I grew up with a carpenter for a father and spent many winters tromping through knee high Chicago snow falls. More times than I could count, I raided my father’s closet for his pile of Carhartt coats and wide selection of thermal wear. Growing up I appreciated the garments in his closet a bit more than my own because how his clothes weathered beautifully with time and how well they held up even in the harshest of conditions. Every cold winter morning he would simply remind me how much a Carhartt coat could make a difference in my sure to be below freezing temperature day. He was right and it has stuck to me ever since. Duck canvas has been a second skin to me for most of my life.
To be honest, a large part of my sense of style and fashionable appeal has been completely molded by my own dad’s profession. I’m incredibly grateful for that because today I take a lot of consideration and care into the things and people that I take into my life.
Flash forward to me age 25 and my undying search for Made In USA denim,. I’m ogling and salivating at every cut and finish companies throw together for it’s very small market. What I’m not salivating about is the high price for the denim jeans I’m finding. I come across a menswear forum and by the suggestion of a fellow forum member, I’m directed to the Bristol, Tennessee based manufacturer L.C. King Manufacturing Company and their flagship Pointer Brand. The prices are affordable, the quality garments are made in the USA and the company have a modest belief about what they offer:
Pointer Brand is for everyone and for every age. It is the best fitting, most comfortable clothing made. Our loyal customers trust the quality workmanship, classic styles and great prices. Our employees are committed, dedicated and deliver on time. We represent the phrase Made in America.
It’s a belief and objective I hold myself to when I have my own line of products.
Since discovering Pointer Brand and the incredible collection of clothing they produce, one particular item that I have deeply desired is their Pointer Duck Canvas Chore Coat. It’s a garment reminiscent of what I wore during my own childhood and a coat I hope to carry well into my growing adult years.
Crafted and doubled stitched for durability with 100% domestically sourced lightweight cotton canvas, iconic Pointer branded polished nickle buttons down the front of the coat and at wrists, four large patch pockets with a wide variety of storage uses, a Pointer patch logo and a pencil pocket are the small beautiful touches sewed into this simple but wonderfully manufactured coat.
It’s lighter than I thought it would be when I received it. It fits a tad large but being born and raised in the Midwest, it’s always a healthy reminder it was made so you can layer up during those chilly winter months! I absolutely love this coat and it will be carried with me for the years to come and have a haystack of memories to go along with it.
Expect to see me photograph and recount the experiences I have in this coat. I want to give my greatest gratitude and appreciation to the L.C. King Manufacturing Company for generously assisting me in acquiring this beautiful coat. Their company and the Pointer Brand are the roots of what makes manufacturing in this country essential, they deserve to be supported and their products deserve to be worn everyday. Their quality products and the company itself truly do make a difference.
(source)
- These wallpapers made by Deborah Bowness are awesome.
- So you love Bob Dylan and are also a typo fan? Check this beauty out. Sigh.
- Are you a fan of Black Cab Sessions? Here’s Hot Chip‘s.
- Things to remember according to Mr. Cave.
- Have you ever wondered what story was behind a designer’s name? Refinery 29 answers that question.
Have a restful weekend everyone.
xxLeah
(source)
- A part of well balanced breakfast in my book! Coffee BBQ Sauce from How Sweet It Is
- Every thread and fabric presented here are just a fraction of the kind of things I want to deal with in my professional life. VINTAGE MENSWEAR: A COLLECTION FROM THE VINTAGE SHOWROOM’S BOOK
- Exemplary of what true craftsmanship can be and how the foundations of the beautiful ideas swimming in our minds can be composed into something so common in our lives. Irving Harper: “Paper is a versatile medium”
- Brooklyn is becoming the proof that making things with your own hands should be aspired to and taught to the generations that will follow. Brooklyn Makers
- “Apparently, the Concord library has condemned Huck as ‘trash and only suitable for the slums.’ This will sell us another twenty-five thousand copies for sure!” Not many around like Mr. Samuel Clemens any longer, one who was truly several steps ahead of everyone else. Famous Authors’ Funniest Responses to Their Books Being Banned from Flavorwire
-Cruz
Mason jars are one of the most versatile objects you could have in your household; you can pretty much use them for anything and everything. I saw this picture and immediately wanted to replicate and try something a little different as well. I had never spray painted anything before this (….I know guys.), and it was definitely an experience.
My little jars are full of flaws, since I lack the skill, didn’t bother to research (mistake) and I’m also one of those that kind of throws the instruction book away and starts using or building things by… instinct? Lesson learned my friends, if I had taken the time to research and gather a few tips, it would’ve made a difference. I’ll show you what I’m talking about but first, here’s what you need:
STEPS:
1) Make sure the glass surfaces are clean.
2) Place the tape against the glass as smooth as you can in the spots you don’t want to get paint on.
3) Spray paint away. (Read this first)
Now, I did two jars, the first one (pictured above) had some bubbles in some taped sections and some of the spray paint creeped in, I was able to get rid of most of the damage by removing the paint in the edges very carefully with a blade but whatever was left there I really don’t mind, I still like it. The second jar I painted all gold. I put on a first thick coat and it started dripping as it dried (OOPS!), despite of my mistake, I actually liked how it turned out, happy accident. All good.
I’m also loving having flowers in the house. It’s the little things, right?
xx.Leah
Sometimes being fed up is one hell of an option. More times than history could ever recount, it’s the only option you could ever have that’s going to make a significant difference in your life. No compromise, just everything you need and everything you could ever use to build it better, to build something stronger.
That’s what I did. That’s what the founders of Chrome Industries did.
Chrome Industries was founded 1995 in Boulder, Colorado by a couple of bicycle messengers fed up with a the quality and function of the bags being manufactured for everyday working messengers. Starting with a Juki sewing machine, several yards military grade fabric, some car sear belts they were able to tear out and a determination to make something that works hard for them. They began sewing and crafting a reputation for creating some of the finest and incredibly functional bags around. Seventeen years later and a giant leap to San Francisco, the company is still doing what it does best. Sewing durable bags and today they are constructing beautiful apparel and functional footwear for the many who absolutely need something more out of the products they entrust to have as a part of their lives.
One of the first pieces I purchased that exemplified the standards of quality and the motion to purchase “irreplaceable, not disposable” was my Chrome Salvage Series Citizen Buckle Bag. It completely solidified my thoughts on how I should approach a product and how it’s utility in my everyday use. I simply thought to myself “Is this something I’ll use for now?” or ”Do I want this as a integral part of my life?”
“Do I want others to look at this product and have it echo the stories I’ve experience with it?”
The bag has done just that. It’s a specialty release from Chrome Industries that forgoes it standard Cordura shell and instead fabricated with reclaimed U.S. Army canvas tents. Each one is unique as the next, individually stamped with the number in it’s lot and every run of the model ending when the fabric finally runs out. It’s a product that I consider close to my heart because it’s unique in it’s own run and it carries a rich amount of the experiences I have had with it. From midnight rides on the south side of Chicago to the lakefront with a mini keg in tow, to hauling parts of my life 2,000 miles across the country to my new home of San Diego, to becoming an heirloom of my personality that when viewed upon, depicts the kind of person I have grown to be.
It’s a bag that people have come to identify myself with. As if were no different then the hair on my head. It’s practically a part of me. I’ve worked myself hard into this bag and it shows on it’s scarred fabric and the stress into it’s seams. I’m proud to own it and proud to support a company like Chrome Industries. They make fantastic products (to which I own several!) and believe the functionality and merits of their products outlast and over performed what their makers ever intended for them to do.
- Cruz
(via Kim Kiwi)
- Amazing pop-up shop inside a shipping container. Oh, Finland.
- Hey ladies! The Beauty Department teaches you how to do a 1950′s inspired ponytail.
- In the make is a website that shows you amazing photographs inside different artists/designers studio spaces.
- The fall collection from Feral Childe “Infinite Librarian” totally took me by surprise, so simple but with just the right amount of pattern and color hue.
- Design Sponge showcased the home of Chad Kouri and Margot Harrington, and I’m all for it. It inspired me to change a few things around our apartment. Weekend project, maybe? Hm.
Have an awesome weekend, everyone.
xxLeah
(EDISON MFG CO. Pop Up Shop with images by Chantal Pasag)
- A favorite local of mine and domestic craftsmen, David Mckinney of Edison Mfg. Co. just recently opened a pop up shop in the North Park neighborhood. The photos here are making me regret not being able to make it opening night!
- GOOD Worldwide is a collaborative of writers, artists, freethinkers, communities and very importantly YOU that showcase everything from the groundbreaking of a new small business in your own neighborhood to promoting a variety of startling global initiatives that could change the lives of many. Make this a daily read/visit!GOOD.IS
- iOS 6 is out and about. Great! Honestly I’ve been impatiently waiting for the update and as I write this, the release of the iPhone 5, however…. I am a San Diego public transit rider. The public transit system is generally horrendous but surely for the time being t I rely on it to get to and from work… Little did I know Apple silently squeezed out a very important feature out of their Maps APP. TRANSIT DIRECTIONS! So… fortunately enough here are some of the transit alternatives to what Apple cut out.
- The World’s Best Street Food 12 Top Cities! My hunger for travel just grew a little more tastier!
- I can’t stand politics, but I can’t help but smirk and smile to know that quite possibly that a traditional old man got the best of a party that seriously needs some redirection away from it’s own anal glands. Clint Eastwood: Romney campaign ‘dumb enough’ to ask me to speak
Share some beer and enjoy the weekend!
-Cruz
Today we’re making Blueberry Greek frozen yogurt. It’s easy, I promise. Best part? You don’t need an ice cream maker. Alright, here we go.
Ingredients:
- 1 pint of blueberries
- 2 cups of plain Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup milk (I used 2%)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup of sugar (I used Honey)
Blend the pint of blueberries with honey.
In a bowl, combine the Greek yogurt, milk and vanilla extract and stir. After this is done, mix in the blueberry honey puree and continue stirring until there’s an even consistency.
Pour the mixture in a plastic container or baking pan and place in freezer.
Wait 40 minutes and check on your yogurt, it will be semi-frozen. Stir everything and put it back in the freezer. Check on your yogurt every 30 minutes (to make sure it doesn’t freeze into a solid block) and your frozen yogurt should be ready in 3 hours. (NOTE: I decided to leave it overnight and thought the consistency was better.)
Hope you guys enjoyed this.
- Leah.