Baby Boy's Nursery

It's been almost 4 months since I gave birth to our second (and last) child, AJ. Life was so crazy adjusting to TWO kids. When he arrived, it was so close to the holidays and then BAM! It's March! His nursery was put together with a bunch of stuff we had before he was born. A left over Ikea rug we had from when we first moved to LA, some art work I made from our old apartment in Chicago, A table I made out of a vintage base drum kit I bought at the Pasadena Rose Bowl and some of the basic stuff from the original nursery I had for Ainslie.

Big Sister's chaise lounge made it back into the room and how happy I was that I recovered it in that unisex green. I was happy I got to get a few projects in to make the room his. Just like big sister, I made my own baby stats poster for him. I saw these on a website that charged people $28 to make- I got to choose my own retro font and colors, sent it out to be made poster size and I made mine for way less.

I also made him my own version of this letter monogram that I saw was being sold on Etsy for $15 to -$20 a pop. Nothing a quick trip to Jo-Ann's can do to get your crafting juices flowing.
I decided to put up another one of our old pieces of art work we had in storage up in his room. It might have been been not such a good idea since he's such a Mr. Grabby Pants but it looked so cool. The inspiration came from a restaurant the Hubs and I used to go to in NYC called, Vynl diner. Their version was made from colored pieces of laminated paper. We decided to do ours with acrylic squares and key rings- We've had this in storage for a hot second and made this way back in 2001

The pug mobile I made for Ainslie stayed in it's rightful place and I made his a rock and roll mobile above his changing table out of those ready made wood cut outs you can get at Jo-Ann's- I just hot glued some metal washers on the back to give them some weight and painted the backs black.

Since the room is so small- The layout didn't change at all. Now, the challenge is for me to finally cut the apron strings and get him into his own room and into his crib:)

My First born

You came into our lives and were the first to make us a family. You were the first one to know me as "Mama". Before we got engaged, married, before all the moves across country, before our human babies- you were here.
It all started with a walk in Central Park and a longing for a dog. It was all just an idea. We weren't supposed to have a dog in the apartment anyway. We had just started dating. Daddy just moved into my place and the idea of bringing a dog into the picture was just too crazy. But that one special day after taking that walk we went into that fancy pet store on the upper east side to look at all the puppies in the window and there you were. Bigger than all the rest of the puppies in the window. Mixed up with the tiny yorkies , maltese, and shih tzu puppies, you were in the corner, the only pug. We asked the people in the store to hold you. Daddy had never owned a dog before so when he held you for the first time he was super careful and awkward. But you were perfect. The first time we saw your cute little face and those big brown eyes we were in love. It was all meant to be. It was a giant leap for all of us to get you. Because once we got you , there was no turning back- Daddy and I had to be together because we treated you as if you were our child. " So do you want to get her Boo?" both of our chins jutted out and we shook our heads yes. We thought we got the deal of a lifetime when we found out someone already put down a deposit on you but forfeited it for some reason. We took you home that very day and you became a part of our lives.
Daddy took you to the theater to pick me up every night after my show. You were always so scared of the sewer grates, In fact, you were always a scary cat. We lied to our neighbors that we were just pet sitting when they saw you in the hallway. Daddy would always have you in his lap when he would play video games and you would be right at home between his legs.Looking back now, how we took care of you was a glimpse of how we would be as parents in the future. You were our "training child".I traveled with you on airplanes . You even flew first class with me to one of Daddy's tour stops. I always made sure that you were decked out with that rhinestone collar so you could live up to your name and you always did. One of Daddy's most embarrassing moments was when he was walking you down the street and someone asked, " What's your dog's name?" He said, " DIVA" and quickly followed it up with " My girlfriend named her". It took a minute to name you. If Daddy had it his way, your name would have been "Puppers" but I thought the name Diva suited you the best. You were such an amazing puppy. Never barked for the whole first year we had you. You were potty trained after 3 days. You set the mark on the perfect dog should be.. you were MAGICAL. We made the move out of New York and took you to LA. We had just gotten engaged and we thought it was the best time to get you a sister. We bought Bijoux to keep you company and to be best friends with. Instead, you took her in and loved her like she was your own baby. Until that one day that she finally made it on the couch when you wanted to get away from her and she jumped up and got you and then she became the annoying little sister.. but you loved her anyway.
When we got married in 2002, we were a perfect little family. A pug for both Mommy and Daddy.
We made even more room in our family when Skylar and Penelope came along and you loved on them too. You were the sweetest girl.

Everyone would use you to set the mark. One time in New York someone stopped and asked us how much to buy you from us and we told him that there was no amount of money that he could give us for you . You were just a dream.
Through every step Daddy and I had together, you were there. You stayed with me when I was pregnant with Ainslie and when we took her home, you were the first to greet the new baby.
I was so happy that you were around to see and meet both of our human children. But I will never forget that you were our first, The first baby that Daddy and I had together, the one we practiced with in New York, the first one I made up songs for, the one who did the first family hug dance with, the first one I wore in a suggly and the first one I dressed up as a baby. What a life you had. And although all of us are hurting now without you. I'm so glad that you are not hurting anymore. It was the hardest choice but we had to do right by you. After all the love you have given us, we couldn't watch you suffer just for our selfish reasons. We will always love you Diva. You have left a mark on our family's heart that can never be erased.

You're our Mahal- Our Divaster Pugarina

I'm back in LA trick...decorating a toddler room

Wow, these past couple of months have been crazy- We've officially left San Francisco and the nastiness behind. We are back in our home in the valley in LA patiently waiting the arrival of baby #2 and getting settled in. Mod Toddler Ainslie, graduated from sleeping with us to her sleeping in her own bed in her own room. Funny, when it all happened, I lost a LOT of closet space to her so there was plenty of purging. For weeks, I heard the "Hoarders" soundtrack as I went from room to room in my house. I got rid a bunch of clothes, and STUFF- I thought I got rid of the extra "STUFF" when I moved out of the house and to SF but nope- I was on the boarder of Hoarder-ess:)
Decorating Ainslie's room was a lot of fun. We had to buy her a "big girl bed" and we couldn't resist getting her the entire matching set at IKEA complete with book case and hanging display case. Who'da thunk you could spend $500 plus on a twin bed at IKEA? We certainly didn't-

I'm a big fan of Paul Frank and Julius the Monkey so, I couldn't pass up getting her this cute bedding, all from Target- We also have the matching towels for Mommy and Daddy. I love me some Paul Frank!

When my parents moved out of the family home I grew up in , I had my Dad bring over some of my things I collected as a kid and when I was on tour. I had tons of dolls, and toys for the one day IF I had a daughter. Well, the one day is HERE and she is now enjoying the collections that I acquired. Among my fabulous collection is MUFFY Bear and her ridiculous amount of clothes, shoes and accessories. She's still a little young to enjoy it all but Muffy is displayed in her room.


One of my favorite purchases for the room was a dresser I got on Craigslist. I needed a dresser that wasn't too big and it needed to be tall. It had to blend into her room as well as fit in a tiny corner of the room. Just my luck I was person number 13 to call for the dresser. He wasn't gonna sell it to me but after I told him that I needed him to drop it off to my house, I was 7 months pregnant at the time, it was raining AND my husband just had knee surgery, he sold it to me for $35! the original price was only $10! but the crazy thing was when I got it to my house , I was pleasantly surprised that it was made with solid wood and it was in great shape. All we needed to do was hook it up with the right drawer pulls to make it work for her room. I mean, where do you get a solid wood dresser for $35 bucks? So awesome! I am so happy with that purchase!

The Hubby and I decided that one of our traditions will be making "Muny" dolls for Ainslie for every birthday. I think it's a cool way to commerate the birthday and when she's old enough to appreciate it, The dolls will be a cool collection of something We made for her. Here's a pic of Ainslie at 1 and Ainslie at 2 years old along with her very own action figures- All displayed above her bed.

Here's what Ainslie looked like at 2 this year's birthday celebration at Disneyland



Since Ainslie's bed faces the door. I thought it would be cool to get one of those wall decals to cover the white blank space she had going on the bottom part of the bookcase/ bed frame. I got this LOVE decal from Etsy. Etsy is pretty awesome if you're looking for something unique- It was the perfect addition for that blank space!



Now that I'm in my last weeks of pregnancy, it seems as if it's a mad dash to get stuff done. I'm still in the process of putting together new Baby's room and it feels as if every day I have more and more craft ideas that I'd like to do before he gets here. It's just a little more difficult now that I have a rambunctious and inquisitive 2 year old running around. The great thing is most of the things we put in the new baby's room we had in the storage. It was stuff that was from old apartments, that didn't quite work with the house at the time or was just the wrong color scheme. Now since we have a boy, all the miscellaneous things I had tucked away in my storage room became hidden "treasures". See, sometimes it pays to "Hoard".

Mod Jewelry

Ok, I was obsessed for a year with Project Runway 7's finalist, Mila Hermanovski.


She was always rocking black and white clothes on the show- Betty Paige bangs and all- I just loved her styles. One thing you should know about me is when I obsess about something ( especially when it comes to something I can try to DIY) I get it done ( Well ok, eventually) My last obsession was with Mila's Mod style necklace. It was big, and bold and oh so very awesome. I had to have it!

I obsessed about it for a whole year- I just had to find me resources and I did! After trying to find out where I was going to get my materials for my project here in SF, I got it done.

It came out an almost perfect replica of hers. Now, on to my latest joy- Making my own 60's inspired necklaces.. stay tuned!

M.I.A.

Wow it's been a long while since I've posted anything- It's not fair, I check up on all my cyber friends stalking their sites and knowing what's going on with their lives as I neglect my own. Updates:
I spent from April to June back in Los Angeles doing a show. It pretty much kicked my butt since I worked and stayed there with my now 2 year old daughter. The Hubby had to stay back in SF while he did his show. It was nice to be finally working again on a project that was pretty much my own.


It was a hard couple of months because as soon as I came back to LA, I found out that I was expecting again!
So here we are the end of July and the beginning of December, we will be expecting a new member of the family - a little BOY!
I believe my little nuclear family is complete now and after he's born, the shop will be officially closed.


Living back in LA was great- It was so nice to get away from the grossness and craziness of SF. Ainslie and I spent the start of our summer there- Swimming , hanging out with friends and enjoying the Southern California weather. The Mod Baby ( now toddler) also celebrated her 2nd birthday there too- Complete with a birthday party at Farrell's , Yo Gabba Gabba cake and her first trip to Disneyland!


Our time in SF is now coming to an end and we are moving back to LA in 5 weeks! It's gonna be so sweet to come back to our house and all my treasures I've put into storage for the year and change we spent here. You have no idea the hell we've been through living in the PAP house but you can imagine the happiness we are feeling knowing that we're coming back to our own place and in a couple months of us getting settled in, with a new baby boy!

Dedicated to the Pizzie

Last week we went on our family vacation to Hawaii. It was fantastic till Thursday when we got back from Kona and the P et Hotel called to tell us that one of our beloved babies had passed away. Skylar, ( who also goes by several alias) was one of the Pugs we adopted . I fell in love with her immediately. She was smaller than most puggies, more wrinkly, and the closest thing I could imagine a bulldog and a pug would possibly look like if it were the perfect mix. We adopted her along with her daughter, Penelope on Valentines Day 2004. When we got her, the given name for her was" Cutie Pie" and Penelope's original name was Peanut Butter. I had to change those names right away because I believe that if your dog has a dumb name, then they would live up to it - So, I decided to name her Skylar and her daughter, Penelope. The first week of having them was a little tough. We already had our original two, Diva and Bijoux and then we brought home 2 more to join our clan. I'm sure it stressed out the other girls and it didn't help that when I brought Skylar and Penelope home, that Skylar would mark everything! She was female and she would mark! Peed on the bed, on the washer, the, curtains, and on the other girls too. She was quite the handful. We never knew how old both her and Penni were when we got them. We just knew that Skylar had to be older than Diva and Penni was the baby. I even recall a time when my husband said, " Maybe we should give them back to pug rescue-" and I remember crying and telling him, " Someone already gave up on them- I don't want to be the second people to do that to them". So long story short, they both became a HUGE part of our family. My husband and I will forever be known as those "crazy people with 4 dogs". It's been this way since we adopted them.

Skylar's life included the move into our very own home, a cross country drive and living a year in Chicago, the birth of our first baby and a move to San Francisco. She lived in 7 different homes with us, and had a great second life being one of our girls.
Since we moved to San Francisco, we had to put her in diapers. She was getting old and she and Ainslie had the diaper thing in common. We noticed that she started having mini seizures when she would sleep but then two seconds later she'd lick the air and look at us like everything thing was fine. She was our little Princess and the best cuddler.
When the Pet Hotel called us last week to tell us the news I was pretty devastated. They did a doggie autopsy and they said that she died of natural causes which made me feel a little better. They also said that they guessed she was 13 or 14 years old - And that's a pretty long life for a pug! The manager at the Pet Hotel also mentioned that when she passed in her sleep she was surrounded by all of her sisters. That was also comforting to know.
I remember saying goodbye to our girls right before we left them at camp and I wanted to give her one last kiss before she went off - but she was already out the door and off to play.
I'd like to think she's in a better place but when I look at our girls and see there's one less, it still hurts my heart terribly. Ainslie is now at the age where she's aware that one is missing and she calls out for her which doesn't make things easier. She was also able to pick them all out by name which is a big accomplishment for a 1 1/2 year old. Even some of the people we know can tell all our girls a part. Skylar went by many names.. here's some
-Pie Pie
-Nizzie
-Pee Pie
-SS Pizzer Kanizzer
-Nizzle
-Pizzie
- The Pizzer

When Jesse sent me the award for the list of 10 things that made me happy, I wanted to add this:

Why Skylar made me happy for the 6 years we had her.

-Her little face,
-her wrinkles
-her kimodo dragon breath,
-the two white nails she had and the black ones on her little meaty paws
-The grump bump she showed when she was mad
-Her loud snores
- her funny "Mif, Mif" bark
- her uber soft fur
- her cuddles
- the spirit fingers I had to use when I called out for her

We will miss you Nizzie and we were so happy that you were a part of our family. You were our baby before we had a human one to call our own and you'll always be our girl!

10 things that make me happy

Mod Diva's "10 things that make her Happy" list-

1) Being Ainslie's Mommy
2) Finding the "One" and being married to my best friend
3) All my girls ( my pugs)
4) Singing loud
5) My MCM in the valley and all my treasures in it
6) Laughing and hearing my friends laugh
7)Going to the flea market and looking and finding treasures
8)Hearing my baby girl's laugh
9)Pug snores
10) Hawaii and my Ohana there

Thanks Jesse!