Holiday Hangover (and SALE!!!)

 

The holidays this year were HARD.  I’m not going to lie.  I had so many reflections I wanted to share on my blog and honestly, I’ve forgotten all of them.  In the midst of the normal holiday madness, I took a week away from both kids, and my husband, and went to Chicago for the One of a Kind Show.  It was great.  I’ll go back next year.

Being there, by myself, made me realize how seldom I am actually alone. I haven’t traveled by myself in the last eleven years and my literal stance has changed.  I no longer carry myself with a “don’t f*** with me” attitude.  I’m somehow softer. I smile, I talk to strangers.  I make friends with the person next to me on the airplane, the cab driver, or the electrician who adjusts my lights at the show.

Leaving my family for a week on a “business” trip was new.  I was totally alone in Chicago, staying in a condo and cooking myself simple, paleo, meals.  All I honestly did was eat, sleep, work, and exercise.  For five days.  It made me wonder a little bit if that was what my life was before I had a husband and kids.  Before I had a family.

Needless to say, I was glad to return to the love and commotion of my home and family. I missed my people, and my pets, while I was gone.  And when I got back it seemed everyone was in full-fledged holiday mode.   There was a decorated tree, the kids were making ornaments, Christmas music was playing and within hours of my return, we were doing Christmas shopping. 

We were busy fulfilling custom orders right up until the end of the day on the 19th – we shipped everything a day early this year per the USPS guidelines, but somehow they still managed to deliver about 10% of my packages after Christmas. I don’t understand what was going on, but it was frustrating.  I planned ahead, I didn’t overload myself, I gave everything an extra day in transit.  Apparently, it wasn’t me.

Now that the holidays are over I’m ready to say GOODBYE to all this stock – see all this stuff?  I made it for you.  We need to clear the shelves to start our 2015 line, so for some incentive – 45% off moxieandoliver.etsy.com through midnight on December 31, 2014 with code “MOREMOXIE45”  

And this is me.  The holidays made me tired.  Family drama. Travel. Post Office drama. Employee drama.  Kid drama.  I’m pooped, but enjoying a few days “off” of work – still answering emails and working on computer related Moxie & Oliver things, but in my PJs, all day. 

xo

c

My Biggest Mistake (and a give-away)

 

Last Wednesday when I got home from the studio there was a message on my voicemail from a customer.  The week before we spent a few days making a set of “Conquistadors” flasks for him.   His message said something like, “The flasks look really good, but I’m torn – they say ‘Conquistadors’ on them.”

My heart sank, and I spent the rest of the night trying to figure out what had gone wrong.  My husband looked at the flasks and suggested, maybe it was supposed to be “Conquistador.”

He was right.

When I talked to the customer the next morning I agreed to re-make every single flask.  I had one assistant out sick Thursday, and one came in Tuesday and was taking Thursday off.  I called the gal who usually does just the stitching on an emergency and she helped a bit.  But, 50 flasks in a day is a lot even for two people.

I got the flasks to the post office just after 3pm and they arrived in time for the customer to give them away at the event, “The Conquistador”  - most importantly, everyone loved them.

I beat myself up about this – it was totally my mistake.  We never got printed artwork from the customer so we were doing it all by phone with a poor connection most of the time.  Somewhere along the line, my brain over-rode the singular version because I thought – they are all conquistadors that they are giving the flasks to, so it must be plural, right?

Well, now I have a limited edition of 50 flasks.  And they’re cool, too!  So here’s the deal: I will sell 25 of them at a discount through my Etsy shop. The other 25 I will give away,  All you have to do is tell me the biggest mistake you’ve ever made, and how you conquered it.  That earns you the right to be one of our conquistadors (and gets you a free flask).

xo

c

Three Weddings

 

 

If you ever need an extra wedding guest (yeah, because who ever needs MORE people at their wedding?) invite me! I love weddings.  Totally, totally, love them.  My assistant has, in the past, accused me of “loving love” and I suppose she’s right, I do. 

I fell in love young-ish (21 or so) and knew immediately it was love.  We met online so I can’t say it was love at first sight, but at first sound.  One snowy January day when the busses weren’t running and I couldn’t get to our date, I called my now husband and left a message. He had me at “You’ve reached the voicemail…”

I still love the sound of his voice.  And he’s adorable, so that’s a bonus, and it means we make really cute children.  But I digress – I’d marry him all over again, not just because I love him so much, but because I love weddings, too.  The celebration of love and family, pretty dresses, lots of presents, food, cake, wine, dancing… what part of this sounds bad?

So since I can’t go to weddings every weekend, I’ll settle for making wedding gifts.  Recently I made a custom wine tote for one of my mom’s employees, and a former co-worker.  He’s a graphics guy, so of course he had a logo made for the wedding.

For a wedding that happened this past weekend, in Idaho, we first did the ten flasks on the left for the bridesmaids.  Each is a limited edition with our “Pressed” leather with an Idaho applique on the back.  The bride was following the progress on Instagram, and showed her smoke-jumper husband.  He decided to go for a set of woodgrain ones for the groomsmen!

This last piece is a valet tray that I made for a high-school classmate to give one of her friends as a wedding present. She and I hung out in the same circles when we were in school together (and I won’t say how long ago that was) but we weren’t close.  Working with her on this piece gave us a chance to reconnect – we both have small children, and are artists married to non-artists.  She is, of course, across the country from me but smart, creative, baby-loving people are always welcome in my life and I am glad that my work has given us an excuse to reconnect.

xo

c

Support your favorite leathercrafter!

 

And by that, I mean – support Moxie & Oliver as we navigate the finals in the Martha Stewart American Made competition.  To say thanks, we’re giving away some Moxie & Oliver gift certificates.  Because giveaways are fun, but when you get exactly what you wanted, it’s even better!

You have 32 chances left to win a $200 gift certificate!

Thanks to your amazing support we have advanced to the finals in the  Martha Stewart American Made competition! Now we need your vote! 

You can vote for us up to six times a day - and each vote enters you to win a FREE $200 gift certificate from Moxie & Oliver: 

Here's how it works: 

1. Click here, and then click the "VOTE" button to vote for us (you can vote up to six times per day - for us!).
2. Visit our Facebook page, and COMMENT on the top post to let us know you voted.  Comment on this post each day you vote for us. Each comment is a separate entry. So, if you start voting today and vote every day through October 13, you get 32 chances to win!
3. On October 15th, I'll pick a gift certificate winner from the people who comment on the Facebook post.

The more votes that we have the better our chances of winning one of the grand prize spots. This would be an amazing opportunity for us, and we can't thank you enough for all the support you've given so far.  Keep it coming! 

Fine print: You must vote for us on Martha Stewart American Made nomination AND comment on the Moxie & Oliver Facebook page to fully enter in the giveaway. Limit six entries per person per day.  Voting ends October 13, 2014. 

But wait, there's more!

Martha Stewart is giving away prizes each week to the most active voter - so there's extra incentive to vote every day!

AND we'll give away an additional $50 gift certificate to the most active voter for Moxie & Oliver, as determined by the comments on our Facebook post.  What are you waiting for?  GO VOTE!

Thank you all for your support. It means the world to me!  Getting in as a wildcard finalist – as in, you all “liked” my entry enough times that Moxie & Oliver advanced to the finals – is truly, truly amazing.  You’re amazing.

xo

c

What’s the Difference Between Chrome- and Vegetable-Tanned Leather?

Most people love the rich, earthy smell of leather – every time I do a show, almost everyone who comes into the booth starts with "I love the smell of leather!" But what most people don’t know is that many leather products creating that alluring aroma are chrome-tanned. Unless you’re an avid reader of the Moxie & Oliver blog, you might not know what that means for your health.

Both tanning processes give unprocessed hides the color, texture, and suppleness we expect from finished leather, but the materials and techniques used to accomplish this result are different. To enlighten a little bit further, I’d like to explain the key difference between chrome-tanned leather and vegetable-tanned leather…

MATERIALS

Elements used in the vegetable tanning solution are completely natural – such as chestnut tree bark. Vegetable tanned leather typically comes from the tannery undyed and is a light flesh color.  This is what allows me to add color and pattern to it (using water based and safe paint and dyes).

On the other hand, chrome-tanning solution is mixed from various chemicals, acids and salts. One of the primary ingredients of chrome-tanned leather solution is chromium sulphate. This chemical helps to prep the leather to accept dyes (these are also typically artificial). The color that you see in chromium tanned leather - and this is the standard leather for almost all garments and accessories - is added in the factory. It may contain lead, and sometimes it's sprayed on with spray paint, a notoriously eco-unfriendly substance. 

EXPEDIENCY

The vegetable tanning process has been used for thousands of years and takes up to 60 days to complete for a single piece of dyed leather. Chrome-tanning was invented in the 1800s and these hides are done in about a day. The invention of chrome-tanning allowed leather handbags, shoes, and other goods to be mass-manufactured, but it yields an inferior product. As any leatherworker will tell you; vegetable tanned leather is the finest you can buy.

CONTROL
Okay, I'll say it - I'm a control freak, at least when it comes to my leather. As mentioned above, chromium tanned leather is soaked in huge vats of chemicals, softened artificially, and colors are added to the leather in the tannery. This means that when the leather reaches the artist or consumer, the color the tannery added is the last color it will be. No adding colors, no adding patterns... you get what you get. Veg-tanned leather, on the other hand, comes as a light fleshy color. No color has been added, so the artist/craftsperson gets to control the colors, and add pattern (which has long been the signature of my work). Because the veg-tanned leather is closer to the leather's natural state, the colors and patterns are permanent.

I often have customers ask if my leather is "buttery soft" as though a mark of a high-quality leather is thinness and softness, when in fact, the opposite is true. Vegetable tanned leather has a smooth surface but it's far from what anyone would consider "buttery soft". The softening takes time, and you have to break it in, but it will last for a lifetime of use. And, it won't give you or your kids lead poisoning (like some chrome-tanned leathers will).  Now, isn't that the mark of a high quality product?

xo
c

An Artist’s Wedding

 

This weekend we went to my stepfather’s wedding – I was a bridesmaid for the first time in my life.  I was the maid of honor even. The funny thing is that I actually did not know I was the “original bridesmaid” until the rehearsal.  She had asked me and a few other women to be involved in the wedding, but somehow it just didn’t register until Friday that I was really a part of it. And I was honored to be.

My daughter was the flower girl.  She’s four, and fortunately she got to walk down the aisle with me.  She threw those flowers way up in the air with everything she could muster.  It was hilarious.

I made the guest book – the sweet little wood grain and heart “Nice” pattern seemed totally appropriate for a Northwest outdoor wedding on an island. 

I also made some of the favors.  We made 117 of our Original Mason Jar Lanterns, also in the “Nice” pattern.  Actually, we made the straps and then sent those along.  Bride and Groom enlisted some help to assemble them – they don’t take long to put together, and it’s certainly easier to buy the jars locally than have them shipped. They looked so sweet on the tables – some filled with candles, others with flowers. 

I know I made them, but I was so excited to take ours home.  So was my daughter, as she was swinging around her lit lantern in the dark.

The other favors were little birds that my stepfather made. Each guest had a little birdy waiting on their napkin.  He’s currently working on a commission piece with many more birds – the guys waiting in the little cups are ready to be cast into plaster molds then turned into glass birds.

There’s so much emotion at a wedding, and I think I was so focused on just getting the favors and the guest book done that I wasn’t able to lose myself in the emotion of it.  But as I stood up there, with my husband and baby boy in the first row (going “mama mama mama”) all I could think was that I’d marry him again in a heartbeat.

That’s the thing that I realized once about relationships, and every once in a while it hits me again – you marry that person that you don’t ever want to be without.  On our way home my husband and I were talking about the vows that my stepdad and his new wife exchanged, and he pointed out that these were vows of people who had been through some struggles in their relationship.  And he’s right.  At 23 and 27 our vows were very different.  Our vows were silly, sweet, and made by people who hadn’t yet been through some of the rougher times of a relationship. 

I suggested that we go do a vow renewal on our 10 year anniversary (in Mexico, where we were married, and yes it’s at least partially an excuse to go back).  He asked me why, since we seem to be doing just fine on our vows.  I said it’s not the big things – I would never do anything to jeopardize our relationship – but the daily things, that make the difference.  Those are the things we need to remind each other of, and ourselves.

“Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing
and rightdoing there is a field.
I'll meet you there.”

-Rumi

After this weekend I’m feeling lots of love.  For the happy couple (don’t they look happy?  So super cute!), for my husband and family, and for my new family.  My grafted family tree keeps growing.

xo

c

The Moxie & Oliver Creation Process

It all began with a search for the perfect leather belt. When artist Caitlin McNamara couldn’t find just that, the creating began. Moxie & Oliver has since expanded from a few belts to a plethora of handmade leather goods. Every piece is made completely from scratch, from beginning to end, in Caitlin’s Seattle studio.

All Moxie & Oliver pieces are made with full-grain tooling leather, which is the strongest type available, so that each item holds up for years of wear and tear. Caitlin’s signature process combines traditional leatherworking materials and modern techniques for a unique handmade experience. Every piece starts as a hyde of vegetable tan leather in a light flesh color. Vegetable tan leather uses tree bark and organic materials in the tanning process rather than chemicals. This means that it stays closer to its natural state, which allows it to retain colors and patterns in a way that chemically tanned leather doesn’t.  The vegetable tan leather used for Moxie & Oliver products comes untreated—all patterns, colors and dyes are added in the studio.

The hyde is then transformed cut into a shape using handmade patterns that are imprinted on it. Some patterns are branded onto the hyde and some are carved in. All stitching holes are hand punched then sewn together. The leather is painted and dyed in the studio, then stitched or riveted together by hand. All pieces include a protective topcoat so that the colors are permanent.

Since Moxie & Oliver began in 2004, Caitlin has been coming up with new patterns, items, and ways to explore the many uses of leather. The innovative line includes pretty much everything that can be made out of the material, including items that often come in only black, brown, or tan leather. Each piece gets softer and better with age, so you’re guaranteed to have a quality product that lasts!

Check out a video of the Moxie & Oliver process here.

The Long Road (and a Free Flask)

Have you ever wondered what the road looks like at 5:30 on a Friday morning in summer?  I never have.  Never wanted to know.  But it’s beautiful.  This weekend was the Anacortes Arts Festival, and I was invited to participate in their new “Ink Alley” feature, with some other equally hip vendors. This little festival is a hidden gem in the Northwest – I’ve lived here my entire life, with the festival happening just an 80 minute drive away, and had never heard of it until they asked me to participate.

Y’know how I know it’s only 80 minutes away? I drove up and back, every day, so I could spend the nights at home with my family.  I’m tired, and the car has 450 more miles on it than it did on Thursday.

Among the super hip vendors was “Nomad” – this super cute little trailer full of goodies from around the US.  They gutted and refurbished the trailer, and had it parked at the end of the street of booths.

Now I want a trailer.

And in a subtle post, the next flask give-away began.  To enter, go to Facebook, Instagram or Twitter and tag a friend in the comments on the flask picture for your chance to win.

Good luck.  And congrats to Mark from Mark Poulin Jewelry who makes some of the most darling charms I have ever seen – he’s last week’s winner.

Going to work on a new project. It’s awesome.  Details will come soon.

xo

c

The Duomo Duffel Bag

I think these pictures say it all. This bag is the ultimate luxury travel companion.  It’s a handmade leather duffel bag in the Duomo pattern, my old-world inspired architectural pattern, in sage, burgundy and antique black.

The Duomo Duffel Bag is cut from my original pattern, and the first one was made for Craig Forget of CarpenterCraig.  The dimensions are 10” by 10” by 20” and it has a zip closure and detachable handles and shoulder strap.

This bag is a wonderful size for a small travel – say, a weekend away? I need a weekend away, so I think one of my next projects will be to make myself one of these…

xo

c

Bee Flask Friday!

 

This week I chose the One Bee Flask.  I spend a lot of time drawing little bees, and this past week was no exception.

On Monday I had a videographer come in and shoot a video of me making a little bee pouch – so exciting!  Soon you’ll actually be able to see me making a leather good, all in the span of 90 seconds (which is, admittedly, much quicker than it took me to actually make it).

Anyway, on to the giveaway.  Thanks to all of you who entered last week, and congratulations to Lucy H. who entered on twitter and won!  Last week’s flask seems to be headed across the ocean.

This week the rules are the same, but the hash tag is different, so here it is – you can enter to win this flask three times, once on each platform.  Winner will be chosen 7/31.  Good luck!

1.  Follow us on Instagram (@moxieandoliver) and re-post the picture of this flask with tag #BestFlask

2.  Follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/moxieandoliver) and share the picture of the flask with tag #BestFlask

3.  Follow us on Twitter (@moxieandoliver) and re-tweet our give-away tweet, with tag #BestFlask

Happy Friday,

C

Forget the Wedding Registry

You know that thing the bride and groom spent so much time on? Forget it.  Throw it out.  Totally ignore every wedding wish they had.  Get them something handmade instead.  Why? Because unlike a cup, a fork, or a towel that will blend in with a sea  of sameness, every time they see the handmade gift you picked out for them, they will think of you.  And they will smile. Doesn’t a smile sound better than being forgotten?

So, now that we’ve ditched the registry, what to get? I advocate for something that they will use every day, preferably together.  That is why these little leather valet trays are such a splendid gift.  You can personalize them – add initials or a custom inscription – and every day when the bride and groom come home and put their keys, cell phones, and other odds and ends in the tray they will think of you.

Smaller trays are also available, for just the wedding rings.

Happy Summer!
-c

 

www.moxieandoliver.com

caitlin@moxieandoliver.com for custom requests