The dress and headband are from Beginningboutique, the jacket is from Ployy, the bag is vintage and the shoes are from Miu Miu.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Softening
The dress and headband are from Beginningboutique, the jacket is from Ployy, the bag is vintage and the shoes are from Miu Miu.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
What's a LifeLine Gear Leash?
Howdy folks! I've been working on assembling the new LifeLine Gear Leashes over the past few days. I'll be dribbling these out over the next few weeks as time and my fingers permit.
The Gear Leash concept is a simple one. I've wanted a sturdy wrist strap solution for some time and I've been frustrated for years with the garbage straps with the "dental floss" attachments that I so often see. Very few wrist straps are the right size, are user adjustable or have a tension slider on them.
At first I wanted a material for these that was not paracord but the more I looked into it I decided that paracord really was the best solution particularly since I wanted to use round turned beads for the keeper and tension slider. Leather or flat nylon would be hard to thread through the beads and would not perform correctly.
I did quite a few tests using my existing Lanslide beads and various pieces of EDC gear until I worked out the best set up. I wanted to make some all new bead designs for this project and I wanted the design in keeping with my past designs. So I borrowed the ribbed shape from the whistles for the slider bead and then scaled it down with a smaller inside diameter for the keeper bead.
I did consider using Berkeley Point clips on these but decided a simple small keyring would be better. While I do like the BP clips, they have a nasty habit of coming undone if they get twisted in the pocket. I have lost too many flashlights and pocket knives because of this, plus they are quite expensive even buying in bulk. If you want a BP clip then throw one on the keyring of the Leash or retie the Gear Leash with a clip instead of the keyring.
Speaking of tying, the knot on these is the same as the standard Matthew Walker knot that I have been using for years. The difference is, the MW knot calls for bringing the ends through the loops two times. On these, you simply bring the ends around through the loops one more time for a total of three. That's it, very simple to do and it results in a larger knot. In this way if you want a shorter leash it is easy to retie it or if you want to change an old dirty cord for some clean cord or you want a different cord color it is easy to do. Simple instructions for tying the Matthew Walker Two Strand Knot are Here.
For the first batch of these I chose black Delrin as the bead material. The reason for this is that I wanted to make some LifeLines that would be nonmarring. As many of you know, I am an avid photographer and I have many old cameras. I wanted some beads that would not scratch up the finish on those older cameras or other delicate items. Also, the black just looks so nice on the cord! I do have titanium beads running right now though and will offer the LifeLines with both satin finish and anodized titanium beads as time goes on.
Right now I am not selling these beads separately, they are only going to be available on the Gear Leashes for the time being. The first wave is on desert tan cord but some various colored cord ones will follow shortly. The Delrin Gear Leashes are $35 plus shipping and the link is below:
Tan ones are sold out! I have dozens of colored ones that I'm going to tie tonight so many many more on the way. Thank you! :)
The Gear Leash concept is a simple one. I've wanted a sturdy wrist strap solution for some time and I've been frustrated for years with the garbage straps with the "dental floss" attachments that I so often see. Very few wrist straps are the right size, are user adjustable or have a tension slider on them.
At first I wanted a material for these that was not paracord but the more I looked into it I decided that paracord really was the best solution particularly since I wanted to use round turned beads for the keeper and tension slider. Leather or flat nylon would be hard to thread through the beads and would not perform correctly.
I did quite a few tests using my existing Lanslide beads and various pieces of EDC gear until I worked out the best set up. I wanted to make some all new bead designs for this project and I wanted the design in keeping with my past designs. So I borrowed the ribbed shape from the whistles for the slider bead and then scaled it down with a smaller inside diameter for the keeper bead.
I did consider using Berkeley Point clips on these but decided a simple small keyring would be better. While I do like the BP clips, they have a nasty habit of coming undone if they get twisted in the pocket. I have lost too many flashlights and pocket knives because of this, plus they are quite expensive even buying in bulk. If you want a BP clip then throw one on the keyring of the Leash or retie the Gear Leash with a clip instead of the keyring.
Speaking of tying, the knot on these is the same as the standard Matthew Walker knot that I have been using for years. The difference is, the MW knot calls for bringing the ends through the loops two times. On these, you simply bring the ends around through the loops one more time for a total of three. That's it, very simple to do and it results in a larger knot. In this way if you want a shorter leash it is easy to retie it or if you want to change an old dirty cord for some clean cord or you want a different cord color it is easy to do. Simple instructions for tying the Matthew Walker Two Strand Knot are Here.
For the first batch of these I chose black Delrin as the bead material. The reason for this is that I wanted to make some LifeLines that would be nonmarring. As many of you know, I am an avid photographer and I have many old cameras. I wanted some beads that would not scratch up the finish on those older cameras or other delicate items. Also, the black just looks so nice on the cord! I do have titanium beads running right now though and will offer the LifeLines with both satin finish and anodized titanium beads as time goes on.
Right now I am not selling these beads separately, they are only going to be available on the Gear Leashes for the time being. The first wave is on desert tan cord but some various colored cord ones will follow shortly. The Delrin Gear Leashes are $35 plus shipping and the link is below:
Tan ones are sold out! I have dozens of colored ones that I'm going to tie tonight so many many more on the way. Thank you! :)
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Red pants
I love some colour in an outfit! Like these red pants are from Zara, I love them!
The leather jacket is from Topshop, the shoes are vintage, the rings are from H&M, Froufrous and Urban Outfitters and the clutch is from Armani. I am sorry for the lack of posts lately but I have been quite busy with travelling and my internship. Madrid was great, I love the city and I met some great people! Don't forget to check out fashionsalade for the endresult of the photoshoot I did there!
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Few More CrocoNuts
Hi Folks,
Sorry for the slow pace of things lately but I've been giving my left hand some time off for my tendonitis and it has helped greatly. I'm taking it a little easy and am really feeling much better. But that doesn't mean that things have stopped here, far from it in fact. I'm pushing forward with numerous projects and making some good headway.
Early next week I will be sending a big batch of tools off to heat treat, Poltergeists and mini Poltergeists. The mini Poltergeist is exactly the same profile and size as the Ghosts that I did last year but it has a single hex opening in the top end. I had made just three proto ones last year that I called the Cyclops but I think mini Poltergeist is a better name since they so closely resemble their big brother. The first wave of those will be steel and a second wave is also cut and ready to start the grinding work. A third wave for middle or end of April timeframe will be in titanium. There will also be some ti Poltergeists around that time.
I'm currently getting underway on the LifeLine Gear Leash project. The first of those will be in non marring black delrin. I will have pictures very very soon as I am tying the first ones of those this weekend. I'm making tons of them so no worries on snagging some. Second wave will be starting end of next week and those will be in titanium. I'll take pics and explain the philosophy behind the design in the next day or so.
Anyway, I have the remaining 20 of the stonewashed CrocoNut wrenches done. There are some bead blasted ones on the way soon as well and I have a handful of raw bar ones that I need to finish up too. But right now it's these plain ones...as always, thanks for stopping by! :)
Stonewashed are sold out, thank you!
Sorry for the slow pace of things lately but I've been giving my left hand some time off for my tendonitis and it has helped greatly. I'm taking it a little easy and am really feeling much better. But that doesn't mean that things have stopped here, far from it in fact. I'm pushing forward with numerous projects and making some good headway.
Early next week I will be sending a big batch of tools off to heat treat, Poltergeists and mini Poltergeists. The mini Poltergeist is exactly the same profile and size as the Ghosts that I did last year but it has a single hex opening in the top end. I had made just three proto ones last year that I called the Cyclops but I think mini Poltergeist is a better name since they so closely resemble their big brother. The first wave of those will be steel and a second wave is also cut and ready to start the grinding work. A third wave for middle or end of April timeframe will be in titanium. There will also be some ti Poltergeists around that time.
I'm currently getting underway on the LifeLine Gear Leash project. The first of those will be in non marring black delrin. I will have pictures very very soon as I am tying the first ones of those this weekend. I'm making tons of them so no worries on snagging some. Second wave will be starting end of next week and those will be in titanium. I'll take pics and explain the philosophy behind the design in the next day or so.
Anyway, I have the remaining 20 of the stonewashed CrocoNut wrenches done. There are some bead blasted ones on the way soon as well and I have a handful of raw bar ones that I need to finish up too. But right now it's these plain ones...as always, thanks for stopping by! :)
Stonewashed are sold out, thank you!
Friday, March 4, 2011
Fashionsalade shoot in Madrid
At the moment, I am in (sad enough very rainy) Madrid at the moment to shoot for Fashionsalade. And in the hotel I am staying I have a computer with internet in my room, yeah! So I thought, let's keep you updated from what I have been doing today.. Well, I did like 28 shoots with lots of very nice clothes from different brands that I actually all wanted to bring home with me, especially a lovely green Longchamp dress. And I got the chance to meet some great people! It was so nice to meet you all from the fashionsalade team! And I also met the 2 lovely Spanish bloggers Paula and Rebecca (photo 2).
But I am so tired right now, but it was definitely worth it because I love the results! You can see the results of the shoot on the website from Fashionsalade later on.
Well, I am going to sleep right now, I really need it!
Have a nice weekend you guys!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
One must work and dare if one really wants to live
The blazer is from Alpinestars by Denise Focil, the shorts are from One Teaspoon via Beginningboutique, the belt and bag are from H&M, the boots are from Jeffrey Campbell and the hat is from
ASOSTomorrow I am flying to Madrid again for a couple of days to work with the stylist Paola Erazun from Fashionsalade. I am really looking forward to it! So, I will see you guys on monday with some nice pics to give you a slight impression of my weekend! Have a great weekend as well my lovely readers!
