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Summer Dinner Party

We Took to the Woods — Wed, 24 Sep 2014 17:59:32 +0000

Photography by Aaron Greene

Father’s Day Gift Guide

We Took to the Woods — Wed, 11 Jun 2014 02:29:56 +0000

In the grand scheme of things none of us, even the oldest among us, is really that old. Our personal time spans are brief and fleeting, but heritage never dies, and it has been with us since the beginning. I am not old, not even considering the grand scheme of things, but I already know that leaving a legacy is a difficult task. Men have suffered and spent themselves to leave them. Good heritage cannot exist without good men suffering to leave a legacy. And we thank our fathers for their suffering. Without them, we would not know what it means to live a life our grandsons would be proud of.

Our Father’s Day Gift Guide

Where There’s Smoke Cookbook / Sour Puss Spicy Pickles / Vintage Denim Jacket / Botot Mouthwash / Prospector Co. Gabardine 1879 / Antique Cufflinks / Personal Ashtray / Tanner Goods Sunglass Case / Jack Walker Sterling and Leather Necklace / Juniper Ridge Trail Crew Soap / Lightfoot’s Pure Pine Gentleman’s Shave Cream / Pipe / Cowboy and Indian Card Set / Paine’s Balsam Fir Incense

Written by Jonathan Allston

A Proper Shave

We Took to the Woods — Tue, 10 Jun 2014 12:48:37 +0000

It seems that most men should remember their first shave. More than likely, it was when the 12 year old version of oursleves were told that, as proud as we were of our peach fuzz, it really needed to go. Dad might have been the one to tell us. He’s good at telling us hard things to hear, but that in the end are really good for us.

And if he was in tune with the finer things in life, he taught us how to prep our faces with a hot, soaked rag, how to soften the bristles of our brush in hot water, how to spread shaving cream or soap suds across our face (or upper lip) like an expert painter, how to grip a nice, heavy razor in our hand, how to shave with long, even strokes, and finally, how to splash on aftershave with the virtue of restraint.

But some of us didn’t get the proper “how to shave” talk. Maybe it’s time we caught up and made the morning shave one of the finer things in life.

Prospector Co. Shaving products and Lightfoot’s Pure Pine Gentleman’s Shave Soap available at We Took to the Woods.

Written by Jonathan Allston

Mother’s Day Gift Guide

We Took to the Woods — Fri, 02 May 2014 12:40:12 +0000

Your first gift to your mother this year might need to be admitting to yourself that you don’t know what to get her. It would then follow that the second gift could be from our Mother’s Day Gift Guide.

Truth be told, though, we actually have a lot of confidence in your gift-giving capabilities. That’s why we think you’ll like what you find for Mom in here. And so will she.

Plants and herbs potted in vintage containers

A Perfectly Kept House is the Sign of a Misspent Life by Mary Randolph Carter, because she knows

Leather

We Took to the Woods — Thu, 17 Apr 2014 13:36:38 +0000

Hand crafted leather is unmistakable. It laughs in the face of the typical. It is art and endurance in the palm of your hand. Handle it. Sling it over your shoulder. This stuff gets better with use. And time. That’s just the truth–the tough-as-leather kind of truth.

Pictured: Tanner Goods Folio and Bucheimer Mailman Bag, 1965

We Took to the Woods

We Took to the Woods — Fri, 11 Apr 2014 15:00:19 +0000

Human beings are fascinating creatures, created with a craving for change and movement, while at the same time longing for tradition and stability that stands firm in the midst of the dynamic life we live. And somehow, the stability makes the change all the sweeter, and the change makes the stability all the stronger.

And then there are seasons, the cycles that bring change, but return us to heat and cold, blossoms and withering, beautiful leaves year after year. The earth brings us the old and the new simultaneously; it satisfies our desires, and that’s because we were made for this place, and it for us.

Sometimes it takes a walk in the woods to become reacquainted with the beauty of age and the beauty of youth, to be re-enamoured with this place we live in, and to celebrate the fact that so much of what we desire can be satisfied as long as we have the heart to receive the gifts we’ve been given.

And that, in a nutshell, is why our store exists–so that you can take a walk in the woods.

-written by Jonathan Allston

A Winter Wedding

We Took to the Woods — Sun, 26 Jan 2014 00:31:47 +0000

We believe that weddings should be about communities, and those who love the bride creating something beautiful in her honor. The chef brings his food, the vinedresser his wine, the seamstress her dresses and the tailor his suits. We all bring something of our own place and story to bless a marriage: thus, for a winter wedding at a Victorian farmhouse, we offer the blessings of wool and firelight in the cold, heirlooms and rustic pieces for just the right touch of nostalgia, the warmth of a family gathering, and simple, beautiful reflections of the farm itself.

We were thrilled to have this shoot featured on 100 Layer Cake.

Many thanks to Aaron Greene for the beautiful images & Bryan and Meghan Fowler, some of the best hairstylists we know.

A Holiday Gathering

We Took to the Woods — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 21:50:11 +0000

If this is truly the most wonderful time of the year, it is so because it gives us the opportunity to celebrate the good things we have and the good people we love. It also gives us the chance to consider what it would be like to make all our life a celebration and a feast. We want to take this chance to share how we seek to ignite our celebratory imagination with wonderful food, beautiful things, and delightful people. Enjoy the pictures, and may your holiday gatherings stir your heart toward what is good and lovely.