It’s happening.
My first official book signing.
I know, I can’t believe it either.
Please meet me (along with 4 other Dallas design authors) at Bungalow 5, 1201 Oak Lawn ave, from 4-6:
Hope to see you there….
Y’all are probably not familiar with D Magazine,
Not many people are. Unless you live within a 2.5 mile radius of downtown Dallas and are in need of a restaurant, or lawyer, or plastic surgeon.
So when Kathy from D Magazine emailed me a couple of weeks ago looking for some vintage Christmas ornaments for a photo shoot (She had Googled; “Vintage-Christmas-Ornaments-Dallas”…and I was the first name to pop up. Sounds pretty accurate) I thought “What the Heck”.
I’m always up for some unsolicited/unpaid exposure. That’s what bloggers are for. Am I right? Free content for magazines.
See how she titled the piece “Handled with Care”?
(I’m whispering this part) That’s our little inside joke……because, she didn’t.
It seems that our photographer, Chris, is an amateur juggler. Emphasis on the amateur.
He broke one of the ornaments that I personally hand delivered to their office in a plastic tub.
Some kind of monkey house D Magazine has going on there.
At least he took a mediocre picture to preserve my memories.
The memories I individually wrap in bubble wrap every January.
Lesson learned…
Not sure if I’ve mentioned it yet…
But,
I WROTE A BOOK!
You can buy your own copy here.
If, by chance, you follow me on any social media……you’ll be hearing about it for a while.
Sorry, but I’ve never published anything before and I’m still so excited.
I found these items in a catalog recently. (For you Millennials, a catalog is like a digital print-out of a small section of Amazon.com)
For the price of the “Plumbing Pipe Storage Collection Hook”, $55, Item number: 73268, you could purchase my book, and all the pieces to make 7 of those things. (Directions on page 13.)
You can buy your own copy here.
This has been an amazing experience. We’ve been watching the sales on Amazon, and as I type this……and hopefully for longer…..DIY Industrial Pipe Furniture and Decor is the number 1 seller in the category of “Hot New releases in Home Furniture”.
(It’s also number 7 on the list in the Kindle version)
Thank you, everyone. For your support.
It really means a lot.
I once had a cab driver tell me that in his culture there’s a proverb;
“If you focus on something for long enough, you will burn a hole in it”
I’m paraphrasing, because he had a pretty thick accent, but was something like that.
Pretty good advice from a man who’s name was Abysmal. Seriously, it was. (Sidenote here: I always have long conversations with my cab drivers. In fact, total strangers talk to me all the time; women in line next to me at Jo Ann’s, the tool rental guys at Home Depot, TSA agents. I can’t help it. I just have one of those faces that says, “Tell me everything about your life….and don’t skimp on any of the intimate details”)
Y’all may have noticed a slight decline in the amount of blog posting/home improvements over the past 8-9 months. (I know that Jamie certainly has.) Well, this is why.
I’ve been focused on burning a hole in a personal goal this past year.
One that I am immensely proud of and can’t wait to share with y’all.
I knew 30 years ago that I wanted to write a book. I thought it would be a collection of my stories. A few of which I occasionally share on this blog. Most however are scribbled in several random notebooks or jotted down in my notes on the “Cloud”.
But now, a couple of them have been published in a genuine book.
DIY Industrial Pipe Furniture & Decor
Along with extremely detailed instructions for 25 of the industrial plumbing pipe projects we’ve done at the Cavender house over the past 6 years.
I know, it’s more that I can handle too.
About a year ago I got am email from an editor at Ulysses Press asking me if I would consider writing a “How To” book on plumbing pipe for them. I immediately replied with a resounding “YES”. Didn’t phase me at all that I’ve never really written a book. When I started to think about the commitment it would take…I panicked. I did.
But I looked at all the things we’ve made from plumbing pipe over the past few years……
Like Harley Davidson’s dog bed…
And this awesome Locker Basket Dresser…
There are a few Industrial Lamps…
This Rolling Clothes Rack…
Some much-needed Garden Tool Storage…
This Industrial Candelabra…
And everybody’s favorite, Plumbing Pipe Shelves…
And I knew that I could document all of it…and even more.
Now, finally, everything you need to know about building furniture, lamps and other assorted necessities with plumbing pipes is contained in handy book form….
DIY Industrial Pipe Furniture & Decor.
Get your copy today.
Just click the link above to be directed to Amazon.
Go on, you know that you want to.
Found this guy recently at a junk shop and knew immediately that he needed to come home with me.
He’s kinda the perfect Halloween-y compliment to the vintage match strikes and child’s chest x-ray on our mantle.
Most Americans will recognize these types of mid-century decor from the holidays of our childhood. Every December, my grandparents had 3 foot soldiers guarding their front porch. And our neighbors had Santa in a sleigh and a half-dozen reindeer running across their roof line. At Halloween, it was those candy buckets shaped like Jack-o-lanterns that we just had to have for trick-or-treating – because a standard pillow case was the only other option.
In case y’all didn’t know, plastic blow mold decor (made from the same plastic as Elmer’s glue bottles) like my ghost, has been around since the 1940s. There were ducks, Disney characters, nativity scenes and carolers, penguins, and even Snoopy available at most five and dime stores across the country. Some even included a build-in lamp to enhance the festive-ness.
It was the creation of Don Featherstone’s plastic lawn flamingo for Union Products in 1957 that set the trend on fire. Other companies, like Empire Plastic Corporation, had been making blow mold flamingos for over a decade, but it’s Featherstone’s flamingo design that is still the most sought after.
Sure, blow mold decor pieces are easy to find at junk shops and yard sales, but you can still buy new ones at stores like Wal-Mart and Amazon because the trend has never really faded.
And why should it?
These things are charming for days…..
So proudly display your kitsch.
I said that you could.
