Photo: ©2014 DDC Merchandise Archives

Was just on a big road trip across America, and was packaging DDC merch up in some post office parking lot, and sliced the shit out of my knuckle taping up a poster tube. Band aid time! I went digging in my rig, came up empty, nearly "bled out" and had a red flash of inspiration punch me right in the kisser: How come you don't have a proper DDC Brand First Aid Kit? Precisely for moment like this?

And I didn't have an answer. So that night, in the safety of some overpriced flophouse, I got to work on our very own. And that's what we're launching today. Safety first, America!

01. General first aid guide.
02. 4 - 3" x 3/4" latex-free adhesive bandages.
03. 1 - 1.5" x 1.5" adhesive pad.
04. 2 - Antiseptic benzalkonium chloride towelettes.
05. 1- Aspirin, 2 tablets.
01. Stash this compact first aid kit just about anywhere!
02. "Sterile Gauze White" imprint on "Bleed Out Metallic Red."
03. 2-3/4" x 3-7/8" x 3/4" in dimension, if that matters to ya.
04. Compact size for car trunk, glove box, backpack or pocket..
05. Smooth metallic red plastic.
06. Durable plastic clasp.
07. Looks good rolling around in adventure rig auxillary compartment.
08. Just might save a finger, limb or life.
09. "Enhance" it with your own life-saving additions.
10. Proudly made in the U.S.A.
$9.99 - Shipping Included (U.S.A., CANADA)

For customers using PayPal, click the link above they'll take it from there. For customers who aren't using PayPal, send us an email to "orders(at)draplin.com" and we'll get back to you with an address to ship the funds to. We accept money orders and cold hard cash, so, get with it, man! All orders are shipped out as fast as we can. Usually a couple days after the order comes in. We ship everything USPS "First Class" rates. If you want quicker shipping, contact us and we can ramp it up to USPS Priority, or whatever you need. We aim to please! We cover the shipping in the states and up to Canada, but charge the basics for International orders. Before you place the order through our PayPal account, send us an email to "orders(at)draplin.com" and we'll get you a shipping quote for the goods you are interested in. As simple as that! Thanks!

©2014 DDC Dry Goods Div., Merch Dept., Portland, Ore.

DOWN IN THE BASEMENT: And that's where we'll work all summer long. Good, strong Wi-Fi, Oliver running around, cool air, tunes, carpet...home.

WAS FEARING THIS: Y'know, coming home to another incredible "summer back home" and being so excited for a break, and yet, the shadow of Dad being gone haunts. I find myself looking for him around the house. Talking to him. Going from sad to mad to weirded out. Digging through his stuff and wondering where he is. What the fuck are we going to do with all this stuff? Dad? Come back.

I just wish he was here. To stare me down while I'm working. That's what's going on above. Dad sat down, and locked into a serious stare. So glad I spent as much time as I did with him last summer. Just Dad and I in the living room. Dad watching his Tigers game. Me working. Fucking with each other all day long. Conning him into making me a sandwich or salad. And he always would. I miss those sandwiches. With extra pickles. Shit, here comes the waterworks.

Gonna be a weird summer up here in the Michigan Northwoods.

CHICAGO MORNING: Got to hang with Field Notes top brass this morning, loaded up on goods and split up that Western Michigan coastline. Hit Landshark's, Full Circle Records and raced all the way up to Traverse City...another monster road trip complete! So thankful for smooth, safe sailing!

HONEST ABE'S HOUSE: We couldn't do the tour, but did get to visit his tomb. Leigh met this guy on the street...

SOMETIMES YOU HIT: Needing a change from the string of Best Westerns, we found a casino near Columbia, Missouri. Cheap, clean rooms. Somewhat solid meals. That's great and all. What's even better is the fact I braved that roulette table and hit that fuckin' 34 four times, with $25 bucks on it each time! Walked out with loot for a new laptop! So gross. So weird. Thanks, Missouri.

KANSAS, AND SMOOTH SAILING: Had that cruise control on 84mph. Whizzing across that prairie!

EMERGENCY DDC MERCH SHIPPING SESSION: In effect! Doing what it takes to get the merch shipped!

OUT OF THOSE SAN JUANS: And up to Denver, where we secured shelter and got serious with DDC merch.

FELT WEIRD LOOKING DOWN INTO THOSE STRUCTURES: Just kinda wished those cultures were still living there, and we weren't eyeballing them. Such a different time.

ALWAYS CONFLICTED: That Grand Canyon is incredible, but always riles me up. We stole that land. Doesn't sit right with me. Finally got to whip across Monument Valley, under cloud cover, with the sun setting way too fast. Next time, I'll make sure it's a bluebird day.

OUT OF VEGAS, DOWN TO KINGMAN: Where we jumped on Route 66. Had Leigh pull over so I could barf my guts out in some aquatic center parking lot. Fluids, alright. Made it to Williams, up in the mountains. From 115 degrees down to 58 degrees. Mindblowing.

GAMBLED, AND WON: But sorta lost, too. Got some food poisoning from a mexican restaurant on Main Street. Not good.

DOWN INTO THE DESERT: Drove across Joshua Tree today. Hot and bright. Then down to Salvation Mountain to fill our hearts with the Lord's painted hay love. Almost didn't make it out of the Salton Sea.

THE PHOTOS DON'T DO THOSE THINGS JUSTICE: Those sequoias are BIG. Wow.

MY FIRST VISIT WAS IN 1990: I was 16. Mom and Dad took us all out west. All the way to San Francisco. I remember Yosemite being a bit cloudy that day. Not today. Bluebird skies, hotter than hell and beautiful. Thank you, John Muir.

THROUGH THE BIG TREES: Check out Leigh in front of that behemoth! I'll never get over the greatness that is the coastal redwood tree. Ever. A special place.

LEAVING PORTLAND: Got all the way down to Crescent City tonight. Saw some redwoods coming out of the forest, just before Crescent City.

DDC "Thick Lines" Poster Series, No. 02, "Foliage"

I was doing a workshop up in Edmonton, and upon seeing the first design of this series, a kid asked me, "But, why'd you make it?" At first, I thought he didn't like it. "No, no, I like it, it's just...how'd you come up with this?" he said. He was puzzled by the simplicity. And, in that little moment, all I could say was, "Everything is so complex. Posters are more and more intricate and intense. I just wanted to try something really, really simple. You know, in the spirit of the old the old stretched fabric wall art stuff from the '70s!" And of course, he had no idea what I was talking about. He wasn't on the scene until the late, late '80s, the little punk.

And when we see those old stretched fabric deals in some 'Overpriced Modern Furniture' shop, the prices are way out of my league, and we're betting, most folks. Not down with that. So who gets to enjoy them? Some yahoo tricking out his bullshit loft? Not fair. A big part of this is to offer up simple shape and color combos at an affordable price. For the people! Color for the people!

We're always on the hunt for "more color" and always find time to savor the simple stuff in the world. Let these thick lines do both! Some new territory for the DDC. Hope you guys dig 'em! Add some more color to that office, living room, shop, school room or wherever you might need a little blast of thick lines. These will do the job!

01. Printed on uncoated white poster stock. Big and thick.
02. Six colors! Inspired by a simplified gesture of the natural world.
03. 18" x 24"! The fullest of bleeds!
04. Proudly printed by the ink champions of Seizure Palace. And other buddies, as these roll out.
05. Hand-numbered, using our patented freehand technique.
06. Insanely limited edition of 150 per version. Gonna go quick!
07. Free 3" x 24" burly kraft poster tube with each order! Reusable.
08. Two free white plastic end puck thingies.
$30.00 - Shipping Included!!! (U.S.A., CANADA)

Version

No.01 - Sunrays $30.00 USD No.02 - Foliage $30.00 USD

For customers using PayPal, click the link above they'll take it from there. For customers who aren't using PayPal, send us an email to "orders(at)draplin.com" and we'll get back to you with an address to ship the funds to. We accept money orders and cold hard cash, so, get with it, man! All orders are shipped out as fast as we can. Usually a couple days after the order comes in. We ship everything USPS "First Class" rates. If you want quicker shipping, contact us and we can ramp it up to USPS Priority, or whatever you need. We aim to please! We cover the shipping in the states and up to Canada, but charge the basics for International orders. Before you place the order through our PayPal account, send us an email to "orders(at)draplin.com" and we'll get you a shipping quote for the goods you are interested in. As simple as that! Thanks!

©2014 DDC Dry Goods Div., Merch Dept., Portland, Ore.

ON THE PRESS: The second poster of our "Thick Lines" poster series! Mean green!

Images courtesy of Deckstarter.

Just how many time in yer life do you get that email offering an opportunity so incredible that you reply the meatiest "Yes, I'm in!" before you even finish reading the email? This was one of those times. Back in March I got the call from high level executives from The Dieline packaging blog about a making a card set for the upcoming HOW Live conference. I couldn't say no! I got to work right away, first on the thick line card front design, and then, painstakingly attacking each heart/spade/jack/diamond icon, the numbering, and then finally, each face card. Quite an undertaking! We didn't come up for air until the set was a wrap. And then we sent it off.

And then you wait, patiently, on pins an needles.

So we show up to the HOW Live conference in Boston, made our way to the Deckstarter booth and got punched right in the kisser with our little deck of cards! Dan and Dave Buck walked me through the ins and outs of the cardmaking process and I was forever hooked. Thanks, fellas. So good to meet you. They turned out INCREDIBLE. I was at a loss for words. Such a cool moment holding them in my hands for the first time. Magical. I'll spare you any more hot air on these. Just get a set. Seriously awesome. So, so proud.

(Special thanks to Andrew Gibbs, Dan and Dave Buck, and all at The Dieline! Thank you for cutting the deck with the DDC!)

Passing Hard Time, Card Houses, Throwing, Cardistry, Loose Magic, Dimwitted Cons, Shuffling Stunts, Solitaire, Poker, War, Euchre, Gin Rummy, Go Fish, Blackjack, Pinochle, Spoke Flickers and Sketchy Sleights of Hand. 01. Finest quality linen finish.
02. Full, vibrant color! Bright as hell. Light up that card table.
03. 54 card set!
04. Proudly printed by the magicians of Deckstarter. Thank you for making these come to life!
05. Made in the U.S.A.
06. Each pack ships hermetically sealed. Unwrap 'em and get magical.
07. Check out those Jokers! Ha Ha Ha!
08. The THICKEST of lines.
09. Our Deckstarter was 133% funded! Thanks, cardsharks!!!
10. NOTE: These sets don't include the MagicPak ultra package. Those were snatched up in the Deckstarter campaign.
11. Insanely limited edition of 120 sets offered up. Gonna go quick!
$14.99 + 4.99 Shipping/Handling (U.S.A., CANADA)

For customers using PayPal, click the link above they'll take it from there. For customers who aren't using PayPal, send us an email to "orders(at)draplin.com" and we'll get back to you with an address to ship the funds to. We accept money orders and cold hard cash, so, get with it, man! All orders are shipped out as fast as we can. Usually a couple days after the order comes in. We ship everything USPS "First Class" rates. If you want quicker shipping, contact us and we can ramp it up to USPS Priority, or whatever you need. We aim to please! We cover the shipping in the states and up to Canada, but charge the basics for International orders. Before you place the order through our PayPal account, send us an email to "orders(at)draplin.com" and we'll get you a shipping quote for the goods you are interested in. As simple as that! Thanks!

©2014 DDC Dry Goods Div., Merch Dept., Portland, Ore.

PLOTTING A COURSE, PLOTTING OUR DEMISE: We're heading home next week, and we're not heading due East. We're heading South, down into Nor Cal, and then over to Yosemite. If we survive that, we're heading to those magnificent sequoias. Then we're going to that Grand Canyon. Then up into Utah to see some orange rocks. Still in the planning stages. Southwest! Excited as fuck.

SUNDAY, AND WE CLEAN UP THE HOUSE: And that means filing the records that we've exhausted. I've got two zones. Zone 1 is "Stuff I'm Still Listening To" and Zone 2 would be "Stuff That Goes Into The General Population." And today, we put a mountain of stuff away, making room for new shit. All cleaned up!

SHIPPING SHIPPING SHIPPING: Did you snag yer "Pacific Northwest United States" Action Cap yet? Yes? Good. No? What the flugelhorn? Get it going with a click here: Mean, mean green!

WE'LL BE BREAKING GROUND SOON: Finally getting an upgrade to the homestead shitter. Been a long time coming. My buddy Lee Burns is on the case, and we've got tile, paint, fixtures, grout and USB outlets picked out. USB outlets in the head?! Yes! Will spend tons of time in there, solving the world's problems. We're going with that cool hexagon tile for the floor. So cool. We're leaving next week, and the moment we split Portland, Lee will be in there GOING APESHIT tearing things down to the studs. Godspeed, you heavy metal home improvement champion!

HAMMERING ON ABOUT 27 THINGS: Our list is long, and we're not backing down. Some cool shit in the mix! Working out some Dropbox shit on the new rig. Got a new laptop and am trying to sync all my data on it.

Photo by the mighty James Rexroad!

GOT THAT BUZZO IN MY EAR: Went and caught King Buzzo's acoustic set last night at the Hawthorne Theater. Who needs amps? Dumb, little electronic boxes! King Buzzo and his acoustic guitar had all the power, weirdness and intensity as any time I've seen the guy. Weird as ever. Hell yeah. Steve Turner opened up, which was awesome. Takes all my strength not to go up to him at the record store on Tuesday mornings. I'll see him diggin' in the new arrivals every now and again. I loved Mudhoney. So cool. (Special fuckin' thanks to O for getting me on the list. You know how to make a girl feel special!)

01. Guided By Voices - Cool Planet
02. Centro-Matic - Take Pride In Your Long Odds
03. Reigning Sound - Time Bomb High School
04. Reigning Sound - Home For Orphans
05. Bob Mould - Beauty and Ruin
06. Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires - Dereconstructed
07. Delines - Colfax
08. Flaming Lips - 7 Skies H3
09. Flaming Lips - Peace Sword EP
10. Survival Knife - Loose Change
11. Sun Kil Moon - Benji (So, so good.)
12. Jefferson Airplane - Hits
13. Chuck Prophet - Temple Beautiful
14. William Tyler - Lost Colony
15. Drive-By Truckers - English Oceans
16. Afghan Whigs - Do To The Beast
17. Sweet Apple - Golden Age of Glitter
18. The Hold Steady - Teeth Dreams
19. Shooting Guns - Brotherhood of the Ram
20. The War On Drugs - Lost in the Dream
21. Slowdive - Souvlaki
22. Red Fang - Whales and Leeches
23. Nothing - Guilty of Everything
24. Friends of Dean Martinez - The Shadow of Your Smile
25. The Cult - Love
26. Fugazi - Steady Diet of Nothing
27. Paul Westerberg - Eventually (180gm vinyl reissue!!!)
28. Paul Westerberg - 14 Songs (180gm vinyl reissue!!!)
29. Paul Westerberg - Stereo
30. Paul Westerberg - Mono
31. Volcano Choir - Repave
32. Built To Spill - You In Reverse
33. Son Volt - Trace
34. Scud Mountain Boys - Do You Love The Sun
35. Greenhornes - Sewed Soles
36. Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
37. Teenage Fanclub - Bandwagonesque
38. Mercury Rev - See You On The Other Side
39. Idaho - Hearts of Palm
40. Loose Fur - Born Again In The U.S.A.
41. Wilco - The Whole Love
42. Jason Isbell - Southeastern
43. Califone - Stitches
44. Baroness - Blue Record
45. Mudhoney - Piece of Cake
46. Temples - Sun Structures
47. Mark Kozelef - Finally LP
48. Little Wings - Last
49. Big Business - Here Come The Waterworks
50. Old 97's - Most Messed Up

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU: To the greatest mom on earth, my mom, Lauren Colleen Draplin! Love you, Mom! See you soon!

Photo: ©2014 DDC Action Cap Archives

We call the great Pacific Northwest home. And dammit, we wanted a hat to celebrate that fact. So we made these mean, green bastards. They smell of dense foliage, wet earth and the psychedelic moss. Serious shit. Pacific Northwest United States, represent! You know who you are! From Oregon up to Washington, hell, even Idaho. Yeah, Idaho, too. There you go, America! 01. Ballistic embroidered patch.
02. Durable materials up front.
03. Mesh ventilation system for maximum air flow out back.
04. Fitted for all heads. Grow into it.
05. Adjustable. Fits big heads, too!
06. All-weather 6-panel foam greatness.
07. "Snapback" adjuster in the back. None of that "fitted" bullshit here.
08. Extra hit of DDC branding inside.
09. Cut, sewn and assembled in the U.S.A.!
10. Made by proud people of the Action Cap.
01. "Cascade Green/White Mesh"
02. "Old Growth Forest Green 6-Panel Foam"
$29.99 - Shipping Included! (U.S.A., CANADA)

Colorway

Cascade Green / White Mesh $29.99 USD Old Growth Forest Green 6-Panel Foam $29.99 USD

For customers using PayPal, click the link above they'll take it from there. For customers who aren't using PayPal, send us an email to "orders(at)draplin.com" and we'll get back to you with an address to ship the funds to. We accept money orders and cold hard cash, so, get with it, man! All orders are shipped out as fast as we can. Usually a couple days after the order comes in. We ship everything USPS "First Class" rates. If you want quicker shipping, contact us and we can ramp it up to USPS Priority, or whatever you need. We aim to please! We cover the shipping in the states and up to Canada, but charge the basics for International orders. Before you place the order through our PayPal account, send us an email to "orders(at)draplin.com" and we'll get you a shipping quote for the goods you are interested in. As simple as that! Thanks!

©2014 DDC Dry Goods Div., Merch Dept., Portland, Ore.

TRYING TO KEEP MY COOL: Woke up a bit sad about Dad. Just wish I still had him with us. Or back in Michigan, a phone call away. Kinda still can't believe he's gone? Surreal. Sad. Missing Dad. Bad.