The Pinstriped Console... in pages of a book in a bookstore near you!

Many moons ago (say four years worth) Julie and I needed a table by the door to throw our mail/keys/accumulated crud onto when we came home from work.  It also needed to pull triple duty as a surface to place cocktails, and store a variety of remote controls.  I whipped up this baby. 

I'd just started geeking out on woodworking, and had some new tools, and wanted to use them all.  I made a template for the top and bottom, and routed them out.  I stuck most of the pieces together using my new biscuit joiner.

After cutting all my slots, I plopped biscuits in and glued 'er up.  I was also fascinated with bending wood at the time, and bought this little vacuum bag used primarily for making skateboards.  I put it to work on this project to laminate the walnut and maple veneer to the back and the cabinet door.

Fast forward a couple years or so, and this guy Phil Schmidt contacts me about this book that he's making.  He says it's a How-To book based on all things plywood.  I said I made a thing or two, one thing leads to another, and I'm writing step by step instructions and taking pictures like this here.  I'm no pro photographer, but white paper gets you halfway there (no offense, pro photographers).

Luckily I'd taken a course in AutoCad recently because I had to draw up templates for the book.  They are still pretty amateurish compared to other pros in the book probably, but a baldman only has so much knowledge in catergories outside of speedy diaper changing and baby food mashing.

I sent this picture in to the book guys, and it made it on the cover!  Check it!

I have another table in the book too.  I'm pretty sure PlyDesign is coming out in the next few days.  Pick up your copy just about anywhere.  Tell 'em Baldy sent ya!  Stay tuned for cool book release party news in May!

PlyDesign/Needy Offspring

The time is almost here!  Baldy in his second book...  PlyDesign comes out April 24th.  From the looks of the stuff you can kind of peek inside, it looks really cool... AND I have one of my projects on the cover AND the author Phil is a super nice guy.  YEP, baby just woke up.  My posts have been infrequent and small.  Send complaints to my 14 month old son, Nate.

Nate's Bookcase

I made Nate a bookcase.  It all started with this piece of plywood I got at a yard sale with a zillion holes in it.  I was told it was a test piece for a restaurant in town.  Guess they use the stuff all over the establishment.  If I were more with it/in the know I would have been to this restaurant, or at least remembered the name.  

I'm assuming that said fancy restaurant didn't trick out their plywood with little bingo chips however.  They did probably have their plywood CNCed at a nicer place than my garage.  We're one-one restaurant...  though I do have a multicolored tricycle and an elusive rat in my digs.

I'm getting better with my dowel stuff.  These guys are super smooth...  And the velvit oil I rubbed on with a tender caress.  The wood almost had to pay me.

I also hooked up an LED rope light to act as a night light of sorts.  This is my late night garage test run.  Elusive Rat told me it looked pretty good.  

Here the bookcase has been moved into the house.  Actually just inside the door...  Someday it'll make its way to Nate's actual bedroom.  I'd do it myself but there'd be no one here to applaud my brute strength except for Nate and Claire, and they aren't easily impressed.

 We've got light!

I considered a variety of ways of putting these lights on, and went with the "two big wads" method...  Also notice sliding doors that can cover 2/5ths of whatever books and other junk will accumulate.

Nate said it'll do... and immediately removed all books placed in the bookcase.  Notice Divya's "Little Owl's Night" prominently placed.  

This concludes the "Nate's Bookcase" blog entry.  If you'd like one made, let me know if you find the proper yard sale wood, or own a CNC machine.  Or if you know the name of that restaurant, take a screwdriver with you the next time you dine.

Birth of a logo!

So, I got me a new logo for the new website!

Here are a few of the rad designs that my great/wickedly talented friend Divya came up with.  I was kind of partial to this one because of the vinyl rekkid feel it had!

Think Divya has also skinny-ed me down a bit.  She's nice that way. 

Once we got to this woody style, I was IN.  Also, we took off the "PAD" since that's a word that I save just for you and this blog, you one lucky reader! 

Div threw in a bit of color,  wrapped the words around my chromey pate, and WHAMMO!  LOGO!  Check it out in all its beauty at the site Bald Man Mod!  Also, check out Divya's awesome new children's book, Little Owl's Night, or read this great interview with her on Design Sponge!

Design Sponge got to Meet Us/Plea for Friendship

Here's a post about a million years late!  Design Spongers came through Austin, and Julie and I got to meet Grace and Amy.  We made fools of ourselves by making some horrible crafts that had to be tossed when we got home and by bumbling around with the camera like we were 90 year olds with our first digital picturetaker.  After several attempts we got this picture here.  Everyone in the line that was out the door totally didn't mind.  Anyway, as suspected, they were nice and normal, cool people...  super friendly.  I think New York gets a bum rap- I have yet to meet a person from NYC I didn't like.  They might be back through town during SXSW.  I'll have Grace tack on "PAGE 346 IS TOTALLY MY FAVORITE!"  Pretty sure she signs that in all the other books.  She was probably just nervous to meet us. 

In other unrelated news, I have a little Facebook page for Bald Man Mod.  Currently low on the friends who like me, so do a baldman a solid, and like it.  Everyone likes to be liked right?  Don't send me the therapy over this.  Thanks brahs and sahs.

Bald Man has Arrived! (?)

I have a real life, honest to god website.  Gettin more pro.  At a snail's pace... 

BALDMANMOD!

Babies Can't Stop Bald Hands From Making!

Long ago, I built a changing table for our daughter.  It was in her room, and built on top of the window sill, due to the lack of space in the room (and every room).  When the addition was made, the wall with said window/changing table was smashed to bits, but not before I unscrewed the guy.  I added a jumbo storage drawer underneath, slapped on some legs, and now the newly configured monster lives in baby Nate's room!



The murphy bed also got some new neighbors. Two storage bros, and a reading lamp.

Bottom bro is tricked out with a slide out nightstand! 



Lastly, in ye olde shoppe, it's the return of the Longboard Pendant lamp in Bamboo...  My bamboo source dried up on me, so I had to find a new well.  I should have a couple made soon if I can squeeze them out admist all of this pesky child rearing.

Filing Cabinet Planter... Part Last!

Grace Bonney hit me up two years ago about putting this filing cabinet planter in the book she was making.  After sending her a couple crummy pictures of it, and taking additional semi-better pictures, she put it in...  and it came out yesterday!  Page 346 of the Design Sponge at Home book. 

I picked up the book, as well as our friend Divya's awesome children's book, Little Owl's Night.  Book parties for both books happening on October 15th.  Grace is super nice, and I'm not sure how that is, as I'm assuming dealing with so many ding dongs like myself is far from enjoyable.  400 pages of ding dongs' creations.  It'll be cool to meet her, shake her hand, and pick up my gigantic check (both physically and monetarily).  I'm assuming she's coming by bus, since that check ain't fittin under the seat in front of you.

Oak Park Father's Day? In August? BELIEVE.

For Father's Day, Julie upped the ante with this wild idea of taking me to Oak Park (ritzy Chicago) for a Frank Lloyd Wright tour. We went on the cheap, which meant barely eeking out the last two seats on a 5:45AM flight, and going standby at that. The upside is that we made it to Wicker Park in time to eat a banana and heath bar pancake covered in warm toffeecream. Chicagoans can sometimes be on the hefty side, so it was necessary to bulk up/fit in. (no offense. I'm the one eating candy bars for breakfast, so...)



Since we had extra time in Chicago that we assumed we'd be spending in the DFW airport, we went to the Chicago Institute of Art, to explore as much as we could before heading outta downtown. We took in this massive log, which some dood saw in California, had a mold made of it, shipped said mold to Japan to have woodworkers recreate the fallen tree, had it shipped back, and now is in the museum. Who said artists were the poor and starving type?



ARTY. There's a cute wife behind. them gold balls.

One of my favorite Wright homes in Oak Park was the Arthur B. Heurtley house. There was a hundred year oldish man who lived in the place, and he ruled, and was really proud of this beauty. I'd be proud too, because I'll be residing in a pine box at his age, not this place.

The vast majority of Wright homes one has to admire from the outside, as the current residences of the homes prefer privacy to hanging out with cool people like us. However, we did get to walk around inside Frank Lloyd Wright's home and studio, and it was great. No pictures allowed on the inside though. Whatever.

We headed downtown to check out the inside of the Rookery building. When we go inside buildings in downtown Austin, we get a receptionist desk, a security guard, and an ATM machine.

This building was not like that. Long live the Rookery!!

The Robie house was another one that we got to walk around inside. It really made me want to live in 1910, be rich, have servants and be named Frederick C. Robie. There was this old victorian home built next door that looked a trillion years old, and it was built 5 years after this house. Wild. Again no pictures allowed inside. Apartment Therapy has a nice interior shot of the giant living room. Guess they must have a Robie on the staff.

Take that Jeff Tweedy. We took the Architecture River Crooze too, brah.

After said cruise, we stopped into this place that seemed a tad douchey to me on the outside, but turned out to be pretty nice. They did have this awesome beer flight for purchase, including the super potent Delirium Tremens. It was delicious, but to name your beer after the DTs is like naming your cigarettes the Coughing Blood Ultraslims.

Saw these lamps hanging in this Wine and Cheese shop near our motel. Don't get me all riled up again! Buy 'Merican people! LZF Lamps makes great stuff... and their model is basically three of mine put together and is wider, but they use only 2 pieces of veneer. I use 3. Would you rather live in a straw house or one of brick? I USE THREE. BRICK HOUSE!

We rounded out the trip with a drive to Plano, IL to visit the Farnsworth House. You know your house is a dope crib when it's been made into legos. We had a few setbacks getting there, and ended up 10 minutes late, much to the chagrin of all the others on the tour. They were also not chagrinning when it started pouring after we took two steps towards the house from the parking lot.

The upside was that we got to hang out in the house and sit around in the living room for a long time, listening to the tour guide... It was a great house. Thinking about putting a bid in on it. Not sure it's for sale, but they rent it out for $20,000 a night, so I'm pretty sure my offer will be heavily considered (I mean, it's on a flood plain yo!). We rounded out the Chicago trip with a delicious meal (thanks to friend Steve Roberts) and a rock and roll bar... Perfect end to a perfect trip! I have 9 months to come up with something big for Mother's Day, and is an equal alternative to some sorta musicals marathon. There MUST be an alternative!

Filing Cabinet Planter Revisited!

Brothers and Sisters... I've started this blog entry no less than 4 times in the last month. Today I'll get past uploading this picture. This double baby party is no joke! ANYWAY. Many moons ago, I made this filing cabinet into a planter instead of buying one for 600 bucks at ye local plant store. A moon or two after that, I was asked to take some pictures of it for a book that Design Sponge was gonna put out. Fast forward two more years, and said book is coming out Sept 6th! It can be preordered here for half off til friday! The planter has seen some rough times in the past couple of years, mostly due to contractors adding on to the house where the planter was located, and contractors' lack of caring about physical items, especially one like this. I also have an uncanny ability to kill off cacti fairly easily... However, the planter has been moved, and given an overhaul in case our house gets mobbed after the release of this book. There's going to be a release party here in Austin on October 15th. Our friend Divya wrote this great children's book, Little Owl's Night, and she is having a reading on October 15th. All hail October 15th, Day of BookWorms!

Chomp!

Time ain't always on my side. Two babies tell me what to do and when to do it. I have 6 lamps I need to make for a dood in Australia. He's being patient, and by that I mean, he didn't reply to my last email that said, "I don't know man... another 4 weeks? 5 weeks?" My mominlaw needs pegboards put up in garage. Nate needs his butt wiped and Claire needs to go to gymboree. And the two cute gymboree nannies that actually talk to me are gonna stop nannying, and leave me with the old grumps. And there are about 12 trees that need to be cut down in the backyard, and hauled out to the street in two days, for "large brush pickup day". In steps my new best friend, the alligator lopper.



My brah Lopper and I did a number on the backyard. A serious serious number. That back fence was mostly invisible, but now very visible after Lopper's chainsaw mouth did its stuff. Sadly, the lopper is not a magic lopper that would make each limb turn to fairy dust as it hit the ground, so he left it up to me to haul to the front yard. Planning on doing this on a Thursday evening, then watching loud rock music that will start at midnight. It's a bad mix, and I know this going in, but after the double nanny dis, an old man needs something to look forward to. And for this old man, it's The Damn Times.

Gittin Horizontal. Gittin Vertical.

Due to our maxed out growing family, our 1300 square foot house, and heavy influx of visitors (mainly of the grandparent variety), we had to add on to our home, and make every square inch work hard. Sometimes pull some double duty. So pa and I built a murphy bed!



AND when it was done, it worked! It goes up. It goes down. It can be slept on. It can be high fived over.



Here's a shot from a post overnight stay.



When guests are away, the desk comes back to life, and the bedroom turns into an office.



Someday there will be a little storage area next to ole Murphy's bed, but only Murphy knows when that will be. He also created this law that deemed Nate shall wake up twice during the night since I'm illin'. You've got a funny way, Murph.