Oh and P.S.

I’ve sworn of Facebook, and it is day two.

I am feeling more productive, alive, etc., and a lot more engaged with the world than I thought I would be. I think the voyeurism that Facebook encourages tends to actually make me feel less involved in the world since I’m not actually interacting with anyone, just watching.

It’s strange.  It’s a heck of a lot easier for me to give up Facebook than it is to go on a diet.  Yeah, I’m supposed to be doing that too.  We’ll see.

xo

c

Gift for a Musician

So you say you’ve got a musician in your life and you need a special gift. Something that he doesn’t have, something that she’ll treasure forever.  A gift that is as unique and as beautiful as the music she plays, and that will outlast and survive his changing style. 

Well, I have an idea.  How about I make a guitar strap for you (also works with bass, banjo or dobro) for you, and I will personalize it with up to 1100 characters of your choosing.  You can write a love song, you can collect quotes, you can write a poem, or a short story. Anything you possibly want, as long as it is 1100 characters or fewer, and I can put it on the strap for you.

This is the Smokey guitar strap, and I think I made my very first one in either late 2008 or early 2009 (even though the Smokey pattern was one of my first patterns and made its debut in 2004, it didn’t make it onto a strap for a few years), and I have since made over 200 of them (in several different colors). 

The wonderful thing about this piece is that even though I’ve made 200+ of the “Smokey” strap, every single one has been different. We all find meaning in different songs, words of wisdom, scripture, or messages, and all have something entirely different that we want to communicate to those that we love.  The Smokey line is a great way to do that.  Whether it is a wallet, a guitar strap, a belt, or a purse, you can give someone a gift with your sentiment right there on it. Your personal message for them to carry with them always.

I’ve most often seen the ee cummings poem “i carry your heart” requested on various pieces (though oddly I don’t think I’ve seen it on the same thing twice – wallets, guitar straps, etc.) and in my mind this one is totally suited for an inscription for a loved one.  There was a slightly… dirtier? ee cummings poem that someone asked me to put on a wallet for her husband.  I can’t find the response, but he absolutely treasured the wallet, and wanted to show all his friends.  I think it’s so sweet that you can give a gift with a sentimental message that your loved one will be proud to show off.

We a Smokey wallet to my mother’s boyfriend, my daughter’s fourth grandfather, with a  message from his kids on it a few years ago, and were taking bets in the car on whether or not he’d cry when he opened it.  He did.

And truthfully, a lot of people do when they open this gift.  Here are some of my most recent feedbacks about it:

“I got my guitar strap last week, but wanted my husband to see it before I wrote you. It's awesome. He loved it, he kept telling me that the present he got for me was so lame compared to the guitar strap (I also showed it to my mom and she cried). Anyway, the strap is well made and beautiful and you got it to me so fast! Thank you so much. If I ever need something like this again, I'll definitely go to you.”

“I just wanted to say a huge thank you for your beautiful products! They arrived over the weekend, and I am stunned! They are all incredible, and so, so special. You are a genius! Thank you so much!
Now I just have to wait to give them to my husband and my Dad!
Thank you so much, Caitlin! I'm sure I'll be back!”

And now it is time for bed.

xo

C

Studio, coming soon.

This is my current hovel.  And the day that this photo was taken it was actually pretty clean. I’m a little terrified to measure it but I think it is probably around 200sf.  In the basement where it is cold, cold in the winter.  I do have a small darkroom off to the side where I dye and pack the pieces, as well as a tiny display wall.  All told, really, I think the entire thing is the size of a small bedroom.

But last month, my sweet, sweet, husband finally let me talk him in to this:

A 20’ by 30’ garage.  Unfinished.  In need of love and style, but absolutely huge.  I think you could fit four cars in there.  And I’m going to use it for my studio.  HURRAY!  The very day it was officially ours I went to the ReStore and found some used building materials to help it along.  I’m going for an Industrial/Modern English Garden sort of look.  Crazy?  Sure, but I think if anyone can pull it off I can.

 

That’s the tub.  A bathroom just doesn’t feel complete without one, and my studio needs a bathroom.  I thought I’d go for a clawfoot or some sort of pedastal, but when I found this I fell in love with the lines.  I think surrounded by some brightly colored tile it will be perfect.

 

And these are the cabinets, less the cardboard cut-out.  They’re vintage metal cabinets, which is what I decided I wanted, and are in great condition.  They’re clean and are all white, with a hideous countertop I plan on removing (more on that later). 

This, although awesome, I didn’t buy because I just couldn’t justify finding a place for it.  I love little drawers but find that I don’t use them.  I really need to be able to see where things are, and I haven’t mastered the x-ray superpower yet.  So I let it be.  Besides, $250 seemed a little insane.

So that’s the current studio status.  I’ve been planning, and planning, and planning what it is going to look like.  I’m excited and totally anxious.  I think I’ll be moving in spring!!

 

xo

c

I'm swearing off Facebook

Just for the month of November.  Maybe the rest of 2011.  So if you want me, you are going to have to email me - caitlin@moxieandoliver.com works every time.

The reason, you ask?  Well, I've found it is a giant suck of my time.  Not that I don't care what my first boyfriend looks like now or what my bff from childhood ate for dinner last night, but the truth is, I need to make flasks, and play with my baby.  Possibly not at the same time. So for a few months, while things are busy around here, I'll post to the blog, and if you want to say hi, tell me you love me, tell me you hate me, whatever, just drop me an email.  I promise I will answer.

Though, if you're wanting something fabulously custom for the holidays, I'd drop me that email sooner rather than later.  My dance card can get mighty fool the closer to procrastination we get!

xo
c

I have no idea how this happened…

But yet, I took off my gloves, and there it was.

xo

c

A little something

I don’t really have it in me to blog right now, so I’ll share this customer appreciation photo instead.  It makes me smile.

Totally love my customers.  You guys rock.

xo

c

This is the Smokey Guitar Strap in action.  Part of a line of personalized Smokey Pattern pieces that come with an inscription of your choice.  Totally custom.  Totally you.  These honestly make the best presents ever. I mean, really, anyone you love enough to buy a fabulous Moxie and Oliver present for you probably love enough to tell them the sentiment behind it, right?

And the winner is....

BANJO!!!  Congrats to the pattern's creator, Cari Reynolds.  She has one $500 worth of Moxie and Oliver merchandise, which I personally think should all be in the Banjo pattern.

Also worth an honorable mention were the two runners-up.  New Nouveau got quite a few votes, and I love the possibilities that this pattern has.  Odds are pretty good it will be made into something as well.  Peacock and Blackberries were also very popular, and had I been able to vote, I would have had trouble choosing.  I have ideas/plans for these patterns as well.  So, sufficed to say, out of this lovely array of pattern choices, though only one gets the grand prize, there were many good ideas that deserve to be brought to fruition!

On a very personal side note, this pattern contest was an emotional roller coaster for me. I am highly aware of the ability for anything involving online voting to become a popularity contest.  To try to mitigate this, I pestered my friends and family while voting was up so that I could get as many unbiased votes in there as possible.  I wanted to make sure that the best pattern really did prevail, and when all is said and done, I'm confident that the winning pattern truly was the favorite among unbiased voters.  Vote counting took me a little longer than originally anticipated because I looked for the source of each vote, and took that into consideration when making the final determination of who the winner was.  The reason that I'm sharing this is that I want you all to know that I value you, your ideas, and the fairness/justness of the process.  I did work in law, after all, and have never been able to shake the extreme importance I put on truth, justice, and equality.

That's all for now.  Winner, finalists, and entrants should receive an email from me shortly.  If you do not, please send me one with your pattern name/number! All of you deserve a special thanks for participating in this creative contest.

xo
C