Pretty in Projects

Im sure we are all familiar with the hit T.V shows from the 90’s that showcased the sumptuous homes of our favorite celebrities. millions of viewers would sit around watching and gaping at the fabulous furnishings and amenities that our influencers spent millions of dollars and wish they could live like that, even if only momentarily. I was one of those viewers.

As an army brat, it’s hard to decide where exactly I grew up at, but a lot of my early memories took place in San Bernardino, Ca. My parents had both been honorably discharged and began their careers in law enforcement and rented a small house directly across the street from my grandmother so she could help with childcare for my two brothers and I. The best part of grandmas house, was my aunt and her 3 children lived there as well, sleeping in the living room on the floor on makeshift beds at night because Grandma only had one bedroom. I didn’t feel as if I was more fortunate than them, I was just happy that I had someone to play with and that these cousins I just met might get to be the first friends I have that I won’t have to depart from.

I didn’t notice my parents didn’t get along. My mother worked a few hours from home so she rented a place with a few coworkers and lived there 5 days a week but my father worked locally, so it was seldom that I even saw them interact which is why I recall my mom suddenly licking us up and moving us to this great big home in the suburbs of Riverside county. It seemed like it took forever to explore the 5 bedroom 3 bathroom home she had purchased and the best part was it reminded me so much of my favorite t.v show! My brothers and I raced to pick our bedrooms and then jumped in my moms pinto and we heading back to the poverty stricken neighborhood where my grandmother lived to finish packing all of our belongings. As we drove down that little street, I saw my cousins outside playing with my toys in front of our house and couldn’t wait to tell them.

I was so elated I couldn’t help but jump out the car and broadcast my news! “My mom just bought a mansion” I exclaimed. To my surprise my cousins didn’t seem happy. I believe the younger of the two girls said “so”, or something to that extent and began to cry and the older sister pushed me on the ground. I started to cry too. “ All you do is talk about how much better you are than us” my older cousin said. We want to live in a mansion, we want bikes, we want new clothes, we want a bedroom” she cried. Her sister chimed in and added “all I want is my own blanket, even if I can’t have my own bed.” I was so upset that she pushed me, that I didn’t emphasize with their feelings. I got up and went to my grandmothers house to sit down since all of our furniture was on the moving truck.

Grandma was making a goodbye pie as she called it. It was really just her famous banana pudding but she renamed it for us. Her dining room table was strategically placed so she could see the television as she sat and meal prepped. She was watching my favorite show.

I sat down and joined her and was able to successfully forget about the incident that upset me, until my aunt walked in. My grandmother looked at her and said “I would die for a table like that.” My aunt glanced at the screen and agreed. “Me too mama.” That moment changed my life.

I learned two things the day we left San Bernardino, one of them was the things that money could buy were vanity and useless to me because what I really wanted was friends who would be around me consistently no matter where life took me. The other lesson was priceless.

Some of the simple things that we take for granted, others are longing for. I can sit at my table and feed my children but somewhere there is a child sitting on the floor because their parents can’t afford what we see as “normal”.

A few years ago while watching my son do oragami an idea popped in my head. I wondered if we could make oragami furniture that’s stable and durable enough for everyday use.

After researching it with him, we figured out a way to make furniture out of recyclable objects and cover them with a resin for stability.

The mixture of the flexibility of the recyclables and my son’s oragami allows us freedom to shape things anyway we want at a fraction of the cost of what you can buy and stores, this way no matter how financially strained someone may be, they can afford to obtain “Cribs” like furniture from us.

A dining room table and chairs cost us an estimate of 23 U.S. dollars to build, and a couch and love seat averages at 65$.

What started out as a hobby of ours we are now transforming into a business, because after serving 13 families since we’ve perfected our design we saw first hand how something so small caused such a big impact in the lives of others. I’ve spent my entire working life dedicated to mental health issues and have a strong desire to eradicate depression, and I was elated to discover that supplying basic furnishings to families in need even boosted the self esteem of some of the families we’ve been in contact with and it’s created a stronger bond between my teens and I.

From our crib to yours, we aim to help by supplying furniture to families in need. Providing not only a bed to lie their heads on, but a shoulder as well.