I'm the awkward, gangly teen in the middle

Pops bought this project for my brother Brian and I. When we 1st got it, it was a gorgeous hew of olive green (or puke green – beauty is in the eye of the beholder) and had a proud stripe of plastic wood laminate stretching along either side. There were rusty body rot holes the size of prize winning pumpkins and the engine ran like a run down has-been rock star. After the 3 of us gave it a powerful sanding, some sheet metal patching, and a thousand gallons of Bondo, it was ready for it’s Trans-Am orange paint job.  A few blown engines later we traded it for a 64 Corvair and an 82 Wagoneer. Fishing with dad is cool, restoring a car with dad is cooler.

Too often I come across things I want, but most likely can’t afford or shouldn’t spend the money on. I like to tell myself that I can make just about anything (within reason). This couch is one of those “maybe” projects. It’s fun balance of shape and form work perfectly with it’s asymmetrical layout. I think its a rad looking couch, but I’m not sure how comfortable it would look in my current space. Regardless of whether or not its for me, I want to make this couch.

Whats cooler than old photos of fellas building custom cars?  Old photos of fellas building custom cars with a story!  A story with a personal touch, no less.  I was talking to one of my raddest coworkers, Charles Heyer, about his love for classic cars and he shared with me some of the greatest photos I’ve ever seen.  He explained how his father was a major car enthusiast and loved to modify/build cars of all shapes and sizes.  One of his pride and glories was Lucky 13.  This is one of the most peculiar race cars I’ve ever seen.  It had a tall 1927 Buick engine that couldn’t be shortened, so Mr.Heyer sectioned the body to make it as narrow as he could in order to reduce drag.  It’s narrow body, so perfectly extraordinary, is accented by it’s seemingly sprawling wheelbase. The sectioned 1933 Oldsmobile grill shell gives the front end a nasty swooping curve that compliments the contours of the fenders.  The high back also acted as roll-protection for the driver which was uncommon for it’s time.  Take a gander at the banged up hybrid mummy man above.  He was a former driver of Lucky 13, but the injuries were from an accident he had when he rolled a different car that didn’t have Lucky 13′s safety features. Chances are he wouldn’t be wearing that sweet white head wrap if he were behind the wheel of Lucky 13 in that fateful race. Charles’ father is the man in the group shot, 2nd from the right, arms crossed, looking to the left. Charles wrote a letter that was posted on JalopyJournal.com. If you didn’t get enough from me, Charles wrote a letter on Jalopy Journal.  Click this link to read more.

Another swell craig’s list find! This is an antique kerosene lamp that was converted to electric some time ago. For some reason Lyna had a flicker bulb stashed away and I couldn’t think of a better application for it. An antique lamp, converted to electric, with a bulb that pretends to be a flame – genius.

Dear pretty puddle jumper readers, I must respectfully apologize for shamefully neglecting to inform you all of my recent and most awesome purchase – Arbor Skateboard’s “Bamboo Pocket Rocket”. In the 15+ years that I have spent skateboarding I have graced a countless amount of boards with my sloppy craft. From giant long boards to baby banana boards, strap-on mountain boards to freakish inline monstrosities, home-made widow-makers to precision dandies I’ve had my kicks on sticks of all shapes and sizes and this ride takes the cake! If you’re not sold on its ECO-FRIENDLY upbringing, or its artsy fartsy graphics, that’s just fine. It’s a pretty little thing but the beauty and elegance of it’s design is truly unquestionable once you take it for a spin. It floats like a Cadillac and carves like a wet dream. I think I paid about a buck thirty, but if I could have known how gracefully it would preform, I would have paid twice that for this work of art. A strong suggestion to all skate and surfboarding enthusiasts, buy, steal, or trade for this board. I promise, you will not be disappointed. To learn more about this genuine masterpiece, consult the Arbor website.

...does a mean bertleman

Melissa Plastic Dreams

If you’re not familiar with Melissa which was founded in ’79, they popularized the signature jelly shoes in the ’80′s!  It wasn’t until recently the company started moving forward with sustainable and socially responsible manufacturing processes.  Melissa is offering a line made of Melflex, a patented 100% recycable, hypo-allergenic monomaterial that easily molds to your foot.  The manufacturer, Grendene, recycles 99% of the excess material left over from manufacturing. 

I have the oxfords in various colors and the black shiny platform clogs- still figuring out what I will wear those with!

available at the SFMoMA store

and of course Crate & Barrel is offering knock-offs:

(Seletti's are better)

Today Ecolect’s blog, featured ‘Living Walls’, I know you are probably sick of seeing the green pet roofs, but these would be pretty nice to incorporate into the home too- like my kitchen! A wall full of fresh herbs and spices to cook with?

Perfect for indoors or out, it's better than finding wall art

At $189 a pop from the Gardener’s Supply Company however, I would like to try to build some myself…

What a way to add some greenery into your home or yard, in addition to that fact that it acts as a natural air filter, and filters runoff water which can then be used as drinking water. I think Batman needs a new home!

Being the gloomy day it was outside, I saw a saved cut out I had sitting on my desk of these cheerful Lizzie Allen wallpapers and wished there was a wall of the Red buses and Black Cars in my office to look at (or my apt!). I love the illustrations, they remind me of vintage children books, and I like that even though the color palette used is primary it doesn’t give off a totally elementary vibe. Check out Lizzie’s website here.

I could see myself wearing the Navy Madeline dress through London now! find them over at Nasty Gal. Cheerio!

This wood graining tool can be found at your local painting shop for under $10 or purchase a few other varieties online. I was able to experiment on a few color combinations at work but had my eyes set on a red tone on tone combo. Nothing else is stylin like some faux wood graining!!

This was an enjoyable lil project, Matt whipped up a rendering of his initial concept and here are some pictures from progress till completion:

Rad coffee table

From top to bottom: Initial Rendering, A pile of cut plywood, a base coat of vermillion, a top coat of faux wood graining in heritage red, some assembly, and finished product

* recommended: Benjamin Moore Aura low VOC paint