The Knobs have (at Last) Arrived!

(I was going to title this “Knobs Landing” after the great 80s soap opera but thought the reference might be too obscure)

You may recall I got all excited about making my own knobs a while ago when I made this little project for Angelo HOME.

I really enjoyed making them so I started playing around and made these samples.

I had just used random knobs I had lying around (an odd reality of my life)

The response was great!  People started asking where they could buy them.  I was onto something!

So, eager to get going, I went online and ordered a bunch of knobs.

And that’s when the knob-train went off the rails.

So, in the hopes that you will all learn from my errors I offer the following tips for when you next order mass quantities of knobs online.

Tip One:  Egads!  Foreigners!

Did you know there are people who live outside of the United States!?

And were you aware that those people make stuff!?

Apparently I was not.  Because I didn’t realize, until long after I placed the order and requested standard, slow-boat, ground shipping that I was, in fact, dealing with Canadians.

CANADIANS!!!!

Now, I don’t want to say that they were being secretive about their….. Canadianness  but they weren’t exactly shouting about it either.  There was no big “made in Canada” banner.  Nowhere did they suggest that the knobs would be great in my“hoose.”   (I love Canada and have many Canadian friends but we must be honest here, you say “house” wrong.  And now I, a proud Ohioan will go outside and warsh my car.  Be right back)

OK, totally my bad.  Not their fault.

Tip Two:  You Might Want To Read Your Invoice

They emailed me my invoice right after I purchased.

Naturally, I thought:  “great.  I’ll totally ignore that!”

Unfortunately, by ignoring it I missed the note that gently proclaimed  “these items are not in stock and will be shipped when they are back in stock”

Tip Three:  If you don’t read your invoice and you don’t get a shipping notice you probably shouldn’t bank on making the product any time soon.

I made plans to display my new knob creations at two upcoming shows.  Told people who asked that the knobs were going to be available soon!

After waiting an appropriate amount of time for my order to arrive (albeit if it was coming from within the US and actually in stock) it dawned on me that I’d never gotten a shipping notice.  And that’s when I discovered the horrible truth:  CANADIANS!!!!!  OUT OF STOCK!!!!!!

OK. Still my bad.  I admit it.

So I waited.

…….for a month.

Tip Four:  Passive-Aggressive Revenge Fantasies  Will (Surprisingly)  Not  Solve the Problem

I was very happy when I got the “your knobs have arrived” email but rather than politely asking that, since I’d been waiting a month could they please upgrade my shipping I relied on the much more effective passive-aggressive-fantasy-plan.  I wouldn’t ask for speedy shipping.  No!  That would be an amateur move!  I would instead, in my mind, prepare a blistering online review wherein I would complain bitterly that they hadn’t even upgraded my shipping!!!!!!! Then they’d be sorry!

…….So, after 12 more days of traveling my knobs arrived.

And my evil  Canadian overlords gained points for two things.

1)      They love donuts!!  The knobs arrived in rather large Tim Horton’s box!!!!!  How can you be upset with people who order large amounts of donuts!?

2)      The knobs are beautiful!  Solid, lovely, well made and perfect.

I cannot wait to get started.

Image Transfer – It’s Easier Than I Thought

I have incredibly inconvenient creative inspiration.

I never seem to get creative brainstorms when I’m just sitting around trying to think about new things.  I get creative brainstorms at the last minute or when I’m in the midst of doing something else entirely.

New Stuff

I keep hearing variations on the phrase “if you love what you do you’ll never work a day in your life.”

When I was all about acting I would have interpreted this as “you may love it but you’ll never get a job.”

But now that I’m a little more….in control of things (acting is all about other people telling you when you can act) I’m finding the sunnier side of that turn of phrase.

I spent a good part of my weekend “working” on new ideas.

I Like Big Signs and I Cannot Lie

Well the pantry project got a bit sidelined for the past few days.  It’s coming along – walls painted, doors painted…..and that’s about it.

Storage Wars

OK, I realize it’s Wednesday but I had to talk briefly about my weekend.  It was one of those where you get a million things done but don’t feel like you’re running around like a crazy person.  Do you have those?

This is seldom how my life goes and I wish I could figure out how to make it like this all the time.  I kept doing stuff and looking at the clock and thinking “how can it be only 2:00?  This is awesome!”

Actually, I had to get a lot done because the really terrific people that run Angelo Home ordered 50 of my candle blocks…..and they wanted new designs.  I  had a lot of fun putting all these together.  Let’s hope they like them.

But the title of this post is Storage Wars and I wanted to share my new favorite storage boxes (perhaps not the most scintillating blog post idea I’ve had but I hope it’s useful)

I’ve been on some kind of personal quest for the Perfect Storage Box for quite a while.   I needed durable, versatile boxes that could hold a lot, travel easily and use space wisely.  For years I’ve made due with a kind of hodge podge of unsatisfying boxes but I have found…..THE ONE!

They are called Really Useful Boxes and here is why I love them.

• They come in a bunch of sizes.
• They are super sturdy.
• They lock tightly, stack securely and…..

They don’t slope on the sides!!!!

When packing for a craft show I always got so annoyed with the sloping sides of other boxes.  It wastes space and,because they are wider at the top than at the bottom, I’m forced to layer different things together in each box so I’m always digging through boxes looking for things.Also, with my small Honda Fit where packing space is at a premium these guys fit neatly next to each other – once again no wasted space.

As an added bonus I like things that pull double duty.   So, since they boxes lock together pretty snugly when stacked, once I’ve emptied them of their contents they work beautifully as the riser supports on a craft show table.Plus the company recycles and the boxes are recyclable.

I confess I went a little berserk and bought, like, a million of them in different sizes.

I will now always be completely together, organized and calm!

I found the best selection at Office Depot (they have buy two get one free sales on them) but they are available all over the place or via the web site.

No, I am not being compensated for this praise-singing.  Just wanted to share a useful product.

Let the Holidays Begin!

Thank you all for being so positive and supportive of Maggie’s guest post! It’s such a nice, warm little crowd we’ve created here.

And have I mentioned how pleased I am that she got more comments than anything I’ve posted all year?

I didn’t?

Well, I am really, really pleased.

Suuuuper pleased.

Just, beyond pleased.

Tragically, Maggie will not be able to return.  Something about being kidnapped and sold into white slavery – I’m unclear on the details.

Anyhoo……

I’ve been doing a bit of a scramble to both get ready for the holidays and come up with new ideas for coasters – just to mix things up a bit.

It occurred to me that I was ignoring the more scientifically inclined folks out there and I became very intrigued with the possibilities in the Periodic Table of the Elements.  So I came up with these Cheers! Coasters

I also thought that I should make some coasters to go along with the postcard tray design that I came up with a while ago.I’m kinda proud of the scalloped stamp-like edge!

And it’s slowly dawning on me that my holiday schedule is going to be a bit…intense.  It is as follows:

November 4^th  Patchwork Culver City

 

Saturday Nov 10^th The Venice Meet

 Nov 17^th & 18^th 

Little French Market (with my friend Nicki)

November 25th

Patchwork Festival Santa Ana

 Dec 1 & 2

Unique LA Holiday Show

Dec8 & 9^th

Renegade Holiday Market

Dec 10^th

Check myself in to the local sanitarium

Happy Holidays!

I’ve Fallen and I Can’t Catch Up!

Life is getting crazy busy and I feel like the guy in the movie who, while running away from the monster, falls and shouts to his friends:

“I’ll never make it!  Just keep crafting without me!”

………….OK, they don’t usually say “crafting” but you get the idea.

Every day starts with laying out a “To Do List” and every day ends with me looking at the To Do List and thinking – “how did I manage to work all day and do none of these things?”

So, I’m scrambling to keep up.

I swear my tombstone is going to look like this:

So, I’m a bit behind on all fronts – blogging, manufacturing, exercise, personal grooming (no, really, I meant to grow a beard!)

But I am getting some things done!

I had a request for GIANT version of my HOME signs to spell out a child’s name –16” high with a San Diego/Beach/Sailing theme.   I had to set them on the floor to get a (semi) decent picture of them.

I really love how they came out and wondering if GIANT Home signs might be a good idea.

 And, no, the poor child’s name is not NAART.

 Another custom HOME sign was for the great city of St. Louis

And yet another  for someone in Australia who must have really wanted it because shipping cost almost as much as the sign did.

(you can see I’m still struggling with how to photograph these dang things.  I don’t think I’ll do the mirror version again though)

And I made a delivery to my newest brick and mortar store!

If any of you are avid HGTV watchers you’ll remember Angelo Surmelis who hosted several of the networks shows (Rate My Space, 24 Hour Design etc).

Well he’s got his own line of home furnishings that can be found just about everywhere on the web.  But, clearly bent on decor world domination, he’s just about to open a new store here in downtown LA called, appropriately, Angelo HOME. 

He and his business partner saw some of my work, dug it and now I’m along for the ride.  I got a brief glimpse inside the store and it is going to be very VERY cool!  (Plus! Across the street there is a restaurant that makes amazing donuts.  So it’s a total WIN/WIN!)

OK, back to work.

Trendy

My father is trendy!

My father is way trendier than I am.

You’ve seen all the chevron mania on Etsy and Pinterest, correct?

(click on the pics to take you to the terrific blogs that featured these projects)

I’ve seen it all and thought, “cool” and done nothing.

Now, while I don’t believe for a moment my dad peruses Etsy,  Pinterest or any other known design blog his latest lazy susan is trendy, trendy, trendy!

Check it out

See?  Trendy!

I fully anticipate next time I visit home to find him wearing skinny jeans and tweeting about what the cafeteria served for lunch.

But  I think it’s quite beautiful.

He continues to amaze me (and have a full head of hair).

I, on the other hand am not trendy.

However I am busy.

I finished a new HOME sign featuring Philadelphia:

I did  yet another show at a swanky club – this one benefiting Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.  They even had an ice sculpture/igloo photo booth!  It was very, very cool.

Aaaaannnnnnddddddd………I just got an order for 500 coasters.  500!!!!  That’s a lot of coasters.

This will lead to very boring blog posts that consist of the repeated phrase: “I made more coasters today.”

Do you remember that old Dunkin’ Donuts commercial with the baker who’s mantra was “time to make the donuts.”  I feel like that.

But I also have cool non-coaster projects lined up from now till Christmas.  Yipee!!!! And…. Ack!!!!!!

Details to follow.

To Blog or Not to Blog

To Blog or not to blog

That is the question.

OK, I didn’t mean to take a week off from blogging.  It’s just……I just could not come up with anything interesting to say.

The advice you always hear about blogging is that you must be consistent.

Blog regularly and often.

Which all sounds good except…..when you have nothing to say.

I spent my week working on some new, custom HOME signs including Saint Louis!And, I’d been invited to do a kind of exclusive show so it was time for my usual mad prep.  And I just felt silly announcing to the world “I made more coasters!”

So, in that circumstance is it better to keep quiet or should you come up with something/anything to talk about?  What do you think?

But I’m back and had a fun weekend.

The show was at an exclusive club called SoHo House.  There are SoHo houses in NYC and London etc etc and they are quite, quite posh.

I wanted to have a good variety of things to display so I came up with some new designs for my candle blocksYes, I can hear you thinking “New blocks!  David!  Way to really stretch your creativity!

But they are so versatile and fun to work on!

I also got some new magnets in there.My magnets are, basically, tiny versions of my coasters.  I started making them because people kept either A) thinking the coasters were magnets or B) saying “these are great but I don’t need/use coasters.”

When my niece saw these she blurted out, “did you make these?  They look so…real.”

I assured her that they were, in fact, “real” and that I wasn’t sure whether I should be complimented or offended.

She explained that what she meant was that the packaging looked like something you’d find in a “real” store and she was having trouble believing it came from me.

I explained that I still wasn’t sure whether to be complimented or offended.

The show was great though.

The club is in the Penthouse of a high rise in West Hollywood and they set us up in the roof garden with sweeping 360 degree views of the city.  It is just staggeringly beautiful and I confess I felt a little ghetto with my pegboard displays and not-ironed tablecloths.  But, happily, the beautiful people in their beautiful room didn’t seem to mind and it was a terrific afternoon.

I’d show pics but they have strict rules.  No cameras.  You can’t even use your cell phone to make a call!  There was an “official” photographer though so we’ll see what he came up with.

I have projects in mind for this week however so stay tuned for consistent blogging!

There’s Always Tomorrow

“I will blog tomorrow.”

That’s what I kept telling myself each day.  Each day as I got up and got rolling on finishing coasters, making subway signs, cutting letters, sending out Etsy orders I would say to myself, “as soon as I’m done with this I will write a blog post.”

The problem is – I never seem to be done with “this” whatever “this” may be.

And when I am done with “this” I tend to eat ice cream rather than blog (Trader Joe’s Mint Chip.  I’ve been living on that and coffee for about a week.  You know, cause I’m all about healthy).

So clearly, I need to become a “right when I get up” blogger.  This will, of course lead to numerous spelling mistakes and poor grammar but I’m afraid that’s just the way it has to be.

So…….

Good Morning!  It’s 6:01AM!!!!!

I have spent my week not blogging and prepping for the Renegade Craft Fair which is this weekend!

My prepping was a bit hindered when I discovered that my scroll saw  was busted.  A quick call to the folks at Porter Cable resulted in this easy fix.

I could either mail it to the factory (no problem – it only huge, awkwardly sized and weighs 50 pounds or so) or drive it 60 miles to a factory!  After that it would just take them three short months to get the tiny little part that’s broken installed because it’s back ordered!

How totally awesome!

Amazon came to my rescue and I now have a brand new scroll saw…..and an old scroll saw……..anybody want a used, broken scroll saw?  No?  Weird.

Happily before my scroll saw trauma I had completed two custom orders.  And it really is true – your customers come up with the best ideas.

Recently, two separate customers asked me if I’d consider making one large letter for them rather than my regular HOME sign.  I’m always up for something new so we collaborated and emails flew back and forth and decisions were made and sawing was done and we emerged at the other end with these.

First up – a gift for a Boston Red Sox loving husband’s new Man Cave.

I hope he likes it!

And then a giant L with a collage of images celebrating Detroit.

It’s 20” high by 13.5” wide which – fun fact – is exactly ½” larger than the largest box my local box supplier makes!  I turns out my artistry is not constrained by my imagination, finances or skill but by conveniently available box sizes!

OK.  It’s now 6:45AM and as soon as I’m done with this blog post I’m gonna eat ice cream get to work!

If anyone is local and plans to go to Renegade please do stop by.