Meet FourEyes

Say hello to our new little business, Foureyes.

"Sha-ha.....gyeah" (In my best Jay-Z impersonation)

We've started our own furniture design/building company. Custom furniture, made by hand, in America (more like our garage) using honesty quality materials, to your specifications, when you order it.  

(!!!)

I still can't believe I am FINALLY writing this post...I've been daydreaming of this for over a year, when Chris declared he was ready to put his woodworking skillz to the test. I remember that day...I promptly requested that he build me a bed...and a dresser...you know, the essentials. In the interim I've come up with several terrible wood puns, each of which was accompanied by the old one-two elbow and  "eh? ....eh?". But in all seriousness, we are officially in the furniture biz. Sure we're small potatoes, but if I may toot my own horn, I think we've got some good looking spuds here.

Enough with the chitter chatter. Lets get our foureyes on, shall we? 

Enter Silverfox. My favorite piece so far. I mean, just look at those gams. Awooga! Stretch out them legs and you've got yourself a dapper writing desk.

Next we have Welcmoe. Before you say anything, the product name is based on a silly family story that's been in rotation for as long as Chris can remember. It's one of those knee-slapper kind of stories which I will share, with full deets, in a future post.

Anywho, Welcmoe is part of our introductory line of tables. I like to say it's part DIY since you put it together yourself in less than 5 minutes. It has zero hardware (yay) and ships flat (yay squared). Not too shabby, eh?

Another favorite, Sevin -ST. Ok, they are all my favorite, but you know how they say a picture is worth a thousand words? Well, Sevin Side Table is worth a million words. So I'm a little biased. Roll with me.

Last but not least, I bring you my face.

We call this, 'It's You'. Remember when I said I've been re-vamping our master bedroom. Well, besides painting the walls, the only thing we've done to the space is put up gigantic wooden faces of ourselves. But come on. Who doesn't want their face on their wall?! Custom wooden faces, big or small, can be yours. And I've got to admit, I think I look pretty good in wood.

I can't tell you how proud I am of Chris. Two years ago he knew zero about woodworking...and now he has his very own, homemade "box joint jig" for crying out loud...ok, I don't know if that's good or bad, I just remember it being a term he mentioned. But in all seriousness, what he has accomplished in a mere 2 years is phenomenal. Seriously. High five.

With that said, do me a solid and swing by our website to see the rest of our products. And if you're feeling a bit furniture happy, place an order, or two. 

Block Party

You've seen us play with LEGOs, so why not play with blocks? While it was tempting to recreate another iconic furniture piece, I decided to go towards more of a pocket size project. My inspiration came from Esty shop Olula whose geometric necklace made my mouth water.

                                                                                                   //via

And before I knew it, I was channeling the awesome Jenni of I Spy DIY and promptly hunted down my crimp pliers. Isn't she the best? (Um, yes!)  Ok, so now I was a girl on a mission. I veered towards the vat of wood scraps in the garage and dusted off a few lumber links and got to work. I mean, why not? Chris wasn't gonna use them all anyway. So, a table saw, drill press and one tenth of a sheet of sandpaper later, I was in the midst of a block party.

I found the biggest roll of gold string you have ever laid your DIY eyes on in my mom's garage several months back (I find the weirdest things there), and used the goldilocks ball to string in my blocks. I sandwiched crimp-beads to keep them cubies fixed as well as on each end of the toggle clasp to secure my novice knots.

As my first attempt, I replicated the geometric flags using my trusty 3M blue painter's tape. Within minutes, I had sharp clean flags all around.  Round two, I decided to add a fun twist and used letter stickers as a stencil. Slap on some leftover paint, remove the stickerinos and BOOM, a fun size interjection for your clavicles.

 

Not only was this DIY practically free of cost (high five!) but I now have a few fun accessories to wear in my everyday necklace rotation.

DIY Rating: Pretty neat.

Are You There Blog? It's me, Dolores

Well, well, well. Look who came out of the woodwork.

I can't believe it's been over a year since my last post. A YEAR+! Egads! Totally unacceptable, right? Right.

I know what you're thinking..."where the hell have you been?" The truth of the matter is, there was oodles of internal work done to the house. Work that we would have been totally out of our element trying to do.  We paid the professionals to get the job done and although the work was superb, I didn't feel it was blog worthy. I figured, since it wasn't Chris and I doing the hustle and bustle, I would just let those deets slide until we began our next DIY project. But as luck would have it, we ended up exhausting our home improvement monies sooner than we thought. The joys of homeownership! It comes with the territory and I'm okay with that.  

To make a long story short, we (as in the professionals) upgraded our electrical system, had recessed lighting installed throughout the entire house, removed all the popcorn on the ceilings and re-textured them. In order to save a little money, we decided to paint the ceilings ourselves. Boy do we wish we could take that back! It.was.insane. My forearms hated me for an entire week. If I could ever take-back a DIY, painting 1700+ sq feet of ceiling space would be it, hands down. 

Soon after that we ran into some plumbing problems and before I knew it, we were faced with re-piping our entire house. Wah. Wah. Lucky for us, our neighbor two houses down is a commercial plumber, so we were in good hands. Since we were advised it was the perfect time to replace our water heater (you know start with a clean slate), we threw in the towel and went with a tankless water heater. Installing a tankless water heater was already on our long term list for obvious reasons, but the number 1 reason was the fact that our current water heater was in our kitchen tucked away into what 'would be' our pantry. Er, weird, right? See what I mean? We just had to do it. 

So there you have it. The short long version of our absence. We still have a few announcements to share (and no, I'm not pregnant) so stay tuned for some exciting stuff!

On another note, since this post became a pictureless post, I'll leave you with this;

I turned the big 3-0 this past summer. 

As I like to say, 30 is the new 21. 

A Real Gem

A few weeks ago I was asked to help out a close friend with her annual jewelry show. In exchange for my services, I would receive a sweet insider's discount. Um, yes! Little did I know 'helping out' translated to 'modeling' the goods. Oh mylanta! If you knew me in person, you'd know that I am one of the shyest girls in the world. So I swallowed up my timidness this past weekend and turned my clavicle into the lady of the evening.

I was ooh la la-ing over her amber collection all evening.

Aside from the array of gems, her home is beautifully adorned with presentations from her culture and her passion for the arts.

[ tinkle with the mermaids ]

Did I mention she is an avid thrift shopper?! Check out this dining room set she scored years ago at a second hand store.

Towards the end of the night I was able to take a quick snapshot while I was wearing one of her biggest pieces displayed that night; a Mediterranean coral necklace.

I'm keeping my purchases on a hush hush level as they will be Christmas gifts for some lovely ladies! 

K.I.S.S.

My motto during this decorating season is: "keep it simple, Sugar!"

Days ago, I spied a DIY 5 minute tinsel garland wreath and I thought, jeepers creepers! I could do that. So I moseyed myself down to my local thrift store one chilly night and found my essential props: an extra large embroidery hoop and a lengthy string of tinsel.

Carefully wrap the fragile metallic garland around the entire hoop, add a little pom pom* for extra cuteness, and whoomp! there it is.

Easy peasy right?! But it gets better...total cost? $3.98. And I have an extra loop of tinsel for future use. Say whaaaaat?!

Doesn't it just speak, wreath out and touch me? (I'm a sucker for puns. But who isn't really?)

[ *Instead of using wax paper as suggested, I made my pom with good old tissue paper. And it hasn't lost its puffiness yet. ]

Seating For Mew

Now that the cornucopias and turkey hands are safely packed away for another year, the "xmas" marked boxes can officially come out to play! Oh my goooodness. I have been dying to decorate for Christmas since the afternoon of November 11th. That was the day I came home from work and found a pair of sporty seats chillin' in our living room.

Perhaps I should have mentioned the fact that these are car seats. CAR SEATS! Chris replaced his S2K stock seats with a duo of red leather bombshells, leaving these two bad larry's stationed inside.

Uncle Kitty welcomed the newcomers.

As delightful as they were to look at on a daily basis (sarcasm), come black friday, the seats left the room. So instead of suffering barbaric-black-friday-checkout-lines, I was a mexican jumping bean, decorating away whilst covered in glittery goodness and head bopping to the tunes of Sufjan Stevens.

Yes. Much better. 

Stay tuned...more decorating goodies to come!

Bread Crumb Enema

Call me a weirdo, but every Thanksgiving holiday, I secretly pray for an over-cooked birdie. It's no secret to my family that I L.O.V.E dry turkey meat. So no matter what comes out of that oven, the cook knows there will be at least one happy carnivore sitting at the dinner table. It's a win-win in my book. :)

And now I leave you with a witty Thanksgiving poem Chris wrote several years ago for a work newsletter.

The “Turkey Day” is drawing near and I’m ever so depressed.

I fear that on that fateful day, I’ll be on your plate and dressed

With gravy, mashed potatoes and aunt jenny’s famous salad.

My roasted body on your plate confirms my fears as valid.

Last year the axe claimed Cousin Lenny, the year before t’was Larry.

His children left without a home, since Butterball took Sherry.

Now Brother Paul swears his numbers up, to your hunger he’ll succumb,

And face that awful enema, of onions and bread crumb.

Perhaps this year, might I suggest a different sort of meal?

Something that can graze a field, or something that can squeal.

Now look, I mean to be polite; and not ruffle any feathers

Please throw tradition out the door…heck, skip meat altogether.

Our claim to fame is sandwich meat and it’s terrible, completely.

Please hear my cries to spare my life before you choose to eat me.

I wrote this poem, and though you think it sounds a little quirky.

This year give thanks with “Ball Park” Franks… and make sure they’re beef, not turkey.

Love my silly man.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

For The Love of Liz Lemon

This is something I can definitely sink my teeth into...literally!

[via craftzine]

I make a mean Liz Lemon impression. Chris on the other hand, makes a mean Joey Potter impression. Two peas in a mean-crooked-smile pod.

:)

Shoe Party

I'm happy to say that our home is a relatively "clutter free zone". But! One current trend seems to be copious amounts of shoe pairs cluttered up in our living room. 

Um, I think it's time to give those Vans the boot!

Chris started this and I, for some reason, have followed suit. 

What kind of clusters do you (or your partner in crime) subconsciously create in your home?

Not So Sexy Hooter

Mrs. M.I.A. here. 

Crossing my fingers hoping I can keep up the Humble Ablog posts on a more regular basis, before it turns into 'no man's land'. Looks like my pocket-camera and I need to be joined at the hip once again. Having said that, I did manage to summon the old pal late last night, for a few pics, after Chris and I were completely cleaned out of candy by the plethora of trick-o-treaters gallivanting the neighborhood.

I'd like to say thanks to this tutorial, for the instructions on a DIY owl costume. Soooo it's suppose to be a kids costume...however I did the adult thing and stitched the "fabric feathers" in lieu of using glue as recommended. I also managed to prick myself more than a few times. Totally worth it. 

Operation Oscar's Room: Done! Well...Almost

After finishing all of the painting, molding, etc...some 8 months ago, I'm happy to report that "Operation Oscar's Room" (which was re-badged "The Kanye Guest Room") is about 90% complete! You can revisit its historic timeline, here and here oh and here. But enough of my mumbo-jumbo; lets get on with the show! 

I'd say its darn-tootin close to our original sketch-up idea. 

While some of you may have already spotted the photos of the room over at Apartment Therapy's Room for Color 2010 contest last week, there are still a few things left to do, including: installing floating shelves, doorknobs and new lighting.

Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

[Photos courtesy of Chris Johnson] 

Rolling With The Homies

Earlier this week, I engaged in a bit of small talk with an older woman sitting next to me at In & Out Burger, while we were waiting for our respective 'to-go order numbers' to be called out. Topic? Earthquake weather and purses. I know...sounds ridic but I somewhat believe in such a thing as 'earthquake weather' and right now, it's the talk of the town.

In my last post I mentioned the eerie summer temps hitting the southland, but this week, we were hit with rainy-chicken-pot-pie weather. I'll take that..with a side of hot chocolate...no, no better yet, champurrado! Shoooot..I even thought about pulling the snuggie out of hibernation. The rain called out for my fav boots (in the hunt for a new black pair...tips are welcomed!) So, the boots officially came out of the closet and I completely forgot about this neato tip I spied over at Deliciously Organized a few months back.

Rolled up magazines tucked in boots help these babies stand at attention! Another storage solution for my ancient magazines I just can't bare to throw out....just yet...cross my heart.

God Bless The Indian Summer

We peeps in the Southern West Coast are melting! It's officially fall but it feels like we are smack dab in the middle of a scorching summer heat wave. No bueno. While I had plans to try out some spanking new recipes for an upcoming theme party we are hosting, the thought of turning the oven on amid this indian-summer instantly generated beads of sweat down my temples. Again no bueno.

Buuuut then I spied this narly oven-free Oatmeal-Waffle cookie recipe, sure to make your mouth water, over at smiles from mel. All you need are your run of the mill baking staples and a waffle iron (and we own two!)

[Aside from the mini chocolate chips, we were fully stocked in our pantry]

Sure it may look like a poor man's cookie dough...trust me...its a-ok.

We had trouble deciding on a primo iron temperature and after a few jabs, we got it down to the perfect toasty setting...

...and Chris could not keep his sticky fingers away from them.

We personally thought they tasted BEST after a few hours in the fridge. Around this house, if the request for a couple of cold ones springs up, don't be surprised if I bring over a tray of waffle cookies.

I'm just saying.

[Pardon the low quality pictures....the itouch wasn't at its best in the heat either]

Face Furniture

I'm a sucker for a good hearty (clean-neck) beard on a man. Nothing against a spotless face, but there is something about a follicle face party that makes me weak in the knees.

For the past few years now, Chris has been quite the beardie (and a good one for that matter). I'd say 80% of the time he is fashioning a face warmer...which is why I could not wait to give him an early birthday gift.*

[The history of beards? Oh yes, yes; a million times yes!!]

Despite the fact that Chris hates to read anything, save for car magazines, I figured the book would make a swell nighttime reader for us. Dog-ear pages never looked so hott.

*It was between the book or a carstache. Tough decision but I think I made the right one. 

Kenny Rogers Roadsters

After a long and rested three day weekend, what better way to enjoy the last day of summer than a little topless driving.

As in convertible topless.

I'm officially ready for the fall solstice...particularly my fall boots.

You Are Cord-ially Invited

Half way through the summer, I started saving (some people called it hoarding) the cute 'lil plastic, green berry baskets often found at your local farmers market.

It got me thinking how dishy these day-to-day caddies would look dressed in an all white affair....

...and sitting in one of our desk drawers as little organizers.

[It's like a P. Diddy party in there!]

With the help of some leftover wire stems, my new containers are belted and ready for a wild cord ride.  Giddy up.

Food For Thought

I'm dabbling with the idea of throwing a halloween party this year. And if we do, I am definitely investing in some of these guys:

[via]

Cupcakes just got a little brainier.

Amber Alert

What are the chances I would find the exact pair of vintage* amber glass bowls, like the set I inherited, at my local thrift store?!

My pair were originally owned by Chris' grandparents...although I'm not sure how long they had them for, I fell in l-o-v-e love with the twosome instantly! 

And while I was trotting along the isles of the local thrift store last night, I perused the dishware section (hoping to score some vintage pyrex bowls) and hiding behind towers of appetizer plates, I found the darling honeybees.

Best $2.99 I've spent thus far...except for Mcdonald's chocolate dipped ice cream cone which Chris claims is the best $1.10 deal of the summer.

What were your thrifty finds of the summer?

*I'm not sure if the serving bowls are really vintage per se but any additional history or info on the item are welcomed! :)

Touched For the Very First Time

Christmas came a little early at the homestead this year.

Steve Jobs worked his apple-licious words into my fruit-less heart last week and prompted us to order a duo of the freshest ipod touch. Now that I have gobs of music space to fill (and gift cards to exhaust) what should I download (or is it upload?) to the newest addition of our apple family? What album(s) are you spinning on repeat these days?

The Cure For The Common Bike

I sit on my bum all day at work and the last thing I want to do is sit some more. Solution?

[via reform school]

For one reason or another, I see the cholo demographic making the leap first. 

Get outta my way, vato.