12 Days of Ugly Christmas Sweaters

Probably not a surprise to many/anyone, but I'm totally a Vintage/Retro Sweater guy. And why are we calling these Ugly Christmas Sweaters? I like 'em!

Impress your friends and coworkers, so go ahead and get you one for your office Christmas Party... I feel like I see them all over thrift stores and eBay.

A Wooden Fashion Statement

I joke a lot that cabinet folks have "sawdust in their veins"... it's the kind of mentality that reacts to a project with the "wish we could have gone two feet further" attitude. 

Nonetheless, the wood working people in our lives need something to wear when they aren't covered in sawdust and wood glue. 

Enter the wooden tie. It's amusing and brilliant all at the same time.

Wood Thumb is a fairly new start-up in San Francisco headed up by two young guys(hey, it's cool to see more young people in biz!) that uses all reclaimed woods in their rockin' cool wood neck ties. 

Now I've never claimed this blog to be a fashion beacon, but I like these ties. I think that it's an awesome conversation piece and would make waves at the International Woodworking Fair later this year. Hey, maybe I'll wear one!

All photos via Wood Thumb

It's a great gift work the woodworker in your world, whether professional or just a hobbyist. Hey, it's guaranteed to get lots of looks!

Support Your Local Cobbler!

I haven’t owned a pair of tennis shoes that wasn’t made by New Balance since 1994, so perhaps I’m biased, but…New Balance’s 574 “cUStom” has really gotten me excited!  

The 574 Custom is manufactured completely in Norridgewock, Maine by American workers.  New Balance claims they now produce 25% of domestic product locally, and are making strides to bring that number to 70%. 

This makes me happy on so many levels:

-My purchase supports local workers, who make an honest wage.

-My shoes won’t bear the sickly stench of Malaysian child labor. 

-My shoes don’t have to be shipped across the world to reach me, thus saving all those precious oil reserves for powering my enormous SUVs!

-Perhaps most importantly…I can make them look anyway I want!  The design process is super easy, and the options are myriad.  

Give them a look: at $114.95, I think these are a steal!

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Jerod LeCompte lives in Auburn, and truly believes 

it is "the loveliest village on the plains".  He spends 

his free time critiquing other people's accomplishments, 

figuring out which beach his jet-setting wife is 

laying out on each weekend, and patching 

Jeep Cherokees together with bailing twine.

We are thankful to have Jerod as part of the Cupboards

extended family! 

Corter Leather - For Japan

Everyone is no doubt troubled with the recent events in Japan- with the country ravaged by earthquakes and tsunamis, it's refreshing to see the outpouring of support for friends across the Pacific.

I'm always impressed when a company does something charitable, and even more impressed when they give ALL proceeds for a product to those in need.

Corter Leather has done just that.

For Japan

Corter has created a leather bracelet(completely hand-made) called simply, "For Japan". Reading the background for the bracelet is inspiring. Corter is giving 100% of the proceeds to the Red Cross, not branding the bracelet and simply reminding everyone to remember Japan.

As of last night, Corter has raised over $25,000- go on over and get one for you and one for a friend. Be prepared to wait a couple days though. The large amount of orders(and the fact that each is made to order) have created a 5-9 day wait. 

Even though Corter is a New England based company, the style and gesture make it quite Southern. Kudos to Corter!

Laguiole - French for Luxury?

In an effort to prevent “Wordless Wednesday” from migrating into “Mum Monday” or “Tongue-tied Thursday”, I’ve decided to toss some content in for my buddy Nick. Today, then, you’ll not get reports from a smarmy kitchen couturier. Instead, what follows are the musings of a mere prickly postman…

Laguiole - French for Luxury?

The l’Aubrac region of France certainly isn’t a well known place. It has none of the cachet of Paris or the modern history of Normandy. A quick Wikipedia scan will tell you that “bovine breeding is the main activity on the plateau”. Still, about 30 craftsmen take some time off from breeding with said cattle to make some of the finest pocketknives in the world.

Pictured are two models from the Prestige Line at La Coutellerie de Laguiole. These guys make stunning knives, and no other company even compares. The kicker is the level of customization allowed. A quick glance reveals 35 handle materials, from the ebony featured above to beautiful vine stock, elm burl, and ivory. Each knife is forged by hand, and is chisel engraved on the knife spring and blade. The chiseled name costs extra, 7 Euros a letter…but hey, at least your name’s not LeCompte!

The price? A standard model will set you back less than 50 bones…as shown, about $150. Turnaround time seems to be less than a month from order to arrival.

Father’s Day is rapidly approaching. Don’t you owe him something nice after decades of fingerpainted masterpieces and macaroni collages?

By the way… watch out for cheap knockoffs! Most of the Laguiole knives you see here in the USA are factory made Forge de Laguiole knives from Thiers, and don’t even compare…

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Nick's Note: It's great to have some of the Cupboards "extended family" contributing on the blog. Thanks again to Jerod for stepping in- hopefully it's only the first of many posts to come!

Nick in the City: Brizo and Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week

Well, well... people will actually see me above the Mason/Dixon line. I've already packed sugar for my iced tea and shoes, real shoes!

All kidding aside, tomorrow I will leave for New York to join 19 designers/architects/bloggers from the United States and Canada for a jammed-packed few days of fashion and faucets(and other cool Brizo plumbing goodies). Brizo was kind enough to invite me and is footing the bill for the trip.

If you aren't familiar with Brizo, you're about to be.

I've often seen reference to Brizo as being "fashion-forward" from the design perspective of their plumbing fixtures- it only takes a few moments to see that each design is innovative and fresh. Each piece uniquely offers a new dynamic to the space where it is used. Even the advertisments reflect the design process each faucet or bath fixture exudes. 

Brizo began a partnership with fashion designer Jason Wu(You remember Michelle Obama's inaugural gown? That's the one.) a number of years ago, and the results have been nothing less than spectacular for each party. Whether fashion-inspired plumbing or the other way around, it's no stretch to see that fashion and luxury plumbing go hand in hand.

So while in New York, I'll be learning more about the popular Brizo brand, socializing with great folks from around the continent and seeing the Jason Wu runway show at Fashion Week. 

Most of you know that it'll be tough for me to be away from the showroom and even though I'll have home on the brain, the shop is in good hands... 

via

Then again, I might not need to be gone too long! 

True Colors with Pennington and Bailes

With football season right around the corner, I have already started getting out the football gear. Thursday night will kick off the football season for us, and I'm so ready I'd just about turn the grill on today.

If you live near a college campus that has a substantial "preppy" faction, you're probably familiar with Pennington and Bailes.

Pennington and Bailes is a fine clothier producing tailgate and collegiate apparel. Of course, I think they only make one really nice color combination...

Yes they do make other teams, but I try not to clutter up my post with all sorts of colors. *grin*

Besides polos and embroidered pants they make shorts for the guys, as well as lots of options for gals and even the little ones.

It really is a very high quality line of apparel that helps continue and encourage the pageantry and tradition of a big-time college football game(especially here in the South).

Since my birthday is not too far away, I think a pair of these pants will be high-high on the wish list!

You too can have these campus gems... Purchase online here.