Career Day Photos!

As I walked up to the line of Kindergarteners today, I heard, "There's Grace! She's a furniture builder." It was the cutest thing EVER! And then I said, "You look AWESOME!" to a handful of girls dressed in their finery. Thank goodness they said, "I'm a teacher!" And I said, "I know (but I didn't)...you look just like a teacher! So great!" They all looked so cute I wanted to bite them. You know that feeling?!?!

I'm happy that she Grace won't have to withstand the awkward "what are you?" questions like I've endured for so many Halloweens (Flo from Alice, Mrs. Kotter from Welcome Back Kotter, the list goes on....)




(Notice the pencil in her hair. Classic.)

Read More

Update: Career Day

I totally messed up last week. Apparently, Career Day is THIS Friday so I promise to have photos of Grace for you. She's running around looking for a pencil to put in her hair as I write this. It'll take Little G two days to get her outfit together to look like me. Which is exactly how long it takes me to get ready every day. :)

Read More

Italian furniture goes further .....modern art and visual challenges

Our new wardrobe collection is out! Actually the right name for this supreme Italian furniture wardrobe collection is W-ART-ROBE! Because these wardrobes represent real pieces of art. We have injected our collection with advanced design, superb finishes and stylish minimalistic look. Now we like to add art to it.

When it comes to modern Italian furniture there 's something you wouldnt want to miss: get the total look which is able to put a glow on your bedroom or dining room are, to your lounge seating set or kitchen. Well now with this modern collection of wardrobes you have the perfect modern house 360 degrees! Nothing is left out!

But lets take a closer look to this surprisingly fine looking pieces.

6 DIFFERENT COLLECTIONS with a design concept featuring customised doors in a variety of striking motifs and visuals to give free reign to your imagination. The ample surfaces of the wardrobe fronts flaunt full size figurative and geometrical motifs, and bridge the gap between normally dull featurless furniture to create a novel highly individual environment. Innovation is also hidden in the inside , through a series of customizable options to better suits your storage needings.

This collection of wardrobes employs modern technology to reproduce large scale subjects on customised ample glass surfaces for extraordinary visual impact. This called screen printing technique is applied on the rear of the glass door to ensure a permanent finish and an easy maintenance.

So if you are really into art deco design, minimalistic shapes or modern neutral colors this is the perfect complementing furniture for the ultimate enchanting bedroom .

DAVID COLLECTION - celebrating Italian art

The spirit of Italian brought to the daily environment. Classicism fuses with modern design. Images of the famous sculpture David are screen printed into the glass to create a stunning effect. Available with 2 or 3 sliding doors. In both version screen print is on one door only. Glass is available in black, white, gunmetal or dove grey colors, while profiles are high gloss white, aluminum or brilliant aluminum finished. The screen print is black and white. The screen print technique is a technology which reproduces large-scale subjects on glass surfaces for extraordinary visual impact. The subjects are screen printed on the rear of the wardrobe doors to ensure a permanent finish and easy maintenance. Made in Italy.

JUNGLE COLLECTION - An inspiration of natural motifs, trees and palms for a charming atmosphere and a peace of mind.

Forest collection modern wardrobes. An evocative image that conjures to mind a "wild forest" as the ideal journey towards an unexplored territory. Natural shades of white or ivory are used alongside more persona, vivid colours. Forest is a romantic graphic image instilled with naturaleness and atmosphere. Appealing design with a high individuality. This modern wardrobe features two or three slidign doors modularity. Glass doors lacquered white,ivory or green with black and white screen-printed motif on white background. Profiles available in high gloss white lacquer, aluminum or brilliant aluminun.Made in Italy.

ESSENTIAL COLLECTION - Wood, mirror and dark greys mixed into chromatic effects. The "Essential" collection of wardrobe is a collection which enhance the colors and light of your bedroom through its horizontal chromatic effects which follow the opening of the doors.Available in a wide selection of modern colors, the product featured in the picture combines three sections with open pore effect lacquering in matt graphite and three sections of smoked glass with mirror finishing. Many different possibilities for the inside equipment. You can mix different wood finishes with many lacquered color glasses, and three kind of mirrors: regular,smoked or bronzed. Available with 2 or 3 sliding doors

PURE COLOR COLLECTION - from the colors of the desert and the cool tones of the sea. The "Pure color" collection express the colors of nature. In this featured product the colors resemble a sunset landscape on a sandy beach, the colors of the sun,water,sky and earth. The wardrobe doors are made of alternating colored glass in high gloss and matt finish. Colors: glossy dark brown,blue and cord colors, matt butter and yellow color. Another chromatic option is available in white,pearl,grey and red colors. Doors profiles available in glossy lacquered, aluminum or brilliant aluminum. Creative modern Italian design. Made in Italy.

Bright subtle colors characterize this beatiful wardrobe. A broad spectrum of delicate desert shades from white to sand and light grey. Calm relaxing tones create an atmosphere of harmony and piece for your modern bedroom. Italian furniture at its best. Profiles are in matt or high gloss lacquer. Contrasting matt and glossy effects. Different optional for inside equipments. Available with two or three sliding doors. Made in Italy.

YIN YANG COLLECTION add a lot of style to your bedroom furniture. The YinYang wardrobe proposes the balance between negative and positive in a unique way.This unique wardrobe features 4 sliding doors in lacquered crystal. Available in 6 sizes, and different colors combination such as: black/white, magnolia/moka, pearl/graphite. Profiles available in high gloss lacquer,aluminum or brilliant aluminum. Graphic art mixed to modern design

Momentoitalia , the right place for your modern Italian furiture
http://www.momentoitalia.com/

Read More

Shelterrific Featured The Owyn Toy Box

Oops I did it again. This was posted in April and I just saw it today. But it's still cool. You'll see my response to the pricing/design comments made on the post. Good to know people are still talking about this on mod design websites/blogs even when the design is three years old.

But I do have one note about the comments section. I always find it to be a tiny punch in the stomach when someone makes a comment like the one at the bottom of this article rating my work. But then I remember, it's a big world and there will always be haters. Thank goodness there seem to always be WAY more buyers than haters, even in this economy.

How zen am I today?!?! Maybe I should eat more of those chocolate covered espresso beans get me ramped up a little more.

http://www.shelterrific.com/2009/04/22/an-eco-toybox-with-enviable-style/

UPDATE: I don't think my response to the comments has been approved by the moderator yet so you won't see my response at 11:23am on Wednesday so I'm posting my comment here.

Hi Bay!

Thanks for the great write-up! I really appreciate it. As you may or may not know, I am a mom (who designed that very toy box almost three years ago based on what my kids needs were/are) so my goal was to combine aesthetic with functionality. The lids are wide enough for most toys and the scale is low enough that it’s easy to get to those buried toys. I’m thrilled to say that the Owyn Toy Box won the Etsy Handmade Kids Challenge Award in 2008 and was recognized for good design in London-based Thames and Hudson’s book, Designed for Kids, by Phyllis Richardson.

As for the price, the $495 sticker includes shipping so if you’re in NYC, you get a beautifully handcrafted, eco-friendly, heirloom-type storage piece completely assembled with wood dowels (not flat packed for you to put together) all the way from LA. Shipping alone normally costs roughly $125 to get it across the country. It usually takes me anywhere between 8-10 hours from start to finish. I still build everything myself and rely on this income for our family. I’m happy to report that I’m currently booked through August with 3-4 orders per week. I mostly sell to those who regularly purchase (or have their interior designers purchase) modern design from sites like Modern Nursery, Design Public and NYC boutiques like Capucine Maman.

Thanks again for the article! I sincerely hope this helps give more perspective on the design and the pricing.

Sincerely,
Kiersten

Kiersten Says: Your comment is awaiting moderation.

May 20th, 2009 at 9:56 am
One more thing….thanks to your feature, I just received three orders from Modern Nursery. THANK YOU!! I’ll be sure to post it on my blog.

Read More

Like Mother Like Daughter

This one's a doosie, I promise! On Friday, Grace's kindergarten class is dressing up in the form of what they want to be when they grow up. Naturally, when she told me she wanted to dress like MOD MOM (LOVE THAT!!!), I asked what she thought she needed for her costume. Here's what she said in list form....

1. jeans
2. white t-shirt
3. tool belt
4. dirty fingernails
5. stain on hands and arms
6. fake toenails
7. hair in a bun with a pencil stuck through it
8. sawdust on the jeans

It's really too bad that Little G doesn't know me at all.

P.S. I'll have photos on Friday of Little Mod Mom Furniture :)

P.S.S. I almost forgot...there was one more added to the list but not to the official costume. Daddy said to N and G, "What happens when Mom bends over to pick something up in the garage?" In chorus, they answered, "HER BUTT SHOWS!" Yes, that indeed does happen sometimes but will not be part of Gracie's costume on Friday for those of you (Mom) worried about that.

Read More

OMG...

.....could things get any weirder? In the past 24 hours, we:

1. Bought and installed one of those trashy above ground pools with flimsy ladder in our backyard. I'm stocking up on yard birds and beer cozies to go with said pool.

2. Had an earthquake...

3. ...which i believe hindered the Tooth Fairy's ability to get to our house and leave money under Grace's pillow. Anyone else's tooth fairy get off course because of the earthquake? That Tooth Fairy is a cheeky bitch, isn't she?!?

Read More

The Mother of All Lilac Festivals And Then Some

It was a gorgeous, hot Sunday in LA so we decided to trek up to the mountains to get a break from the heat. There's also the tiny fact that I'm obsessed with cinnamon candles and craft fairs and small mountain towns.

Scott made me breakfast in bed, the kids showered me with gifts, and by 10am, we were ready to get ready for our 1 1/2 hour drive out to an area called Frazier Park. Scott found out, through a friend, that they have a Lilac Festival complete with parades, crafts, cinnamon candles, and carnival-like food (elephant ears). No need to ask me twice, I was totally in!

Our drive up there was gorgeous and event free. The only odd thing about the trip was that the purple signs we were instructed to look for were nowhere in sight. No worries, though cuz I had my handy dandy Blackberry map. About 15 minutes from the amazing, wonderful, totally freakin' awesome Lilac Festival, it donned on both of us that maybe, just maybe, we/he didn't look at the dates correctly.

You guessed it. The Lilac Festival is NEXT weekend. 1 1/2 hours back down the mountain (and I-5) we went trying anything remotely fun along the way only to be disappointed. Restaurants were all packed. Gold course with driving range was for members only.

Mother's Day lunch was spent at the McDonald's drive-through. We did manage to hit some balls at a driving range back in LA and realized that our son has natural talent but no interest. We also shopped around for drums (electric...duh) for said son with natural golf talent. Squeezed in some "Happy-we-drove-to-BFE-mountains-for-nothing-Mother's Day" Bloody Mary's with Oon and Jase and then finally, at the end of the day, my sweet husband and daughter made my favorite food in all the land. Beef and Noodles. And it really tasted just like the kind you get from Chief in Defiance, Ohio(really, Mom, it did!)

I hope your Mother's Day was filled with (almost) Lilac Festivals, McDonald's, driving ranges, cinnamon candles, and Bloody Marys! All the best things that life has to offer!!

Read More

Think Outside of the (Toy) Box

Thanks, LavieCherie, for the great article on my storage pieces!

Click this link for the article.

Read More

Get Ready for Another Round of....Translate That Blog Entry!!

I knew I loved the French!! I just found this blog article (written by a lovely shop owner in France) from 2008. Oops. Sometimes it's hard to catch all the press (boy did that sound conceited) and it drives home the importance of having a publicist/press person. Or in my case, a fictitious assistant who handles that stuff so I can build and design. She or He didn't show up today, my fictitious assistant. Which is not much different from She or He not showing up ANY day for the last three years. I clearly need to think up a new person.

Anyhow, many thanks to www.minouchet.com and its owners for writing about my furniture on their blog. I was happy when I read what the online translator spit out...it doesn't seem negative (right?) so that's good. :)

OK, here's the article and how it's translated:

REAL DEAL
Vendredi, Etsy : ModMom Furniture

ModMom Furniture, alias Kiersten, est déjà une star du web, mais ce n'est pas une raison pour ne pas en parler, ne serait-ce qu'à cause son profil : une ancienne cadre devenue mère au foyer puis ébéniste, ce n'est pas spécialement banal. En plus, les meubles qu'elle crée sont absolument exquis... La livraison est possible partout, il suffit de la contacter. Et qui sait, peut-être seront-ils un jour sur www.minouchet.com...

ONLINE TRANSLATED VERSION
ModMom Furniture, alias Kiersten, are already a star of the Web, but this n' is not a reason not to speak about it, would not be this qu' because its profile: old tallies become mother with the hearth then cabinetmaker, this n' is not especially banal. Moreover, the pieces of furniture qu' she creates are absolutely exquisite… The delivery is possible everywhere, it is enough to contact it. And which knows, perhaps will be they one day on www.minouchet.com…


I would be honored to sell my furniture on www.minochet.com. Just wish I knew how to get it to France for less than the cost of a small jet propelled boat.

Read More

Remember Maddie

Madeline Alice Spohr
November 11, 2007 - April 7, 2009



www.remembermaddie.com



Beautiful Memorial Video For Maddie by newrose

Read More

Dwell On Design

It was that moment. The Mom Moment. The one where you're annoyed as hell by your bickering kids who are constantly asking you questions in between fighting with each other AND WON'T STOP TALKING. I'd had it and was just about to let THEM have it and I checked my email. "We'd like to send you information on the upcoming show Dwell on Design in LA...and have a great area on the show floor that might interest you with special pricing for retailers: Modern Family & Kids Zone." In that moment, the bitchiness dissolved. I felt wanted again by someone from Dwell Magazine and they weren't asking for more Twizzlers. Just like that, I became nice again. That lasted about five minutes before the bickering started again.

(Sadly, I can't make the Dwell on Design show happen for Mod Mom Furniture due to scheduling issues and the amount of toy boxes I need to build between now and August. Oh, and the fact that it would take time away from my Twizzler-wanting kiddos and I'd hate to miss any of the bickering.)

Read More

Feelin' Good

I am so proud of myself today. I got up, worked out, and even offered to walk with Grace (as opposed to drive 100 miles an hour three minutes before school starts) to school AND take the dog with us. See how many things I checked off before 10am?

It's no secret I've been struggling with my diminishing ability to self-motivate. I think one thing people don't quite get (unless you yourself owns your own business) is that it's all self-motivation....every day...for three years. Sure, I have deadlines and a production schedule but I don't have set office hours anymore. Or a boss expecting praise-worthy work and praising me when I do well. There are days when I think, man, would it be great to know that if I work from 9-5, I don't have to think about this stuff until Monday.

Obviously, the upside is that I do get to be with my kids (and make money) which is what I wanted all along. And God forbid, if the swine flu closes our schools, I'll be home with them and not fear losing my job...or getting my pay docked like so many of these poor families in Texas whose little ones are home for two weeks. (Not that I think they shouldn't have closed the schools, just pointing out the logistics of it all.)

Just writing this today has given me more motivation to get back into the garage and work my tail off. Right after I surf the internet, watch a tivo'd Grey's Anatomy, make some late breakfast, call a friend, answer an email, and check Facebook.

I am now the QUEEN OF SELF-MOTIVATORS!!

Read More