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

Free Flask Friday!

 

Today is an exciting day – it’s the first “Free Flask Friday” at the Moxie & Oliver studio.  For the last ten years I’ve been making hundreds, maybe thousands, of handmade leather and stainless steel flasks.  And because drinking is always better with friends, what better thing do do with these little beauties than to give some away?

The flask above was inspired by Cool Material’s month of beer quotes. Many of my flasks over the years have been personalized by customers with quotes of their choosing, but seeing a great collection of beer quotes inspired me to pick some of my own.  Oscar Wilde has some great drinking quotes, but this one from Bruce Tomlinson appealed to my hippy sensibilities as well.  There are a lot of spiritual people up here in the Northwest – no wonder we have so many craft distilleries!

This 4oz flask is the first we’ll give away. It is the Friday Flask with one of our favorite drinking quotes on it, in a beautiful blue color:

“Your body is a temple, you should keep some spirits in you.” – Bruce Tomlinson

To enter to win, just do the following:

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

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

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

Each # 1-3 above is good for one entry, and you can enter once on each platform (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) each week. Winner will be announced on all three on 7-24-14.  Good luck. 

In good spirits!
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

Benefits of Vegetable-Tanned Leather

At Moxie & Oliver, all of our products are made with the utmost quality and precision. You can be sure your item will last and only get better with age and wear. Every product is made from vegetable-tanned leather—a traditional and natural method of tanning hides.

Vegetable tanning is one of the oldest methods used by leather designers for thousands of years. This traditional craft process uses tannins and other natural ingredients found in wood, bark, and plants to convert the animal skin to leather. The raw hide’s transformation into leather occurs slowly, generally over one month, within tanning pits or wooden drums. The final product is a warm, rich brown color that is durable and susceptible to carving or stamping.

These are some of the many benefits of vegetable-tanned as opposed to other forms of leather tanning:

Natural. The process of vegetable tanning showcases leather in its most natural state because it involves only organic ingredients from plant materials and vegetable matter. It’s the only form of tanning that retains the natural markings of the animal hide, giving the leather unique characteristics.

Environmentally friendly. There is no use of chemicals in this process, only natural ingredients. Because of this, any leather products that have been vegetable tanned can be recycled.

Color. The tone of leather that has been vegetable-tanned is rich, warm, and vibrant. These blends of brown come from the natural materials such as bark and plant materials. One of the most unique aspects of this type of leather is that the color changes after being exposed to different elements such as light and oils, giving it a life that gets better with wear.

Value. Because of the time consuming process, vegetable-tanned leather is more valuable than chrome-tanned or other types of leather. It is usually sold at a higher price because of its intricate craft process, natural qualities and ability to age well.

All Moxie & Oliver products are made from vegetable-tanned leather, which is only the best type.

Start shopping and get your quality vegetable-tanned leather product at Moxie & Oliver!