Posts

Robots on the Brain

/in /by

I’ve had loads of rave reviews about the new Happy Bungalow robot line (fingers crossed for more).  As such I’ve been working on expanding the line.  First up are prototypes SC”OUT and DOG  I’m working on the back-stories for each.

My wife commented that the DOG robot looks a bit like a sheep.  HA!  How about Sherpard’s Helper Electronic E-something Protection?  I don’t have the name fully worked out, or a working prototype, but I have the backstory – it’s great, but you’ll have to wait.

SCOUT isn’t an anagram – just a name.  It’s another XyThanP Corp robot (like the XR14-J).  I believe it’s another XR model – single digits probably, but I’ll have to confirm that.  XyThanP Corp’s PR department has been tight-mouthed of late.  I think it has something to do with the mining equipment scandal, but that’s just my opinion.  I hope to secure more information soon.

M.A.I.D. r3

/in , /by

Introducing the newest Happy Bungalow Robot.  For sale at Happy Bungalow’s Etsy shop.

The M.A.I.D. r3 (Mechanical Automated Independent Domestic revision 3) was the first successful humanoid domestic assistant produced by CleanBotics.

The revision 3 followed the overly ambitious revision 2 (nicknamed MADs).  The revision 2s were humanoid in shape, but had 4 arms – so they could work faster by performing simultaneous tasks.  In an attempt to break into the hospitality market speed was emphasized over safety, resulting in great damage to property.  Numerous lawsuits followed a brief two month service run.

The revision 3 was given softer lines, only two arms, and was introduced through a massive public relations campaign: choice product placement, celebrity endorsement, and appearances on popular television shows.  The 3s served the domestic market exclusively, were reliable, and a tremendous success.

This model is a scale reproduction of the original rendered in red oak.

Couldn’t we all use a robot to vacuum our floors while serving drinks?

tired wood robot toy after long day of work

One Year Anniversary

/in , /by

Happy Bungalow is one year old!  We celebrated at our hometown show.  We’ve come a long way since last year (view here)

There’s a number of new products and new show furniture to display them on.

A new easier on the back sign

And ever popular dollhouse furniture.

I’ll be adding more products for the upcoming slate of fall shows and I’m going to tweak the booth o give things a bit more pop.

The anniversary show went off well – increased sales from a year ago, loads of business cards handed out, and bunches of conversations.  A tiring day, but fun.  Phew.

First Show of the Year

/in , /by

The clouds are clearing, the ice is melting, and the flowers are poking out of the soil.  That means it’s time to leave the shop and take the Bungalow to the masses. Last year was our first year in business and the first year doing arts / crafts shows.  See pictures from the first show here.  We’ve learned a lot and we’re working to put together two show packages – small for local one day shows and big for multi-day shows (an effort to spread out the back breaking).

The first show of the year was a one-day local show so it was a good time to test out some the small show package.  First up is loading everything into the truck.  Boy, has this step greatly improved!  It’s quick and organized.  Also new this year is a checklist – no more forgetting signs.Packed truck with show materials

For the first show last year I built wood tables, but they’re heavy and take a some time to set up.  This year I’m trying out plastic tables with table cloths.  Much quicker to set up, but I need fitted table covers.  The standard “sheet” type don’t look 100% professional.

Happy Bungalow show display tablesYou can see the new small show sign as well.  The other sign is too big to find a spot on the small tables.  I only had an 8 foot x 6 foot space to work with – so there’s just enough room for me, none for a big sign.

For the next show I’m going to work on putting more height into the tables.  I want to step the products to give them more space and visibility.

Happy Bungalow display table

Wee Folk Fairy Festival

/in /by

Saturday October 1st.  Happy Bungalow will be showing off a month’s worth of new product making.  Click on SHOWS above or here

Hummingbirds, butterflies, flowers, and more.  Fill a vase with flowers that never die, or bring a flower sculpture to work to liven up your home.

I’ll also have the new hardwood clocks you’ve read so much about, some cool new paintings, and some spiffy new animals.

[edit:  Many years later we choose to leave this post as is.  It’s sort of an honest time capsule.  This reads more like a social media post than what we try to write on the blog now.  But hey, it’s a learning process.]

Happy Bungalow Tree Stand Flowers Butterflies Birds

 

Happy Bungalow Tree Stand Flowers Butterflies Birds From The Top

 

Happy Bungalow Tree Stand Flowers Butterflies Birds Highlight the Flowers

New Blog

/in , /by

I’ve been working for a few weeks (eek, has it been THAT long?) on a new WordPress blog for happybungalow.com.  WordPress will give me more flexibility and capabilities than my previous blog software.  BUT – I had to learn some new web programming and remember some other programming I had forgotten.

Now you can comment on the posts you see here.  Go ahead, comment away.

I’ll have some new pictures and blogs up shortly.  Some exciting stuff is in the pipeline.

See all of our completed products for sale at our etsy shop

Happy Bungalow’s First Arts and Crafts Show

/in , , /by

Happy Bungalow’s first arts and crafts show was this past Saturday. The show was around the corner and down the street from my house. This allowed the whole Happy Bungalow crew to attend (my wife, the kids, and I). There was a good crowd turnout and a there was a full array of vendors to buy from. Here’s how my booth looked:

Happy Bungalows first show booth

Not only was it my first show, it was my first day selling to the public as well. I was super nervous and for the past few weeks I’ve been focused on little else than the show. Months ago I planned to buy folding tables, but a few weeks ago changed my mind. So I made four wood tables that I could take apart for easier transport. I also made a sign, stands for the clocks, and business card holders. I wasn’t happy with the greenish buckets at the corners, but they kept the awning from flying away (bonus). I thought I could make some (nice) plywood containers and fill them with sand or concrete. We’ll see.

Happy Bungalows show display table

At the finishing stage of the sign I had an accident and before I could do anything the accident dried. My wife couldn’t spot it, so maybe it’s not so bad. Along with the sign I put a sample of all the products on the table. Quite a few people stopped to look. Everyone loves the cute dollhouses and the animals. People liked the knobs too. The tables were unfinished (not enough time) so the rest of the unfinished wood products blended into the table. My wife had the idea to put paper on the table – sort of like butcher’s paper. This worked well as I wrote descriptions of the product and prices on the paper. I like the concept, but I’d like to find a different color paper.

Happy Bungalows first show animals and knobs table

You can get a closer look at the tables – the legs are planed lumber and the tops are birch veneered plywood. They’re lightweight and universally interchangeable. The animals were a big hit – especially the walnut animals. I’ll be making more of those soon. This is where Happy Bungalow’s first sale came from. Not a dollar, but a twenty – I’ll frame it anyway. A super sweet lady at the next booth came over to congratulate me. I made more sales later, handed out business cards, and talked to a lot of people. I can’t wait for the next show.