How to: Make a Simple Wooden Bow Tie

January 14, 2014, 10:30 am

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This wouldn't be the first time we've featured a wooden bow tie tutorial on ManMade, but this how-to is certainly the simplest, and perhaps the most stylish as well.

Caitlin from The MerryThought came up with this technique to whip up several of these guys on the quick to give as holiday gifts last month. It's a clever take on the concept, and embraces the fact that a wooden bow tie is sorta a novelty, and could be styled as such. 

Oh, and if you don't own a scroll saw (I don't either), you can use an inexpensive coping saw to make the cuts. Get the full how-to here:

DIY Wooden Bow Tie[The MerryThought]

 

 

 

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Idea to Steal: Use Firewood as Decor

January 14, 2014, 12:00 pm

≫ Next: Java To a Whole New Level: The Coffee Project

≪ Previous: How to: Make a Simple Wooden Bow Tie

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Simple idea, tons of texture...

Ok, so minus all the sheepskin and cowhide upholstery, I dig this look, and it can totally be DIY'ed at home. For starters, the antlers on the wall are wooden plaques (which you can get at craft stores like Michaels) with some fall tree branches. Easy to make, and a few of them covering the wall will look  like an installation.

Now, for the firewood rack: If you have a large space that seems pretty empty (and you don't want to spend tons of money on furniture) this'll fill 'er up . You can either stack the wood from the floor up and attach at shelf at the very top OR you use 2 shelves: one at the bottom with enough grip to hold the weight of the wood, and one at the top for storage.

Oh, and you don't need to use a whole log, you can actually cut them in half so they don't stick out too much - and if the space is too narrow, just cut a few circles (like coaster-size, but a bit thicker) and glue them all together so it they create a faux firewood effect.

Image via: Tuvalu

Java To a Whole New Level: The Coffee Project

January 15, 2014, 11:30 am

≫ Next: 5 Clothing Fit Tricks Every Guy Should Know

≪ Previous: Idea to Steal: Use Firewood as Decor

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Coffee fan? You and me both, bother. 

The Coffee Project is a photography project by Canadian lifestyle magazine Acquired Taste. It's run by the community, through Instagram and on their blog. Basically, the goal is: hunt for the best coffee shots. Yes, people spend lots of time (me included) styling their daily cortado. 

Every week the editors pick their favorites and feature them on their site (and on their Instagram feed too!) I love seeing people getting creative with an everyday thing.

But this project is not only about making coffee look sharp, it's also about learning the different ways people enjoy their daily rituals - which from a cultural point of view is just fascinating! 

To see more about this project visit Aquired Taste magazine or take a peek on Instagram on their #TheCoffeeProject tag.

 

5 Clothing Fit Tricks Every Guy Should Know

January 15, 2014, 12:00 pm

≫ Next: A Sharp Office Makeover, Complete with a DIY Retractable Standing Desk (IKEA Hack)

≪ Previous: Java To a Whole New Level: The Coffee Project

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Well, first - if you're reading this - you've already learned the number one trick: fit is everything. #KnowledgeisPower But! How to make sure your doing it right when giving a new style staple a shot?

Memorize these five fit tricks when shopping for a jacket, suit, or button down shirt. Dappered offers this illustrated guide, which allows you to check the fit in a mirror without any extra help or measuring tools, etc Plus, if you do things right, you get a hug!

Check it out in full, and get to memorizing: 5 Clothing Fit Tricks Every Guy Should Know [Dappered.com] 

 

 

A Sharp Office Makeover, Complete with a DIY Retractable Standing Desk (IKEA Hack)

January 16, 2014, 9:30 am

≫ Next: Get Healthy: Sesame Ginger Soba Noodles

≪ Previous: 5 Clothing Fit Tricks Every Guy Should Know

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Brooklyn-based artist, designer, and tinkerer Kelli Anderson had an amazing studio/office space with lots of useable work surfaces...which were ever topped and filled with clutter and creative detritus. So, she decided to trade in her classic door-and-filing-cabinet combo of a desk for a proper, organized solution. 

The new wall-long desk is built around mounted cabinets from IKEA topped with a solid white acrylic countertop from Lowe's. 

But the real centerpiece is this built-in standing desk, that raises and lowers itself via a liner actuator. It allows the computer portion of the desk to sit flush with the surface for general use, but then rise to standing height at the push of a button.

Cool, right? 

See Kelli's full makeover, complete with DIY acrylic file organizers and lots of process photos, at her site:

A Stand-up Desk (Ikea hack) [KelliAnderson.com]

 

 

Get Healthy: Sesame Ginger Soba Noodles

January 16, 2014, 1:00 pm

≫ Next: How to: Make a Super Easy DIY Floor Shelf

≪ Previous: A Sharp Office Makeover, Complete with a DIY Retractable Standing Desk (IKEA Hack)

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Two weeks in... How are your health and fitness goals going?

Ok, we're not going to give you a pep talk about what you should and shouldn't eat. If you want to eat a whole bag of chips by yourself watching TV and that makes you happy, so be it. But if you do have a craving for something different or if you are looking for a very tasty alternative, make this Sesame Ginger Soba Noodles from Cookie and Kate.

The recipe is super easy AND you can make a huge batch to save time during the week - just keep all the greens and cucumbers in a separate container and assemble the day before. If you're missing some protein you can always add some chicken or even marinated tofu (don't use plain tofu unless you like the taste of cardboard).

Sometimes it's hard to try a new healthy diet because you have NO CLUE of what to make. This a good start! 

And of course, if you get a craving at the end of you meal, maybe make this other recipe...it's ok, it'll be our secret.

Image: Cookie and Kate

How to: Make a Super Easy DIY Floor Shelf

January 17, 2014, 7:00 am

≫ Next: The Science Behind the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever

≪ Previous: Get Healthy: Sesame Ginger Soba Noodles

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Use your magazines to stack...more magazines. How brilliant!

An easy project that can be done over the weekend or in the same amount of time that takes to heat up dinner?  Plus, who doesn't like a bit of extra space to storage and display stuff? Wit And Delight recently posted this floor shelf that'll certainly take care of both.

For this project you need a stack of old books or magazines that you don't want anymore. If you don't have any, you can go to your local thrift shop where they'll have plenty. You'll also need a large plank of wood, something rustic or live-edge if possible. 

Then it goes like this: stack the books, place the wood on top. DONE. 

If you want to get fancy, you can always paint the books or magazines' edges in a solid colour of sorts (all black for a minimal look?).

So, who's gonna make one this weekend?

 

 

The Science Behind the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever

January 17, 2014, 9:00 am

≫ Next: Weekend Project: Make a Wooden "Viking" Beer Mug...No Power Tools Required

≪ Previous: How to: Make a Super Easy DIY Floor Shelf

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This weekend is shaping up to be another cold and blustery, snow-filled couple of days. The kinda weekend where you never manage to actually put on shoes, cause there's no way you're going outside. The kind of weekend where you take on an indoor project with all kinds of immediate rewards...like perfecting the ultimate chocolate chip cookie.   

The Food Lab offers twenty (plus!) facts about the science and chemistry of great cookie baking. The cool thing here is, since cookie size, texture, chew, and crumb are all matters of personal preference, you can use these observations to customize your ideal cookie using the example recipe.

Me? I like mine very chewy, with lots of brown sugar and caramel flavors; smaller chunks of chocolate and a bit of extra salt.

Check it out on The Food Lab: The Science of the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies 

 

 

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Weekend Project: Make a Wooden "Viking" Beer Mug...No Power Tools Required

January 17, 2014, 10:00 am

≫ Next: The Swatchmate Cube For Color Lovers

≪ Previous: The Science Behind the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever

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Sometimes a pint glass'll do...and sometimes, your beer (or grog...or mead) needs to be sipped from a genuine, rough hewn wooden mug, made with nothing but a hatchet and a knife.

Or...well...maybe it doesn't need to be, but if I had one of these, I'd sure use it as much as possible. 

Bartolo, a maker from Belgium, explains how to turn a solid log into a hollowed-out mug, using some clever splitting and a sealing technique using propolis, a resinous mixture that honey bees collect to seal and reinforce their hive. 

Skol! Get the full how-to at Instructables: 'Viking' beer mug (no power tools - the bushcraft way)

The Swatchmate Cube For Color Lovers

January 20, 2014, 8:00 am

≫ Next: Hand Sewn: Artist Embroiders Portraits into His Own Skin

≪ Previous: Weekend Project: Make a Wooden "Viking" Beer Mug...No Power Tools Required

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Design fans, your prayers have been answered!

The Swatchmate Cube is currently being funded in Kickstarter - well, it's already waaay over its original goal, so yes, it's here to stay. This cube seems to be the perfect gadget to capture and record color and inspiration anywhere you want. The cube picks up the color and of an object and records it in your smartphone or computer, along with a little image. How cool!

If you want to pledge to get yours, visit their Kickstarter page. 

 

Hand Sewn: Artist Embroiders Portraits into His Own Skin

January 20, 2014, 10:00 am

≫ Next: New Year, New Beer: Favorite Brews You Gotta Try in 2014

≪ Previous: The Swatchmate Cube For Color Lovers

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I remember when I got my first splinter. We were camping, and I picked it up from an old, weather-worn picnic table. I ran to my mom, who immediately began to ask around for a needle. "A needle?" I thought. "For what?"My five-year-old brain could not wrap itself around the idea that it was even a reasonable option to choose to stick a needle in your hand.

But, of course we know that the top several layers of your hand skin is rather tough, and with care (as I mindlessly end up demonstrating on many an extended conference call...) you can stick a needle in your hand...um, safely.

Spanish artist David Cata can attest as well as any. In his series "Under the Skin," he hand embroiders his, uh, hand with the images of those who've made a major impact on his life. 

David says (through Google translate): "Under the Skin" is an autobiographical diary in which my body is support. On it I write the story of my life. By actual sewn performed on the palm of my hand, picture the faces of all those people who, somehow, have marked me throughout my life, family, friends, couples, teachers ... Their lives are interwoven with mine to build my story, a story that ends when I run out of leaves to write about.

Previoiusly, David experimented with portraits and hand embroidery in his series, "Neither With Nor Without Me"

 See more at We the Urban and at David's site: DavidCata.com

 

 

 

New Year, New Beer: Favorite Brews You Gotta Try in 2014

January 20, 2014, 11:00 am

≫ Next: DIY Idea: Make These Simple Rustic Wooden Crates to Use...Everywhere

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For Christmas a few weeks ago, I gave my wife a collection of home brew equipment. (That's right, she's awesome.) It was too big to slip under the tree, so I stuck it into the garage under an old drop cloth and then snuck it in while she was fiddling with the stockings. Over the weekend, we cooked our first batch (more on that soon), butof course, it won't be ready for a few weeks.

 

In the meantime, I'm consulting this list from First We Feast. A team of tasters and experts gathered to pick their favorite releases from last year. 

Let's be honest: What you really want to know is, out of the hundreds (if not thousands) of new beers that hit the market this year, which are actually worth hunting down? Everyone's opinion on the matter is subjective, but certain folks—namely, beer writers, publicans, and other industry pros—were lucky enough to drink a lot more beers than the rest of us in 2013. With a wider sample size, they can provide a clear-eyed (well, as clear-eyed as you can be after a few pints) view of which beers are a must-order if you see it at your local bar or on your travels.

According to my Untappd account, I've only had one (the Stillwater Classique), so I've got plenty to check out before our own bottling day.

See the full list and reviews at First We Feast: The Best New Beers of 2013 

 

 

 

DIY Idea: Make These Simple Rustic Wooden Crates to Use...Everywhere

January 21, 2014, 10:00 am

≫ Next: Famous Movie Quotes as Minimalist Charts

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This simple wooden box is part of the Crate series by London designer Jasper Morrison. It's made of Douglas fir and, as the designer suggests, "is suited to many applications such as a bedside table, storage or occasional table."   

 

It doesn't seem like the series is available for purchase anymore...which is okay, cost it was pretty costly. Doug fir is incredibly affordable and very easy to work. The genius of these boxes is the solid back panel, which provides lots of rigidity and allows the crates to be used for storage in multiple configurations. 

Of course, fir is a softwood, and if you really wanted these to be secure (say for sitting) you'd want to up the joints to something more than just butt joints or rabbets (Morrison's design used box joints), but for lightweight use, you could assembly one of these with $20 worth of wood, plenty of glue, and a simple handsaw. Grab some clamps, and go. 

See more at Jasper Morrison: The Crate and Established and Sons 

 

Famous Movie Quotes as Minimalist Charts

January 21, 2014, 11:00 am

≫ Next: The Best IKEA Hacks of 2013

≪ Previous: DIY Idea: Make These Simple Rustic Wooden Crates to Use...Everywhere

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Flowing Data has assembled 100 great movie quotes and visualized them as simple, black and white charts. The process works better with some than others, of course, but when they nail it, they nail it.    

Of course, as with all these pop culture representations, half the fun is testing your knowledge and figuring out the original source. Cool stuff.

You can buy the image as a 24x36" poster for a fine $19.00 at Big Cartel: Famous Movie Quotes Poster

[hat tip: Brady Kimball] 

 

 

 

 

 

The Best IKEA Hacks of 2013

January 21, 2014, 12:15 pm

≫ Next: Blow My Mindsday: January 22, 2014

≪ Previous: Famous Movie Quotes as Minimalist Charts

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Here's a mighty list with tons of ikea hacks that will keep both your home...and your wallet happy!

My friends from Poppytalk have put together an awesome list of The Best Ikea Hacks of 2013. With so much clutter on the internet, sometimes it's hard to find quality projects that can be done at home, but this list offers a solid list projects that could easily be done this year: DIY mid-century furniture (pictured above), bookshelves, kitchen cabinets...all the goods.

 

The cool thing about this projects is that a big heap of the work is done for you, which saves time and money. Plus, since it's the new year, IKEA will soon have a whole new line of products, which means...new projects!

The full list is here: Best IKEA Hacks of 2013 [Poppytalk]

 

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Blow My Mindsday: January 22, 2014

January 22, 2014, 9:00 am

≫ Next: Winterize Your Whiskey Cocktail: Make a Chai Honey Old Fashioned

≪ Previous: The Best IKEA Hacks of 2013

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Each Wednesday, I post some of my favorite can't-miss links, images, and otherwise mindblowing goodies from across the web.

I ❤ Coffee took a look into the most effective time you should drink coffee, at least as far as the caffeine boost is concerned. Hint: It's not first thing in the morning.    

Check out the illustrated facts at I ❤ Coffee.JP 

 

The Finnish design blog Bambula offers an easy graphic clock project. See the full how-to here. 

 

Sony makes a special wireless radio model that's only sold inside prison commissaries. Joshua Hunt explores "The iPod of Prison"

 

Robert Murphy reflects on what he learned from a self-imposed six-month spending freeze.  

 

An amazing video compiling the results of a time-lapse photography class in Moab, Utah. 

 

 

 

Winterize Your Whiskey Cocktail: Make a Chai Honey Old Fashioned

January 22, 2014, 11:00 am

≫ Next: How to: Make a Swedish Flame

≪ Previous: Blow My Mindsday: January 22, 2014

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ManMade team member Gabriel has been experimenting with some serious cocktail mixing, and sought out to give that non-season-specific classic, the Old Fashioned, a winter-y update. To pull it off, he kept the standard bourbon and Angostura bitters, but he switched up the sweetener to honey, the citrus to blood orange, and added a spice note from a Chai tea bag.  

Traditionalist might argue that once you've added a mixer, like the steeped tea, you're no longer making an Old Fashioned, but a cold toddy, or even a Texas Highball. But, Gab says when you drink it, it taste like a spiced Old Fashioned, and so I'm inclined to agree with him...and make a batch this weekend. 

Gab snapped these awesome photos and wrote up the whole thing on his personal blog, The Artful Desparado. Go check it out! 

MIXOLOGY: CHAI HONEY OLD FASHIONED

 

Oh! And for the ManMade guide to making the ultimate, traditional-style Old Fashioned, head here: 

How to: Make the Ultimate Old Fashioned...The Old-Fashioned Way

 

How to: Make a Swedish Flame

January 23, 2014, 8:00 am

≫ Next: How to: Make the Ultimate Bacon Cheeseburger

≪ Previous: Winterize Your Whiskey Cocktail: Make a Chai Honey Old Fashioned

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What's a Swedish flame? Something you can buy at IKEA? No sir.    

Ok, so I definitely had no clue such a thing existed, but according to Comfy Home Decor, a Swedish flame is nothing but a single log that has been cut through the middle, and lit to create a cool bonfire and cooking surface.

Is it safe? I dunno, but I'm guessing since it's Scandinavian, they know a thing or two about battling cold and darkness.

To make your own you need a log, a chainsaw, perhaps a bit of flammable fuel, and a safe, open space.

If this idea indeed works, then it's the best invention ever since you don't need a whole stack of wood to keep it going. I think this is the perfect excuse to get out there (even with the polar vortex) and make a bonfire with friends. Who's gonna bring the marshmallows?

To make your own, follow this easy tutorial on Comfy Home Decor 

How to: Make the Ultimate Bacon Cheeseburger

January 23, 2014, 11:00 am

≫ Next: Weekend Project: How to Make a Large Scale Pegboard Organization System

≪ Previous: How to: Make a Swedish Flame

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Some argue that bacon is a trick: anything tastes that much more delicious when you put bacon on top of it.

But a bacon cheeseburger isn't just a cheeseburger with bacon on it...at least, it shouldn't be. The additional salt and smoke and texture call for changing the your whole burger strategy, finding a way to highlight the bacon rather than just waste inside all the standard toppings. Last summer, Serious Eats' burger lab spent some serious time on the bacon cheeseburger, testing ways to arrange the bacon on the sandwich for maximum coverage (no Xs please), proper patty to bacon ratios, swapping out crispy fresh veg for sweet caramelized onions, and - cause why not - making a bacon sauce. 

The results?

Head over to the Burger Lab to get the full rundown: How to Make the Ultimate Bacon Cheeseburger

Weekend Project: How to Make a Large Scale Pegboard Organization System

January 24, 2014, 12:00 pm

≫ Next: Stunning 1860's-Style Portraits of the Stars at Sundance

≪ Previous: How to: Make the Ultimate Bacon Cheeseburger

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A few weeks ago, I shared this cool photo of a giant wooden "pegboard" system that uses dowel rods to fill evenly spaced holes, allowing you to reorganize as your needs allow, with no extra holes in the wall. While, of course,  looking totally awesome. 

This week, I stumbled across an actual tutorial from Apartment Therapy contributor Dabney Franke, who came up with an affordable solution using a spade bit and a pre-glued up fir panel, both available at the home center. Grab some dowels on the way out, and you've got a charming storage solution in an hour or two. 

Check out the full how-to here - DIY Project Idea: How to Make a Modern Pegboard Shelving System