My Grandfather's Ebay Acount

Fifteen years ago, my grandfather retired from his job as a salesmen at the family business to his sheep farm in Adell, Wisconsin. For ten years he passed his time raising sheep for meat and hides. After perfecting the process, his interests waned and he searched for a new vocation.

As a child of the depression, my grandfather's pack rat mentality (common amongst many children of the depression) drew him to Ebay. In September, 2002 he started an eBay account to sell off his old tools and finds from local auctions and estate sales. Blinx1641's business steadily grew and he transitioned away from farming. Six years and 1166 transactions later, my grandfather now spends his weekends traveling locally going to auctions and rummage sales looking for antique American Tools.

Focusing on American made tools, his business has benefited from the resurgence of interest in Americana and vintage work wear. The vintage tools he sells inspired Redwing's Shoes, Levi's Jeans and Carhartt. This work wear was developed to suit the needs of the workers that used these tools and is worth a look if you're interested in vintage American work wear. Here are some photos from his auctions:

Wharton Esherick

Last Saturday, my family and I toured the Wharton Esherick Studio in Marvelen Pennsylvania, half an hour from Philadelphia on the Main Line. The Studio documents the life and work of the acclaimed sculptor Wharton Esherick, famous for his Arts and Crafts movement inspired furniture. The central house's design with trap doors and built-ins alludes to a captain's cabin. The hour long tour was truly an inspiration both aesthetically and also as a minimalist lifestyle. Everything in the house has a practical application in addition to aesthetic appeal. I urge anyone visiting to the Philadelphia area to make the trip to see the House/Studio.

When my yuppie career gets rolling, a Wharton Esherick stool will be my first piece of art. Here are some photos from my tour and some I found on Google.

Making a Shirt: Part 3

I am overly ambitious with most of my undertakings and fail a few times before I succeed. Making a complex shirt from scratch with minimal background in sewing or design was an ominous undertaking. The design part wasn't the hard part. I mapped the design out after a few tries, but destruction struck when I tried to sew these pieces together. I am very impatient and need instant tactile feedback. I still really want to make this shirt but I have realized that a tailor will need to make it for me. Any Suggestions?

Family Slide Show

On Wednesday night, the Huntington family slide projector came out for a little trip back in time. I love old family photos. Although I am passionate about digital photography, it is sad to see the disappearance of the conventional slide show. Nowadays, people just view photos on Facebook, Flickr, or Picasa by themselves, completely removing the physical social experience. I hope the cost of quality digital projectors will go down enough that people can make photo viewing a social experience again.

The distortion of an old slide projected on a blemished wall gave added texture to these already interesting photos. Here are two that I enjoyed.