I packed everything) for the evening b/c the plumbers pulled some strings, and dadgumit... they got our water back on! Thanks plumbers! Ready for plumbing class!!

Sheds in my Head

Though I'm currently unemployed (take it back- my employer is a 9 month old, but the pay is lousy) I can't stop thinking about how awesome it'd be to have a boatload o cash dropped off at the front door so we could add on to our house... or at least replace a falling apart garage with a cool shed for storing stuff/office/place for peep to stay (maybe I need 3 sheds). I'm obsessed with looking at em these days. The MD100 above I read about in Readymade magazine, and seems like not TOO much work to put together, and looks great done. I read somewhere the cost would be about 1500- 2000 smakkas.



The Modern Shed I've read about for a long time, and might have first gotten me on the kick. Quite a bit mo pricey, and still get shipped flat, so I'll order my extra back muscles at the same time.



The Craftsman Shed is run by a local Austin dood, so putting it together happens by him as I sip a martini and complain about the heat. It only takes him a week or two to put up, and I like that he has a real good breakdown of pricing options/add ons.



I saw this shed by Joseph Sandy whilst boppin around Door Sixteen's flickr account. It's made of recycled redwood fencing, and sounds like he's gonna start selling em sometime later this month. Could I make something like that? Prolly... not. Maybe in some years from now? Who is offering a "Learn to Make Yer Own Kewl Shed" class? I need to graduate with a Master's minimum.

Still Mod After All These Years

Been meaning to blather about a sweet anniversary weekend that I had with my wife a few weeks back. By sweet I mean "sweet" and "sweet". We kept our activities on the mod tip as it turned out.




We stayed one nite at the Kimber Modern, tucked away behind the Continental Club, and basically across the street from the San Jose. The place was great- filled with custom made this and that mixed with fancy designer chairs, lights, and decor. We sat in egg chairs whilst not being able to do the NY Times crossword, and drinking complimentary wine.

Then we headed off to check out the Kirk Gallery for the first time. It RULES. The woman working there was wicked friendly, and they carried this great line of furniture made in Mexico City all outta plywood. The company is Pirwi. Check it if you like rad.

They also carried a variety of goodies I've only seen on the 'net, and not in real life... like this here planter I done talked about a year and a half ago. This stuff KILLS me. So awesome.

We topped off the evening with a late night dinner at Olivia, nestled next to the porno shop and taxidermist. After stuffing grandma and picking up a Jugs mag, we popped in for some delightful fare of Texas grown delights. Not a bad way to celebrate 12 years of wedded bliss.

Lake Trippin

Sorry for the serious lack of posts here yous, but you see the family and I just got back from the crystal clear waters of Higgins Lake Meeeeeeeeechigan!



Maybe it wasn't the brightest idea to become uber famous with a filing cabinet, then leave all my new lovers in the lurch, but when you have the chance to go to Higgins Lake, you take it!

Word has it that National Geographic Magazine ranked Higgins Lake as the "6th Most Beautiful Lake in the World." My family has been going there since the Big Bang, so this it the only lake I knew growing up. We moved to Texas when I was a youngster, and lakes here... well, I don't think they cracked the top ten on that list of pretty lakes. Or the top million probably. Lucky for us though, my grandparents have a place right on the lake. With a boat. We live the good life for a week once a year with em.

My grandpa was like, "I don't get it. Why'd you take a picture of the logs?" You might ask yourself the same...

The other part about Michigan is the state is slathered with cool mid century items and houses. I mean Herman Miller Headquarters is in Zeeland, Michigan you know? And scattered throughout my grandparents' house are cool numbers like this lamp... I'm hoping it'll be left to me along with the homemade strawberry jelly down in the basement freezer.

It was Claire's first time to the lake... It won't be her last.