Puzzling

I found this puzzle, for those aged five and over, at a nearby discount book store. After seeing this, I will be paying more attention when I am shopping for puzzles to find those that are made in USA.

Professional wear

It's generally not very difficult to find at least some clothing made in USA at T.J. Maxx and Marshalls. Recently I ran across this Valerie Bertnelli brand shirt with a fun geometric pattern and now I wish I had bought it. I think it would look great under a blazer or cardigan, and also would look nice on it's own.

Mmm...garlic!

Anyone who knows me well knows that I love garlic, so when I spotted the Garlic Twist at our local spice shop, I was thrilled.
The Garlic Twist food mincer is made by NexTrend and proudly wears a made in USA logo.

Give 'em the boot

It is very possible to find good quality boot socks made in the USA. There are several brands made in Vermont, such as Darn Tough and Cabot & Sons.
I often find socks produced in the states at TJ Maxx, Marshall's and Dunham Sports, just to name a few. So look around, and give imported socks the boot!

Doggone good stuff

We discovered a new place to buy food for our dog, Pet Supplies Plus.
On our first visit there I noticed a large display of made in USA dog toys from Planet Dog. They also offer dog treats, and their web site features a made in USA section which currently has several dozen items available.

A barrel of fun

We've been looking for a new desk and have been seeking out made in USA options.
Recently we stopped by Brunner Furniture in Hartford, WI and I was pleased to see this lovely bar stool, made from an old wine barrel right here in the US.
Walking through the store I noticed several prominent tags on items designating them as made in USA, which made it easy to single them out.

More women's apparel

We stopped in to Shopko to look at a desk they had on clearance and I scoped out the clothing section for finds.
I was surprised to see the same Notations brand I have seen at the Boston store. There was a pretty big selection of Notations cardigans in a variety of colors, and they were made in the USA!

Seeing red

I recently started a new job where I am required to dress less casually than before.
I headed to the nearby Boston store for some shopping. In Peoria their sister store is Bergners.
I found a Notations brand nylon/Spandex blend shirt in several colors, made in USA for under $20. I snatched one up and it looks nice under a blazer for work.

Belting it out

My husband recently had need to buy a new belt as his cheap, in-the-process-of-losing-weight belt had broken.
He was surprised to find a made in USA belt while shopping at Target, and sent me a quick snapshot of the label before he bought it.

Warm and fuzzy

My husband spotted this made in USA twin/full blanket at our local Big Lots for just $5.
Great for adding that extra layer of warmth to your bed this winter, putting in your car to take to football games or in case of emergencies, or just cozying up on the couch with.

Spotted

My husband spied these made in USA Fisher House kneepads at Lowe's recently.
The package reads "kneepad supplier to the US Army.
They could make a nice stocking stuffer for the do-it-yourselfer or contractor on your gift list.

Y'all want pie?

While shopping at a local kitchen store last month, I ran across this colorful selection of Haeger Natural Stone deep dish pie plates made in the USA.
The plates are oven, microwave and dishwasher safe and are lead free.
Haeger makes a wide variety of pottery items. Visit their website for more information.

For the birds

On a recent visit to Sears I saw a nice selection of bird feeders made in the USA. One of the brands was this Wild Delight model.
I got a bird feeder for Christmas a couple of years ago and my husband and I really enjoy listening to the birds and checking out the various species that visit our feeder.

Athletic polos

A few years back I found some made in USA women's polos on Athleta's web site that I really liked. The material is a blend of polyester and spandex.
The style is nice, too, because it has some darts sewn in and looks nicer than your average unisex polo.
Recently I noticed that the same style polos in their catalog and on their web site were labeled imported, so I hadn't bought any more.
I found some similar looking polos labeled made in USA on Sierra Trading Post's web site and ordered three of those to replace mine, which were wearing out. Originally I had brown, white and light blue, and this time I ordered a coral, a white and a yellow.
When they arrived, I discovered that they were the Altheta polos. The good news is, I got a great deal. The bad news is, they are most likely being clearanced out through Sierra Trading Post and perhaps other outlets.
If you are in need of a nice athletic polo made in USA, give them a look before they are gone.

Keep it contained

Food storage containers that are made in USA are actually fairly easy to find. Have you noticed any?
There are several made of clear glass, and even some plastic ones like these I spotted at a nearby Dollar Tree store.
Next time you are in the market for some, give the label a look to see where they are made.

Menards

Menards makes it somewhat easy to find made in USA products in their home improvement stores.
Every few weeks they run a made in USA flyer that lists pages of products made here.
They also have some labeling on the shelves for items made in USA.

I know they carry several rugs and door mats manufactured here, but I was delighted to find this fun number with an owl on it during my last visit.
When in the store, you can also find American-made toys, housewares and more. I recently even saw an apartment-sized stove in the store with a made in USA label on it.

Harbor Freight Tools

 If you are familiar with Harbor Freight Tools, you might think of it as a place that sells a lot of cheap tools made in China. And you might be correct.
However, in just a short minute I managed to find two products made in USA in the store, which made me wonder how many more items stocked there might be made here.
Harbor Freight currently has more than 350 brick and mortar stores.
While shopping at our local store last weekend, I noticed a toy called the Arrowcopter Toy, touted as being able to soar 300 feet. On the front of the package was a U.S. flag under which appeared Made in the United States.
At an end cap display I also noticed a two gallon plastic gasoline can with a U.S. flag on the label with the familiar Made in USA text appearing underneath.
Many times while shopping in so-called "dollar stores" I have also seen merchandise made in USA. It just goes to show, it pays to check labels no matter where you go.

Sock it to me

Just a quick note to say that I found a few offerings of both men's and women's socks made in USA at Dunham's Sports store. I got some women's bamboo socks in a couple of colors and some men's in white cotton.
I used to be able to find a great selection of socks at TJ Maxx, but have been striking out there lately. Heck, even about four years ago I could find them at Target and Kmart.
Speaking of made in USA shopping, I also saw quite a few women's tops at Bergner's last night. My only issue with them was that they were the baggy 1980s styles, but it's great to see a larger selection of made in USA stuff on hand.

Cunningham's Puzzles

In searching for made in USA gift items for my nieces, I discovered Cunningham's jigsaw puzzles.
The puzzles are hand made out of wood in animal shapes. They carry jungle animals, farm animals, water animals, dogs and more.

My niece is currently a fan of farm animals, so I decided on a pig puzzle for $30.
My order arrived shortly, packaged in a padded envelope proudly decorated with a made in USA sticker. And yes, even the sticker was made in USA.
The puzzle was of very nice quality, complete with curly tail.
I gave the puzzle to my niece last week as a birthday gift and hope she has fun with it and that it will make a nice long lasting keepsake.

The letdown

I've always found it exciting when I actually find a web site that returns search results for made in USA or even has a section of made in USA merchandise. Otherwise, I end up spending hours combing through page after page and looking for country of origin information.
It's nice to see some sites make the effort to help customers find this information.
I would have to say, however, that many times I've anxiously awaited a new made in USA purchase to arrive then excitedly cut open the package and taken the items out, but had my victory dashed by the familiar "made in China" words clearly printed on the item.
In April I placed an order from REI's made in USA section on their web site. The order was for a shirt and a kite, both of which I was excited about. The shirt was a very attractive style and the kite was an Easter surprise for my husband.
When both items arrived, neither one of them was made in the USA. Upon contacting REI, they were very apologetic and sent me a coupon. I did return the shirt because I don't need to pay $50 for cute imported shirts. We ended up keeping the kite, but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
Yesterday I received another supposed made in USA clothing item from yet another company. It was labeled made in China. My other item is on backorder, which is also supposed to be made in USA.
As I had received an email from the CEO of the company thanking me for my business immediately upon placing this recent order, I replied to that email and explained my dismay. That was about 7 hours ago and I have received no response.
I will give them a few days to respond, and I will also anxiously await my other item to see if it is also misrepresented on their web site.
Today I was also looking for a made in USA sundress to wear on vacation this summer and checked REI's web site. I see they still have both the kite and the shirt I originally ordered from them labeled as being made in USA almost two months after I placed the order.