Flock Of Seagulls

H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S

I saw this video this morning and almost choked on my eggs. Hey I like the silhouette bird thing as much as the next hipster, but sometimes we just gotta step back and wonder how this one little baby blue bird got so freaking popular. I do still like sticks in decor though so don't knock those.

I Wonder How It's Made

I've always wondered how skate decks are made. I never realized how many are made at a single given time. If you are ever in a place that sells decks, just take a look at the design and artistry that goes into them. As a woodworker and someone who is constantly wondering about how things are produced by mass or by one off's, I'm pretty amazed by this.

I Think I Want This Room

I think I like the floors the best. Time to start looking for some old barns to tear down and reclaim the wood.

Photo - Courtesy of Crate & Barrel

Bare Knuckles

Wickedly cool ad from Hermes -

Last Weekends Projects

We have been wanting to do away with the 10 year old honey oak that was in our kitchen for quite some time. After painting our cabinets a few years ago I finally got around to changing the handrail. Our house is a split level or split level(s) as our master bedroom is on one level. Kitchen, Ki's room, spare bedroom and bathroom is on another level. The living room and entryway on another level. The basement living room, bathroom, and office on another level. Each level had honey oak railings to accompany the stairs. I went back and forth on staining vs painting. I decided on black to match our cabinets and other decor througout the house. We are still debating on changing the spindles or I may just do some sort of paint treatment or may just leave them as they are. Next up is the floors which I am not looking forward to, but it will be nice to bring them into the present day.

That same weekend I painted the hallway and stairway the same as the rest of the living room. It was a chocolate brown color from a previous era that I was just so done with. With the help of a few nics and hand prints from my son it was a perfect time to change it. I also stumbled across a board and batten treatment for an otherwise useless hallway wall. Thank you http://www.centsationalgirl.com/ for the killer idea. It makes the hallway so much brighter and clean. Eventually I will find some hooks or knobs and hang some cool framed pics from them, but until then this is what it looks like.

Have a nice weekend and try to stay warm.

I Wanna Put A Bit Of Fixin On It

As I look outside at the 5+ inches of snow the only thing I can do is dream of dry streets and warmer weather. I guess while I wait inside for a month or two I should start thinking about building another fixed gear, or maybe just watch more cool videos like this one.

Well...That Was Fun

2 1/2 hour drive home.

More Nigel Please -

Those People

Misty bought a groupon last fall for a session with a local photographer. She meet us in the trendy, revamped art district and we just walked around and found cool stuff to get some pics. We got this is as a canvas print for our home and it's one of my fav's. Check her out here http://www.christinalundeen.com/ , she's a great person to work with.

Summer of 2010 we took Ki to Chicago on his first real vacation along with airplanes, taxis, subways, city buses, and pirate boats. He had an absolute blast and still brings it up from time to time. When we got to the hotel we just wanted to take a while and decompress, and this is how my kids kicks it at 21 floors up.



So those two people are mine, if you see them don't touch them because they are mine. The only two things I won't share....well, those two and a funnel cake.....and a spoon, spoons are nasty.

Paint It Black

A while back we redesigned a spare guest room in our house and went with a black and white scheme. It's a work in progress and I wanted some one off art to go in there, and who better to make this happen than a 5 year old ( 4 at the time ). I gave him a black foam core board and white craft paint and said get after it. Kids art, to me, is the most amazing art there is. They just go for it and the thoughts and ideas just pour out. I have always said that if I were to build my own dream home I would have a 100' hallway lined with kids art. How cool would that be. 

I Got TOMS

Have you heard of TOMS shoes. Here is the story behind them:

"In 2006, American traveler Blake Mycoskie befriended children in Argentina and found they had no shoes to protect their feet. Wanting to help, he created TOMS Shoes, a company that would match every pair of shoes purchased with a pair of new shoes given to a child in need. One for One. Blake returned to Argentina with a group of family, friends and staff later that year with 10,000 pairs of shoes made possible by TOMS customers."   http://www.toms.com/our-movement/

Well I got a pair for Christmas and they are a really comfortable and simple shoe. I like the idea behind them and I'd like to think that I put a pair of shoes on some kids feet that isn't as fortunate as some of us are. How will you wear yours?

It's Evolution Baby

This is going to be a killer year for PJ fans, just be patient.

Champagne Breakfast For Everyone

Front label :

This is the label I made for my father in law's wine collection. We are going to add the different names of the fruit used to the label as they are bottled so you know exactly what you are getting yourself into. Printed on the right card stock or parchment paper it almost looks like a real life production winery, who knows maybe one day it will be.

Back label: