DIY Journal & Mod Home Ec Teacher

I have been following Curbly for fun crafting ideas for some time. Often the posts are on needlepoint, puff paint and grandma craft variety so I quickly breeze through looking specifically for the poster: Mod Home Ec Teacher. Her real name is Shelly Miller Leer and she has, in my opinion, a dream story. She went to school for design and textiles yet landed a career in the legal field. She found her way back to her first love and founded an upholstery business and was teaching courses at the Indianapolis Art Center in different forms of DIY craft and upholstery. She has created a DIY weekly column for the Indianapolis Star newspaper and writes regularly for Apartment Therapy Chicago. This is my dream story, mostly because I, too, wanted to do something related to the arts, career wise but found myself in a completely different field of work that's limited my creativity to after 5pm and on weekends.. Enough about me, let's hear it for Shelly and all her amazingness. Here's some links to her wares:

http://www.curbly.com/modhomeecteacher

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GndlHCeTXWw

http://www.curbly.com/

Todd Oldham, where art' thou??

Todd Oldham has been a fixture in modern design circles for years and most recently became a contributing editor to the popular Berkeley based Ready Made. I am shocked to find that it just happened tonight that I stumbled across a book of his that's right up my alley. Yes, a book of do it yourself projects appropriately titled "Handmade Modern" touting 72 projects: "Each project is charted through step–by–step photos and instructions until the fabulously mod end. Other projects include home–computer face–lifts, Xerox wallpaper, aluminium lighting fixtures, and cosy shoe–storage systems. In additional to Todd's brilliantly engineered projects, the book comes complete with a tutorial on modern home design in the form of sidebars and short essays throughout –everything from that now–famous Eames chair to the case–study houses of the 1950s. Handmade Modern promises to revolutionise the way the reader looks at his or her own home and capacity to beautify a space. Chic, accessible, and fun, this is the achievable new look of modern home design." (Guess what has been added to my Christmas wish list???)

In addition he just came out with a project book for children, which is perfect for my design conscious parent friends. Yes, you know who you are!!!

Alexander Calder mobile look alike

I have always loved Alexander Calder's abstract mobiles. In New York's MOMA they have huge versions and they would never fit in a normal person's home and the reproductions have always been expensive and often a poor reproduction. However, enter CB2, a favored alternative to Ikea and voila' my Calder mobile reproduction that's going to fit in my home and is affordable at $19.95!

Here's the CB2 version:

Can I make a Knoll credenza???

I sort of am in love with this one and think that I could probably make it. I am thinking different colors....

The search for the perfect credenza....

Oh dear my seach continues. I have been looking at new credenza's and found some of these that are somewhat in the right price range. This one is actually pretty great. It's from Macy's and affordable, consisdering... I wish that I could find this at a thrift store since it well, looks like it could be found at a thrift store perhaps a few years ago before the credenza craze happened.

This was on a website from a design school and was a project someone did. It seems like one I could make, yes?

But really, why can't I find one exactly like THIS!???? Well, I did find it on Etsy for $2000 which is much more than I can afford. Oh well...

Some beautiful book art

My dear friend nudged me the other day and suggested highlighting some beautiful art found on classic book covers. Penguin has been publishing such classics since 1935; dating back to hot metal and letter press style print being the norm. Their in house designers have changed throughout the years but they've started reaching out to new designers that are not perhaps that typical Penguin Classic look that we're all so familiar with. In college reading the classics I probably owned over a dozen Penguin texts, however none as beautiful as these. Otherwise I may have actually kept them through all those moves....

A nice Ikea hack

Great idea but not quite what I am looking for. I want something that's a little more rich and warm. I prefer to have a credenza that's got more history or at least feels like it came out of a magazine in 1963.

some credenza's to make

I really like this one, but it's a matter of finding the perfect record cabinet and gutting it. It's all about the bones of the piece, yes?

http://www.unplggd.com/unplggd/how-to/how-to-make-your-own-record-collection-storage-unit-101052

Oh me oh my, somebody help me find...

The perfect credenza to be all mine. Yep, not really a poet here, but all fun aside. This is some serious serious business. For the last year I have been on an unaccomplished mission to find the perfect credenza for my living room to put the TV on and store away unsightly electronics and junk really. I have added a picture of my space including the entire living room to give you an idea of what I am sort of needing (okay, fine, wanting).

So, with that I am going to be hoping to get some suggestions and feedback. I am going to start posting credenza's both ones for purchase and of course those that you can make!