Custom Tool Box Handle

 

From the customer appreciation photo/ anything you can make I can make leather file, here are some photos of a tool box handle I recently created for a customer.  It was a re-make of the old handle, and she even sent me the hardware so that I could use the original, slightly rusted and beautifully weathered, hardware for the handle.  Attached are the photos she sent. The signature is from the original owner of the tool box, taken from his passport. You can see the side-by-side comparison in the second to last picture.  Like it?

xo

c

 

Blu Dot Swap

 

A long, long time ago – at this point I don’t even know how long, maybe in March? – I submitted a bid for something called the Blu Dot Swap.  I guess they do this every year, where they post an online swap meet and you can tell them what you would trade for a piece of Blu Dot furniture. Well, I proposed 35 logo flasks for a Dodu Queen Bed. We’ve never had a bed frame, and I was so wrapped up in the excitement of getting one that I totally forgot why we’d never had one – they won’t fit up our stairs. These older houses weren’t meant for large, modern furniture and the truth of the matter is that sometimes it just doesn’t fit through the doors.

Blu Dot was both nice enough to accept my bid (I did a major happy dance and for days felt like I’d just won the lottery!) and to change the swap for some furniture that would fit in my studio instead.  I don’t even remember all we’re getting, but I know it includes some aqua Real Good Counterstools and a yellow Watt Floor Lamp.

They also requested some changes to the original proposal – a smaller logo (not to exceed 2” in diameter, since apparently there is such a thing as too much company pride!) and to match the Pantone color of their logo. Easy enough, once I had the color chip.

We finished the flasks and sent them out last week.  Here’s a little photo essay of the process.  More photos coming when we get our swap meet goodies!

xo

c

 

 

The Best Father's Day Ideas

Moms are easy - the best Mother's Day is breakfast in bed, working in the garden, maybe a nice massage, and meal with the family (and something sparkly as a gift, at least in my book). Moms like the sentimental gift from the kids and/or from dad that represents her children and her family.

Dads, on the other hand, seem a bit more complicated when it comes to finding the best Father's Day gift.  I'm all about the creative Father's Day presents you can make with your kids, even the homemade Father's Day Tie, but I think that the thing a good father wanst most is a gift that bears the same sentiment that every mother wants, but in a more subtle package.  Something that he can carry around, wear, or look to make him feel like the "#1 Dad" while still letting him maintain his strong demeanor.

While deciding on what to make my husband for Father's Day, I knew I wanted to make him a custom gift, that reflected his role as a father.  After reading quite a few quotes about fathers and quotes about Father's Day, I decided on a personalized guitar strap with the following quote:

"I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father's protection."
~ Sigmund Freud

It's short, sweet, and reflects how my husband sees himself as a father.  I also think it's particularly pogniant since our daughter is going to be two the week after father's day, and a pumpkin that size just needs all the protection of her daddy!

If guitar playing isn't your dad/husband's thing, I think a personalized leather wallet is a great way to go.  My quote of choice for this one is:

"A father carries pictures where his money used to be."
~ Unknown

I do also love the idea of asking your kids (assuming they're old enough) what they'd like to say to dad on Father's Day, and having that inscribed on the wallet. When I was a kid, my father always said I wrote the best cards - they always made him cry - and I think of this wallet like a card that he can keep in his pocket for years to come, without worrying about the edges getting ripped and falling apart.

As for activities, I haven't a clue.  We've got a little girl, so a Father's Day tea party might be in order!
xo
c