Amazing Japanese Doll Maker Video

This is art.

Handmade Belts By Tanner Goods

This is a wonderful (yes I just said "wonderful") documentary on a small leather company called Tanner Goods based in Portland Oregon.  Handmade items are getting more difficult to come by these days and if you follow DrutherBlog regularly you know that I am all about handmade items.  Global Manufacturers make the financial world go round but local manufacturers make the world special and add local flavor to their wears.  Tanner Goods is one of those small artisan brands that continuously pumps out high quality goods for their dedicated customer base.  

Take a minute and think about the clothes and accessories in you closet and the journey they have taken just to make their way to you.  Most of your clothes come from countries and cities you'll never visit.  Tanner Goods is trying to change that.

Modern Artisans Features Shoe Maker Sebastian Tarek (6 Pics)

    For you regular viewers of the blog you know that I am all about handmade goods.  Occasionally while I'm scouring the interweb looking for interesting, unusual things for you to peep I come across something special. This Modern Artisans video featuring the shoe making skills of Sebastian Tarek struck me as something worth a solid look.  

    There is value beyond the mere monetary purchase of a handmade item, in this case shoes.  Quality, handmade goods take on a soul, a piece of the craftsman that made them and a piece of the person that cherishes them.  Fathoms away from the assembly lines of over produced under constructed shoes, Sebastian Tarek's handmade footwear finds a warm home in today's modern closet.     

Jack Daniel's Does Letterpress

Take a journey to the workshop of Yee-Haw Industries in Knoxville Tennessee and discovery the kind of craftsmanship, time, and effort that goes into making a Jack Daniel's icon poster.  The Jack Daniel's poster comes out ridiculously good.  The shop actually makes the posters by hand, carving dyes out of wood and adding letterpress techniques until they get a finished product that is an American work of art. 

Video Of The Day: Japanese Sword Making (5 Pics)

With roughly only 30 people exclusively making swords for a living left in Japan, sword making is a dying art.  Take a look at the video and all the blood, sweat, and tradition that goes into these handmade pieces of art.  Or tools of death... depending on how you look at it.



Tattoo It Yourself Card

Handmade items are almost always better than stamped out generic goods.  This is even more true when it comes to gifts and other things that show your special so and so how much you care about them.  The Tattoo It Yourself Card has created away for you to give a gift that is handmade and customized but without busting out the construction paper and making you feel like you're in the 4th grade again. It's pretty easy, you just get your card and Tattoo It Yourself, then hand it to your lady friend or man friend.
                                                                                  

Tattooed Paper Puppets By Crankbunny (10 Pics)



These Tattooed Paper Puppets by Crankbunny aren't your run of the mill toy puppets.  I had never seen a paper puppet before I came across these and I'm damn sure that these are the baddest you'll ever see.  They are suited head to toe with tattoos, all their joints move, they're handmade, and they all represent a Victorian character.  At 9" x 15" the Crankbunny tattooed paper puppets are pretty grandiose and will make any home a better place just for having them. 



The Bracket 7685 Production Video

Sometimes I feel we (people, consumers) forget just how much work can go into a product.  We focus the brunt  of our time and attention on shopping for an item... we sometimes lose the big picture.  The Bracket 7685 production video is a great example of the artistry, patience, and labor that goes into the creation of a simple outdoor light and bracket. Handmade goods were the norm in the not too distant past, they cost more than factory stamped out goods but you end up with an item that can last a lifetime instead of just a year and can employ more people by taking the automation out of the process.  Ok, I'm done ranting.  I really just thought this was a fresh video.