What Time is It? Plytime.

I've been goofin around with some plywood these days. I cut some strips of it, and made a clock. I was moving em around trying to figure out what might look good. I ended up making the "3" and "9" positions square instead of rectangular like this here.



I also ended up painting the insides of the squares green, for that extra sumpin sumpin factor.



Looks like this clock will end up in this "making stuff from plywood" book put out by Storey Publishing. Details to come on that... Til you learn the ins and outs, you could just buy one off me here in ye olde shoppe.

Get Ready Freddy

Julie and I went away for our 13th weddin anniversary. Headed west to Fredericksburg. Mostly full o shops and the like, but still has lots of cool old buildings around, like this here Keidel Memorial Hospital down the street from where we stayed.



We enjoyed us a required two nite's stay at the Roadrunner Inn... It was perched atop a couple cool shops on Main Street. (above: Julie checks baby status from cellular)



Twas full of swanky mid century modern type artifacts, as well as this flat screen tv, which was in direct eyesight of the super cozy bed, and could play The Soup like nobody's business.



We ate a tasty meal at what was known as the Cotton Gin, now not-as-cool sounding Cabernet Grill. Romantic topics of discussion ranged from attic renovation, to baby schooling, to property tax protesting. Upside to the meal, other than its taste: I didn't pull a dead fly out of my mouth as I had the night prior at a different fancy restaurant, which shall remain nameless.



Trendy cool shop, Red, was directly across the street from where we stayed.



Sad how many cardboard animals are killed each season.



Austinite woodworker cool brah, Brian David Johnson, gets around! Spotted his wood vases right away. Someday, when I have more time than my daily allotted babynaptime, I'll get on the ball and make stuff, get stuff into stores, and sell the stuff. Til then, I'll blog about others that do it. BRING IT YEAR 13! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY JULIE!

"But do you have that in a dark wood???"

Welcome to the dark side, y'all. I've got a couple new(ish) items up for sale. Same ole song and dance, with a new twist. The Bent Wood Test Tube Vase is now available in a super slick red gum veneer, and looks like a little bit of all right.



Also making its first appearance on the baldman stage, please welcome the Longboard Pendant Lamp in Walnut Veneer. I've had many a person ask me if I had any pictures of this lamp in walnut, but I never had anyone buy one, and a serious lack of time to just make one for show... but then someone bit the bullet and ordered one so here she is. I really like it. Maybe others will too. Others with gaping holes in the ceiling, money in their pockets, and walnut on their minds.

Razor Blades- Revealed/Concealed

I saw Lisa's comment on the last post, and thought I'd share what I got to see down inside my wall... My razor blade dreams have all come true! Now for the house of slots! As a side note, all razors found inside the wall behind our old medicine cabinet were preserved in the exact place they were found. Drywall has been cut and pasted over the hole where the cabinet used to be, so come another 60 years I can only hope that someone knows what the hay is going on when they run across this dangerously sharp time capsule.



In related razor blade news, there's this awesome etsy shop run by a lady here in Austin called Fetosoap. Check out these soaps. I should have donated our wall treasures to her!

Clock In!

The other day I was reading Mid Century Modernist, and they had them a thing on George Nelson table top clocks.



There are several being auctioned off at the Wright Auction House for tons of money. They are all wildly different and super cool.


Momma tells me (that's my ma, not my baby momma) clocks are where it's at if I want to sell goods on Etsy. I sold one wall clock, but these mini table sized versions provide some great inspiration, and easier for the baldmanmod packaging and shipping department. Someday Nelson, you shall meet your match with clocks at a slightly lower price point. R&D department is already on it, and the buzz around the warehouse is growing everyday. Almost deafening this buzz.

The Good, The Bad and the Bloody

It's been a weird time in Baldland. Luckily for me, some lovers of woody stuff bought items from me, which I was glad to make. My fingers that were lopped off by my X-acto knife were not as glad.

A couple days earlier, some drunken coed smashed into my Mini. I followed her trail of car guts to her smashed piece of crud a few blocks away. Bad guys lose.

I screwed up one of my vase numbers, so I sliced it down into these little dainty pieces o wood that I stare and and wonder about... what to do with these?

On a positive note, I got to take in some Tuesday evening rock with Cheap Time at Beerland. Got to see rockers that still are doing that every nite of the week, whilst I go to bed early/get up early. But I have a sweet baby that makes it all better. And sucks up all my bloggy time.

Fo Sho Case!

Having me an Etsy Type Job today. Signed up for a showcase to do some showcasin. Maybe it'll help sell people some super cool stuff for the holidays. MAYBE. They do need it. YOU NEED IT! Why buy boring crap as presents when you could buy my cool crap?

60s Appreciation Day

The other day, Claire and I went to check out some garage sales around the neighborhood. We spied this uber cool 1960s Tripod Floor Lamp, and snagged it from this old hippie dood, who told us it still has a "grow bulb" in it. To grow what, hippie man?



Claire was all, "let's get it anyway, we can snazz it up!" So we did. We put a nice coat of paint on the lamp, and switched out the grow bulb for something a tad more pleasing. It's currently residing in our living room and looks good, but I also put it up for sale in ye olde shoppe, just in case someone likes cool stuff.



Speaking of 60s appreciation, The Mullens rule that school... one of my favorite bands, and Claire and I listen to their song Esmerelda literally 5 times a day. I would have my hair cut just like these chumps, making Julie happy that my follicles hate my guts.

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.

This slab o wood could be yours!

Ye olde Mesquite Treat is up for grabs on my esty site. Who is it going to? MAYBE YOU? Callers are standing by...

Mesquitey Treat in the Texas Heat

A while back, Claire and I went on a wood hunt via some Craigslist post. After the two of us discussed, we picked up this slab o mesquite with the cool sapwood rings, wormholes and roughness on the edges.



After some quality time scraping and sanding to a fine smoove surface, I slapped on some Watco Danish oil (since it seems like the Danes have a good thing going, and I had this in the garage) and let it marinate.



I attached some hairpin legs and voila! Mesquitey table/bench thang! It ain't exactly done, for I'm gonna poly the beast, but it does hold quite a heavy load, as seen in pic below...



I'm gonna put this thing on my etsy site when it's all finished (Crocs not included with purchase).

Artwork & the Hottest Coolest Time in TX

Well, one small task was actually completed, which is a rarity these days. Julie got me this conglomerate of Jenn Ski Letter Art to spell Claire's name in ye olde nursery... not only that, but said artwork actually made it up on the walls. Such completion can not be said of the file cabinet planter, unfinished porch supports, or detailed Mini Cooper that needs to be sold stat... which just reminded me that I had a dream this morning that an old coworker came over and washed my car. Maybe I'll leave a bucket in the driveway, and send that guy some serious power of suggestion.

Screw unfinished projects and baby raising. We're going to Schlitterbahn y'all. Claire can maybe go next year, but this year it's just the "adults" gittin tubular.

Outie on Scoutie

Big ups to Jan and the Scoutie Girl site for tossing my table into their mix of rad Mid Century type finds on Etsy. I'm hoping to drop that price here shortly, and let the table flood begin.

My, what lovely legs you have

Since the new found love/hate for my table has resurfaced, I thought I really need to work on bringing down the cost for this mutha. Honestly, the vast majority of the cost that goes into the table is the wrought iron hairpin legs. They are hard to come by, and pricey when you find some (check the ebay selection). Either they are original 50s gems, in a variety of states, or brand new legs made by a select few joints. Both options come with a hefty tag.



So during a boparound ebay session looking for something that can reign in my unkempt hoses that are dumped in a pile in my yard, I find this couple that makes iron hose holders... and weathervanes, and the like. I says to myself I says, "if they can bend iron for a hose holder, could they not make me some hairpin legs?" I then e-says it to the couple, who cranked one out that day, and mailed it off to me. Now I have 12 more coming at a much better rate than I used to get these guys. The internet is a marvelous device. I'd better start with the making! And hopefully others will start with the buying. Ain't they heard the market's turnin' around? Soon all those new home buyers will be clamoring for TABLES! TABLES! TABLES!

Baldy has Arrived!

So when I started making stuff, I thought I'd try to get some people to notice my goods, and maybe sell some. I read lots of goofy design blogs, and some I lightly bug, and some find me, and kindly write about my wares... but not til now do I feel like I've really made it. I've been snarked! Enough of the kind words and niceities... I've been wanting the non-critiquey, just flat out "I'm-gonna-take-a-dump-on-your-stupid-furniture" that only a snarky anonymous d-bag can really whip up, and I hit the jackpot. Thanks to Grassroots Modern for writing about my table, but thanks more to JJ's snark. I'm finally someone.

Etsy and the Woody Stuff Therein

I've been dorkin about these days on etsy, and looking at what other people, with better skills, do with wood. I often run around town picking up other peeps wood scraps, and think, "What can I do with these tiny pieces of real nice wood?" The couple over at Amischievousmarriage make these cool little fruit pedestals. Fun!



I once followed this thread on Apartment Therapy called "Story of a Table" which documented a custom made table built from reclaimed wood by the Lorimer Workshop. These days, they also have an etsy shop, and I saw this cool bench which seems so simple/radical it's blowin my mindhole.



I'd seen the focuslineart etsy site a long time ago, but for some reason, didn't realize they also do their tree ring art thang on hunks o tree! This is another thing I've done... collect little logs that I plan to cut up and do something cool with. I went down that road once, and forgot to read the name of the road when I turned on it... Thisiscrap Rd. Focuslineart obviously didn't live in the neighborhood.

The Black Elm Woodworking dood is perhaps my current fave. This SEWARD Coffee table is boss. Makes me go, "Oh, this is what professionals do with wood." I always read about people who grew up with their carpenter dads making furniture and that sorta thing. I grew up with my dad fixing up a 68 Camaro with 20,000 original miles, and still don't change my own oil... however, if he built our house or something, maybe I'd be at this level now... I'm just behind the curve, that's all. This is no dad slam. Please see how he built my patio.

Lamps and Lamp Ladies

Man, there has been some sweet sweetness rolling through this joint. Jaime over at Design Milk done blogged that pendant lamp, and Ted, the dang owner of Thin Air Press vacuum contraption, talked about the lampshade too, after giving me some helpful advice. Radical. Thangs is just coming up roses, ain't they?


Also, you guys seen this Hannah Nunn lady, and her rad lamps on etsy? I read an article about this woman, and how she walks a few steps from her home to her store in England, and turns on all her cool lamps, and makes her own stuff by the warm light when she's not selling funky lamps like hotcakes. Remind me to do the same in my next lampladyinleedslife.

Big Lights and Little Ladies

So I went ahead and put this ole bendy piece of wood up on the etsy site, and had me some interest already, so that's cool.

Know what else is cool? This little lady... Julie is about to head back to work, so it'll be just baldy and the baby making wood lamps and dirty diapers. No snide comments on who is doing what, peanut gallery...