Oh, blog. I’ve been neglecting you… but the awesomeness of these bags is pulling me out of retirement. The Michaux Club is a company based in London but named for a historic NY cycling club that had female members. They make beautiful bags of canvas or leather with subtle reflective details and a detachable crossbody strap to keep it from swinging around when you ride. Mostly it looks like a really pretty handbag but it’s super practical. I want one! I hope this little business grows and makes it to the States soon.

Images via the Michaux Club.

All images from WRAP’s website.

Just look at it. It’s a 100-year old house above Muir Woods. You can only get to it by a pleasant hike through the redwoods, and it’s members only except for 4 hours on the weekends. And not every weekend.

Nature Friends are German in heritage but for nature lovers in general. They are trying to preserve a bit of space to hike, chat with friends, do a little dancing and enjoy a beer, just like the good old days. You go to the Nature Friends Tourist Club above San Francisco (or the branch in Oakland, or the one in LA, or other branches around the world) by invitation, to have a picnic and get away from it all. And now you know what I am going to investigate this summer.

Images from the Nature Friends Tourist Club site.

I seem to have a thing for bodycare and beauty lines. It’s odd, because I really don’t pay that much attention in the stores, and I don’t use the products that often. I think I really love the packaging – it’s a magic art to convey what a colorless liquid *means* through clever packaging and some nice product copy, and manage to convince you to spend some money on it, too.

This is not to say that Prospector Co. is selling bad product! It’s more a holistic look at an entire brand and how it moves you, not to mention makes you brighter, shinier, and better-smelling. Prospector is going for the rugged, yet slightly clinical look (which almost never crosses over to women’s skin products, with the exception of Le Labo) and their choice of bottles and vials is spot-on.

Prospector is run by some smarties in Savannah, GA who launched in time for the holiday season last year. No retailers listed yet but surely it’s not long now.

All images from Prospector Co. website.

Alite is from San Francisco and just want you to have “magical outdoor fun”. When you live in the city, you can have fun on a road trip or at the nearest park (since you don’t have a backyard).

Bear Can Picnic Pack

Monarch Chair - you only need two legs

Kung Fu Collar

Poler arrives from a surf and snow perspective, creating cheeky gear for cool kids who want some time to themselves in the deep woods…or maybe the Henry Miller Library in Big Sur while they wait for Bonnie Prince Billy to play.

Duffaluffagus

Napsack - unzip so you can use your iPad or walk around the campsite while staying warm

Finally, I couldn’t resist talking about Snow Peak. OK, they are serious gear purveyors (titanium straw, anyone?), but they are also Japanese-inspired (via Portland, OR), so the combo always proves interesting. If camping means pulling an all-nighter in your design agency office, you could do worse than to have some Snow Peak on hand.

The cot and table are nicer than my college dorm furniture for sure.

Hozuki Lantern

Akebi Fork

All photos from the manufacturers’ respective websites.

Todd Reed loves raw diamonds. A raw diamond does not resemble a cut diamond in the slightest. They are murky, colored, and lumpy – and I love them. I got an eternity band with small raw diamonds (the center ring in the stack pictured above) and it just suits me. The gold is likewise unpolished, a little rough, and toothy. Todd really pioneered this style 20 years ago. The natural stones are inherently less expensive, but also much more beautiful, to me.

All images from toddreed.com.

Tara and Jeff, who are Brooklyn-based artists/musicians/supercreatives The Friendly Falcons by day, make handcrafted body care items and candles at night as Meow Meow Tweet. The self-professed cat people are committed to encourage sustainable living by providing organic, vegan, and fabulously-scented items to their customers. I haven’t even talked about the charming illustrations on the packaging yet.

I actually see Meow Meow Tweet as an extension of Jeff and Tara’s art practice. Can you say that about your bar soap?

All photos by Meow Meow Tweet & Doug Johnston

As you can guess I like process-driven stuff. I’m not so much into the hardware (though well-executed hardware, custom hardware can be great) but I don’t mind decorative as long as it’s clever. Function and utility doesn’t have to look boring.

Image from hajduanett.com

Hello construction details! Hungarian Hajdu Anett, via Sophia Malik’s Pinterest

Image from baggubag.com

This is so simple yet incredibly satisfying in the hand. It’s biggish so it can fold over, if you like. By Baggu.

It’s dark grey. Sometimes that’s reason enough. By Rib and Hull.

The knot detail is the thing, and the wrinkles are the other thing. By Raramodo.

I can’t even figure out what’s going on here. That is strangely appealing to me. This is a laptop backpack from Cote&Ciel, via Rushfaster. YOU tell me how to wear it. Or open it.

I like entrepreneur stories. I like that this guy didn’t have to reinvent the wheel, but is making something he knows and just updating his production and marketing for today. These wafels sound like the ultimate munchie food are apparently all over Rhode Island (Rip went to Brown) but if you aren’t in Providence, you can order a box online here.