It Used to be Easy to be Cool

until the internet ruined it.

A golden-haired girl and I, we have a little joke about blogging.  We were riffing on the idea that if you were young and lovely, recently employed at a well-known magazine, lived in New York and owned an Apple computer in 2002, creating a popular blog was ridiculously straightforward.

We made up a hypothetical blog post from this quaint era, and it goes something like this:

"Food-have you heard of it? I discovered it in Brooklyn this weekend!  Do you think you would try food?  Discuss!"

Fast-forward to today and every blogger is an HTML-writing, photoshopping, link embedding, monetizing, branding, logo-designing, networking, non-gluten-eating, nasty green drink-making, tomato-growing, live edge coffee table-owning mo-chine.  Even the newest and most obscure of blogs makes the online presence of major corporations look prehistoric.

To prove how easy blogging used to be, I just came up with six vintage-style blog posts in six seconds!  It was that easy.

2004- "Amy Butler fabric-I want to buy some and make pillows!  Which Amy Butler fabric do you like best?"

2005- "Design Sponge-I discovered it yesterday!  Have you heard of it?  Copy and paste this URL until I Google instructions for creating live links!"

2006- "Bunting-You can hang it over your bed OR your sofa!  Do you have bunting?  You don't?  Why not?"

2007- "I saw a girl on a bike with braids in Brooklyn this weekend!"

2008- "I went to the best wedding this weekend!  The amazing bride and groom used giant balloons and mustaches on a stick in their photos!"

2009- "I discovered that you can drink out of Mason jars!  Would you drink out of a Mason jar?  Here is a link to the instruction on how to drink from a Mason jar!"

I bet you can think of many more!  But now I'm tired, because creating a modern blogpost takes so much energy.  Some day our robotic body-doubles will do it for us, or maybe we will outsource it to India.  The future of blogging is anyone's guess.  I just don't know what I'm going to do with all this unused bunting...

The future of blogging, footwear, Ermie, and a lamp DIY

I highly recommend having paper on your nightstand.  Personally, I have an IKEA shopping list/showroom map with a lot of Swedish-chef product names written on it,  and a broken pencil.  It's what the famous authors are doing.  Anyhow, it's necessary to write down those barely-lucid thoughts that occur just as your mind is losing its grip on reality and sliding into dreamtimes.  Because ideas that are anchored to reality are pretty much useless.

This is how I came upon my brilliant idea of a blogger-to-blogger, design-oriented vacation/home exchange!  And now look!  I'm rich and famous!  If only I could design a website and do the PR work while slipping into my nightly cheese-and-Seinfeld-rerun coma.  *SIGH*

So anyhow, I was having some free association time in bed the other night.  Been thinking a lot lately about blogging and social media.  How fast things move and change.  How challenging it can be to know in which media format to invest one's energy.  How plugged in one has to be, but also disciplined and mindful about knowing when to shut it down; when to forge "real world" partnerships and networks.

It's no secret that I desperately heart Instagram.  I'm quite prolific there, friends.  My handle is modernhaus.

So my thought was this:

Instagram is the cool friend who knows the chef at the hot new restaurant.  Blogger is the friend that knows the hostess at the Olive Garden.

This is not, by any means, in reference to YOUR blogs, guys.  In the light of day I think my brain just meant to say that Instagram seems more dynamic, immediate, energetic, experimental, and fresh.

What do you think?  Are your social media habits changing?  Are you more or less interested in blogs than you were a year ago?

Last week I attended a Nutella binge/epic business discussion on the subject with Jon, Morgan, and Laure.  Consensus seemed to be that managing social media is a little like holding on to the tail of a tiger, except for Jon who controls the internet with his mind.


Unrelated, but possibly related because I saw these via social media, are Freda Salvador shoes.

Sexy-orthopedic-handmade.  Freda Salvador, you can use that on your website if you like!

via

I want the ones on the left, to go with my imaginary Ermie dress.

photo by Kate Miss and via

And finally, the creative bender continues.  I know.  My days are filled with paint fumes, blisters, and sunburns.  I wake up covered in bruises and miscellaneous paint colors and I do it all over again!

Yesterday's victims were a couple of antique lamps:

And then anything I could get my hands on.

...................................................................

TUTORIAL: Indigo Ombre Dip-Dye Fabric and Curtains

I've been on such a creative bender lately.  It all started with the chairs, and once I started tackling projects I just couldn't stop.

There's nothing else like the satisfaction of making stuff with your own hands, especially if the results are good (but even when they're not, the process is liberating and instructive!)

I've had stacks of natural linen drapes from the thrift store laying around forever, and wanted to try an indigo dip-dye on them.  This is the perfect summertime DIY since it really should be done outdoors, and the painterly effect of dip-dyeing seems so fresh and hot weather-appropriate!

I started with a pair of clean, thickly-textured linen drapes (use natural fibers only!)  I ignored the directions when they said to start with wet fabric...since I wasn't dyeing the whole piece, I wanted the top dry so it wouldn't "pull" the dye up farther than I wanted it.

I measured about a third of the way from the bottom of the drapes and marked it with paper clips so I knew where to stop "dipping" each piece.

Outside I mixed my dye in a large Rubbermaid tub set next to a stone wall so I could hang the dry, un-dyed part over the wall and let the ends hang into the dye.  I used a "denim blue" powder dye from the craft store and followed the directions for dilution and salt, etc.  Nothing special, and I'm sure I could have gotten more intense or better/faster results by searching out a professional fabric dye.  

I let the ends soak for about an hour and then lowered the drapes in another six inches or so and let that soak for 15-20 minutes more to make a lighter, ombre-esque strip.  I checked the color and it was much too light.  The lighter strip especially was nearly pastel, so I lowered it in again and soaked the whole thing for another hour (light and dark strips together).

Remember as you're checking the progress of the color that it looks much darker wet and the colors will also fade after you rinse the dye out, so wait until it looks much darker than you want in the tub before you pull it out.

At a certain point, the fabric was as saturated as it would get and didn't seem to be darkening more, so don't worry about over dyeing.  I would have liked more intensity, but starting with a white base and using "over-the-counter" powder dye probably limited the depth of color I could achieve.

I wrung out the ends and then laid the drapes out on the grass and used a spray nozzle to rinse them.  Then I hung them over the fence and waited for them to dry.

These are early-morning shots after I impatiently brought the drapes inside and threw them over a curtain rod in the dining room to see how they looked.  I really, really love the ethereal, watercolor effect of the lighter upper layers.

But the moody, darker indigo of the lower end really speaks to me too.  

Pretty much nothing is safe from a potential dye-bath now!


............................................................................................

Trending: Vintage Navajo Rugs and Mid Century Furniture

The last few weeks I gave myself permission to not just "buy and sell" but to spend some time creating original pieces.  I can't tell you what a difference it's made in my attitude towards my business!  It's so hard to just have a bunch of iconic pieces and no way to express myself!  Who lives like that??  It's criminal.

I've always had an overwhelming need to MAKE things (ask my mom about my infamous butter sculptures!), and now that I've given myself permission again, I CAN'T STOP!  Hide the butter, mom!

You might have noticed and been amazed by the turn-of-the-century Thonet and Hudson's Bay blanket chairs from my last post:

I used the same fabric on an early 1900s Bell telephone operator's chair:

I love that the base is so Victorian, but it also has a certain industrial appeal.  Plus every time I look at it, I imagine a lady named Pearl punching a bunch of old-timey buttons and connecting you to the milk man or the horse taxi.

But this transformation is the one I'm most excited about:

Before you have an aneurysm over my desecration of a Mid Century chair and a vintage Navajo rug, believe me that they weren't that great on their own.  I said they weren't, and I saw them with my own two well-trained eyes.  So trust.

The chair was avocado green vinyl (you know, the color of your grandma's refrigerator in the 70s?)  The rug...well, o.k., the rug was really pretty.  But the ends were unravelling and it was oddly shaped and as great as it was, it wasn't valuable in the least.  Go on Ebay and look...you can get 'em cheap.

And, I was really careful not to cut the rug (pun!) until I had stapled it into place and was absolutely sure it would look amazing.

I think you can see this was a case of the sum being better than the parts.

I wanted to make sure the bird symbols with the emerald green eyes made it onto the piece!

I still have the back to finish today, and then I'll work on polishing up the walnut frame.

I can't stop looking at it!  Neither can you!!

Guys, if you followed me on Instagram you would be getting the blow-by-blow of all my furniture and thrift finds, projects, new shop listings, as well as gratuitous photos of the gross food I eat!

You can also use the Twitter button up there on the right, since I upload most of my Instagrams to Twitter.

Stay tuned for the next episode of Chairs Gone Wild, when I make butterfly chair covers out of old Army blankets!

Most of these projects are intended for the shop, so check in if you're interested, or email me directly at modernhaus@gmail.com !

Blogger Haus Exchange

Turn of the century Thonet and Hudson's Bay chairs available in the shop

In a given day I can generate about a billion new business and creative ideas.  Most of them are crazy, and it's impossible to follow through with very many.  But I know an idea is really worth pursuing when it sticks with me week after week, month after month, and instead of beginning to sound totally absurd or far-fetched, it starts sounding better and better.

This is one of those ideas.  A blogger home exchange resource!

If I know anything about bloggers it's that they love to travel, they love to explore one another's homes, and they're very particular about their physical environment.  What is missing in the vacation exchange and rental market is an opportunity for these likeminded design-oriented folks to find one another and make their homes available for vacation swaps!

Not only will the blogger-to-blogger format ensure that you'll be staying in a really cool place, but there's an added layer of trust and protection built in, too.  You're able to verify via their blog archives that the person and their environment are a good match for you, that you feel comfortable with them, that their descriptions and photos of the home are accurate, etc..
And there's little chance that an established blogger would risk their reputation by running off with your silverware (or plastic spork collection?) or trashing your house!

Basic ground rules:

It's free to use!

No commercial vacation rentals.  This is for blogger-to-blogger home exchange only and is not to be used for financial gain.

Please have an active blog or similar web-presence (tumblr, Wordpress, website, etc.) that has been established for a minimum of six months and provides at least some information about yourself, your home, neighborhood, etc.

Submit the following information if you would like your house listed.  Let me know in the comments section if you think other things should be included on the list!

-Clear pictures of the interior and exterior living spaces and the immediate neighborhood (blur out addresses and street names-these shouldn't be provided until you trust the person you're working with and have a concrete swap agreement, and are within about a week of arrival!)

-List locations where you would be willing to stay, or are you open?

-Your contact email

-Links to your website, blog, and/or other media that will tell us more about you and your home

-Approximate dates your house might be available (summertime only, long weekends, flexible, etc.)

-Do you have pets and will they need to stay?

-Will you allow pets?  What kind/size?

-Would you allow (or is the house appropriate for) children?  Do you have children and will the house be equipped for visiting children (i.e., could carseat, crib, stroller, or any other items be made available?)

-Number and types of beds/bedrooms/bathrooms

-Is a car necessary to get around?  If so, are you open to swapping cars?

-Describe your neighborhood-are there restaurants/activities in walking distance, are you near trails, the beach, or some point of interest, etc.

-Any unique attributes you'd like to share (i.e., we have an organic garden, a huge vinyl collection you're welcome to use, an amazing espresso machine, hobos living in our basement, a creepy doll collection in every room, whatever).

I'll feature each submission in its own blog post, and it will also appear on a dedicated permanent link on my blog sidebar where others can find and contact you.

Please forward this post to any of your friends and colleagues that might be interested!

SUBMISSIONS CAN BE SENT TO MODERNHAUS@GMAIL.COM

I can answer questions in the comment section below-since others might have the same question it would be helpful to make the answer visible to everyone.

So, what do you think?  Would you take advantage of this resource??  What blogger's home would you most like to stay at?  Maybe, just maybe, I can get them to participate!




 

Feet Leave the Ground

Sorry the Haus has been so quiet!  
There's the usual intense internal dialogue going about some major things...I've been a real Thinker Thinkerton over here, but have felt much more private lately.  Weird, huh?


At the end of the day yesterday, after Pizza Port-ing and butterfly sightings at the beach, we pulled over at a quiet spot so the boys could surf.  There wasn't much surf to speak of, but their skinny, flu-weakened arms couldn't have handled much anyhow.

Every time I look at Sage now, I think of the word akimbo.  He's all lines and angles and I think to myself, "Arms akimbo!"

I watched him running towards the water yesterday, and for a brief moment as he jumped over a pile of seaweed, he was airborne.
I thought, that's how you know you're happy; when your feet leave the ground.

I used to love to open a book when they surfed, but I don't do that anymore (and yes, I do plan to join them!)

I watch, and I soak it up.  Remember in the beginning when you would watch them breathe?  You do it at the end, too.



........................................

CHAIR TOWN {leather, linen, chrome, wool, and sling!)

Have you noticed that vintage stuff travels in packs?  Some weeks I'm up to my armpits in lamp after beautiful lamp.  Some weeks everything is marble.  This week, the vintage world is trying to tell me to take it easy...by sending me chairs.

I have a pair of these chrome beauties.  Yesterday I designed and sewed up the blue felted wool sling to sleek them up.  The previous upholstery was a huge, thick padded affair done in mauve (or "private parts pink" as I like to call it) RV fabric.  Now they are lithe and sexy, like chrome and wool ballerinas!

I'm not joking-these are SO comfortable!  I am thinking of designing a narrow built-in pillow at the top.  What do you think?

Because they're slings, they don't look deep enough until you sit in them.  Kind of sculptural, no?  I have to iron those suckers, but I couldn't wait to show you!!

This heathered blue wool is my new favorite fabric.  Like soft focus lighting, it makes everything else around it look gorgeous!  It looks SO GOOD with my "trick, it's not a Beni Ourain it's from Pottery Barn" rug.

I also ran like the wind a few days ago to pick up these handsome chrome chairs.

The upholstery has that great, streamlined Mid Century version of tufting.  The color is caramel with a hint of orange?  But not TOO orange.  I understand everything better when put into food terms.  How 'bout you?

These suckers are HEAVY.  Neat-o, thick chrome frames.  I'm thinking Milo Baughman (pronounced Bowman if you're new to the game, Boffman if you're in-the-know, and Boggman if you're a retarded estate sale lady).

I have to verify this, though.  Seriously Baughman, you designed so many chairs.  Help a girl out-make a master list?!

Speaking of Boggman, did you know DWR is reproducing his recliner?  For $2800???  For a less-well-made repro??

Do people buy these things?  I can't imagine why, with beautifully restored originals going for half that!  Now that I mention it, I have one that I'll be listing this evening.  What a coincidence!

This is documented Milo Baughman, but a very unusual piece.  It took me weeks to authenticate because, well, there is like one other one out there.  The arms are really wide, sculptural, solid walnut, and the upholstery is much more substantial than on the more common version.  It's been profesh redone (meaning, not by me) in a nubby off-white material that makes you fall asleep when you touch it, and the mechanics have been cleaned, oiled, and checked for smooth reclinability.  Mmmhmmm,  that's a word.

Furthermore, there is this chair:

It looks like Paul McCobb, but "looks like" is as far as I got in the authentication process.

I had it rebuilt and re-done in a heavy, charcoal grey linen.  It is brand new, but better.  Because it is brand new old, which means it will last for 300 more years.

It pairs well with a sheepskin and an ethnic pillow.  Probably any ethnicity will do.

Bleached out-looking because Instagram, y'all.

So, one may ask, "Where can I get all these fine sitting devices?"

Well, only the off-white Baughman/Bowman/Boggman recliner will be in the shop tonight.

The others will probably be listed soon, but you can also email (modernhaus@gmail.com), text, Tweet (modernhaus), or Intsagram (modernhaus) message me if you just can't wait.

You probably want to get your hands on my creations now, before I totally blow up.  I'm already super-big in Upstate New York, the gateway to design fame as we all know.

Over and out.