On my trip to Montana, it rained quite a bit. I practically lived in the new Carhartt Women’s Cascade Jacket. It’s much easier to enjoy the sweeping views and wide open skies when you know your rainwear will keep you dry. This Storm Defender® waterproof breathable jacket comes with articulated elbows so you can easily move around, a left-chest map pocket that’s certain to keep its contents drip-free, interior cuffs with thumbholes for those extra inches of protection, and an adjustable hem with drawcord and barrel lock adjusters. It’s basically your rain jacket dream come true.
Tag: beauty
Free Fall DIY-ing
There is so much to appreciate about fall: crisp air and crunchy footsteps, soft earthy tones and speckled foliage. It marks the start of bonfire season and cuddle-up in-warm-blankets season. I’m a big proponent of surrounding oneself with the great outdoors. That being said, it feels natural to pluck up a few flowers from the yard and put them in a vase, but what about leaves? They can be just as lovely, with free flowing branches and freshly turned hues. Why not give it a try? It’s a free way to decorate for the season and it challenges you to see the beauty in what most consider mundane.
what I wore: Carhartt Women’s Belton Shirt & Carhartt Women’s Series 1889 Sim-Fit Double Front Denim Dungaree
Packing for Portland: The Carhartt Women’s Guide
Packing for Portland means preparing for weather. I spent most of last week there, enjoying spring and the rain that comes with it. Take a look at the essential Carhartt items I took with me. When you have reliable rainwear, you can focus on the beautiful scenery around you. I’ll tell you what, I put the Mountrail Jacket to the test. The Storm Defender® waterproof breathable membrane is designed to keep you dry and not too stuffy.
How Seasons Can Affect Horses
I don’t know about you, but this never-ending winter is getting to me. Have you ever wondered how seasons can affect your animals? I did a little reading on how the year’s changes can bring about certain transformations in horses. Here are some tidbits of what I learned:
Spring expedites the growth of grass. Again, you’ll see spikes in potassium and nitrates. The warmer temperatures and damp conditions are prime for fungus producing myco-toxins. Watch out for Rye Grass staggers. With the increased grass, your horse can gain weight. Too much weight gain can put your horse at risk for type 2 diabetes. If you fear your horse is eating too much, a grazing muzzle may be your solution.
Summer climates allow grass growth to continue. Again, spikes in potassium and nitrates should be on your mind. Horses tend to be more relaxed during dry summers. Always have drinking water readily available. Just like humans, horses need more water on hotter days.
Autumn brings a big change in grass, often with lower sodium content and higher potassium and nitrate levels. Fungus can thrive during this season too, possibly producing myco-toxins. Take head if your horse is ill or starts to stagger. They may need to be moved to a safer spot with better conditions. When the soil is wet for a long period of time, your horse can feel tender footed after rain.
Winter slows the growth of grass, which will help lower levels of potassium and nitrates. In some cases, grass will even become dormant. Horses burn more magnesium during colder months. Make sure you are still providing the vitamins and minerals found in hard feed (especially calcium and magnesium). Keep your horse warm and dry. Horse safe hay is great for this.
All in all, keep an eye on your horse for any changes in behavior. If you can make them more comfortable, do so. Make sure to seasonally adjust their diets so that they receive the nutrition they may lack at certain times of the year. Here’s to hoping spring comes swiftly, but for now you should bundle up.
Check out Alison‘s work wear here: Carhartt Women’s Sandstone Berkley Jacket, Dartford Denim Shirt, & Jasper Jeans
Detroit Artist Lisa Rigstad
The Detroit-based artist Lisa Rigstad is best known for her intimate small paintings that present a sensitive, fragile, pensive space. But mostly she describes tackling her life and work with fearlessness. A life-threatening diagnosis more than 13 years ago changed everything she says. “My work became more spiritual. A lot of it has to do with searching for some answers,” she said. “I’m bolder with my art – before I painted safe little landscapes that everyone liked.” Breast cancer has been both the best and worst thing that has happened in her life, Rigstad says. Today she counts herself as a lucky survivor but still she devotes herself to raising money on Crowdrise for causes and people who find themselves in less fortunate circumstances.
Her current paintings employ a special technique of gelatin, marble dust, oil paint, and wax medium applied on wood and have been shown in galleries and exhibitions around the country. On the days when she is not in the studio painting, she rides her Harley Davidson motorcycle, spends time on the lakes of Michigan boating, and taking care of her dogs. She also works full-time as a department assistant at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit. In a word, this women, artist, friend, and teacher works hard at everything she does. “Illness makes you realize that your life can be cut short, so I don’t waste time.”
Check out Lisa’s workwear: Carhartt Women’s Dartford Denim Shirt, Southold Jacket, & Women’s Original-Fit Jasper Jeans
Here’s to You, 2013!
It’s that time of year again where we all get nostalgic as our thoughts pour over the year we’ve left behind. So often we look back wishing we could have been better, done better, or looked better. Maybe this year, we can take a more positive glance back on the past 365 days. Posted above are some of my favorite moments of 2013. I am so grateful for all of the tremendous Carhartt spirited women I’ve been able to meet and photograph. Each one of you has left an impression that propels me to work harder, see more, and appreciate what I can bring to the world. The chance to get to share those stories with you all makes my job feel like it isn’t a job at all. Thank you to the real women who work hard, defy the odds against them, and tackle the day excited to see what they can accomplish. Pat yourself on the back! You deserve a celebration over the close of year and the start of another.
April Wagner of Epiphany Studios
When April Wagner started blowing glass she never looked back. It was hot and we don’t mean just chic. Glass blowing has been all the rage since the Romans began pushing air through the end of a hollow tube. And the technique has evolved a whole lot under the talented hands and gaze of April, who is interested in beautiful forms, color, and line. She is often quoted saying that she is “having a love affair with the material.” Since she was a little girl growing up in Northern Michigan, April has always had been passionate about making things with her hands. Glass is hot, sensual, and not easy to work with. It can be clear or colorful and if one is not careful, it can really burn you. But in the end the experience of making forms out of glass is a deeply personal one. She has built a thriving studio practice with a growing list of clients around the world. In her quiet studio on the outskirts of Detroit, April has learned the art of when to control the glass and when to let it go. She has a student’s mind and everyday the material leads her on a new journey with a new and sometimes unpredictable outcome. There is just no straight line in making art or blowing glass. The process is one of discovery.
Check out what the women are wearing: Women’s Norfolk Henley, Women’s Original-Fit Canvas Crawford Dungaree / Longsleeve Signature T-Shirt, Women’s Straight-Fit Slim Jean, Women’s Clarksburg Zip-Front Sweatshirt
Kristie of Washington Outdoor Women
Nancy and Stacy of Peaceful Acres
I must admit that I got very lost on my way out to Peaceful Acres in Albany last week. It was scenic, so I didn’t mind too much. Every turn darted around one gorgeous hillside to another. Nanci and Stacy, the mother-daughter duo that run the farm, took me up to the highest point on the grounds to feed the horses. When we reached the peak, I felt as though someone knocked the wind out of me. We were completely surrounded in the most beautiful countryside, entirely colored by fall and sprinkled with horses. I don’t mean to be trite, but Peaceful Acres is appropriately named.
Nanci started the non-profit organization as a sanctuary for horses and people. The horses are rescued from abandonment, neglect, and abuse, then rehabilitated emotionally and physically. Once healed, the horses in turn help out people who have faced their own adversities in life. A large portion of the programs focus on women recovering from breast cancer and other emotional and physical hurdles such as domestic abuse, anxiety disorders, and depression.
I was so moved, not just by the scenery, but by the effort and love Nanci and Stacy pour into Peaceful Acres. Their lives are devoted to helping people and horses alike. It was empowering to see these awesome women make the most of what life has dealt them and use what they learned to help others find their own path to peace.
Visit Peaceful Acres’s website here to see how you can help out.
Greta de Parry
I had the opportunity to spend some time with Greta this week out at Crab Tree Farm in Chicago, where she’s an artist in residence. The estate is the most breathtaking farm I’ve ever seen. Her studio looks out onto a lake and pastures with sheep and other animals. Greta often wears Carhartt when she works. Since she works with open flames so much, the flame resistant products are perfect for her.
Both artistic and physically capable of turning her visions into something tangible and beautiful, Greta is the epitome of girl power. She welds, solders, cuts down trees, knows her way around a blow torch, designs and pours her own concrete molds, and so much more. Greta is a graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago with a background in sculpture, designed objects, and graphic illustration.
The furniture she makes is unique and raw in a very honest and natural way. The handmade qualities of her work compliment the materials she makes her pieces out of so well, as you can see in the stools pictured above. Check out the rest of her work here.
Carhartt does not make any garments that are specifically designed to be worn when welding. Carhartt Flame-Resistant Clothing will protect better than 100% cotton or synthetic garments because the FR fabric is self-extinguishing. However, flame-resistant clothing is susceptible to holes and fabric burns created by sparks and metal debris generated by activities such as welding.
Crafted in Carhartt 