Esquire photographer Victoria Will set up a tintype camera and developing production to capture these incredible 1860-70s-era portraits of the actors in attendance there. 

I - like the rest of the internet, I'm sure - am stunned but what a difference this medium makes. Some of the stars simply look like themselves with a filter, but with some, the textural changes render them nearly unrecognizable. (See: Elizabeth Banks)

Esquire reports, "

In the past, Will has created straightforward (and stunning) photographs of celebrities in attendance, but this year, she decided to try something new—and also incredibly challenging:

"A year ago I had my tin type portrait made at the Photoville festival in Brooklyn by the Penumbra Foundation," says Will, "and since that moment I have been intrigued by wet plate work, you might even say obsessed. I am fascinated by the slow process, the finicky nature of the chemistry, and the beauty in each unpredictable result. There is something really special in each wet plate being one of a kind. It's incredibly honest."

Esquire.com asked Victoria (with darkroom help from fellow photographer Josh Wool) to share her photographs from this year with us. Take a look at this exclusive, incredible (sometimes haunting!) collection of images of some of Hollywood's most recognizable faces.

What's most interesting here is not that the subjects are celebrities. It's that you're able to see how this medium interacts with a person you already recognize, shedding all kinds of new light (heh) on the experience of seeing vintage photographs of strangers.

See the full collection at Esquire.com: 31 Stunning 1860s-Style Portraits of the Stars at Sundance

A wise word to crafters, artists, and makers of all kinds: I just learned about trauma scissors, which are inexpensive as can be, and will cut through all sorts of materials: fabric, metal, leather, balsa wood...and supposedly, pennies. Steve Hoefer says, 

Sometimes called EMT or Paramedic scissors, they were originally designed for emergency responders to cut through seat belts, zippers, denim and leather. The rounded tip and bent handle made to safely cut along skin also make them useful for cutting along other surfaces without snags or jabs.

They’re somewhat famous for being shown cutting through a penny, which they’ll do without too much trouble. More practically they’ll cut sheet metal, wire, cable, plastic, cardboard, staples, rubber, foam, branches, and small bolts, to name a few. They’re the scissors I reach for when I don’t want to ruin my good scissors, and you’ll find them scattered throughout my workshop. They’re also great for opening plastic clamshell packages and I’ve tied them into bows on presents to help get into gifts.

I'ma order a pair for every room in the house. Snag a whole bunch of 'em at Amazon for only $2.20 a set.

Can't wait to try 'em. [via CoolTools] 

Make one for yourself. Make one for your buddy. Make one for everyone you know.    

Caila came up with this super simple tutorial for making a custom tool roll to house whatever tools the task requires: paint brushes, chisels, carving tools, soldering iron...choose your poison. Rather than getting over precise with specific measurements, she shows you how to lay out your tools on the blank and customize the roll to your specific needs. 

Get the full how-to (and check out plenty of other cool sewing projects) at CailaMade: Leather Tool Roll DIY

The wine cork trivet is a DIY staple, putting perfectly good materials to clever reuse. 

Alyssa and Carla came up with this smart twist. Instead of placing the corks on their side, they glued them together upright to embrace the subtle color and staining from the wine. Plus, all you need is a knife, a bunch of wine corks, and a glue gun to put it together. 

If this project is a little too pink and purple for you, it makes a great Valentine's Day gift for that wine lover friend of yours.

Perfect for a hot cast iron skillet. Check out the full tutorial at Alyssa and Carla's blog: DIY Ombre Wine Cork Trivet

I just stumbled across a link to the British Library's Flickr page, which has over a million (seemingly) copyright free images and illustrations available for browsing and download.    

The topics range from natural history and scientific illustrations to tons of guys with great looking facial hair...

... to historical branding...

... and plenty of great woodcut type and landscapes and, you know, stuff like this: 

Lots of cool inspiration and resources for you next project. Someone please make me a t-shirt with that ritual mask on it. 

Check it out: Flickr.com/photos/BritishLibrary

Oh, and if you don't know, the U.S. Library of Congress has a huge selection of copyright free art available as well. 

[via Kottke.org]

First rule of men's style: the fit. But the second? The details. They're the thing that take you from looking like a guy who doesn't not know how to dress to, well, you. And a pocket square is the perfect way to inject a little personality into your whole deal. 

The team at Kaufmann Mercantile report, 

Disposable tissues may have replaced cloth handkerchiefs for everyday use, but “We’re in a post-Casual Friday world. We have a culture of being fit and healthy, and the next logical jump is to start caring about the way you look, too.”

Patrick Ryan and Miriam Zelinsky started Lazy Jack Press to bring a bit more personality into menswear. “Pocket squares for us are a nice complement to the ties, because some people just don’t wear ties ever,” said Ryan. “For a regular guy, a pocket square is a place where you can express yourself in lieu of a tie.

Once you've snagged the right one, then you've just gotta master the fold. 

Kaufmann Mercantile has you covered there as well, offering a step-by-step guide to the Flat, the Pointed, the One Point, the Two Point, the Three Point, and the Puff and Reverse. 

Check out the full piece: Fold a Pocket Square - Experts on How & Why To Wear One

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

"Sea is for Cookie"... The internet is amazing. See more at Laughing Squid.

Leftover Pizza + Waffle Iron = Delicious Crispy, Gooey, Cheese-Stuffed Snack at Serious Eats

You may have seen this already (it's more than three years old), but the team at Esquire remind us that it's worth a re-watch. "We watch this video about once a year. (Like we do with those t-shirt folding trick videos.) We find ourselves gravitating to it right around midwinter, when we're day-dreaming about actually going on vacation. Somewhere warm. Or somewhere at least with a hot tub. A private hot tub. Yeah, a private hot tub."

These are lightning-like scars left on the eyes of a man who suffered an electric shock. Seriously. See more at BoingBoing

Just so you know...don't ever drop a whole lemon in your water at a restaurant. Ever. 

We hope you've stuck to your new year commitments to 1) eat breakfast and 2) make sure it's a nutritious one.  

My favorite this month: this recipe to make overnight chai steel-cut oats.

The cool thing is that you don't have to cook a thing in the morning (less dishes to wash!) and I find the flavor to be much better. Some call this method "Swiss style," so I'm sticking with that 'cause it sounds way fancier.

You can find steel-cut oats at most stores (usually sold in the bulk section or by the cereals), also most of the ingredients in this recipe are things you already have in your pantry: cinnamon, cardamon, nutmeg, vanilla, that kind of stuff.

If you're lactose intolerant you can substitute the milk for anything you'd like. Once you make it, you put it in a jar and you take it to work. Oh and you can swap the spices and add other things so you don't get tired of the same flavor profile

Check out the technique and recipe at This Homemade Life

Before cloud-based calendars and syncing to-do apps, Benjamin Franklin created his own schedule to stay productive, and continue to seek improvement in all areas of his life. In his 1791 autobiography, Franklin published his daily routine. It begins with his famous "What good shall I do today?" examination, and then a balanced take on work, recreation, and self-improvement. It was, of course, published after his common-law wife had died and once his children had grown (he had three), so there's not and inclusion for family, but it certainly accounts for social time spent with ones to whom he was close, in addition to the goal-setting and personal evaluation. 

Here's the schedule in full:

The Know blogger Tim Goessling tried out Franklin's schedule, and his (admittedly hyperbolic) headline of the result reads, "I Lived a Day According to Ben Franklin’s Schedule and It Changed My Life." Check out his experience here, and let us know if you've ever tried something similar. Are you a scheduler? Listmaker?

I Lived a Day According to Ben Franklin’s Schedule and It Changed My Life [The Know]

Fact: Wooden cutting boards get yucky...banged up, stained, rough, gouged, and with over exposure to water, the wood fibers get all fluffy and feather. But, it's still wood, and with a little effort, you can bring it back to life with a few easy steps.

The Merry Thought offers a guide to upcycle a raggedy board using some basic tools and techniques.

Her tutorial offers a full reshaping of the board and carving some patterns in the handle, but you could simply forgo that step and use the tips simply to restore what you've got. 

Boom! We love recycling things for the home! Especially when they're made to serve cheese and charcuterie ;)

For the full tutorial visit The Merry Thought

You're likely to see this all over the craft and design blogosphere over the next few days, but I loved it too much not to share.   

Photographer and artist Daniel Sax was stumbled across this 2012 kinetic typography piece by David Shiyang Liu, in which he animates the words of a well-known bit about the creative process by Ira Glass. 

Sax gave the audio a full physical type take, using bits of video and handmade type to highlight Ira's points. And it's pretty stunning...and totally motivating all over again.

Read more about the project at Colossal, who also made the excellent image collage at top.

The enjoyment of coffee is a spectrum. There are those times when a crummy mug from the diner hits the spot, and those days when hanging out at warm wooden tables with your laptop and a barista crafted cup is the way to go. And then, there are the extra special days: the Chemex or pour over mornings, with your sweetheart. The days where you summon that last bit of Stumptown from its airtight container and throughly scrub the French press to get all those competing oils off.

Those are the mornings when roasting your own beans are totally worth it. 

The first step, of course, is finding the beans. I can't buy any in my town (the guy at the market says they're illegal to sell in my state. I have no idea if that's true)...but there are plenty of resources online. 

After that, it's just a matter of a few simple steps. Mark Fraunfelder wrote up his favorite method, which uses a $25 air popcorn and a few other kitchen staples you already have. 

I haven't tried it yet, but it seems like something worth experimenting with, if only to appreciate what it takes in order for you to enjoy your morning cup. 

See the full process at Craftzine: Roast Coffee with a Popcorn Popper

I wish I hated Velveeta. I really do. I mean, I hardly ever eat it but, man, when I do... See, I have lots of really good memories from childhood. Growing up, we didn't consume it often, so when we did: guaranteed special occasion. Holidays...mom outta town and dad has the kids for the weekend. That sorta thing. 

Here's the other thing: I really like nachos. I love Latin flavors in general, but I particularly have a problem with nachos. Probably for the same reason as above, but for me, there's no better comfort food than the crunchy-then-saturated topping-covered corn chips. And sure, you can shred your own cheese and melt it atop, but that's not anywhere near the same, now is it?   So - this brilliant DIY cheese sauce made from actual ingredients might be as exciting as it gets. The trick, it turns out, is in a bit of cornstarch and "condensed" milk (though I think evaporated is how it's marketed where I live. Condensed milk is always sweet).

And, since it's Super Bowl weekend and everything's gonna be covered in melted cheese anyway, we say go for it. 

Get the full recipe: The Burger Lab: Cheese Sauce for Burgers, Fries, and Chips

Ahh...the pocket earbud tangle nest. You've seen it, you hate it, and you promise yourself not to do it again next. We say, this weekend, do something about it.   And unless your gonna put it it under glass and give it to someone as a housewarming present, we say: make an organizer for it. 

Instructable-r Amalkhan has a collection of tutorials that are designed to help you keep those cables tangle free. My favorite the the keychain design above, but she's a few simpler "taco" style designs that'll work equally well. Plus, you can choose your materials - leather, felt, brass, stainless - to customize the exact look that'll fit your personality. 

Get the full how-to here: Earbud Wire Organizer [Instructables.com] 

A suit, as we've come to know it for the last century or so, is simply a sum of its parts: a jacket, pants, sometimes a vest. And while traditional advice has said a sport coat is a better fit with jeans, or that trousers and suit pants convey a significant different level of dress, with the right suit, you can split it up and wear in all kinds of combos.Taking inspiration from a piece in last month's GQ, the Effortless Gent offer a complete guide to suit separates. They cover everything from fabric and texture choices to number of buttons, the article makes a strong case for the flexibility of going separate. 

Check it out: Breaking Up Is Hard To Do: Choosing A Versatile Suit and Wearing Each Piece Separately [The Effortless Gent] 

(Photo by TAGHI NADERZAD)

We've all got 'em...in the garage, in the basement, on a piece of newspaper on your work table behind you even though you finished that project two weeks ago and already promised yourself you'd clean it up three times. (Ahem, Chris.)    Quality paintbrushes are designed to be used over and over. Like, hundreds of times. Some say they even get better with more use. Emil Evans has the scoop on what to do with old, paint-crusted brushes, with some clever solutions to remove the grime once the paint has dried.

Check it out: How to Clean Old Paintbrushes[Apartment Therapy, photo by Lost Found Art]

"Typeset in the Future" is a new blog by Dave Addey that's "dedicated to fonts in sci-fi." For his inaugural post, he sets about dissecting the type in (what Chris thinks is) the greatest science fiction film ever made, 2001: A Space Odyssey. Released in 1968, the film represents breakthroughs in both set design and typography, of which it takes full advantage.  Dave begins, 

2001: A Space Odyssey – Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 sci-fi masterpiece – seems an appropriate place to start a blog about typography in sci-fi. Amongst other delights, it offers a zero-gravity toilet, emergency resuscitations, exploding bolts, and product placement aplenty. It’s also the Ur Example of Eurostile Bold Extended’s regular appearance in spacecraft user interfaces.

Right from the opening scene, we’re treated to Kubrick’s love of bold, clean, sans-serif typography:

[The] title card is set in Gill Sans, one of the all-time classic sans-serif fonts. Perhaps surprisingly, the zeroes in ‘2001’ appear to be set with the Gill Sans capital letter O (shown below on the left), rather than its  zero character.

Good stuff, indeed. Looking forward to many more updates. 

2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY[Typeset in the Future]

My grandfather was a toothpick guy. Like, he had a seven-or-eight-a-day habit. When he died and we helped my grandmother do a clean sweep of the house, my aunt found more than one hundred individual ones tucked away into couch cushions and drawers and pockets. Last year, when my grandmother passed away and we prepped the house for selling, we found at least a couple dozen more stashed away. 

He and I weren't very close. He was a traditional, working-class member of the greatest generation and I was a little too artistic and sensitive for his taste. He was the kind of guy who was inclined to build walls, and I was outside them. He was often incredibly critical and sometimes very cruel to me. But, on the better days, when I grew into a teenager and later as a young adult, my grandparents and I would go to a diner or a breakfast spot. And when it came time to pay the bill, he'd grab a handful of toothpicks and pass a few to me. Cause - I think - in his mind, men just used a toothpick after a meal. 

All of which is to say: toothpicks are also "thing" in my mind, and whiskey is a thing in my heart. So, when I saw these flavored high-quality toothpicks on the excellent Huckberry last week, I thought it was certainly something worth a try. No, these DIY versions not made of "veneer quality birch" but they're super easy, and they smell amazing. All for a couple ounces of whiskey, 75¢ worth of toothpicks, and five minutes of work.

These would make a great gift for any whiskey fan, and would be super easy to make in bulk to give as favors, to your groomsmen, or to someone special for Valentine's Day. You'll never be able to use a regular toothpick again.

Supplies:

• Whisky - I used about 3 1/2 oz. of a single malt Scotch from Islay, which has a strong smoky, peaty smell that gives the toothpicks that characteristic aroma
• Round wooden toothpicks
• A small bowl that will allow the toothpicks to fit and fully submerge without unnecessarily wasting any Scotch
• Another smaller bowl that will weight the toothpick down for full coverage.

Add the whiskey to the larger bowl and throw in a handful of toothpicks. Place your weight on top.

Allow them to soak for 48 hours. After day one, mix them up and flip everything around a bit for full coverage. On the second day, you'll note how much has been either soaked up into the wood, or evaporated, leaving the flavor behind. 

Also - you can drink this if you want, but it won't be very tasty. (Of course I tried it...) All the good stuff now lives inside the toothpicks, and what's left behind is pretty flavorless.

Then, lay the toothpicks out in a single layer and allow them to dry for a few hours.

That's it. Total of five minutes. These definitely take on the strong aroma of Scotch, and after you've warmed them in your mouth for a few moments, you can definitely taste it as well. I mean, they still taste like toothpick, but they also taste like awesome. A great way to end a meal.

To store them, I'm using a waterproof match safe I keep with my backpacking gear. They fit perfectly. Any small container will do: small glass vials, a film canister, pill bottles... even a dedicated toothpick holder.

There it is. A simple way to make an ordinary experience something special. 

Oh, and here's a nice, social media-friendly image. Feel free to share on Pinterest!

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

 Portland-based illustrator Richard Perez has created "Coen Cast," a collection of stylized illustrations of his favorite characters from Coen brothers movies. He's just getting started, but you find the full collection here.  

Composer Johnnyrandom created a complex, new musical piece using sounds created solely from a bicycle and components. 

The Pour Mason turns any standard Mason jar into a pour over coffee setup. Sold out now, but only $35 when it becomes available again. 

I like this folding work bench idea for garages and other spaces that have the potential to be workshops but can't be dedicated all the time. 

When you think about it, a tire is a perfect place to rest your feet. It's round, plenty sturdy, and soft enough to easy accept hardware while being rigid enough to maintain it.

So, Handimania figured out a way to do just that. It basically combines everything that we love about a good project, including upcycling, using raw materials, and not spending a ton of time on it.

And? It only takes a few tools like a drill and a glue gun.

Plus, it can also be used as extra seating (super good for crowded parties!) or even as a coffee table. We like the look as is, but if you want to add an extra somethin' somethin' then just add some paint or use a different kind of rope, perhaps one of those colorful nylon ones would work (neon anyone?). Plus, if you plan appropriately, it would equally well inside or out on the deck or patio.

To get the full scoop plus the step by step tutorial visit Handimania: Turn an Old Tire into a Rope Ottoman