Man Made DIY

If I told you these were photos from a cavern in Antarctica, you just might believe me, right? But the truth is, these striking images by François Delfosse are actually the "view" from inside a plastic bag.  

Here's an idea: After your next party, instead of throwing away all those ubiquitous red plastic cups, make some art out of them.

I know it's not cool to say so, but I hate recyling. Or maybe it's more accurate to say I'm incompetent at it. I forget to take it out on time, I get plastics and papers mixed up, and trash things when I should recycle them and vice versa. So it's no surprise that our kitchen recycling area has long been an embarrassment:

That's how our 'recycling center' used to look. Note the problems: 

1. General disaster
2. Sorting?
3. Shallow pantry means the doors won't close when it's in this state
4. How many brown paper bags does a guy need?

Well, after an inspiring trip to my local True Value store, I decided this was a solvable situation. I searched the internet far and wide for some recyling bins I could just buy, but our 10-inch-deep pantry made that very difficult.

When I spotted some sheets of white corrugated plastic at True Value (we're in their 2011 Blog Squad), a lightbulb went off: I could make my own recycling bin… read more

Ever now and again, Dominic Wilcox's clever War Bowls cross my path. I spied them online eight or so years ago, then two years later, one was on display at my local contemporary art museum, then I read an interview with Wilcox in a magazine, and on and on. 

When I recently ran into them again, it occurred to me..."Maybe I should make one?" Then, as we all do when we have a light bulb moment, I Googled it.  … read more

Oh, wow, twelve-year-old Chris would have been over the moon about this thing. Twenty-eight-year-old Chris is pretty excited about it, too.

Twenty-five bucks and some source material will get you (and anyone you know) as many guitar picks as you could ever need for the rest of your life. Or at least until it breaks...