Category: What

Individual Medley : Makers Video

Posted on by TheAmericanEdit

I’m a little bit obsessed with this makers video made by Wade Koch (who is incredible and helped film our wedding!) and Individual Medley… Wade and shop owners Monica & Justin brought their makers together – many meeting for the first time! – in the Sharkpig Studio and filmed this video where the makers get to show off their products… I love seeing so many of my favorites all in one place, but I’m far more curious about the conversations and (and ideation!) that took place off camera!

I love it when creatives get together and make something new. And different. And I can’t believe I have spent so much time in LA and haven’t made it to Individual Medley yet!

Individual Medley from Wade! on Vimeo.

a few more weekend reads…

How to Travel the World & Get Companies to Pay for It. (Don’t Get Excited – It Doesn’t Work Like That.)
Casey Neistat (of Ludlow Traveler fame) on creating opportunities, doing the work, proving your value, and learning and building as you go. We all wonder and talk about how (so & so) got there – but instead let’s think about how we can take our unique experiences and use them to get to a place that we want to be.

Behind the Scenes with Emily Henderson Designs
This post by Emily’s newest designer is hysterical – I had the opportunity to help my friend Melissa shoot a project for Emily Henderson & Curbly last fall and I was amazed – and exhausted – by all that goes into styling a home. This is a great overview – and a reminder that nothing is as glamorous as it seems! (For example, even though we did not buy one new thing, or really even rearrange anything other than accent pieces, it took us an entire day to shoot our house for Design*Sponge – had I not seen gone through the EH shoot, I would have never survived!)

The Road Ahead was Supposed to be Clear & Filled with Light
Felicia Sullivan on learning what you are meant to do (vs. what you are good at) and on creating a structured, unstructured life. There was a lot of interest on my Antifragile post last week – but I know that my circumstances are incredibly unusual. Felicia proves you can make it happen regardless of your situation.

Build Your Own Gin & Tonic Bar
Kate created this deliciousness for our studio launch party last week and now I’m reconsidering my summer devotion to rosé.

Girls of a Certain Age and This is 50
I’m turning 30 in one month. I’ve been accidentally telling people I was 30 for almost two years, so I’m ready for it. Girls of a Certain Age has always been one of my favorite blogs and Erin introduced me to This is 50 earlier this week. Maybe I’ll be telling people I’m 50 soon!

Follow along for more TAE:

The Edit : Capital Eyewear Acetate Sunglasses

Posted on by TheAmericanEdit

There are few things I like more than a good pair of sunglasses – with the key word being good.

I’ve been a fan of Steven Kilzer’s handcrafted wooden sunglasses, Capital Eyewear, for a few years and when I met with him in January, he told me he was (finally!) working on an acetate line (plastic, for the lay-people reading). I love the wood glasses… but the acetate are just what I’ve been looking for. The price is incredible (right on par with the low quality, mass-produced in China brand everyone else you know is wearing) and the fit is amazing – Steven doesn’t release product until he is positive that the fit is perfect and adds elements to the design to allow for custom fit adjustments.

These sunglasses are handmade in San Francisco with Italian and Japanese acetate (in my past life, I sourced plastic goods – trust me, this is the best of the best) and Carl Zeiss lenses. Steven is committed to sharing his process, check out the site for more on how the glasses are made.

I know a lot of people are hesitant to spend money on sunglasses because of the fear of losing them. But once you buy a pair that is well made and fits well, you take care of them – and you don’t lose them. You love them too much for that to happen. If you’ve been looking for a new pair, you can’t go wrong with Capital Eyewear. (I’m loving the Morgan and the Forrest in Crystal Clear!)

Capital Eyewear is on the TAE A-list. For more, check out the previous TAE feature and follow along:

The Introduction: Daame

Posted on by TheAmericanEdit

One of the things I love about running this site is the introduction to new brands doing amazing things. I am often swayed to purchase an item when I find that the founders have built their business in accordance with the general ethos of responsibility – when they give their time or profits to good causes on top of the work they already do to ensure their products are made ethically.

That’s why I was so excited to speak with the founders of DAAME earlier this week – when confronted with the issue that I know we all have had – the need for a beautiful, functional laptop bag – they decided to merge their strengths and create their own line.

DAAME was started with a great desire to support today’s woman with beautiful + functional products – and because the founders spend quite a bit of their personal time volunteering, they give 5% to non-profits that provide education for girls in need – so that they can kick-ass in life.

I think this is a cause we can all get behind!

For more businesses working to make the world a better place, also check out This Good World.

Follow DAAME and sign up for the newsletter for a credit towards a bag, new product updates, and more!