Man Made DIY

The Gravity Stool is an incredibly unique project by Jólan van der Wiel. The stool, which looks like it was formed by some sort of volcanic eruption, is actually created using electromagnets and a specialized plastic fluid mixed with metal filings.

It works like this:

What's more fun than stretching an egg of silly putty, forming all kinds of weird orbs, cracking bubbles, and squishy shapes?

Goofing around with DIY magnetic silly putty, and encouraging it to behave all crazylike by pushing and stretching it with the power of the poles!   … read more

Last summer, in the midst of the August showers, a neighboring building lost a beautiful maple tree in a major thunderstorm. It was quickly disassembled by the electric company, presumably so it wouldn't fall onto the power lines. And there it sat. For weeks.

Then, a month or so later, I heard a loud grind out of my open windows (horray for open window weather!), and spied a big truck with a wood chipper in their yard.

"Surely," I thought, "they're just gonna grind up the small stuff and use the trunk for something." But, they just kept throwing in big, beautiful chunks of pure hardwood, turning it into mulch. I immediately rushed out and asked if I could have what hadn't been chopped.

The guy was very hesitant (apparently no one had ever proposed such a crazy thing), but allowed me to escape with an armful straight limbs and branches (sadly, no trunk segments) as long as I promised not to tell anyone. So, don't repeat that.

My branches have been seasoning and drying all fall and winter, and are now ready to be turned into all kinds of fun "bring the outdoors in" projects. First up, these playful tree branch magnets which cost a mere $1.00 and some glue to make, and can be whipped up in less than 30 minutes.  … read more

There aren't too many things I simply won't put in my mouth...but room temperature coffee is on that short list. So, I'm a big fan of reusable coffee sleeves that keep your hands safe and your drink warm.

And I'm a particular fan of handmade reusuable sleeves - knitted ones, felt ones, and corduroy ones with photos inside! The only thing better would be a way to stick it to light poles and fire hydrants and the side of my Vespa.

Alexandra Pulver has done just that - and I think it's brilliant. " [At first] I came up with this magnetic cup-holder. It is made out of polypropylene and folds flat for easy portability.

After I made this I r… read more