Hand made in the USA

Today I went to work wearing a skirt, shirt and scarf that were all made and purchased right here in the good ole USofA. Try and beat that one! I was super proud and although nobody else knew any better, I sure as hell did. Lately I have been trying to make a more concerted effort to support small businesses and independent entrepeneuers much like ourselves. Not only do we own a small business but my husband has begun hand building bicycles from scratch. Theres something to be said for homemade things. The thought and care that goes into the production and the hours spent laboring over whatever it is just to me makes it way more special and meaningful. So I'm not ashamed to spend a few extra bucks here or there on something that I know is supporting a person's livelihood. Here are a few items from some of the individuals who I have supported over the past year or so. This isn't all of them, but these few are from what I wore the past few days.

The skirt and scarf come from Gaia Conceptions out of Greensboro NC. The product of Andrea Crouse all pieces are handmade and hand dyed right in her studio in NC. Very eco conscious which I totally dig. Plus each piece is totally unique thanks to the variations of each dye bath. Great vibrant colors made from wonderful materials like organic cottons and organic hemps. The skirt is an organic hemp and is light and airy, great for summer. And the scarf is made from an organic cotton that is super soft and stretchy. Great for wrapping myself in while sitting at my desk freezing in the air conditioning now that its summer. Thanks to the wonderful world of etsy.com I was introduced to Gaia Conceptions and I scope out her shop often to check out the latest designs. To discover more about this wonderful eco friendly line of clothing, visit Andrea's website: http://gaiaconceptions.com/

Next I want to talk about my new favorite outdoor technical brand of clothing that I discovered back in December. Melanzana.Italian for the word Grapefruit, I have no idea how that relates to outdoor clothing, but it jives and works for them and for their custy's. Their motto is Original Functional Soulful. I have to say that I agree. I had my dad order me a long sleeve hoody fleece for Christmas and I pretty much lived in the thing for the entire winter. It kept me damn warm while skiing, was totally original, and most awesomely was long enough for my long torso! I was hooked so I had the hubby order me the t-shirt version for my birthday now that its summa time. The long sleever is a size large, so I thought I'd go for a little more of a slim fit with a medium and found that its a tad shorter than the large, but I didn't feel like waiting for an exchange so I kept it and have been pretty much living in this shirt now for the warm season. They are based in Leadville Colorado and employ a small staff that cuts, sews and sells all their goods right there out of their store. They don't sell to any retailers and rely pretty much on word of mouth. I don't know how I stumbled upon them but I'm glad I did. See more here: http://melanzana.com/catalog/index.php

Ok so we got my USA made fashion clothes and technical clothes covered. Now for my work pants. I always wanted to have a pair of Carhartt pants, but for some reason they never fit me right. I have lucked out with a pair of Carhartt overalls that I love, but as far as pants go, it just wasn't happening. I then attempted another work brand of pants called Mountain Khaki's and found myself having the same problem. The fits were just terrible. Too tight around my waist and then huge in the thighs. I guess when a girl wears a size 12, its too be assumed that she's got a huge ass and thunder thighs. Well not in my case. While I am a bit thick in the hips, I'm also 5'10" and have never been small or petitte by any means. Well lucky for me there is a gal out in Montana who had the same problem. Only she went ahead and did something about that. Meet my awesome pair of Red Ants Pants.

Not only do I wear them while working in the yard, but I've been wearing them pretty much all around. Whether down at the bike shop, running errands or even out for some drinks. They are comfortable and durable. Not too mention they fit me awesomely. The brainchild of Sarah Calhoun, Red Ants Pants are based out of White Sulfur Springs Montana and much like Melanzana, they are not sold thru retailers and rely on word of mouth. Each pair of pants is made in Seattle Washington and come with the choice of straight cut or curvy cut. Originally I got the curvy cut thinking that after my experiences with Carhartt and Mountain Khaki's I'd need a little extra room, but to my surprise I was wrong. And boy was I stoked on that! So I got the straight and I also got a boost to my self esteem while I was at it! And they are not just for ladies, guys have been known to rock out RAP too. See for yourself here: http://www.redantspants.com/. I'm hooked.

And finally for head ware (which I'm known for) I discovered thru a ski website this great little company called Recap Hats based outta Silverton Colorado. The one man operation of Anneka Herndon, Recap Hats takes an old pair of pants and turns them into a stylish yet functional hat. Anneka's hats were all over Telluride when I was there in January, but with me having a rather large head, I contacted her about making me one custom since the ones in Telluride weren't fitting me properly. She happily obliged. And this is what she whipped up for me.

The hat fits me perfectly and I wear it all the time, especially with my hair being at this in between length right now. To learn more about her hats and her story visit her website http://recaphats.com/.

Its amazing what the Internet has been able to provide for these small entrepreneurs ain't it? Each of them live thousands of miles away from me, but yet I was able to discover them and support them. Cheers to made in the USA!! Goodnight.